The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

He demanded the European distribution rights for cigarettes and lighters, with payment for the weapons to be made in the form of cigarettes and lighters. If this demand was met, he would not only forgo the deposit but also offer a discount on the original price.

This kid has a sharp eye; he spotted the business opportunity right away. Shen Lian, of course, wasn't going to let him have his way. He knew better than anyone how big the market for cigarettes and lighters was.

After some back and forth, Shen Lian only agreed to grant him the agency rights for Germany. However, he would be in charge of the other European countries until an agent was found.

Jason returned home satisfied. Before leaving, he mentioned that the quantity of weapons was too large and he needed time to procure them. He estimated they wouldn't arrive until after the new year.

Shen Lian didn't care as long as the goods arrived before March. He also asked him to buy some machinery so he could repair firearms and reload bullets. He also ordered a batch of gunpowder manufacturing equipment.

Jiangnan is now mass-producing gunpowder and explosives, and Shen Lian has already sent people to recruit them. News should come soon. Lured by money and official positions, Shen Lian refuses to believe they can't recruit someone.

Finally, Shen Lian asked Jason for a personal favor, saying he was a big fan of European oil paintings and hoped Jason could help him acquire some paintings by famous artists.

They also chatted with Jason about Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Monet. Jason listened, completely bewildered.

He actually knew absolutely nothing about oil painting; he just happened to be organizing antiques in his spare time when he suddenly remembered that Western oil paintings seemed to be very valuable. As for Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Monet, they were only valuable because of their immense fame. He'd only heard of them when he was in university.

Now that the weapons and ammunition have arrived and the soldiers have completed three months of basic training, they can be assigned to their units.

The first unit formed was a cavalry battalion and Shen Lian's guard company. Shen Lian entrusted the cavalry battalion to Zhang Da Kui, who was assigned to him by his father-in-law and was himself a cavalry officer.

Shen Xiaohu was willing to go to the cavalry battalion, so Shen Lian handed him over to Zhang Da Kui to mentor him. Lai Fu also didn't want to return to the guard company, so Shen Lian had them form a reconnaissance company.

Shen Lian's guard company was naturally under Lu Da's command, and that kid had selected quite a few experts. No one else dared to compete with him.

Then Shen Lian took Mark and let him personally select the artillerymen.

Seeing these spirited and energetic soldiers, Mark and his companions were greatly impressed, as they far exceeded their expectations of this country's army. If they weren't still somewhat inexperienced, he would have mistaken them for elite troops from some other nation.

Mark and his men were naturally very satisfied to have such elite soldiers to choose from. The selection was completed quickly, and Shen then assigned them several dozen literate men to be trained as officers.

Then came the selection of personnel for each battalion. Most of the battalion-level officers were instructors sent by their fathers-in-law. Only Shen Lian's cousin, Shen Daowu, was in charge of a separate battalion of young men from their hometown in western Hunan.

After the other eight battalions finished selecting their soldiers, the rest would have to be assigned to the supply battalion. But they shouldn't be discouraged.

These are all temporary arrangements. From now on, both combat battalions and supply battalions will participate in training. Those who perform poorly in the combat battalions will be transferred to the supply battalions. Those who perform well in the supply battalions will also have the opportunity to enter the combat battalions.

Shen Lian did not send the older, higher-ranking officers sent by his father-in-law to lead troops. Instead, he established a special staff to assist him in commanding the army.

Then Shen Lian organized the scholars in each unit, and he set aside an hour each day to teach them and the staff. He taught them how to interact with soldiers, how to comfort and help them, and how to make the soldiers understand why they were fighting.

Of course, there was inevitably some personal agenda involved, such as instructing soldiers on their loyalty. This was all information Shen Lian found online, which he edited and abridged.

These people will later become political instructors and platoon leaders in their respective companies. Besides teaching soldiers to read, they will also assist their superiors in managing the troops. Shen Lian naturally wouldn't let such a powerful asset slip by.

Shen Lian was extremely busy during this period, and sometimes he didn't even have time to go home to sleep, so he slept in the military camp.

During this period, he also sent Dong Shaohua to Jiangnan and Fuzhou to order ten motorboats, and to see if he could recruit some naval officers and artillerymen.

After obtaining accurate information, Shen Lian convened a meeting with major merchants in Linqing to hold an auction. He entrusted them with the task of clearing several silted-up sections of the canal connecting Linqing to the capital.

Shen Lian even sent a telegram to inquire about this matter. The imperial court's reply was very quick: the canal could be dredged without the court's financial assistance—what a stroke of luck!

The imperial court issued an edict praising Shen Lian and demanding that local officials along the route cooperate.

Actually, the entire canal is in dire need of maintenance, but Shen Lian doesn't have that much time right now. He'll focus on dredging the severely silted sections so that steamboats can still navigate.

It wasn't until almost the end of the twelfth lunar month that Shen Lian had to end this kind of life, because his wedding date with Nie Xiaoqian was approaching.

Shen Lian had spent almost all his silver, so it was time to go back and get some more.

Under the pretext of preparing a gift for the wedding, Shen Lian slipped away. Even his guard company had no idea where he went.

Back in Shanghai, Shen Lian looked like he had just returned from a trip, pulling his suitcase towards his rented room.

"Shen Lian, you little rascal, you're back?" Bai Shanshan, who was bored in the shop, greeted Shen Lian loudly when she saw him.

"Yeah! I'm back. Did you miss me, Sister Shanshan?" Shen Lian smiled mischievously.

It has to be said that this woman is not only young and beautiful, but also knows how to dress. Today she wore a tight-fitting coffee-colored long dress that showed off her figure perfectly. She had curves in all the right places.

Shen Lian couldn't help but take a second look!

"How is it? Does it look good?" Bai Shanshan twirled around confidently, showing off her figure.

"Great, it looks good!" Shen Lian subconsciously swallowed.

"You can only look at it if it's pretty! Hehehe..." Bai Shanshan covered her mouth and laughed.

Shen Lian; Wo Cao. (The rest of the text appears to be a series of characters and symbols, possibly representing a corrupted or incomplete translation.)

"I'm just kidding! Where have you been all this time? Luo Zhongchun has come looking for you several times." Seeing Shen Lian's lecherous look, Bai Shanshan rolled her eyes at him.

"Didn't I tell you last time? I went abroad, and this time it took a little longer." Shen Lian nodded to indicate that he understood. He would definitely bring some cigarettes with him when he came back.

After chatting for a few minutes, Shen Lian left. This mature, beautiful young woman was deadly; he was often completely captivated by her charm.

He opened the door and went inside; no one had lived there for months. The house reeked of mildew. Shen Lian frowned, then simply turned around, closed the door, and left.

I'm someone who can have tens of thousands of taels of silver every minute, why would I live in this dilapidated house?

Shen Lian took a taxi directly to the Hilton Hotel where he had stayed before and booked a room. He first took out his phone, plugged it in to charge, and then went to the bathroom to wash up.

Shen Lian lit a cigarette and started dialing on his phone.