Master Yuan, start!

　Therefore, the canning industry also provided a buffer for the sugar industry outside the Great Wall.

Naturally, warships that stayed at sea for long periods of time soon introduced canned foods with a long shelf life, and all kinds of sweet and salty canned foods appeared on the sailors' tables.

However, after eating canned food for a long time, no matter how delicious it is, you will get tired of it and always want to eat some fresh vegetables.

The ship happened to be docked near the Nanshi Wharf in Shanghai, and some sailors came up with the idea of ​​exchanging canned food for vegetables.

So, this is what happened to the scene that Tao Senjia just saw.

Judging from Yuan Xiangcheng's tone, he seemed determined not to yield an inch to France. He should be preparing for war, so how could he allow the officers and soldiers to disembark? It seemed the National Defense Army's military discipline was no more than this. Tao Senjia's impression of the National Defense Navy plummeted, even the shock he had just felt from seeing the huge ships and cannons faded somewhat.

Just as Tao Senjia was thinking, Tang Shaoyi walked down from the Hailong.

"Master Tao, it feels like a long time since we last met."

"Shaochuan, you're sitting on the boat, but I'm in such a mess." Tao Senjia saw the real boss and said directly, "Take off your gun covers. Are you, the National Defense Navy, planning to bomb the French Concession?"

"Master Tao, I'm only following orders." Tang Shaoyi pointed at the Sea Dragon and said calmly, "Why don't we get on board and discuss this in detail?"

"Okay." Tao Senjia didn't waste any words and walked straight to the gangway.

After a while, in the captain's room.

After the two of them sat down, Tao Senjia asked anxiously, "Brother Shaochuan, didn't Marshal Xian send a telegram saying that he wanted to resolve this matter peacefully with the French?

Why did Lord Yuan interfere again and cause trouble for no reason?

I need to give Jiangnan an explanation for this matter."

Tao Senjia wanted to put a hat trick on Tang Shaoyi first to make him feel guilty.

"If Lord Tao wants to come and question me, please go back." Tang Shaoyi didn't respond at all and directly retorted: "When Lord Yuan arrives in Shanghai, he will naturally give Lord Liu an explanation."

Yuan Shikai came to negotiate? His temper might really provoke an attack from the French.

Originally, Tao Senjia wanted to ask Tang Shaoyi some questions to see if he could get anything out of him, but he didn't expect that Tang Shaoyi would serve him tea and send him away before he even sat down.

In fact, in his opinion, there was no room for negotiation in this assassination case, not to mention that killing someone means paying with one's life.

The one who died this time was the French consul. It was a blessing that one life could be saved for another.

The bad thing about Liu Ke is that the person who fired the gun was never caught.

Who sent the nine murderers?

3. With the assassination of the French consul and the French Governor-General of Taiwan rushing to Shanghai, countless Chinese living inside and outside the concession began to feel uneasy.

The excitement and shock brought by Yuan Shikai's telegram about "siege of the French Concession" gradually faded away, and cheers were still the mainstream, but the surrender faction also began to express their opposition openly and secretly, for they were afraid that the foreigners would launch another armed march.

However, the instigator, Yuan Xiangcheng, did not care about these things. He has now rushed to Yantai and is participating in the opening ceremony of the Changyu Glass Factory.

At the foot of Zhifu Mountain, in front of the huge factory gate, Yuan Xiangcheng and a group of factory managers and co-organizers stood together for a photo.

The founder Zhang Bishi standing by also had a smile on his face, but he couldn't help but grumble in his heart.

Governor-General Yuan's words about blocking the French Concession sounded very tough, but the French were such a domineering and overbearing bunch.

After Vietnam was colonized, many local Chinese businessmen in Annam had their property confiscated by the French and had to flee to Penang, Malacca and other places in Southeast Asia. Can he really hold his ground this time?

However, despite his grumbling, Zhang Bishi had to admit that the telegram to blockade the French Concession was the most refreshing thing he had ever heard in his life.

For the Chinese in Southeast Asia who had suffered from bullying by foreigners, it was like a treasure.

Why did he choose to go far away instead of near, and even persuade other Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia to invest in the north? Wasn't it because he was attracted by Yuan Shikai's tough attitude towards foreigners?

After decades of hard work in Southeast Asia since he was a child, Zhang Bishi has come to understand a lot. He knows that the economy ultimately depends on politics.

The higher the Chinese climbed in Southeast Asia, the greater the risk of being exploited. A lifetime of painstakingly accumulating wealth could result in a loss of 70% to 80% in a single aboriginal riot.

But the Chinese could only hold it in and could not resort to lynching to fight back. They could only seek justice from the foreigners in the colony, and even this justice cost a huge amount of money.

However, although the foreigners spoke nicely and ostensibly claimed to be upholding justice, they would only execute a few natives who led the riots. In most cases, the stolen property could not be recovered, and the Chinese could only suffer in silence.

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Thinking of this, Zhang Bishi calmed down and said earnestly to Yuan Xiangcheng beside him: "Weiting is traveling south this time, shouldering the hopes of all overseas Chinese."

Zhang Bishi guessed that Yuan Shikai's tough telegram was intended to win favor among the Chinese in Southeast Asia.

After all, most of the Chinese in Southeast Asia came from Fujian and Guangdong provinces, while Yuan Shikai was far away in the Northeast and naturally felt alienated.

Moreover, since Li Hongzhang cooperated with the Americans to establish a concession in Luzon, many Chinese in Southeast Asia were deeply encouraged and regarded Li Hongzhang as the savior of the Chinese. They went to Guangdong and Guangxi to set up factories.

Even Zhang Bishi received news from his fellow townsmen, inviting him to set up a factory in his hometown.

However, Zhang Bishi was quite unhappy with the restrictions imposed by the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office on Chinese factories.

Regardless of whether the factories were run by foreigners or Chinese from the Qing Dynasty or Southeast Asia, they all had to participate in the 2% equity investment in the name of the Guangdong Customs Commissioner. Sheng Xuanhuai, the Customs Commissioner, even called it "the will of the court."

When Zhang Bishi heard about this situation for the first time, he exclaimed that he had seen a ghost. Which court was the court in Guangzhou, the one in Wuchang or the one in Beijing?

As for the textile industry, which was the most proficient field for the Chinese in Southeast Asia, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi did not allow private factories to be established, and only "joint ventures between government and business" were allowed.

Zhang Bishi had long seen the business policies created by Yuan Shikai, and naturally did not want to give up a few percent of the profits to others for nothing, so he increased his investment in Yuan Shikai, hoping that his bet would be successful.

Originally, he wanted to set up a small glass factory in Shantou, but after learning about the practices of the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office, Zhang Bishi gave up the idea. It was not until Yuan Shikai proposed it that he decided to set up a glass factory in Yantai.

There are a lot of natural medium-sized D:356F Silingsi ! Quartz sand along the coast of Yantai, which is an excellent raw material for glass.

...

Seeing Zhang Bishi's expectant eyes, Yuan Xiangcheng naturally knew what he meant, so he replied in a firm tone:

"Brother Bishi, the Nanyang Chinese are also Chinese. I am traveling south this time to vent my anger on the Chinese!"

Zhang Bishi knew that Yuan Shikai was somewhat boastful and he couldn't even imagine letting the Chinese vent their anger in front of the French, but he was already very relieved to have this guarantee.

The Chinese in Southeast Asia have been living overseas and have not been able to return to their homeland for more than ten years. What could be more inspiring than these words?

Thinking of this, Zhang Bishi said directly to Yuan Xiangcheng: "Weiting, is there anything else I can say to the Chinese in Southeast Asia?"

Seeing this, Yuan Xiangcheng smiled and said, "Brother Bishi, the National Defense Army cannot reach Southeast Asia now, so they can only vent their anger on the Chinese in China.

But please believe me, Brother Bishi, when China becomes strong in the future, if the Chinese in Southeast Asia send a telegram asking for help, the National Defense Force will certainly be obliged to do so."

Sending troops overseas? Zhang Bishi was a little dazed when he heard this. This was something he dared not even think about.

But soon, he realized that there was something else behind Yuan Xiangcheng's words. After thinking about it for a while, he immediately remembered who Yuan Xiangcheng was targeting.

Li Hongzhang!

After the French colonized Annam, the property of Chinese people in Annam was seized. Many went to Guangzhou to ask Li Hongzhang for justice, but he evaded the question, saying, "This matter involves foreigners and is located outside the territory of the Qing Dynasty. It is beyond the reach of Qing law."

In the end, these Chinese businessmen in Annan had no choice but to continue moving south to seek refuge with their relatives and friends.

It was a coincidence that Zhang Bishi learned about this matter, but it was also because of this incident that he became completely disappointed with Li Hongzhang and tied himself to Yuan Shikai's boat.

"Okay, Wei Ting, I will definitely convey this message to you!"

Seeing Zhang Bishi nod, Yuan Xiangcheng also smiled with satisfaction.

Originally, there was an increasing trend of Nanyang merchants setting up factories outside the Great Wall, but after the South China Sea Fleet annihilated the Philippine Fleet, the number of Chinese merchants heading north suddenly decreased sharply and they all fled to Guangdong and Guangxi.

Although the business environment outside the Great Wall is good, it is still inherently inferior to the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong in terms of distance and nostalgia, and it is inevitable to find another way. Therefore, Yuan Xiangcheng can only think of a way based on national sentiment.

After all, the superior business environment can only affect a part of the Chinese in Southeast Asia. Most Chinese are still concerned about their motherland and hometown.

Otherwise, the Chinese in Southeast Asia would not have made such great efforts in national independence in history. Among the 72 martyrs of Huanghuagang, 29 were overseas Chinese; during the Anti-Japanese War, three-quarters of the air force fighter pilots were Chinese and overseas Chinese.

Five years before the Anti-Japanese War, the amount of donations remitted by overseas Chinese to China reached 5 billion yuan, while the National Government's war expenditure in 50 was only 1939 billion yuan.

In Yuan Xiangcheng's view, this is the most valuable quality of overseas Chinese in this era. Many overseas Chinese have never even set foot on Chinese soil in their entire lives, but are willing to make contributions to their motherland which they have never seen.

The Chinese businessmen in Nanyang are not only rich, but most importantly, if you treat them well, they will really be willing to give you money.

Yuan Xiangcheng was unwilling to give up this important source of funds from the bottom of his heart, so he sent such a provocative telegram.

Then the next step is walking on the wire rope.

Yuan Xiangcheng looked far to the south, as if he wanted to take in all the forces in Shanghai.

Chapter 211 The Secret of the Huangpu River

When Yuan Shikai continued his journey south, a strange atmosphere arose on both sides of the Huangpu River.

After arriving in Shanghai, Liu Kunyi, the governor of Jiangnan, did not denounce the French as most people expected. Instead, he moved directly into a temporary house and avoided seeing irrelevant people.

After a night's rest, in the early morning of the next day, two rickshaws were traveling through the twilight of Shanghai, and they stopped at the gate of Liu Kunyi's house at the same time.

Yu Lianyuan, who was originally the governor of southern Jiangsu and now served as Liu Kunyi's temporary liaison with foreigners, was awakened from his seat by the driver's reminder, but his mind was still thinking about the secret conversation with the French at night.

On the opposite rickshaw, Kang Youwei also seemed to be in low spirits. He shook his dizzy head and then slowly got off the rickshaw.

"Sir Yu, what are you doing?" Kang Youwei saw that Yu Lianyuan seemed to have something urgent to do, so he asked.

Yu Lianyuan wanted to reply, but seeing that Kang Youwei seemed to have not slept all night and had just finished an important matter, he was immediately furious.

In his opinion, Kang Youwei was just a lucky guy who got the title of Observer by flattering General Xian.

This man was selfish, greedy and lustful. Every year, the Jiangnan Governor's Office allocated tens of thousands of taels of official silver to publish newspapers, and half of it probably went into his own pocket.

Just now I saw that he looked listless, and I don’t know where he went to fool around at night. Now that the French consul has been assassinated, he still has the mind to seek pleasure. It is really outrageous, so he said angrily.

"Master Kang, you should just observe the situation. Marshal Xian didn't summon you, so why bother getting involved in this mess?"

Yu Lianyuan was a genuine Jinshi graduate. He worked as an editor in the Hanlin Academy and an assistant editor in the National History Museum. He also worked as a censor for several years before being sent to a local area as a chief official. He followed the path of promotion for a legitimate scholar, so naturally he looked down on Kang Youwei, a small Lingnan scholar.

Kang Youwei was ridiculed, but he remained calm. After all, Yu Lianyuan had always treated him like this, so even though he was despised, he still approached and asked:

"Master Yu, how is the private contact Marshal Xian asked you to have with the French?

After Yuan Xiangcheng sent the telegram, public opinion was boiling. If it is not handled properly, I am afraid..."

It would have been fine if Yuan Xiangcheng hadn't been mentioned, but Yu Lianyuan got angry the moment he mentioned him. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he said to Kang Youwei behind him in a bad tone:

"Sir Kang, you were the editor-in-chief of a newspaper before. You said that you didn't run the newspaper well to educate the people, but you insisted that you had a past relationship with Yuan Shikai and volunteered to have a meeting with Tang Shaoyi.

As a result, the talks did not produce any results. Instead, the people of Shanghai started protesting for unknown reasons, and your brother Kang Guangren was the leader.

Protesting would be fine, but they actually killed a French consul. How truly lamentable! "

Yu Lianyuan finally held back the last half of the sentence, "Not capable of accomplishing anything, but capable of causing trouble," and only said it in his heart.

Kang Youwei saw Yu Lianyuan glaring at him and blaming all the mistakes on himself, so he said no more.

He was not a man without dignity. Even if he no longer cared about his face, he felt somewhat embarrassed to be treated like this by Yu Lianyuan. He could only follow behind him silently and walk into the yard.

The two of them walked quickly into the meeting hall. When they were almost at the door, they heard the voices of Liu Kunyi and Tao Senjia talking from inside.