When Du Zicheng came to the factory, he was immediately attracted by the doorman at the door wearing a standing military uniform, an armed belt, and a hat. Later, Du Zicheng privately told Wei Keren that the instructors of the doorman and the Baoding Wutang have a military style, and of course I also taught the word fan. When I entered the weapons warehouse, I looked at the Manlicia rifles in my hand, the long wooden boxes stacked together like a hill, and the three Napoleonic guns in the corner. Du Zicheng trembled for a long time, and finally asked: "Are you from the south?" Or a lock? ”

"?" Lao Wei pouted, "Don't be blind if you haven't seen the world, what kind of chaotic party and bandits, see clearly, these are all sent by the British consul, and they have been prepared in the official mansion." Which of the current buyers and sellers doesn't have a few guns to protect their homes, which is rare and strange. ”

"Okay, Old Wei, don't talk about others as a native grandson." I kicked Lao Wei, "When I first got into the gun, who was so frightened that his legs and stomach turned and he sat on the dock for half an hour without moving a place." ”

"I, wasn't I looking at the order?"

"I'll wipe it, it's like you know how to count, and you won't remember it after a hundred."

"That's my dad, what do you say that our family can't store dry food in the kennel anyway, just break ten fingers. I am the most knowledgeable in our village, and I have to come forward to witness the purchase of land in the village. Lao Wei's attitude of not being ashamed but proud angered me, so he was satisfied with being kicked by me and running away.

"Don't listen to him, the business has been big recently, and the British commercial counselor is our partner, I originally wanted to buy some gun protection factories, but I thought that there were more goods in this batch, so I wanted to find someone to practice as soon as possible."

"Boss, you are my benefactor. I don't have any advantages in Lao Du, filial piety and faithfulness can still be upheld, if you have something, just take care of it. "Du Zicheng understands that I treat him as my own, and if I don't hide anything from him, he can also put himself in the right position, well, he is a smart person.

"By the way, you said that if I pay one or two taels of silver a month for food and lodging, can I recruit a nursing home?" I'm still a little unsure, so I'll ask by the way.

"The owner, it's a good errand to be able to make a living now, and the county officials only have 8 yuan of silver a month, and they are in charge of one meal. Don't worry, you say a number, Brother Wei and I go to the countryside to go around, and we will definitely be able to recruit a good man with an innocent family background, I will practice for three months to ensure that it will be used. ”

"Okay, you are an expert in leading soldiers, so let's do it, Lao Wei still has to leave the courtyard, you find Lao Wu in the account room and pay two hundred taels of silver, and you will go to the countryside to recruit people tomorrow." Let's recruit 150 people first, and it's okay to have more, it's a big deal to be a worker. I don't have to worry about any distant relatives here, just do a good job, you are the head I invited, I dare to entrust my life to you? ”

"Boss, you're all right."

"The owner, the owner, the official is here" Lao Wu ran into the warehouse sweating profusely, "Someone sued our factory." It's someone from the Yamen of Futai. ”

"Look, I don't mess with me, and I can't really protect it if I don't recruit some people."

When I arrived in the hall, the official was also an acquaintance, and a silver ticket of fifty taels was exchanged for a piece of news, which turned out to be someone who accused me of secretly possessing arms and plotting against me.

In the afternoon, the three brothers of the Miao family and Meng Luochuan all got the letter, and they all went to the living room on the second floor of our factory before dinner.

"How's it going, do you know who laid the bad maggots?" Boss Miao was also in a hurry, and asked anxiously as soon as he sat down.

"I estimate that this is nothing more than these three possibilities, one is the two pieces of artichokes from the Chen family of the Tiger Flag Dart Bureau or the Knife Handle Gang, the second is the competitor in business, and the third is which dignitary family has taken a fancy to the little brother's business and plans to kill the pig for the New Year." I thought about it in the afternoon, and I won't be out of the circle in general.

"It makes sense, I think Xiao Wu's analysis is very reasonable." Meng Luochuan raised his eyelids, his eyes were shining, "The Chen family and the Knife Gang all know that you are cooperating with the British, so they don't have the courage to talk about the British's arms." As for competitors, didn't you say that no one would build them except foreigners, could it be foreigners? ”

"I think let's not guess, it's just to make some money, ask Mr. Xu about it, if it is big, use the name of the British as a shield, you will say that the major shareholder is the British Consulate, you can't be the master, I don't believe that there are still officials and businessmen in the Qing Dynasty who dare to argue with foreigners." If there is really such a hard stubble, you might as well talk about the conditions, the Miao family and your family have given up some shares, and multiple backers are not a bad thing. "Second Brother Miao is well planned.

It seems that there is no objection to Second Brother Miao's plan, so I will let Lao Wu do something. The next day, Lao Wu came to my office to report the situation with a strange face.

"Boss, guess who sued?"

"Don't sell it, Lao Wu, you just say it."

"Yes, yes, this time the one who sued our family is a broken household named Zhang Donkey, Master Xu has a thorough understanding, it should be the second son of the governor's yamen, and this second son often goes to teahouses, and recently he has been very close to the owners of several blacksmith workshops in the Tongyuan Bureau. It should be that we don't use their iron material to offend them, that's why "

"I'm rubbing, this is too bullying, they will play some pig iron, wrought iron, sickle and iron pot, did they beat our high-carbon steel pipe fittings? This can also pull hatred, I xxxxxxxx, (here harmony three hundred and eight) f. ”

Lao Wu looked at the boss of the high-end people who returned from overseas dumbfounded, and the vocabulary of the scolding street was so rich and tricky, it was close to the old bustard of the brothel, and it was a mixture of Chinese and foreign languages, and the conversion was natural, which can be called scolding the international standard.

"Lao Wu, don't worry, I'm just angry. As for those few pieces of material, let Master Xu deal with it, it's just to make some money, f, is it Lao Tzu's money or these iron-striking money. ”

After this incident, I feel that relying on foreigners is not a long-term solution after all, and the year after next is 1900, when Shandong is the birthplace of the Boxers, don't let the elder brother be burned as Ermaozi.

"Brother wants to donate officials?" Meng Luochuan looked at me and Miao Lao Er, and put down the bowl. "Is it that the matter is not settled, or I will find the relationship between the governor's yamen again."

"Brother Meng, the matter has been settled, the other party is just a few blacksmith heads, nothing remarkable. However, I have discussed with Second Brother Miao, if we don't have an official body, sooner or later let these stinky fish and rotten shrimp get wet, we won't have the heart to do business. Donate an official as soon as possible, and you will have an identity in the future. ”

"Since Brother Wu and Brother Miao have discussed, then Brother Fool will find a way, I don't know if you want to donate regularly, or donate often, whether to donate a red top, a blue top or a white top?" Meng Luochuan himself is a donor class, but he is also familiar with the mystery.

"It's enough to donate a four-grade Dao platform, and I ask Brother Meng to complete it."

"Well, the four-grade Taoist platform, the regular donation is only eight thousand taels of silver, and the price has gone down in the past two years, according to the reason, the four-grade top is to find a way to the household, and there is no three months to go back and forth. However, I listened to the master of the Futai Yamen, there is a big eunuch who wants to go down to the south of the Yangtze River to purchase Suzhou and Hangzhou embroidery, passing by Jinan Mansion, it should be a matter of the past few days, if the two virtuous brothers do not dislike the door of the inner house, this is a shortcut to save money and time. ”

"Ah, could it be that these eunuchs are still in charge of donating officials? This is not a fat shortage that has always been in charge of Weng Gong's officials and Li Zhongtang's household department, when will these eunuchs be able to manage it. "Second Brother Miao is shrewd in business, but when it is the turn of social experience, he is not the opponent of Meng Luochuan's big shopkeeper.

"The hand of the inner house has long been stretched out to the court, the sixth prince of the year, when he saw An Dehai, he also had to call him a brother, Li Zhongtang held up most of the court's sky, and saw Li Lianying, the general manager of Li respectfully avoided the car and gave way. Except for Qingliu who used Ding Baozhen's hand to yin An Dehai back then, as long as Lafayette is still in charge of the Qing Kingdom, the internal and external phase system is the heavenly rule of the Qing Kingdom. This chief steward is one of the thirteen Taibao of General Manager Li, the steward Liu. In addition, I also heard that our governor is going to be replaced, Lord Yu is going to move the nest, probably the position of the governor of Shanxi, the new arrival is probably Yuan Shikai Yuan who trained in the small station, this is not his military advisor Xu Shichang Xu also came to Jinan with the steward Liu, saying that he went to the holy township Qufu to check the Confucian classics, in fact, he came to pave the way for Lord Yuan. Anyway, our traders are indispensable for four festivals and eight tributes. The father of Lao Liu, the account room, has a friendship with Lord Xu Shichang in the same year, and can introduce us to pay a visit in advance. When the time comes, please ask Lord Xu to contact Steward Liu on your behalf, and it shouldn't be too troublesome to donate two blue-topped children. ”

From Meng Luochuan's chat, I learned that this Xu Shichang is a capable person, and after the Zhongjin Shi, such as the Hanlin Academy, this editor is a seven-grade official, with little silver, and a hard life, but Shichang has lived in Hanlin for 9 years, and has not done a single school trip, a test official and other beneficial things. He is not anxious for quick success, but actively makes friends, dredges up and down, and at the same time studies hard, cares about current affairs, and makes preparations in all aspects, waiting for the opportunity. Xu Shichang has been "sitting on the bench for ten years" in the Hanlin Academy, and finally there was a turning point in the tenth year, Yuan Shikai asked Qing Yanzuo to ask Xu Hanlin to take charge of the general office of the new army inspection and military affairs and battalion office of the whole army (equivalent to the secretary general and chief of staff), and Xu Xinran took office. Although the establishment, original post and rank are all retained, they are always higher than the lower; Xu resolutely left the Hanlin Academy, went all out, took charge of the whole army's copywriting and participated in secrets, and Yuan acted as his agent when he was not there. Since then, he has become Yuan's right-hand man. At the time of the Wuxu change, Xu Shichang and Yuan Shikai dyed the top with the blood of the six gentlemen of Wuxu, and since then they have been deeply favored by the Hou Party and have been on the rise. According to well-informed sources in the capital, Minister Conger of the Embassy of the United States has exerted pressure many times, and Prime Minister Yamen has also been impeached, and it is reported that it is Yuan Shikai and Yuan Xiangcheng of Xu Bianxiu who have taken over the post of governor of Shandong. Xu Shichang came to Jinan this time to pave the way for Yuan Shikai to take office, just after the party's internal minister Li Da Guan of a godson went out of Beijing to do business, together in Shandong, the people all know that the eunuch can be beheaded if he does not follow the order to go out of Beijing for a hundred miles, when the head of Ande Hai'an was planted in Jinan Mansion, I didn't expect the body of Shandong Governor Ding Baozhen to be cold, and the eunuch went out of Beijing and the story was repeated. However, since it is not easy to go out of Beijing once, I believe that this steward Liu Gonggong will not waste any opportunity to make money, and the donation class of two four-grade tops is not a big deal, since there are benefits to take, it is naturally no taboo.

The threshold of the steward Liu is too high, and we businessmen really can't see his old man, Xu Shichang is a little easier, after all, it is to pave the way for Boss Yuan, as a well-known person in the Jinan business community, I met the future premier of the Republic of China after a short time, and today's Qipin editor Xu Shichang.