As soon as Zhilin was arrested like this, Zhilin's father, Jing Lian, the Minister of Military Aircraft, was simply mad, and he wrote several excerpts to impeach Xuan Hongtao several times a day, and even mentioned the matter of General Xuan Yuemeng many times.

Cixi didn't know that there was such a person as Xuan Yuemeng, and there was such a person as Xuan Hongtao, Cixi knew, but after a few months, the name of a small official who was not in the stream had already been blurred.

Go to the study, behind the curtains.

Cixi put Jing Lian's fold aside.

Cixi was a little impatient, but her expression was still calm, and ordinary people couldn't see the change in Cixi's expression: "Why did you offend foreigners again?" A few days ago, didn't Li Hongzhang just quell the burning of the leased warehouse? What the hell is going on? The ground in Tianjin is indeed chaotic, why did there be an accident at both ends in three days? ”

Jing Lian hurriedly added fuel and vinegar to the matter of Xuan Yuemeng and Xuan Hongtao, and naturally said that Xuan Hongtao was the person who was picked up by Li Hongzhang, and Xuan Yuemeng was Xuan Hongtao's son, and now he is still a director of the public board of directors in the American Concession.

Prince Gong stood expressionlessly, and secretly said that this Jing Lian is stupid, and said in his heart that you don't mention foreigners, this matter is easier to do, you said that the child named Xuan Yuemeng is a director of the Foreigner Board of Directors, how can the Queen Mother of the West support you?

Sure enough, as Yixin expected, Cixi heard that it was about foreigners, and paused for a moment and said: "Since it is something related to foreigners, let Li Hongzhang handle it. ”

After Cixi finished speaking, she looked at Yixun.

Jing Lian wiped his sweat and glanced at Prince Gong Yixun, originally expecting Yixun to speak for himself, but who knew that the prince would not say a word.

Jing Lian stubbornly said: "Queen Mother Mingjian, Li Hongzhang's side, the minister has already sent someone to ask." It has the meaning of protecting the subordinates, and that Xuan Yuemeng's father was on an errand in the Beiyang Yamen. ”

Cixi: "I sound a little confused, how could Li Hongzhang's people go to the concession to do things?" ”

Jing Lian had to repeat what he had just said in detail, and also focused on explaining that Xuan Yuemeng was a prodigy and knew foreign languages since he was a child.

Cixi finally owes her body. With a slight expression, he glanced at the Empress Dowager Ci'an beside him, and then looked back at Jing Lian, and said curiously: "Oh? And such children? This is new, and foreigners are also strange that a child less than a year old would become a director of the Board of Directors? This kid still arrested your son? Forget it, I'm tired, and the emperor is tired, if this matter is not urgent. Let's talk about it in a few days, and let people ask Li Hongzhang what he said? ”

Jing Lian heard the Queen Mother say that he couldn't do without Li Hongzhang, and his heart was half cold.

Until Xuan Yuemeng released Zhilin, Jing Lian did not play any role in Beijing.

said that Xuan Yuemeng dared to catch Zhilin, so he didn't take Zhilin and his father Jinglian in his eyes. However, if you don't put it in your eyes, you don't care about it, as a cultivated child, Xuan Yuemeng still has to send him off on the day Zhilin is released from prison.

Zhilin's two eye circles are like pandas. Blackened, blackened.

Xuan Yuemeng sat in the carriage and watched Zhilin staggering out of the beauty hunting room. smiled: "Yo, isn't this Lord Zhilin?" I haven't been to the concession for a few days, how did my lord become like this? ”

Zhilin glanced at Xuan Yuemeng listlessly, there was no fierce light, his eyes narrowed into a slit, and it seemed that it was difficult to even open them.

Xuan Yue smiled. asked the vigorous beside him: "You didn't inform Shouchuan, the good brother of Lord Zhilin, of the Bingbei Dao Yamen?" Why didn't anyone come to pick up Lord Zhilin? Didn't the family of Lord Zhilin come? Lord Zhilin, you're too much of a failure, aren't you? You got out of prison, and none of your family or friends came to pick you up, and there was no one? ”

Of course, Zhilin's family came, but the house slaves didn't dare to come to the American concession again. Last time, Xuan Yuemeng did all the personal slaves that Zhilin had used for many years at one time. This time, a few of them only dared to wait honestly outside the US Concession, where did they dare to come to the US Concession?

Zhilin slowly glanced at Xuan Yuemeng, didn't dare to say anything cruel, and continued to walk slowly outside the American Concession, if it weren't for his profound internal strength, others would not be able to eat or drink for five days and five nights, not to mention that they could walk.

Xuan Yuemeng looked at Zhilin's back, knowing that the struggle with these stubborn old factions in China was far from over, and the struggle with the Canal Gang, a local snake gang, was far from over, so he was even more cautious!

Vigorously smiled: "Young Master, this time you can take a breath, right?" ”

Xuan Yuemeng: "It's a pity that I didn't want his life, this person will retaliate sooner or later." ”

Zhang Decheng: "Young master, I want to be him?" ”

Xuan Yuemeng glanced at Zhang Decheng, "Are you sure?" ”

Zhang Decheng shook his head: "This person's skills are too good, I am not sure, and since he is a high-ranking official, there will be no less followers." ”

Xuan Yuemeng nodded and said: "Since this is the case, then don't do anything first, so as not to startle the snake, and besides, we just released him, if we move him now, it is easy for people to think of us." ”

Zhang Decheng: "I know, young master." ”

Xuan Yuemeng: "You and Kui Heng prepare, they have a canal gang, we also have to get a gang, you and Kui Heng secretly organize one, we are here Yongding River, I think it can be called Yongding Gang, after all, those things that are not visible are inconvenient for foreign banks and patrol houses to do." ”

Zhang Decheng said in surprise: "Young master, don't worry, this is our old business, Kui Heng and I are outside, even if we are killed, the young master's name will not be exposed." ”

Xuan Yuemeng waved his hand and motioned for them all to step back, he wanted to think about things alone.

Xuan Yuemeng knew that with the heart of a person like Zhilin, the next move would definitely be even more despicable and ruthless!

Xuan Yuemeng didn't expect that the foreigners would start to make moves to him at this time!

Timothy Li came to Xuan Yuemeng in a hurry: "Young Master Meng (Originally, Timothy Li liked to call Xuan Yuemeng Mr. Yuemeng, but now people in the American Concession, and even everyone who knows Xuan Yuemeng calls Xuan Yuemeng Young Master Meng, and Timothy Li also changed his words, it seems that Young Master Meng is already Xuan Yuemeng's fixed name, and the word Young Master Meng has resounded throughout the land of Zhili within a few months. If the second batch of building materials we ordered in Germany does not arrive smoothly, the construction period will be forced to come to a standstill. ”

Xuan Yuemeng was slightly startled. Although I guessed what was going on, I guessed that it was probably related to the British and the French, so I waited for Timothy Lee to tell me the details.

Timothy Lee explained: "Master Meng, our steel building materials are all dependent on imports from Germany, and Germany's trade volume with Asia is very small, and there is no separate transportation route. If the German foreign companies want to transport goods, they have to rely on Britain and France, and the current Asia-Europe shipping is completely controlled by Britain and France. ”

Xuan Yuemeng sweated, he ignored such an important aspect of transportation, he was very angry, originally for most of the building materials to be transported from Germany, he felt that it was not cost-effective, which in modern times, are easy to obtain. Now everything from engineers to materials needs to be bought from abroad, and the cost and freight cost have squeezed out a lot of his profits!

Now even with such a high cost, is there a problem?

Xuan Yuemeng: "Isn't there any shipping in other countries?" So many countries doing business in Asia? ”

Timothy Lee: "Yes, not as much as England and France, and Britain and France have reached agreements with the major countries of Europe. Since it is done in a decentralized manner, it is not as expensive as a centralized one. Slowly, there was an international public price, and other countries no longer competed with Britain and France in shipping, and slowly Britain and France monopolized Europe's seaborne trade with Asia. ”

Xuan Yuemeng sweated, "Then why don't they transport it for us?" Have you asked? ”

Timothy Lee nodded, "I have already informed the German and American consulates, and the German and American consulates have also been in contact with the British consulates. They found all kinds of reasons, that is, they delayed it for some reason, but our construction schedule was so tight and the funds were so insufficient, we had to rely on building part of it. If some of them are sold for profit, and if the work is stopped because of the lack of supply of building materials, I believe that by that time, the British and French concessions will not be accustomed to the foreign companies of our Klinsmann foreign company, and they will definitely spread rumors everywhere, which will be very unfavorable to our situation! ”

Xuan Yuemeng is a little anxious, this is a certain thing! As an emerging foreign bank, it has developed so fast that all parties are very vigilant.

Xuan Yuemeng: "Keep looking for the German consulate and make a strong statement, so that they must solve the transportation problem and unite with domestic buyers in Germany to put pressure on the German government!" Are they not doing business? ”

Timothy Lee sighed, "Ocean shipping is not something that can be done immediately, Germany's starting time is still very short, shipping is not developed, and when Germany solves the ocean shipping problem, our Klinsmann foreign company has been crushed by them." ”

Xuan Yuemeng slapped his right hand with his left hand, Nima, what is this called, China is backward, so he has to raise the cost to buy goods from Germany, and now even Germany seems so backward in front of Britain and France, and if you are backward, you will be bullied, which country is the same! Britain and France are now relying on their economic advantages and the advantage of starting early to bully people in Thorn Guoguo.

Xuan Yuemeng: "Let the German Consulate and the U.S. Consulate send a note to the consulates about this incident!" Let everyone judge! Could it be that Britain and France, relying on their advantage in ocean shipping, could so shamelessly suppress the trade of other countries? Also, tell the U.S. Consulate and the German Consulate that if they don't help us solve the problem, we will call their big newspapers in China and expose the unfair treatment of foreign companies in China. ”

Timothy Li sighed: "I'll go immediately, but, Young Master Meng, it is estimated that it won't have much effect, don't you often like to say that it doesn't matter to you?" Britain and France are only targeting our foreign firm, not at the German and American business circles, and I believe that Germany and the United States will not pay attention to it all at once, and when they pay attention to the problem of our foreign firm, it is estimated that our Klinsmann foreign firm no longer exists. As for other countries, they will not care about the affairs of a foreign foreign firm. ”

Xuan Yue said angrily: "You emphasize the importance of this matter to the German Consulate and the American Consulate, especially the German Consulate, we have German nationality, tell them that if our Klinsmann Foreign Company is squeezed out by Britain and France like this, the loss of the economic strategy of the entire Far East will be immeasurable!" ”

Timothy Lee said in his heart, what is the use of words? You have not paid taxes to Germany either. "Okay, Young Master Meng, I'll do it right away. The difficulty in this matter lies in time, and it is obviously the only way we can use it through diplomatic means, and I believe that it can be solved, but if we delay our construction period, by the time the ocean shipping problem is solved, it will be meaningless for us. ”

Xuan Yuemeng: "Wait! Is there only one way to go by sea? If it really doesn't work, we should contact Russia quickly to see if we can urgently order a batch of materials from Russian iron and steel companies, and we must not let the construction period stand still. ”

Timothy Lee shook his head, "Mr. Yuemeng, I have thought about this problem, on the one hand, Russia's industrial base is too poor, and it will be too late for a while and a half, and even if the products obtained are urgently produced, the quality will not reach half of the German products, on the other hand, the materials we are now under are made in Germany, and the German engineers are very rigorous. Also, from land transportation, even if Russia is very close to the Qing State, the freight is at least ten times higher than that of sea transportation! In that case, not only will our profit margins be gone, but we will have to pay a lot of money backwards, and it will be too late in time, and it will be impossible to transport it from Europe to China by land. So, there is only sea freight, this one way. ”

Xuan Yuemeng's heart was very anxious, and she nodded helplessly, "You go get busy first, I'll think about it again." It seems that the only way to buy goods from Germany is to find a way, and it must also be by sea. How can Britain and France lift the blockade and suppression of our Klinsmann Foreign Company? ”

Timothy Lee shook his head and said as he walked out: "It's very difficult, before the Franco-Prussian War, the relationship between Germany and Britain and France was very poor, let alone after the Franco-Prussian War, and this time it was Britain who picked the head, Britain is the most powerful country in the Far East, with the strength of a country, to deal with our small foreign company, alas...... And now Germany seems to be actively repairing relations with Britain and France, and it is unlikely that we will do anything against Britain and France for the sake of our small foreign firm, which we are too small in their eyes. ”

After Timothy Lee left, Xuan Yuemeng only felt dizzy, this is indeed an unsolvable problem! If you grab meat from others, you are destined to be ready to go to war with others, the force is too weak, the strength is too weak, and you have no capital to go to war with anyone! Xuan Yuemeng was completely stumped!

Xuan Yuemeng drew on the paper, England, France, Germany, materials, a few words, without a clue.

If you want to expect Britain and France to suddenly be generous and help the US concession to carry out construction, it must be a fantasy! However, Xuan Yuemeng knows that the hot diplomacy of the Germans, if this matter can be raised from the perspective of the country to the height of a national-level event, there will be no turnaround!

However, how can they transform the small things of their foreign banks into major things at the national or even international level?

Xuan Yuemeng sat alone in the office, holding her head in pain, and fell into deep thought. (To be continued.) )