"Zhan Kui, let the people of the guard battalion not move around, just guard the boat, all the formalities are done according to the rules of the Americans, and after I go ashore, I will ask the people in the office to contact the US government. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info" President Meng did not forget to remind Wang Zhankui, "When you go outside, you have to be careful with everything, you know, we have brought so much money." ”

Wang Zhankui nodded and said, "Don't worry, president, along the way, I have told the brothers many times, and this brother has been carefully selected." We don't just go ashore with guns. ”

"Looks like someone is coming to pick us up." Princess Katrina Kaf's eyes were sharp, and she pointed to the person with the sign on the shore and said to President Moe.

President Meng looked at it and said with a smile: "Yes, it should be someone from the office." ”

Xuan Yuewu said with a smile: "They still follow the habits of Tianjin, and they say welcome the arrival of the young master, and I have to tell them later, now they are the president." ”

Because of the opening joint, President Moe's fleet was not embarrassed, and their guns were not searched, and this time they brought ten pistols for self-defense, within the scope of the port authority.

The fleet docked at the designated place, and President Meng and his entourage of more than a dozen people entered New York with the people from the office who came to greet them.

President Moe stayed in one of the most luxurious hotels in New York.

In the next few days, President Meng took Princess Katrina Kafu around, what should the people do and what to do, collect talents and care about international students, all of which are in charge of Xuan Yuewu, President Meng's international students are all arranged at Columbia University, which is the earliest and most famous university in the United States, famous for engineering.

U.S. President Grant attaches great importance to the boss of Klinsmann's foreign company, because Jonathan, the U.S. minister in China, and Grant are good friends, and Grant because of his military background, many people in his system are officers who have participated in the war.

U.S. President Grant sent a Qing Guotong to meet with President Moe.

This man's name is Lee, originally from France, who later moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen.

After the outbreak of the American Civil War, he joined the 51st Infantry Regiment in New York, was seriously wounded in 1862, was promoted to lieutenant colonel after recovering from injury, commanded a regiment in the 9th Army, participated in the Battle of Vicksburg under Grant, and was later wounded again in the Battle of Mangyuan, experienced the last raid of the Confederate Army while recuperating in the hospital, and was a brigadier general when he retired after the war.

In October of the fifth year of Tongzhi (1866), he was appointed consul of the United States in Xiamen.

In February of the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), the American merchant ship Luo Fa ran aground and sank in Hongtouyu (now Lanyu) off the coast of eastern Taiwan, and its survivors were killed by the aborigines of Langqiao (south of the lower forest border of Fengshan County, Qing Dynasty), triggering negotiations between the United States and the Qing government, as well as the Luo Fa incident in which the U.S. military went to attack the aboriginal tribes on its own.

Li Xiande was ordered to come to Taiwan to inspect during this period, but because Langqiao was located outside the Tuniu Line belonging to the Shengfan territory, Taiwanese officials were unwilling to intervene, and Li Xiande's negotiations with the authorities did not yield any results, so on October 10, the eighth year of Tongzhi (1869), he entered Langqiao on his own to negotiate with Zhuo Qidu, the head of the 18th Society, and agreed that the aborigines would no longer harm the Western shipwrecks drifting here.

Because of this experience and being able to speak Taiwanese, Li Xiande is regarded as a Taiwanese fan.

In the 11th year of Tongzhi (1872), Li Xiande resigned as consul in Xiamen, and on his way back to the United States, he transited through Yokohama, Japan, and met with the Japanese Foreign Secretary Vice-Minister Tanetomi Shima under the introduction of the American minister.

At that time, Japan was trying to expand overseas, and because of the huge social problems caused by the unemployment of a large number of shishi (former samurai) after the Meiji Restoration, it actively sought to divert internal affairs through foreign wars.

In 1871, 54 people from Miyakojima Island in the Ryukyus were killed by the aborigines in Langqiao, and Japan planned to send troops to Taiwan under the pretext of protecting its citizens and questioning the students.

For this helper sent to the door, it is like a treasure.

Japan promised Li Xian the corresponding rank of army general, and if he occupied Taiwan, he could also make him the governor of Taiwan.

Li Xian's experience in dealing with the Luo Mei pointed out that China's politics and religion are inferior to that of Fandi, and Japan can use the theory of non-ownership of Fandi as a matter of righteousness in sending troops to Taiwan.

Li Xiande provided maps and photographs of Taiwan, and said that it would be easy to occupy Taiwan with only 2,000 troops.

While the Japanese side was studying Lee's plan, Lee returned to the United States to see if he could find a higher position in Asia, a typical political opportunist.

Aware of the rise of Klinsmann in China, Lee readily accepted President Grant's assignment to meet with President Moe, who hoped to become U.S. Consul General in China to replace Jonathan.

When he arrived at the hotel, Li Xiande was first conquered by Xuan Yuemeng's luxurious life and aristocratic style, he was just a speculative politician, and he didn't get much benefit, let alone any high-end material enjoyment, seeing Xuan Yuemeng's pomp, it was called an envy.

"Dear Mr. Yuemeng, I have admired your name for a long time!" Li Xiande was fluent in Chinese, very gifted in languages, and lived in the Qing Dynasty for less than five years in total, and could also speak the Hokkien dialect.

President Meng had also heard of Li Xiande's name before, but he had only heard that there were many ambassadors in the Great Qing Kingdom like flies, and he would not deliberately remember, "Hello, Mr. Li Xiande, I am very grateful to President Grant for sending such a heavyweight official as you, I am honored." I should have asked to see Mr. President first. ”

After more than a year of baptism, President Meng has been able to talk to diplomats very naturally.

Li Xiande laughed, "Mr. Yuemeng is welcome, I am Mr. President's special envoy, you can tell me anything, please don't see outside, I have a lot of feelings for the Qing Kingdom, and I also appreciate Mr. Yuemeng's talent in business!" ”

President Meng smiled slightly, and that night, he arranged to have dinner with Li Xiande in this luxury hotel, and gave Li Xiande a check for $10,000!

President Meng has always done a good job of these etiquettes, and if you want to get anything from others, you must make friends first!

Li Xiande was ecstatic, he stayed in the Qing Kingdom for five years, and he didn't earn 10,000 US dollars, he didn't expect Xuan Yuemeng to be so generous, and he felt like he was late when he saw each other, "Mr. Yuemeng, you are too polite, I am very interested in your plan to invest in Danzhou, if you want to make money quickly, you can earn more, there is no better project than the colonial plan!" I happen to have a big project in my hand, I wonder if Mr. Yuemeng is interested? ”

President Meng gave Li Xian money just to meet Grant and discuss the purchase of armaments! As for the investment matter, President Meng has begun to operate in the past few days, and he has contacted dozens of European companies in New York through Klinsmann's office in New York, intending to speculate on the stock market and gold!

President Meng didn't expect this Li Xian to be so naturally acquainted, and he was going to talk about some big project with himself as soon as he met? Smiled and nodded, "Listen up." ”

Li Xiande looked excited, "I like to cooperate with a powerful person like Mr. Yuemeng!" ”

As he spoke, Li Xiande told the details of his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Vice Island Tanechen before returning to the United States, and wantonly touted the benefits of occupying Taiwan to President Meng.

President Moe is furious in his heart! Special mother, it's the first time he knows such a thing, President Meng knows very little about history, he is just a modern ordinary working youth, and now that he has heard about Li Xiande's plan, how can he not be angry?

Li Xiande said to himself in such detail, it was nothing more than showing off, plus negotiations, obviously, Li Xiande wanted to shop around, if there were people with higher conditions than the Japanese, he would like to have more choices.

President Meng smiled slightly: "Mr. Li Xiande, I am very interested in your plan, Japan is just a small country, is their army general valuable?" Moreover, they said that you should be the governor of Taiwan, do they have the strength to support you? Japan has just been reformed under the Meiji Restoration, its national strength is not worth mentioning, and there is no strong force to support it, what is the difference between you, the governor of Taiwan, and the toilet guard? Anyone can go up, although my words are rude, but do you think this is the truth? ”

Li Xiande saw that Xuan Yuemeng didn't seem to believe it, and hurriedly took out the handwritten letter given to him by the deputy island minister, "The truth is indeed the truth, Mr. Yuemeng, don't you believe it?" I'm not bragging, I'm telling the truth, here's a personal promise from Tanetomi Sotomi! I can't find anyone more powerful to cooperate with for the time being, no matter how weak Japan is, it is still a country after all, and I think Japan has a future, and it is more courageous than President Grant, who does not care about Asian affairs. ”

President Meng read the letter with a smile, the letter was written in Japanese and English, some similar to written guarantees and the like, the Japanese were also afraid that Li Xian would have to sell this military plan and occupation plan to other countries!

President Meng heard from this Li Xiande's words that Li Xiande should have sold his plan to occupy Taiwan to US President Grant! On the one hand, Taiwan is too big, and on the other hand, it is too far away from the United States, and the United States may have no plans to use force against Taiwan for the time being, taking into account both the influence of the Qing court and the pressure of the major powers! Therefore, this Li Xiande is now very active in contacting Japan to promote this matter.

"Mr. Li Xiande, Japan is a small country, and their two empty titles may not be as valuable as the 10,000 US dollars I just gave you!" President Meng smiled slightly, "I am a businessman, I have no concept of the country, I only know that money is money when it comes to the pocket!" ”

Li Xiande saw Xuan Yuemeng's face as a businessman who only recognized money, and he was very interested in himself, "Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Yuemeng is right, money is only money when it is in the pocket!" How? Is Mr. Yue Meng also interested in my project? (To be continued.) )