The third more is offered, and there is a more in the evening, ask for collection, ask for recommendation!

Singapore, 5 January 1846.

Zhu Jishi's carriage rumbled straight back to the Consulate General of the Grand Duchy of Lanfang in Singapore (where the Jishixing Commercial Hall is located). Along the way, there was a team of Jishi soldiers with foreign guns on their shoulders, and the neat queue of Jishi soldiers followed and protected, and the sun and moon were flying with the same flag, which was even more hula-la. The Chinese in Singapore crowded the streets, casting the most complicated glances at the unborn Duke Lan Fang Ming and the British Viscount.

The meaning of the name of the sun and the moon together with the name of the Hui Banner and the Duke of Ming, as well as the surname Zhu of Zhu Jishi, which Chinese can't understand? What's more, not long ago, Lanfang Company once claimed to the outside world that it had been attached to the Qing Dynasty, and also sent the edict of the Son of Heaven to crusade against the remnants of the Ming Dynasty who were entrenched in Xindang City, it was this Zhu Jishi!

At that time, the Chinese in Singapore, with the exception of a small core member of the Hongmen, were actually inclined to the imperial court. After all, they are second-class citizens oppressed by foreigners in this Nanyang, who doesn't want the Qing Dynasty to stand up and shelter them from the wind and rain?

However, the results of the first battle of Xindang were a big disappointment for them. 10,000 "Qing Heavenly Soldiers" combined with 10,000 Sudanese native soldiers were defeated by only 2,000 rebels and thieves. The Lanfang Company, which had dominated West Borneo for decades, was wiped out, and the Wanna Princely State also perished at the same time, and the Grand Duchy of Lanfang, controlled by the rebel Zhu Jishi, miraculously rose in western Borneo.

Everyone knows that the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty will never stop at the South Seas, and the day when the sun and the moon will fly on the land of China is not far off.

Yes, Zhu Jishi is a Han and a descendant of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty - the newspapers of foreigners say so, and the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty also issued a Ming edict to crusade against him, so it will not be fake. This identity is qualified to challenge Beijing's dragon chair, and most of the Chinese in Singapore are Hongmen children (of course, they did not join for rebellion, but just to make a living in a group), and this truth is still known. However, they also knew that the Qing Dynasty was powerful, and Emperor Lao Tzu had a million soldiers, of which 200,000 were the invincible Eight Banners of Heavenly Soldiers! Even if Zhu Jishi has the help of foreigners, and there are two or three thousand elite soldiers who can fight well, it is impossible to restore the Ming Dynasty in a short time, right?

It seems that the Central Plains is going to fall into a long-term war, but the shili of the foreigners has already arrived at the gate of China, so don't take advantage of the chaos when the time comes! Don't really become the second in India, right?

Of course, whether China will fall into a long period of civil strife has little to do with the majority of Singaporeans, who still do that job and earn that money, and only those Chinese who send their children to study at Jishi College are most worried about this. Once again, there was a long queue at the gate of Jishixing, all of whom were parents who wanted to bring their children back...... It's a pity that they can't help it!

When Zhu Jishi's carriage stopped, hundreds of pleading eyes came over. Zhu Jishi and Luo Xiangmei got out of the carriage together, glanced at these eyes, and walked briskly along the passage opened up by the soldiers of the Jishi Army and walked into the gate of Jishixing.

At the door of the Jishixing building, there was a person waiting for him with a smile, that person was in a suit and leather shoes, and he was carrying a beautifully made cane in his hand. Jones.

Zhu Jishi hahadaxiao stretched out his hand and stepped forward, "Andrew, it's coming so fast!" ”

Jones smiled and stepped forward, shook hands with Zhu Jishi, and nodded to Luo Xiangmei beside Zhu Jishi before saying, "Jason, how are the negotiations with Sir Bonham going?" Has the draft treaty been finalized? ”

The treaty he was referring to was not the West Borneo Lend-Lease Treaty, which had been signed two days earlier. Rather, it was the British-Lanfang Conservation Treaty, which was undoubtedly an unequal treaty that made the new Grand Duchy of Lanfang lose its complete independent status and become a British semi-colony!

"Where is that fast?" Zhu Jishi smiled, took Jones Taipan's arm and walked through the courtyard of the Jishi Foreign Trade Hall, and walked towards the building. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you, a barrister, from Hong Kong to be my counselor."

In fact, Zhu Jishi invited Jones to come to Singapore for another reason, which was to help formulate important laws such as the constitution, civil law and criminal law of the Grand Duchy of Lan Fong. Although Zhu Jishi does not believe in democracy, the rule of law still needs to be practiced, and in the future, even if he is the emperor, he will also be the emperor with a real monarch and a constitution, so the legislative work must be followed up from the beginning.

Jones smiled, "Jason, with the Xindang Battle under your command, Governor Bonham won't put forward any too harsh conditions, right?" After all, strength is the basis of diplomacy, and with those three battalions of elite infantry, it is not impossible for the Grand Duchy of Lanfang to maintain its completely independent status. Do you know? Now the newspapers in Hong Kong and Macao have called you an oriental military strategist! ”

Zhu Jishi smiled and patted his hands, this sycophant is quite advanced! It's really a barrister who eats with his mouth. He said with a smile: "The infantry of the three battalions can't hold Lanfang's territory of more than 100,000 square kilometers no matter how much they can fight...... Andrew, I have a lot of treaty and legislative things to ask you, and tonight, you don't want to think about anyone. Also, what's going on in Hong Kong? Has the infrastructure of schools, shipyards, iron works, gunpowder factories, and docks begun? Have you built your quarters? ”

Andrew. Jones replied with a smile: "The school building in Deep Water Bay is almost finished, and a total of eighteen three-story buildings have been built, all of which are brick and wood structures, and the construction of the school building on Ap Lei Island has just begun, and eighteen three-story buildings are also being built, all of which are of the same design, and two large playgrounds have been leveled. The shipyard and wharf were almost completed, and I bought a shipyard in Guangzhou called Cobay Shipyard and hired the owner of the Cobay Shipyard, John Brown. Mr. Corbay is the manager of the Hong Kong shipyard and we now have two docks in Tai Shue Wan in Hong Kong and two in Cheung Chau Island in Guangzhou, which can not only repair ships, but also build ships. The building of the gunpowder factory has also been built, but the engineers of the gunpowder factory are not yet in place, and it is estimated that it will not be able to start trial operation until March or April. As for the ironworks...... Faced with some problems, Mr. Bassemat visited Hong Kong Island and felt that there was not enough fresh water on the island to support the demand of the iron works. ”

"Not enough fresh water?" Zhu Jishi smiled, "It seems that I ignored it, but it doesn't matter, I now have a country of more than 100,000 square kilometers." Please go to Lanfang to see if there is a suitable place to build an iron factory? In addition, I also plan to start an arsenal in Lan Fong for the production of rifles and cannons, and to merge it with the iron works, to call it the Jason-Besemai factory, with Mr. Besemer as the general manager, and give him another 10% stake. ”

"This factory is the property of the World Bank?" Jones asked.

"No, it's not." Zhu Jishi thought for a while and said, "It's my personal investment, I have made a lot of profits in this Lanfang War!" ”

Jones looked at Luo Xiangmei, who was like a flower beside Zhu Jishi, and smiled, "Jason, let's talk again tomorrow morning, but we can't let Mrs. stay alone in the empty room." ”

"Ma'am?" Zhu Jishi shook his head and pointed at Luo Xiangmei, "You haven't officially visited the church yet, Jones, you came to Singapore just to drink my wedding wine." As he spoke, he said to Luo Xiangmei, whose face was flushed, "Xiangmei, let Xiangju prepare some snacks and send them to the study, and let Mrs. Duran also come to talk to us." ”