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In Guangzhou, at the Yamen of Guangdong Customs, an emaciated middle-aged man was talking to another young man who was writing something with his back to the window of his study.

"According to the report of Ma Dichen of Jardine Madichen, Liu Asheng and Ye Tenghui of Lanfang Commercial Hall, there is indeed a Viscount Zhu Jishi who came to Nanyang from England recently, and lived in the Jishi Foreign Commercial Hall in Singapore, and also fought with Zheng Hong, Wang Dehu of Heshun Company, and the Luo sisters of Lanfang Company, and other people, and recently recruited 500 foreign soldiers in Singapore to go to West Borneo......"

The person who spoke was skinny and skinny, his face was gray, and he looked like an opium ghost who smoked too much, but he wore a flower feather and the official uniform of a four-grade civil official in the Qing Dynasty.

The person who listened to him was also the same Qing Dynasty fourth-grade official, but he only cared about writing, and he didn't look at the official in front of him who was the same level as him. It was only when he heard the words "Luo family sisters" that he raised his head, and this person turned out to be Bai Siwen, the new superintendent of Guangdong Customs.

"Mr. Wu, who are these Luo family sisters? Is it the real power of Lanfang Company? ”

The person who was called "Wu Zongshang" was Wu Shaorong, the owner of Jardine Bank, although he also had the rank of a Taoist official of the fourth grade, but it was an official who was bought with money, and Bai Siwen, the Manchu of the Internal Affairs Office, could not be compared.

"The sisters of the Luo family are named Luo Xiangmei and Luo Xiangju, and they are the descendants of Luo Fangbo, the founder of Lanfang Company, and the Lanfang Luo family has no male in their generation, and the family business of Nuoda is supported by the four sisters of the Luo family. This Luo Xiangmei is the eldest sister, and Luo Xiangju is the fourth sister......"

"Have you ever been married?"

Bai Siwen's question made Wu Shaorong stunned for a moment, shook his head and said, "This ...... The lower officials don't know. ”

"Then go and find out!" Bai Siwen instructed, "The most popular marriage bed politics in the West, this Zhu Jishi is a master in this, and he has had an affair with many Western noblewomen, and he will definitely use this trick when he goes to Nanyang, if the Luo family sisters marry Zhu Jishi, he will have a firm foothold in Lanfangke." ”

Wu Shaorong said disappreciatively: "Lord Guan Jian is too worried, I think that Lan Fang has always been a Qing Dynasty with a heart for me, and he has sent envoys to the court every year, and Liu Asheng, the son of Liu Qianxing, the eldest brother of Lanfang Company, is now in Guangzhou ......."

"I know that Lan Fang's heart is towards the imperial court," Bai Siwen waved his hand impatiently, "But the imperial court can't reach it!" ”

"The lower officials don't understand...... Wu Shaorong looked at Bai Siwen blankly, and said in his heart, the imperial court has always regarded the Nanyang Chinese as outcasts, and they don't want to ask at all, but now there is just an English Chinese viscount, who wants to dig Lan Fang from the Dutch to the British, this is a battle between foreigners, what does it have to do with the imperial court?

"This Zhu Jishi is a scourge!" Bai Siwen put down the brush in his hand and said coldly, "Mr. Wu, is there any way to get rid of this scourge?" ”

"Except ...... Except for Zhu Jishi? He's a viscount of England! Wu Shaorong gasped and said in his heart: "Master Bai, are you really coming back from Europa?" You don't know how awesome England is? On the South Seas side, England is the only one! Who would dare to touch their viscounts? ”

"Lord Guan Jian, is this what the imperial court means?" Wu Shaorong asked again uncertainly.

Looking at his stunned look, Bai Siwen knew that there was no play, and just shook his head, but Wu Shaorong suddenly said: "Lord Guan Jian, the Lanfang Liu family still has their hearts set on the imperial court, if the imperial court can accept Lanfang's internal ......"

"It's definitely not going to work!" Bai Siwen waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "The people of Lanfang are not only the people of Lanfang but also the Han people, if they are allowed to support troops in overseas bases, once they become bigger, it will be a rebellion in the three feudatories and Taiwan!" He thought for a while, and then said: "Although it is not feasible for Lan Fang to attach things, it is not impossible to give the Liu family father and son a real lack of officials, if they can get rid of Zhu Jishi, a water master guerrilla and a capital official position are still nine out of ten." ”

Guerrilla and Dusi are military attaches from the third rank and the fourth rank, and they seem to be quite big officials, but the Qing Dynasty implemented the use of civil and imperial military affairs, and the status of the military attachés of the green battalion is extremely low, and they cannot be compared with the civil officials of the same level, and there are many of them. Guang is the commander of the Guangdong Navy Division, there are 27 guerrillas from the third grade, and there are as many as 34 people from the fourth grade! These third- and fourth-rank officers are still really lacking, and if you count the military attaches who have the rank of third or fourth rank but are doing garrison and thousands of errands, I am afraid that there will be hundreds of people.

And the way to be a military attache in addition to the examination and purchase, there is also Zhao'an, Liu Qianxing, Liu Asheng father and son in West Borneo although the Dutch named Jiatai, but in the eyes of the Qing Dynasty is just a bandit, but in line with the principle of "killing people and setting fires to be recruited", as long as the holy family Zhenglong's Liangguang Governor Qiying has a fold, he can be recruited as an official according to the standard of pirates.

Wu Shaorong frowned slightly, if the Liu family really wants to get rid of Zhu Jishi, then their foundation in Nanyang will be ruined, and they will give up a promising family business for the sake of two worthless military attachés?

But Bai Siwen was thinking, if the surnamed Zhu took away Lan Fang's foundation, should he go to the court to be on guard?

……

Just when Bai Dazhong, the Manchu Dynasty, was scheming and hollowing out his mind.

Near Sindang in central Borneo, it's a hot scene.

The young Chinese of the brigade had already changed into the military uniform set by Madame Duran (her old profession was a tailor), that is, a short gray coat cut out of cotton cloth produced by the Omen-Engels factory, with a row of brass buttons and a small lapel, gray cotton trousers on the bottom, leggings, straw sandals on the feet, which were the most common in the South Seas, a belt tied around the waist, and a strange-looking cowboy hat on the head, which was woven from straw according to the appearance that Madame Duran had sent from Singapore.

More than 1,000 people stood on the playground in full costumes, and in front of them were dozens of Chinese and Western officers with straight military uniforms and shiny military boots. It was not an easy task to elect eight company commanders, 24 platoon commanders, and four military judges from among the more than 1,000 Nanyang Chinese young and strong people.

The battalion commanders of these two Chinese recruit battalions are respectively Zhu Jishi's bodyguard Han Si and the Luo family's number one Ma Zai Luo military banner, Han Si has fought in the French Foreign Legion for several years, and now he wears a gray tweed military uniform and stops there, he has a calm military bearing. But Luo Junqi is not good, although he is dressed the same as Han Si, no matter how you look at it, he is still an underworld thug. As for the other thirty-six company commanders, platoon commanders, and military judges, they are also similar to Luo Junqi's appearance, revealing a strong underworld atmosphere - these guys are all young and promising horses in Sixiutang and Heshun Company! It is said that they are all very capable of fighting......

A big military judge named Tang Acai was lecturing more than a thousand hardcover men with his hands behind his back and in a loud voice: "From now on, we are Lord Zhu's soldiers!" A big-headed soldier also has 8 yuan a month, and at the end of the year, there is a double salary, and he also eats haode and wears haode to raise, this kind of treatment is no worse than the soldiers of England and France, but this salary is not delicious! What are the rules of the English lobster soldiers, what are the rules of our Lanfang Army, how to train the English lobster soldiers, we also have to practice the same! Who the fuck dares to disobey military orders, dare to sneak and play tricks during training, and Lao Tzu will not show mercy when he beats the military stick! On the battlefield, who the fuck dares to be a deserter, Lao Tzu will protect him with three knives and six holes! ”

Hearing "three knives and six holes", Zhu Jishi couldn't help frowning, how can this sound like an underworld! He looked back at Lao Pi'er beside him and said in French: "Lao Pi'er, can these hooligans really be officers?" ”

Old Pier smiled, pointed to the two camp-looking phalanxes in front of him, and said with a smile: "Sir, you can see with your eyes if you can do it, these miners have only been gathered here for a week, and they have already learned to line up and obey orders, and it is nothing more than that." ”