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This ship is a boat from Shanghai to Chongqing, but it is indeed much more comfortable than ordinary boats, and it is much more convenient to enter the industrial age. The ship was an English-built ship, about twenty meters long, and carried nearly a hundred guests on board.

The Qing Dynasty has also built a lot of ships over the years, and one of the purposes of Li Hongzhang's founding of the China Merchants Steamship Bureau is to break the monopoly of foreign ships in China's shipping industry. Half of the steamships in China Merchants were built by themselves. Speaking of which, I have to mention that China's first steam engine steamship "Yellow Bird" was built by Xu Shou Design in Anqing Manufacturing Bureau 18 years ago. But it was a wooden-hulled steamer, fifty-five feet long, with a displacement of twenty-five tons, equipped with a single-cylinder steam engine, and a speed of twenty-five miles per hour. The "Yellow Bird" was also a sensation during sea trials, but unfortunately it was not officially put into practical use. When Zhang Renjie didn't join the army, when he saw the steamers on TV, he thought that all of them were bought from foreign countries, but in fact, there were many of them.

Li Hongzhang and other progressive ministers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty painstakingly carried out the Westernization Campaign, and the purpose was also to make the country strong as soon as possible. Immediately after the establishment of China Merchants, it launched fierce competition with foreign ships in a difficult and dangerous environment. Jardine Matheson and Swire in China, and Qichang in the United States, and other steamship companies in China, have joined forces to try to crush China Merchants by drastically reducing freight rates. Li Hongzhang responded by borrowing official funds, allocating more grain, and carrying official goods, so that China Merchants turned losses into profits.

As a result, this series of measures caused the American Qichang Company to go bankrupt, and Swire, Jardine Matheson, and other companies had to sign "parity contracts" with China Merchants several times, and they signed them once in March this year. The main content is that Chinese and foreign companies jointly negotiate a unified price on various routes, determine the income of water feet and the distribution of goods, which is a compromise plan between the two sides, and Li Hongzhang and others have also achieved the goal of breaking the monopoly of foreign ships in China's shipping industry!

"Company commander, this steamer is much stronger than our sailboats, and the speed is so fast!" Zhang Qishi and Zhang Renjie stood by the boat and looked at the river and the two banks, and the scenery on both sides of the river quickly receded.

Zhang Renjie smiled: "Can you be fast, this steamship can travel sixty miles in an hour, and the sailboat in the canal is the fastest downwind, and it will go thirty miles in an hour." We'll be here tomorrow night at most! ”

"So fast, didn't you say that it takes eight hundred miles from Zhenjiang to Anqing? Eight hundred miles in less than two days? Zhang Qishi said in disbelief. It is said that the countrymen have not seen the world, it is indeed a novelty to see less, the countryside generally goes to the market, relatives and friends are all on two legs, and the rich take a carriage. It takes fifty or sixty miles to walk in one day, and a horse-drawn carriage can only travel two hundred miles in a day. But this ship can actually make 400 miles a day, too fast!

"In the future, railways will be built in various places, and it will take an hour or two to travel a thousand miles. Also, in the future, we can fly directly into the sky and go wherever we want! Zhang Renjie suddenly looked forward to the train and plane of the future, it wasn't like he could go wherever he wanted, the speed was fast, it was really a flying word, and the birds couldn't catch it!

Zhang Qishi looked at Zhang Renjie with a look of disbelief, and thought that Zhang Renjie had lost his mind and was crazy, and people flew in the sky? What are you kidding, you think you are a fairy? If it weren't for the fact that he was a subordinate, he would really have squirted!

The weather at the end of June, the sky is covered with dark clouds, but it is not raining, and the sky is constantly flying with dragonflies, giving people a dull feeling.

"Company commander, this is the place to donate officials, it's nothing, there is no county government style!"

"Don't say much, we don't have to go in, do you see the teahouse opposite? Let's go to the teahouse for tea! Zhang Renjie commanded.

"Ahh Zhang Qishi didn't understand, why did he go to the teahouse and not enter the official office?

Zhang Renjie knew that even if he entered the donation bureau by himself, it would be difficult to get things done in the end, even if he spent more money to do it, he might be dragged to the Year of the Monkey. The donation bureau is deserted, but it does not mean that this is a clear water yamen, on the contrary, it is the same as the Zhenjiang Ordnance Bureau, it is a fat and oily department. Don't look at it, it's already 90 o'clock in the morning, there are still people dozing off in this donation bureau, that's a lot of chores that they don't have to do in person! This institution should not have been set up in the first place, and there are not so many people who donate officials in normal times. What's more, those who want to donate officials will also inquire about the rules in advance, and the business is not directly negotiated here.

Although Zhang Renjie has not experienced this, he also knows that there must be a lot of Taoism in it, and he recklessly rushed up and shouted that he wanted to donate to the official, and it is strange that people don't treat you as a wronged leader, unless you have a deep background. But he has no identity background, and he can't pull Ding Shicheng's banner here. However, since he is ready to donate officials, Zhang Renjie has also inquired about the procedures for donating officials early, in Qing County, but there are many large families who have donated officials, but basically they are only candidates, and there is no real shortage.

Directly opposite this donation bureau is a teahouse, called Gaosheng Teahouse, listen to this name, Gaosheng, step by step, who doesn't like to hear it? However, the boss here, including a few stewards, helped the donation bureau negotiate the business of donation.

"This son, are you drinking tea?" As soon as he entered the door, the shopkeeper greeted him warmly, Zhang Renjie's dress, coupled with this temperament, it is obvious that he is from a big family, plus a team of tiger-backed and energetic guards behind him, and those with a little eyesight know what to do!

Zhang Renjie smiled: "Not only do I want to drink tea, but I also want to drink tea with two mouths!" Are you in charge? ”

The shopkeeper is also a human spirit, and he knows what their main business is. Hearing Zhang Renjie's words, his eyes suddenly lit up, and big business came. "Yes! Childe, please upstairs! The little ones are going to ask the big steward! ”

"You sit here and drink tea, don't make trouble!" Zhang Renjie commanded before going upstairs.

"Yes!" One of the ten members of the team stood upright, snapped their feet together, returned with their waists straight, and then sat down at the two tables by the window.

From ancient times to the present, whether it is a clean official or a corrupt official, there is no difference between the two sleeves of the clean breeze in the name, just say that this donation bureau is also, if you go directly to go through the procedures, people will definitely ignore you and help you complete the procedures, what is the benefit of people? But after all, if you are wearing an official house, it's not good to ask you for money directly, right?! Besides, if you want to go through the formalities, you don't have to do it in one department, and if you want to send money secretly, you can't run one by one? If you send less, things will definitely have to be smashed, and if you send too much, it will become a big wrong, and in the end, you don't know whose silver has not been delivered!

With this teahouse owner, it's different, this is equivalent to a pimp, clearly marked price, in addition to the fixed share of the government to buy the official, how much money should you give, these miscellaneous procedures have been completed for you at one time, and you definitely don't need to bother anymore. As for how to divide the old men in the donation bureau, it has nothing to do with you, people have already formed a set of rules, and how much money should be divided has already been divided.

"Steward Gong, this son is looking for you! Childe, this is our chief steward! The shopkeeper introduced with a smile on his face.

"Well, you're good, reward you!" said that a small golden melon seed that had been prepared in his hand for a long time was thrown to the shopkeeper.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Bent down and bowed his head in thanks, and went out in a hurry! When I got to the door, I took the things in my hand and looked at it, and then my eyes lit up, a golden melon seed, about five dollars in weight, how can it be five taels of silver, I got rich!