"Father, do you trust that Mr. Xu so much?" After Xu Jie left, Peng Yaozu asked suspiciously.

"This person deserves our trust, and it deserves our investment." Peng Haifeng looked at the back in the distance, and said for a while. "If nothing else, just say that he chose to return to China when the spring breeze was proud, and you can conclude that he is by no means a person who forgets his righteousness."

What did my father mean by that? I think it's very likely that he returned to Beiyang for some better background. Peng Yaozu pursed his lips and said dissatisfiedly, he really didn't understand why his father valued this person so much, although intuitively Xu Jie was not a villain who was greedy for profit, but seeing his father so dissatisfied, he was still a little dissatisfied.

"Do you think he understands Daqing?" Peng Haifeng asked a question that didn't sound like much to do with today's conversation.

"I should have understood that when he persuaded his father not to act brutally, although he had the intention of relying on his homeland, he obviously lacked confidence, and he should have a certain understanding of the current situation of the Qing Dynasty." Peng Yaozu said.

"Then what do you think he can do when he returns to Daqing as a master of ship design?" Peng Haifeng asked.

"It is estimated that nothing can be done, and the Qing State is only a pastry on the issue of foreign affairs, and does not delve into the fundamental reasons for the strong political and economic systems of Western countries, but only fantasizes about relying on the so-called strong ships and cannons to resist foreign enemies. This in itself is a sacrifice of the basics. And even these can't be sustained. What kind of government-run industry is managed by the official buy-through without considering the actual situation and economic benefits. It can't be long-term. Speaking of the current situation of the Qing Dynasty, Peng Yaozu is not only unscrupulous.

"Well, you're right." Peng Haifeng nodded appreciatively and said. "Even you know that in terms of shipbuilding, Europe is more suitable for his development, so why do you think he wants to go back? He already had all the money, status, and success he needed in Europe, so why would he give it up and choose a path with no hope? Peng Haifeng pretended to be curious and asked.

"This? Maybe he wants to go into politics, you know, as a Chinese, even if he is successful, he can only do it in shipbuilding or business, and he will not do anything in politics. Peng Yaozu said.

"As a Chinese, he has no political future in Europe, where will he have it when he goes back? Don't you know what the Qing Dynasty did to those Chinese who returned to China to serve? As a person with no background, what can I do when I go back? I'm afraid it's better to live comfortably in Italy, right? Peng Haifeng asked angrily.

"Father, I know what you mean, you want to say that he is a person who is really worried about China, a person who is really willing to work for the welfare of the Chinese people all over the world." Peng Yaozu is colorful. "But there are really very few such people. I have been in China for nearly half a century since 1840, and there are only a handful of such people, Lin Zexu Lin is one, Shen Baozhen Shen is one, and the others are not really dedicated to the country, right? ”

"But we can only believe that he is this kind of person now, we are now like people struggling to survive in drowning, even if Xu Jie is a straw, even if this hope is infinitely close to zero. We must also put 12 percent of our strength into believing in Him. Peng Haifeng said a little gloomily.

"Do you really think that we can change our current position by arming some of our compatriots with arms smuggling? Don't talk about the regular armies of the Dutch and the private armies of the East India Company, even the natives with machetes and muskets, we can't say that once the fight is fought, we will win. There are too few of us Chinese in Nanyang, and some of them are more Dutch scum than the Dutch. He said it very well, we can't compete with the state machine. Our only chance of victory is to rely on our homeland. Peng Haifeng said with some sadness.

"Then what is the purpose of your purchase of this batch of arms at a large price? When you raised the money in the gang, you made it clear that you were going to set up a regiment to deal with the natives and tax collectors who oppressed us. Peng Yaozu said in surprise.

"Naturally, I will buy these arms to deal with those natives and individual tax collectors who do too much, but as Mr. Xu said, this qiē must have a degree, once the Dutch colonial government intervenes militarily, you can buy 10 times more arms for nothing." Peng Haifeng said faintly.

"And what other purpose do you have?" Peng Yaozu suddenly understood something. …,

"Of course, what do we Chinese need in Indonesia?" Peng Haifeng asked.

"Wealth and security also have political rights." Peng Yaozu replied without hesitation.

"What we have is money, so let's not think about that for now. All Chinese do not have any actual political rights, and this does not need to be considered, so the only attractive thing is security. With weapons, we can deal with those scattered and unfashionable guys. This will be a very important means for us to unite the Chinese in Indonesia. In a sense, taking this opportunity to consolidate the power of the Chinese is more valuable than taking out a few natives and tax collectors. Peng Haifeng smiled slightly and said.

"Then you mean that you agree with Mr. Xu's opinion?" Peng Yaozu also unknowingly used honorifics to Xu Jie.

"Well, basically yes." Peng Haifeng nodded and said

"But I'm not very optimistic about the Li Zhongtang that Mr. Xu wants to take refuge in." Peng Yaozu frowned slightly.

"Compared with others, Li Zhongtang is the best choice, Zhang Zhidong in the south originally didn't have any great skills, but the Empress Dowager Cixi released him in order to contain Beiyang. Whether it is governing or leading the army, it is far worse than Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang and others. However, this Li Zhongtang led the army from the very beginning of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and soon became a feudal official. Both the governance of the country and the army have some level. What's even more powerful is that Li Zhongtang's political arm is sleek, and he walks around when he encounters resistance, although it takes a lot of twists and turns, but he can be regarded as accomplishing something. This Beiyang sailor is an example. Although there is a lot of internal and external resistance, it is still a shelf. Peng Haifeng nodded approvingly.

"I'm afraid it's a symptom but not a cure. The Beiyang Fleet, as you say, is just a paste, like the Westernization movement. And now it seems that it is difficult for Beiyang to continue to get enough funds. Peng Yaozu smiled mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Peng Haifeng immediately alerted.

It is said that the Empress Dowager planned to rebuild the Qingyi Garden (construction began in 1888). If this is the case, in the annual expenses of the Qing Dynasty, the support of the banner people is indispensable (according to data analysis, accounting for half of the total at that time), and the expenses of hundreds of officials are also indispensable. I'm afraid that the only thing that can really reduce this is the purchase price of the ship by Li Zhongtang's sailor, right? "Don't look at the Peng family in Nanyang, but they have a wide range of business channels, and they still know a little about some major events in the Qing Dynasty.

"And the unstable neighbor of the Qing Dynasty is practicing day and night. Although it is not yet typed, if it is timed, it may not be inferior to the Beiyang Naval Division. Peng Yaozu said.

"It seems that it is still very difficult for this Mr. Xu's ambition to be realized." Peng Haifeng smiled bitterly.

"So what are we going to do now? Father? Peng Yaozu asked.

"Is there any other way we can do it?" Peng Haifeng asked rhetorically.

In Beijing, the network has not been properly pressed, and Internet cafes cannot only plug in USB drives. No way. Discontinuity of updates. Everyone's bear with me~~