"It's a good place, but I can't come often. Why don't you live in the headquarters, wait for me to make arrangements, and let Ouyang pick you up." Although they were only separated for two months, they both felt very longing, and after some lingering, Long Qian said to the tired and coquettish Xu Si.

"Oh, aren't you afraid of damaging your commander's prestige?"

"I can't even shelter the woman I love, and I don't have much taste as a commander......"

"That's all it takes to have your words. Why don't I be your secretary? I don't think you have a writer around you. Xu Si sat up with the quilt in his arms.

"Well, Ouyang really doesn't have time to do copywriting. Let me think again...... Have you heard any interesting news lately? ”

"I didn't expect the newspapers in Guangzhou to be so powerful! It seems that the world is really going to change a lot, and there is a "Nanyue Review" who scolds you, and the article is really sharp. ”

"Oh? Scold me for suppressing the revolution? Newspapers aren't always going to be public, are they? ”

"I think it's pretty much the same. That article is very interesting, starting from the battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, alluding to the Manchu usurpation of the Han dynasty. You have returned from overseas, and I am afraid that your blood is not so pure, so you naturally hate the revolutionary party that advocates the expulsion of foreign races. ”

"Hmm, this author has researched me? I really didn't expect it. It seems that it is really troublesome for me, a returnee from overseas, to gain recognition from the people. ”

"Hey, aren't you angry when you hear it?"

"Why are you angry? Freedom of speech is a major manifestation of social progress, and it is even more beautiful when it is accompanied by strict laws. If I'm in a hurry, I'll sue him, and sue him until he goes bankrupt. Compensate me for the loss of my reputation. ”

"Hee-hee, I'm laughing to death." Xu Si covered his mouth and smiled, "The commander of the first army, he actually thought of solving the problem with a complaint, he really laughed at me." ”

"Shame on you? I don't feel ashamed. If all the people who hold military power have this consciousness of me, it will be difficult for us to become rich and strong in China. Long Qian said.

"There is also the case of Xu Xilin in Anqing is extremely controversial, and almost all newspapers are scolding the court for being barbaric and cruel, and dissecting people's hearts, which is simply the act of a beast...... By the way, there is a big case in Zhejiang. Qiu Jin was robbed! ”

"Hmm. Do you know Qiu Jin? ”

Zhilu said. That year, my cousin came to visit my mother in Jinan and told me about this person. She also left me a poem she wrote...... 'I can't help but feel the sinking of the motherland, and I come overseas to find a soulmate.' Jin Ou has been lacking and must be made up for the end, dare to sacrifice for the country? Hurried. Sigh drifting. Guanshan is a heroic journey. Hugh said that women are not English, and the dragon spring wall sings every night. 'It's fascinating to read......

"What a 'sacrifice for the country and dare to sacrifice one'. Hey, that's what I did. Qiu Jin is in my hands, and she is in Guangzhou. ”

"What?! Qiu Jin was saved by you? She's in Guangzhou? Can I meet her? ”

"Absolutely."

"Oh my God, Qiu Jin is a revolutionary party."

"She is not the only revolutionary party I saved, what's the big deal?"

"She's going to drop you? You are the executioner of the successive efforts of the revolutionary party. Are you going to use Qiu Jin? ”

"Qiu Jin is definitely a feminist. Oh, you too, but you're just a little feminist-conscious, and I'm afraid it's far worse than Qiu Jin. To transform this decaying society, feminists like Qiu Jin are of great use. ”

"Ducilicitous guys...... I can't believe that you will set an example of feminism...... Hey, Qiu Jin's poem is well written, can you write one for me? ”

"Lyric poetry is too difficult, and free verse needs emotion...... Okay, I'll talk about it when I get emotional. ”

"No! It must be written, or I will ignore you! ”

It seems that no matter what era a woman is, the essence is the same. Long Qian smiled bitterly, searched his intestines and scraped his stomach, but he didn't think of any suitable verses, and chanted two sentences in a hurry, "It was when there was something in Shenzhou that I came to the south to step on the Fangzhi ......"

"Oh, yes, when something happens in Shenzhou, the south steps on the Fangzhi. People are dead branches and leaves in your eyes, right? By the way, you said 'again', when did you come? ”

"Poetry. Forget it, I can't think of the following. Have you been in touch with your family lately? Long Qian changed the subject.

"I wrote a letter to them and it has been sent. Fortunately, the Manchu Qing Dynasty did a good thing, and the postal route between Guangzhou and Jinan was opened. ”

"What does the letter say?"

"Weak-hearted?"

Long Qian let out a long sigh, "In short, it's me who is wrong. I'm sorry for your parents, and I can't live for you. ”

"The main thing is that I can't live with your wife, right? Now her identity has changed and she is more noble. It was originally the admiral's wife, and now there are more daughters of political envoys, I don't dare to compete with them......" Xu Siwan smiled, "Zhilu said that you have always regarded Yuan Shikai as a great enemy, Yuan Shikai is said to have one wife and nine concubines, this point, you can't compare." ”

"No, I have to go back. Ming'er, the day after tomorrow at the latest, I will send Ouyang to pick you up. Well, the house is good, don't retreat, keep it. ”

Xu Sizhi said that Ouyang Zhong was still waiting outside, and this small but beautifully decorated residence could not accommodate several personal guards.

"Okay. I know you're busy. Although Xu Si didn't want Long Qian to go, he still showed his rational side.

"If the two love for a long time, how can it be in the morning and twilight." Long Qian quickly put on his military uniform and took out his pistol to check it.

"Ah, the poem you gave me hasn't finished yet, remember to complete it next time." Xu Si sent Long Qian out of the inner room, turned the screen, and Ouyang Zhong, who was sitting in the living room, immediately put down the newspaper in his hand and stood up.

"Let's go back." Long Qian whispered.

The next day, Long Qian met with Jiang Jiying, president of Shandong Commercial Bank, who had been in Guangzhou for several days, in his office.

Jiang Jiying is now a well-known figure in the financial circles, and the total capital of the Shandong Commercial Bank, of which he is president, ranks first among the domestic private banks, and because he has contracted all the military expenses of the Mengshan Army and the large business of the Shandong government, the business is booming, and the public capital has reached as much as 30 million taels. Branches throughout the country's major commercial ports, there is also a branch in Guangzhou, which opened last spring, he came to Guangzhou and lived in his Guangzhou branch.

"What's the point of the marshal recruiting me?" Jiang Jiying asked respectfully. If it weren't for the chance encounter with Long Qian in Taiyuan eight years ago, Jiang Jiying would have gotten mixed with the general counter of Qiao Caidong's ticket number at most. There is absolutely no such thing as the current scenery. Of course, Jiang Jiying knew who was his boss, not to mention that the initial capital of Shandong Commercial Bank originally came from Mengshanjun.

"Zijun has worked hard. Sit, sit down and talk, how is it back home? Long Qian asked softly.

"Everything is good, and this year's profit is expected to increase by 30% ......"

"The money that Liangbi gave you has been credited to your account, right?"

"I got in the account, but I was afraid that the big handsome would call for money, so I didn't move."

"Well, I invite you here this time because I have an important matter to entrust you. If we do it well, we will make a fortune. ”

"Oh?" Jiang Jiying's eyes immediately lit up.

"You know about rubber, right?"

"Zhilu Dao."

"Rubber is in great demand. For a long time. Rubber will be a very scarce industrial product. Shandong Industry, Huayuan Vehicle Factory and Shandong Huamei Automobile Company under construction are all big users of rubber. There are also a lot of ...... military"

Jiang Jiying listened attentively, but he didn't understand what it had to do with him.

"London is an international financial centre and stock trading is very mature. Shanghai also has an exchange run by foreigners. I don't know how much Zijun knows about stock trading? ”

"Know a little bit. But the stakes are significant. Didn't do it. ”

"High risk means big profit. If you do business, it's hard to get rich without taking risks. Now I want you to do a couple of things, the first is to register a rubber company in Shanghai. The registered capital is not less than one million. The second is to look for competent candidates to go to Hainan in the name of the new company to buy land and build rubber plantations, preferably existing rubber plantations. The third is to contact David and ask him to go to London and buy rubber stocks in the name of Huamei and Zebra, and in Shanghai, he will do the same work. I see? ”

"Well, I get it. Dashuai judged that the rubber business would be hot? ”

"Yes. It's going to be very hot. This matter is your main matter, and you will have to devote a great deal of energy to this matter from now on, and I will write to David to inform him. The mobilization of funds and the selection of personnel are all up to you, and you don't need to let your subordinates understand the entire plan, but you have to spend time to go to Shanghai for on-the-spot investigation and research, and the specific plan can be implemented after it is formulated and submitted to me for approval. ”

"What scale is the marshal going to be?"

"Bigger is better. You can raise the interest rate to absorb a lot of money, but try to keep it as secretive as possible. It will take two or three years to do this, and it needs to be coordinated. ”

"Understood."

"Zijun, if this matter is done well, the strength of our bank will at least double. It is not impossible to multiply it three times or five times. In the future, your bank will be our central bank, and you will be the financial marshal of our new China, understand? ”

"Understood!" Jiang Jiying became excited, and said for a long time, "What else does the marshal command?" ”

"I remember that Lihe has a branch in Guangzhou, right?"

"Yes. In fact, they first established themselves in Guangzhou, and later moved their headquarters to Shanghai. Is the marshal looking for them? ”

"Well, but I don't have to. You just go. Make a name for yourself and they'll take care of it. Two things, one is a loan, and the other is to build a factory, which is necessary for Mengshan Army. When you go back, Lian Shupeng will go to you and make specific requests for you. ”

Lai Ho & Co. is Germany's largest trading company in the Far East, backed by Hamburg Steamship, Krupp Steel and Zeiss Optics. They are much stronger than the Rhine Foreign Company, which has always maintained a good cooperative relationship with the Mengshan Army. In fact, whether it is the Rhine or the courtesy, there is the shadow of the German government behind it. However, Lihe & Co. still has its eyes on Shandong, and after setting up a branch in Qingdao, it also opened a branch in Jinan last year. Because Jiang Jiying's Shandong Commercial Bank is the strongest and most modern bank in Shandong, Lihe Foreign Bank has a relatively close relationship with Jiang Jiying.

"Understood. I don't think the Germans will refuse the marshal's request. Ask, can I play the banner of being handsome? ”

"Yes. Oh, and one more thing. You write a check for 50,000 silver dollars to Ouyang Zhong and ask him to give you a receipt. ”

"Yes, my subordinates will do it."

"Okay, I have a few important things to arrange tomorrow, time is tight, I have to think about a few things quietly, I won't leave you to eat. By the way, how are you at home? ”

"Thank you for asking, it's all right."

"I really want to find a chance to go back to Shanxi, my memories are blurred, and I don't know if I can find my former home......"

Jiang Jiying's spirit was shocked, "Qiao Caidong and a few others know that the handsome man is from Shanxi, and he really wants to repair the former residence of the handsome, you tell me the place." I'll do that. I heard that Zhang Futai, who ordered the execution of Qiu Jin in Zhejiang, was transferred to Shanxi, and his hometown was planning to expel him, so he couldn't wait to be handsome. ”

"Ha Luha, this matter is not in a hurry. Anyway, I don't have any relatives in my hometown, so when we win the most victory, I'll go back to my hometown with you. ”

"Ah, I look forward to that day sooner."

"At that time, we were all home. By the way, how many guards do you have now? ”

"One. It was sent to me by Director Jiang, and it was very effective. ”

"No, it's too little. I'll ask Wang Zhifeng to choose two more people for you to be your personal guards. The situation is unstable. Safety first. It's not for you, it's for our common cause, understand? After that, I tell you to manage a large sum of money. Be sure to keep hold of yourself. Don't self-destruct your future. Take my words to heart, and don't be unpredictable. Long Qian's tone cooled.

"The subordinates dare not live up to the kindness of the marshal, let alone damage the great cause of the marshal."

"Good. Go ahead and plan for that. If you do a good job, I will reward you so that your children and grandchildren will not have to worry about it. Long Qian stood up and sent Jiang Jiying out of the door.

After settling the military affairs and arranging the rubber affairs, Long Qian could finally focus on the economy. The economy is related to the long-term development of the Mengshan army, and since the establishment of the Mengshan army, Long Qian has always grasped the construction of the army with one hand and the economic layout with the other.

Zhou Fu is very enthusiastic about economic construction, and the Zhou family father and son seem to be figures who believe in industry to save the country. With the help of Governor Zhou Fu, Long Qian quickly obtained the approximate industrial status and layout of Guangzhou and Guangdong. On this basis, Long Qian began to make arrangements.

In early October, Chen Chao sent an economic team led by Lin Qingtai, vice president of the Huayuan Economic Research Institute, to Guangzhou by sea. These people were selected by Chen Chao and Fang Shengyuan from the Huayuan Economic Research Institute and the two major industrial groups in accordance with Long Qian's requirements, and they were mainly experts in management, including two foreign experts.

Long Qian arranged for them to live in the Fifth Town Headquarters, and talked to them about their goals, of course, Long Qian had to introduce the industrial strength of Guangzhou first.

Guangdong's industry started very early, as far as 1866, the Guangdong Machinery Bureau, Chen Liantai Machinery Factory was established. In 1886, Zhang Zhidong, then the governor of Liangguang, set up the Guangdong Money Bureau in Huanghuatang, outside the Great East Gate of Guangzhou, which could mint silver dollars and copper yuan, and was the earliest mint in China.

In 1905, Cen Chunxuan set up a waterworks in Guangzhou to divert water from the Beijiang River into the city, and this project is underway, and it is expected that the water supply will be officially available next year.

As for the iron and steel necessary for industry, there is also a foundation, Guangdong is rich in mineral deposits, silver, copper, iron and other mining has a long history, "covering the world's iron-producing area, Mo Liang is better than Guangzhou Railway; And the work of smelting is better than Foshan. ”

Not to mention textiles. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was known as "the world of wide yarn". During the Daoguang period, there were more than 2,500 textile workshops near Guangzhou, with more than 50,000 workers. Now although the layout is messy, the overall strength definitely surpasses Shandong. The rest such as rubber, paper, printing, leather, matches, condensed milk, glass, cement, cigarettes, enamel, etc., have a good foundation.

Then there is shipbuilding. Since ancient times, Guangzhou has been a port for navigation with foreign and inland waterways, and the Lingnan area is rich in high-quality timber, which is the most favorable condition for the shipbuilding industry.

On the one hand, Long Qian asked Chen Qingtai's group to take immediate action to investigate the layout and current situation of Guangdong's industries, find out the problems existing in these industries, and if it is a financial problem, Meng Shanjun will do his best to help solve it.

On the other hand, Long Qian still used Zhou Fu's strength to convene the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the plan for Guangdong's commercial prosperity. The Guangdong Federation of Industries should be set up to organize the scattered Guangdong industries, make use of their strong points and avoid their weaknesses, and pay special attention to complementing them with Shandong's industries.

The last thing was the plan for the military industry he had established in Guangzhou. According to Long Qian's vision, Canton should at least be able to repair guns and manufacture explosives, grenades, bullets, and shells. to solve the basic needs of the troops of the Fifth Town.

This matter fell on Lian Shupeng. Funds, venues, equipment, technology and other matters need to be implemented one by one, fortunately, there is a foundation of Shandong and Germany and the United States have formed a cooperative relationship. Lian Shupeng's ability is enough, and it took about a month to have eyebrows. It does not mean that factories have been built, but that the equipment and technical sources of these factories have been secured. After negotiations with German and American comptoirs, it was decided to purchase three production lines from the Germans, including one bullet and two artillery shells, and to purchase one explosives production plant from the Americans. The repair factory relied on Shandong for support.

To this end, the Deputy Consul General of Germany in China and the Commercial Counsellor of the US Legation in China came to Guangzhou to meet Long Qian and discuss relevant cooperation matters.

In addition, even Shupeng suggested the acquisition of several civilian factories in Guangzhou to solve military supplies such as clothing and equipment, and Long Qian agreed.

The construction of the military industry and related ancillary industries requires a large amount of funds, totaling as much as 3 million taels, but fortunately, they have been invested one after another, and with Jiang Jiying's commercial bank, the problem of funds is not difficult to solve. However, in order to further strengthen the relationship with Germany and the United States, Long Qian put forward a request for loans to Germany and the United States, with a total amount of 2.4 million silver dollars and an annual interest rate of 4%. Germany and the United States agreed to Long Qian's loan request, and respectively loaned 1.5 million silver dollars to Mengshanjun with Huayuan and Zhongxing assets as collateral, totaling 3 million silver dollars.

As a military and political force that cannot be ignored in China's rise, the Mengshan Army has finally officially entered the field of vision of the great powers and has become an emerging force that Germany and the United States are deliberately cultivating and co-opting.

Guangdong is a coastal province that has long been invaded by foreign powers, Guangzhou is densely populated by foreign foreign companies, and the peninsula of Shamian has become the largest concession, and even the guards are hired by Indian Asan. But in Guangzhou, the greatest power is not Germany and the United States, but Britain and France. The results of a series of conferences on industry and commerce, which had been held in Canada since October 1907, and especially the cooperation with Germany and the United States, attracted the attention of Britain and France, which they considered to have infringed upon their interests. The British consul in Canton visited Governor Zhou Fu for this purpose and tactfully expressed their grievances. For this reason, Zhou Fu called Long Qian to talk about this issue, and Long Qian said: If Britain and France are willing to invest or make joint ventures, I personally welcome it, but the cooperation with Germany and the United States cannot be suspended. I can make a list for them, and I ask you to mediate.

Until early November, Britain and France had not come up with a concrete opinion. But swift German engineers had already begun to guide the construction of the foundation for the Mengshan Army's first military factory in Guangzhou, the 7.92mm Bullet Factory.

Recently, Long Qian has been waiting for news from the United States, before that, he instructed Liu Xiaoqi, who stayed at the headquarters of Huamei Machinery in the United States, to buy the Wright Brothers' aircraft company, and a large number of overseas Chinese were recruited to return to China for construction.

Except for Long Qian, no one would have realized that the appearance of the plane would completely change the world. Even in the United States, which had already invented airplanes, the military did not realize the tremendous value of airplanes for military purposes. Long Qian believes that the Wright brothers, who are keen on the trial production of aircraft, will certainly not refuse to invest large sums of money, and now, no country will block the transfer of aircraft technology, because the aircraft has not formed a mature technology, and everything is in the process of exploration.

It's hard to build a modern fleet, not to mention the money. However, from now on, if we deliberately strengthen aviation construction, it is possible to surpass the great powers and become an aviation power in one fell swoop. This is Long Qian's plan. (To be continued......)