November 22, 1878

The British launched a second war against Afghanistan, and 36,000 British soldiers broke into Afghanistan in three ways and fought on a large scale......

A month later

Red Fort

The arrival of an invitation confirmation letter from Buckingham Palace's annual spring sealing ceremony immediately detonated a joyful atmosphere, and the Red Fort was lit up and down, inviting guests to hold a week-long carnival.

High society from Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia gathered to witness and participate in this glorious moment.

Travelling to England to receive a summons from Her Majesty Queen Victoria was a fantastic and great honour for the upper echelons of the hermitage in Australia.

Li Fushou himself didn't feel anything, and he was very calm.

He learned through a specific channel in London that he would be awarded the title of "Viscount of the Red River Valley", the specific source was a retired lieutenant general of the House of Nobles, the news was very reliable, and it was not a surprise to use his ranch as a fief.

Originally, Li Fushou participated in the international humanitarian relief operation in Cuba, and he may have been honored by the British royal family.

For some specific reasons, the award of the title will not be high, almost limited to the level of knighthood, and the title of nobility will definitely be useless.

Now he has made great achievements in exterminating the "wild wolf" Bilken bandits, and the two have been combined to grant the hereditary title of "Viscount of the Red River Valley", and the mining is divided into the Red River Valley.

In fact, Li Fushou is equivalent to picking up a knighthood for British and white Australians, and if it weren't for Downing Street's public promise, it would be no matter how much credit is 10 times greater.

It was common for European aristocrats to divide their fiefdoms into fiefdoms, as exemplified by the French writer Alexandre Dumas's world-selling The Count of Monte Cristo, which in itself is not inherently inappropriate.

But what makes Li Fushou unhappy is;

Australia's vast land is not valuable, and the sub-seal can be the Viscount of Queensland, or the Viscount of South Queensland, or the entire Briss team at worst, which is somewhat interesting.

Give me the whole Viscount of the Red River Valley, it's a bit nondescript, why don't you get a Viscount of Ghost Head Ling?

Everyone knows that the territory of a Red River Valley is not large, the valley is just a big place, no matter how big it is, how big can it be?

On the bright side

The Red River Valley now grows to more than 5,500 square kilometres and includes the acquired pastures on the northern side of Brisbane, which form a semicircle almost from south to north, encircling the city of Brisbane.

The only thing left is the rippling sea in the east of the city.

Secretly

A large part of the land on the side of New South Wales near Queensland was ravaged by the Pilken gang, which destroyed the Chisato family and separated his wife.

When these white ranchers were panicking, high-priced receivers appeared, and naturally a large number of ranchers chose to sell their ranches to avoid the rampant momentum of banditry.

In particular, the news of the almost total annihilation of the encirclement cavalry led by Colonel Macbeth spread and caused great panic among ranchers in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, forming a wave of cheap sale of pastures.

It was a dark time, and you can't imagine the white rancher feeling like he was cursed by the devil, as if the next moment was the end of the world.

In addition to praying for God's blessing, it is to get out of the ranch as soon as possible to escape from this land of right and wrong.

Among them, most of them were secretly acquired by Li Fushou, do you remember the group of women who were harmed by bandits?

They sold all the pastures in their hands in Valley Town, and after getting the money, most of them left Australia directly on a cruise ship, leaving this sad land forever.

If Li Fushou promised to avenge them, perhaps most of them would stay.

With this concentrated acquisition alone, Red River Valley has controlled more than a dozen ranches covering an area of more than 6,700 square kilometers, making the area of ranches secretly held by the Red River Valley as high as 220,000 square kilometers.

Things are changing

This time and that time!

Li Fushou was ruthless in his heart, since you don't give it to you, then I'll take it myself.

The plan is simple;

In the near future, all efforts have been mobilized to acquire ranches, whether it is white ranches in Queensland or New South Wales.

Anyway, the master has money, if you don't agree, you can use the money to get you to agree, and if you don't agree, you can also exchange the shares of the subordinate enterprises in the Red River Valley, see if you are tempted.

We don't do those harmful things, we directly spend money to buy or exchange them for corporate shares, and no one can say anything about real money transactions.

After Li Fushou arrived in London, before accepting the title of Queen Victoria, the title deeds of these nominally white pastures were converted into ownership in the Red River Valley.

Wait until Li Fushou accepts the queen's title of Viscount of the Red River Valley

At that time, this vast land will naturally be transformed into its own mining town, so don't be too excited!

This little trick to hide from the world and the sea, once it succeeds......

What Viscount Queensland, what Bristro Count, I am the Viscount of the Red River Valley across Queensland and South Wales.

Love is so much that it doesn't accept rebuttals.

At present, the sum of both openly and secretly has mastered 2.75 million square kilometers of land, and the next step is to double this number, and if the operation is good, it may acquire more.

Hold up the bold, starve the faint-hearted.

To put it mildly, Li Fushou has no reverence for the British royal family, and it is impossible for the fleet of the British Empire to sail ashore, what are you afraid of?

This time, taking advantage of the carnival, the Red River Valley invited Queensland, South Wales, and Victorian high society to gather together, and there was no such hidden purpose.

On the brightly lit lobby

Li Fushou and the guests present frequently raised their glasses, and their temperament and demeanor were elegant and decent, which made the guests present unanimously give high praise.

"Honorable Mr. Future Lord, I would like to introduce you to my daughter, Miss Elena, whom you may have met."

Edward led Yelena, who was dressed up, and Li Fushou looked at her quite reservedly, with a decent shallow smile on his face; "I think this is the second time we've met, pretty Miss Elena, and you're even more charming than the first time."

"Thank you, Mr. Magical Oriental Magician."

Yelena's slender hands carried her skirt and gracefully performed a knee curt, which was the most prevalent aristocratic etiquette in the Victorian era.

Li Fushou bowed shallowly in return with one hand in front and one hand in the back.

It should be noted that;

Li Fushou has not yet accepted the title of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and he is not a viscount, so it is not rude to call Sir.

At this time, the band played a waltz, and the male and female guests came down to dance one after another, and the timing was just right for Speaker Edward to bring his daughter.

"Miss Elena, may I have the pleasure of inviting you to this dance?"

"Gladly."

Li Fushou took Yelena's Qianqianyu hand and walked onto the dance floor, turning with the notes and dancing.

Edward watched a pair of wall figures dancing with satisfaction, and a satisfied smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, what a match!

"Look, some old fox has the idea of the Red River Valley, and if it goes well, in a few years, the title of Viscount of the Red River Valley will be in the pocket of the Edward family, am I right."

Frank walked over with gin in his hand, his tone sneering, and when he listened closely, there was a strong sourness.

"Perhaps...... It's a good idea. ”

The speaker was a tall and thin English gentleman, about 50 years old, with a hooked nose typical of the British, revealing a strong sense of arrogance and superiority in his bones.

He is the Premier of New South Wales, Sir Morgan McLaughrie, a large rancher and gold mine owner, and also owns property rights in Sydney's cargo terminal and a few streets, a traditional British white family rooted in Australia for more than 100 years.

Who would have thought

Sir Morgan McLowrie's ancestors were penniless thieves who stole five pounds of baguettes worth 8 shillings and 4 pence from a bakery in Manchester, and were sentenced to 12 years of exile before arriving in Sydney, Australia, where he became the first prisoner to set foot on the soil.

There is no need to mention the past.

Now Morgan McClaurie has become a successful man with his own efforts, and has been awarded the hereditary title of barony by the Queen, so the title must be crowned with the suffix of Lord Sir as a sign of respect.

This drove Edward mad with jealousy, and if it weren't for Frank, an idiot, he would be Lord Sir himself.

"Oh, Lord Morgan, let me, on behalf of my master, thank you once again for your presence." Edward, of course, refused to let the statement.

"It seems that Mr. Edward regards himself as half a master, and I have to express my admiration for your fickleness." As a political opponent, Governor Frank certainly had nothing to say about him, and his tone was full of sarcasm; "I remember that someone once buried two large barrels of military gunpowder on the road, hundreds of pounds, ready to blow up Mr. Lee's carriage into the sky, and let his son-in-law command the imperial warships, and bomb the Red River Valley to ruins...... Let me think about it. ”

"Sir Frank, this is a minor misunderstanding."

"Look, the gold pound can make you forget everything."

"Maybe people will forget some things when they are old, especially those unpleasant past, but what brings us together today is an exciting future, Mr. Lee's militia has exterminated the Pilken gang, killed the first evil, and restored peace to the pure land of Australia, and the vast pastures are once again full of cattle and sheep, I think no one will deny the significance of this matter, right?"

Although Edward was very angry with Frank's demolition, the gentlemanly demeanor he had cultivated over the years made his face remain unchanged and calmly diverted the topic.

"He's just a lucky boy, and to be honest, I doubt he's God's illegitimate son." Morgan McClaurie took a sip of the wine in his hand, and followed Li Fushou on the dance floor with a thoughtful look.

Edward's method is indeed good, and the Morgan family also has beautiful girls of the right age, and marriage is not a good way.

The European aristocracy had no penchant for high-level marriages, and they paid more attention to the practical benefits that resulted than to the superficial brilliance.

In the final analysis, Li Fushou is just a gold digger who arrived in Australia alone.

If you can get the title of queen, have a noble viscount, have a huge wealth and a large land that is enough to make people crazy, who cares about the slightest difference in skin color.

After all, the ancient empire in the east is still a mysterious and revered dragon.

Napoleon once said;

"Huaxia is a sleeping lion, and when he awakens, the world will tremble, thank God! Let him sleep forever."

As the god of war across the continent and the emperor of the French Empire, Napoleon undoubtedly has a high status in Europe and is a big man who has been praised on the altar.

His words are very representative of the view of Victorian Europeans about the Manchu Qing and have a profound impact on later generations.

Edward's gray-blue eyes looked at Morgan McLowrie, keenly aware of his idea of beating Li Fushou, a trace of unhappiness flashed in his heart, and he said with deep meaning;

"Sir Morgan, New South Wales has done so well under your stewardship, and Sydney has a tendency to catch up with Melbourne, and I salute your talent, and besides, you may not like the scorching sun of the Gold Coast, which is indeed not friendly to white skin."

"Oh, I don't care."

Sir Morgan McLowrie is also a political veteran and copes with ease; "I'm very interested in him, he's the kind of person who makes people impress at first sight."

"Is that you, too?"

"Yes, I've heard that there is a lot of interest in land, and I happen to have a lot of pastures, and the gentlemen who came to Queensland this time have more or less some pastures, and they are very interested in the development of a thriving coking coal industry, and hope to reach some friendly cooperation."

"The coking coal industry?"

When Edward heard this sensitive word, his eyes couldn't help but shrink in danger, and he opened his sharp thorns like a hedgehog in danger and made defensive movements.

"Sir Morgan, you don't like the black smoke of the coking coal industry, it's just a reputation for making a lot of money, and the devil knows how many resources it consumes, it's a disaster and a very risky investment."

"No, no, no, I have a unique penchant for risk, and it suits my appetite for adventure well."

Sir Morgan McClaurie is the kind of person who has a lot of ideas and can't be persuaded, and the more you say you can't buy him, the more interested you become.

Just like a naughty little boy, his mother is not allowed to go to the dangerous pond to play in the water, and the little boy always tries to avoid his mother's eyes and run to the pond to have a good time.

What's more, everyone knows that high-quality coking coal is simply selling like crazy.

Not only was it in North America, but it was also needed in large quantities in the Manchu Empire, the Fuso and Straits Settlements of the British Empire, as well as in Calcutta, and even as far away as the Ottoman Empire.

High-quality coking coal is the most sought-after hot commodity in the entire Pacific Ocean and even the Indian Ocean region, and damn Edward sees it as a bag, isn't he afraid of being shot when he goes out?

I have paid all my net worth to bet on the coking coal industry, and I have made a lot of money, knowing that eating alone will cause public outrage.

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