Johannesburg

It's a gold mining city, home to the world's largest Rand gold mine, producing more than £20 million worth of gold each year, and a staggering annual output of more than 50 gold mines scattered around the 240-kilometre-long mountain range.

It is a thriving city built on gold mines, with a total population of about 260,000 people, with the vast majority of residents working in gold-related jobs and a few in the service industry.

Due to the factor of the war

The bustling streets of the past are much deserted, and British GIs in military uniforms can be seen everywhere, which is a unique sight on the city streets.

Next to Celtic Park, there is a huge Victorian building, which was originally the property of the Boolean gold mine owners, and is a large hotel, which is now the temporary residence of the Humen Cavalry Brigade of the British Expeditionary Force.

The beautiful Celtic Park next to the hotel is a place for horse walkers, with clear streams for horses to drink and brush horses, and fresh grass to nibble on.

"So, you're just a military reporter who promised me the position of governor of the island?"

Li Jianyang stood in the luxurious suite on the third floor of the hotel, wearing the uniform of a British cavalry major officer, holding a glass of champagne in his hand, staring with interest at the unashamed British young man Churchill in front of him.

Churchill, who was dressed in a well-fitting suit, walked over confidently, took the cigar cigarette in one hand, took a sip of the champagne on the table with the other, nodded and said quite approvingly;

"This champagne from an Italian estate is good, dear Sir Lee, your description is not accurate, but it is close to the truth.

I don't deny that I'm a reporter for the Morning Post and they pay me £200 a month, but that's not what I'm here for.

I'm here to convey to the people back home the hardships of the British Empire's reclamation business, the colonial flavors, and the efforts we have made to achieve it, and to build fame through front-line reporting in order to realize my political ambitions.

Sir Lee, I was also a cavalry officer.

After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1895 as a lieutenant in a cavalry regiment, I went through the Brazilian War, to India, and now to South Africa.

In fact, military life was not challenging for me, so I resigned from the military to depict the war in Southern Africa from the perspective of an ordinary person.

And my personal legendary escape from death will be one of the dazzling highlights, do you know what I mean? ”

"I understand, I was fooled by you Churchill, and the promised governor of the island was also ruined, you are a despicable liar."

"No, no, no...... Don't dwell on these minutiae, dear Sir Lee, your nobility has given us a common language, and now let go of the little unpleasantness and talk about our dealings......"

"Do you mean the Governor of the Islands?" Li Jianyang responded sarcastically.

After arriving in Johannesburg, he immediately sent a transoceanic telegram to Viscount Humen, who was staying in Australia, informing him that everything was fine, and he was ordered to rest for two months.

Then, Li Jianyang inquired about the details of this Mr. Churchill with great expectation, and the result disappointed him.

Mr. Churchill was indeed born into the family of the Duke of Marlborough, and his father, Lord Randolph, was the British Chancellor of the Exchequer and the former leader of the Conservative Party, but only five months into his political glory, he resigned due to political differences with the War Secretary.

Since then, he has been in a slump, mixed in the circle of London's high society, known for his chaotic life, and has many aristocratic lovers.

His mother, Jeanne Citigroup, is one of the "million brides" who joined the British wealthy family, is the daughter of Citigroup millionaire Leonard Jerome, is the owner of the New York Times as a Citigroup billionaire, and is also in the real estate business.

After only seven and a half months of marriage to Lord Randolph, a premature Churchill was born, and the Times of London and the Oxford Daily reported that this serious offense to the etiquette of the nobility of high society was for a time rumored and laughed about.

As a result, Churchill was very unpopular with the Duke of Marlborough's family, and even his mother, Jeanne, was snubbed.

Jeanne, who was born in Citigroup, was beautiful, intelligent, charismatic, active by nature, and even more so in her Citigroup concept of freedom, all of which made her incompatible with the Duchess of Blenheim Palace.

The habits she had developed during her long stay in Paris also made her particularly fond of the luxurious high society life in London, and she was a member of the Prince of Wales' luxurious and amorous little circle.

According to unconfirmed rumors, among them is His Royal Highness Prince Edward.

Li Jianyang has received a lot of information, because this family is a prominent figure in London's high society, and public information is readily available.

In a news that caused a sensation in London that year, the Prince of Wales offered to ask for a duel with Lord Randolph, but Lord Randolph wisely refused.

He said; I can duel with the agent of one prince, but never with the future king.

The angry prince threatened; Whoever receives Randolph Churchill will not be at anyone's door.

Based on the above information, it can be seen

Churchill was a commoner, but he was born into a top duke and was likely to inherit the title of Duke of Marlborough (theoretically), and his background was very complex, and he could have been a close friend of London's high society.

If the rumors are true, the identity is unspeakable.

Unable to get the answer he wanted, Churchill looked a little annoyed, waved his hand impatiently and said; "Come on, Lee, don't mention the damned Governor of the Island now, you can understand it as a good wish that can be fulfilled in the future, but not now, you know exactly what I need, and it's not hard to do."

Li Jianyang counted in his heart; Of course I know what you need!

Churchill needed Li Jianyang's full cooperation to bring the experience of saving more than 100 prisoners to himself, forging a brilliant and dazzling glorious story for himself, so as to create a legend that the British people looked up to.

And this will win him great prestige and qualifications for his future political development.

The question is;

What do I get?

Why should I cooperate with you to take advantage of it for nothing?

"I understand your appeal, dear Churchill, but forgive me for my inability, I'm not very good at it, eh...... Good at trading. Li Jianyang took a sip of champagne, elegant and calm.

He has been working hard with his father since he was 12 years old, and since he was a child, he has been exposed to all kinds of open and secret transactions, and understands the truth that he can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and the benefits have to be squeezed out little by little.

To speak of this talent, he was able to throw Churchill off eight streets.

The initiative is in his own hands, and he is not in a hurry at all.

"Look, dear friend, we must be allies in the prisoner of war camp, planning an escape together, you can't deny that, right?" Churchill was still young in the end, and a trace of anxiety between his eyebrows was sensitively captured by Li Jianyang, so he replied with a chuckle; "That's right, it's true."

"What I want now is that you played an important role in the battle, and to be supported by those Chinese mercenaries, and with the prestige of your family, it is easy to do that."

"I don't think of Churchill like that, no matter where mercenaries only recognize money and not people, this is the rule, I can pay them to sell their lives, but I can't stop the big tongue from talking everywhere."

"Give them the damn money, man."

"Uh...... Well, as you wish, how much are you willing to pay for it? ”

Churchill was stunned by this sentence, he had no money at all.

He didn't come to South Africa primarily for the Morning Post's £200-a-month salary, but it was undeniably an important income.

The problem was that Churchill was naturally fond of cigars and fine wines, especially during the Brazilian War, and he was obsessed with the mellow and delicious top Cuban cigars, which were very expensive hobby, such a top Havana cigar was worth 2 pounds and 5 shillings, and he smoked at least 4~5 cigarettes a day.

The £350 a month for the Duke of Marlborough and £200 for the Morning Post were just enough for Churchill to maintain his extravagant hobby, and there was no extra money at all.

Churchill's eyes looked at Li Jianyang with "fluttering, fluttering", and his mind turned to his heart; "Lee, how much do you think it will cost?"

"There are 56 Chinese mercenaries on my side, and I think each of them will keep their mouths shut after they get 100 pounds."

"OK, £5,600 is reasonable, it's not a big number, dear Lee, my friend, at this time I need your help, and you will get my friendship."

"Mr. Churchill, that is, we were not friends before?"

"No, I'm talking about friends in the true sense of the word, the kind of friends who can work for your benefit." Churchill squeezed his eyes, meaning that everyone understands and doesn't understand it, it's very ungentlemanly.

Li Jianyang didn't pay attention to him;

What should you do if you are so ambiguous, when the time comes, you will eat and wipe your head clean, and you will not admit it?

"Don't talk to me about this, let's be practical, I can pay you the 5,600 pounds, so what about my payment? I have sacrificed my glory for you, how can you repay me? After chatting for more than an hour, before he could get to the point, Li Jianyang was gradually worn out of patience by the other party, so he simply made it clear.

These British gentlemen and ladies can't talk about business when they meet, and they can chat for more than an hour, and they don't know what to say in the clouds.

As for many people who think that foreigners have a straightforward personality and can't bend around, that generally refers to Citigroup or Australian cowboys, and definitely does not include British.

"Let me state first that I don't have any money, and it would be better for you to lend me a little if possible." Churchill is a very smart person, Li Jianyang is investigating him, why didn't he investigate the Humen Viscount family?

Li Jianyang didn't talk nonsense with him, and directly set his own conditions: "When the British signed the employment contract, there was a clause that gave us equal conditions for the purchase of property in South Africa, including gold mines and diamond mines, and could enjoy the same treatment as British civilians. ”

"Uh...... That's it! ”

Churchill heard such conditions, and his mind spun fast, and he knew;

If they want to buy an urban building property, there is no problem and they can enjoy some preferential treatment.

The British confiscated a large number of Boer assets, which can be shown to be more generous in this regard.

Generally speaking, when it comes to valuable assets such as gold mines and diamond mines, the British will not seriously implement the agreement, and it is almost impossible for Humen mercenaries to get the equity of the gold mines, so they ask for help.

And this is a piece of cake for yourself.

Churchill even knew that the Cape Colony confiscated a large number of Boer assets, including the property rights of more than 50 gold mines near Johannesburg, some bigwigs of the British Expeditionary Force shared some profits, the domestic outstretched nobles shared some profits, and British merchants shared some profits, and there were probably 7~8 gold mines left, and there was no owner for the time being.

The largest Rand gold mine is certainly out of reach, and it is already something that the British Treasury is looking at, and no one is worried about it.

The remaining seven or eight gold mines also have good and bad values, whether they are located on the main gold veins, the size of the area, the amount of gold produced over the years, whether they have the potential for undiscovered resources, etc., all determine their value.

But no matter how bad it is, the minimum price starts at 600,000 pounds, and a better one can easily cost four or five million pounds.

Therefore, Li Jianyang's requirements are not low!

"Well, I understand what you're asking for, and that's what I have to talk to Lord Kitchener, a member of the British Conservative Party and one of my father's close friends." At this, Churchill paused deliberately, and said triumphantly; Lord Roberts, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, will soon return home to take over the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Army because of his outstanding skills in the South African campaign, a cabinet appointment that is still in the making and will be known in less than a month, and he himself does not know it. So we need the help of the current Chief of Staff, Lord Kitchener, who will take over as Commander of the British Expeditionary Force in South Africa. ”

Let's be honest

What Churchill said really shocked Li Jianyang, and only the tip of the iceberg made him have to re-examine the true value of the blonde boy in front of him.

Holy shit, it's a really awesome cock explosion!

The commander of the British Expeditionary Force, Lord Roberts, did not know about the proposed appointment in the cabinet, and the chief of staff, Lord Kitchener, did not know that he would take over as commander-in-chief.

What does this mean?

Once it is proven to be correct, it means that this goods are all over the world!

Seeing Li Jianyang's shocked look, Churchill smiled conceitedly, and his heart was full of a sense of achievement; "Oh...... Forgive my gaffe, Prime Minister Salisbury is the third Conservative Cabinet Minister, and my father happens to be the leader of the Conservative Party, so on a private occasion, Mr. Prime Minister, talked about his thoughts, and I happened to share this interesting little secret, dear Lee, and please help me keep it a secret for the time being. ”

"Of course, I won't talk nonsense about something so important." Li Jianyang's voice also became serious.

"Well, great, I know that there are seven or eight gold mines in Johannesburg that have not yet been owned, and the best one of them is called Farmer's Gold Mine, which was discovered by a Boer farmer, located on the main gold vein, covering an area of about 6.2 square kilometers, although the area is not large, but it produces a lot of gold, and the grade is also high, it is said to cost more than 8 million pounds......"

"Great, can you help us take it down?"

"Man, your appetite is really not small, this is more than 8 million pounds, can your family come up with so much money?"

"I'm going to correct your mistake, it's not my family, it's the entire team of Humen mercenaries, we can put £3.5 million worth of employment contracts into it, and raise some more money." Speaking of this, Li Jianyang's brows furrowed deeply, and he said worriedly; "But it's still a lot worse, so we need your sincere help."

Farmer Gold Mine, of course, knows that this is a high-quality bonanza that can be ranked about 12th and 13th in Johannesburg, the high-grade, easy-to-mine gold mine is located on the main gold vein extension, and can produce more than 230,000 ounces of gold per year, with an annual gold production value of more than one million pounds.

The normal value of such a gold mine is definitely more than 12 million pounds, but now due to the ingenuity of the British, they are doing no business, and the value has shrunk greatly.

But such a big advantage can only be taken by the British (especially the English and Scots, not the Irish), and others can only watch.

Talking about the meat

Churchill's expression also became serious, and he said after careful consideration; "I can help you negotiate the acquisition of the farmer's gold mine in my own name or even in the name of the Duke of Marlborough's family, and the latter may require the power of my uncle's Duke's family, and this will require you to pay a lot of money."

Li Jianyang took a deep look at Churchill and saw that he looked very serious, so he said in a heart; "In your name, we will pay 5% of the value of the equity of the farmer's gold mine as a reward, and if we can use the name of the Duke of Marbara's family, our 6,500 Humen mercenaries are willing to pay 20% of the equity as a reward, and swear in the name of the nobles of the Viscount of Humen that they will never go back."

He is also very shrewd, with Churchill's influence, I am afraid that he can only negotiate the right to buy the gold mine, and the price is not much lower, and he must have about 5% of the equity.

But the Duke's family of Marlborough came forward in a very different way, not only to give a discount, but also to a large discount.

Otherwise, I am afraid that these British expeditionary forces, the relevant bigwigs of the Cape colonial government, and the merchants will all have to spit out.

Why can't the top British nobles enjoy it, but you lowly commoners can, isn't it too inflated?

"What about my appeal?"

So, it's worth paying 15 percent of the shares, and it's a great deal, with the Dukes of Marlborough's family alone worth more than a million pounds.

"Everything is as you wish, but not including the promises of the Island Governor." Li Jianyang said more, he was afraid that Churchill would regret it.

Churchill replied with interest; "Well, I think it's an interesting deal, and we'll all find what we're looking for, won't we?"

"Yes, Sir Churchill, it is my wish to be able to play the role of an assistant in your storied journey, and to share your glory, and I am honoured."

"Like Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza?"

"You understand it perfectly, my master."

Churchill looked at Li Jianyang seriously, and then couldn't help laughing, patted his arm affectionately and said; "Hahahaha...... My Sancho Panza, you're a clever ghost. ”

"I hope you're not a mean host."

"Hahaha...... To each his own, he takes what he needs. Churchill said the real relationship between the two.