The banquet was divided into separate meals.

The meal system is also the meal system before the Tang Dynasty in China, although the atmosphere is slightly worse, but this table is all over the world, who knows how many infectious diseases, so the meal system is still necessary.

The main meal is preceded by snacks, and the first thing to do is ice cream.

This is Zhu Fugui's personal little bad taste.

After all, the story of Li Hongzhang eating ice cream is almost a household name in later generations.

Sure enough, when the steaming milky white ice cream was distributed in front of him, Li Hongzhang scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, looked at the white smoke, and blew it coldly......

"Poof......

After all, Steve is a vulgar second-generation American in his bones, and he couldn't help laughing all of a sudden.

Only then did Li Hongzhang realize that the white smoke from the ice cream hat was not as hot as hot feta cheese, but as cool as ice food.

I was really a little smiling and generous when I was blowing cold on the ice food, and it was inevitable that the old face would blush, and he laughed at himself: "I never thought that Citigroup's ice food was so exquisite, but the old man was clumsy!" ”

With that, he slowly ate the ice cream as if nothing had happened.

But even so, Steve kept chuckling until his daughter twisted his thigh, which stopped.

"It's just a difference between different cultures and foods, there's nothing funny, Mr. Tongyi, please help me apologize to Master Li!" Julie looked at Zhu Fugui's eyes and said with a smile.

Zhu Fugui blinked, nodded and relayed: "Lord Li, Miss Vanderbilt said that in view of your funny performance, you have to increase our business!" ”

Li Hongzhang: "......"

Comrade Li hates in his heart!

According to historical rumors, he was served with ice cream by the Russian public, but the next day he came and returned it with a Chinese-style hot oil soup.

But now in this foreign country, where is he going to cook this dish!

Just when Li Hongzhang was secretly beating his chest, he saw the second appetizer on the table.

Li Hongzhang rubbed his eyes and found in disbelief that this second food was the kind of hot oil soup in his hometown that didn't steam!

Zhu Fugui said with a smile: "Our commander heard that Master Li is from Hefei, so he specially ordered someone to make this soup, and later there will be Li Hongzhang chop and Li Hongzhang chicken to offer!" ”

Li Hongzhang: "......"

……

The appetizer soup was distributed to everyone, which is a soup in the Jianghuai region, with a layer of grease on top, which envelops the heat and does not overflow, and looks harmless to humans and animals.

Seeing that Julie was like a simple fawn sticking out her tongue and ready to lick the bowl of soup, Franci Zhu had already appeared behind her unconsciously, smiling and taking a spoon to blow the soup cold.

Poor Steve Vanderbilt, as well as Charlie and the others were not so lucky, and even the old eunuch Li made a pig cry.

Zhu Fugui was startled, and hurriedly covered his mouth, so that the vulgar words at the beginning of the word "mother" did not shout out.

Fortunately, the scene was in the midst of a small chaos, and no one noticed this side.

"I lean, Lao Li, aren't you also Chinese? How can you get hit? Zhu Fugui asked in a low voice as he took out a piece of ice and threw it into his mouth.

Lao Li cried and said, "Long live the lord...... We have more than 2,000 counties in China...... Each county can produce ten or eight local specialties...... How can the old slave recognize it......"

……

After a small farce, both China and the West knew that each other had merits, and the scene was very harmonious for a while.

Eating is just a lubricant, and I pad my stomach slightly, so I naturally want to talk about business.

"I don't know what kind of title this Lord Li is?" Steve asked.

To say this title......

Li Hongzhang was really cheated by Zhu Fugui.

Originally, according to history, as early as half a year ago, Li Hongzhang should have been awarded the first-class Su Yibo for his contribution to helping Zeng Guofan conquer Tianjing and purge Jiangsu.

However, due to the materials that Zhu Fugui secretly threw into Tianjing City, as well as the almost MAX bonus of spiritual BUFF, Nanjing has a tendency to develop towards "Tianjing that never falls".

Therefore, today's Li Hongzhang has only earned a first-class viscount because of his contribution to the capture of Suzhou and Changzhou.

"Oh, it's just a viscount......" Steve shook his head in disappointment.

In Europe, the baron is basically not a nobleman, then the viscount is the lowest level of the nobility.

Originally, I heard that it was a top official in China, and I thought it was at least an earl, but I didn't expect it to be just a viscount.

But the viscount is better than nothing.

When Steve was young, he went hunting in Europe and saw the castle of the Viscount Carcassonne in France.

After thinking about it, Steve asked again: "Then Your Excellency the Viscount, may I ask how much area of your territory is?" Is there 10 square kilometers? What about the population? Are there five thousand? ”

Li:???

Sighing, Zhu Fugui felt that it would help the two sides to get to know each other better and enhance mutual trust.

……

"What...... What!!! ”

Steve's eyes widened and he asked in disbelief, "Frankie interpreter, you didn't make a mistake, did you?" This guy, oh no, this Viscount manages 100,000 square kilometers of land and rules over 40 million people? Are you sure you're not using the wrong unit? ”

"What...... What!!! ”

Li Hongzhang blew his beard and asked in disbelief, "Interpreter Franch, are you sure there is no translation error?" This uneducated nouveau riche, his family has more than 10,000 US dollars, equivalent to 70 million taels of silver, nearly twice the revenue of the Qing Dynasty, more than three times the cellar silver of the year and Zhongtang, and ten times the indemnity of the "Treaty of Tianjin"? ”

"That's right, that's right, two gentlemen, you're right!"

Franch Zhu Gui was categorical, in exchange for both sides gasping at the same time, and then said in Chinese and English at the same time: "Interpreter, tell Mr. Li (Mr. Fan) that I will follow this business!" ”

……

Zhu Fugui nodded with satisfaction and began to draft the tripartite contract.

This is not a deception, Zhu Fugui said that what he said was the truth.

It's just that the land and population managed by Li Hongzhang are not his private property, but only the temporary territory of his governor of Jiangsu, and the Manchu emperor may leave him with nothing by an order;

The Vanderbilt family's fortune of $100 million is also a paper figure after a desperate fight with high leverage, which could explode at any time.

It's a pity that Li Hongzhang doesn't understand what leverage and finance are;

Similarly, for Westerners, they also do not understand that before the collapse of China's bureaucratic system, "the monarch wants his ministers to die, and the ministers have to die", so that the central government has strong control over the local government.

Just as Li Hongzhang blew cold ice cream and Steve drank the hot appetizer soup, everything was just a wonderful misunderstanding.

Eventually, a bilingual agreement was signed.

Huaijun Jiangsu Governor:

1. Transfer 100% ownership of the Far Eastern Fleet and the Donald Consortium;

2. Obtained 700,000 taels of cash from the Donald Consortium (about 20 tons of silver, worth 100 million yuan), which will be paid in one and a half years;

3. Invest 100,000 taels of silver and [Tripartite Railway Company], organize 200,000 laborers to go to the United States, and obtain 15% shares of the railway company;

4. Gain the friendship of the great commander of Millican + the friendship of the richest man in Millican.

The Vanderbilt Family:

1. Divest the shares and debts of the original railway company, establish a [tripartite railway company], and reduce the shareholding to 45%;

2. Organize a fleet to transport laborers to the United States;

3. Provide iron-making, road-building and oil-refining technologies to the Donald Consortium free of charge;

4. Use the Dutch merchant group as a platform to help operate the transfer of the Far East Fleet;

5. Gain the friendship of the rulers of the 40 million people in the East.

Donald Consortium:

1. Pay 700,000 taels of silver to the governor of Jiangsu of Huaijun, to be paid in installments of one and a half years;

2. Obtained 12 warships of the Far Eastern Fleet;

3. Injected $300,000 into Tripartite Railroad, received and managed 200,000 Chinese laborers, built the Idava-Washington State Railroad, and obtained a total of 40% of the shares.

4. Ensure the supply of steel and other materials required by the [Tripartite Railway Company].

5. Obtain the friendship of the railway king (incomplete body) and the friendship of the Huai military department.

All in all, through this agreement, Li Hongzhang gained money and railway shares, and what he lost was a chicken fleet and 200,000 free laborers, which can be described as a lot of money.

It is not an exaggeration to say that it was the first diplomatic victory of "I Daqing" since 1840.

Even in a certain sense, "my Great Qing Dynasty" obtained the right to build roads in another country for the first time, which can be described as a high-spirited and a national shame, as long as Li Hongzhang operates it well, it is definitely a major political capital.

However, Li Hongzhang, Zhou Fu and others, who signed the contract for the first time, did not notice that whether it was the Chinese or English version of the contract, there was no mention of the "Great Qing Kingdom" throughout the contract, but only the Jiangsu Governor's Mansion or the Liangjiang Governor's Mansion, or even Li Hongzhang himself.

And for Vanderbilt, with this agreement, the family's railroad plan was suddenly full of life.

Giving up the Central Pacific Railway, concentrating on the Northern Line, and gaining the support of the Far Eastern bigwigs, gaining the market of the Far East, the family's crisis was finally resolved.

Moreover, the shares that were divided were only the right to build the road on the northern route, and the right to build the road on the middle line was still firmly controlled by the family.

As long as he recovers, Vanderbilt will still have the sole interest in the middle rail to Saramento.

In the end, for Zhu Fugui, the Ming Dynasty was given a railroad capable of dumping goods into the eastern region.

Moreover, the railroad west of Idaho is completely under the control of the Ming Dynasty, so there is no risk of being flooded.

Through this railway, Zhu Fugui can directly transport military supplies to the southern state, which can be described as saving time and effort.

Of course, more importantly, Zhu Fugui will also receive 200,000 high-quality Ming people, as well as an invincible fleet in the Eastern Pacific.

And all that is needed to get all this is only 130 million yuan.

It's the 130 million, which is still paid in installments, and after a year and a half, the ghost knows if he needs to pay this money again.