Early the next morning, Gu Yongyuan eagerly came to the main hall of the Yamen. It's not that the new officials are taking office and their enthusiasm is high, but it's the first time they really perform their duties, which feels very novel.

Along the way, his mind was on preparing a report to Emperor Xianfeng. Specifically, it involved the creation of three firearms battalions. Each battalion consisted of five hundred soldiers. The first battalion consisted of Manchu banner men, the second battalion was selected from the elite of the Green Banner Army stationed in Guangzhou, and the third battalion was recruited locally. However, he felt that it was better to wait for some time before submitting the proposal, so as not to give suspicion that he had concocted it in advance.

In fact, Gu Yongyuan did not have much hope for the Manqi Battalion. After more than two centuries of relative peace in the Eight Banners system, the cruelty of the Eight Banners has long since faded. What really worried Gu Yongyuan was the musket unit of the other two battalions. How to train them into a fierce, disciplined, modern rifle unit? And how can he keep them firmly under his control? These are all issues that need to be addressed. Of course, his first task was to persuade Emperor Xianfeng and the magnates in Beijing to agree to his plan to train firearms troops.

Koo doesn't think this will be a challenging obstacle. Western firearms were increasingly recognized by Xianfeng and his ministers. Success or failure depends only on how he asks for money from Western businessmen in Beijing. If he can convince these Western businessmen, he will be able to get Xianfeng's support. His plan was to obtain the funds needed for the firearms forces by imposing customs duties on Western merchants. Of course, he would not actually ask Westerners for money to train his army. He planned to take advantage of the differences in Chinese and Western language translations to cleverly transform the regular tax into a "gun tax" in Chinese characters. This will turn normal taxes into open military spending in his favor.

Manipulating taxes and funds under the noses of officials like Storm Yushan, who are good at deception and corruption, is simply child's play. If Wu can mislead himself under the guise of tariffs and get rich, then it should be smoother to deal with legal things. Tariff revenue was the lifeblood of the Qing Dynasty, and with the "private cash machine" in charge of the customs, it should be effortless to obtain funds. This made Gu Yongyuan much more efficient than Zeng, who had been raising funds for the Hunan army by begging and extorting money from the local gentry.

Of course, Gu Yongyuan needs to skillfully weave this huge lie. Although the Qing Dynasty was currently largely ignorant of diplomacy, the possibility that someone would one day dig up old records is not ruled out. So, he decided to wait for the moment and convene a meeting of representatives of Western businessmen. During the meeting, he would casually mention the imposition of a "gun tax", but the amount was set very low. He will also mention another exemption from a specific tax that makes foreign businessmen feel that they are not at a loss. This strategy would ensure that, unless Emperor Xianfeng did have his own initiative, and the envoys he sent were shrewd and able to communicate with the Westerners, and to secure the cooperation of the customs,

As for the organization of the firearms battalion, he will largely imitate the military system of the West. However, Gu Yongyuan had to avoid hinting that the military structure of the Qing Dynasty was outdated compared to the rest of the world. Instead, he would emphasize that Western-style rifle units were highly disciplined and more able to regulate the formation of the army.

Gu Yongyuan sat in the hall and fell into deep thought, thinking about whether his proposal was missing. He knew that the purchase of Western guns and artillery to form gun battalions would not radically change the country. It's just a small detail. To truly change the country, he needs to awaken the minds of the people and change their way of thinking.

Just as he was deep in thought, Ga Yu hurriedly walked into the room and said, "Thanks to the blessing of the little prince, we caught a fugitive from our banner this morning!" ”

This aroused Gu Yongyuan's curiosity. "Fugitive from this banner" refers to a person who has left the jurisdiction of this banner without authorization for more than one year? This indicates that they have no intention of returning.

Ga Yu handed out a document and reported: "The criminal is Hongshen, a person from the White Flag, this is the third time he has escaped from the jurisdiction of the White Flag, according to the law, he should be sent to Heilongjiang to be enslaved!" ”

Gu Yongyuan looked at the document and couldn't help but sit up straight. This guy is really funny! The first time he escaped from Qi was when he cooperated with Han Chinese to start a business. Having lost money in three months, he had to return to the flag and face punishment. The second flight was shortly after he was promoted to cavalry general for his exploits, and the reason for his escape is unknown. The third and most recent escape, he not only did business with the Han Chinese, but also married a Han woman. His guts have reached their peak.

It is not surprising that the battalion commander spoke highly of him. Before the second flight from the flag, he served in the naval battalion. With only fifty soldiers, he smashed the lair of the notorious pirate king Wang Dingfa on the Pearl River. He also personally captured Wang Dingfa and scattered more than 500 pirates. As a result of this achievement, he was promoted to the rank of outstanding cavalry officer. Who knew that it didn't take long for him to relapse into his old ways and escape from Eight Banners again.

"Bring him in." Gu Yongyuan became interested.

"Bring Hiroshi!" With a loud announcement, the tied man was quickly pushed into the hall by the soldiers. Contrary to Gu Yongyuan's imagination, this man is not tall and has delicate facial features. But his gaze was sharp, with a sense of indignation!

Covered in blood and apparently whipped, he stood proudly in the hall.

"Rude! Why don't you get on your knees? I beg the great commander to spare his life! Ga Yu yelled at Hiroshi.

Hongshen turned his head, pursed his lips, and ignored him.

"You bastard! Get him on his knees! Ga Yo was furious and motioned for the soldiers to force Hiroshin to kneel.

Gu Yongyuan smiled, waved his hand and said, "Enough is enough, you can all go, untie him!" ”

Ga was stunned for a moment, but quickly said: "Little prince, this criminal is fierce and stubborn, it is safer for me to stay by your side." ”

Gu Yongyuan said with a smile: "Forget it, I don't believe that he can still hold me hostage, he is just a fugitive from the Eight Banners, and he is not a murderer, what is there to be afraid of?" ”

Ga Yu hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't disobey Gu Yongyuan's words. He and his soldiers help Hirodeep untie his body. Ga Yu whispered in Hongshen's ear: "I tell you, this is the son of Prince Yong, if you dare to speak disrespectfully, the entire Yong family will be implicated, and there must be your cronies in your family." ”

Hongshen's expression twitched slightly when he heard this, and he couldn't help but look directly at Gu Yongyuan.

Ga Yo left with the soldiers and stood guard outside the hall. As soon as he senses that something is wrong inside, he will rush in to protect his master as soon as possible.

Gu Yongyuan looked at Hongshen and said with a smile: "The superiors praised your military talent and literary talent, and you were also promoted to cavalry general for meritorious service, you have a great future, why are you willing to go down the mountain to be a businessman?" ”

Hiroshika was silent, his lips closed. If he escaped from the flag three times, he would generally be sent to Heilongjiang as a slave. In addition, marrying a Han woman is also not in line with the customs of the banner people. He didn't know how the prince in front of him, the elder brother of the royal family, would decide his fate.

Gu Yongyuan continued to smile and said, "Tell me what you think, maybe I won't punish your wife and daughter for your crimes!" Although there has been an increase in intermarriage between the Banner and Han Chinese in recent years, most officials have chosen to ignore it. However, if an investigation is launched, both flag bearers and civilians involved in such marriages face imprisonment.

A chill passed through Hongshen's heart. Although he only considered his guilt at first, he forgot that if his actions were held accountable, his wife and daughter would also be implicated. He finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Your Excellency...... Your Excellency, I have been hiding my identity and have nothing to do with them! ”

Gu Yongyuan took a sip of tea and said, "Anyone can say this kind of thing, whether it's true or not, I'll judge." Say, why did you run away from Eight Banners? Our Eight Banners City can't accommodate you anymore? ” ？”

Hongshen bit his lip tightly for a long time before finally speaking: "I...... I can't get used to their disgraceful behavior! ”

"They? Who are they? Gu Yongyuan asked curiously.

Hirobuka closed his mouth tightly again.

Gu Yongyuan stared at him for a while and said with a smile: "Has any commander offended you?" Or have they bullied you? If you dare to speak out, in this hall today, whatever you say, I will spare you! ”

Hongshen shook his head like a rattle. He looked at Gu Yongyuan's encouraging smile, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "I can't get used to this disgraceful behavior of our banner people, each of them enjoys the benefits of the Qing Empire, but look at what they have done?" They smoked opium, fought birds, played eagles, and took prostitutes. This is not only a matter of Guangzhou Eight Banners, but also in Beijing! Can they be worthy of our ancestors? And it has been more than two hundred years since the Manchus entered the Central Plains for so many years, why can't the banner people intermarry with the Han people? What happened to the Han Chinese? They willingly supported our banner people. Aren't we ashamed? If this continues, I am afraid that the Qing Empire will perish! It should perish!

"Bold!" Gu Yongyuan slapped the table and made a loud noise. Outside the hall, Ga Yu cautiously poked his head in, and did not observe any unusual movements, before retracting his head.

After Hirobuka said this, he realized that he was in big trouble. The prince in front of you is like a smiling tiger, his smile will make you unconsciously trust him, and his words will make your long-suppressed thoughts slip away. But now that he regrets it, what's the use?

Thinking of the danger that his wife and daughter might face, Hongshen didn't dare to be stubborn anymore. He fell to his knees and pleaded, "Sir, you just said that you will forgive me no matter what nonsense I say." I don't dare to ask for too much,

Staring at Hongshen, Gu Yongyuan's face gradually softened, and said: "This kind of incendiary remarks, if there is a second time, I must take your head!" Frankly, Gu Yongyuan was surprised by Hongshen's words, although he didn't show it. He found himself having to protect him.

Hongshen looked puzzled and looked up at Gu Yongyuan. Could it be that the prince in front of him let him go so easily?

Gu Yongyuan took a sip of tea,

Hongshen was stunned and looked at Gu Yongyuan in disbelief.

Gu Yongyuan waved his hand, "You."

Hongshen stared at Gu Yongyuan for a while, and suddenly knocked it four times hard, and his forehead was bleeding. He didn't say anything more, turned and walked out with a firm stride. Although he

Seeing Hongshen leaving, Ga Yu and the others wanted to hold him, but Ga Yu saw Gu Yongyuan and motioned for him to approach. So, he walked into the hall quickly, stood beside Gu Yongyuan, listened to his low commands, and kept nodding.

Guangzhou's West Gate is lined with shops, and foreign trade has been very prosperous since the last dynasty. By the time of the First Opium War before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou had become the only port for foreign trade. Especially in the western district, there are many businessmen. Although Shanghai gradually took over the position of Guangzhou due to its reluctance to accept foreign merchants, Guangzhou maintained its position due to its proximity to Hong Kong. There are many shops below the western district, forming a bustling commercial center.

From the western district, along the Pearl River, to Huangpu Port, where foreign trade enterprises gather. These include Huangqi Bank, Shuangying Bank, Ruihe Bank, Guangshun Bank and so on. These clusters of enterprises are mixed with the thirteen factories that once monopolized foreign trade. This area is commonly known as "Yiguan", and it is a commercial house representing various countries. For example, Song Airlines represents the Spanish Consulate, Guang Shunhang represents the U.S. Consulate, and Double Eagle represents the British Consulate.

There is a square in front of the double camp line, which is known as the English Garden. After a recent fire, the railings were destroyed and the previously closed square was transformed into a bustling avenue. Some vendors selling pickled olives, peanuts, pastries, tea, porridge, etc. also gather here to do small business.

Accompanied by Mo Ba, Gu Yongyuan was dressed in casual clothes. In the past few days, they have explored the entire western area of Huangpu. Eventually, they decided to buy a property in Xixiguan Huangpu, a storefront, and a small courtyard at the back. The original owner, surnamed Zhang, moved to Hong Kong with his family, and the ancestral house was sold. The price was one hundred and seventy taels of silver.