Without saying a word, Bai Jiesheng turned and walked towards the docks.

"Fool." Lang Yong sneered, "I'm about to become a poor bastard...... What to put on the score. Bah. ”

He spat on the heel of Bergerson, who turned his head and glared at him.

Lang Yong glared back.

The Shandong Gang's Shanghai-based firm and Wantai were very close to each other, and the two inevitably competed fiercely.

Bai Jiesheng also worked as an apprentice in the Wantai in his early years, and Lang Yong's brother Lang Feng was the same year, and after a few years of business, the two were sent to North Korea to open a branch almost at the same time, and they fought to the death.

Therefore, the person he hated most in Lang Yong's life was Patrick Jashan.

This Bai Jiesheng was inferior in the fighting with Lang Feng, and returned to Shanghai in a gloomy manner, Lang Yong laughed at him, staring at Bai Jiesheng's whereabouts every day, and writing letters to his family as much as he could.

Unexpectedly, rice fell to 6.3 cents and it is still not over, and it continues to fall.

And all the people trembled.

The rice bean business has clearly become a hot potato, and there is no telling when prices will fall or when they will return to normal levels. A large batch of rice was stuck in the storeroom like this, and the dog shook his head when he saw it.

Bai Jiesheng's second son, Bai Chengkun, suddenly ran over and laughed: "Little dog! I heard that your family's 'cancellation case' went to court? ”

"Get out!" Lang Yong smashed it with a stone, Bai Chengkun ran away after laughing and scolding, and the stone fell to the ground alone, chuckling.

Lang Yong threw the letter to the ground violently.

His face turned pale with rage, and his chest heaved incessantly.

"The four of them sold two thousand packs of rice to the Japanese, and the day before yesterday they had agreed to give out 5,000 packs, and the silver could not be punished according to the inch, and the remaining 15,000 packs, don't do it, it can be said that it is extremely compatible."

"The Japanese broke the contract and demanded that the number of rice orders be reduced from 20,000 to 5,000 bales. However, we cannot recover the corresponding liquidated damages! In a vicious letter to his family, he wrote, "Qing officials did not support us Chinese merchants. The backlog of rice needs to be solved in an intelligent way. ”

Rice prices are still falling.

At this time, rice had become the last thing Shanghai merchants wanted to touch.

"Manager Bai?" As night fell, Lang Yong kicked a man who collapsed on the ground, "Why are you drunk like this?" ”

Bai Jiesheng was woken up by Lang Yong, staggered a few steps in the dark night, hugged a tree, and vomited "wow".

Lang Yong helped Bai Jiesheng into the store and let him rest for a night.

Although the two people were sarcastic and mocking, the situation was chaotic and business was difficult, and the two also complained to each other about their bitterness.

After chatting, Lang Yongda sighed.

"Many of Patrickson villagers participated in the Westernization Movement and became bureaucrats and capitalists. In recent days, he has been feasting and drinking, using the connections of his fellow villagers to expand his contacts and obtain official information. ”

"Yesterday he got together with Tang Shaoyi, the consul of Longshan, and he was so drunk that he almost slept on the street at night!"

It is said that when he was in North Korea, Tang Shaoyi often borrowed money from Wantaihe, and borrowed 217 yuan in 1889 alone. He usually frequently buys goods on credit in Wantaihe, and regularly settles the credit at the end of the year. So you see, not only do I not have enough money to spend, but so does Lord Tang. I'm still young, and my hands are always tight. Brother, please bring me 100 silver dollars. ”

"P.S. kisses my brother and sister-in-law, who is in good health and all the best, 300 silver dollars is better."

"Compared with Pachinson, we Shandong businessmen did not have strong back-office support, so we failed to get the official intervention of the Qing government in the commercial dispute with the Japanese."

Lang Yong wrote in a letter to his family.

After a few days, Lang Yong found out that Bai Jiesheng somehow made friends with Yuan Shikai, who negotiated with the prime minister on trade matters in North Korea, and Yuan General Office.

Lang Yong: Isn't General Manager Yuan's office a good friend of our family?!

He hurriedly wrote a note to tell Lang Feng, who told him not to worry.

"Yuan Shikai was stationed in the DPRK prime minister to negotiate trade matters, and Bai Jiesheng came to him to sell his backlog of rice. Now you know the price of rice, it's not profitable, we don't touch it. ”

"Didn't he pry our door?!"

"What's the way to rice? Cheap things, give them to him, and we will keep the Silk Road well, which is the foundation of our foothold. We should not get too close to the officials, otherwise we may hurt ourselves. ”

Unexpectedly, there was a famine in North Korea, and the food crisis was very serious.

The Qing Dynasty had always strictly banned the export of rice, but soon, Yuan Shikai, together with the Korean government, asked the Qing government for disaster relief on the grounds of "Korean famine".

Yuan Shikai is Li Hongzhang's protégé.

Through Li Hongzhang's mediation, the Qing government, on the pretext of pity for the famine in Korea, granted special permission for the duty-free export of rice to Korea.

This type of export is a special case, so the procedures are extremely cumbersome.

In order to import rice from Shanghai to the DPRK, Chinese businessmen need a rice license issued by the General Administration of "Yuan Shikai, the DPRK Prime Minister stationed in Yongsan, to negotiate trade matters", and they also need to apply for and receive a rice photo from the "Seoul Garrison in Yongsan" of the Special Administration of Yongsan, and then take the rice photo to Shanghai to get the seal of Shanghai Province before they can export rice to Incheon Port.

Now, the Lang Feng and Lang Yong brothers all know that the profit of transporting rice to North Korea is higher than that in Shanghai, but they first have to get the "rice photo" in the hands of General Yuan's office!

Unexpectedly, when the Shandong Gang went to do the rice photo, it was far from going so smoothly.

Patrick is clearly deliberately wary of the Shandong Gang. Lang Yong intercepted Bergerson's letters:

"Mi Zhao has stopped, Shandong Gang wants to have to take again and can not receive, this number is familiar with the yamen, a good friend in Yuan Zongxian to ask for favors, not through the hands of the porter, secretly and take, not to let others know. Now I have taken one hundred and forty pieces and asked Brother He Yingjie to bring them, and pray for use."

The Shandong Gang from Li Hongzhang, under the stalk of Bai Jiesheng, is destined not to receive Mi Zhao!

It's too late! Patrick Jason is going to North Korea with rice!

Lang Yong was so angry that he scolded: "Bai Jiesheng is really shameless! Broke the relationship between our Shandong Gang and General Manager Yuan's office, and robbed us of our business, dog thief! Shaft! ”

He slammed the table, and the letter fell:

"On the twenty-eighth day of this month, President Yuan's office is expected to take the birthday of Kaotai, and all the businessmen of the gang will go to the bureau to pray for the ancient ganting to inquire about Wantaihe, and the gang will act according to him, and must not be left behind."

Lang Yong hurriedly instructed his younger brother: "General Manager Yuan's office is about to celebrate his birthday, we have to give him a big gift, you quietly ask Bai Chengkun." What they send, we have a preparation. ”

Not long after, Lang Yong received another letter from Lang Feng:

"Consul Liu wants to pay the matter of 19 years and 4% donation, if Wantaihe is handed over, my East Gang can't help but pay the prayer and ask Chengkun quickly."

"Four cents?" Lang Yong looked confused, "Isn't Consul Liu the Consul of Incheon?" He asked to pay a four-cent donation, and if Wan Taihe did, then we couldn't help but pay it? ”

Lang Yong found an opportunity and asked Bai Chengkun secretly.

The old god Bai Chengkun taunted him on the ground: "Little dog, why don't you know anything?" How stupid! In order to build some garrison and patrol houses for the Incheon Concession, General Yuan's office found our uncles and young masters in North Korea to raise funds, which is the 'four cents donation'. ”

"Then will we pay it?"

"Then you ask Master Tang, the consul of Longshan, why are you asking me."

Lang Yong gritted his teeth and wrote in the letter: "Bai Chengkun dog thief! Oily! Frivolous! Call me stupid! But for the sake of him going to North Korea in the near future, I won't scold him a few words. Did Manager Bai make a lot of money in North Korea? Say hello to him on my behalf. Alas, what shit luck he walked on! ”

The computer screen is turned off, and the history of 120 years ago is quickly frozen in fragile letterhead.

The word "Lang Yong" is frozen in the photo, linking 1903 and 2023.