Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 206 Hong Chunkui

ps: Thanks to Xiaobaicaidunmogu for the tip and support!
"Platoon leader, that guy is very cunning. He discovered us just as we approached him, and he slipped away in advance. What should we do now?"

"What can we do? This is a mission personally assigned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If we mess it up, no one will be able to escape unscathed!"

The leading officer snorted, "If you can't even do something as simple as finding someone, how can I work in the army in the future? You, you, and you, the three of you, each take a squad and search along North Street. You must find the person before tonight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, platoon leader! ...

After evading the search by the soldiers sent by Li Mingyuan, the commoner realized that he had been targeted by the officers and soldiers. After leaving the crowd, he did not dare to stay near the Hall of Heroes in the north city and turned to walk towards the crowded street market.

The streets were bustling with people. Some small vendors who did not have fixed shops were carrying heavy goods on their shoulders and in their hands, moving among the crowd and hawking their goods.

A man in plain clothes walked in the crowd, his eyes fixed on an inn beside the street. He looked a little hesitant, and stopped where he was. He reached into his pocket with his right hand and took out a few pieces of silver, then touched his empty stomach. Finally, the man moved forward and walked towards the inn.

At noon, the inn was full of people. The man in plain clothes walked to a table with only two people, bowed and said, "My two brothers are polite. I wonder if I can sit at the same table with you two?"

"There are two empty seats at the table, please take a seat, brother."

The two Chinese men at the table had their hair cut, which was about half an inch long. They spoke with an accent from Zhejiang dialect. The commoner guessed that they might be merchants from other places shipping goods.

"You two brothers are dressed elegantly, you must be the bosses doing business here. I am lucky to be able to sit at the same table with you today."

"Haha, you are too polite, brother. We just took advantage of the opportunity of the establishment of the Chinese nation in South America and earned some hard-earned money to buy land and property. We don't deserve your praise."

The leading Chinese businessman looked slightly older than the commoner. His words were reasonable and well-organized, which made a good impression on him, so he said a few more words.

"I haven't asked for your name yet, brother?"

"My name is Hong He, from Jiujiang, Jiangxi." The man in plain clothes paused for a moment and gave an ordinary name.

"It's Brother Hong." Hua Shang smiled politely and said, "My brother and I are from Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. We just became naturalized Rio Grande do Sul a month ago. I'm Zhou Chengye, and this is my brother-in-law Zhou Chengde."

"Nice to meet you. It is fate that I can meet you two brothers. I don't have much money with me, so I will treat you two brothers to a light meal today. Please don't mind."

"We are meeting for the first time, so how can we let Brother Hong spend money? Besides, even if we have to treat him, it should be my two brothers who treat Brother Hong."

Zhou Chengye was surprised by the generosity and magnanimity of the commoner, and he refused repeatedly.

The common man did not have much money, and was frugal when eating, but he was very generous when facing outsiders.

When being searched by Li Mingyuan's soldiers outside Valhalla, the commoner thought that he had revealed his identity when chatting with a middle-aged Chinese man in the crowd. Therefore, after entering the inn, he specifically picked two businessmen who seemed to have just arrived in the area, and planned to ask them indirectly about other aspects of Rio Grande do Sul's policies.

The commoner had his own plans in mind and of course would not let the Zhou brothers pay for the meal. After some excuses, the commoner took out most of the change he had on him and solved the meal problem.

The three of them didn't ask for much food, and the change the commoner paid out wasn't much in the eyes of the Zhou brothers, who were not very wealthy. However, the commoner's generous manner won the two's favor. After the commoner paid for the meal, the three of them gradually became familiar with each other, and the topic of conversation shifted from their own experiences to a series of recent policies and laws in Rio Grande do Sul.

"Brother Hong, I advise you to take advantage of Rio Grande do Sul's preferential policies for Chinese immigrants and move your family here as soon as possible. Otherwise, if it's too late, you may not have such a good opportunity."

"My brother is telling the truth. My brother and I went to sea when we were fifteen or sixteen years old. In Southeast Asia, America, Cuba and the Qing Dynasty, no place is as considerate of us Chinese as Rio Grande do Sul. My brother and I have already discussed that we will write to my second uncle and fourth uncle who are still in the Qing Dynasty in a few days to persuade them to immigrate to Rio Grande do Sul together.

Brother Hong is a few years older than the other brothers, and he must have many wives, children, brothers, and uncles at home. Why not make up your mind to bring them all to Rio Grande do Sul? It would be better than being oppressed by officials in the Qing Dynasty."

"I appreciate your kindness, brothers, but your family, wife and children all left in the war a few years ago. I am now alone and have no one to worry about."

The man in plain clothes smiled bitterly, picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all.

"Alas, times are tough. When war breaks out, it is the common people like us who suffer. During the civil war of the Qing Dynasty a few years ago, my uncle's family was killed by the Qing army. After the war ended, how can common people like us seek justice for our deceased uncle's family?
Whether it was the Taiping Army or the government soldiers, once the soldiers arrived, the common people were at their mercy. "

Zhou Chengye deeply agreed.

"Five years ago, my brother and I went back to our hometown Ningbo Prefecture. We heard from our fellow villagers that when the troops of Lord Li and Lord Zeng occupied Suzhou, Changshu, Songshan, and Jiangning in Jiangnan, all the wealth of the wealthy merchants and landlords in the city was looted, and tens of thousands of young ladies of wealthy merchants and landlords were brutally raped by the soldiers. Alas, after the looting by the soldiers ended, the prosperous Jiangnan became a desolate place. The families that were once well-off became penniless and had to go overseas to make a living."

"It is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times. It is a pity that the Taiping Army did not overthrow the rule of the Qing Dynasty, otherwise we would not have to go into exile overseas and not be able to return to our hometown."

The Zhou brothers' words aroused the emotions hidden deep in the heart of the commoner, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm sorry I can't agree with what Brother Hong said. Not to mention that the Taiping Army didn't occupy all of China, even when Hong Tianwang ascended the throne in Nanjing, the Taiping Army had a million strong army, and they were ready to conquer the world and unify the Central Plains. However, after the capital was established in the Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Tianwang didn't think about making progress, and he wantonly collected beautiful women for his own pleasure. Later, he even plotted to kill Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers under the Eastern King. The decline of the Heavenly Kingdom was caused by Hong Tianwang's willful behavior. If Hong Tianwang had been replaced and the Heavenly Kingdom had been led by the Prince of Attendants, there might have been a chance to unify the Central Plains. Unfortunately, the Prince of Attendants was only a few years old at the time and couldn't take power to turn the tide.

Current events make heroes. If His Royal Highness the Prince of Shi was born twenty years earlier, the beautiful land of the Central Plains would not have been occupied by the Tartars, and the Han Dynasty would have been restored sooner. "

"Hong Tianwang is high up in the sky. It's hard for ordinary generals to get in touch with him. How can you know about him?"

The commoner did not deny Hong Xiuquan's mistake. Instead, he was surprised that an ordinary businessman could know such confidential matters.

"Haha, Brother Hong should know the Prince of Rio Grande do Sul. The Prince of the ...

"Although King Hong made some minor mistakes, he is not as bad as Brother Zhou said. Others must have spread rumors and deliberately slandered the King's reputation. I hope Brother Zhou will not be blinded by the rumors."

"Brother Hong, don't get excited. I am just discussing the facts. I have no intention of slandering King Hong. Moreover, the information I received is not a rumor, but information I personally heard from an officer of the National Defense Force.

The National Defense Army is a unit led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness would not let his officers and soldiers tell lies and slander King Hong at will. If Brother Hong still does not believe it, he can personally ask the National Defense Army for information. The National Defense Army treats ordinary Chinese brothers very well. I believe they will not refuse Brother Hong's request. At that time, Brother Hong will be able to judge whether what I said today is a lie. "

After listening to Zhou Chengye's explanation, the commoner fell silent. From an objective point of view, although Zhou Chengye's evaluation of Hong Xiuquan was somewhat biased, he did not frame him, saying that he wrongly killed good generals, was stubborn and arrogant, and was incompetent and lustful. Having personally been in contact with Hong Xiuquan for decades, the commoner understood Hong Xiuquan's character better than anyone else. The reason why he refuted the words of the Zhou brothers just now was nothing more than subjective emotional fluctuations. After he really calmed down, even though he was conflicted, he had to admit that what the other party said was basically in line with the actual situation.

(End of this chapter)