Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 365 Adventurer's Paradise
At the Huangpu River wharf in Shanghai, the dock workers carrying cargo weighing hundreds of pounds on their shoulders, hunched over, chanting in an evil voice, stepping from the boat to the wharf, or climbing from the wharf to the boat. They go back and forth, like an old machine, toiling numbly.

Workers in Shanghai work more than ten hours a day at the docks. They endure inhuman treatment and do work beyond human capacity, but the compensation they receive is only a few silver coins, which is not enough to buy food, let alone buy wine without getting drunk. Some dock workers are paid monthly.

Although it was only ten or eight yuan, they were already very satisfied. What they ate every day was just a few bowls of coarse rice and some pickled vegetables; occasionally eating one or two pieces of meat was considered a feast.

Compared with South America, this kind of life can be regarded as extremely hard. The dock workers in Shanghai have become accustomed to this kind of life. They just endure it.
Waiting for the day when one can turn things around, or be lucky enough to get a ticket on an ocean voyage to start a new life in South America.

However, only a small number of people were able to turn their lives around or immigrate to South America. For ordinary dock workers, no matter how cold or hot it was, they had to endure the torment. In the cold winter, they wore patched cotton clothes and did their hard work regardless of the wind and snow.

In the hot summer, they do the same inhuman work under the high temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. When the day's work is finished, they drag their over-tired bodies to find a place to rest.

In Shanghai, a foreign metropolis that is considered a paradise for adventurers by foreigners, I was lucky enough to find a quiet place, lie down my tired body, and enjoy a short rest.

If it rained or snowed, the entrances of alleys and the eaves of tall buildings would provide temporary shelter. As long as the Chinese patrolmen did not disturb their sweet dreams, they could spend a peaceful night. Even if some people froze to death in their sleep, they could still escape the hunger and cold in reality.

The Shanghai city is a mixed place of Chinese and foreigners. The lower-class Chinese people and laborers support the prosperity of the city. Foreigners from various countries and even white vagrants who were refused acceptance by their own countries because of their criminal records, all flock to Shanghai, a place of filth and dirt, in search of the treasures of adventurers.

The landing procedures in Shanghai were incredibly simple. The officials in the Foreign Affairs Office, who were responsible for managing foreigners, only glanced at the passengers' passports. As long as there was a signature from the Chinese consul at the departure port, there would be no problem.

But in fact, few of the Qing Dynasty officials knew the languages ​​of several European countries. The text in the passport was the text of the issuing country. So, to be frank, even if it was nonsense, I am afraid that the inspector might not be able to tell it.

It is essentially waste paper; it doesn't matter whether you have it or not.

With such convenience, any foreigner who wanted to make a fortune in the Far East did not need to spend any money. He could just make a fake passport and submit it to obtain permission to enter the mainland.

The foreign trash from Shanghai and other parts of the mainland gathered together, some doing stealing and cheating, or engaging in illegal trade activities under the identities of foreigners. There were also some foreigners, including homeless people who were affected by the South American war and stranded in the Far East. They relied on selling their military power to do some dangerous jobs for the Han intelligence department or intelligence agencies of various countries.

In the Shanghai Concession, foreigners opened many bars and bars.

Among them, the Shanghai Club opened by the British can be regarded as the earliest listed bar in the world and the largest in scale. It is known as the bar with the longest counter in the world. British businessmen and military officers in Shanghai often patronize the Shanghai Club and spend their free time in the midst of feasting and revelry.

However, the Shanghai Club initially only allowed the British to enter, and citizens of other European countries were kept out. Later, the Americans and French could not stand the British enjoying such rights alone, so they built the Citi Club and the French Club.

After all, the French came generously, worthy of being the advanced representatives of the democratic republic. They opened the French Club to the international residents in the concession (the Chinese were not included in the international community) and their lovers. Many of the upper class in Shanghai's white society used it as a place for daily meals, tea, conversation and leisure.

Bars and cocktail parties are the best places to collect intelligence. However, the cocktail parties opened by Britain, France, the United States and other countries do not allow Chinese people to enter. Even the South American Han country, which has fought with Western countries twice, is still despised and isolated by foreigners.

Therefore, in order to seek intelligence, Wu Diaoqing and others could only hire and bribe a group of wandering white people. By funding them, they collected intelligence from all sides that was useful to the Han State.

As the sky gradually darkened, the workers on the Huangpu River dock gradually dispersed. Several strong young men with braids walked over from the dock and joined Wang Shizhen who was standing in the corner.

“Brother Wang, as you ordered, I have selected twenty brothers who have heard of loyalty from the dock and are ready to set off at any time.”

The leading dock worker named Qian Zhangrong spoke up.

"Brothers, please keep your eyes open. We may encounter danger when we go out to do business this time. If the government officials find anything unusual, we will have to fight with the Qing soldiers."

Wang Shizhen said carefully, "Tell the brothers who are participating in the operation that no matter whether this operation succeeds or not, the brothers and their families will be able to take a ship to live in South America. The superiors have made preparations for the brothers and will not leave any worries for the brothers."

"I thank Brother Wang on behalf of the twenty brothers at the dock."

Qian Zhangrong expressed his gratitude.

"We are all brothers, there is no need to be polite."

Wang Shizhen patted the other party's shoulder in a mature manner and encouraged him, "There are tens of thousands of Green Gang members in Shanghai, but not many are as sensible as Brother Qian and don't touch opium or casinos. When this operation is over, I will personally recommend Brother Qian for merit and strive to get him a formal status." "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Wang. My brothers and I were born in poor families. When we were trying to make a living on the dock, we were often bullied by foreigners and gang members. Now we have the help of several adults. We can work on the dock with the brothers and are not afraid of being bullied by foreigners and other people. We are very satisfied with our current life and are grateful for the kindness of all the adults."

"It is natural for compatriots to help each other. Don't worry about trivial matters."

Wang Shizhen waved his hand and continued, "You and I are almost the same age, and now is the time to work hard to serve the country. Brother Qian must not slack off and lose the drive to make progress."

"Brother Wang, rest assured. I have nothing but passion. Whatever you gentlemen ask me to do, I, Qian Rongzhang, will do it immediately without hesitation!"

Qian Rongzhang patted his chest to express his determination.

"Very good. Let's wait for Henry, Clark, Monfield and those foreign bastards to come over, rest for a night, and set off tomorrow."…………

Henry Wei Shimeng, 30 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall, used to be a butcher and sausage maker, and now is the owner of a small Western restaurant in Shanghai.

In the evening, in a secret room behind the kitchen of this small western restaurant, a few desperate guys were holding an emergency meeting. They were discussing a challenging matter.

Wei Shimeng was originally working in Honduras. His courageous character made him do things that others dared not do. When the big hand of the law was about to catch him and invite him to have a few years of comfortable tea and meals, he politely became an unappreciated guest.

But he left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to prepare all the necessary documents. Go back to his motherland? No, the door over there was closed.

His body was too big, so he couldn't get through the door even though there was a crack. So he drifted and wandered, and finally came to this Far Eastern adventurer's paradise. With the remaining money, he opened a small Western restaurant.
He scraped some food for his livelihood from the sausages and hamburger steaks, and at the same time took the opportunity to provide intelligence to the Han State to accumulate start-up capital for the big business he envisioned.

"Gentlemen, the king has prepared everything. He has promised to give us twelve breech-loading rifles, forty grenades, and five pistols as a reward when the matter is done."

"Four Colombians and two French cowards have decided to withdraw from our group because they are afraid of causing trouble. Now there are only eleven of us. But it doesn't matter. As long as everyone takes more responsibility, we can still get things done. But you must listen to my command."

The speaker was the leader of the foreigners, Monfield, also known as Meilan, a native of East Prussia, about 45 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 210 pounds, with blue eyes, a bull's head and neck, and a heroic demeanor, making him look like an expert in killing and robbing.

He also regarded Shanghai as a comfortable home or a final escape. He used to be a ship owner, working for a shipping company run by a British. However, the reefs and tides deliberately made things difficult for him. One day, the ship he was in charge of ran aground on a reef, and the collision also sank his position. He stayed in Shanghai for some time.

With his wisdom and adventurous spirit, he became the leader of the group and established connections with the Han State.

He believed that one should be decisive in doing things, so he persuaded Wei Shimeng to sell his small Western restaurant.

"Are they afraid of me? Boss, please tell me the detailed plan."

These courageous words came from the mouth of Clark, a handsome 31-year-old Austrian, but his travel passport was Swiss.
A beautiful figure was flashing in front of his eyes. Her lips like red cherry blossoms, eyes like blue sea, and waist like a water snake kept gnawing at his heart. Money, as long as you have money, everything is yours. Driven by this idea of ​​making money, Clark joined the adventure group of Monfield regardless of everything.

"Yes, we must know in detail what tasks the Chinese have assigned to us. Otherwise, we may lose our lives here."

A mechanic who had no one to ask for advice, he was thirty years old, tall, and had a strong face. In Berlin, he abandoned his wife and two young children and went to the Far East alone to make a living.

"The mission is simple. We will pretend to be German businessmen and follow their people to Fuzhou to pick up a group of people. After the mission is completed, we will be able to get the rewards we deserve."

"It's just a simple reception for a group of Chinese people. There's nothing to worry about. Boss, make a decision immediately. We are all willing to follow you."

"Believe me, this operation won't be risky. Once we get those lovely muskets and exquisite grenades, we will immediately start our big plan in the Far East. The muskets and grenades in our hands will bring us huge wealth."

"Yes, we are going to be the most legendary pirates in the Far East! I have seen the beautiful French consul's wife waving at me! Next time, I must wear a neat suit and dazzling jewels and invite the consul's wife to dinner!"…………

(End of this chapter)