Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 368 Clues

The mountains are continuous and the land is scarce. About 80% of the land in Fujian Province is mountainous and hilly, and the total amount of arable land is less than 20%.

The extremely scarce land and coastal geographical features have made the people of Fujian the main force to make a living by going out to sea.

From coastal cities and counties such as Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou, more than tens of thousands of people go out to sea every year. Among them, in Xiamen, where overseas trade is most prosperous and the influence of foreign powers is more concentrated, the average number of people going out to sea is more than 100,000 per year.

Xiamen was once a base for anti-Qing forces such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Small Knife Society. After the failure of the Small Knife Society uprising, the local anti-Qing forces were brutally suppressed by the Qing government. It was not until the end of the Second Opium War that European and American powers set up diplomatic and consular offices in Xiamen. The Qing court's administrative, economic and military control over the local area was restrained by Western powers. Taking this opportunity, the South American Han Kingdom regrouped a group of scattered anti-Qing armed elements and established an intelligence base in the Xiamen area.

On July 7, Wang Shizhen and his party arrived in Fuzhou. After meeting with the confidants sent by Cai Yuanlong, they prepared to advance to Minhou County, Fuzhou, where they would meet up with Li Rongfa, and then go to Xiamen to leave the mainland.

"Sir, this is a list of gifts given by merchants and gangs from all over Fujian in recent days. Please take a look."

At the Left Green Camp Governor's Office, Ma Ronghe, who had been in office for less than a month, looked very different from a few days ago.

"Seventeen thousand taels of silver and one hundred taels of gold. These merchants are willing to spend money."

"The merchants from Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong are all wealthy people. They can't fool you with a few taels of silver when you take office. Otherwise, they will make you unhappy. How can they continue to do business in Fujian?"

The staff flattered.

"makes sense."

Ma Ronghe nodded, and his eyes were focused on the gift list on the table again. He said with a warm look in his eyes, "I heard that the maritime smuggling in Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou is very profitable. If I ask for a 10% stake in each business group in my personal name, do you think it will work?"

"Your Excellency, don't do that." Seeing the other party's greed aroused by the gift in front of him, the staff member dissuaded him, "Your Excellency has just come to a high position, and it is all thanks to the support of the Governor-General that those Hunan Army officials and generals have not openly troubled you. However, if the interests of Fujian merchants are affected, I am afraid that even if the Governor-General intervenes, it will not end well."

"Why?"

"My Lord, listen to my explanation. Merchants in the coastal areas of southern Fujian may appear to be just a group of poor people making their living on the sea. Their backgrounds are not simple. Take Liu Yiguang, a merchant from Jinjiang County who visited you a few days ago. His Jinjiang County merchant group has shares from officials and generals of the Hunan Army. It is said that Hu Xueyan has 15% of the shares. In addition, in the Nanyang region, the Jinjiang merchant group has 2,000 to 3,000 Chinese employees. Those employees are all young and strong, and many of them are bandits who have rebelled. They open up wasteland and mine in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, and often fight with local natives. In terms of combat effectiveness, they are no less than the old soldiers in the left green camp."

"There are many brave and aggressive people among the common people who dare to go out to sea despite the imperial court's ban. Although they are rude and rely on the power of their hometown to bully the natives of Southeast Asia, they are inevitably defeated by the well-equipped imperial officers and soldiers."

Ma Ronghe disagreed and said, “Think about when the Heavenly Kingdom started the uprising, the troops from all over the country added up to millions. The famous Heavenly Kingdom generals such as the King of Ying, the King of Zhong, and the King of Shi fought against the Hunan Army and the Huai Army with twice or three times the strength of the imperial court many times, but in the end they still ended up in a great defeat.

The Hunan Army and the Huai Army are both equipped with foreign guns and cannons. Although they are few in number, they are elite. When I expand the Maziying Army and equip them with foreign guns and cannons, how can I be afraid of these small overseas people? "

"Sir, this is where the trouble lies. The Fujian Merchants Group not only has young and strong laborers to work with, but they also have money. Each of the Nanyang escort teams under the name of a merchant group is equipped with a varying number of foreign guns. Some merchant groups that secretly trade with the Han Kingdom in South America are even equipped with the latest Gatling guns. Those things look bulky and can only be pulled by a carriage for mobile combat. But once they are started, the shells will go off non-stop. No matter how many people rush in, it will be useless."

"Nonsense! I am a second-rank military officer of the imperial court and have never heard of this kind of weapon. Where did you get the news from?" "I dare not deceive you, sir. There are reports in Shenbao and Wanguo Gongbao that the Chinese army in South America and the French fought in Annan. Both the Chinese army under the Han Kingdom of South America and the French colonial army were equipped with a lot of Gatling machine guns and cannons."

"A newspaper run by foreigners?"

"Yes, Shenbao and Wanguo Gongbao are both newspapers founded by European and American foreigners. When the Annan War broke out, several foreign newspapers in the concession sent people to Annan to learn about the situation. These news were first published in the newspapers by foreigners."

"Alas, all the officials in the court are pursuing their own interests instead of working for the country. They know that allowing the gentry to organize militias will cause great harm, but no one stops them. Although I am an official, I can do nothing about it."

The Fujian Merchants Group has armed militias within and armed overseas employees outside as its foundation. Even if Ma Ronghe wanted to share some of the profits from them, he had no idea where to start.

"In today's world, having money and guns is the foundation for survival. My Lord, you should first train your troops and use the left green camp for your own benefit, and then consider gaining some benefits from the Fujian business gang."

"Hmph, with no money and no food, how can we recruit soldiers? The recruitment notice has been posted for three days, and only about 300 to 400 people have applied. At this rate, let alone conquering the Left Green Camp for our own use, we don't know when we can replenish the four battalions under the name of the Ma Camp."

The salary for recruiting soldiers in the Ma Camp was low. Ma Ronghe himself had been wandering around for most of his life and had not accumulated much wealth. He could not even think of expecting his benefactor to use the gifts he received to subsidize the army.

A good cook cannot cook without rice, and the trusted aides could not think of a good way to make money. Just when the two were faced with the problem of recruiting soldiers, a Green Camp officer hurried into the governor's office.

"My Lord Admiral, I have something important to report!"

"If you have something to say, say it, and if you have something to say, let it go!"

"Three days ago, I discovered that several officers in Jianning Town were acting strangely, so I sent four brothers to follow them. This morning, one of the brothers came back to report that the officers and soldiers in Jianning Town were disguised as thugs from the merchant gang and mixed with a dozen rebels."

"Is there any evidence that those people are traitors?"

"More than a dozen of them wore fake braids and had pistols on their bodies. The people I sent out just went up to test them, and three of them were killed by their people last night. Only one of them managed to run back and report the news."

"If it was just ordinary smuggling of arms and opium, there would be no need to kill people to silence them."

Ma Ronghe pondered for a moment and realized that there might be something big hidden in it that he didn't know about.

"Order Captain Zhang and Captain Liu to select 100 good soldiers from the army. I will lead the team myself today to see what tricks Cai Yuanlong is playing!"

(End of this chapter)