Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 536 New Era

After imagining the quiet life after unloading the burden on his shoulders and returning to South America, Zhao Deyuan picked up the wine glass, took a sip of wine, looked at his son, and could not help but remind him: "People should know how to be content and cherish. South America has entered a new era and a new society. We can't hold on to old traditions and old ideas and be fussy about everything.

Look at the army and navy officers and soldiers stationed near the port of Rio de Janeiro. They hold their heads high and their morale is high. Their eyes, their expressions, their gestures when marching in formation, just looking at them can lift your spirits.

The reason why the imperial army is different from the green camp soldiers and banner soldiers of the Far East Continent is because they are influenced by His Majesty and educated from top to bottom by the imperial government. It is not terrible for a person to have ideals and pursuits, but when the number of people expands to 10, 100, 1, hundreds of thousands, millions, and tens of millions, the power that bursts out will be beyond imagination.

A single spark can start a prairie fire. The more I think about your Majesty's background and experience, the more incredible it seems. If we say that science and industrial technology are advanced, the Western powers cannot match the development speed of the empire in emerging fields such as chemical engineering, electricity, and internal combustion engines. If we say that your Majesty has been smart since childhood, but before coming to South America, I have never heard of your Majesty doing anything extraordinary.

Could it be that the Lord of Heaven really enlightened Your Majesty in a dream? Otherwise, why would there be such a huge change and contrast? "

Zhao Deyuan drank another glass of wine, shook his head, and said to himself: "That's not right. The Empire advocates science and downplays religious beliefs. Besides, the Empire's education and science and technology are also very advanced. Since the founding of the Empire in 1868, no such sacred event has ever occurred."

"Father, although His Majesty deliberately downplays religious beliefs, in the hearts of the local army and navy officers and soldiers and the people, His Majesty is more divine than the gods. Perhaps it is really the guidance and enlightenment of the Heavenly God. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain the changes in His Majesty and the forward-looking measures in the past twenty years."

"I don't want to think about it anymore. The local historians can't figure it out and don't know how to explain this period of history reasonably. I won't speculate on it. Fuqing, fill up the glass."

"Oh, okay, Dad."

Zhao Fuqing raised the wine jug with both hands and filled it with wine.

"Dad, I thought about it. What you taught me just now is right. Business cannot only focus on profits. Without the support of the imperial government and a strong army, overseas Chinese and Chinese businessmen are meat on the chopping board, and can be manipulated by others! In the past, the Dutch and Spanish were jealous of the Chinese businessmen and workers who ran businesses, earned money through hard work, and reclaimed land. They wantonly encroached on Chinese assets, instigated the natives, and even directly massacred the Chinese. Now, although they use some means overtly and covertly to prevent normal trade between the two sides, they dare not cause deaths, let alone directly use force against the Chinese. The improvement of the status of overseas Chinese and the improvement of the business environment are all due to the efforts and support behind the imperial government.

Responding to the call of the imperial government, operating legally and protecting the normal rights and interests of workers are also obligations that Chinese businessmen at home and abroad should abide by. My son is obsessed with commercial interests and presumptuously judges the commercial policies of the imperial government. He really knows he is wrong. "

Zhao Fuqing offered a glass of wine to his father as a reflection on his previous remarks.

"Furen and Furui are still young. I think that after they finish their secondary school in their home country, they will be sent to study in Germany. The Empire and Germany have close relations, and the two countries have many cooperations in the economic and military fields. After Furen and Furui return from their studies, it will be beneficial for them to work in the government or help their father manage the family business."

"Studying abroad is a good thing. Foreigners have a deep foundation in basic industries, which is worth learning from."

Zhao Deyuan nodded in agreement with his son's suggestion and continued, "Remember the Imperial Navy fleet we saw when we were on the ship to Rio de Janeiro? A row of dozens of giant steel ships were on alert on the sea. That scene was much more spectacular than the scene of the Beiyang Fleet setting out."

"In the fleet, the displacement tonnage of the two Chaoyang-class ironclad ships is close to 1 tons. I heard that there are also several warships captured from the Navy of the Republic of Brazil that have joined the battle sequence of the Imperial Navy Fleet. The displacement is to tons. If they were placed on the Far East Continent, they would be considered first-class main battleships."

"The Beiyang Fleet used to be stronger than East Asia, but that has changed in recent years. The Qing court is worried that Li Zhongtang's power will grow too strong and threaten their rule. In the past four or five years, no new ships have been added to the Beiyang Fleet, and even the number of shells purchased for fleet training has been reduced by half. In terms of the performance, tonnage, caliber and number of main battleships, the Beiyang Fleet is about to be overtaken by the Japanese."

"Dad, where did you get this information?"

"Your uncle Cai worked under Li Zhongtang, and his family's businesses involved Southeast Asia, the Americas, Korea, Japan and other places. He has traveled all over the country for so many years, so he knows a little about the news from various places. And this information is not a secret. If you inquire carefully about the Beiyang Navy's orders for warships from Britain and Germany, and the Japanese order warships from Britain and France, you can get a general idea."

"Hey, Dad, I thought you were a part-time intelligence officer, gathering intelligence from all sides for the imperial military." "How dare you tease your dad, kid."

Zhao Deyuan drank a few glasses of wine and was in a good mood. He didn't care too much about his son's transgression and explained, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs visits merchants engaged in overseas business and trade every once in a while to inquire about the economic, political, cultural, geographical, and railway information of the relevant countries. But your father doesn't serve the imperial army exclusively. In addition, the imperial army is not directly responsible for collecting foreign intelligence. Economic and political intelligence is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and military attachés and the Military Intelligence Bureau are responsible for military intelligence. It's not easy for ordinary businessmen to get in touch with the imperial army."

“If we can establish a relationship with the imperial army or government, it will be of great benefit to expanding the scale of our industry.

Dad, you have heard of Taichang Shipping Company, right? Since it was approved to receive the 5200-ton shipbuilding technology transferred from Xinghe Shipyard last year, it has grown into a first-class shipping company on par with large shipping companies such as South Pacific Ocean Shipping Company and Qinghua Shipping Company in just one year. If such a benefit falls on us, we will wake up with a smile in our sleep."

"You're just dreaming. It's true that Taichang Shipping Company has obtained the technical license. The two founders, Mr. He and Mr. Liao, are also very capable and capable. Taichang Shipping Company does not have sufficient technical background. Why would Xinghe Shipyard choose them as a partner? Fuqing, you're going to be a father soon. You should be more stable."

Zhao Deyuan glanced at his son and lectured him.

"The shipping industry is developing rapidly, and the current imperial government also encourages private capital investment. Dad, what do you think? Should we find an opportunity to return to our hometown in Changzhou, gather some clansmen and old friends, raise some funds, and set up a shipping company. The scale should not be too large, and a few ocean-going ships with a displacement of about 1000 tons will be enough."

"You are so arrogant. Just a few ocean-going ships will do. Do you know how much a newly launched ocean-going ship with a displacement of 1000 tons costs? At least 4 or 1.5 Han Yuan, which is equivalent to taels of silver. We bought dozens of sets of dyeing and printing equipment this time, and spent a total of Han Yuan. If you use this money to buy a ship, you can't buy even half a ship.

The shipyard requires a large amount of capital and high technical level. We have more than 100,000 yuan in bills with us. We are also going to try our luck in Paraná State, Paraguay and other newly controlled areas to see if we can find some cheap and useful machinery and equipment. The shipping industry has a high profit margin, but it is not something we can afford now. After a few years, when the family assets are more abundant, the relatives and old friends in the hometown area will see the return on their investment and invite everyone to invest in shares. At that time, we will also transform and develop the shipping and shipbuilding industries. "

As Zhao Deyuan was talking, he inadvertently touched the braid behind him. Then he thought of something and after a moment of silence, he decided to say, "I heard from several businessmen in the same industry that General Manager Chen emphasized the braid issue at today's shipyard equipment auction. You have had braids on your heads for decades, and you have all become naturalized citizens in the local area. It's time to cut off your braids.

Man, get a pair of scissors."

Zhao Deyuan, under the influence of alcohol, shouted to the waiter in the restaurant.

Although the restaurant was opened by a white Brazilian, half of Rio de Janeiro was currently occupied by the Han army. Faced with a guest with Chinese appearance, the restaurant owner did not dare to neglect him and asked the waiter to borrow a pair of scissors from the clothing store next door. After getting the scissors, Zhao Deyuan pulled up the braid with his left hand and held the scissors with his right hand. Without letting anyone else interfere, with a "click", the dozens of centimeters long braid was cut short at the waist at the back of the head.

"Fuqing, put away the braids. When you return to Songjiang Prefecture, put them in a box and burn them."

"Yes, Dad."

"How's the contact for the ship going? There are dozens of sets of dyeing and printing equipment piled up here, which is not convenient. We still need to contact the shipping company as soon as possible to transport the equipment back."

"All local shipping companies have been requisitioned by the government, so there are no ships available. We contacted shipping companies in France, Germany, and the UK, but the prices are all very high, 700% to % higher than usual. A German shipping company offered the lowest price, but it was also Chinese Yuan. Dad, should we wait a little longer to see if there are any shipping companies that offer lower prices?"

"No need to wait. 700 Chinese Yuan is fine. The equipment sales are still going on. The demand for ships may be even greater in the future. We are also going to go to Paraná State, Paraguay and other places. We can't delay because of the freight. Contact the German shipping company and agree to their offer. We will load and unload the goods the day after tomorrow morning. Send your distant uncle's brothers, Fushan, Fuan, Fulu and Fuyuan, to escort the ship. Tell them to take good care of the machines and equipment on the way to prevent them from being damaged or worn out."

"Hey, Dad, I get it."

(End of this chapter)