Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Inside Suzhou, Lin Bao led two thousand elite troops out to fight their way out.

The pincer attack dealt the rebels their most fatal blow.

Then,

At the same time, Meng Hu ordered three thousand men on both flanks to launch a simultaneous charge against the rebel army.

Beat up the drowning dog!
The rebels have been completely defeated, and now that we are forming an encirclement, we can maximize our gains.

At this moment, the rebel army collapsed completely, lost the will to fight, and focused all its efforts on breaking out.

When Ximentang's three armies joined forces, Meng Hu ordered them to abandon the pursuit of the remaining rebel forces.

He ordered a reconnaissance company to lead the Daqian garrison to set up defensive fortifications and dig trenches outside the city.

All other troops withdrew to Suzhou City and began to carry out the mission given by Chen Jie, garrisoning Suzhou City.

While ostensibly stationed in Suzhou, they were in reality taking over the city's defenses entirely.

in fact,

When Lin Bao led his two thousand men out of Suzhou, he specially arranged for two hundred elite troops to guard the south gate of Suzhou with heavy firepower.

no way,
The relationships within Suzhou were complex and intertwined, so he had to prepare in advance to prevent riots from breaking out in the city and close the city gates again.

If the city gates of Suzhou are closed, Ximentang will have no choice but to launch an attack on the city, resulting in a bloody suppression that could easily cause unrest.

Now is not the time to settle scores with the major powers within Suzhou.

Therefore, the only option is to have someone guard the area to prevent anyone from secretly sabotaging it.

Meng Hu was full of praise for Lin Bao's advance arrangements.

He led his army into Suzhou Prefecture through the South Gate and immediately ordered that the defense of the entire Suzhou Prefecture be taken over by the West Gate Hall.

Once everything was in place, he led his key personnel to meet with Su Muyang, the prefect of Suzhou.

Since Ximentang entered Suzhou City to begin defending the city, Su Muyang returned to the prefectural government office.

He heard the sounds of cannons and machine guns outside the city, and his heart was filled with unease.

Ximen Tang only sent a few thousand men; it's uncertain whether they can hold Suzhou Prefecture.

When he heard the fighting gradually subside and the sounds of artillery and machine gun fire cease, he became very accurate.

Has the war ended?

The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he felt.

Just as he was about to send someone to the South Gate to gather information, he heard a servant report to him that Ximen Hall had defeated the rebels and sent them fleeing in disarray.

Suzhou has been defended!

call--!
Upon hearing this news, Su Muyang let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, as expected, they managed to save Suzhou.

Therefore,
When he saw Meng Hu, he was filled with gratitude towards Ximentang.

The results were quickly tallied.

This battle resulted in the deaths of over 43,000 rebel soldiers and the capture of 8,600.

More than two hundred people were killed or injured at Ximentang.

Upon hearing the report of casualties, Meng Hu flew into a rage.

Battle casualty ratio is the most important performance indicator for Ximentang.

He never expected that this battle would result in more than two hundred casualties; how could he possibly be happy?

It seems that in the open field encounter, although Ximentang had the advantage, the two sides were not far apart, and Ximentang was also within the range of the rebels' artillery.

Once the two sides engage in artillery combat, casualties are inevitable.

Such a result made all the commanders of Ximen Hall feel very uncomfortable, but it greatly surprised Su Muyang.

too strong!
Five thousand men defeated eighty thousand rebels, suffering only two hundred casualties.

No wonder that after Ximen Tang rose to power, whether it was the Western Allied Forces, the Japanese Kwantung Army, or even the rebel army of Prince Li Ben of Han, all were defeated and fled by Ximen Tang.

As expected of the most powerful army in the Great Qian Dynasty!
Su Muyang kept his word and promised to provide the military funds for assisting in the defense of the city.

Meng Hu ordered his men to begin receiving the military funds provided by Su Muyang, and at the same time began to take over the defense of the entire Suzhou Prefecture.

of course,

He also assured Su Muyang that Ximentang would absolutely not cause any harm to the people of Suzhou Prefecture.

Su Muyang dared not say another word and could only agree immediately.

You have no choice but to agree!
Once Ximentang's army entered Suzhou, they had no intention of leaving.

If Su Muyang dares to refuse, he will be immediately sidelined and stripped of his official position on the spot.

In a large mansion in Suzhou, Wang Lunzheng, the head of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, smashed everything in his house in a fit of rage after learning that Ximentang's army had entered the city.

"Su Muyang, you're fucking asking for death—!"

"I am furious!" Wang Gonggong roared.

He had promised Mei'er that he would stop Ximentang from entering the city.

but,

Unexpectedly, that bastard Su Muyang actually opened the city gates and let Ximentang into the city.

Inverted!

This guy is completely disregarding him!

Is Su Muyang openly plotting a rebellion?
Eunuch Wang summoned a servant and ordered him to bring Su Muyang to his residence for questioning.

He wanted to ask Su Muyang why he wasn't listening to him.

Unfortunately, Su Muyang completely ignored him.

Since Su Muyang decided to open the city gates and let Ximentang into Suzhou, he had already made his choice.

He naturally didn't want to see Eunuch Wang again.

When Grandpa Wang learned of all this, he was so angry that he cried out again.

However, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau had limited power and was essentially just an appendage to factional struggles within the capital.

In terms of the power structure of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau did not supersede the Suzhou Prefecture.

Su Muyang was always wary of Wang Lunzheng because of Wang's status as an "imperial envoy".

Once things fall apart, if Su Muyang ignores him, he really has no way to deal with Su Muyang except to throw a tantrum.

All he could think of was to gather evidence of Su Muyang's crimes in the memorials he submitted, and remove Su Muyang from his post.

but,

Even if Eunuch Wang wanted to remove Su Muyang from his post, it wouldn't be something that could be done in a few words; it would take time.

Therefore,
At this point, Wang Lun could do nothing but throw a tantrum.

-

Just as Meng Hu was stationed in Suzhou Prefecture and began to take full control of Suzhou.

Chen Jie lived a very leisurely life in Nanjing.

Zhang Dezhi, the leader of the supply corps, had returned to Qingzhou, Shandong, while Chen Jie's main army remained in Nanjing, holding back its troops.

Chen Jie lived a very comfortable life in Nanjing, occasionally strolling along the Qinhuai River and dining at every restaurant in the city.

Simultaneously,

He would occasionally wander around Tongbeimen, practice his martial arts, and swim in the Yangtze River with his thirteenth aunt and eighth sister.

That's right,

Thirteenth Aunt and Eighth Sister followed Chen Jie to Jinling.

Clearly, Chen Jie plans to make Jinling the largest stronghold of the Ximen Hall, where a large number of troops will be stationed.

Not only are 30,000 troops to be transferred from Shandong, but 50,000 troops will also be transferred from Songjiang Prefecture.

A total of 80,000 troops will be stationed in Nanjing!
Almost a week passed in the blink of an eye, and it seemed that Chen Jie had put the matter of suppressing the rebels in eastern Zhejiang out of his mind.

Although many officials in the Daqian court were discussing the fact that Ximentang was slow to send troops to quell the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

but,

When Emperor Li Zheng learned of the news, he did not say much.

Therefore, others could only discuss it privately and dared not say much in court.

this day,
After practicing martial arts at the Governor's Mansion in Jinling, Chen Jie was invited to the banks of the Qinhuai River.

Board a flower boat and cruise the Qinhuai River – what a delightful life!

The person who invited Chen Jie was Zeng Yongxiang, the head of the Zeng family in Jiangnan, who had business dealings with both Ximentang and the Caobang.

The Zeng family originally came from the Jianghuai area, but through business, they have long since spread to southern Jiangsu and eastern Zhejiang.

and,

The Zeng family's ancestral home was also moved to Jinling, where they became the most prominent family in Jiangnan, and their descendants flourished.

The Zeng family even had shops and businesses in Hangzhou, southern Fujian, and the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

When a rebellion broke out in eastern Zhejiang, and the Green Gang raised their flag in revolt, the Zeng family was quick to sense the danger.

They withdrew their business from Hangzhou and quickly severed ties with the Green Gang. All the key members of the Zeng family also came to Nanjing.

Therefore,
Although the Zeng family's business suffered great losses after the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang began, they managed to preserve their foundation and escape a major disaster.

The Zeng family's reputation as the foremost family in Jiangnan is well-deserved.

After Chen Jie led his army into Nanjing, Zeng Yongxiang repeatedly sought an audience with Chen Jie, adopting a very humble attitude.

Chen Jie wanted to establish Ximentang in Jiangnan and connect Songjiang Prefecture, eastern Zhejiang, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin and other areas into one region.

So, he naturally wanted to make friends with some of the local people and gentry in Jiangnan.

Before this, Ximentang had dealt with Zeng Yongxiang a few times and they had developed some acquaintance.

Therefore,
Chen Jie naturally wouldn't put on airs in front of Zeng Yongxiang, so he summoned the head of the most prestigious family in Jiangnan to the Governor's Mansion in Jinling.

The two sides had a very pleasant discussion and reached some consensus on future business cooperation.

Two days later,

Zeng Yongxiang hosted a banquet for Chen Jie on the Qinhuai River.

The pleasure boat he ordered was the largest one, even much larger than ordinary gunboats.

The pleasure boat has three floors, a very spacious interior, and luxurious decorations.

Today, the Qinhuai River is calm and peaceful. Sitting on a pleasure boat and looking at the scenery along the Qinhuai River is very pleasant.

When Chen Jie arrived, the banquet on the pleasure boat was already prepared, and the musicians began to play, adding to the atmosphere.

However, no dancers or anyone else boarded the pleasure boat.

Anyone who is not a member of the public was driven off the pleasure boat. Anyone who approaches the pleasure boat without permission will be killed without mercy!

The area within 500 meters is called the warning zone.

Chen Jie's personal guard numbered over a hundred, heavily armed. Not only could ordinary experts at the Transformation Realm not get close, but even masters at the Great Perfection of the Blood-Moving Pill Realm would not be able to approach within fifty meters of Chen Jie.

After surviving several assassination attempts by members of the Black Dragon Society of Japan, Chen Jie became extremely concerned about his safety.

Therefore,
No matter where you go, the safety level is maximized.

After boarding the pleasure boat, in addition to Chen Jie and Zeng Yongxiang, there was also a wealthy businessman from Jiangnan named Zhang Ming.

Zhang Ming is Zeng Yongxiang's business partner. The two have a deep friendship and specialize in overseas trade.

Chen Jie was looking to expand his overseas trade, so he naturally welcomed their arrival.

Business within the Daqian Dynasty can be handled by the Canal Gang and the Tongbei Gate.

but,

For overseas trade, you must be familiar with the channels.

Zhang Ming's overseas trade is extensive. He is well-versed in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Europe, making him a true maritime merchant.

Zhang Ming's demeanor revealed his high level of refinement and his deep understanding of the customs and cultures of Southeast Asia and Europe.

His tea, porcelain, and other goods were exported overseas.

Simultaneously,

Many of the industrial products of the Great Qian Dynasty were sold back by Zhang Ming.

in addition,

Zhang Ming is fluent in Dutch, English, Spanish, and even some Japanese languages. He is also very proficient in the indigenous languages ​​of the coastal areas.

have to say,

Even in the 'urban world', Zhang Ming would definitely be considered one of the top business talents.

On the pleasure boat, Chen Jie and Zhang Ming hit it off immediately and chatted very congenially.

Chen Jie was very interested in Zhang Ming, which was a big surprise for him.

He inquired about overseas trade and analyzed the overseas situation.

Upon hearing that Chen Jie had been to North America, Zhang Ming immediately felt a deep respect for him.

because,

Although he had been to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Europe and other places, he had never been to North America.

He had always hoped to visit North America.

Unfortunately, the journey was too long, and he was never able to fulfill his wish.

Seeing that Chen Jie was so young yet had been to North America, how could he not feel great respect for him?
Although Zhang Ming discovered from their conversation that Chen Jie was not familiar with overseas trade.

However, Chen Jie was very knowledgeable about the geographical locations, customs, military construction, and navigation in various overseas regions.

Even his understanding of overseas situations and his insights far surpass those of anyone else.

Chen Jie demonstrated a clear understanding of the changing situation in Europe, including industry, culture, and the rise and power of maritime empires such as Spain, Great Britain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Chen Jie's fluency in English, coupled with his business dealings with the Dutch and the purchase of numerous merchant ships, earned Zhang Ming's utmost respect.

and,

When I heard that Chen Jie was not only the Governor-General of Shandong, but also had built Ximentang into the number one army of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Meanwhile, within Shandong, Ximentang built numerous schools and possessed a complete industrial system that was more advanced than that of the West.

Zhang Ming was stunned and speechless, utterly shocked.

Because the Great Qian Dynasty had been closed off for hundreds of years, it had very little interaction with the West.

Even though the Self-Strengthening Movement sent many students to the West to study and absorb Western technology,

However, it had little effect. The gap between the Great Qian Dynasty and Western industry was too great, and there was no chance to catch up.

but,

Chen Jie, however, was able to absorb Western industrial reforms and catch up with and surpass them.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zhang Ming would never have believed it.

Zhang Ming has never liked dealing with people from the imperial court.

The reason Zeng Yongxiang accompanied Chen Jie to meet him was simply because the two had a very close relationship, and because Chen Jie was not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

He never imagined that he and Chen Jie would get along so well.

More importantly, Chen Jie was completely unpretentious and approachable, making him very easy to get along with.

This affability almost made him forget that Chen Jie was the Governor-General of Shandong.

The more they talked, the more they felt like they had known each other for a long time.

Zeng Yongxiang sat to the side, unable to get a word in edgewise, and could only wait quietly.

He was a very smart person. When he saw Chen Jie and Zhang Ming getting along well, he wasn't jealous. Instead, he just smiled and didn't interrupt.

By the time the two realized what had happened, they had been talking for almost an hour.

Zhang Ming turned to look at Zeng Yongxiang and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Brother Zeng, I'm so sorry, we got so caught up in the conversation that we almost forgot about our business."

Zeng Yongxiang shook his head and smiled, saying:
"It's nothing! This is the important thing, I've been listening to music the whole time."

"I must say, listening to you talk about overseas has really broadened my horizons."

"If I have the opportunity, I also hope to go out to sea and travel to Southeast Asia, Europe and other places to broaden my horizons."

Zhang Ming laughed heartily and said:

"Brother Zeng, ever since you became the head of the family, you've been so busy that you're overwhelmed with work. Where have you found the time to go out to sea?"

Zeng Yongxiang sighed helplessly.

"Sigh—yes! I wish I could be like you, but with the situation in Jiangnan, beset by internal and external troubles, how could I possibly leave?"

"I have thousands of people to feed behind me. My life is destined to be a life of toil!"

Upon hearing Zeng Yongxiang's感慨 (expression/reflection), Zhang Ming quickly said:
“Brother Zeng, I was just joking, don’t take it to heart. You are the head of the family now, and the burden on your shoulders is indeed very heavy.”

finished,

Zhang Ming changed the subject, looking at Chen Jie and saying:

"The Governor-General is stationed in Nanjing this time and is leading the Ximentang Army to quell the rebels in eastern Zhejiang."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Governor plans to develop eastern Zhejiang, Songjiang Prefecture, and southern Jiangsu into a unified commercial district."

"The troops stationed by Ximentang in this area are sufficient to stabilize the situation in Jiangnan. We hope that the Governor-General will take good care of them in the future."

Chen Jie nodded and said with a smile:

"It's not really a favor. Since we from Ximentang have come to Jiangnan, we should cooperate more in the future."

Zeng Yongxiang said with a forced smile:

“Your Excellency, we are merely businessmen, how dare we discuss cooperation? Please feel free to make any requests you may have.”

"We will do anything we can to achieve it."

Chen Jie smiled and said:

"I've never liked to use my power to intimidate others."

"Cooperation is the only way to achieve win-win results and benefit everyone."

"Just like the Grand Canal Gang, the relationship between our Ximen Hall and the Grand Canal Gang has always been one of cooperation. They are developing very well now, but they are by no means subordinate to the Ximen Hall."

"The same applies to you. Let's talk business. We'll have many opportunities to cooperate in business matters in the future."

Zeng Yongxiang was a shrewd businessman and quickly understood what Chen Jie meant.

He took a deep breath and exclaimed in surprise:

"My lord, we are only good at business and trade. Do you really intend to develop Zhejiang East, Songjiang Prefecture, and Southern Jiangsu into the largest commercial district of the Great Qian Dynasty, with trade reaching overseas?"

Chen Jie nodded and smiled calmly:

"That's right, that's exactly what we're planning!"

Chen Jie had always envisioned creating an eastern business district within the Great Qian Dynasty.

He had this idea ever since he became the Governor-General of Shandong and took over Songjiang Prefecture.

All along,
Chen Jie's focus was overseas, not on the internal affairs of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Overseas trade is the most important link after Ximen Tang's military buildup—! (End of Chapter)