Chapter 518: The Governors’ Big Business (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Business!
Governor Li likes doing business the most! Especially those businesses that can make a lot of money. No one likes that kind of business.
In fact, Governor Li had been doing business with Liu Kunpeng for the past few years, and even the Longhai Railway used Nanhua's rails and locomotives. Nanhua only needed to send engineers to help them build the railway.
Why is this so?
At the beginning, it was indeed for the Qing Dynasty, but what about now?
It’s still for immigration!
With the railway, people from Henan, northern Anhui, Shaanxi, Huguang and even Sichuan could leave their hometowns by train. So every year, people would take the train to Haizhou and go to Nanhua by sea. This is why Nanhua's population has exploded in the past two years.
In just the first ten months of 1870, more than 600,000 people sailed from Haizhou. This year, the number will surely exceed 700,000.
In this process, Governor Li naturally made a lot of money, and Zeng Shadao, who was far away in Huguang, also got a share of the profits. Governor Hai, who controlled the railways and seaports, naturally had a clear advantage. According to the agreement reached between the two parties, the government could get a kickback of two taels of silver for every person transported out.
All the money was settled in kind - Nanhua used weapons and other goods to pay for it. On paper, the governors still spent the money.
As for where the millions of taels of silver go every year?
No need to ask, it must have fallen into the hands of the governors.
Why did Governor Li turn a blind eye to Nanhua in the first place? To put it bluntly, it was because their interests were too deeply entangled!
For Governor Li, this kind of production is simply a cost-free business, and it is even a great thing that benefits the country and the people, because there are displaced refugees everywhere during the war.
These refugees might turn into bandits like the Nianzi, or they might turn into thieves. In short, they are unstable factors. Sending them overseas now can not only exchange them for silver, guns and machines, but also save that person. Isn't this beneficial to the country and the people?
As for people, the least bad thing about China is people!
For the Celestial Empire, these people are a disaster!
After all, since ancient times, in order to quell a rebellion, one had to either provide relief and settle the refugees or kill people.
Relief?
The imperial court does not have that much silver, and only by killing the refugees can the bandits lose the soil for survival and growth.
But the rioters could not be killed completely. And the more they were killed, the more there were.
Now, if we send them overseas, not only will this scourge be eliminated, but we can also exchange them for silver!
In order to continue this business, Governor Li even privately made a five-year plan - to strive to export 5 million "special commodities" to Nanhua, no, to the Ming Dynasty in the next five years.
In exchange for 10 million taels worth of guns, machines, and ironclad ships, the ironclad ships made by Nanhua were pretty good, and yes, there was also that airship that could go up to the sky and into the ground. But the secret telegram sent by the court made him feel that it might be difficult to continue this business.
This is business!
He was clearly doing this for the country and the people! He was doing this to protect the Qing Dynasty!
He was a loyal minister, but the court didn't understand him at all.
"Oh? Please let me know, Lord Li."
"My dear brother, how could you not know what those people in the capital are most worried about? Isn't it still the world? Originally, it would have been great if your imperial country was called Nanhua, and everyone could have pretended to be deaf and dumb and confused. But now, not only have you used the name of the Ming Dynasty, you have also made a "Letter to All Nations". This is fine, as it was written on foreign territory anyway. But you said that your warships sailed to Jiangning and directly paid tribute to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. What else can you say..."
Li Hongzhang didn't want to say anything, but just sighed.
"Alas! The country has been invaded by foreign forces since ancient times. At the end of the Song Dynasty, it was replaced by Mongolia. China was submerged for nearly a hundred years. Our Emperor Gaozu rose up at the right time and cleared the Central Plains. The sun and the moon shone again, the mountains and rivers were rebuilt, and the great righteousness of restoration was demonstrated here. Unfortunately, the dynasty was disturbed and the national strength was exhausted. The Manchus took advantage of the opportunity to steal and occupy China. Alas, my fellow countrymen, ... they only spoke the truth."
Liu Kunpeng said with a smile.
"You said that our emperor is about to ascend the throne and send people to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage to Emperor Gao. Isn't that natural?"
"Of course, of course, but I can make a fortune quietly! Never mind, never mind..."
Governor Li said, waving his hands repeatedly.
"I will let him fool around for now, but you guys have to be quiet. Don't, don't ruin your master's plans!"
Staring at Liu Kunpeng, Governor Li said in a deep voice.
"People are your master's major plan. If your master wants to rebuild China overseas, he can't do without people. If the court strictly orders local governments to intercept refugees, then even I..."
Governor Li said with a long sigh.
"There's nothing we can do about it!"
What does the Ming Dynasty need?
Without asking, it must be the people. What can be accomplished with only a few million people? Governor Li is well versed in Westernization. He has seen how big the "Great Ming" is on the map. For a place this big, even if there are only a few million people, it is still sparsely populated.
"When there is nothing you can do, you just disobey orders!"
"What!"
Liu Kunpeng's words made Governor Li open his eyes wide and look at the other party in astonishment.
"You, what did you say?"
"You don't obey orders, Lord Li. You have made great contributions to foreign affairs in Xuzhou over the years, but you are constrained by various parties. Every time you do something, someone impeaches you. You are walking on thin ice all day long. What is this for? Just for the title of "loyal minister"?"
Liu Kunpeng's words made Governor Li look solemn. He had been criticized a lot in recent years for his work on foreign affairs. If it weren't for the Taiping rebels occupying Liangjiang and Zhejiang, the court would have long since disowned him.
"Even if you are a loyal minister who does not intend to seize the world, no matter what you say, Lord Li, you have no less than 400,000 soldiers and horses under your command. Even if you have your own troops, do things on your own, set up your own government, and wait for the opportunity, what can others do to you?"
Liu Kunpeng's words made Governor Li's heart beat fast. Actually, he had thought about this matter, and even thought about being independent, but his reputation was not even comparable to that of the teacher in Huguang, so how could he be independent?
But... just keep your troops and wait for the opportunity.
This matter... has a future!
Although he was very nervous, Governor Li became calmer the more he listened. After all, he still understood the principle of "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it." Who knows if the Ming Dynasty is eyeing this place covetously?
"I don't know if this is what you meant, brother, or..."
"Master Li,"
Liu Kunpeng lit a cigarette and looked at him and said.
"We are old friends. To tell you the truth, my Majesty is interested in overseas. Overseas is so vast. It would be better to carve out a new world for China than to stick to the Central Plains. But this Central Plains... it doesn't matter who is the leader, as long as they are not Manchus!"
Staring at Governor Li and seeing the look of disbelief on his face, Liu Kunpeng sneered.
"Master Li, we have known each other for so many years, and I have never lied to you! You know, some things will never come back once you get them!"
(End of this chapter)
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