Chapter 86: Just Two Families
Zhang Jixian took Liu Xiang's telegram with a smile.
They are all in the shipping business, and there are no secrets in this industry, let alone Zhang Jixian who had been planning to go to Sichuan for a long time.
"I know that Mr. Lu's ability and character have the final say on the Yangtze River route. This telegram from Marshal Liu is worth a fortune."
"Oh, Yongheng, Marshal Liu also welcomes you to build a match factory in Sichuan. He said that Mr. Liu Hongsheng's Greater China Match Alliance does not have a factory in Sichuan. The local match factories are of very poor quality. They do not use oil paper and lime for protection. They will get damp in two or three days. The shipping cost of Shanghai matches from Xiajiang is also very expensive."
With the support of a telegram personally sent by Sichuan King Liu Xiang, the factory's relocation to Sichuan would be more secure.
The two smiling people were determined to go to the most distinctive Dahua Hotel in Tianjin to entertain Zhou Xiaoshan and the officers of the 66th Division he brought with him.
Zhou Xiaoshan was invited to get into the small car they brought and go to the dock next to the Tianjin Shipping Association.
With the help of Chen Hong, two businessmen were attracted to return to Sichuan for investment. Today, several officers who followed Zhou Xiaoshan all had smug expressions on their faces.
Who would have thought that after listening to Duan Yongheng's introduction today, my face turned green.
There is Tianjin in the north and Shanghai in the south.
In terms of economy, Tianjin is definitely worthy of being the second largest city in the Republic of China.
There are more than 2,000 industrial factories of all sizes, including more than 200 factories invested by foreigners, not to mention transportation-related industries like Zhang Jixian's.
Small business owners like Duan Yongheng and Zhang Jixian can’t even get a number.
They only brought back two families, a tiny contribution, and relied on Chen Hong's help, but they were so happy that they ate bee shit. If they spread the news to the 66th Division and the Sichuan Army, how could they have any shame?
Zhou Xiaoshan and Duan Yongheng had a quarrel yesterday and both understood their own identities.
Even if he has the rank of major.
In the eyes of these industrialists, he is still just a soldier, far less respectable than his identity as the owner of the Baizhanjun Glass Workshop.
However, Zhou Xiaoshan planned to ask Zheng Chunhua to help him sell the agency rights of Baizhanjun Glass in the Pingjin area to a merchant in Jinan. If the other party wanted the agency rights, he would be embarrassed to show it to others.
After a while, they arrived on Zhang Jixian's boat.
Zhang Jixian's ocean-going vessel was not big. It was originally a passenger and cargo steamer that was intended to sail on the inland river of Baoding. However, due to siltation in the waterway, the three-season sailing before ice formation was reduced to two months. Later, it was simply used to sail from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan.
Zhou Xiaoshan was not sure whether the ship could reach Chongqing, after all, the Three Gorges were dangerous, but it should be no problem to Yichang.
"Brother Xiaoshan, you can help me with some advice when you see the ships. My idea is this: I will just give these two steamers to Mr. Lu, just like Marshal Liu did, and I will have full control over them. How about I buy two small steamers and run them from Yongzhou to Chongqing?"
"Why do you have this idea?"
Zhou Xiaoshan was very surprised and looked at Zhang Jixian in astonishment.
"Hey, you were drunk yesterday, so we sent you back to the camp. We were a little cautious and used the excuse of asking the chef to teach you how to cook seafood. We also got a lot of information out of your cook, from the local prices to the local customs and practices to the merchants in Yongzhou."
After Zhang Jixian finished speaking, they all laughed very embarrassedly.
Sure enough, they were shrewd businessmen. They interrogated them separately, got information from different people and judged whether they were lying. Zhou Xiaoshan gave them a thumbs up.
"I even have a feeling that Yongzhou is not only a place with beautiful scenery, but also more like a paradise in this war-torn era."
Zhang Jixian smiled brightly. He had already decided to settle down in Yongzhou.
"Brother Jixian, you have to know that Mr. Lu's Minsheng Company has a monopoly on the Yangtze River route. If the Sino-Japanese war breaks out, all ships will be requisitioned by the government. They will set sail from Shanghai to transport things related to the national economy and people ."
Seeing Zhou Xiaoshan's confident expression, Zhang Jixian was stunned and his teasing expression turned serious.
"Then I will hand it over to Mr. Lu to run it. Not only will my Haiyun and Haihun be involved in transporting supplies, but I will also personally board the ship and steer the ship. This may be the only thing that we, the sea scoopers, can do for this nation. If unfortunately the ship is destroyed and everyone dies, I will die without regrets."
Zhang Jixian waved his hand with a determined look on his face. Zhou Xiaoshan stared at him for a long time and felt that his words came from the heart.
"Hey, I now realize that my plan is extremely wise. When the time comes, my wife can make a living by operating ships from Yongzhou to Chongqing, and my youngest son and daughter can be settled in Yongzhou. I can definitely try my luck on the Yangtze River waterway, which can also be regarded as doing my part for our country and our nation."
After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Minsheng Company rushed to transport supplies along the Yangtze River, which was known as the Dunkirk evacuation of the East. If Zhou Xiaoshan could really help Mr. Lu Zuofu to get two ships, he would feel that his trip would have been worthwhile.
"I'm telling the truth, don't disbelieve me."
Zhou Xiaoshan knew that he had looked down on Zhang Jixian, and his face turned red as he explained to the boy.
He quickly gave him a thumbs up and laughed. Sun Yongheng and Chen Mianyuan also gave Zhang Jixian a thumbs up.
"My boat is too small to withstand big waves, so I only sail short distances on the sea. The most profitable route is to Shanhaiguan."
Zhang Jixian sighed and continued with some sadness.
"The Japanese occupied Rehe and repeatedly made things difficult for me, wanting to buy my boat at a low price. I refused, so they sent a lot of ronin to mess up my boat. That was the last time I went to Shanhaiguan. My boat was where I stayed at night. We set sail early every morning, and many refugees stayed on the boat in advance. But the damned little devils were not human. More than a dozen of them drank and pretended to be drunk, wearing only loincloths, rushed onto my boat, and pounced on the girl living in my cabin. I was anxious at the time. I also had more than a dozen guns on my boat, and I wanted to shoot these damned guys."
Zhou Xiaoshan and Sun Yongheng both realized that this incident might be the hidden pain of this hot-tempered captain. Chen Mianyuan's expression also showed that this was the first time he heard of this incident.
"The sailors, the helmsman and the brothers held me tightly. Finally, together with a few brave passengers, we carried the wanderer off the boat and put away the gangplank. Unexpectedly, not only the puppet Manchukuo police came, but also the Japanese soldiers. Seeing that I refused to put down the gangplank, they drove the boat away from the coast and sent out speedboats. They ordered me to leave Shanhaiguan overnight and never come to the so-called Manchukuo to dock again."
"Less than a month later, I heard that not only the Shanhaiguan area, but also all the steamships and barges along the coastline of Rehe were forcibly requisitioned by the Japanese."
Sun Yongheng cursed loudly.
"What kind of country and government is this? Tang Yulin deserves death. When the Japanese arrived, they organized more than 200 trucks in Tianjin and Beijing to take away his property and family, and left the provincial capital Chengde to 128 cavalrymen without firing a shot."
"Ji Shiwu and his men were even more miserable. They had conquered Duolun and recovered an important county town from the Japanese and Manchus, but because they were a Communist Party team, they were surrounded and suppressed by the Japanese. They had no choice but to return to Peking, where they were surrounded and suppressed by the Central Army and the Northwest Army. This is a damn civil war."
