Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 27 Discussion
"Hmph, Major General?"
Wu Chengjian glanced at Charlie, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Charlie, I'm going to make it clear to you right now: I won't allow you to be indecisive about this matter! If you don't want to make money from me anymore, you can leave now. For the sake of our old friendship, I'll let you leave Guangzhou."
Charlie didn't expect Wu Chengjian's decision to come so quickly and decisively! Although he had made a lot of money from Wu Chengjian as a middleman, he had also spent a lot in the past few years. Besides, if Wu Chengjian really fired him, even if he was willing to let him leave Guangzhou alive, once the business in the Thirteen Hongs was cut off, he would be beaten back to his original state when he returned to England. The nobles such as Lord Ellot were willing to see him and respect him because of his oriental background. Without this background, he would be nothing in London!
Seeing that Charlie did not refuse immediately, Wu Chengjian softened his tone again: "In fact, I also understand your difficulties. Although you make money in Guangzhou, it is difficult for you to betray Britain. However, in any country, there are always two factions of good and evil. The good people like peace, and the evil people like war. I think you and Lord Ellot should be the good people."
Charlie got the upper hand and said quickly, "Of course, of course, we are all the kindest."
Wu Chengjian added: "So what I want you to do is not to betray your country, but I think that whether it is Du Luli or Milton, their actions will not only hurt the people of the two countries, but also bring disaster to the entire East. Even if their plot really succeeds, I am afraid it will not be a good thing for Britain."
Charlie was silent.
Wu Chengjian knew that he was still hesitating: "I can tell what Du Luli wants to do with my toes - he regards the Qing Dynasty as the second India. But Charlie, think about it carefully, can the Qing Dynasty be the same as India? You have been in Guangzhou for some years, you should know a little about Chinese history, and know what the migration of borders and the ban on sea trade are? If this war really breaks out, hehe, if China wins, the entire East north of Penghu - including Japan, Ryukyu, and Korea, will no longer have anything to do with the British! If you win by chance, hey, that will be a new round of migration of borders and ban on sea trade! By then, our Wu family will definitely not have a good ending, the Thirteen Hongs will be wiped out, and then the East India Company's annual profit of millions will be gone. Regardless of victory or defeat, can Britain really afford these two costs?"
Charlie's heart was shocked. He had been wandering on the sea for so many years. He had not only lived in Guangzhou for a long time, but also stayed in India. Naturally, he knew that India and China were two different things. Perhaps China's military technology was much behind that of Britain, but too many ants could kill an elephant. War is not about individual combat effectiveness but comprehensive strength. If a real fight breaks out, with China's size, even if he is a British, he does not think that Britain can win easily, not to mention that Britain is marching far away while China is fighting at home. If the distance factor is taken into account, the probability of Britain winning will be even lower.
His eyes flickered, but Wu Chengjian was not in a hurry. He sat there and looked at Charlie coldly.
After thinking about it for who knows how many times, Charlie said, "Officer Hao, what you said makes sense. I will definitely support you and contact the kind-hearted people in the country to resist the evil ideas of Milton and Dululi. Ambitious people like Dululi cannot represent Britain. Maintaining and developing the friendship between China and Britain is the right thing to do."
Wu Chengjian knew that he had finally brought someone here, and nodded and said, "That's right. But Lord Ellot..."
"The Lord actually doesn't agree with going to war, but London has already made a decision, so it's not easy for him to go against the navy for the time being. But if you, Hao Guan, can make Du Luli return empty-handed, I believe the Lord will be very happy."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Of course. But to achieve this, we still need the joint efforts of both sides."
After reaching a consensus with Charles, Wu Chengjian gave him another sum of money as funding. On the one hand, he asked him to send the money to London to contact all parties to boycott the navy's behavior. On the other hand, he asked him to bribe sailors and businessmen from various countries, as well as to do spies and intelligence work.
Businessmen in Guangdong do not just make money in business. In fact, they are also the first group of people in the country to see the world. Not only do they make money for the country, but they are also China's eyes and ears on the world.
Of course, Wu Chengjian did not leave all the matters to Charlie alone. He also mobilized forces from all sides: first, he asked the Hongmen disciples to contact the Chinese in Southeast Asia and collect as much intelligence as possible; second, he asked Manager Yao to prepare for the future inciting merchants from various countries, especially those from France and Portugal, to oppose Britain - if Britain really intended to take Macau, the interests of France, Portugal and other countries would certainly be harmed.
Then Wu Chengjian also had to consider official matters. This matter must be reported to the Guangdong Customs.
But he was not young anymore, so he couldn't act rashly. Before reporting to the Guangdong Customs, he had to check with other insurance merchants in the Thirteen Hongs first.
Wu Chengjian immediately invited Pan Youjie, Lu Guanhuan and Ye Dalin to visit Manqian Penglai together.
These four major insurance merchants of the Thirteen Hongs have not gathered together for a long time, except for Wu Guoying's funeral.
Ye Dalin arrived first and asked Wu Chengjian, "Why did you suddenly call us all here? Is there something important going on?"
Wu Chengjian said calmly, "Father-in-law, don't worry, we will know when we get back."
Soon Pan Youjie and Lu Guanhuan arrived. Wu Chengjian only had two pots of bitter tea made, and then dismissed the waiters. He took matters into his own hands, opened a map, and said, "Everyone, a big thing happened recently, and I have to inform you of it."
Pan Youjie waved his folding fan and said nothing.
Lu Guanhuan said: "Hao Guan has something to say, why not just speak up."
Wu Chengjian said: "I'm afraid there will be a war in Guangdong."
Pan, Lu, and Ye all looked stern.
Lu Guanhuan asked, "What news did Haoguan hear? Is there anyone planning a rebellion?"
"If someone rebels, it's not a big deal for us." Wu Chengjian said, "The world is generally peaceful now. Although the White Lotus Sect is causing trouble in the north, in Guangdong, the people can still live a decent life. Even if there is any trouble, it won't cause any disturbance, and even if it does, it won't be a big one."
Lu Guanhuan nodded and said, "That's right, what is the so-called war disaster?"
Wu Chengjian said: "Britain has sent a large army with ill intentions, and now the fleet is only a few days away from Guangzhou Bay."
Pan, Lu and Ye looked at each other, and after confirming that Wu Chengjian was not joking, they were all surprised.
Pan Youjie said in a deep voice: "How dare the foreigners! What do they intend to do?"
Lu Guanhuan said: "Could it be Macau?"
In just two sentences, the insights of the two men were revealed - Pan Youjie asked about the purpose as soon as he asked, and Lu Guanhuan guessed it right away, worthy of the fact that he had been working for the Governor's Office for many years.
Wu Chengjian said: "From various sources, it is very likely to be Macau. This matter can be big or small - but I don't believe that the British would send warships all the way here without any ulterior motives. We must report this matter quickly, but before reporting it, I still ask you to come and discuss it together as usual."
Before Lu and Ye could even open their mouths, Pan Youjie interrupted them and said, "This matter cannot be reported!"
Wu Chengjian was stunned.
Pan Youjie said, "At least we can't report it now! If we report it, and the news is inaccurate, we will be punished. If the news is accurate, where did our news come from? Secretly communicating with overseas and colluding with foreigners, this is a serious crime!"
Wu Chengjian was silent for a moment after hearing this. In fact, the Qing Dynasty put the merchants in this position, so the so-called "collusion with foreigners" was almost inevitable, but exchanging secret information with people outside the country could not be brought to the surface. If it was really brought to the surface, I am afraid that there would be few merchants left in the Thirteen Hongs.
The Qing Dynasty had to leave this opening for trade after the country closed its borders. The court allowed merchants from the Thirteen Hongs to do business with foreigners, but it was only extremely limited. It only designated a place in Guangzhou for the Thirteen Hongs to do limited business. The existing system of the Guangdong Customs was more about restraint and control than encouragement of development.
Lu Guanhuan said: "But if we don't report this, and it brings disaster to the country and our hometown, how can we feel at ease?"
Pan Youjie said: "We can't report it, but we can't not report it! We can't report it on the highway, but we have to report it privately."
The four people in the room were all very smart. As soon as Pan Youjie said this, the other three understood it immediately - reporting on the road refers to publicly submitting documents or asking for an audience with the supervisor. Private reporting means that people use their personal connections to pass on information to the governor, supervisor, Guangzhou general's advisor, or servants.
"After the notification, it's up to you to decide what to do." Pan Youjie said, "This is not the Spring and Autumn Period or the Warring States Period. We can't be as arrogant as Xian Gao. If we do, we will end up dead!"
Xian Gao was a merchant from Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, Qin was preparing to attack Zheng. When passing by Huacheng, Xian Gao got the news and knew that Zheng was unprepared. If the war broke out, countless people in Zheng would be destroyed and their families would be killed. Therefore, Xian Gao sent the cattle he used for trading to the Qin army as a reward. The Qin general was greatly surprised, thinking that Zheng was prepared, so he withdrew his troops and returned. The war was thus averted without a trace. This is the origin of the famous idiom "Xian Gao retreats".
But in my Qing Dynasty, if a mere merchant dares to interfere in state affairs without permission, he would violate a taboo and could even be beheaded!
Lu Guanhuan sighed and said, "What Qiguan said is very true! I will go to the Governor's Office to let them know."
Wu Chengjian felt uncomfortable with Pan Youjie's suggestion, but he knew that Pan Youjie was right. He was silent for a while and said, "I will pass a message to He Zhongtang's shop in Guangzhou."
Pan Youjie said: "I will go and talk to the Guangdong Customs."
Ye Dalin said, "I also know a few people in Qicheng. I'll have someone go and get some information so that General Guangzhou can get the news."
If the four of them acted at the same time, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Supervisor of the Guangdong Customs, the General of Guangzhou, and Heshen would all know the news at the same time, and the information would definitely not be concealed. As for how to deal with it next, as Pan Youjie said, it was the business of the "masters".
After the discussion, the four of them dispersed.
