Beiyang Dream

Chapter 34 Knock him unconscious with silver paper

Berlin, the Qing Dynasty's embassy in Germany, a corner of the corridor.

Chang Desheng and Guo Shigui left Hong Jun's study. As soon as the door closed, Guo Shigui let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Alright," Chang Desheng mentally reviewed the situation, "I've passed the test of fooling Scholar Hong."

The next step is the second: submit official documents to the German National Naval Office, wait for the shipyard's quote, and then... well, we'll see. Anyway, now that the first step is done, we can deal with whatever comes next.

The two walked down the corridor and had just turned the corner when they saw Sai Jinhua coming in. She was wearing a light green cheongsam today, and her hair was neatly combed. When she saw Chang Desheng, her eyes lit up.

Chang Desheng quickly waved.

The three of them walked to a place a little further away from the study and stood at the corner of the corridor.

"Madam Hong." Chang Desheng cupped his hands in greeting, a smile on his face.

"Zhenbang," Sai Jinhua smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Did you reach an agreement with the master?"

"It's half done," Chang Desheng said, taking the envelope out of his pocket and handing it over. "There's news about the matter you asked me to handle last time."

Sai Jinhua took the envelope, glanced at the emblem on it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Moqi?"

She looked up at Chang Desheng, her admiration evident in her eyes: "Is it from Mao Qi's family?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Helmut von Moltke," Chang Desheng stated clearly, "is Marshal Moltke's nephew, a military attaché to the Kaiser, and currently an instructor at the Prussian War Academy. This letter of recommendation was written by him personally."

Sai Jinhua held the envelope, turning it over and over to examine it twice, a smile creeping onto her lips: "Mr. Chang, you're truly capable! This letter is far more effective than any letter from a lieutenant general or Krupp!"

She carefully returned the letter to Chang Desheng, then leaned closer: "You should deliver this letter to Miss Luo yourself."

Chang Desheng was taken aback: "I'll deliver it?"

"Yes, you should take it there." Sai Jinhua blinked. "She lives in the Tiergarten district, at 18 Bendler Street, the Zhang residence. Her fifth uncle, Zhang Bishi's fifth brother, Zhang Zhensheng's residence." She glanced at Guo Shigui, who was still in a daze beside her. "Have Jichuan accompany you; he's been there before."

......

An hour later, in Berlin's Tiergarten district.

As Chang Desheng climbed out of the old horse-drawn carriage from the embassy, ​​his professional instincts kicked in the moment his feet touched the ground.

He looked up at the house in front of him. It was three stories high, with granite walls, cast iron railings carved with scrolling patterns, and two stone lions guarding the entrance. It was neither Western nor Chinese, but it was clear at a glance that the owner was quite wealthy.

"This is it, the Zhang Mansion." Guo Shigui pointed to the house, clicked his tongue, and said, "Look at their grandeur! The richest man in Southeast Asia! I heard that this piece of land alone is worth 50,000 marks!"

Chang Desheng thought to himself, "What's 50,000 marks?"

He's the richest man in Southeast Asia with tens of millions of taels of silver in his family. He built this villa in Berlin, probably to keep a low profile. Otherwise, he could have built a palace.

"Has Zhang Bishi himself arrived?" he asked.

"No," Guo Shigui shook his head. "This is the new house that Master Zhang bought. The Zhang family's businesses in Europe, including tin mines, rubber, and palm oil, have an annual turnover of more than three million pounds, all managed by this Master Zhang, Zhang Zhensheng. He used to live in London, but he bought this house in Berlin last year, so he travels between England and Germany."

Chang Desheng started racking his brains again.

Tin ore, rubber, palm oil—all industrial raw materials. Germany is currently going all out for its Second Industrial Revolution, with machine tools, chemicals, steel, and electricity all consuming raw materials. A turnover of over three million pounds a year, equivalent to… over ten million taels of silver. Good heavens, that's equivalent to the annual budget of ten Beiyang Fleets.

This family is a powerful force.

Thighs that are frighteningly thick.

I wonder if Luo Jingrou, who has two little dimples when she smiles, is here? Which toe is she next to this thigh?

As he was pondering this, Guo Shigui went up and knocked on the door.

The person who opened the door was a blond, blue-eyed foreigner, dressed in a crisp black uniform, standing ramrod straight. Chang Desheng was taken aback, thinking he had knocked on the wrong door. But when the foreigner saw his Prussian War Academy uniform, his expression immediately became respectful, and he spoke in fluent Berlin-accented German:

"Is this Mr. Chang?"

Chang Desheng was secretly delighted.

I thought to myself: It must be that rich young lady who keeps talking about me! Otherwise, how could that foreign doorman recognize me at a glance? This is promising!

Thinking of this, he replied in German, "Is Miss Luo home? I've gotten the recommendation letter from Victoria Girls' School that she requested."

The janitor was taken aback—Miss Luo had already attended a class at Victoria Girls' School last week, why would she need a recommendation letter? —But he still politely ushered the three of them into the living room.

The living room is quite large, in the Baroque style, with gold-framed mirrors, crystal chandeliers, and Persian rugs—everything you could want. However, the few traditional Chinese ink landscape paintings hanging on the wall look a bit...out of place with all the Western decorations.

Chang Desheng's inner thoughts: This decorating style, if it were in later generations, would be called a "nouveau riche eclectic style," the designer should be docked pay.

As soon as he sat down, two dark-skinned Asian male servants brought him coffee.

Both were in their early twenties, dressed in short, black silk clothes and cloth shoes. What was most striking was that the backs of their heads were clean-shaven, without any braids.

Chang Desheng glanced at it a couple more times.

Guo Shigui leaned closer and lowered his voice: "See those? Those without queues, they're from Lanfang's side. Those people aren't some law-abiding overseas citizens..."

Chang Desheng smiled and said, "Isn't it just wanting to become a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty? Annam and Korea are the same, what's so strange about that?"

"Now even if we wanted to, it would be gone!" Guo Shigui sighed. "The Dutch wiped it all out a few years ago. The Lanfang Republic is gone."

Chang Desheng wondered to himself: Is it really gone?

Not necessarily.

The Lanfang Republic existed for 107 years, from 1777 to 1884. Its territory was in Borneo, and it was established by Chinese. At its peak, it had 20,000 to 30,000 armed men and controlled numerous gold mines, tin mines, and rubber plantations. Ultimately, it was destroyed by the Dutch in conjunction with the indigenous people.

But Chang Desheng knew that as long as the people were still here, the land was still here, and the resources were still here... there was still a chance!

Besides, the good days of imperialism are numbered. After the two world wars, the Western powers will likely have to relinquish their colonies. At that time, as long as the Chinese have guns, cannons, and men…

As he was thinking, he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Looking up, I saw Luo Jingrou coming down.

She wore a light purple dress with lace trim at the neckline, her hair styled in a fashionable updo, revealing her slender, white neck. A smile graced her face, her two dimples appearing and disappearing.

Chang Desheng's mental calculations started working again: This outfit, made of French silk with genuine lace trim, and the jewelry... the string of pearls around her neck, each one perfectly round and uniform in size, would be worth at least six figures in today's world. This young heiress's wealth is probably far more than just "young heiress."

She was accompanied by a middle-aged man.

He wore a long gown and mandarin jacket, a small hat, and a slick, oily braid trailing behind his head. He wasn't tall, maybe 1.65 meters at most, but he had broad shoulders and thick arms, clearly a trained martial artist. His eyebrows and eyes were somewhat gloomy, and there was a fierce glint in his eyes when he looked at people.

It doesn't resemble the "harmony brings wealth" demeanor one would expect from a businessman.

It's like... A word flashed through Chang Desheng's mind: Gang Leader!

Guo Shigui quickly stood up, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting: "Fifth Master Zhang, it's been a long time!"

The middle-aged man also cupped his hands in greeting, forcing a smile: "Mr. Guo, a rare guest."

"This is Lord Chang Zhenbang, a commissioner sent by the Beiyang Army to inspect the German Army Corps. He is currently studying at the Prussian War College," Guo Shigui said with a smile, introducing the two sides. "Lord Chang, this is Master Zhang Zhensheng, the fifth master of the Zhang family, who is in charge of the Zhang family's business in Europe."

Chang Desheng also cupped his hands in greeting: "Fifth Master Zhang."

Zhang Zhensheng nodded in return. His eyes swept over Chang Desheng twice, not as if he were looking at a person, but as if he were assessing goods— estimating the quality of the goods, how much they could sell for, and what use they could be.

Chang Desheng knew perfectly well: This Fifth Master Zhang was no pushover.

Luo Jingrou then spoke with a smile, her voice clear and crisp, tinged with a touch of Mandarin with a Southeast Asian accent: "Mr. Chang, did you really manage to get me a letter of recommendation from Lieutenant General Brauchitsch or Mr. Krupp?"

Chang Desheng shook his head.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Luo Jingrou's face, though she quickly concealed it, Chang Desheng noticed it clearly. He chuckled inwardly: This little rich woman probably thinks I'm bragging.

Zhang Zhensheng was probably trying to smooth things over and was about to speak when Chang Desheng pulled an envelope out of his pocket and waved it in front of Luo Jingrou.

"Miss Luo, this is Lieutenant Colonel Moltke's letter of recommendation."

Luo Jingrou blinked: "Lieutenant Colonel..."

The tone of his voice made it sound as if the lieutenant colonel wasn't quite up to par.

But Zhang Zhensheng's expression changed.

"Moldi?" He stared at the emblem on the envelope, his eyes sharpening. "He belongs to Marshal Moltke..."

"Nephew," Chang Desheng replied smoothly, "Lieutenant Colonel Helmut von Moltke, His Majesty Wilhelm II's aide-de-camp, a staff officer in the General Staff, now teaches at the Prussian War Academy, and I take his classes."

Zhang Zhensheng took the envelope, but didn't open it immediately. He then glanced at Guo Shigui.

Guo Shigui nodded and added, "Absolutely true. Zhenbang was highly regarded by Lieutenant Colonel Moltke at the War Academy."

Zhang Zhensheng then bowed to Chang Desheng again, this time in a much more polite tone, even with a hint of a smile: "My apologies. Mr. Chang, you have a bright future ahead of you at the War Academy."

Then he whispered something to Luo Jingrou in Hakka, speaking very quickly, but Chang Desheng, with his sharp ears, heard it clearly:

"Ah Rou, you really have a sharp eye."

Upon hearing this, Luo Jingrou's lips curled up slightly, revealing her dimples. She replied softly in Hakka, lowering her voice even further, but Chang Desheng still heard her:

"I like to knock him unconscious with silver coins!"

Chang Desheng understood this Hakka phrase a little better; he should try to overwhelm him with money!

Chang Desheng was secretly pleased.

Sure.

This young heiress may be a bit demanding, but she's generous with her money, which makes her a good client!

Come on, smash it!

Smash it hard!