xymnovel Chapter 112 The Auction and Preparations for the Expedition
Chapter 112 The Auction and Preparations for the Expedition
Chapter 112 The Auction and Preparations for the Expedition
"What are you pretending to be, you confessed everything before the torture was even over."
Zhang Wu looked at the mangled corpse with disdain. He turned to his companion and asked, "Did you handle things over there?"
"Done."
His companion stacked the heads of Goldstein's entire family together and nodded in satisfaction. "All that's left is the one you have."
.
Zhang Wu cut off his head, threw it to his companion, and said, "Let's retreat after we finish building."
"Aren't you going to take the money?"
Zhang Wu wiped the blood from his hands and raised an eyebrow: "What do you think Anderson and the others are doing out there? Waiting to raid their homes. We just need to kill them; someone else will handle the cleanup."
"Get out of here quickly. The other Jewish merchants have also been dealt with. We are the slowest."
His companion blinked, then positioned his head, and the pyramid took shape.
"Isn't the saying 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey'?"
"Yes, if we slaughter all the Jews like chickens, the monkeys in San Francisco will behave themselves. Those white businessmen, seeing what happens to the Jews, who would dare utter a single word of dissent?"
As he spoke, Zhang Wu's expression suddenly turned serious, as if he had received some information, and he nodded.
"Understood, boss. I'll head back right away."
"What's wrong?" his companion asked, puzzled.
"My lord is going to the school this afternoon to watch those brats train, so I have to rush back immediately."
Meanwhile, on Montgomery Street, inside an auction house.
Guilliman sat in the front row of the auction hall, flipping through the auction catalog provided by the auction house.
The auction items mainly consist of various assets under the name of Adams Corporation.
This company was once California's largest courier, freight, and bank, with operations throughout the West Coast. However, due to mismanagement and internal strife, it ultimately declared bankruptcy this February.
After bankruptcy, the court seized all of the company's assets and entrusted an auction house to auction them off in order to repay the creditors.
Guilliman was not interested in the other assets of the Adams Company; what he was interested in were the five steam merchant ships listed in the catalog.
Two vessels with a capacity of over 1,000 tons each, and three vessels with a capacity of over 500 tons each.
What Xinghantang lacks most right now is readily available ships. It is absolutely impossible to connect Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco and send Han people in continuously without ships.
Although several shipyards have been acquired in recent days and new ships are being built at a rapid pace, it is still far from enough to meet the number of people to be transported in the future.
These boats may not be new, but they are cheap, and can be put into use after a little repair.
The auction hall was packed with people, including local San Francisco businessmen and buyers who had come from Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Everyone knows that Adams Corporation's assets are a lucrative prize, and everyone wants a piece of it.
Half an hour into the auction, the auctioneer stood on the stage, holding a gavel, and spoke in a loud voice.
Odd items such as post station carriages, freight wagons, and office equipment have been auctioned off, with varying prices and a lukewarm atmosphere.
Until the auctioneer turns to the next page of the catalog.
"The next item up for auction is the Pacific freighter, 1,200 tons, steam-powered, built in 1852, in excellent condition and ready for immediate use. Starting bid: $40,000."
Immediately, someone in the audience raised a sign.
"Forty-one thousand."
"Forty-two thousand."
"Forty-three thousand."
Bidding rose and fell, with representatives from several shipping companies locked in a fierce battle. The auctioneer's voice grew faster and faster: "Forty-three thousand per bid, any more offers?"
"Forty-four thousand."
"Forty-five thousand."
Guilliman raised his eyes, held up the sign, and said calmly, "Seventy thousand dollars!"
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
Everyone in the auction hall craned their necks to look at Guilliman's position, their eyes wide, wanting to see who this person was who dared to bid such a price.
To put this in perspective, the most expensive brand-new steamship costs no more than $55 per ton. Even three years ago, this 1,200-ton Pacific wouldn't have been worth $70,000!
"I recognize him," someone in the back whispered. "The owner and editor-in-chief of the Daily Evening Bulletin, Guilliman. Is he that rich?"
"After acquiring the newspaper, they're now acquiring ships. Are they planning to enter the shipping industry?"
Guilliman ignored the whispers and simply looked at the auctioneer with a calm, self-assured gaze.
The auctioneer snapped out of his daze and hurriedly shouted, "Seventy thousand dollars once! Seventy thousand dollars twice! Last chance, please place your bids quickly!"
No one in the audience responded.
"Seventy thousand dollars, sold in three strikes!" The gavel fell, its sound echoing through the hall.
Guilliman used the same tactic for the next three ships. Regardless of the starting bid, he always won the bid at least $10,000 higher than others.
The 500-ton USS San Francisco costs $38,000.
The 500-ton West Coast, $40,000.
The 700-ton Sacramento costs $42,000.
Until the last ship, the California.
This is the largest ship owned by the Adams Company and the most valuable item in the entire auction.
The auctioneer, clearly taking it very seriously, cleared his throat and raised his voice: "The California, 1,500 tons, steam-powered, completed in 1854, brand new. Starting bid: $50,000."
Bidding began immediately, more intense than the previous bids.
Fifty-five thousand, sixty thousand, sixty-five thousand, seventy thousand —
The owners of several shipping companies refused to back down, causing prices to climb all the way up.
"Eighty thousand dollars," Guilliman said, holding up his sign.
"Eighty-five thousand." Someone behind him gritted their teeth and raised the price.
"Ninety thousand." Guilliman's voice remained calm, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
A well-dressed middle-aged man suddenly stood up, his face flushed, and pointed in Guilliman's direction: "Mr. Auctioneer, please wait a moment, I have an objection!"
He pointed in Guilliman's direction and said angrily, "From the first ship until now, Mr. Guilliman has offered a total of $280,000, which far exceeds the price of the ship itself."
This outrageous bidding method now makes me seriously suspect that Mr. Guilliman doesn't have the ability to pay this money; he's just here to cause trouble!
The hall was silent for a moment, then erupted into a buzz of discussion. Some agreed, some questioned, and some waited to see what would happen.
The auctioneer hesitated for a few seconds, then looked at Guilliman and said tactfully, "Mr. Guilliman, I'm very sorry, but this concerns your financial situation and our credit. Could you please come with me to the finance office?"
"There's no need for that."
Guilliman frowned slightly, and soon heavy footsteps echoed outside the auction house lobby.
The door was pushed open, and several burly white men filed in. They were dressed in matching uniforms, were physically imposing, and each carried a heavy wooden crate.
There were four boxes in total, lined up in a row, placed on the table in front of the auctioneer.
The burly men opened the box.
The light from the gas lamp shone into the box, and everyone's eyes were momentarily blinded.
Gold coins, piles of gold coins, and they're Sovelin gold coins!
They were stacked neatly, gleaming gold, and shimmering with a dazzling warm light under the lamp.
"Each of these four boxes contains 15,000 Sovereign gold coins, totaling 60,000. Even considering exchange rate fluctuations, it's definitely worth $280,000."
Guilliman rose from his seat, ignoring the surprised expressions on the faces of the crowd around him, and said slowly, "Now, please bring me the legal documents for these five ships, thank you."
Chinatown, literacy school.
The school was located in the very heart of Chinatown, and was originally an opium den. After it was converted into a school, several nearby buildings were demolished to build a drill ground and iron fences. At first glance, it didn't look much different from schools in later times.
On the drill ground, a group of men in military uniforms with buzz cuts stood ramrod straight.
It's called military uniform, but it's really just the same style of twill cotton shirt and trousers dyed dark green and then decorated with armbands.
The armband is white with red lettering, embroidered with the words "Revitalize Han".
More than a hundred people stood in a square formation, perfectly straight, without moving an inch.
Zhang Wu stood at the front of the formation, pacing back and forth. His steps were slow, and his boots made a dull thud on the ground.
"stand at attention!"
Wow!
More than a hundred people simultaneously stood on their heels, their voices as unified as if they were one person.
"At ease!"
Zhang Wu walked to the front of the formation, stood still, and scanned his eyes from left to right and then from right to left.
"Whose food do you eat?"
"Eat Xinghantang's food!" More than a hundred people shouted in unison, the sound so loud that even the ground trembled slightly.
"Whose soldiers are you?"
"They're soldiers from the Xinghan Hall!"
"For whom are you fighting?"
"Fight for the rise and fall of our nation!"
Zeng Tai stood in a corner of the training ground, admiring the soldiers who were training, and smiled, "The training is not bad. At the very least, they have achieved obedience to orders."
Jian Yuan, standing to the side, said, "Zhang Wu has indeed put his heart into it. My lord, are you here today to send them out for actual combat?"
'
Zeng Tai shook his head and said, "No, in my mind they are the police. After our army goes out to fight, there will always be someone in the rear to maintain stability and enforce the law."
"Send it out?"
Jian Yuan's eyes lit up, his voice trembling with excitement. "My lord, is it finally time to begin?"
"The ship from Hong Kong has already arrived in Honolulu and will be here in a few days. It's time to expand our territory," Zeng Tai said. "Otherwise, what do you think I came here for today?"
Jian Yuan chuckled and rubbed his hands together: "My lord, I request to be the commander-in-chief. I guarantee that within a few months, I will conquer all the towns and cities in California!"
"Oh?"
Zeng Tai raised an eyebrow: "You're the commander-in-chief? What about my meals?"
Jian Yuan blinked: "You teleport me back every morning, noon, and evening, and then teleport me back after I've finished my work?"
"climb!"
On the training ground, Zhang Wu's training continued.
The more than one hundred people have been divided into twelve classes, with ten people in each class, and have begun today's training under the leadership of their respective squad leaders.
Combat training, marksmanship practice, grenade throwing —
However, due to space constraints, the grenades used for throwing were all practice grenades, the kind without gunpowder.
They practiced like this for an hour until the training ended.
The squads regrouped, the soldiers drenched in sweat but still standing ramrod straight, waiting for Zhang Wu's command.
Zhang Wu walked up to Zeng Tai, stood at attention, and saluted: "My lord, training is complete for today. Please give your instructions."
More than a hundred pairs of eyes turned to Zeng Tai, some with curiosity and some with awe.
Zeng Tai smiled and said, "Let them rest. You did a good job training them."
"yes!"
Zhang Wu turned around and shouted, "Everyone, rest where you are!"
The more than one hundred people finally relaxed. Some sat on the ground panting, some fanned themselves with their hands, and others couldn't stay still and started whispering to each other.
"Was it the last time you came, my lord?"
"Chen Chunsheng, can you please stop repeating the same old things?"
His companion punched him lightly and said, "Our lord hasn't been to the training ground many times, but we do see him occasionally when he's patrolling the streets."
As they chatted, their attention was drawn to two figures walking from the direction of the door.
The one walking in front was named Zhu Zhenyi, who looked to be in her teens and had a spirited face. Following behind her was Ying Jie, who was older, with curved eyebrows and a slender figure.
More than a hundred pairs of eyes all fell on the two women.
But no one dared to make light of the incident, because everyone still remembered it clearly from half a month ago.
There was a guy named Liu Ergou who was beaten with thirty lashes for trying to take liberties with an Indian woman and is now lying in the hospital unable to move.
Zhu Zhenyi and Ying Jie walked past the training ground, bowed and curtsied to Zeng Tai.
"My lord."
Zeng Tai looked at them and asked with a smile, "Oh, it's you guys. Where have you been?"
"Go to the Sixth Guild Hall to send a letter home, and also send back last month's wages," Ying Jie replied, then mustered her courage and asked, "My lord, I have something I'd like to ask."
17
"What is it?"
"After we finish teaching for three years, can we go back?"
Three years is the term of the contract they signed with Xinghantang. It was agreed that they would work for Xinghantang for three years to repay medical, rescue and other expenses.
"cannot."
Zeng Tai refused without hesitation.
Just kidding, there wasn't even time to pull people this way, how could he possibly let them go back?
He looked at Zhu Zhenyi and Ying Jie and said, "I understand that you want to go back. But have you thought about what will happen if you go back?"
The two of them pursed their lips, too afraid to speak.
"You were abducted. In a place like the Qing Dynasty, a young woman who had been missing for so long suddenly returned. You should know what would happen."
"Your parents will be talked about behind their backs, and you yourselves will be the subject of gossip. The Qing government might even come knocking on your door to question you."
Zhu Zhenyi's eyes reddened, but she bit her lip to stop herself from crying.
Zeng Tai's tone softened: "Of course, there are other ways."
The two raised their heads, their faces filled with hope.
"Tell me your home address, and I'll have someone in the Qing government bring your parents over. That will solve everything."
"Isn't it better to be reunited with family and live in San Francisco than to suffer such humiliation in the Qing Dynasty?"
After Zeng Tai finished speaking, he turned and left: "Think it over carefully, and you can also send a few more letters back to ask your parents what they think."
"Jianyuan".
Jian Yuan quickly followed, "My lord, what is it?"
"Call your men together and have a meeting tonight to discuss where to start the attack."
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