"Brother Kong is joking!" Liu Qingyang smiled awkwardly. He didn't expect that he had just secretly signed an agreement with the American businessman from Jefferson in Shanghai four days ago. Kong Zhang knew about it here. It seemed that there was a mole in his family. . But when he thought about it carefully, it actually didn't matter. After all, there were sixty or seventy large and small cotton merchants in Xinjiang. It would not take ten days and a half for these cotton merchants to form an alliance. Taking a step back, even if they form an alliance, they already have 30% of the raw materials for next year, and the number of spindles accounts for 65% of the total number of spindles in Dashun. Under this favorable situation, what kind of You can only ask the other party to accept it honestly. "But Brother Liu, you have to be careful." Kong Zhang took another sip of wine: "I heard from friends in Xinjiang that there have been more and more Russian businessmen there in the past two years, and they are all purchasing leather, wool and Those who have cotton, I heard that the Russians are going to build a large railway that runs from east to west. By that time, I am afraid that the cotton in Xinjiang will not only be your customers!" "What?" Liu Qingyang's face changed slightly. If so, Kong Zhang said, then the situation is completely different. Xinjiang cotton merchants and wool merchants can completely wait for the price and choose between Russian merchants and the domestic textile industry in Dashun. In 1891, the number of spindles in the Russian Empire was the largest in Europe. In Britain alone (44 million spindles in Britain, 6 million spindles in Russia, slightly more than 5 million spindles in France, 5 million spindles in Germany, and 2 million spindles in the Austro-Hungarian Empire), ten million cotton is processed every year. Seventy-one thousand nine hundred and ninety tons. Such a powerful textile industry is far beyond what Dashun can match. If the railway is built and the geographical obstacles are overcome, the outcome of the competition for Xinjiang cotton will be self-evident. "Brother Kong, where did what you just mentioned come from?" Liu Qingyang thought about it for a moment and decided to understand the details first and then make plans. But he asked twice, but the other person didn't answer. He just sat with his chin in his hands. Liu Qingyang reached out and pulled, only to hear a cooing sound. Kong Zhang had already fallen asleep on the table. It turned out that he had reached the limit just now. "What a good Kong Zhang, why do you always say half of what you say!" Seeing the other party's appearance, Liu Qingyang couldn't help but feel resentful. Chen Zaixing on the side smiled and shouted to the outside: "Come here, help Mr. Kong to the guest room. , Good job taking care of you!" The servant outside the door hurried in and carefully helped Kong Zhang out, who was already drunk. After all the idle people had gone out, Chen Zaixing whispered: "Brother Qingyang, I'm afraid what Kong Zhang said is true. I saw a report in the newspaper when I was in Shanghai a few days ago that the Russian Crown Prince Nicholas went to Vladivostok for a visit. The foundation of the Far East Railway has been laid. "I heard that the land in the Far East of Tsarist Russia stretches for thousands of miles, and is full of forests and ice fields. I'm afraid such a railway will not be built in a short while!" Liu Qingyang asked with a glimmer of hope. "Where there is a will, there is a way!" Chen Zaixing sighed: "When the ancestors of the Russians conquered that ice field hundreds of years ago, the conditions were not as good as they are now. It was possible to do it back then, let alone now. In my opinion, it is better to do it first Be prepared!" "Hey, I didn't expect this!" Liu Qingyang sighed and said in a low voice: "It's true for the imperial court. For so many years, the domestic railways have only been limited to a small amount every year, and our domestic market has never been able to compete. It¡¯s only a small amount of production every year. Look at those old guys who can go through thousands of miles of ice. It¡¯s really amazing!¡± Chen Zaixing laughed: ¡°A few days ago! Your father just killed the imperial court on the national debt, and now he is complaining that the imperial court has not built the railway. It is really difficult for Shen Hongmao and the others to behave!" After hearing what Chen Zaixing said, Liu Qingyang couldn't help laughing, and he shook his head. He shook his head and asked: "Fu Xing, speaking of railways, how are your railways prepared now?" "Construction will start in January next year, stop during the rainy season, and then continue in September. It is planned to be completed and opened to traffic in 1894." Chen Zaixing laughed. With a smile, he pulled out a map from the leather bag beside him: "After the Yunnan-Myanmar Railway is opened to traffic, the next step is the railway from Kunming to Guilin. As long as Kunming and Guilin are opened to traffic, the flow of people and logistics from Myanmar to the mainland can be First, it leads to Guilin by railway, then to the north, you can take the Lingqu Canal to enter the Xiangjiang River, then pass through Yongzhou, Hengyang, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, Changsha, enter Dongting Lake, and then enter the Yangtze River directly to Hanking; to the south, you can take the Li River, Enter the Guijiang River through Yangshuo and Pingle, pass through Zhaoping, and reach Wuzhou. From Wuzhou, you can enter the Xijiang River to the east, go straight to Guangdong, and go to the sea from Guangzhou; you can go upstream to the west, and go straight to the hinterland of Guangxi, without being blocked by the British. Now, this game of chess has truly come to life.¡± After hearing Chen Zaixing¡¯s ambitious plan, Liu Qingyang¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but shine, and he naturally understood the meaning behind it all. In the past, the main mode of transportation from Dashun to the Indochina Peninsula was by sea. Since Singapore, which controls the Johor Strait, has become a British colony, and the British have absolute superiority at sea, the sea route has become very unstable and unsafe. , so even if China is in Southeast AsiaWith its expatriates and huge economic advantages, it can only watch as it becomes a source of raw materials and a market for products for the Western European powers. There is no other reason. Although the Western European powers are thousands of miles away, their huge advantages in shipping allow them to invest a large number of troops at any time to effectively control this wealthy peninsula. Under this premise, neither overseas Chinese nor local kingdoms Possibly on the side of a losing side, even in the Kingdom of Burma, the British were given the two provinces that were the richest and closest to the sea. But with the completion of the Yunnan-Burma-Kunming-Guangxi Railway, the situation was completely different. This channel connected to the Yangtze River system allowed Dashun to send 100,000 troops and their heavy equipment from Hanking to Mandeb within 30 days. Le, and there is no need to worry that this road will be cut off by the enemy. After all, no matter how powerful the British Empire's armored ships are, they cannot climb onto the land to cut off this passage. The British Empire must deploy troops from colonies around the world to this remote corner. Whether on the European continent or elsewhere, the British Empire has no shortage of old enemies with long-standing grievances. In this case, it doesn't take a good mind to know who the final winner of this competition is. The cruel law of distance once again plays its indisputable role here - the balance of victory will once again lean towards Dashun, and Dashun can even touch the most beautiful jewel in the Queen's crown - India. Since ancient times, the road from Myanmar to India has been an important shortcut into the Indian subcontinent, and on this ancient land, countless ethnic groups and religions live. If the Dashun Empire is serious, it will not be difficult to find potential rebels. "Resurrection, it seems that Dashun's hope lies in the south!" Liu Qingyang's voice was not loud, but he was shaking like a patient suffering from a fever. "It's hard to say whether it's north or south, but from now on, it's more beneficial to go south!" "Yeah!" Liu Qingyang nodded, and immediately realized that his old friend never did business at a loss, so this How could it be that if he abandoned his career in Burma and came all the way to Hanking, it would be without a purpose? Thinking of this, and then connecting what happened in Hanking these days with the prospects he just mentioned, the facts are ready to come out. Thinking of this, Liu Qingyang smiled slightly and said: "Could it be that Fusheng came to Hanking this time to take advantage of the more than 20 old ships?" "Sure enough, I can't hide it from you!" Chen Zaixing smiled slightly: "Yes, from Mandalay As for the access to Hanking, after the Yunnan-Burma Railway is completed, it will be the Kunming-Guizhou Railway, and then there will be the waterway from Guilin to Hanking. Whether it is a ship or a ship repair yard, I have nothing on hand now. This time Hanking I¡¯m bound to get that shipyard and old ship!¡± ¡°You have such a big appetite, you want to eat from the beginning to the end of the meal, and you won¡¯t even leave any leftovers for others to eat!¡± Liu Qingyang said half-jokingly, half-seriously! He smiled and said: "If this matter comes to pass, I'm afraid that the business community in Dashun south of the river will have to look at Brother Chen's face to eat!" It¡¯s just a chess game, otherwise when the railway is completed, everyone will know the value of this waterway and it will be troublesome if they want to intervene again!" At this point, Chen Zaixing smiled: "If Brother Liu is interested, you can also come and participate! You and I are also old friends, and there are a lot of things we can talk about. " Liu Qingyang's eyes flickered, and he did not immediately respond to Chen Zaixing's proposal. He naturally knew the great prospects of Chen Zaixing's plan, but the prospects were only temporary. Actually, actual benefits are another matter, and it¡¯s hard to say who gets the big bucks in this plan and who pays for nothing. Businessmen like Chen Zaixing, who have money, guns, and deep connections in the political world, must be treated with caution. If they are not careful, they may be swallowed down to the bone. "Brother Chen, it's still too early to discuss this matter. We might as well wait until the Yunnan-Myanmar Railway is opened to traffic!" Liu Qingyang smiled and walked around: "As for the purchase of ships and ship repair yards that Brother Chen said, Our Houde Bank will not interfere, but at the same time, we also asked Brother Chen to make concessions on the import of teak and Burmese rice!" Chen Zaixing frowned slightly. He did not expect that the other party was on the Myanmar-Hanjing Road! As a condition for cooperation, Chen Zaixing was required to make concessions in the import trade of grain and teak. According to Chen Zaixing's advance thoughts, the proposal he had just made was mutually beneficial. Who did Liu Qingyang have to ask for further concessions on the rice and teak trade? You must know that these two trades are extremely important sources of revenue for Shunhua Company and the Kingdom of Myanmar. At this time when one penny can be broken into two cents and used, it is absolutely impossible for Chen Zaixing to make concessions. Thinking of this, Chen Zaixing's face also turned cold, and he said lukewarmly: "What Brother Liu said is that the Yunnan-Myanmar Railway has just started, so it's too early for me to consider shipyards and old ships! "Having said this, Chen Zaixing yawned: "I've been tired from traveling these past few days, and I've had a few glasses of wine, so I'm a little tired."?I¡¯ll take my leave today! "Having said this, Chen Zaixing stood up, bowed his hands to his opponent, and walked straight to the outside.