1890 King of Southeast Asia

Unexpectedly, the attack on Sasak Island and Sumbawa Island was met with great resistance, and the main force of resistance was the Malay natives on the island.

"Yiming, do you have a grudge against them?" Deng Shichang asked Liu Yiming, looking at the savages who refused to retreat despite the artillery fire.

"No, on the contrary, I provide these people with food and accommodation! Where can I find such a good thing?" Liu Yiming said shamelessly. During this period, thousands of field laborers on Java Island have died in road construction and mining.

Deng Shichang did not speak, but thought of the way he had come. Apart from the docks, there were few natives on Java Island. However, Deng Shichang did not say much. More than 10 million square kilometers of land was not influenced by Confucianism. Any period of national integration is full of blood and tears, including foreigners and Chinese people.

"Well, it seems that it will take some time. It should not be extinguished in a short time." Liu Yiming said speechlessly, forgetting to calculate the fighting will of the natives. After all, the fighting power of the natives on this land has always been very poor. And deep into the island, there are dense forests. Who can remember the talking tree?

"Aren't you going north? When are you going?" Deng Shichang was a little anxious, after all, it would take time to return.

"According to the time, it's almost time to set off." Liu Yiming looked at the calendar, thought for a while and said.

"I'll send someone to accompany you, and report the situation to the Lord Zhongtang." Deng Shichang said.

"Okay, someone will lead the way, so you won't be turned away." Liu Yiming said with a smile.

Deng Shichang still had to command the fleet, and it was impossible to give the command to Nanhua, so he decided to send the first mate of the Zhiyuan ship back.

That afternoon, after the army landed, Liu Yiming took Xu Hui and Chen Jinkui to follow the empty transport ship back to Sishui, where they took a cargo ship to the north.

The journey was calm and there were no pirates, which gave up Liu Yiming's desire to play with the 37 guns. After all, the shells cost money, and there were limited numbers on merchant ships, so it was not easy to play with them casually.

On April 20, Liu Yiming and Chen Jinkui arrived at their destination, not Lushunkou, but Tianjin. It was closer to the Zhili Governor's Office, but Lushunkou was a bit far away.

"This is the first time for me to step on this land and get down to earth!" Liu Yiming said to Xu Hui beside him with a smile after getting off the boat. There was just something different in his smile, but no one noticed it.

"This is my first time here too." Xu Hui looked around, and it was also his first time to step on this land.

"How does it feel?" Liu Yiming looked around the dock, and the first impression he had was chaos. As the first port in the north, it was extremely chaotic, with hunched-backed laborers everywhere.

"It's a little chaotic, but the future is promising." Xu Hui gave a good evaluation.

Liu Yiming knew that Xu Hui saw the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, which was large and inappropriate, but Liu Yiming didn't say much, and even Li Hongzhang couldn't change this situation.

"Let's go, don't get in the way here." Liu Yiming pulled Xu Hui onto a low-key carriage.

The carriage creaked forward. Liu Yiming's carriages in Nanhua were all shock-absorbing, and they were four-wheeled carriages. At the same time, this type of carriage has gradually become the mainstream in Nanhua.

And what about the current die Qing? Not to mention shock absorption, it was still a two-wheeled carriage. Liu Yiming was a little unaccustomed to the bumps, so he opened the curtain and wanted to get some fresh air.

At this moment, a foul smell suddenly rushed into Liu Yiming's nose, and he almost vomited.

"Xu Hui, didn't you smell it?" Liu Yiming looked at Xu Hui next to him in surprise.

"Isn't this a normal smell?" Xu Hui asked in surprise.

There were various distinguishable smells in the air. Although the construction of Tianjin Wei had taken these things into consideration, and there were also special manure collectors, the sudden concentration of a large number of people since the opening of the port had already exceeded the limit that the city could carry.

But this is normal in many cities. Liu Yiming recalled carefully that it was similar in Sishui when he was a child, but the situation stabilized later and the Liu family moved to an area with beautiful environment.

Liu Yiming felt very disappointed and stopped looking outside the car, but he still felt that the stench was around him.

"Okay, you can look outside now." Xu Hui said to Liu Yiming who seemed to be carsick.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Liu Yiming felt a little dizzy.

"We passed the dock area, it's better here." Xu Hui said.

Liu Yiming opened the curtain half-heartedly, and sure enough, the smell was much better, without the smell of multiple identification and complex fermentation.

"My two nobles, I'll ask you to rest here today. For the sake of confidentiality, I'll arrange a meeting with the Lord Zhongtang in two days." The driver outside said.

The driver was an old Huai Army soldier, the most trusted old soldier of Li Hongzhang. This house had nothing to do with Li Hongzhang. To be precise, this house belonged to Liu Yiming, a fifth-rank official who was "exiled" to Shanghai Road and gave it to the descendants of his best friend Sun Yanshan.

Except for the house, everything else was requested by Liu Yiming. The person who handled this matter had to be credible, so credible that they could be friends for life and death. Li Hongzhang was also afraid that the court would know about it. Although it would not be a big deal, the less trouble, the better, right?

"Huh~" Liu Yiming stepped into the house, or the mansion.

"This house is a gift from the Lord to the noble. In this critical moment, my brothers need to protect the safety of the adults. Please forgive me." An old man about fifty years old said.

"Old man, please tell the Earl that Yiming thanks you." Liu Yiming was polite. As for protection and surveillance? Liu Yiming didn't care. With things developing to this point, Nanhua must not lose. If it loses, the first one to suffer is Li Hongzhang.

After a night of rest after a long journey, Liu Yiming had time to look at this mansion, which covers an area of ​​about 20 acres. To be honest, although the location is not very prosperous, this mansion is big enough! The decoration is also antique, and there is a small pond with a rockery in the middle. The most rare thing is that this mansion has wires and electric lights installed.

"It seems that Lord Li attaches great importance to you." Xu Hui said with envy. He also wanted such a house, especially Tianjin Wei in April, which still has a bit of spring flavor, which Java does not have.

"Let's go, go out and take a look. Here." Liu Yiming handed Xu Hui a hat with braids and put one on himself. In order not to attract attention, he had to do this.

"Why go out? Don't you have to keep it a secret?" Liu Yiming is not a person who likes to wander around. Xu Hui knew this little secret and felt guilty about it.

"Research, Tianjin has been open for more than 20 years. It is not only the largest port in the north, but also the core of Beiyang. It is still very useful for evaluating the strength of the Qing Dynasty." Liu Yiming said.

In fact, Liu Yiming is still a little confused, not for himself, but for the Qing Dynasty. In every earth-shaking change, in addition to heroes, there are more civilians who are crushed into powder.

For example, the revolution initiated by Sun Dapao and completely launched by the Literature Society was an incomplete revolution. It was not until 1952 that the revolution was completely victorious, and it was basically victorious in 1949. In this process, at least 100 million people were lost. (Natural growth reduction and war casualties.)

Therefore, it is necessary to understand the present and understand it on the spot.

"Let's go." The two changed into a set of jackets and wandered around under the escort of a dozen guards.

First, we took a carriage to the commercial street. The research needs to be multifaceted, and economic research is the top priority.

"Although there are many people and the business is prosperous, I always feel that something is missing." Xu Hui looked at the people coming and going on the street. The flow of people and goods was quite large, but he felt more and more that something was wrong.

"Spirit! Five out of ten people are at a loss. Even if they are busy, they don't know why they are busy. The income from work is only enough to feed and clothe. Day after day, there is no end in sight. If you change, what would you think?" Liu Yiming said.

"It was actually the same in Sishui in the past. The difference is that you can make money in Sishui, but it is not necessarily your own. The more money you make, the more panicked you are, for fear that the natives will come in one day." Liu Yiming added.

"Let's go, continue." Liu Yiming did not stop and continued to move forward.

Gradually, the prosperity became less and less, the streets were not so flat and clean, and the beggars next to them became more and more, even in groups of three or five. But the overall situation was also peaceful.

The sun was at its highest point in the sky, but Liu Yiming did not stop, but continued to move forward until he came to a market.

"This!" Xu Hui was so surprised that his mouth could not close.

"Slave market... something that has nothing to do with civilization." Liu Yiming looked at the situation in front of him calmly.

Ragged clothes were already the better class among slaves, and being naked was the norm. They stood under the straw shed with dull eyes, waiting for people to choose.

"Since you are here, let's see it." Liu Yiming greeted Xu Hui calmly.

As they moved forward, they saw more and more, and Liu Yiming became calmer and calmer. He kept recording something in the notebook. The guards around him didn't know that these two people didn't come here to buy anything, but just to look, but they didn't dare to ask. Before coming, the general explained that unless the noble asked questions, they would not hear anything, let alone tell others.

Liu Yiming's way forward stopped at the door of a tall building. This was also the place for slave trade, but it treated slaves better and more generously. Regardless of gender, they all had clothes to wear, and some were well dressed and looked good. It depended on the situation and the food was OK.

But Liu Yiming suddenly couldn't control his emotions, because this place mainly sold young children! Liu Yiming walked in and didn't see anyone over twelve years old.

"Yiming, don't be impulsive!" Xu Hui persuaded Liu Yiming, fearing that Liu Yiming would be impulsive.

"Huh~" Liu Yiming took a deep breath, and then shouted to the waiter who was timid and didn't dare to step forward, "Call your shopkeeper!"

The waiter saw that this man had more than ten guards and knew that he was not easy to mess with, so he rushed into the inner room, "Shopkeeper, there are big customers!"

The waiter didn't think anyone would come to make trouble. With this business, it is no exaggeration to say that the prince couldn't move!

After a while, a man with a wealthy figure, a friendly face, and a good-looking person ran in hurriedly.

"Sir, I'm He Shun, the shopkeeper of this store. I heard you wanted to talk business with me?" He Shun said with a smile.

"Well, that's the case. What's the price for these young boys and girls?" Liu Yiming endured and said in a tone that even he was surprised.

"Oh, sir, you have a good eye. This is a good product in our store. Look at this girl, she is so pretty. If you buy her home and train her a little, hey..." He Shun showed a look that you know.

Liu Yiming also thought he was perverted enough. He maintained his moral bottom line, and now he didn't explode directly, it was all because of the responsibility on his shoulders.

"Name a price." Liu Yiming didn't dare to look at this person, he was afraid that the Colt revolver couldn't help it.

"I won't cheat you. Look at this girl. I've raised her for many years. Let's do this. One price, fifteen taels!" He Shun was not happy, but he knew that these people usually wouldn't buy alone.

"What about this young boy?" Liu Yiming asked again.

He Shun showed an expression that I understand. Liu Yiming almost vomited. How could such a kind face make such a disgusting expression?

"This, you know, there are many people who like this, and this kind of goods is also hard to find. One price, two hundred taels. You see..." He Shun asked with a smile.

"How many do you have here, all of them." Liu Yiming asked.

"Here are 31 boys and 280 girls, but the prices are different. How much do you want?" He Shun's eyes lit up. This is a big business! Last time, there was a sacrifice and bought seven pairs of boys and girls.

"All!" Liu Yiming knew that he was not rational enough and his actions would encourage this kind of arrogance, but asking Liu Yiming to ignore it? That wouldn't work.

"Okay, where is your house? We'll deliver it to you." He Shun said with a red face.

"Girls are eight taels, boys are one hundred, and they will be delivered to Liu's house in the south of the city." Liu Yiming said coldly.

"This..." He Shun wanted to say it was impossible, but the captain of the guard suddenly threw a sign to him.

"Oh~ We are a family! Didn't you say it earlier? We'll deliver it to you right away, and please lead the way, big brother." He Shun saw the sign and immediately changed into a flattering look.

Liu Yiming didn't say much, and he didn't bring much money when he went out, saying that he would deliver it in two days.

Liu Yiming continued to investigate, and the more Xu Hui looked, the more irritated he became.

"Let's go back!" Finally, Xu Hui said.

"Okay, let's go back!" Liu Yiming didn't care that he hadn't eaten for a day, but Xu Hui couldn't hold on any longer, and the guards were better, but they were limited.

Four carriages were called, and more than a dozen people took the four carriages and returned to Liu's house.

"Old man, what is the sign you showed him today?" Liu Yiming asked.

"Oh? It's Prince Gong's sign. That store should have Prince Gong's shares." Perhaps he felt that there was nothing to keep secret, so the guard said it all.

Liu Yiming did not ask further, but started a conversation, talking about everything, from the rise of the Huai Army to the present, and perhaps to the future, this old Huai Army has been there.

Passing by a restaurant, he booked two, ordered meals for more than 300 people, and left one person to lead the way, and the rest returned to Liu's house.