"The sales of opium, the influence of Jardine Matheson in Guangzhou, and a wharf that we protect."
Chaddon was clearly invigorated; everything Li Boyang had mentioned was exactly what he wanted: "Young man, what do you want me to use to make a sound?"
"10,000 Enfield rifles, ammunition for the guns, relevant military instructors, and a loan of 3 million taels of silver."
Chad shook his head and said, "Young man, you want too much. It's not a fair exchange. Business is about win-win situations, but I feel like I'm losing out."
Li Boyang smiled and said, "This loan will be used entirely to purchase relevant equipment from Jardine Matheson, for example, to set up a factory."
“Oh?” Chadton nodded and said, “Loans require collateral. What do you have to offer as collateral?”
Li Boyang said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "The Baozhilin brand is the best collateral, and the profits from opium sales will be used to repay the loan."
"Young man, deal."
For Chadun, this money was like money flowing from one end of the pen to the other, which was the fundamental reason why he agreed to Li Boyang's conditions. Otherwise, he would not have agreed to Li Boyang's cooperation.
However, for Li Boyang, what matters is not the money, but what the money can buy. So he doesn't care who the loan is spent on, as long as it brings him what he wants. As for the price, he might be at a disadvantage, but he doesn't care too much.
It was originally a business of getting something for nothing, so why ask for more? To put it simply, this deal was about Chadton recognizing Po Chi Lam's strength and thinking that if he invested a little, he could win the Guangzhou market, and if he lost, it wouldn't matter much, as he would only lose some goods at cost price, which was insignificant to Jardine Matheson.
"You're so young, now let's talk about how you'll use this loan."
"We want to open a clothing factory and an arms factory that produces Enfield rifles. We need you to provide the raw materials and equipment for the first phase of production."
The Enfield rifle was the standard rifle of the British Army. At that time, it was still a muzzle-loading rifle, but its performance was very stable. It may not be the most advanced at that time, but it was certainly the most stable muzzle-loading rifle.
This was a decision that Li Boyang had considered for a long time. The importance of the arsenal was self-evident; it was the lifeline of any warlord. More importantly, the arsenal could generate huge profits in this era.
"There's no problem with the clothing factory, and I can provide the rifle production line, but an arsenal isn't something you can just open whenever you want; your court needs to approve it first."
"Rest assured, the imperial court, we have the connections to handle it."
At this time, the Qing court was carrying out the Self-Strengthening Movement. As long as the governor of Guangzhou was appeased, there wouldn't be much of a problem with the court's attitude.
"OK, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
Chadun didn't let Li Boyang continue; in his view, the value of the two factories was enough to offset the loan.
The negotiations with Chaton were much easier than expected. Clearly, Chaton was eager to extend his reach into Guangzhou. However, the original interests in Guangzhou had already been divided up, and it would not be easy to forcibly take a piece away. Now that someone had brought him a ladder, he would definitely take advantage of it.
For Li Boyang, extending the reach of the militia in Foshan into Guangzhou was inevitable, and this process would certainly affect the interests of those with vested interests. Everything depended on the strength he possessed.
The two did not discuss the details. Once a cooperation agreement was reached, these minor details would naturally be handled by their subordinates.
That same day, Li Boyang returned to Foshan with Aunt Thirteen and Yan Zhendong.
Jardine Matheson acted swiftly. After his subordinates completed the detailed discussions, the contract was signed, and within three days, the Enfield rifles and foreign instructors were delivered to Foshan, along with a large quantity of opium. The factories, however, were not so quick. The arsenal's production line needed to be shipped from Britain, which would take at least three months to arrive. The clothing factory, on the other hand, could have its equipment delivered as soon as Li Boyang selected a location.
The instructors brought by Jardine Matheson were all retired naval officers employed by Jardine Matheson. They were exactly the kind of talent Li Boyang needed most, and they would be responsible for teaching the militia how to use firearms and the tactical skills of a modern army.
Through channels controlled by local militias in Foshan, the opium brought by Jardine Matheson quickly flowed into the Foshan market, bringing back substantial profits.
After recruiting and expanding their ranks, the militia has grown to 3,000 members.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. With the help of foreign instructors, the militia had undergone a qualitative change. At least they had mastered firearms and had become the first modern army in the country.
Foshan has completely become Li Boyang's territory. To put it bluntly, as the militia grows stronger, if Li Boyang is not happy, the imperial decrees cannot even leave the governor's mansion.
For the past three months, he has been practicing martial arts diligently every day, spending his afternoons handling the affairs of Baozhilin, and his evenings studying martial arts classics. Perhaps even he himself is unaware that his personality is slowly changing. Perhaps it is because of his long-term high position and his initial mastery of martial arts that his behavior has unconsciously made people obey him.
It was already evening when, in the militia's training ground, three thousand militia soldiers were fully equipped and ready to go. Li Boyang stood on the platform of the training ground, with Huang Feihong and Yan Zhendong beside him.
Li Boyang smiled contemptuously as he looked at the note Yan Zhendong had brought back.
"Qinghe Gang".
"White Cloud Gang".
"Yuexiu Gang".
"There are no fewer than thirty gangs of all sizes in Guangzhou. It's really chaotic."
"Old Yan, are all the gang addresses on this note accurate?"
“I personally scouted these locations one by one in Guangzhou, sir, please rest assured.”
"Alright, Master, give the order."
Having suffered a series of blows from the previous events, Huang Feihong was utterly disillusioned with the Qing government. If he had been struggling with his inner turmoil before, now, seeing the pairs of admiring eyes looking at him from below the stage, he roared, "Brothers, let's go!"
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Chapter 18 Marching into Guangzhou
The militia of three thousand men left Foshan in batches under the cover of night.
Under the cover of darkness, they marched all night and finally arrived outside Guangzhou at three o'clock in the morning.
Unlike inland cities, Guangzhou had no city walls, which was a good thing for the militia that launched a surprise attack on the outskirts of Guangzhou under cover of night.
“Boyang, the militia brothers have been marching all night. Shouldn’t we let them rest?”
"Take a half-hour break and have all officers above the platoon level come to my office for a meeting."
Li Boyang nodded and, naturally, instructed Yan Zhendong to pass on the order.