The mage in the late Qing Dynasty

The Kaiping Mining Bureau, established in 1878, was not all smooth sailing before the British took over.

To be precise, only the years in the 1980s were the most successful years.

Just like many early-stage companies, when they first started to struggle, everyone focused on various problems.

Because new coal mines use machine mining. Whenever machines are involved, there are endless coordination problems in use, maintenance and later repairs.

With the deepening of mining, problems such as drainage and ventilation have become more stringent, and everyone is even more tired of dealing with them.

At that time, the workers employed by the Mining Bureau were mainly Cantonese.

As for the management, the top management are foreigners, and the middle and lower levels are also Cantonese.

Because people at that time generally felt that Guangdong people were efficient in work and management that were not found in other places.

In 1894, a mining accident occurred in Kaiping Coal Mine, and more than 30 absentees were buried alive.

Because newspapers and communications were not yet developed at that time, the matter was suppressed.

But five years later, a serious water flooding accident aroused concern and concern from all walks of life across the country.

Because at this time conflicts among the management emerged.

Foreign senior managers do not understand Chinese at all.

Cantonese people like to stick together and work together from the management to the workers. Whenever foreign senior managers give orders, they disobey them.

You say your thing, I'll do mine.

This makes it difficult to solve various problems that arise in the mine later.

Coupled with the corruption of the management, it can be said that the Kaiping Mining Bureau at that time was in a money-losing business.

The chief engineer of the Bureau of Mines was changed from Jinda to Andrew Burt, then to Hu Hua, and later to Wilson.

Later, after the coal mine was deceived by Hu Hua, a large number of Guangdong workers and management were laid off.

Now Lin Guijun is one of the few remaining Guangdong management teams.

The official office, general accounting room, labor examination, purchasing, machinery, coal mining, supervisory, miscellaneous and coal sales offices all gathered together and whispered at this time.

Lin Guijun complained to a foreman and coal engineer: These foreign devils, come one after another, you sing and I come on stage. Our workers' jobs are in jeopardy. Now, another Zhao Chuanxin has come to disrupt the situation. I heard that Zhao Chuanxin's desire has stalled. Coal mine, isn't this nonsense? Are you trying to save us or harm us? What's the difference between you and foreign devils?

He raised his index finger and said, Shh...shut down, that Zhao Chuanxin is not easy to deal with.

Why don't you shut up? Lin Guijun suddenly burst out: It's okay if foreigners bully them. If Zhao Chuanxin is paying back the god of war, isn't this bullying an honest person?

He waved his fists and cursed loudly.

The coal engineer next to him suddenly interjected: General Manager Lin, this statement is extremely inappropriate. When the imperial court was running the mine, it warned the General Office of the Tang Dynasty to exercise power on its own and not to let others influence it. Li Zhongtang also said - The coal produced by this bureau is used to supply Beiyang's manufacturing bureaus and warships. If it is handed over to outsiders, there will be many constraints.

It was not until the coal mines were completely controlled by British businessmen that many workers were laid off. As for the culprit, it lies with the British businessmen, not Mr. Zhao.

If Mr. Zhao regains the mining rights, he will have to resume mining operations sooner or later. If he is too hasty, the British will take advantage of the loopholes.

Lin Guijun was already a little over the top. Hearing this, he said to his boss: Look, look, he's become a good old man. After all, he's still a local.

When the coal engineer heard this, his eyes widened: General Manager Lin, how many people in Luanzhou are locals? Aren't they all immigrants?

Everyone came to work from other places and gradually gathered together.

There are very few real locals.

He was aggrieved. He was just discussing the matter. He didn't know where the matter was going to develop, so Lin Guijun jumped to conclusions. However, the coal engineer always respected Zhao Chuanxin, so he said something on his behalf. Unexpectedly, he got burned. .

Zhang Tou is usually on good terms with the coal engineer because they always get together to tease Meng Zi.

But he and Lin Guijun are both Cantonese. Here, their factions have always been known for their unity, but they have restrained themselves after the British businessmen took complete control of the mining industry.

Besides, he is going to get married soon, so he can't let things get complicated.

So at the critical moment, he would still stand in the same camp as Lin Guijun, pretending to be indignant: Yes, what General Manager Lin said is true, as long as Zhao Chuanxin causes us to lose our jobs, he is a villain, no different from foreigners. .”

The coal master opened his mouth, but didn't say anything else.

He still has to rely on this job to support his family.

At this time, Wilson came to the office and said in a strange Chinese language: Managers are here to represent the office.

Everyone quickly got up and followed.

At this time, in order to ease the atmosphere, the coal engineer whispered: General Manager Lin, seeing the darkness in Wilson's hall, I'm afraid something is going to happen.

Lin Guijun frowned: Are you afraid that the disaster star Zhao Chuanxin is coming?

When they arrived at the representative's office, everyone saw Weiying, his face ashen, sitting dejectedly behind his desk.

With so many people coming, he didn't even raise his head.

When everyone was ready, Wilson coughed and reminded: Sir?

Weiying let out a long sigh: What a disaster.

Everyone's heart tightened.

Sure enough, Weiying said bitterly: Zhao Chuanxin wants to seize the Kaiping Coal Mine and close it permanently.

What Zhao Chuanxin said at the time was to hold off the British until they gave up.

Later, because of the bosses of various industries in Yushengxuan, he temporarily changed his mind and prepared to continue mining and fight the British to the end.

But Weiying was unable to resist Zhao Chuanxin's iron fist, but was unwilling to let Zhao Chuanxin take over smoothly, so he had to make a damaging move before leaving.

Mr. Weiying, this, this, this is absolutely impossible... Lin Guijun suddenly became anxious.

If the coal mine is permanently closed, his power will not be preserved, and the high salary of the management will also be lost.

Weiying looked at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle: Everyone knows that Zhao Chuanxin is specifically against us foreigners, harming us and plundering our property. When things come to a close, what can I do?

Lin Guijun asked hurriedly: Mr. Weiying, what did the London headquarters say?

Weiying shook his head: I just sent a telegram to inform the headquarters. Even if the headquarters exerts its force, it is beyond the reach of the whip. Only our British army can check and balance Zhao Chuanxin, but the troops stationed along the railway have just been defeated by Zhao Chuanxin. He has limited time to tomorrow. It was difficult for the troops stationed at the capital and the Tianjin Guard to arrive at the handover of all documents and files and finances at the same time. Start preparing in each room. Zhao Chuanxin has a bad temper. Once the documents and files are ready, pack up your bed and wait to leave.

A group of people hung their heads in frustration.

But Lin Guijun shouted: I don't agree!

Wei Ying was stunned by his reaction.

It's okay to sow discord in advance, but it can't affect the handover, otherwise the butcher can really kill him.

His face darkened: If you don't agree, just go away and don't get paid.

Lin Guijun: ...

After everyone heard this, they could only leave silently.

But after leaving the office, everyone yelled at Zhao Chuanxin.

The bastard Zhao Chuanxin must die a happy death!

Take away my job, we are irreconcilable!

Hmph, it's not that simple. He Zhao Chuanxin is very powerful, but after all, he doesn't know how to mine. He asked me to wait for no reason...

Wilson listened attentively and said with a sneer: You left some Cantonese people behind, but I didn't expect that it would be miraculous now. It will definitely make Zhao Chuanxin miserable.

Weiying gloated: With my suppression, Lin Guijun may not dare to make mistakes. But if we wait for Zhao Chuanxin to come, all kinds of grievances will inevitably break out. Since he wants to continue to mine, if our British army cannot take back the coal mine, we will wait for Zhao Chuanxin to come. Go bankrupt and sell it at a low price to regain it. Don’t forget, he wants to open a mine, and he has an opponent, the Luanzhou Mining Bureau.”

Kaiping and Luanzhou coal mines will suffer losses if they compete at lower prices.

Coupled with people like Lin Guijun disrupting the situation, Li Hongzhang even had the idea of ​​selling it at a low price. If he hadn't been worried about being stigmatized as a traitor, he would have changed hands long ago.

In the end, he burned himself by playing with fire and fell into the hands of the British.

The two smiled at each other and began to tidy up their desks.

…

The next day.

Li Guangzong, who was in Hong Kong Island, suddenly received a call from outside the customs.

The caller was Xu Shichang.

Xingdao, I heard that there are bandits roaming the grasslands outside the Great Wall, killing foreigners without restraint. Could it be related to Zhao Tangong?

Xingdao is Li Guangzong's character.

The last time Xu Shichang contacted Li Guangzong, he was relying on his elders to show off his skills. Hearing that Li Guangzong had no words, he gave one.

Guangzong, taken from Guangzong Yaozu, first came from the Yuan Dynasty song Qujiangchi.

This word in the name is too ostentatious and a bit showy.

Therefore, when choosing a word, you must suppress the edge, but it must also be decent and fit the name.

Li Guangzong was a calm and capable man with a shrewd mind. He had made great achievements in working for Zhao Chuanxin over the years. Those who knew the inside story knew that he was Zhao Chuanxin's number one housekeeper and money bag.

So he already has a place to live.

Therefore, Xu Shichang intercepted the words from Filial Piety: Establish oneself and practice the Tao, become famous in future generations, and show off one's parents, which is the end of filial piety.

Having established oneself, it is time to walk the path.

Walking the road with lofty intentions is far better than Guangzong. This is the true Guangzong Yaozu.

In fact, Xu Shichang also wanted to hold Li Guangzong up high at that time.

Tell him secretly: You are a man of integrity, you can't just make money for your family, you have to think about the overall situation, and you have to help me get rid of the Japanese spies.

Outside the Great Wall, the Qing army searched for the murderers to no avail and made a lot of noise. This style was very Zhao Chuanxin.

In addition, Xu Shichang asked Zhao Chuanxin to do something, and he immediately thought of him.

In fact, Li Guangzong did not receive the news from Zhao Chuanxin, but he read the newspaper, hesitated and said, Governor Xu, did you know that there was a trumpet temple at that time, and an old monk named Xuanchun died? In our Lugang Town , are sensitive to Japanese spies, and I personally believe that Xuan Chun is a Japanese spy. In addition, there are rumors outside the Great Wall that the people who killed the foreigners were Japanese, and it was my husband who put the blame on the Japanese. Although this plan is full of loopholes, the people like to hear about it.

Xu Shichang's call was not about this matter at all.

But he is tactful, and he is criticized by the world for this. Now he has committed an old habit, and he must go around in circles to praise others first.

He laughed: Zhao Tangong acted strangely. He wanted to blame the Japanese, but he was just trying to lure the snake out of his hole. Killing a person in ten steps and leaving no trace behind in a thousand miles, he is the only one in the world who can do this.

Li Guangzong also muttered a few words cheerfully.

It means killing one person in ten steps, but if Mr. doesn't kill ten people in ten steps, he is being merciful.

At this time, Xu Shichang's tone suddenly became solemn: Xingdao, there is something that I need you to calm down.

Li Guangzong was so smart that he immediately guessed that this was Lao Deng's true purpose.

He didn't want to listen, and immediately said: I am a soft-spoken person, no one will listen to me.

Don't belittle yourself!

I have little virtue, but little talent and little knowledge. I really don't dare to take this job. If nothing goes wrong, I'll give up on Governor Xu first.

Wait a minute, Xingdao, I've always known you to be a warm-hearted person and willing to help others. I owe you a favor this time.

Li Guangzong covered the phone and made a sound, Governor Xu, it's easy not to repay favors if you owe them too much.

If you have too many debts, don’t worry; if you have too many lice, don’t bite them.

Xu Shichang paused for a moment: I act in an eclectic way, and outsiders slander me as the 'Crystal Fox'. You can just ask around, I will return the favor.

Really? Li Guangzong rolled his eyes: Then Governor Xu, please tell me.

Ahem, Xingdao may not have received the news yet. Zhao Tan Gong has already reached Luanzhou and is violently seizing the Kaiping Coal Mine from the British merchants. The Kaiping Coal Mine was Yuan Xiangcheng's money bag. It was sold by that idiot Zhang Yanmou. Yuan Xiangcheng had no choice but to do so. But he has been plotting secretly. If Zhao Tangong disrupts the situation, it will ruin Yuan Xiangcheng's major event. Why not persuade Zhao Tangong to stop?

Yuan Datou wanted to solve the problem straightforwardly, but Xu Shichang always liked to outwit him, so he didn't tell the truth at all.

The public case of Kaiping Coal Mine has never been concluded. There are so many right and wrong involved in it. Even if the parties involved are confused, let alone outsiders?

If Xu Shichang lied like this, Li Guangzong would not be able to figure out the truth, let alone contact Yuan Datou to find out the truth.

Li Guangzong was really like this. He hesitated and said: I can only tell you what you said unchanged to your husband, and I will wait for your reply or see the outcome.

Because he knows that Mr. sometimes does things casually, regardless of the consequences, and occasionally makes trouble.

Xu Shichang was overjoyed: Xingdao is really a great person in the world. He is worthy of a big responsibility at a young age...

…

Zhou Xuexi came to Kaiping Mine.

When he arrived at the Mining Bureau, he found no one in the corridor.

It turned out that Weiying and Wilson were worried that something would be revealed, so they rushed the management to the ninth room and refused to let them out.

When Zhou Xuexi knocked on the office door, he pushed the door open and entered with a slightly trembling Please come in.

In the office, Wei Ying and Wilson, who stood up to greet me with nervous and somewhat respectful expressions, were confused: Why are you?

They thought it was Zhao Chuanxin who was coming.

Zhou Xuexi was also puzzled: Why is there no one there? Why is the huge mining bureau so empty? Could it be that all the managers of the nine offices have been dismissed?

Weiying was displeased and asked: General Manager Zhou, why are you here?

Zhou Xuexi took it for granted: Come and hand over the coal mine for Uncle Zhao.

What? Uncle Zhao? Wilson next to him asked confusedly.

Oh... Zhou Xuexi remembered that he heard Zhao Chuanxin's ferocious deeds last night on the road, straightened his back, and said lightly with his nostrils pointing to the sky: Zhao Chuanxin is a close friend of my father, so I should respectfully call him uncle!

I was reluctant to shout at first, but now it seems that I have to go out and shout: My uncle Zhao is passing on the salary.

Who dares to offend him, Zhou Xuexi?

Zhou Xuexi understands that a fox can fake the power of a tiger.

Wei Ying and Wilson were stunned: This...

The two of them said to themselves that you are so damn shameless, it’s a good thing that you can scream out.

Zhou Xuexi saw that the two of them were trembling as if they were scared by a cat. He suddenly became even more proud and waved his hand: Don't talk nonsense. I'm here to hand over the procedures today and take them out for a look.

Cool!

Wei Ying is his old enemy.

Since the opening of the Luanzhou Coal Mine, the two have been fighting each other, fighting each other.

In the price war, Zhou Xuexi had the upper hand at first, but later he discovered that these foreign devils dared to sell coal at a loss and had sufficient funds, which could consume the newly opened Luanzhou coal mine alive.

Zhou Xuexi broke his teeth and swallowed blood.

Now he finally followed Zhao Chuanxin and raised his eyebrows once again.

Wei Ying and Wilson's expressions suddenly changed because they thought of one thing.

Previously, they felt that if Zhao Chuanxin continued to produce coal in Kaiping, he would have a fight with Luanzhou Coal Mine.

But Zhou Xuexi, the general manager of Luanzhou Coal Mine, is here. Is it possible that the two of them want to join forces?

Thinking of this possibility, the two of them broke out in cold sweat.

Before it even started, the plan was broken in half.

Looking at each other, the two of them were a little confused.

You foreign devils are always thinking bad things, so why are you standing still? Get it quickly.

Weiying was afraid of Zhao Chuanxin, so he had to hand over all the information to Zhou Xuexi.

Zhou Xuexi was not polite, pulled a chair, crossed his legs and started reading, humming a tune in his mouth.

He dipped his fingers into his tongue and flipped through the file using the saliva to increase the friction, his legs still shaking.

After watching for a long time, I suddenly heard Lang's voice reciting from the corridor: Soldiers are deceitful. Therefore, they show their inability when they are able, they show their inability when they are in use, they show how far they are when they are close, and they show how close they are when they are far...

Zhou Xuexi couldn't help but look up.

Wei Ying and Wilson looked ugly.

Squeak...

The door opened.

Zhao Chuanxin held a copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War in his right hand and put his left hand behind his back as Shi Shiran walked in.

He put down the book and said cheerfully: Read Sun Tzu's Art of War and live a happy life. Having children should be like Zhao Chuanxin, who can produce one hundred thousand catties of coal every month! My dear nephew, my uncle has given you this wonderful book. You must read it carefully in the future. Study it, it will be good for you!”

Zhou Xuexi: ...

First restore the update time, and then make up for the missing chapters tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and then slowly...