1855 United States Tycoon

After finalizing the basic cooperation intentions, Takashima solemnly raised a question to Scrooge:

"Mr. MacDonald, I heard that Changzhou or Satsuma also sent personnel to contact your company. Is there such a thing?"

"There are indeed some other Asians contacting us lately. Well, Elizabeth, who have come from Asia recently?" Scrooge asked.

"Mr. MacDonald, first of all, the representative of Governor Li from Manchuria, he brought a contract for the purchase of a rifle production line and a set of steelmaking equipment. Then there were some Arab and Turkish businessmen who ordered some heroin from the company. Then there is a businessman from Japan. He offered to buy a batch of Dali pills from us. This business is not big and the amount is very limited, so it just filed the record without telling you."

"What kind of Daliwan? Is it a military version?" Takashima asked quickly.

"Part of it is," Elizabeth replied.

"Mr. MacDonald, you may not know that behind this Japanese businessman are the Nagasu clan and Satsuma clan. These two clan are prone to rebellion. So I hope you can control the transaction with them." Takashima said .

"Mr. Takashima, this matter may not be as you wish." Scrooge said solemnly, "As far as I know, even in Japan, the status of Nagasu and Satsuma is legal, and is obtained. It is recognized by your shogunate. Even in Osaka, where your shogunate is located, there are a large number of merchants doing business with Nagasu or Satsuma. Since the shogunate even does business with merchants within its own jurisdiction and Nagasu Satsuma. No prohibition, why do you have such an unreasonable request to me? Don’t say that they come to order some drugs, that is, ordering weapons is completely legal. I have no reason to refuse. If the shogunate wants to cooperate with me, Don't make these ridiculous requests that may even bring serious consequences!"

"I'm sorry! I asked too much!" Takashima immediately apologized, because Takashima knew that the shogunate was the weaker party in this transaction, and the weak had no such power.

"Well, I can forgive you for being unreasonable this time, but don't have another one!" Scrooge said.

"Hay!"

"Mr. MacDonald, didn't you say that the customer is our God?" After the negotiation, Elizabeth suddenly asked Scrooge, "Why are you so harsh on the Japanese today?"

"Oh, this situation is different." Scrooge replied, "There is a premise to say that customers are God, that is, the state of the market is a buyer's market. Today is different. In this market, we are strong. In fact, when dealing with uncivilized or semi-civilized countries, we are naturally the strong side. When we are strong, we must use the strong. In addition, you have to know that Japan is a class In severe places, they are accustomed to being humble to those in high positions and harsh to those in low positions. But when they come to us, they face a problem, that is, they can’t find the position of own. At this time, if you be strict with him, He will think that you are a superior person and will be very courteous. On the contrary, if you are too polite and tolerant to them, he will unconsciously think that you are a subordinate person and become arrogant. On the contrary, he will make all kinds of troubles. So, if I explain euphemistically, it may be more troublesome, because the person in the upper ranks does not need to listen to the explanation from the lower ranks. And I beat him so hard and told him that I was angry and the consequences were serious. So he I know the position of the owner, and then I say that he will not be held accountable for his failures, and he will be grateful for my generosity."

"Is there such a person? Isn't that too cheap?"

"Yes, slut is hypocritical."

After more than a month, Takashima returned to Japan with the cooperation intention he had finalized with Scrooge.

"Takashima-kun, you have worked hard." The shogunate's important minister, Kaishu Kai, was very satisfied with the draft agreement he brought back. Well, indeed, it not only bought much-needed weapons, but did not sell Japan’s sovereignty. It could even alleviate the trouble caused by too many people in the country who could not eat. Moreover, the wages paid by the United States were not directly paid to the Japanese workers. , But to the shogunate. In this way, the shogunate might still be able to make a fortune from this. Anyway, hiring those poor ghosts in the country who don’t even have a surname doesn’t need to spend any money at all. They just need to tell them that they can have food when they go abroad. Absolutely enough. Well, no, maybe you can take the opportunity to get those poor ghosts to pay the registration fee.

"The general is very satisfied with your performance this time." Sheng Haizhou said, "How is it? How does it feel to go to United States?"

"Teacher, it was shocking. If you don't go out for a walk, you won't know that the gap between Japan and the world is already so big." Takashima replied respectfully.

"Well, tell me what you saw."

"Hay!"

"Jiro, is there any food in the family?" Michiko said helplessly to her husband.

"Baga! There is no more food!" Sasaki Jiro was very embarrassed. Sasaki is a low-rank samurai, and nowadays the life of samurai is very difficult. When Sasaki's father was on holiday, there were some rice balls to eat at home, and occasionally, once a year, there was still a fish on the table. It's just that it's completely different now. The price of rice given above is always very small, and often in arrears, but the price of rice on the market is often frighteningly high.

The taste of an empty stomach is really bad, but there is no way to stay at home. Sasaki hung up his own sword and went out to see if he could borrow some money from those black-hearted merchants. Well, last month, I even taught the boss of Kikyo Wu Libing who tried to blackmail him on the street. Now it is not a problem to ask him to borrow some rice, right?

There are people everywhere on the street, and everyone's face is starving to death. Today only those merchants have food to eat. Well, just like Libing of Kikyo, he has long since stopped doing business with Kikyo. It seems that he has started a business with ghosts. Now life seems to be going well. I heard people say that this guy has rice balls every day at home. This is really...Even these humble merchants have food, but the dignified samurai master is going to starve.

At this time, Sasaki suddenly discovered that many people were running towards the vegetable market.

"What happened?" Sasaki thought. But since so many people ran there, of course it made sense, so Sasaki didn't think much about it, so he ran over there with his legs open.

At the door of the vegetable market, there was a notice posted, and there was a table next to it, and several people were sitting there talking. There were already people around them, and Sasaki squeezed in. A man who was squeezed aside by Sasaki was about to curse, but when he saw that Sasaki was a samurai with a sword, he shut his mouth again.

"The role of samurai status is only a little bit left." Sasaki's retreat did not make Sasaki happy, but rather led to such a sigh of literary style.

But now is not the time to sigh, Sasaki continued to squeeze in. He inserted the samurai sword in his hand with the scabbard through the seam of the person, then pulled it hard to pull the person away, and then squeezed in.

"What's the matter? What's the matter?" Sasaki asked.

"America club recruits workers, including food and housing, and ensuring that they are full. Can they earn ten catties of rice for the family every month?" someone said.

"Really?" Sasaki was quite moved, but, damn, he was a samurai, how could he be a hired hand, it would be humiliating, it would be better to cut his belly.

"Unfortunately, the training fee of 20 catties of rice is required to go. Of course, it will be deducted from the salary after the election... Ah, it is Sasaki-sama." The man turned his head and recognized that it was Sasaki. Said, "My lord, there will also be recruiting guards and supervisors. I heard that the conditions are better, and they are limited to samurai."

"Really?" Sasaki's eyes lit up suddenly, "Where?"

"Say it's..."

"On the side of the agency." Said Torujiro, who was looking after the script.

"Thank you!" Sasaki hurriedly squeezed out the crowd and ran towards the town hall.

There are a lot less people on the agency's side. After all, there are only samurai here.

"Sasaki? Do you want to go to America too? It's far away. It takes a month to get on a boat from a United States. I don't know when I will be back after this. And I listen to people." Say, there are a lot of savages in that place, they will eat people. If you don’t make it well, you won’t be able to return. That’s why the supervisor requires a samurai, and the salary is so high. If you really can’t come back, how can you call Michiko? Do it." The civil servant named Qing Bingwei of the Acting Official's Office said in a whisper.

"Kiyobei, you also know my situation." Sasaki said, "Today's Lumi is not enough to support me. If I go to America, I can really give my family 25 kilograms of rice a month, even if it is. The last rice, it’s better than I don’t know now. Today’s days are really hard to live on. I’m a samurai and I can’t do a lot of things. If you don’t try America, you’ll really starve to death. It’s home. Well, can you choose me this time?"

"Yes. You must be able." Kiyobei ​​said, "Sasaki, your Sword Technique is so good, it must be no problem. And this is the first batch, and there are not too many people who can make up your mind like you."

"Hope, but the era of Sword Technique has passed." Sasaki said, "Master Dragon Horse said that now is the era of firearms. Otherwise, the samurai will not be reduced to this. Oh, if I leave. , Help me take care of Michiko."

"Don't worry, Sasaki, we are friends, yours... Your business is mine. Your wife, I will take care of you." Kiyobei ​​said.

Thank you for reading this story at mtlarchive.com. Your support enables us to keep the site running!