Prepare for a private army! Wu Bingjian looked at Yi Zhizhi with a calm face, he knew that this kid wanted to create a huge company with its own territory and military strength like the British East India Company, in several conversations between the two, the other party did not hide his yearning for the East India Company, and when choosing a site for Yixue, he also faintly revealed this meaning.

After a little hesitation, he spoke: "Contentment can be regarded as taking one step and seeing three steps, but you want to use the righteous school to prepare for the establishment of a private army?" ”

"Pinghu Gongmingjian." Yi Zhishu said unabashedly: "If it is still peaceful today, if you want not to arouse the vigilance of the local government, you can only set up a righteous school under the guise of charity." ”

"It seems that contentment has been decided for a long time." Wu Bingjian said: "Can you tell me more about it?" ”

Yi Zhixiang glanced at him and said, "Pinghu Gong doesn't seem to be opposed to preparing for a private army?" This is a conspiracy to rebel and punish the nine clans. ”

Hearing this, Wu Bingjian seemed to feel a little funny, the corners of his mouth tugged, but he didn't laugh, he groaned slightly, and then he said: "Contentment is in its prime, but the old man is about to enter the ground, the Wu family's great cause is true, your Yi family will not be able to use it for a few years, and it will not be inferior to the Wu family, you are not afraid of contentment, what is the old man afraid of?" ”

After a pause, he continued: "Contentment asserts that a war will break out in Qingying, and the world will be in chaos, these days, the old man is also pondering, since Jiaqing, there has been the rebellion of the White Lotus Sect, and then the rebellion of the Tianli Sect, and there are also riots of the Miao people, and the riots of the Yao tribe, and the waters near Guangdong and Fujian are also unstable, and pirates are frequent.

Since Daoguang succeeded to the throne, there was a rebellion of Zhang Ge in the west, a rebellion of the Yao people in the south, and a rebellion of the Yao tribe in the south. If the Qing-British War is inevitable, the world is really in chaos. ”

"Crows in recent years. Smuggling is becoming more and more rampant, the outflow of silver is intensifying, and the key to whether war will break out in Qingying is in the next two or three years. Yi Zhishu slowed down his tone and said, "The construction of the new Yixue is estimated to be completed until next year, but I don't want to wait until the completion of the construction of the Xinyi School to start recruiting students." ”

Wu Bingjian frowned slightly, and said, "What are the plans for contentment?" ”

"In the name of doing good, take in all the beggars and homeless people in Guangzhou and its nearby prefectures and counties, and this silver will be given in the coming down, but it must be done in the name of Yuan Qi and the Thirteen Lines." Yi Zhishu said slowly: "If you buy all the wasteland and fields around Xinyixue and distribute them to beggars and homeless, if you add a protective circle to Xinyixue, it will be difficult for outsiders to approach Yixue, and it will not be easy to spy on Yixue's movements, and all the children and teenagers in it can be gathered together for training and enlightenment." ”

"It's a great move." Wu Bingjian said: "However, in the name of Yuanqi Bank, it is enough, why bother to pull the thirteen lines?" ”

"There are too many owners of Yuanqi, and not everyone is willing to do good." Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "In the name of Yuanqi and the Thirteen Lines, it can be said that the owner of Yuanqi is doing good to the Thirteen Lines, and it can be said that this move is to enhance the reputation of Yuanqi, anyway, the merchants will not care about Yuanqi's actions."

In addition, it is out of the need for training, the students of Xinyixue will learn firearms in the future, and the movement of firearms live-ammunition training is too large, so they can only go to the desert island at sea to train, which requires a large number of sea ships, and the students of Xinyixue also need a reason to go to sea frequently, which requires the help of thirteen lines.... ”

Practice firearms? The private army that is being prepared to be based on firearms? Wu Bingjian glanced at him and said, "What is the reason for the Thirteen Lines to go to sea frequently?" ”

"Forming a merchant fleet to go to sea for trade, in the name of training sailors and sailors." Yi Zhizhi said in a deep voice: "To prepare for the establishment of a private army, the sailor is indispensable, the thirteen lines must form a merchant fleet, there is a huge merchant fleet, one can advance and retreat freely, and secondly, it is also out of the needs of commerce, the thirteen lines can't always sit at home and wait for business to come to the door, we should also go out and see." ”

After a pause, he continued: "The relationship between Pinghu Gong and Qichang Foreign Company is very good, and the younger generation wants to order ten cross-ocean armed merchant ships from the United States, two of which are preferably fast clippers, and the tonnage of all merchant ships is better than 1,000 tons, and it is better to be able to exceed 2,000 tons, and try to ask for delivery within three years." ”

Wu Bingjian glanced at him and said, "Armed merchant ships? Why not a battleship? Is contentment ready to form a merchant fleet to trade with Citigroup? ”

"It's not the right time to buy a battleship." Yi Zhizhi said: "Armed merchant ships can not only train but also trade, and the two are not wrong, besides, we really need to strengthen trade with the United States."

As far as the current world pattern is concerned, if you want to contain Britain, the best partner is the United States, although the United States is a new country, but it is ambitious, is expanding rapidly, especially important point, the United States attaches importance to business, attaches importance to new technology, has a perfect political system, this is incomparable to the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, by strengthening trade with the United States, we will be able to acquire a lot of technology that cannot be obtained from the British, such as steelmaking and ironmaking, firearms manufacturing, warship manufacturing, navigation technology, industrial technology, and so on.

Strengthen business and trade exchanges, establish a good relationship, this is only the first step, in the future Yuanqi will also open a branch in the United States, we will open companies and factories in the United States, and send a large number of personnel to the United States, only truly integrate into the United States, in order to obtain the most advanced technology in their various fields, the formation of a merchant fleet to trade in the United States, is only the first step. ”

Listening to these words, Wu Bingjian couldn't help but feel greatly, in the Thirteen Lines, in Guangzhou, in the entire Qing Dynasty, no one has a deeper understanding of the vigorous development of the United States, from the 49th year of Qianlong The first merchant ship of the United States, the "Empress of China" entered Guangzhou, in just 50 years, the United States has become the second largest trade object of the Thirteen Lines, among them, the Jardine Bank under his control has an indelible contribution, and it is the support of the Jardine Bank that spares no effort to make the Qing Dynasty and the United States trade develop so rapidly.

Now, Yi Zhifen attaches more importance to the United States than him, which makes him very pleased, and immediately said cheerfully: "Contentment can have such ambitions, how can the old man not support it, the matter of buying the merchant fleet, the old man personally came forward to negotiate with Qichang, and besides, the Wu family is also a part of the merchant fleet to the United States, and the Wu family also buys ten sea ships." ”

"The younger generation Xie Pinghu is loved." Yi Zhishu said with a smile: "In addition to sea ships, there are also firearms, since Qichang Foreign Company can smuggle crows. Naturally, you can also smuggle firearms, this matter has to be discussed in detail with Qichang Foreign Bank, there is nothing to do today, it is better to send someone to invite the owner of Qichang Foreign Bank to ....... ”

"Who said there was nothing to do today?" Wu Bingjian glanced at him and said, "Your Excellency the Governor has sent someone to deliver a message, I want to see you in the evening, and the matter of Qichang Foreign Travel, let's talk about it tomorrow." ”