Before 1900, the family relied entirely on compradors to operate the industry in China. There is no doubt that there were almost no people in the Norman family who were really engaged in Chinese affairs except Bonan. However, after 1900, as the family continued to expand their business, they even participated in the loans from China-Russia Dosheng Bank, Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank, and Citibank in the United States, and a large number of China Tongs entered the family to serve. It was at this time that Tran entered the family. With the three major banks that invested in the loans to BGI, many of the original Russians and French were transferred to the Norman family. Through compradors, the family controlled a large number of Chinese raw materials such as raw silk, tea, rare earths, mines, etc. The raw silk alone alone, the family imported more than 60 million US dollars from China every year, and copper.

120 million US dollars. In fact, China became the largest comprehensive supplier of raw materials for the Norman family. In this case, compradors who are large and small depend on the family appeared, and even these compradors who are dependent on the family surpassed those who are second-rate countries in China, such as Germany, who are second-rate countries in China. The reason why they have not attracted the attention of the great powers has largely been attributed to the family's joint holding strategy. For example, German Lihe Foreign Company, the Norman family owns 30% of the shares, while Zhonghe Foreign Company and Mitsui Foreign Company each hold 50% of the shares. At that time, the eight foreign companies in Shanghai had an average of 23.7% of the shares. Because of very few absolute controls, the great powers did not pay too much attention. This also made the family own a large amount of resources in the Chinese market...

The Grand Shanghai Hotel is a very famous hotel in Shanghai. It often organizes cocktail parties and salons all night long. Countless dignitaries and dignitaries shuttle between salons and cocktail parties. Today, a small banquet was held here. Although it was not conspicuous at the Grand Shanghai Hotel, it was obvious that there were many so-called people participating in this cocktail party, about 20. Most of the people did not wear suits, but wore silk shirts. In the entire hotel, the entire hotel was full of suits and tuxedoes, which seemed very alternative. So many waiters came to watch. Of course, most people were very sensible after seeing the visitors, and after seeing the faces, they were very sensible and fled. Only those who had to stay for service barely did not leave.

"Everyone, please be quiet." Chen Siyuan, as the convener of the banquet, stood up from the chairman and said loudly. If it were someone else, he would have been dragged down and beaten up long ago. However, Chen Siyuan's position in the Qing Gang was transcendent. The current Qing Gang boss would call him a senior brother according to his seniority. The law enforcement elder of the Hong Gang was sworn brother with him back then, and many of the Qing Gang's hall masters also had close relationships with him. In his capacity as he summoned these people who were just deacons on the third and fourth levels in their respective gangs, naturally no one dared to take advantage of him.

Soon, the buzzing sound below disappeared. At this time, Chen Siyuan smiled and looked at the bosses who were considered his disciples and said.

"Everyone, you know that I, Old Chen, have been washing my hands for a long time, and I shouldn't interfere in this world anymore. But I have short staff and short population. I believe that those who are a little more informed should know that Old Chen has now become the executive director of the China branch of the American Gulf Company (a subsidiary of Kyle Investment Company controlled by the Norman family, mainly participating in investment in high-risk industries in Asia). Our company's first project in China is the spinning mill in Nanjiao. Everyone also knows that the place in Nanjiao is actually an

The broken houses of the red guys, our company wants to buy the bad houses of these people, who knows they are not happy. They don’t even see that this land is our company long ago, and the company is just unwilling to drive them away for the sake of reputation. These red guys are still in the face. Everyone is from some brothers in the southern suburbs. I ask you to help you with this little favor. I wonder what you think?" Chen Siyuan understands very well that the company’s strategy of strengthening the dragon and not suppressing local snakes is very correct for Shanghai, so he mainly focuses on winning over these gangster issues.

"Brother Chen, please always explain to me if you have anything. We brothers from the Green Gang should be careful not to listen to the person who calls you. Whoever doesn't listen, I will destroy him first."

The person who said this was Du Zhengjun, the owner of the Green Gang Poison Snake Hall, nicknamed the Grass-Headed Snake. He is famously vicious and sinister in the Green Gang. However, Du Zhengjun still respects Chen Siyuan, after all, his seniority is there. It is obvious that there are foreigners to support him, so I believe that this kind of person will not offend him. Besides, Chen Siyuan was originally a member of the Green Gang. Although he is known as the Golden Basin Washing Hands, no one knows that this old man was also famously vicious when he was young.

“Just…just…”

Other leaders with lower positions in the gang also echoed

"Okay, everyone knows that the Nanjiao is very big. This time, the first phase of the factory alone requires 5,000 workers. If those red guys are willing to move, we will naturally arrange jobs for those people in the factory. It is better than the begging every day now. Those who are unwilling to move will have to persuade you. I also hope that the project can start smoothly. Everyone knows that I have a small company that is a construction company. I will build the factory this time, and I hope everyone will take care of it. I also know that Nanjiao is a famous poor place, and you have no fuel there. I will give you a lottery ticket here first. Not much is more than 200,000. I believe everyone will let my small company start smoothly."

"Chen Siyuan is really rich. He took out more than 200,000 yuan to buy us at once. I don't know who is the big boss in this company." Many people here have this idea.

Afterwards, Chen Siyuan and many leaders exchanged cups and chatted until after three o'clock in the evening.

At this time, Bonan was discussing how to train the armed factory guard team in a newly purchased office building of Qingri Company, a subsidiary of the Bay Company in Shanghai, with Peter Will, a training officer from the United States (the industry of the Norman family) from the United States in a new office building.

"Will, this team requires not to hire mercenaries like you. Your training method may not be able to pick one out of 10,000 people in China. Their main character is to deal with the local Chinese party forces that do not cooperate with us. Do you understand?" Bonan's positioning of this team is also very accurate, and they do not need to fight like soldiers.

"Mr. Bonan, please rest assured that the 500 soldiers we trained can deal with at least more than 2,000 Chinese Communist Party members, and sweeping the party forces across the Shanghai Beach is not difficult."

After Peter Will arrived in China, he had been searching for information about China. He found that even the largest local gang in Shanghai, the Qing Gang, had no more than 900 people in combat, and his equipment was even more backward. He even had fewer light weapons such as pistols and rifles, and his firepower was even worse than the robbers in the vast deserts of the western United States.

"Okay, Will, it depends on you."...

In less than a week, Chen Qimei's permission to form the Nanjiao Armed Factory Protection Team was taken by Bonan. At this time, Bonan began to formally recruit members of the Armed Factory Protection Team with Will. Regarding the selection criteria for the factory protection team, Will and Bonan still had differences. Bonan suggested selecting from those with original party experience, but Will strongly opposed the joining of the members of the association. Because these people not only had various bad habits such as gambling and drug use, but most of them retained close ties with the original party and could not be completely reliable. In the end, Bonan made concessions and let Will go to select members.

At this time, the southern suburbs of Shanghai also underwent an unprecedented large-scale migration. Anyone who is unwilling to move will be "harassed" by those gang members. This kind of harassment is of course the statement of those gang thugs. If it is more accurate, it is a naked life threat or even a killing. An elderly man who is unwilling to move will be taken off by these gang thugs and runs for two blocks on the street until he is dying, allowing those who are unwilling to move to see the consequences.

The practice of killing chickens for monkeys seems very effective, but it can easily cause these people to deteriorate sharply in the minds of local people. The result of this deterioration is that those almost impoverished people can easily accept the compensation for their daily life and can also move in the factory to work in the future. It is precisely because of this that some young people who were originally coolies but lost their chances of working because of moving became the first members of the armed factory protection team. There are only three conditions for Will to choose the factory protection team members.

1. You must not participate in any party organization. Relatives do not have a party identity.

2 No bad behaviors such as gambling, drug use, etc.

3 family parents or wives work in the Qingri factory in the future

These three actually not only cut off any possible connection between these people and the Society, but also controlled their families almost as hostages within the Aoiri Company.

On January 7, 1912, the Qingri Company, the Shanghai Branch of the American Gulf Company, started construction in the southern suburbs of Shanghai. Attendants included Mr. Cooper, Mr. Norman Bonan, the President of Qingri Company, Mr. Marinov, the Russian Consul, as well as Mr. Chen Qimei, the Shanghai Governor, and Mr. Chen Siyuan, the Chairman of Zhongtian Construction Company (a construction company established by the Norman family). Almost all the journalists in Shanghai attended the report on the same day. Moreover, Chen Siyuan also organized a small press conference.

"Hello, ladies and ladies. Today, the groundbreaking ceremony of Qingri Company, a branch of the US Gulf Company in Shanghai, is a great honor for the elites of the greater Shanghai to attend."

"Mr. Bonan, what is the future development direction of Qingri Company?" asked a thin reporter with glasses.

This person Bonan knows, and is a reporter from a newspaper friend of Chen Siyuan.

"The large open space in the southern suburbs shows the huge scale of this factory, and this factory is also very likely to become the largest textile factory in Shanghai. I wonder if I am satisfied with my reply." Bonan smiled and answered

"Mr. Bonan, did you have many unpleasant things happen until you relocate in the southern suburbs? I am a reporter from Shanghai Ta Kung Pao."

"I'm sorry, since Qingri Company has just been established, our company has subcontracted all from relocation to construction to Mr. Chen Siyuan's Zhongtian Company. Our company is not aware of what happened in the middle."

Bonan still maintained a standard smile on his face, but he had long greeted the 18th generation of the reporter's ancestors. At such press conferences, he always asked questions, and it was obvious that Bonan had long thought that someone would ask. I'm afraid that few people in Shanghai would dare to ask Chen Siyuan for trouble, so he would just let him take the blame.

"Mr. Bonan, I don't know why the Gulf Company still entered China during the civil war? I am the reporter of the declaration."

The reporter who asked this question undoubtedly made Bonan's eyes lit up. Maybe he was not a beauty, but according to Bonan's view, it had a very oriental charm. Although his so-called oriental charm is often ridiculed by Falcao for his glasses growing on his butt.

"This beautiful lady, you know that it has been more than a day since our company has carried out this plan, and we don't think the state of civil war in China will last for a long time. Okay, thank you for coming today. I think Mr. Tran will answer the remaining questions. I still have something to do, so I'm embarrassed to say goodbye."

After Bonan finished speaking, he didn't give other reporters a chance, so he got into his car and drove all the way...

After the groundbreaking ceremony, of course there will be a cocktail party, celebrities, and socialites. However, Bonan, who is not very interested in these things, will leave the venue for future Qing Ri executive director Chen Siyuan to deal with those Chinese bureaucrats.

On the 6th floor of Qingri Company, there are three guests in Bonan's office. They are Mr. Cooper, the US Consul General in Shanghai, Mr. Carlson, senior military counselor of the US Consulate in Shanghai, and Cao Xiuyun, the comprador of the Norman family in Northern China. Cao Xiuyun came here mainly because Bonan asked him to report the situation he had in-person. In the past, telegram transmission not only was not safe, but it was also impossible to discuss. Originally, Mr. Cooper did not have to attend this meeting, but since he had tied himself to the Norman family, he naturally could not let go of any opportunity to gain the trust of the other party. Moreover, his identity as the US Consul General also asked him not to let go of any news about Northern China and Southern China.

"Dear Mr. Bonan and Mr. Cooper, the news I brought from Beijing is actually almost the same. Since Yuchen conquered Xuzhou, he was hit in the Zaozhuang area, so he did not continue to move forward but stopped there. Although a mutiny occurred in Xuzhou during this period, he still effectively controlled his army..."

"Okay, Mr. Cao, I hope you can talk about something about Beijing. Of course, someone else will tell us about the south. We even know how much money the Nanjing Government Finance Department still has, so you don't need to talk about the south."

Cooper interrupted Cao Xiuyun impatiently

"Yes, yes. As far as I know, Beijing may dispatch troops from Shanxi to form a new southward detachment. Beiyang determined the plan to transfer four battalions into Jinan. In this way, in Shandong, the Beiyang Army can mobilize nearly 20,000 troops, which is comparable to Yuchen. And the person who commands this unit is Wang Shizhen, the first person in Beiyang."

"It's Mr. Cao, you can even know about the rough military operations in Beiyang. It seems that Mr. Cao spent a lot of money to inquire about these things. He is really concerned about the work assigned by Mr. Falkao." Bonan still held the teacup and said while tasting the tea.

"This was actually told by a distant relative who was the confidential secretary in the General Chen Huan of the General Staff Headquarters. Of course, what he said was unintentional, but I just heard it intentionally. Mr. Bonan, thank you for your praise. In addition, I learned that Yuan Shikai might buy someone to assassinate Liang Bi, the leader of the Zongshe Party. Now the Qing Dynasty in Beijing is relying on Liang Bi to support it alone."

Bonan's cup gently touched the cup and plate, making a crisp sound.

"You can even find out such a confidential matter so clearly that it can be seen that Mr. Cao's power in the north has really reached a omnipresent level. I wonder if Mr. Cao is still serving others at the same time?"

At this time, Bonan began to doubt how could a comprador know about such a top-secret incident that only a few people knew about.

"Please rest assured by Mr. Bonan. Although I, Cao Xiuyun, are just a comprador, I know how to repay my kindness. If you hadn't been to your kindness in me back then (Bonan had been stationed in China for a long time from 1895 to 1900), how could I have what I have today? And this news is a coincidence. The captain of the guard surnamed Wang accidentally heard from the little soldier, and the captain of the guard is also my person, so I could know about this."

Looking at Cao Xiuyun's statement, neither Cooper nor Carlson believed it. Only Bonan knew that Cao Xiuyun was telling the truth. If this candidate had not been for him, he would have been frozen to death by the winter in Beijing. Although he had made a lot of money for himself over the years, he had always done the things arranged by the family. Bonan's understanding of the Chinese people was far higher than that of Cooper and Carlson.

"Okay, Brother Xiuyun. It seems that I am suspicious. You will have to worry about the family's affairs in Northern China in the future. You should also go back as soon as possible, especially to collect news about the Beiyang Army's actions against Yuchen."

Whether it is Cao Xiuyun or Cooper, they can see the change in Bonan's attitude towards Cao Xiuyun from the change in this title.

"Yes, Mr. Bonan. I know that I will live up to your hopes. I will go back to Beijing now."

Cao Xiuyun immediately left Bonan's office and set foot on the steamer back to Beijing. However, he probably did not expect that Liangbi had been assassinated by Peng Jiazhen before he arrived in Beijing. Liangbi's death also made the abdication of the Qing Dynasty inevitable.

"Mr. Cooper, I hope you can have some contact with Yuchen, a young general, if you have the chance. You know that the family I represent is very optimistic about this general now. If he can support the open door policy, I think the big men and the President on Capitol Hill would be very happy to see American companies enter the territory of the former British people."

"Please rest assured by Mr. Bonan. As the Consul General of the United States in Shanghai, I also need to make appropriate contact with this general who now has considerable power in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Since even Mr. Bonan is so optimistic about this general, I feel it is more necessary to go to Xuzhou to meet Yuchen in person. But I am frankly frank, I am not particularly optimistic about Yuchen. After all, in terms of military strength, Yuchen is far from being strong in Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Army. Then I will take my leave first."

Cooper nodded to Carlson and Bonan and walked out of the office

"Carl, what do you think of Cooper? How about asking him to contact Yuchen?"

Only then can we see that the one who is truly trusted by Bonan is Carlson, an old man who has worked for the family for more than 10 years.

"Mr. Bonan, IMHO. Cooper may be a qualified diplomat, but he is definitely not a qualified politician in China. He lacks basic political sensitivity and his understanding of China's actual political environment is too shallow. This is why he has not met Yuchen until now. Because he believes that the one who truly unifies China will still be Yuan Shikai from the north."

Carlson spent Cooper's shortcomings without considering face to his boss

"Okay, Carl, I think you can also contact Yuchen Group if you have the chance. I believe your judgment is more accurate than we all."

"Okay, Mr. Bonan, I'll say goodbye too."...
Chapter completed!