Yi Zhizuo proposed to let all countries establish concessions in Shanghai in order to quickly build Shanghai with the help of the funds of various countries. Of course, they would not make a fuss on the land. In that case, it would definitely not be worth the loss. However, the land in the northern suburbs of the county town was acquired by Yuanqi, so he could not do a loss-making business.

He immediately smiled and said, "The price of land rent is naturally based on the market price, but the deposit must be paid. The annual rent fluctuates with the market price, as for the years." After pondering for a while, he said, "It can be extended infinitely. Whoever rents first will have priority under the same conditions. At that time, we can sign a lease contract."

This was the first time Ghani and Zezile heard about the concession. Seeing Elliot so interested, Zezile hurriedly asked, "What's the situation in the concession?"

"It's similar to the shopping malls in Guangzhou." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "But countries have a high degree of autonomy over the concessions. Simply put, the internal autonomous management of concessions in various countries - such as municipal construction, taxation, police, engineering, transportation, health, public utilities, education and other functions, are decided by each country, and our country will not interfere.

However, countries are not allowed to station troops in the concession, and do not send officials to the concession to manage them. The management of the concession can only be an organization like a city hall established within the concession."

Ghani and Zejile both lit up their eyes. This is not something that can be compared with Guangzhou’s shopping malls. It is obvious that the concession and the shopping malls are not the same as each other. After hesitating, Ghani said: “Can’t it be limited to the concession activities, right?”

"Of course not. The provisions of the Jiangning Treaty are very clear and will not restrict the freedom of foreign investors to operate in trading ports." Yi Zhizu said patiently: "The reason why it is proposed to establish a concession is because there are huge differences in religious, cultural, language and customs between the East and the West. If you live in China and the foreign countries, it is easy to cause unnecessary disputes. Of course, having a concession, the life safety and property safety of banks, merchants and citizens of various countries in Shanghai can also be sufficiently guaranteed."

Elliot asked slowly, "Is there any restrictions on the territory of the concession?"

"Of course, there must be." Yi Zhizu smiled and said, "Your country has strong financial resources. I am worried that your country will divide all the outer space into concessions, and it will be temporarily limited to 3,000 acres. If there are too many people coming to Shanghai to settle down and there is a need for expansion, you can apply again."

Three thousand acres! This territory is not small. After all, Shanghai is just a small county town with a radius of nine miles. Elliot pondered for a moment and said, "Can you copy this map?"

Yi Zhizu said with a smile: "I will have someone copy this map and give one to each of the three."

In the next two days, Elliot was enthusiastic about the on-site survey along the Huangpu River and chose the location of the concession. He was very clear about the potential of Shanghai, a trading port. Once the railway was built, it would definitely become the largest and most prosperous port in the Far East, and even Guangzhou could not be compared. Therefore, he had to be cautious about the choice of the concession.

Garni and Zejile were also unwilling to fall behind and investigated everywhere. Both of them attended the signing ceremony of the Jiangning Treaty. Naturally, they knew that Shanghai was going to build a railway, knew Shanghai's development potential, and knew that Yi Zhizu was interested in attracting merchants from European countries to come to Shanghai for trade.

Yi Zhizu ignored Elliot and the other two, but arranged for guards and translators to accompany him. After formulating the innovation plan for Jiang Customs, he began to be busy with the overall planning of Shanghai. Although he had never been exposed to the plan, he had a vision that surpassed this era for more than a hundred years and a personal experience of modern cities. Although it was impossible to improve it, he would never take a big detour.

That afternoon, he was busy in the study. Li Wang came in and reported: "Young Master, Elliot is here."

"Let him come now." Yi Zhizu said without raising his head. After hearing the footsteps, he put down his pen and walked forward, smiling and said, "Do you have any eyebrows?"

"It has been decided initially, but it will be decided only after discussion." Elliot said without hesitation: "The place is located in the land south of the Suzhou River in the northern suburbs, with nearly 3,000 acres. As your country's largest trading country, I hope Mr. Yi can give priority to us in that place."

"No problem." Yi Zhizuo said with ease. English has the largest fist, the highest degree of industrialization, and the richest. How could he not give priority to English? After a pause, he said: "Your country has established a concession in Shanghai, and there is something you need to consider."

"Mr. Yi, please tell me."

Yi Jingzu said slowly: "The sequelae of the war is that your country provoked this war because of the raven and film trade, and once attacked and looted Shanghai, Baoshan, Jiading, and Kunshan. Moreover, our country is vigorously banning smoking. The gentry, merchants and people near Shanghai are extremely hating for your country. I hope your country can consider reversing this impression, otherwise it will be detrimental to your country to establish concessions and build railways in Shanghai."

English has many overseas colonies, and Elliot naturally understood this point. He pondered a little and said, "Does Mr. Yi have any good suggestions?"

"Reliance for the victims." Yi Zhizu said: "Your Excellency also saw that tens of thousands of victims gathered in Shanghai and Baoshan, and most of these victims would stay in Shanghai in the future. In addition, a water plant for Shanghai and a few streets or wharfs were built with cement. In this way, it would inevitably win the favor of local gentry, merchants and people."

Elliot frowned and said, "This can cost a lot of silver dollars."

"Your fleet has not collected a lot of city redemption gold, but Yangzhou alone is 500,000 silver dollars." Yi Zhizu looked at him and said, "This is just one of my suggestions. You may as well suggest it after you return to your country. I really hope that your country can consider it in the long run."

Elliot felt that he had fallen into another trap, and it was a big trap. After meditating for a while, he nodded and said, "I will seriously consider Mr. Yi's suggestion."

As soon as Elliot left, Bao Shichen hurried over and handed over a report from the residence: "Dongweng, the emperor appointed Qiying as the Minister of Trade in Nanyang. He just received the express report that Qiying had set off from Jiangning and would arrive in Shanghai soon."

"Southeast Trade Minister?" Yi Zhizu said and took the newspaper.

The full name of the Minister of Commerce of Nanyang - the Minister of Commerce of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong. In addition to managing negotiations, commerce, coastal defense and other affairs at the trade port, it also supervises coastal defense, trains the Nanyang Navy and Army, and organizes industrial, mining and transportation industries.

After reading this appointment, Yi Zhizu frowned, "The court wants to build a navy and a new army? Where does the imperial court get the money?"

Bao Shichen laughed and said, "No need to say it, it's naturally the idea of ​​fighting Yuanqi, otherwise the Qin Emperor would not have rushed to Shanghai."

Yi Zhizu said with some confusion: "What's the situation with this Qiying? Why did the mansion report arrive? Others have arrived in Jiangning?"

"Dongweng may not have noticed it." Bao Shichen said: "There was already published a few months ago. General Shengjing Qiying was transferred to Jiangning General. He should have just arrived in Jiangning a few days ago."

Yi Zhizu nodded slightly, pondered for a moment before saying, "Qiying, is it a royal family? Zai Quan's group?"

"The full name of Qiying - Aisin Gioro Qiying, Zhenglan Banner, the sixth-generation grandson of Dora Yongzhuang Belmuerhazi, and his father was Lu Kang, a scholar from the University of the East Pavilion of Jiaqing Chao." Bao Shichen said slowly: "He is a good clan, but he is a Mu Party. Like Qishan, he belongs to the core of the Mu Party."

Another member of Mu Zhang'a's group? Yi Zhizu couldn't help but secretly complain that Zai Quan and Pan Shien were really cowardly. Even the good opportunity of the Ministry of Revenue Bank Banking and Custody Case failed to trample Mu Zhanga, and even let the members of the Mu Party serve as ministers of Nanyang! The Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is Qishan, the Minister of Nanyang is Qiying, and they are all from Mu Zhang'a's party, the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang is Deng Tingzhen, and the Governor of Liangjiang is Lin Zexu. It seems that he will inevitably be involved in the party dispute.

After lit a cigar, Yi Zhizu asked, "Jiying is so anxious to come to Shanghai. Is it because he plans to set up his imperial envoy headquarters in Shanghai?"

"There is this reason." Bao Shichen said: "However, there should be an edict to reward Dongweng and Yuanqi's soldiers."

It seems that Daoguang is also very troubled about how to reward him and the Yuanqi group training. The decree of rewarding civil and military officials who participated in the Battle of Jiangning has long been issued, but he and the Yuanqi group training were late, and fortunately he got used to it.

However, he was still a little interested. How would Daoguang reward him? He was the first to be the battle in Jiangning. Yuanqi's team won the battles in a row, with brilliant results and outstanding results. However, he finally led Yuanqi's team to evacuate Jiangning without authorization, and did not participate in the final peace talks and signing ceremony. Daoguang must be a little angry.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Bao Shichen whispered: "Dongweng must be prepared. The court may incorporate Yuanqi Tuanzheng into the military commander."

Yi Zhizu picked up the newspaper and saw that he was on the line of supervising coastal defense and training the Nanyang Navy and Army. Since the court set up a Nanyang Minister of Commerce and clearly proposed to train the Nanyang Navy and Army, he was afraid that it would be possible to include Yuanqi regiment training in the formal organization. How should he deal with it?

After a while of silence, he sighed softly: "If Yuanqi Tuanlian is included in the imperial court's classics, it will be abolished."

After hearing this, Bao Shichen was quite puzzled and said, "The imperial court spent more than 10 million yuan a year. If it is not enough, it is still okay to allocate one or two million Yangyuan Qi Group Training."

"It's not a matter of money." Yi Zhizu glanced at him and was unwilling to say more.

Three naval warships and an official ship slowly sailed into the Huangpu River at the high tide. The bow of the official ship in the middle was in his early fifties and with long beards, looking at the direction of Shanghai County with a gloomy face. Although the Minister of Trade in the South China Sea was far more powerful than the General Jiangning, he knew very well that this Minister of South China Sea was not easy to be a minister. Although he had been the Minister of Lifan Academy and the Minister of Rites, he had never dealt with foreigners.

He had no experience in the negotiations, trade and coastal defense of the merchant port. He had no experience in the construction of the Nanyang Navy, which was even more unexplained by the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the court did not allocate a tael of silver, so he had to rely on Yuanqi, or to be precise, rely on easy contentment, but that guy was not a good master. If he had chosen, he would rather be the leisurely general of Jiangning.

"Sir Qi, you're about to arrive in Shanghai County?" An old man who was nearly 60 years old and a little thin, wearing a long ink green gown walked over slowly and asked casually.

"It's still early, it won't be there in a while." Qiying said, turning around and said, "Lord Zhuo is coming out for some breathing, too?"

Zhuo Bingtian smiled and said, "As a minister of Southeast Asia, he also has the position of holding industrial, mining and transportation industries. He is working on the British to build the railway from Baoshan to Shanghai. What does Lord Qi think?"

It is indeed the responsibility of the Nanyang minister to hold the industrial, mining and transportation industry. Daoguang wrote it clearly in the edict. However, Qiying did not take it seriously at all. The court can now say that it is so poor that it can't be blamed. He also holds the industrial, mining and transportation industry. I don't know what Daoguang thought? Anyway, he never thought about it.

He heard this, he shook his head slightly and said, "I can't figure it out. I don't know what that guy Yi Zhizu thought. If it were me, I would have asked the British to build a railway from Shanghai to Suzhou. Baoshan has no need to connect to a railway."

Zhuo Bingtian looked at the river bank and said for a while: "Yi Zhizuo was born in a business family and had a unique vision. It would be of great significance to let the British build this railway for free."

Qiying didn't know about Yi Zhizu. He was appointed as General Shengjing in the 18th year of Daoguang. He has been in Shengjing in recent years. This time he went south and heard a lot about Yi Zhizu, but he heard from him. However, he knew that Zhuo Bingtian had a relationship with Yi Zhizu in the capital, and immediately said, "It seems that Lord Zhuo has a good understanding of Yi Zhizu."

"I think that this railway should be built by Yuanqi." Zhuo Bingtian said slowly: "Yi Shisu's abacus has always been used to make a sensation. How could he not know the benefits of the railway connecting Suzhou?"

"Why did Yuanqi build the railway from Shanghai to Baoshan?" Qiying said in confusion: "This is meaningless at all."

Zhuo Bingtian couldn't figure it out, so he immediately changed the topic, "How many days will Mr. Qi stay in Shanghai?"

He looked at him in surprise, and Qi Yingcai said, "Didn't Lord Zhuo think I'll stay in Shanghai?"

Zhuo Bingtian smiled and said, "Shanghai is just a county town, so how can we stand under the imperial envoy of Lord Qi?"

This was obviously something in the words. Qiying immediately reacted and said tentatively: "Mr. Zhuo, what kind of wind did you hear in Jiangning?"

Zhuo Bingtian shook his head slowly and said, "Yi Zhizu can control Yuan Qi at a young age, and in Jiangning, he dares to withdraw his troops without authorization. If Lord Qi is stationed in Shanghai, would he plan to follow his advice?"

After hearing this, Qiying stroked the long beard under his jaw. Although he was a minister of Southeast Asia, the court did not allocate money and almost everything was determined by Yishi. The little guy was obviously an independent and very strong and bold person. If he really wanted to stay in Shanghai and didn't want to be underestimated, the two of them would inevitably have a quarrel. I would really consider this matter carefully.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhuo Bingtian said slowly: "The court wants to build a navy, and Shanghai and Wusong are not suitable for military ports."
Chapter completed!