Chapter Fifteen "Honeymoon" Ends

  "Lu Rongting, also known as Ganqing, was originally named Yasong. He was born in 1859 in a Zhuang family in Leixiong Village, Wuming County. In his early years, he wandered around due to poverty and orphanhood. Later, Tan Taiyuan, a ferry worker, took a liking to him and married his daughter to Lu. Soon after, Lu gathered many young people along the Sino-Vietnamese border, robbing French guns and property, becoming the leader of the "Three Points Society" and a private salt smuggler, with over 100 followers calling themselves "righteous thieves". After the outbreak of the Sino-French War, he continued to rob and attack French troops in the border area. The French asked Su Yuan-chun, the governor of the border region, to ban Lu Yasong's activities. He was then pardoned and renamed Lu Rongting, with the courtesy name Ganqing. Due to his repeated bloody suppression of the Huizhou uprising, he continued to rise through the ranks. After the Xinhai Revolution, he reluctantly agreed to follow the Republic. Then, Yuan Shikai usurped power and implemented a dictatorship, and the Second Revolution broke out, but Lu Rongting insisted on supporting Yuan Shikai and firmly advocated for moving the provincial capital from Guilin to Nanning."

  "What's the point of telling me this?" Zhang Yu wiped down his beloved car, which was about to be left behind. As for him, he estimated that this trip to see Lu Rongting wouldn't have him coming back, and it was definite.

  "I'm worried, aren't I? The governor of Liuzhou has been staying at his home as a guest, obviously under house arrest by Lu Rongting. This Mr. Sun's second revolution is like lighting a fire across the whole country, and Guangxi will also be affected, so this guy probably wants to get rid of Liu Guxiang and others to prevent Liuzhou from falling into the hands of the revolutionary party..."

  "What do you mean? This time we're just here to watch the show, and Lu Rongting will let us have two bloody heads to take as a peace offering. I feel like we're walking into a trap!!" Zhang Yu slammed the car window with his hand, then snatched the investigation report from Zhang Yusheng's hands. "Liu Guoxiang is indeed a good revolutionary, and he was overjoyed when we set up our business here. But last time, why did he make things difficult for us? We had to shed so much blood and sweat just to get those dozens of old houses!"

  "He wanted to find a way out for his family, and also to draw a line between us." Zhang Yu-sheng put away the investigation report and continued: "He knew that this place would probably not have any industrialists coming back to develop it again. If we gave up on developing local industry because of one failed second revolution, it would be an irreparable loss for all of Guangxi and China. What's more, by making things difficult for us, he could show off his greedy warlord nature, so as not to reveal any clues that might implicate us, even though we didn't have anything to do with each other in the first place. Of course, being able to make some money for his family to flee overseas was also something he could do."

  "He speaks as if he's the real revolutionary fighter, and we've become a burden." Zhang Yu turned around, picked up the handkerchief and folded it neatly, saying: "The gift is ready, a brand new car will definitely not have any problems. But I really think this governor has some weird habits, insisting on using second-hand ones as if they're the only acceptable ones, and refusing our brand new cars straight from the factory, what a freak!"

  After a brief gathering, Zhang Yu-sheng and his entourage set off in three vehicles, including one truck carrying gifts covered with canvas, racing against time to reach Guilin before noon to attend the banquet hosted by Lu Rongting to celebrate the relocation of Guangxi Provincial Military Government to Nanning.

  December 28, 1913, in the Guilin Military Government's grand courtyard, a lively scene unfolded as Lu Rongting was about to officially begin the relocation conference. At 11:30 am, the Asia-America Group's visiting team, who had timed their arrival perfectly, arrived in Guilin via the highway from Liuzhou. Along the way, they saw busy construction scenes everywhere, and the railway from Liuzhou to Guilin was still under intense construction. The convoy encountered empty trucks returning to Liuzhou every now and then. When they finally arrived in Guilin, they found that many people had already gathered on both sides of the street, waiting for the Asia-America Group's arrival.

  "Trouble General to personally come and greet me, it's really a crime for someone like me!"

  A silver-white coated Hua Rui, a black coated Ya Zhi, and a green coated large trailer, of course, after a bumpy ride on the dirt road, were now covered in dust, looking quite dirty. As soon as they stopped in front of the Du Jun Dai Yuan gate, Zhang Yu Sheng saw Lu Rong Ting wearing military uniform, immediately calling out to everyone to stop the cars, and hurriedly opening the car door to rush over and bow to greet him.

  "This is a gift from my company to General Du, after traveling over 1,000 kilometers, I can guarantee that there will be no problems at all!" Zhang Yusheng's words did not bring joy to General Du. In this era, not many people recognized the importance of industry, including General Du who was still stubbornly a landowner, believing that all wealth and power came from land and farmers. Naturally, he was not interested in these high-tech gadgets, but the car that could travel hundreds of miles at night caught his eye.

  "It's a good thing I inquired ahead of time, or else it would have been embarrassing!" Zhang Yusheng said to himself secretly. This feudal warlord was not easy to serve, of course, if Zhang Yusheng's wings were full enough, he wouldn't need to be so humble.

  Zhang Yusheng quickly gave a gesture to the tow truck driver, and then the co-pilot quickly lifted the tarpaulin. Under the warm sunlight, the car body was shining with bright lights, like a beautiful jade, and the elegant side of the car was soon revealed to everyone.

  "I heard this thing is really beautiful!"

  "Isn't that right? You just saw it too, these cars are just like the trucks repairing the railroad on the mountain, drinking oil and spewing smoke, running several times faster than a horse..."

  "Look at their glasses, they're even more beautiful and bigger than precious jade... Their whole body is like splashed with thousand-year-old ink... I reckon it's worth some silver coins!"

  As soon as the sedan, which was not stained with dust from the dirt road, appeared, it quickly caused a lot of buzzing discussions. Everyone pointed and pointed, and they all liked it very much. Lu Rongting, who had various medals hanging on his military uniform and also shone with golden stars, walked to the front of the car with great satisfaction, touched the car door, and then slowly slid along the fingertips, feeling the delicate sensation through the nerve endings Slowly infiltrating into the heart, waves rose layer by layer.

  "Alright, since everyone is here, let's officially start the luncheon!" As soon as he finished speaking, the commander waved his hand and the crowd immediately filed in. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu-sheng and others followed a young soldier's guidance to slowly place their gifts on an empty plot of land, while other cars also found an empty space to park neatly.

  "They can't get in!"

  The crowd wasn't exactly thrilled, but the group of ten people including Zhang Yu and another person were about to enter the General's mansion for a banquet. After all, Chinese people can't do anything without eating and drinking. The relocation of the provincial capital had already been decided, so this banquet was also part of the conference's agenda. Except for Zhang Yusheng and Zhang Yu, the rest of the people were not allowed to enter by the guards at the door, which made those who were used to democracy feel unbearable.

  "Why not let him in?" The one with the worst temper was naturally Zhang Yu, but the first to speak up was Zhang Yusheng. He immediately covered Zhang Yu's mouth, afraid that his curses would slip out and cause trouble.

  "They were not on the list of invitations from the General, and cannot enter!"

  "You think you're someone, I haven't even decided to come yet? Not just...". Zhang Yu struggled free from the hand covering his mouth, and the content of what he said was indeed disappointing for Zhang Yusheng, but it was thorough disappointment, because these few words had just exited his mouth when they made many people who were entering the scene stunned. However, Zhang Yusheng used a gaze that could kill to stare at Zhang Yu, so the things behind didn't come out of his mouth again.

  "Sorry, my brother is just a bit impatient." Zhang Yu Sheng apologized first, then looked at the old employees behind him. They were all people who had followed him since America, and he thought they were here to broaden their horizons, but it ended up like this. "This brother, they are also guests, can't we make some arrangements for them too?"

  "Can't get in, just can't get in!"

  "Say that one more time!" Zhang Yu, who was standing beside him, jumped out and almost slapped the guard in the face. "You're just a watchdog, you really think you're something big, come on, give me a gun, if you don't kill me, you'll be the one who's miserable!" Zhang Yu's small universe finally exploded, in his own era, where would he still encounter such a place? Those old employees following behind him were all meritorious officials of the Asia Group, even ordinary employees shouldn't be discriminated against like this, and Zhang Yu, who couldn't bear such treatment, naturally couldn't tolerate it.

  "That's enough, get back in the car!" Zhang Yusen shouted at his younger brother, then to the other employees: "You all go back to the car first, I'll be right back!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yusen didn't even glance at the guard who was about to pull the trigger, and walked alone into the courtyard. Meanwhile, Zhang Yu and others returned to the car in a huff.

  Less than three minutes later, Zhang Yu Sheng came out, but judging from his face, he didn't get any good fruit to eat either. After opening the car door, it slammed shut with a loud bang. "Drive, back to the group!" As soon as he sat down, Zhang Yu Sheng immediately said to the driver in front of him.

  "What? You went in and met with Director Lu, and he didn't throw you out?" Zhang Yu said with a smile on his face, looking at his big brother whose face had turned purple with anger. "He's just a warlord! What are you afraid of? He only has guns, but we have money and cannons..."

  "Bring back that gift too!"

  Zhang Yu thought he was tough enough, but his brother's one sentence was even tougher. Upon receiving the order, Zhang Yu immediately opened the car door and quickly summoned the tow truck driver and assistant. The three of them quickly reloaded the gift onto the tow truck in front of everyone, secured it with ropes, and covered it with a tarpaulin. The three cars quickly left as they had come, and at this time, the clock had just struck 11:46. In less than twenty minutes, the Asia Group ended this visit.

  The performance of the AsiaMe Group at the provincial capital relocation ceremony, especially the less than 20-minute show in front of the gate, really gave people a glimpse into the style of a large enterprise. The behavior of "the military government doesn't give face, and the group won't give the government face" made many people feel that this is very strange. No matter how powerful a group is, it's just about having more money. A provincial warlord government has enough troops to destroy a group, isn't it just a matter of giving face? Why would it make the two sides, who originally had a fish-and-water relationship, disperse without joy?

  The real reason was not like that, Zhang Yu-sheng explained to his younger brother after returning to the car. He saw Liu Gu-xiang and others chatting with Lu Rong-ting in the courtyard, and their wives and children were also having a great time together. For the AsiaMe Group, it was just a money tree, how much respect did they need? I guess they will get some respect when they give out the money.

  "Don't think too much of people, it will seriously harm yourself!" Before departure, Liu Guoxiang thought he was a real man and a true revolutionary. But now Zhang Yu already knew everything about the situation after the American occupation - highways, railways, steel plants, and automobile bases were all built with American money, but each project would encounter various difficulties, not to mention what kind of treatment they would receive in the future. For such an insatiable and greedy warlord government, it's estimated that even a few more trust companies wouldn't be enough for their appetite.

  "I really feel sorry for you, the moment you got off the car, your words didn't even give Director Du a chance to be satisfied. A new car is just an excuse for him to start talking, but I believe if there were gold bars or something in your car, he would let us in even if we came with hundreds of people. Your friend gave him a sedan worth thousands of dollars and it only got two admission tickets. What a country bumpkin, never seen the city!!"

  Zhang Yu's non-stop complaints didn't get a peep out of his older brother, Zhang Yusheng, who seemed to have seen something as he stared at the scenery outside the window. He opened the car window and let in the fresh air before saying: "We're too young, we need to change our temperaments. If we keep going like this, we'll get into a lot of trouble, and I think we've already gotten into quite a bit of trouble this time."

  The two were young people in their mid-twenties, and when they traveled through time from 1910, they had just graduated from university. Zhang Yu Sheng was only 27 years old at most. In later generations, they would still be reading for a master's degree or have just graduated and started working not long ago. They were in the stage of life where they feared neither heaven nor earth, especially after arriving in this world and becoming second-class citizens. One had no wife to care about, two had no family to worry about, fortunately, there was still a dream that could change their fate to support them, otherwise, they would have made even crazier moves.

  "Right, if this land really can't accommodate us anymore. Big brother's birthday party will probably have to be held in the US too? Right, Little Wang?" Zhang Yu said with a smile to the driver, Little Wang.

  "You think it's better in the US or in our motherland?" Zhang Yu asked after finishing his laugh, not caring if he was driving or not.

  "To be honest with you, Director, before I came back this time, I thought for sure that China would be better than the US. Over there, we not only faced discrimination but also got paid less after working hard. But since coming back to China for a while now, I've been feeling pretty good. However, looking at it today, I still think developing in the US is not bad. After all, our status over there has been slowly improving along with the company's performance, and we can even walk out with our heads held high!"

  Driver Xiao Wang is just an honest person. Before joining the AsiaMe Group, he was just a dock worker. His honesty would naturally not allow him to tell lies, but when these words reached Zhang Yu Sheng and others, they had a special taste. Of course, after this conversation, the two people in the back seat, especially Zhang Yu, couldn't say anything else.

  Unlike the slow and leisurely departure, the return journey was significantly faster. Before 4 pm, Zhang Yu and others had already returned to the group headquarters. As soon as Zhang Yusheng got off the car, he immediately instructed someone to notify department-level cadres and above to hold a group meeting. The meeting was officially held at 9 pm in the group's grand auditorium. The five-hour time frame was also sufficient for the persons in charge of various construction sites in Guangxi to rush back to the group headquarters to participate in the meeting, making this meeting the first major conference since the Asia-America Group returned home.

  At 9 o'clock in the evening, the meeting officially began, and before everyone had a chance to browse through the materials they had just received, Zhang Yusheng started making his speech as a director.

  The content of Zhang Yu's speech is not a big deal, nor is it a small matter. The AsiaMe Group formally withdrew from domestic business and set up a separate group to manage all domestic businesses, while the AsiaMe Group will only be responsible for operating its overseas business in the future and will not easily interfere with domestic affairs. The newly established group is called China Heavy Industry Group, with several major companies under it, including Liuzhou Automobile Company, which was established based on the automobile manufacturing base, as well as cement and steel companies that remain unchanged. The only surprising thing is that the group will set up a transportation company, whose business scope, in addition to normal product and material transportation logistics within the group, will also take back the management rights of railways, highways, bridges, etc. that were invested and built by AsiaMe Group.

  Various decisions have made it clear to everyone that the AsiaMe Group has completed its development path back home and will exist independently in foreign countries, especially the United States, as a money tree that continuously provides funds for domestic use. China Heavy Industry Group will also gradually move towards formalization and independence under the support of AsiaMe Group.

  The final agenda of the meeting was surprisingly ordinary, and the content of the message was simply to establish a group-affiliated security company. The recruitment of security personnel is based on voluntary principles, but the quasi-militarized management and high salaries must be carefully considered by volunteers before deciding whether or not to join the security company. Once in, they must obey orders and arrangements, and rigorous training and danger are inevitable. However, the best equipment and highest salaries remain attractive.

  The establishment of the group did not cause much stir, after all, many Asian American employees felt that such a vast business management scope would definitely lead to chaos in the group's management. However, the Asian American Group had long been on the right track and was fully capable of continuing its good development momentum under the leadership of Tang Guisheng in the United States. The Zhongzhong Group also needed to become independent. But the emergence of the security company gave everyone a clear signal that the group's management organization would one day become a government-managed institution. Of course, everyone just smiled at each other, knowing what was going on in their hearts. So the appearance of this news was not surprising, but rather astonishing at how quickly it appeared and how hastily it was established.

  However, it was soon explained that the fundamental reason for this move was that a rift had already appeared between the military government and the group, the brief honeymoon period had ended, and there was always the possibility of conflict. The emergence of a security company like this military organization also conforms to practical needs, but including Zhang Yu-sheng and others do not know whether the so-called rift will expand or not, what kind of way the differences and conflicts of interest between the two sides will reach their peak, and what kind of result it will produce. It is still unknown for now, but it is definitely necessary to prepare for the worst.

  PS: I'll add another chapter, the more votes I get, the harder I'll work to repay. Of course, I hope my make-up exam subjects will pass, otherwise it would be a bit unfortunate. Thank you for everyone's support and encouragement, this book will definitely become better with your support, please continue to support and encourage me.