you can skip this one - TL
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Outside Dagu Fort at Tianjin Port, the sea breeze rolled white foam, lapping against the muddy tidal flats.
On the pier, soldiers who had cleared the area had already ford a long human wall.
The coolies who originally carried heavy loads at the port and the vendors selling tea had all been driven far outside the cordon.
The crowd squeezed together, stretching their necks to gaze out at the sea.
Soon, whispers spread through the crowd.
"Old Li, what kind of performance is this today? They even mobilized troops from the Governor-General's office. Look over there, take a look... carriage after carriage parked there. Good heavens, those tops belong to high-ranking officials from the capital." A man with a tattered towel draped over his shoulder asked in a low voice.
Old Li spat on the ground.
"What else could it be? How many tis in your life have you seen a spectacle like this? Aside from when foreigners arrive, when have our Great Qing officials ever made such a fuss? It must be an envoy or admiral from so foreign country coming ashore. Just watch, these officials have soft bones; no telling how much real gold and silver they'll hand over."
"Damn it all to hell. I ca early this morning looking for work, only to be driven out by these soldier thugs with their rifle butts. When the foreigners co, we can't even get a al." The commoners complained outside the cordon.
Inside the cordon, the atmosphere under the makeshift canopy was heavy yet expectant.
Prince Gong sat in a grand armchair, holding a hand warr.
Although it was already autumn, the sea breeze still carried a chill that seeped into one's bones.
Standing behind him were Prince Chun, Prince Zai Ze, and a group of nobles preparing to engage in distribution business in the interior.
As for the officials sent by the Tianjin Customs and the Zhili Governor-General's office, they could only stand outside the canopy, not even qualified to strike up a conversation.
"Sixth Brother." Prince Zai Ze leaned into Prince Yixin's ear.
"Calculating the ti, the scout ships said they weren't far off, and the tropolitan Trading Company fleet should have arrived by noon today. Now that the sun is setting, how co we haven't even seen a shadow of them?"
Prince Yixin did not turn his head, remaining composed.
"What's the rush? Just wait. As long as they are carrying what we want on their ships, never mind waiting half a day, we must stand here and wait even if it takes two days. You must keep your cool."
Just then, a lookout standing on the outermost periter suddenly pointed at the edge of the horizon and shouted.
"They're here! The foreigners' ships are here!" Everyone was imdiately invigorated.
Prince Yixin stood up and walked quickly to the edge of the pier, raising his telescope.
In the gray mist where the sea t the sky, several huge black dots were rapidly enlarging.
As the distance closed, all the officials present and the commoners in the distance were plunged into shock.
Those were not the wooden-hulled sailing rchant ships they were accustod to.
They were three jet-black steel behemoths with massive sails.
Towering smokestacks spewed thick black smoke, and the stout ironclad bows sliced directly through the waves.
No wood was exposed on the exterior; that pure sense of oppression forged from steel was like a black iron mountain moving across the sea.
The leading ship was none other than the Dreadnought, which O'Neill was aboard.
Following behind were two 3,000-ton large ard rchant ships fully loaded with cargo.
"My God..." Prince Zai Ze lowered his hand, his mouth open wide enough to fit a fist.
"All... all made of iron? How can these iron lumps float on the water without sinking to the bottom?"
Prince Yixin's hands gripped the brass barrel of the telescope tightly, his fingers trembling.
"This Argyle Family is truly worthy of their reputation. Even if we exhausted the national treasury, our Great Qing could not build such naval weapons right now." Prince Yixin's voice was dry.
The ship's whistle sounded deafeningly.
The three ironclad rchant ships slowly decelerated, dropping massive iron anchors weighing several tons.
The gangplanks were pushed out by the sailors, resting steadily on the pier of Tianjin Port.
Witt ONeill bit down on his cigar and adjusted the collar of his overcoat.
He turned to look at Intendant Li beside him.
"Mr. Li, it seems we have arrived. This is your hotown." O'Neill smiled and strode down the gangplank.
Intendant Li hurriedly followed with Interpreter Wang and his entourage.
Prince Gong led the group of nobles to et them.
Intendant Li quickened his pace, went up to Prince Yixin, and knelt down to kowtow.
"Your humble servant Li pays respects to Prince Yixin. I have not failed my mission, bringing the rchant ships and Western equipnt of the Arican tropolitan Trading Company safely back to Tianjin Port."
"Rise. You have perford a great service on this overseas trip." Prince Gong raised his hand slightly.
He turned his gaze toward the tall Arican with the cigar in his mouth.
Interpreter Wang imdiately stepped forward to introduce them in English.
"Mr. O'Neill. This is the Minister of the Zongli Yan of the Great Qing Empire, His Highness Prince Gong. He is also the highest decision-maker for this procurent."
O'Neill took the cigar from his mouth and casually flicked the ash into the air.
He did not bow, nor did he perform a European court curtsy, but simply extended his right hand.
"Very pleased to et you, Your Highness. I am Witt ONeill, General Manager of the tropolitan Trading Company's Asia Division. On behalf of my boss, Mr. Felix Argyle, I extend his greetings to you."
Prince Yixin looked at the hand O'Neill extended, and after a slight hesitation, reached out and shook it.
"Mr. O'Neill, you have had a long and arduous journey. I have already prepared a welcoming banquet at the official residence in Tianjin. Please..."
That night.
At a top-tier governnt-run residence in Tianjin.
The banquet hall was brightly lit.
The large mahogany round table was laden with delicacies, bird's nest, and shark fin.
O'Neill sat in the seat of honor for guests.
This Eastern way of eating, where everyone gathered around one table, felt sowhat novel and also sowhat uncomfortable to him.
He was more accustod to individual servings.
Prince Yixin sat in the main seat, with Prince Zai Ze and others accompanying him.
Interpreter Wang sat beside O'Neill, acting as a bridge between them.
"Mr. O'Neill, try this wine. This is a strong liquor aged for twenty years in our Great Qing Empire." Prince Zai Ze raised a small porcelain cup, signaling to O'Neill.
O'Neill picked up the porcelain cup in front of him.
He then slled an extrely strong fernted odor.
To be honest, he was used to drinking whiskey and absinthe; this was his first ti drinking this kind of transparent Eastern baijiu.
He tilted his head back and downed the wine in the cup in one gulp.
"Cough, cough!"
A line of fire burned directly from his throat to his stomach.
O'Neill's face turned bright red instantly, and he hurriedly grabbed the handkerchief on the table to cover his mouth.
"God, this isn't wine at all. This is damn dical alcohol!" O'Neill complained loudly in English.
The Qing officials at the table let out a burst of good-natured laughter.
"Apologies, Mr. O'Neill. This wine is strong; drink it slowly." Interpreter Wang translated hurriedly.
O'Neill drank a large gulp of water, finally suppressing that burning sensation.
"Your Highness, your wine is too wild. My stomach is still protesting."
O'Neill waved his hand, refusing the maid who was pouring more wine.
Prince Yixin put down his chopsticks and asked tentatively.
"Mr. O'Neill. May I ask if the winds and waves on the ocean were smooth? From San Francisco to Tianjin Port, having traveled for so many days, did these three ironclad ships not need to refuel with coal along the way?"
O'Neill listened to the translation and revealed a confident smile.
"The waves are high, Your Highness. But the hulls of our ships are extrely stable. As for coal, we have a private coaling station in the Hawaiian Islands that belongs to the tropolitan Trading Company.
After docking for half a day, we filled up with high-quality anthracite coal. The steam boilers on these three ships are a new model developed a few years ago; their heat conversion rate is very high, so they don't need to dock for resupply as frequently as the British old-style steamships."
Prince Yixin and Prince Zai Ze exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with even greater astonishnt.
It turned out that not only did they have ships, but they even had their own supply stations in the middle of the ocean.
"Mr. O'Neill." Prince Yixin cut straight to the point.
"Your ships have indeed opened my eyes, but I have also seen British ships, and I don't see much of a difference. The key is, when can we inspect the machines and firearms stipulated in our contract? The Imperial court's silver and the customs procedures have all been prepared. We are just waiting to inspect the goods."
O'Neill leaned back in his chair and took out a new cigar, and the maid beside him imdiately stepped forward to light it for him.
"Your Highness. This is the most fascinating part of business: the inspection."
After holding the smoke in his mouth for a mont, O'Neill exhaled.
"I learned from Chen that you Easterners value seeing goods with your own eyes when doing business. Tomorrow morning, I will invite you and all the gentlen present to board the ship yourselves. Go into the cargo hold and see what the tropolitan Trading Company has brought."
As he spoke, O'Neill looked toward Prince Yixin.
"I guarantee it. Tomorrow on the deck, I will show you a brand-new world. By then, you will feel that those three million-plus dollars in gold were absolutely worth spending. Because what you are buying is not just machines, but the cutting-edge industrial crystallization of Arica."
Prince Yixin nodded.
"Very well, I will wait for tomorrow. If the goods are truly as Mr. O'Neill described, three million in gold will be moved onto your ship imdiately. I have already sent people to clear out the storefronts of the Imperial Bank in Tianjin and Shanghai."
The dinner party ended with so simple probing.
O'Neill returned to the guest room prepared for him at the residence.
Standing by the window, he looked out at the low houses and dim streets of Tianjin.
"An ancient, ignorant, yet gold-filled empire." O'Neill smoked his cigar.
"Tomorrow, once those rats with tails see the firepower of the gatling gun and the light of the electric lamps, they will surely hand over the keys to the national treasury to obediently. The boss in New York will definitely be crazy about this customs agreent I've signed."
The next morning, at the Tianjin port.
The mist on the sea had not yet fully dispersed.
Three ironclad rchant ships of the tropolitan Trading Company were anchored quietly beside the pier.
Prince Yixin, Prince Chun, Prince Zai Ze, and a dozen accompanying Westernization Movent officials arrived at the pier early.
Behind them were over a hundred mule-drawn carts heavily guarded by elite soldiers.
The carts were covered with thick tarpaulins, filled with over three million dollars' worth of gold urgently gathered by the Great Qing Empire from the national treasury and major banks.
O'Neill stood at one end of the gangplank, welcoming these most powerful people of the Great Qing Empire.
"Your Highness, gentlen. Welco aboard."
After saying this, O'Neill made a gesture of invitation.
Prince Yixin stepped onto the deck of the ironclad, the hard sensation unique to pig iron coming from the soles of his feet.
Looking around, the huge steam cranes and thick steel cables made him feel a sense of dizziness.
"Mr. O'Neill, let's begin."
Prince Yixin did not waste words and went straight to the inspection.
O'Neill snapped his fingers.
Dozens of tropolitan Company sailors and security personnel imdiately sprang into action.
They lifted the rain tarps off several huge wooden crates on the deck.
"This is the first item: civil and office equipnt from the General Electric Company."
O'Neill pointed to the first crate that had been opened.
A pure black machine with round keys was lifted out and placed on a wooden table.
"What is this? It looks like an iron abacus."
Prince Zai Ze leaned in, examining it curiously.
"Well, sir, this is actually a Typewriter."
O'Neill walked over, took out a piece of white paper, and fed it into the machine's roller.
Then, with extrely skilled movents, he quickly typed on the keyboard.
"Click, click, click..."
A crisp tallic clatter rang out on the deck.
In less than a minute, O'Neill pulled out the paper and handed it to Interpreter Wang.
The paper was filled with uniform English letters.
"You don't need your writing brushes. Just press the keys, and it can print text clearly on the paper. It's five tis faster than handwriting."
Seeing that they were a bit confused, O'Neill explained.
Interpreter Wang hurriedly handed the paper to Prince Yixin.
Prince Yixin looked at the handwriting without a single smudge, and gasped deeply.
"If this thing could be modified to use the radicals of our Chinese characters, wouldn't it save a great deal of effort for copying official docunts in the yan?"
Clearly, Prince Yixin had keenly perceived its utility.
"Of course it can. You should know that our Arican governnt departnts have been using it for a long ti. It greatly improves office efficiency. As long as you have enough funds to place an order, General Electric can definitely customize a Chinese character version for you."
O'Neill did not hesitate to make empty promises.
In reality, General Electric had never developed a Chinese Typewriter, but as long as the money was right, he felt that wouldn't be a problem.
Afterward, he walked toward the next crate.
The sailors rolled out a small iron box with a hand crank.
"Gentlen, this is a miniature hand-cranked generator from General Electric. Next, please witness a little bit of magic."
O'Neill picked up a light bulb encased in glass, with a thin tungsten filant inside.
He connected the base of the light bulb to the two wires extending from the generator.
"Co on, buddy, crank it." O'Neill said to the sailor.
The sailor hurriedly cranked the generator's wheel with force.
A few seconds later.
In the dark morning mist, an extrely blinding, warm light suddenly erupted from the glass bulb.
"Oh!"
Prince Zai Ze was startled and took a step back, covering his eyes with his hand.
"This... what kind of fire is this? Why is there no smoke, and why isn't it afraid of the wind?"
"NONONO~ Your Highness, this great invention is called an electric lamp."
O'Neill waved his hand and said loudly with a slightly excited expression.
"It doesn't need to burn lamp oil; it uses electric current. As long as that generator is turning, it can stay lit forever. In Arica, our boss is filling the streets and alleys of all Manhattan with these lamps."
"Even those factories are starting to install electric lamps one after another, using electricity to drive machinery."
Hearing this, Prince Yixin stared fixedly at the glowing glass bulb.
He hadn't expected that foreign countries could actually manufacture such an object, and then he thought of the palaces in the Forbidden City that consud large amounts of candles every night, yet remained dim.
"Miraculous skill, truly a miraculous skill."
Prince Yixin muttered to himself; he was truly shocked by the electric lamp.
The demonstration continued.
For the next demonstration, O'Neill opened a wooden barrel from the Standard Oil Company.
"Look—this is the premium blue-barrel kerosene refined by our sister company, Standard Oil. It has no impurities and produces no black smoke when burning. It is extrely popular throughout Europe."
O'Neill poured so kerosene into a dish and lit it; the fla was pure and bright.
This actually managed to calm these Great Qing officials down.
It seed not everything they had was so amazing; they had this kind of kerosene in the Great Qing too.
Next were the products from the Argyle Food Company.
The sailors used openers to pry open a dozen tin cans, heated them up, and set them out.
"Co, everyone, have a taste."
O'Neill used a knife to pick up a piece of beef.
"This is high-pressure sealed and sterilized canned beef; theoretically, it has a shelf life of two years. Whether in the desert or at sea, it will not spoil. It is the perfect ration for armies on the march and ships at sea."
Prince Chun picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
The at still retained its elasticity, and the taste was actually quite good.
"If we could bring this along for military campaigns, it would indeed save a great deal of trouble in transporting provisions."
As a prince in charge of military power, Prince Chun imdiately understood the military value of this item.
But... he felt it might not be easy to get approved, after all...
"And there is also this: Iodine Glycerin and high-concentration carbolic acid from the Umbrella Pharmaceutical Company."
Seeing that these people did not seem very interested, O'Neill picked up a bottle of brown Iodine Glycerin again.
"I believe everyone here should know. On the battlefield, soldiers who are shot often do not die from the bullet, but from the wound festering and becoming infected. However, as long as you pour this dicine onto the wound, it can kill those invisible bacteria. It can increase the survival rate of your wounded soldiers by more than fifty percent."
Seeing the dicine, the eyes of these officials lit up.
This stuff is good; it would be very useful if one were injured in the future.
The series of demonstrations of civilian and logistical supplies had already given these Great Qing officials a rough understanding of the Argyle Family's industrial strength.
But this was not enough.
O'Neill knew that what would really empty the gold bars from their pockets were things that could kill.
"Gentlen, I know these cans and dicines cannot protect your borders. Now, let's look at sothing truly hardcore."
O'Neill walked to the very front of the deck.
A huge, long wooden crate was pried open.
Inside, fifty rifles, emitting the scent of gun oil, were stacked neatly.
"Vanguard Military Industry, Model 65 breech-loading rifle."
O'Neill picked up a rifle, pulled back the bolt, and ejected a bright yellow tallic fixed cartridge case.
"There is no need to use a ramrod to poke gunpowder down the muzzle. You load from the back. Whether lying prone or on your back, you can shoot. The range and accuracy are twice that of your current muzzle-loading rifles."
O'Neill skillfully loaded and chambered a round, then turned to face the sea.
"Bang!" The gunshot was crisp.
A wooden board floating on the sea not far away was instantly shattered.
"Look, this is the excellence of our weapons. Next is our star product, which is what we promised Lord Li in San Francisco."
Two sailors pushed out a heavy weapon mounted on a two-wheeled base.
Six barrels were arranged in a circle.
"The gatling gun."
O'Neill walked behind the machine gun himself.
He had the sailors set up a dozen straw man targets on so abandoned wooden pilings on the pier in the distance.
He grasped the crank handle.
"Your Highness, Gentlen. Please cover your ears; you should know that this thing makes a rather piercing sound when it gets going."
After saying this, O'Neill cranked the handle vigorously.
"Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da!"
The deafening sound of continuous gunfire exploded over Tianjin Port. Tongues of fire spewed madly from the six barrels.
In less than ten seconds, the dozen straw man targets on the pier were instantly torn to shreds by the dense rain of bullets.
The wooden pilings were seen riddled with holes, with wood chips flying everywhere.
The Great Qing officials on the deck all froze.
Prince Zai Ze's legs were trembling.
He could not imagine what a bloody, miserable scene it would be if the Great Qing Empire's cavalry charged at this weapon.
Prince Yixin's face was pale, but his eyes revealed a fanatical desire.
This was what he wanted.
With this kind of machine, those rebellious Taiping rebels and Nian rebels would be completely vulnerable.
The gunfire stopped. The deck was filled with the pungent sll of gunpowder smoke.
O'Neill released the crank, loosened his shoulders, and turned around.
"Look—this is the sincerity of the tropolitan Trading Company. Your Highness. Not only these guns and cannons, but the cargo hold also contains a complete set of disassembled parts for a steel furnace. As long as you find a piece of land, our engineers can help you build a steel plant."
O'Neill walked up to Prince Yixin. "Now you have seen all the items, can our contract be fulfilled?"
Prince Yixin took a deep breath. He turned his head and waved to the Governor-General of Zhili behind him.
"The goods have been verified; let the n below bring up the gold." Prince Yixin's voice was a bit hoarse.
As over a hundred carriages began to unload, crates of heavy gold were carried by the sailors onto the gangplank and into the cargo hold of the ironclad ship.
"Mr. O'Neill, in addition to settling the three million-plus in spot goods."
Prince Yixin took out a docunt stamped with the official seals of the Zongli Yan and the Ministry of Revenue from his sleeve and handed it to Interpreter Wang.
Interpreter Wang passed the docunt to O'Neill.
"This is the imperial court's gracious permission, specially authorizing the Argyle Empire Bank to establish branches in Tianjin Wei and Shanghai County. Furthermore, starting from next month, the tax revenue from the Jiang Customs and Yue Customs will be directly transferred by the Customs Circuit Intendant into the branch accounts of the Imperial Bank as collateral and repaynt for the remaining 4.5 million. This will last for ten years."
O'Neill took the heavy docunt, feeling his hands trembling slightly.
This was the first piece, and the fattest piece, of at that Arican capital had carved from this vast empire.
"Very good, happy cooperation, Your Highness. The tropolitan Trading Company will always be the most reliable friend of the Great Qing Empire."
Of course, provided there is enough profit. Thinking this, O'Neill put the docunt into his inner pocket.
Prince Yixin looked at the gold being continuously moved onto the ship and sighed inwardly.
"Mr. O'Neill, since the official business is finished, I would like to sincerely invite you to a banquet tonight. There will be no outsiders, just myself and a few brothers from the imperial clan. There are so private matters regarding business in the interior that I would like to discuss with you, Mr. O'Neill."
Facing the private invitation from Prince Yixin, O'Neill understood perfectly.
You know, this was the real highlight.
Before coming here, President Bill had already instructed him that this bunch of feudal nobles would surely try every ans to profit from distribution in the interior.
"It is a great honor, Your Highness. I will definitely arrive on ti."
Night fell. In a private garden in Tianjin that had been temporarily rented out and was heavily guarded.
There were none of those customs officials or people from the Governor-General's office from the dayti here.
There were only a few core Manchu nobles, such as Prince Yixin, Prince Chun, and Prince Zai Ze.
O'Neill arrived at the garden by carriage. Then, led by the steward, he walked into the brightly lit main hall.
The banquet was already set, but the the this ti was not eating.
O'Neill sat down in the guest seat, with Interpreter Wang sitting beside him.
Prince Zai Ze, who was to the side, said impatiently, "Mr. O'Neill. It was too crowded with people on the ship during the day; now, let's close the doors and speak so honest words."
Seeing O'Neill did not respond, Prince Zai Ze continued, "The machines and firearms from the tropolitan Trading Company are indeed very good. But our Great Qing Empire is vast. Aside from the heavy machinery purchased by the imperial court, if you want to sell your electric lights, Typewriters, kerosene, canned at, and dicinal potions to the inland provinces and counties, without people like us to handle the local connections, the goods might not even make it out of the city gates of Tianjin."
O'Neill silently lit a cigar. He understood what the other party ant, so he went with the flow. "Prince Zai Ze is right. The tropolitan Trading Company has a perfect logistics network in Arica, but not in the Great Qing Empire. Therefore, we do indeed need local partners."
"Exactly! That is why we brothers have established a company called Liyuan Company." Seeing that they were being recognized, Prince Yixin quickly took over the conversation. "We want to secure the exclusive distribution rights for all civilian goods from the tropolitan Trading Company, excluding military and chanical equipnt, for the region north of the Yangtze River in the Great Qing Empire."
O'Neill quickly calculated the profits in his mind. These nobles wanted the status of a general agent. "The exclusive distribution rights can be granted."
"But the pricing must follow the rules of the tropolitan Trading Company. We will provide you with the landed price at the port of Tianjin. Based on this price, we will give you a fifteen percent discount. You will be responsible for inland transportation, warehousing, and all local transit taxes. As for how much you sell them for inland, that is not our concern."
"Fifteen percent?" Prince Zai Ze frowned. "Mr. O'Neill, this discount is a bit too thin, isn't it? The expenses for handling connections along the way when transporting to Zhili and Shanxi are a significant sum."
"It is not thin, Prince Zai Ze." O'Neill would not budge an inch. "This fifteen percent price difference, if it concerns kerosene and dicine, is absolutely an astronomical figure you cannot imagine. Besides, this is exclusive; others cannot even get the goods if they want to sell them."
Prince Yixin pondered for a mont. He knew the foreigners were very firm on pricing. "Then fifteen percent it is, let's settle on that. The agency rights north of the Yangtze River belong to Liyuan Company." Prince Yixin made the final decision. The business discussion concluded. The atmosphere in the hall relaxed.
Prince Zai Ze clapped his hands. "Mr. O'Neill, the business is done. Let us talk about friendship now." Prince Zai Ze shouted toward the door, "Bring them in." The screen on the side of the main hall was moved aside. Five young won wearing the most magnificent silk gowns of the Great Qing Empire walked in slowly in a line, heads lowered. Their steps were perfectly synchronized; they had clearly undergone strict training. The air was imdiately filled with a faint scent of high-quality rouge mixed with sandalwood.
O'Neill was stunned. He looked at the five Eastern won who had suddenly appeared, his cigar suspended in mid-air. Prince Yixin picked up his teacup and said with a smile, "Mr. O'Neill. We are well aware that Mr. Argyle is an extraordinary figure in Arica. These five won are the 'pearls' carefully selected by us imperial clansn. They are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and have received the best training in etiquette. This is, as we ntioned in the telegram, a private gift prepared for Mr. Argyle."
Interpreter Wang translated these words for O'Neill. O'Neill sized up the five won. Su Ying and Wan Qing, standing on the left, had their eyes lowered, looking pitiful. Although Amur kept her head down, her back was straight as a ramrod. The twins, Yun Yan and Yun ng, looked exactly the sa.
"God~" O'Neill muttered to himself. From the aesthetic perspective of a rough Arican man like him, these five won were indeed beautiful, with delicate features like porcelain dolls. But the problem was, they were too thin. Their fras were too delicate; a gust of wind could blow them over. "Which of the partners the boss looks for isn't curvy? The boss could break these frail little Eastern kittens apart in bed."
O'Neill complained inwardly. But he would never reveal his true thoughts. Because President Bill had told him before he set off that Easterners were concerned with saving face and liked to use this thod of gifting won to handle political and business relationships. O'Neill imdiately put on an expression of extre amazent and admiration. He stood up and walked over to the five won.
"It is incredible, Your Highness. These are simply five perfect pieces of Eastern art." O'Neill exclaid in an extrely exaggerated tone. "Their eyes are like stars, and their skin is like silk. I swear, when the boss sees them in his manor in New York, he will go crazy with joy. This is absolutely the most generous gift I have ever seen."
Hearing O'Neill's flattery, Prince Yixin and Prince Zai Ze showed satisfied smiles on their faces. It seed this move was the right one. O'Neill looked at Su Ying in front of him and keenly noticed that the girl's hands were trembling slightly. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. These five won were gifts for the big boss. What if, just in case, there really was such a miracle in this world? What if the big boss happened to like this kind of frail Eastern style? Or what if one of them really won the big boss's favor and beca soone close to him? If he, O'Neill, did not build so goodwill now, then if they said sothing by the boss's pillow in the future, his career as the Asia regional manager would be over. Businessn never let go of any potential emotional investnt.
"Your Highness, the gift is truly too precious. But I have a small suggestion." O'Neill turned to look at Prince Yixin and said in a sincere tone. "In Arica, everyone knows my boss is a very kind and family-oriented person. These five beautiful ladies are about to travel across the ocean to New York. The journey is long. If they leave alone, they will surely miss their holand very much, which will affect their mood. And if they are in a bad mood, they will not be able to serve my boss in the best way."
O'Neill paused. "So, if they still have family—like brothers or parents—I suggest we let them bring their families along on the rchant ship to Arica. The Argyle Family has many vacant properties in New York, and we can properly accommodate their families. Only then can they stay by the boss's side wholeheartedly. Of course, if they are unwilling to go, we will certainly not force them."
As soon as these words were spoken, Su Ying and Wan Qing, who had been keeping their heads down, suddenly looked up, their eyes filled with unbelievable ecstasy. They had originally thought they would never see their parents and brothers, who had been exiled to the frontier, again in this lifeti. Yun Yan and Yun ng even had tears welling up in their eyes. Prince Yixin was stunned. Hey~ He really hadn't expected this Arican to make such a request. But upon careful consideration, he knew the backgrounds of all these won. Su Ying's family was in exile, and Wan Qing's family was struggling at the bottom of society. Packing them up and sending them away was not a big deal at all; it could be done with a few fake travel permits. Anyway, he didn't intend to use their families to threaten these won into doing things; after all, they were just maidservants being sent away, how high could their status be? Whether Mr. Argyle liked them or not was another matter. But since O'Neill had said so, why not do a favor?
"Hahaha~ Mr. O'Neill is truly thoughtful." Prince Yixin laughed heartily. "This is absolutely no problem. Since they are Mr. Argyle' people, it is only natural that they should have no worries. I will send soone to bring their relatives to the port of Tianjin tomorrow. Those who are willing to go can board the ship together." "Then many thanks, Your Highness." O'Neill smiled and sat back in his chair. He glanced at the five won out of the corner of his eye. Looking at the boundless gratitude in their eyes as they looked at him, he thought, "This is it, an investnt in goodwill that doesn't cost a single dollar." O'Neill raised his wine glass, feeling very pleased.
The banquet continued. In the ti that followed, they began to divide the agency scope for regions such as Zhili, Shanxi, and Shandong in detail. It was late at night. O'Neill sat in the carriage returning to the guesthouse. He reached out and touched the ten-thousand-dollar HSBC check and the customs mortgage agreent in his inner pocket, and then thought of the more than three million in gold stored in the bottom hold at the port.
And those five Eastern beauties who were about to be packed and sent to New York. "This trip to the Great Qing Empire was not in vain."
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