The Heavens: Cross the World

Chapter 19 Where does water and fire come from (please collect!)
Jiro Watanabe glanced at the pale faces of everyone in the Zhang family, feeling contemptuous and disdainful in his heart.

He took a sip of tea calmly, regardless of Zhang Youde's trance, and said directly: "The news of the defeat of the Qing government will spread in a few days. I am afraid that the people will immediately set off atrocities against our Great Japanese Empire. I am afraid that there will be quite a lot of twists and turns in the shantang, and the Zhang family will need the full support."

"Of course, if the Zhang family can help, I will report the truth to the empire and credit the Zhang family. Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Youde is still in a daze.

The Japanese actually defeated the Qing Dynasty?
The Qing Dynasty actually lost to these Japanese pirates?

He couldn't believe it, it was unimaginable.

However, as early as the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), Japan had already invaded and occupied the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was a subsidiary state of the Qing Dynasty, and Japan's military strength had already been demonstrated at that time.

Later, during the Guangxu period, Japan invaded North Korea, and the Qing Dynasty, as the suzerain country, was helpless, which once again made Japan see the weakness of the Qing Dynasty.

From this point of view, although Japan's defeat of the Beiyang Navy was unexpected, it was reasonable!

Zhang Youde took a deep breath and suppressed all the shock in his heart.

Looking at Jiro Watanabe who was talking eloquently, he quickly thought about how he should deal with this person.

On the surface, this person is just a member of the Japanese Leshantang, but behind him is the entire Japanese military. It is definitely not a good thing for them to open a Leshantang here.

After thinking over and over in his heart, he didn't dare to directly agree, but just smiled: "Mr. Watanabe, you think highly of our Zhang family."

"Although my Zhang family has some land assets on one-third of an acre of land in Qingyuan County, it is far from nothing. We are all people of the Qing Dynasty. If the Qing Dynasty has policies, we should abide by them."

"As for the rest, there's really nothing I can do."

As soon as Zhang Youde finished speaking, Zhang Yuan quickly stood up, frowned and said, "Father, brother Watanabe promised me that if our Zhang family helps, he can ask Leshantang to help me set up a match factory."

"Father, the reason why the Qing Dynasty is so backward today is because of technological backwardness. We can only catch up with the West if we work hard to catch up."

Zhang Youde glanced at his son and asked, "Son, I don't think your match factory should be run. I can't manage these businesses by myself. Come back and help me."

"Father, you...you are confused. If the country is weak, the people will be weak. If you have a small business, if you have a military incident, what business can you do?"

Zhang Youde said in a deep voice: "Oh, if there is a military incident, your match factory can be preserved?"

Before Zhang Yuan could speak, Watanabe Jiro smiled and said, "With the support of my Leshantang, Zhang Sang's match factory will never be affected by the war."

Zhang Yuan immediately looked at Zhang Youde, and said excitedly, "Father, you just promise to help your son!"

Zhang Youde's face was gloomy, he slapped the table suddenly, and scolded: "Okay, I'm sending you to study abroad, I didn't ask you to come back to tinker with this match factory, I think you went to Japan for a trip, and you have lost your mind, let me ask you , Japan defeated my Qing Dynasty and wiped out the Beiyang Navy, what is your position?"

"My son thinks that the Qing government is incompetent, and we should start a national enterprise to save the country from fire and water."

"Where did the water and fire come from?"

"Britain, France, Russia, which one is not a raging fire? Roasting the Chinese people?"

"Oh? What about Japan? Are they not the fire and water you mentioned?"

"This... I heard from Brother Watanabe that the Qing government was responsible for this war..."

"shut up!"

Zhang Youde burst into anger, roared suddenly, and scolded his son Zhang Yuan.

His face was extremely gloomy: "Don't forget, the Qing Dynasty is still here! There are some things that you rotten in my stomach, and you can't say them!"

He turned his head to look at Jiro Watanabe, and issued an order to evict the guest: "Mr. Watanabe, Mr. Zhang is not feeling well, it is inconvenient to receive guests, come here, see them off!"

"father--"

But Zhang Shuyi stood up, with a dissatisfied expression, and shouted: "Father, the eldest brother also has good intentions, but you are too rigid, the eldest brother came back from overseas, and his vision is outstanding, you just trust the elder brother once."

"And Mr. Watanabe will never lie to us, he is going to contribute money to help start a match factory."

"Bastard, you are a daughter's family, and you learn the ghost things of foreigners outside every day. I haven't said you yet, how dare you interrupt here? Get out of here!"

Zhang Youde was furious, scolded his second daughter, and then looked at the nursing home.

The nursing home immediately walked in and shouted in unison: "Please, honored guests."

Jiro Watanabe looked ugly, stood up, flicked the cuff of his right arm, and said with a sneer, "Zhang Sang, it seems that your father made a wrong decision, hehe, your Zhang family is not the only one in Qingyuan County."

After finishing speaking, he strode out of the living room. Before leaving, he did not forget to take a look at the tall and slender elder sister Zhang Shurong, and the watery look in his eyes disappeared.

The Japanese are short in stature, and feel inferior in front of the powerful and tall foreigners.

But facing Zhang Shurong, a tall Chinese, aroused Jiro Watanabe's desire to conquer.

Watanabe Jiro couldn't help feeling hot when he thought that such a woman could kneel in front of him and serve him.

"Unexpectedly, there is such a top-quality woman in this family, hehe."

After leaving Zhang's house, a carriage was waiting at the door.

Jiro Watanabe got into the carriage, and a man in the carriage knelt down and lowered his head: "Master Watanabe, how are things going?"

"Hehe, the old Zhang family refused to agree."

"Need to give them a little color?"

"Don't worry, there are still a few powerful ones in Qingyuan County. Let's visit them one by one. By the way, ask someone to collect information on the eldest daughter of the Zhang family."

"Yes, my lord."

……

"Father, even if things fail, why are you so rude to brother Watanabe? He is my friend!"

Zhang Yuan glared at his father and roared in the living room.

Zhang Youde was even more furious: "You are not allowed to interact with these people in the future. The Japanese are wolfish ambitions. They robbed Ryukyu during the Daoguang period. Now they occupy North Korea and are at war with the Qing Dynasty. It will only get worse in the future. They are enemies and not friends. Get in touch with them again!"

"Father! What does that have to do with Brother Watanabe? The friendship between the son and him has nothing to do with the positions of the two countries."

"Idiot, why did I give birth to such an idiot like you? Are you a fool to study abroad? Would the Japanese come to us with good intentions to set up a charity hall? He really wants to be kind and charitable. Are there no poor people in Japan? Come here to support us ?”

"Father, you are judging the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain!"

"Get out, get out of here, from today onwards, don't even try to get a penny from your family, let me see if you can start a shitty match factory!"

Zhang Yuan was furious and waved his sleeves: "Let's go!"

Zhang Shuyi stomped her feet anxiously, but dared not speak, for fear of making her father angry again and driving her brother away.

Zhang Shurong didn't speak all the time. She knew that she was a soft-spoken person, and no one would listen to what she said at home, and she said nothing.

But seeing that his elder brother was going to be expelled, he couldn't sit still after all, so he pulled his mother's sleeve and said, "Mother, two days will be a day of great joy for me, please advise father and elder brother, don't hurt your peace, come Times are not good.”

Mrs. Zhang hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, yes, master, master, the eldest sister is right, she is going to get married in two days, and Yuan'er, uncle and grandpa are not here, what do you say? Yuan'er, come back soon!"

As she said that, she rushed to the door and grabbed Zhang Yuan who left home angrily.

Zhang Yuan was still filled with righteous indignation, but he still stopped because he really couldn't think of where he could go.

Without the money supported by his family, he couldn't go anywhere.

Zhang Youde's face was ugly, but he still held back his temper and did not continue to lose his temper.

He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Shurong, and said: "Today, give my elder sister some face, and for the next two days, please give me some peace of mind. Elder sister, you should have a good rest, and choose a red dowry in these two days."

Zhang Shurong nodded: "Thank you dad."

It's just that among the people present, no one has a happy expression.

Her marriage seemed less important than a few words from a Japanese.

At this moment, Zhang Shurong felt inexplicably wronged.

(End of this chapter)