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Chapter 643: Mr. Zhu refuses to cooperate

"Do you know Manager Zhu? Of course, I want to know him! Dear Kameda, you must be an angel sent by God, always bringing miracles when I need them most.

It would be best if we could meet Manager Zhu right away after we return to Guangzhou. This is not my request, but the Dutch's. Manager Cohen asked me to introduce the head of the 36th line to him. In order to reassure them, I had to agree. You see, I have fulfilled the agreement! "

As soon as he heard the name of Suzaku, Alfonso's gray eyes immediately lit up. He no longer mentioned the new ship and the governor. His attitude became very friendly, and he complained and boasted about his achievements.

There is no way. In Guangzhou... no, it should be said that in the whole of Guangdong, as long as one is engaged in maritime trade business, including maritime merchants and suppliers, there is no one who does not know the name of Manager Zhu of Snowflake Sugar Factory.

Not only did he monopolize Guangdong's sugar and brewing industries, he also purchased large tracts of sugarcane fields and rubber plantations in Annan, and used his abundant funds to invest in many factories. He was truly the richest man in Guangdong.

But as the richest man in Guangdong, he only made the locals envious and jealous, and not hateful. The reason was simple. Manager Zhu was a kind man. In addition to occasionally building bridges and roads, he also opened new schools in many places in Guangdong, recruited many orphans and children from poor families, and taught them to read and write and to make a living.

That's right, it's a skill to make a living. Zhu Dashanren's new school is very different from the traditional private schools and county schools in terms of teaching goals and methods. It is not aimed at passing the imperial examinations, but mainly at making a living.

No matter whether one has family or not, and no matter whether one's family is rich or poor, as long as one enters Mr. Zhu's new school, after five years of study and one year of internship, one can work as a technician in factories or mines with a good income, or work as an accountant in the Sun and Moon Bank.

Rumor? Impossible. The first batch of graduates have already gone to the big factory in Tianjin for internship. There are still dozens of people wearing Sun Moon Bank uniforms working at the counter every day. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself.

Are you envious? Are you jealous? Don’t be too hasty. Those graduates who go to factories and banks for internships are those who barely graduate with poor grades. The real good students are directly taken away by the customs.

Although I was just an ordinary clerk when I first arrived, I was indeed eating the royal meal. Moreover, the customs was different from the government offices at all levels of the court. If you did a good job, you could be promoted. If you were promoted several times, you would be a real official, an official with a rank!
But this is not the most amazing thing. The most outstanding students among the new graduates will be sent to Tongzhou Naval Academy, Army Academy and Mechanical College to continue their studies for three years.

After graduating from there, the lowest you can become is a naval officer, an army officer or a senior technician in various factories. If you are lucky, you can even enter the General Staff and show your face in front of the emperor from time to time. You have both a bright future and money to earn!
From being a homeless orphan and the child of poor people, they can become technicians, accountants, clerks and even court officials, all they need to do is study hard for five to eight years, without paying a penny in tuition fees, and with food, drink and accommodation provided. Do you think they will be welcomed by the lower-class people?

Not to mention the lower classes of people, even the wealthy businessmen and gentry from all over Guangdong had already used their connections to get into the provincial and military offices, just to have their children enter the new schools.

Give up fame? Of course not. Their family has many children, both legitimate and illegitimate. They pick a few smart ones to take the imperial examination, and the rest go to the new school. They cast a wide net and focus on harvesting. Who knows which cloud will rain under it? The hateful thing is that the new school has a limit on the number of new students every year, and there is a ratio. Orphans and farm children account for 50%, and ordinary farmers account for 30%. Merchants and wealthy families only give 20%. Although the fees are high, they still cannot meet the demand.

Then someone said, "My family has money, can I use it to start a new school?" Of course, it can be done, but it is very difficult to find teachers for the new school. The reason why the new school can find so many good places for graduates is not because of Zhu Dashan's status as a royal family member, but because the teachers are so awesome.

These teachers were very young, the oldest was no more than 30 years old, but they had very high-class backgrounds. Some were from the Haihu Division, some were from the Imperial Palace, and it was guaranteed that all of them were disciples personally taught by the Emperor. Only the children taught by these teachers would be recognized by factories, the navy, the army, banks, customs, and the General Staff.

It's not that Zhu Que didn't have money to open more schools, but he couldn't find so many teachers. Anyone with a discerning eye should have seen that this was not Zhu Que's ability, but the emperor behind him instructed him. Otherwise, who would dare to use eunuchs in the palace as teachers? They would be punished.

If you get to know someone who has money, property, fame, connections, and a strong background, even if you can't make a fortune through the collusion of money and power, as long as you can hear a few words of advice from him, your business will definitely go more smoothly.

It's a pity that Mr. Zhu is a very low-key person. He usually doesn't participate in the business world. It's not difficult to meet him, but it's too difficult to have a deeper relationship with him. But Alfonso believes that Kameda... or the mysterious young man Wang, not only has the means to meet Suzaku, but it must be more than just an ordinary relationship.

Now many previous questions can be explained. For example, why is it possible to get the cocoa powder that is in short supply on the market? That thing is originally a product of the Snowflake Candy Factory. As long as Suzaku gives the order, it is not a problem to get several times more.

"Brother Datou, you want goods, people, and ships. I will give them to you immediately without any hesitation, even if it means losing everything I have. But you let me meet with the red-haired foreigners in private and discuss the affairs of the two countries. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor. You must not do it!"

But Zhuque himself never thought so. When he saw the big head he least wanted to see appear in the accounting office of the Guangzhou headquarters again, his smile was not very natural. After hearing the request made by him, he did not even bother to ask the two accountants with his eyes, and hurriedly and decisively refused.

Yes, the emperor gave himself the imperial decree, which granted him some commercial power, and he could ask the local government to cooperate when necessary. But it only included normal commercial activities, and did not say that he could freely connect with foreign merchants who were not allowed to enter the port.

If the other party wants to obtain customs clearance permission, they can go to the governor or the commander-in-chief to apply, even the customs is more legitimate than themselves. If the other party just wants to use their own connections to engage in smuggling, then I'm sorry, you won't get a box of goods.

Yes, he smuggled a lot of goods to Korea and Japan every year through the Thirty-Six Trades, but that was not his own idea, but was directed by the accountant sent by the emperor. In other words, it was all the emperor's instructions. You have nothing, just a small badge of the Statistics Department to test the hundred households, which is really not that prestigious.

(End of this chapter)