Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 114 Trip to Reddingburg

  After a little preparation

  Li Fushou took the entourage waiting in Windsor Town, and immediately set off for Reddingburg. To him, the grand ball held in Windsor Castle was meaningless except a waste of time.

  A humble attitude to Readingburg is the most important thing at the moment.

  According to the latest news from Australia;

Recently, it has spent more than 670,000 pounds to expand the territory of the Red River Valley pasture from 44,700 square kilometers to 88,000 square kilometers, mainly from the coast to the inland, from east to west from more than 200 miles to about 380 It is wide from south to north from more than 800 miles to more than 1,300 miles.

  Red River Valley did not hesitate to spend more than twice the price to buy the ranch on a large scale, so a lot of money was spent, and the results achieved were very significant.

  At this point, Red River Valley's large-scale purchase of the ranch has come to an end.

  The territory of the Red River Valley Ranch goes south to about 170 miles away from Sydney. The coastal area is about 407 miles long, or more than 1,300 miles. It occupies almost a quarter of the coastal territory of New South Wales (excluding inland areas).

  These large tracts of pastures registered under the name of the Earl of Queensland were entrusted by Her Majesty the Queen of the British Empire and formally become the feudal fiefs of the Earl of Queensland. Like noble titles, they are inherited by descendants.

The inland ranches purchased in the later period were far less fertile than coastal ranches, but the prices were much higher. This caused many white ranchers to cheer. There was a wave of opposition from the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, denounced the Red River Valley for raising prices. Distorted the original market.

  These disturbing noises can't be heard in Britain, and no one cares.

  For the upper class in the UK;

  Even if the territory of the Red River Valley Ranch is further expanded by 10 times, it is still a remote place for prisoners thousands of miles away, so I don’t want to look directly at it.

  Li Fushou is still a rancher with cow dung on his feet. Even if he is awarded the title of nobility, he is also a hillbilly nobleman.

  It is the invitation from Readingburg that can make them pay attention. This is 10,000 times more important than the ranch in the countryside. The key is to see whether the new Queensland Earl can be accepted by the Lord Duke?

  In the traditional British concept

One acre of land in the British mainland will not be exchanged for ten acres in the European continent, 100 acres in the Slavic region will not be exchanged, and 1,000 acres in Asia or the American continent will not be exchanged. As for Africa, Australia, Canada or South Africa, pay 10,000 acres. The acres are never changed.

  If it weren’t for the children of the aristocracy or aristocrats who were really messed up in the British mainland, who would want to go to those colonies where birds don’t shit?

  Any Englishman, as long as he is willing to go to the vast colonies of America, Asia, Africa or Australia, he can occupy the land as much as he wants, as long as you can plant it.

The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to achieve heavy industrialization, and it was also the birthplace of the modern steam revolution. The agricultural population and economic contribution accounted for a small proportion of the country. Only Scotland and Ireland still have large farms. Almost all rural land in England has been lost. The nobility is over.

  To change the old-fashioned British people's deep-rooted concepts, it is easier to start a world war.

  At dusk

  After a 7-hour journey, Li Fushou and his 46 people finally arrived in Reddingburg and were warmly welcomed by Lord Ayton and his wife.

  Lord Ayton is the second son of Lord Victor. He is destined not to inherit the title of duke and the castle, so he is in politics in Oxfordshire and is now the governor of the county.

  Reading is under the jurisdiction of Oxfordshire. It is the seat of the county seat and has a population of less than 60,000. It is a traditional British city with a strong British atmosphere in the urban and rural areas.

  Readingburg is built on the hillside and occupies half of the city.

  The entire Nottingburgh has a heavy Norman architectural style. On the strong stone bridge full of historical vicissitudes in the castle, Lord Ayton and his wife led a group of nobles and celebrities to welcome guests from afar.

The Earl of Queensland wore traditional British clothing for formal occasions. He was wearing a dark red velvet jacket with white fur trim. The soft cap was sewn with three mink fur to indicate the earl class. The crown was decorated with a layer of gilded silver ring and the upper edge was decorated. There are 8 silver balls.

  He stopped the carriage under the stone bridge from a distance, and then walked up the stone bridge with the countess Gu Liuyan and a group of entourages to show respect for the master and the humble attitude of the duke’s family.

   "Welcome to you my friend, Lord Earl of Queensland from afar." Lord Ayton is less than 30 years old, with a sincere smile on his face, which is a basic skill of a politician.

"Thank you, Honorable Lord Ayton, I am very honored to receive the invitation. This is the most important moment in my life..." Li Fushou said solemnly, his two big hands held tightly. Shaking together, each other feels like they are facing each other.

  Both parties exchanged a little greeting, introduced people around them one by one, and then went to Reddingburg to settle down together.

  Tonight, Lord Ayton will hold a welcome dinner to welcome the arrival of the Earl of Queensland and his party.

  The gap before the dinner party

Li Fushou met Lord Ayton alone and presented a stack of documents with his respectful hands, which included 10% of the Honghe Wool Spinning Mill, which was valued at £6.1169 million, and 15% of the Hongshan Coking Coal Plant, which was valued at over £4 million. Equity, 15% of the Hongshan Iron and Steel Plant, valued at 1.27 million pounds, and 15% of the 19th Century Australia United Shipping Company, valued at 700,000 pounds. The total value of the equity reaches 1.55 million pounds, and an annual income of 160,000 to 180,000 pounds can be obtained. It's a big deal.

Lord Ayton turned briefly and looked serious, and said in a deep voice; "Your Excellency, the Earl of Queensland, this matter is too important. Please forgive me for not being able to answer you temporarily. Originally when the welcome dinner officially started, Vic The Duchess will be there in person, and now I have to report to the Duchess in person. I can only ask you to wait a while."

"I came with a humble and pious heart, like a helpless lamb wandering on the wasteland. Please convey my sincerest greetings to the Duchess. May God bless you and receive the pity of the Duchess. "Li Fushou's posture is very low.

  Lord Ayton watched his face deeply, paused and said, "I will."

  Then hurried away with a stack of documents. It felt a bit like a fire on the buttocks, losing the calm and calm demeanor of the nobles in the past.

  Li Fushou looked at his leaving back, and finally got a bit of toothache, like a piece of meat.

   Even with his current wealth and wealth, all of which add up to less than tens of millions of pounds, giving away 1.55 million pounds of equity at once is enough to break the bones.

What does   1.55 million pounds mean?

In the Imperial Royal Navy, it is possible to build 4 10,000-ton-class iron-clad battleships, plus 4 10,000-ton-class fast coal ships, which can rank 13th in naval combat effectiveness in the world, which is slightly weaker than the overall strength of the three strong Chilean navies in South America. Some.

  As the saying goes; reluctant to let a child not catch a wolf.

  It can be said that Li Fushou has really lost his blood. His purpose is not limited to the towering tree of Duke Victor, but to tie the two sides together with tangible benefits and inseparable.

  Such a major event, Li Fushou could not tell Sir Hills and the Duke of Victor’s family, and the two sides kept a certain distance on the surface, which was in line with the public’s perception.

  In private, that's another matter.

  Once the Duke Victor accepts the nomination from the Earl of Queensland, all violations of the interests of the Red River Valley are a dignified provocation to the Duke. It is possible that the instigator has not yet understood what happened, and was destroyed by the thunder anger from London.

  As long as he does not openly commit rebellion, Duke Victor can guarantee the trading interests of the Red River Valley within the Commonwealth. This is the greatest significance of this heavy bet.

  More than 30 minutes have passed

  The ancient wall clock in the room showed that it was close to seven o'clock in the evening, and there was not much time before the dinner scheduled to start at 7:40, and there was still no sound in the corridor.

  In the face of such a major decision, Li Fushou could no longer calm down his heart, walking around the room anxiously, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons.

  He didn't let him wait for long, but footsteps soon came from the corridor.

  Li Fushou took a deep breath, did not conceal the look of gains and losses on his face, but tried hard to calm himself down.

  Open the door

  Lord Ayton walked in first, nodded slightly to Li Fushou and said; "Your Excellency, Duchess Victor is here."

Behind him appeared a majestic noble old woman, her temples were white and she was still wearing delicate makeup, and her chin was raised high and seemed to be a thousand miles away, but her eyes softened when she saw Li Fushou. It is the magic of the pound sterling.

  "Honorable Duchess Victor, your style is really unforgettable, can I kiss your hand?" Li Fushou bent down and bowed the knight.

   "Yes, Lord Earl of Queensland."

  The Duchess Victor stretched out her right hand gracefully, her fingers drooping naturally, Li Fushou held her hands in a respectful kiss, which made Lord Ayton next to the Duchess very satisfied.

  Because Li Fushou held hands and kissed, this is the best way to show respect to high-status female aristocrats. It is very decent.

The Duchess Victor also did not ignore the details of the etiquette, and said with a gentle warmth in the corner of her eyes; "You can see that you are very worried, son, I have been authorized by the Duke to accept your kindness. This is really an unforgettable gift. Duke Victor will make the same return. What can you ask for?"

   "Honorable Duchess, can you sit down and listen to me chat?"

   "Of course." The duchess nodded flatly, as if casually said; "Ayton, my child, can you help me see that all the guests at the dinner are all here?"

  "I would like to listen to your instructions." Lord Ayton cast an apologetic look at Li Fushou, turned around and left lightly, closing the door with his hands.

  The Duchess walked to the upper court-style sofa in the room and sat down. Li Fushou sat on the edge. Only two people in the huge room participated in the private conversation.

  Li Fushou took another deep breath. He knew that in front of the mistress, there were some words that could be said face-to-face. These words would be conveyed to Lord Victor along with the duchess’ impression of Li Fushou.

"Honorable Duchess Victor, please allow me to express my deep respect for you again. The kindness of you and Lord Duke is like sunlight shining into my heart. I am a lost lamb from far away Australia. I pray for it. Your care and protection, for this, I am willing to offer my loyalty..."

  Li Fushou passed the initial anxiety, and the following words became more and more smooth, and there was no lack of flattery, which was obviously in line with the duchess’s appetite, and a rare smile appeared on her face.

Compared to the old and cunning Duke Victor, the Duchess is obviously better to deal with, as long as you ignore the dazzling noble light on the Duchess, she is just an old woman who loves flattery, maybe a little staid, a little arrogant, some aloof, But there is never a deep city and an outstanding vision of the world.

  There is only one Queen Victoria in the history of Britain for more than eight hundred years (when William the Conqueror established the British feudal dynasty), not one in all of Europe.

"Lee, I feel very sympathetic after hearing these words of yours. God testifies that apart from the royal family, the oldest nobleman in the UK is not more than 500 years old, and your family has been passed down for 1,300 years. This is truly amazing. What is especially commendable is the ancient royal blood flowing through your body. This can explain why you are so young but so good. You can call me Mrs. Emily Victor, like my child from now on."

  The duchess showed a kind smile on her face. This is the combined effect of 1.55 million pounds and Li Fushou’s sincere performance, which made the duchess’ affection for him greatly increased, and she looked more cordial.

The Duchess was very gossiping and asked curiously; "Just now I got Ayton's report. The Duchess' Mansion inquired about the information in the Red River Valley. I heard that you had wiped out a group of thugs. What is going on? "

  Hearing this, Li Fushou was shocked. He had checked his information in such a short period of time, and he couldn’t underestimate it.

  He has no expression on his face. Instead, adding fuel and jealousy, he began to describe the cruelty of the "Wild Wolf" Birken gang, which ravaged the land of Australia for thousands of miles, killed hundreds of white ranchers, and committed the massacre at every turn.

  This person even murdered the priest. Legend has it that even children over the age of 10 would not be spared. He is really full of evil and inhumane.

  The look on the Duchess’s face followed his narration, gnashing her teeth and hating for a while, worrying for a while, and weeping secretly for a while, just like the old lady listening to storytelling in a teahouse.

  Waiting for Li Fushou to talk about the encirclement and suppression team that had been tracking for more than 6 months, and fell into the gang’s machine-gun killings and was mercilessly slaughtered like a purgatory on earth. The duchess was already pale and couldn't listen to her chest.

"Mrs. Emily Victor...Oh my God, what did I do." Li Fushou quickly got up and shouted. Soon the castle butler and Lord Ayton and his wife rushed to the house, and the room was filled with concerned expressions. people.

  "Everyone, please let me. Dr. Robert Fisher is here. Please leave the necessary space for the doctor."

   "No, no...I'm fine." After the duchess took a few sips of hot coffee, her pale color became ruddy.

Dr. Robert Fisher carefully checked and said with a long sigh of relief; "God bless, Duchess Victor's body looks very good. The situation just now seems to be caused by a short period of mood swings. It is recommended to keep calm. Don't be irritated for now."

  Listening to the doctor’s explanation, everyone looked at Li Fushou who blamed the instigator, which made him feel embarrassed;

  Heaven and earth conscience, how do I know that this old woman has cardiovascular disease?

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  (End of this chapter)