Chapter 8

The "stowaway" was a young man with a wheat-colored complexion, bright eyes, and a robust build. His fingers and palms were calloused, clearly indicating he had received professional combat training.

Wen Desi was also trained, and he could spot these signs at a glance. At the moment, this trained man was tied up like a dumpling and brought before Wen Desi.

"Speak up, who are you? Why were you hiding on the ship? What are your intentions?" Wen Desi asked casually.

It didn't matter whether this man spoke or not. Even if he didn't, the memory extraction/input system in the base could uncover his background, though it would be more troublesome. Wen Desi was considering whether to use a truth serum. He had the formula, but it was a banned substance in the civilian world, so he hadn't dared to use it before the穿越. Now, he didn't care.

This man said with a bitter expression, "Sir, my name is Liu Shanchuan. I just wanted to go to Sichuan. I lost my wallet, so..."

Wen Desi smiled and pointed to his waist. "Oh, really? Then what about the wound on your waist? Do thieves in Jiangxi use bullets to steal things?"

The bodyguard had reported that this man had a wound on his left waist, a graze from a bullet. More importantly, he had a tetrahedral bayonet with someone else's blood on it.

Sure enough, the man's face changed. He hurriedly said, "Sir, I'm not lying. Everything I said is true..."

"Ha, you might not be lying, but you're not telling the whole truth," Wen Desi said with a smile.

At this moment, a bodyguard entered and said, "Mr. Wen, just now, the Bluebird reported that the Jiujiang port, where we docked an hour ago, is under martial law. The constables and the Green Standard Army have been mobilized. They are said to be hunting for a man named Liu Shui..." The "Bluebird" he referred to was a reconnaissance aircraft. The world wasn't that stable, and Wen Desi was worried about incidents along the way, so he had dispatched two reconnaissance aircraft to scout ahead and behind, with two bio-people responsible for receiving signals.

The bodyguard didn't lower his voice and reported openly. Liu Shanchuan, who wasn't deaf, of course, heard it. His face turned even uglier.

Wen Desi laughed, "Ha ha ha, now you can explain what happened at the Jiujiang port, can't you?"

Liu Shanchuan sighed and said helplessly, "Yes, I am the Liu Shui the authorities are looking for. But I didn't lie, Shanchuan is my courtesy name. You can turn me over to the authorities..."

Wen Desi took a sip of tea and said, "I haven't decided whether to turn you over to the authorities yet. But I'm curious about the case you committed. They sent hundreds of people to catch you. What did you do?"

Liu Shui said resentfully, "What else? I killed a foreign monk! This damn foreign monk killed our magistrate, Mr. Jiang."

"Foreign monk? So it's the Nanchang Incident..." Wen Desi nodded.

The Nanchang Incident, which occurred on February 15, 1906, involved the destruction of churches and the killing of missionaries by the people of Nanchang. On February 22, 1906, the French Catholic Bishop of Nanchang, Wang Anzhi, demanded that the magistrate of Nanchang, Jiang Zhaotang, expand the privileges of the church. Jiang refused and was subsequently assassinated. The entire city erupted in chaos, with workers striking, merchants closing their shops, and students protesting. On the 25th, tens of thousands of people from various counties gathered, destroying four French and British churches and schools, and killing nine missionaries, including Wang Anzhi.

After the incident, the British and French sent warships to Nanchang to threaten, and the Qing government kowtowed. They compensated the French with 50,000 taels of silver for the missionaries, 250,000 taels for the churches, and 100,000 taels for the hospital. They arrested 70 to 80 "troublemakers," and after a trial, executed six, including Gong Dong, imprisoned thirteen, and sentenced twelve to hard labor. They also dismissed the governor of Jiangxi, Hu Tinggan, and the provincial treasurer, Zhou Hao, and referred the provincial judge, Yu Zhaokang, to the Ministry for punishment.

This incident had a significant impact, digging a hole for the Qing government. It fueled nationalistic sentiments among the people, pushing many who were on the fence to oppose the Qing court.

It was now March 5, and the news of the Nanchang Incident had already spread. Wen Desi had learned about it before boarding the ship. Although the incident made him angry, he couldn't do much about it. His current power was still too small compared to the British and French empires. Despite having the golden finger and golden leg from the 23rd century, he needed time to turn it into real strength.

Of course, this matter was noted in Wen Desi's little black book. If he had the chance, he wouldn't mind making the foreigners pay.

Wen Desi thought for a moment and said, "I see. But you can rest assured, I won't turn you over to the Qing government. You are free to go." He gestured for the bodyguard to unlock Liu Shui's handcuffs.

He looked at Liu Shui and said, "Our destination is Neijiang, Sichuan. We will pass through Hankou, Yichang, Chongqing, and Luzhou. You can get off at any place you like."

However, Liu Shui said, "Mr. Wen, I heard you are recruiting people..."

Wen Desi smiled and said, "Yes, what, are you interested in applying?"

"Yes, if possible, I want to work for you."

Although Liu Shui was a bit of a hot-headed youth, he was also smart. In the short time he had been on the ship, he had already noticed that Mr. Wen had a grand setup, having recruited over a hundred foreigners, which was far beyond the means of an ordinary person. Moreover, he wasn't from the government, making him the most suitable person to rely on. As a wanted man, he needed to find a strong backer to survive.

Wen Desi said with a laugh, "Ha, I recruit people with special skills. What are you good at?" He understood Liu Shui's thoughts but didn't mind. Although his current power couldn't change the outcome of the Nanchang Incident, he could still shelter a few wanted men.

Liu Shui said proudly, "Mr. Wen, I am the head instructor at the Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall and a successor of the Liu-style Xingyi Quan..."

Wen Desi shook his head and smiled, "No matter how good your kung fu is, one bullet can bring you down..."

Liu Shui was about to argue but immediately thought of how he had been chased like a dog by the Qing army's guns, despite them not being his match. He also remembered being cornered by guns on the ship and couldn't find words to say.

Looking at this dejected young man, Wen Desi smiled, "I've heard your kung fu is good. Just now, four men with guns almost let you escape... How about this, when we get to Neijiang, you can join my factory security team."

"Jabuxiong, arrange a room for him and find a doctor to treat his wound..."

"Yes, Mr. Wen."

...

March 25, 1906, Neijiang County.

"Recruitment, recruitment, Xingke Company is hiring workers... Meals and accommodation provided, minimum monthly salary of 4 yuan, 13 months' salary paid annually. Annual clothing allowance, 2 sets of winter clothes, 3 sets of summer and spring/autumn clothes..."

"Manual laborers, carpenters, stonemasons, masons, bricklayers, sugar workers, ironworkers, boatmen, tailors, chefs, doctors, clerks, accountants... All kinds of jobs available, meals and accommodation provided, minimum trial salary of 4 yuan, 5 yuan minimum after three months... Skilled workers start at 10 yuan, highly skilled workers start at 20 yuan, with no upper limit."

"Those interested in applying, please go to the Xingke Company office on Daxi Street... Once the contract is signed, a 4-yuan resettlement fee will be provided."

A group of people, accompanied by several ox carts, paraded through the county, beating drums and shouting. Among them were a few constables from the county office.

This group attracted a lot of attention, and people stopped to watch. After hearing the advertisement, they began to discuss it.

"Meals and accommodation provided, at least 4 yuan a month, that's not bad."

"4 yuan for a stone of rice, even the lowest salary can support a family..."

"Old Zhang, what does this Xingke Company do? Why are they hiring so many people?"

"I heard they are setting up many large factories in Neijiang, as well as a hospital. They need a lot of people."

"Is this for real?"

"What's not real? Are you worth cheating, you peasants? Didn't you see that Liu the constable is here? The government is involved, how fake can it be?"

In the elegant room of the largest restaurant in the city, "Wangjiang Tower," Gu Xiaolv and a few subordinates were watching.

"Secretary Gu, our recruitment advertisement is very effective. As of 10 minutes ago, 647 people have applied..." a bio-person said happily.

Gu Xiaolv shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, our advertising methods are too primitive. Otherwise, it would be even better... Have the advertisements started in other cities?"

The bio-person answered, "Yes, in 15 cities around Neijiang, including Zizhong, Weiyuan, Longchang, Ziliujing, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Yibin, the publicity campaign has already begun..."

Gu Xiaolv said regretfully, "Unfortunately, we still don't have enough people. Otherwise, we could have started recruitment throughout Sichuan..."

Currently, the base had 40 cultivation tanks, capable of producing 40 bio-people at a time, with a 48-hour production cycle. However, due to a lack of ready-made nutrient solution, the production cycle had been extended from 2 days to 3 to 4 days. Additionally, they needed to produce some advanced bio-people (like Gu Xiaolv, Kafu, Cromi, and Banazhar), which took even longer. After more than a month of production, they had completed 12 batches, totaling less than 500 people.

While 500 people seemed like a lot, once they spread out, they were stretched thin.

Therefore, Wen Desi never expected to rely solely on bio-people to achieve his goals. Bio-people could serve as the backbone and core of the organization, but to accomplish great things, he needed the natural people of this era.

"Hey, there's a signal..." Gu Xiaolv suddenly raised his hand, looked at the information on his multifunctional wristwatch, and said excitedly, "Great, Mr. Wen is back. Let's head back to the base..."

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