1850 American Gold Tycoon

"Grandpa is old, and my father and second uncle are mostly disabled. From now on, it will be up to my fifth uncle to be the main pillar of our Liang family."

In the side room, Liang Yao poured a glass of sake for Liang Shaoqiong.

"This sake was a gift given to me by the Japanese general when I was conquering Japan. I don't know if it will suit my uncle's taste."

Liang Shaocong was not tall, but he was fat and strong, with a thick mustache. Although he is a scholar, his face is not bookish.

"I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed. It's not me who is the cause of the Liang family's troubles, but you, my nephew."

Liang Shaocong, who looked guilty, picked up the wine cup and said solemnly to Liang Yao.

"Uncle Wu has done a lot of wrongs in the past. With this glass of wine, think of Uncle Wu as making amends to you!"

In the past, the relationship between the Liang brothers and uncles and nephews was not harmonious. When Liang Yao was young, Liang Shaoqiong did not give Liang Yao a good look.

After all, the Liang family is prosperous, and everyone hopes to get more attention from Mr. Liang. The so-called brothers, friends and brothers are just a false appearance.

If possible, Liang Yao naturally hopes that his father Liang Shaochen can come forward to assist Pan Shicheng in organizing team training on behalf of the Liang family. It's just that his father doesn't have this ability now, so he can't count on it at all.

Among the Liang family's Shao generation, only Liang Shaoqiong can count on one or two.

"Hahaha, Fifth Uncle is happy. Let the past unhappiness go away with this glass of wine."

Out of courtesy, Liang Yao gave Liang Shaoqiong a glass of wine in return.

"This time you can recommend me in front of Chief Secretary Pan. My fifth uncle really doesn't know how to repay you for this kindness."

Liang Shaoqiong put down the wine glass and looked at Liang Yao, who was impeccable in conversation and behavior and calm and composed, with incredible eyes.

Is this still the young boy who was put on a foreign ship crying?

The Liang Yao in front of him and the Liang Yao in Liang Shaocong's impression were simply two different people.

In just over three years, Liang Yao has changed a lot.

"We are all a family, and there is no need to repay anything in return." Liang Yao said with a smile, "Don't let the wealth go to other people's fields. With such a good job, how could I forget my own family."

"Your fifth uncle is already a grown man. He is 34 years old and has accomplished nothing. Without your recommendation, if he fails in the next examination, I would have planned to become a master for the rest of his life." Liang Shaoqiong laughed at himself.

Liang Shaocong said this in a self-effacing way. Having the title of Juren is equivalent to getting a stepping stone to become an official. However, the starting point of the Juren career is much lower than that of a Jinshi. The upper body space is not as large as that of a Jinshi. Furthermore, he is easily discriminated against by his colleagues.

This is similar to the academic discrimination in later generations, except that there is an insurmountable gap between the candidates and the Jinshi. This is much greater than the academic discrimination in employment in later generations.

Of course, there are some outstanding people who were born in Juren. Zuo Zongtang was born in Juren, but these are only a few cases after all. After all, in addition to his outstanding personal ability, Zuo Zongtang also has ridiculous luck and connections.

Under normal circumstances, being able to reach the position of county magistrate is equivalent to smoke rising from the ancestral grave.

"It's always good for the fifth uncle to have his own opinions, but don't blame your nephew for not listening to what he says. Being a master is ultimately dependent on others. Although you can expand some connections, you will do dirty work and it is difficult to become a great success." Liang Yao put his hand on the basket-shaped fire cage woven with bamboo strips to grill it, and then changed the subject.

"I asked Jinchen to search for coal mine veins in Guangzhou. This morning he told me that a coal mine vein was discovered in the northern suburbs of Guangzhou. I want to buy these lands for mining. However, these lands are owned by owners. Grandpa is old and has no future. Cold and inconvenience in legs and feet.

I will leave Xiangshan again in the near future, and it will be my uncle’s responsibility to purchase land and start mining. "

Liang Yao basically bought the coal stored in the Xiangshan warehouse from Hong Kong.

Of course, most of the coal used in steamships in the Far East was purchased from the British.

I have to say that the quality of British coal is indeed good. Liang Yao has experienced this personally.

When this expedition to Japan departed from California, the coal used on the ship was California coal produced in California. When departing from Xiangshan, the ship used British coal purchased from Hong Kong.

Liang Yao obviously felt that when British coal was used, the ship would travel faster and the steam turbine would encounter fewer mechanical failures.

Whether the coal produced in California or the coal produced in the northeastern United States is not as good as the coal produced in the United Kingdom, this is a reality that Liang Yao has to admit. After all, the quality of fuel is also an intuitive reflection of the strength of industrial strength.

What's even more tempting is that the British coal is not only of good quality, but also damn cheaper.

There is nothing to say about the strength of Britain in the Victorian era. It was the only country in the world to account for two-thirds of the world's coal production, which was seven times that of the United States. This is why British coal is of good quality and cheap.

British coal is good, but Liang Yao can't rely on the British to sell coal to him. His relationship with the British boss is just okay now, but it doesn't mean that the relationship will be okay in the future.

In Guangzhou, it is best to have a coal-producing area of ​​its own to provide protection for the supply station in Xiangshan in case of unexpected events.

Fortunately, the reserves of Guangzhou coal mines are still considerable.

The coal-producing area in Guangzhou that Liang Yao asked Hu Jinchen to find was actually the coal mining area in Baiyun District, Guangzhou in later generations.

It's just that the current urban area of ​​Guangzhou is much smaller than that of later generations. This mining area is located in the northern suburbs of Guangzhou.

According to Hu Jinchen's investigation, most of this area is farmland, and the owners behind it are also relatively complex. There are land owned by big bureaucrats and big landowners, as well as land owned by small squires and self-cultivators.

The process of buying these lands is cumbersome and takes some time.

Liang Yao obviously does not have so much time, and the Guangdong authorities also know that Liang Yao is an American now, so it would be more troublesome for him to buy the land himself.

It would be more appropriate for the Liang family to take charge of the matter of land purchase.

"As long as you have enough money, and with your current connections in Guangdong, it is not too difficult to buy some real estate." Liang Shaoqiong accepted the job, but he was still a little worried, "But no one in our Liang family has ever opened a mine."

"It doesn't matter, I will transfer some people from California to be responsible for mining. Uncle Wu just needs to buy the land." Liang Yao said.

"That's very good." Liang Shaoqiong nodded.

When the uncle and nephew were chatting happily, they heard the servant come to report. Pan Shicheng asked Liang Yao to help him select a group of local heroes.

Xiangshan has a ready place to choose Xiangyong.

This is not because the people in Xiangshan County are fierce and there are many people willing to serve as village heroes, nor is it because there are many refugees in Xiangshan County, but because Liang Yao's temporary resettlement place for immigrants is in Xiangshan.

Two years ago, Xiangshan became the starting point for Chinese immigrants to California. Tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants were waiting here for ships to California, preparing to embark on the journey to pursue their gold mining dream.

The temporary resettlement place in Xiangshan is specifically managed by the immigration hostel sent by Liang Yao and the local Guangzhou merchants who have a good relationship with Liang Yao.

The main job of the staff at the temporary resettlement site is to register immigrants (most of whom are refugees from war-torn areas in Guangdong), provide basic food and accommodation to ensure that not many people die every day, and appease the emotions of the refugees.

These tasks seem simple, but in fact the workload is very heavy, because since last year, the resettlement site in Xiangshan has been overloaded. The number of immigrants in the resettlement site is no less than 20,000, and this number is still increasing. This figure has now reached 40,000 people.