Wild North America 1846

Chapter 355 Auction Shop

January 11, 1861

This is the beginning of the fifth year of the American Civil War and the beginning of the second year of the North American War. The streets and alleys of Detroit have been cleaned, but there is still a lingering smell of corpses lingering in it.

Richard, surrounded by a group of senior generals, stood on the pier by Lake Erie, looking at the vast lake in front of him with deep eyes. He didn't know what he was thinking.

after a long time

Richard pointed to the northeast and asked, "Toronto should be in that direction, right?"

"Your Majesty, yes, you can reach the entrance of the Toronto Canal about 254 kilometers from here by boating in the northeast direction. It is about 330 kilometers away from Toronto. It can be reached by sailing in one day."

"Are the British ships coming now?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, there are still some. Two British cargo ships arrived the day before yesterday, carrying grain and cloth. These are the most in demand goods in the northeastern United States. The British side expressed its willingness to strengthen trade with us.

close co-opperation."

"If you want to grow into a great empire that the world admires, you really need to learn from the British's shamelessness. This is something we lack." Richard said with a sigh.

The senior generals looked at each other with strange expressions, but no one said a word.

Complaining about British people is now a very popular topic in the military and political circles of the Tang Dynasty. The British people are picked out and insulted no matter what happens. Unexpectedly, His Majesty is also very interested. It is not easy for ministers to join in the fun. It is taboo for His Majesty.

Well!

General Dai Changfu coughed dryly and said;

"Your Majesty, I believe that soldiers should be pure, loyal to your Majesty, loyal to the kingdom, and maintain the noble character of being brave, fearless, humble and adhering to their oaths. Those intrigues are what politicians should do, and soldiers do not bother to do them.

."

"That makes sense. Standing by Lake Erie really makes people feel relaxed!" Richard did not dwell on the previous question, but changed the subject and said, "After the war, there were many casualties. We should ask Buddhists and Taoists to do more.

A large-scale land and water ceremony can also be held, and Christian priests can also participate, so that the deceased can rest in peace and the sad moment can become a thing of the past as soon as possible. Detroit needs a new beginning and arrangements need to be made as soon as possible."

"Wei Chen understands." Dong Jie replied solemnly.

I don’t know why, but standing by Lake Erie and watching the waves lapping at the beach, and the biting wind carrying the icy water vapor blowing, I feel a chill that penetrates my bones, and I always feel depressed and a bit...

A permeating feeling.

The presence or absence of smells in the city will inevitably make people think too much...

Finding some monks and Taoist priests to do rituals can really help eliminate psychological shadows.

After inspecting Detroit, His Majesty the King ended his eastward tour and returned to Chang'an, the imperial capital, by royal charter.

The Spring Festival sacrifice in the new year is coming soon. The king will lead the royal family and ministers to pray to heaven and earth, worship ancestors, and hold the annual grand Spring Festival sacrifice.

This includes canonizing heroes and dignitaries, accepting pilgrims from various countries and submitting credentials, a set of complicated royal etiquette and countless diplomatic activities, all of which are carried out at the end of this year and the beginning of the year.

The year 1861 was a different new year.

Different from the cold weather, the restored Detroit Railway ushered in a strong wave of transportation. In one day, 21 passenger trains and 14 freight trains arrived, bringing with them a large number of Chinese immigrants full of hope.

These Chinese immigrants are all old immigrants in the Kingdom who have obtained residence permits for more than three years. They flock here like sardines after smelling money, bringing their wives and children to move here with their families.

Every time the Tang Kingdom opened up frontiers, it would bring countless opportunities to make a fortune.

"Go eastward...open up new frontiers!"

“The East is the perfect place to realize your dream of wealth and a paradise for adventurers.”

"Go to the east and start a new wave of colonization and development."

Such slogans are the focus of a heated debate in the public opinion circles of the Tang Dynasty today, and newspapers are full of articles reporting on various strange and bizarre events.

For example, someone bought a very large house or an independent villa in the city at an astonishingly low price. A white woman bought one and got two free. She also bought several prime shops in the city and lived a shameless life from then on.

Rich life.

According to the report, a certain person took over an astonishingly large manor from a white farmer for almost nothing, and he also had a lovely wife and beautiful family, and from then on he reached the pinnacle of his life...

Someone dug up treasure in the yard, someone took advantage of something, and all kinds of wealth myths were staged in turn, transforming the newly conquered land into a glittering dream land.

Such advocacy is in line with the interests of the Tang Kingdom.

From the perspective of the royal government, it does not need new immigrants with nothing to develop the east. Instead, it prefers the older group of immigrants who already have a certain amount of capital and are more familiar with the operating rules and social conditions of the Tang Kingdom, an immigrant country.

There are indeed countless opportunities in the eastern region, from urban residences to shops, villages and towns, as well as farms and pastures on vast lands. They all need to be taken over by people with certain financial strength instead of giving them away for free. They must act in accordance with the laws of the market.

In the Tang Kingdom, there were opportunities everywhere, but no one could get something for nothing.

By selling city shops and properties, the royal government can quickly raise a large amount of funds to use in the financial gap caused by the war.

With so many assets in a city, it is easy to withdraw hundreds of millions of social funds. It is possible that the Tang Dynasty government also made a fortune from the war.

After the Northern Corps conquered Detroit, the troops entered into a long-term rest and replenishment lasting 3 to 4 months. At the same time, they undertook the urban reconstruction of Chicago and Detroit and the follow-up clearing of towns and villages.

As many as 30,000 disabled soldiers will retire, and some meritorious veterans who have overdue service will also retire. They will be arranged to live in Michigan and Illinois, and their land and houses will be distributed according to their merits. From now on, they will live a shameless life.

A shameless and peaceful life.

After this round of adjustments, the Northern Corps will have a shortage of more than 100,000 soldiers. Half will be supplemented from new recruits from the mainland, and the other half will be supplemented from conscripts recruited from within the kingdom. The training will be completed during the rest period.

During the rest and replenishment period, which lasted for 3 to 4 months, the Northern Corps allowed its active-duty officers and soldiers to participate in the wealth-sharing feast in the newly conquered lands and provided all conveniences for this. This was an excellent move to unite the morale of the military.

this day

Captain Wu Erbao (newly promoted), who was on vacation, was wearing a crisp officer uniform, and with a group of fellow officers and new immigrants, he visited street shops on the bustling streets of downtown Detroit.

Each of them held a pamphlet in their hands, followed the young municipal clerk, and listened carefully to the young man's explanation.

“Dear military officers and friends who are willing to invest in commercial buildings in Detroit;

What you are visiting now is a prime location in Detroit. This is a 4-story reinforced concrete building at 177 Cartman Street. It was built in 1853. The entire building is in the Victorian style. The surface of the building is decorated with snowstone granite. It is only 7 years old.

time.

There are 12 shops on the first floor of this building, each with an area ranging from 60 to 85 square meters, and prices ranging from high to low.

Can provide you with a price reference;

In 1856, before the outbreak of the Civil War, each of such a shop was worth more than 6,500 Tang Yuan, and we set the starting price of each shop at 700 Tang Yuan, which is almost 1/10 of the value.

After the auction starts, the one with the highest price will win.

The upper floors of this building have a total of three floors. We will package the entire floor for sale. Each floor has an area of ​​830 square meters and was worth 25,000 yuan before the war broke out. We will start bidding at 3,000 yuan per floor. The same is

The one with the highest price gets it.

Take a look at the prosperous western coastal cities of the Kingdom, and you will know how huge the potential for appreciation is in the properties in front of you.

The newly conquered eastern cities are full of opportunities to make a fortune!

According to the information I have;

In less than a month, the total number of Chinese immigrants who have poured into Michigan has reached 311,700, and as many as 178,200 have stayed in Detroit to develop, and you are a powerful part of them.

In addition, most of the officers and soldiers of the Northern Army are willing to buy houses and settle down in this city. Looking at the many officers and gentlemen in our visiting team, you can prove that what I say is true.

This can show that the properties we sell are very valuable and have huge potential for future appreciation.

Here, I would like to sincerely thank the Imperial soldiers who followed His Majesty’s orders and sacrificed their blood to conquer foreign lands. It is your dedication that has brought us countless precious wealth and opportunities. Thank you again.”

After finishing his speech without any hesitation, the young government employee bowed deeply and respectfully, which attracted warm applause from the visitors.

Captain Wu Erbao and a dozen other officers accepted the compliment with a reserved expression. It was an honor that soldiers deserved.

The people who came to participate in the real estate auction were all older generation immigrants with considerable assets. They valued Detroit's bright development prospects. It was the closest city for the Tang Kingdom to export to Europe. On the other side of Lake Erie was the Windsor region of Canada.

It is only 993 kilometers from Detroit to New York, the largest city on the east coast of the United States. Similarly, exports from Detroit to Europe are only more than a thousand kilometers more canal voyage than New York. If the ship travels at a speed of more than 20 kilometers per hour, it is almost two times.

Two days and two nights.

Compared with the Tang Kingdom's traditional southward trade route to Central America and Panama, it saved more than 6,800 kilometers. Compared with the southern railway, which was transferred via the Mexican Railway and exported from the Gulf of Mexico, the distance was shortened by 3,150 kilometers.

Anyone with some discernment can see that the city of Detroit may develop into a bright prospect that is not inferior to Los Angeles in the future.

The Tang Kingdom is different from the United States. The United States has a series of excellent seaside port cities such as Philadelphia, New York, and Hampton on the east coast. The territory of the Datang Kingdom is located on the west coast of North America, which is more important than the major port cities on the Pacific coast and lacks access to

Atlantic port.

And precisely because of its geographical limitations, the importance of the city of Detroit is highlighted.

Newspapers have clearly analyzed the importance of eastern cities such as Detroit and Chicago. They have superior development foundations, and canal shipping, railway and highway transportation are very convenient.

Taking advantage of the opportunity before the smoke of war has completely dissipated, buying urban properties at bargain prices is definitely a good deal with a guaranteed profit without losing any money.

Captain Wu Erbao and his colleagues also agreed very much with the analysis in the newspaper, so they took advantage of their vacation to conduct a large-scale purchase of property assets. This has become a common practice among the officers and soldiers of the Northern Corps.

The young city clerk who led the tour was an outstanding graduate of the Taoyuan Administrative College and joined the newly established Detroit City Hall. Selling some city assets to collect funds as soon as possible, prosper the market, and provide stable and sustained tax revenue are their current important tasks.

one.

There are as many as a dozen such housing sales working groups.

After the enthusiastic young municipal employee led everyone to visit the shop structure and upper-floor properties, he waited downstairs, preparing to start the on-site auction when the auctioneer arrived.

After a while

The auctioneer hurriedly arrived in a carriage, and everyone helped lift an auction table from the carriage. He was also accompanied by a lawyer, a bank clerk, and two other municipal officials. They were responsible for witnessing the legality of the process and the registration of participants, and

Auction funds are collected afterwards.

These people came here after another auction ended. After the auction here, they had to rush to the next auction. They were so busy that they hit the back of their heads.

"Hey, Brother Tongde, are you interested in a shop or an entire floor of property upstairs? Tell us what you think and let everyone know about it." Captain Wu Erbao said with a smile.

Major Geng Tongde is the oldest among this wave of officers and has the highest position. He now serves as a senior staff officer in the Staff Department of the Fourth Army. He is in the same department as Captain Wu Erbao, who was transferred to the army after his promotion. He is quite prestigious among the officers.

Major Geng Tongde was also a straightforward person. He stood aside waiting to register. Anyway, he had nothing to do so he cleared his throat and said;

"Based on my experience, newspapers say that the future development prospects of Detroit are not inferior to those of Los Angeles, and I agree with this.

The prosperity of commercial trade will inevitably drive up the rental prices of shops along the street. Therefore, it is more cost-effective to buy a shop than the entire floor of the property above, and the potential for appreciation is higher.

As long as I can take pictures of two shops, I won't have to do anything as a charterer in the future, and I can see money in my account every month, wouldn't it be wonderful?

The whole floor of the property above is also good, whether it is rented to people or for corporate offices, it is cost-effective, mainly because of its large area, with 830 square meters on the first floor, but the appreciation potential is definitely not as good as the shops below!"

Major Duan Tongde's analysis attracted frequent nods from the military officers. Many officers of the Corps also invested in purchasing urban properties. Major General Zheng Shi (Zheng Laosi), commander of the Fourth Army, bought half a street by Lake Erie.

Although the location is a bit remote, it can’t stand up to its size!

There are more than 10 large and small buildings, as well as apartments and warehouses. They earn more than 100,000 yuan in rent every year just sitting still. They can maintain a decent life for the upper-class military nobles and are much more cost-effective than running a ranch.

The city of Detroit has more than a dozen streets along Lake Erie, and the commanders of the corps and divisions have made many moves. Wu Erbao and other middle and lower-level officers are jealous, and they have also joined the army of investors.

The kingdom has generous rewards for military meritorious deeds, mainly based on the meritorious field system. However, officers and soldiers who do not want to run farms and pastures can also be redeemed. That is, if they voluntarily give up the meritorious field rewards, they can redeem them in cash for spending, or they can be used for

Purchase a fixed property.

Generally speaking

No officer or soldier is willing to give up the reward of a meritorious field. After all, this is a field that can enjoy "ten taxes and one preferential tax rate" for a lifetime. It is also a symbol of the glory of the military. How prodigal does it take to be willing to exchange it for money?

Even if after the death of these meritorious officers and soldiers, the nature of the "meritorious land" inherited by their families will be changed to civilian land, and the "ten taxes and three ordinary tax rates" will be used, it is still very cost-effective.

But look at it from another angle

Use the "discounted funds from meritorious fields" to purchase shops or other properties and collect rent while waiting for the appreciation in value. It can be regarded as a very cost-effective investment.

Of course, the premise is that there must be such conditions.

For example, Chicago and Detroit, which were conquered by the Northern Army, have bright future development prospects, so 10 points are worth investing in.

And Kansas City, which was destroyed by the Colorado Legion, is in ruins everywhere. Everything needs to be torn down and rebuilt, so the investment value is greatly reduced.

Many officers of the Colorado Legion bought land and had to work hard to build houses. How could they buy ready-made properties for investment?

If the Colorado Corps successfully captures Cincinnati, since the city is not an area where the Tang Kingdom's "vacate the cage and change the bird" policy is implemented, the officers and soldiers of the Colorado Corps will not have such investment opportunities, and they will have to accept the merit field reward honestly.

Therefore, the officers and soldiers of the Northern Army are now extremely happy.

"Brother Erbao, the second-class meritorious service you won this time is in the bank, and you can get an extra 2,000 yuan of preferential loan quota. This is real money! We will see how many shops your brother buys in the auction later.

Yes." Major Geng Tongde said with envy.

"It's all thanks to the favor of the superiors that Erbao has the honor to receive the second-class meritorious service. The auction will be over soon and I'll treat you to a treat. Please be sure to appreciate it, Brother Tongde."

"Okay, then I will take advantage of you as a second-class hero."

Speaking of which

Captain Wu Erbao is also in high spirits at the moment. He has just been promoted to the rank of captain and will receive 86 yuan in military pay every month. If combat allowance, job allowance and other miscellaneous subsidies are added, the amount will be almost 1,000 yuan.

An annual salary of one thousand yuan a year is a decent high-income group.

But Wu Erbao's savings are not much, totaling more than 400 yuan.

When he arrived in North America from Paradise Island in January 1860, he was just an artillery second lieutenant with a monthly salary of 37.5 yuan. Within a year, he was promoted two levels in a row. Sure enough, war is the way to rapid promotion!

Captain Wu Erbao's biggest asset is the merit field. After every battle, officers will evaluate and accumulate merit. Now his personal account has accumulated 115 acres of merit field (approximately 690 acres). Each acre can be discounted at 30 yuan, and the total can be discounted.

3,450 yuan, plus the preferential loan of 2,000 yuan for winning second-class merit, then the funds he can use are 5,450 yuan.

With so much money, it is enough to photograph a few shops.

Just as he said this, several officers lined up for their turn to register. They took out their officer ID cards to register with the municipal officials. With the officer ID card, they did not need to pay a deposit. This is also a convenience for soldiers.

Because military status is a golden sign, city officials are not afraid that soldiers will break the contract after the auction. As soon as the complaint is brought to the army, those officers who regard honor as their life will naturally repair their subordinates severely and let these guys know why the flowers are so red.

?

No matter what the circumstances, military honor must not be tarnished in the slightest.

(End of chapter)