Chapter 1122

Snow City.

Zhu Sansi let out a sound of awe as he looked at the Empire’s steam merchant ship. This steam merchant ship was 108 meters long and 20 meters wide. Its hull was covered in iron plates, just like the ironclad warships.

A year ago, this kind of iron-hulled merchant ship was still very rare. But now, all the merchant ships heading to Snow City were basically of this kind.

And the size of the merchant ships was also getting bigger and bigger. Every time, they brought a considerable amount of goods.

“Elder Brother, what do you think? Isn’t my ship pretty good?” Zhu Wuliu said, pointing at the behemoth in the sea, his tone slightly arrogant.

Zhu Sansi’s gaze did not leave the merchant ship. He asked, “How many gold dragons did you spend to buy this ship?”

“Not a lot, just two hundred thousand gold dragons,” Zhu Wuliu said casually.

“Two hundred thousand gold dragons is not a lot!” Zhu Sansi was so angry that he wanted to beat Zhu Wuliu up. According to the Empire’s current exchange rate, one gold dragon was equivalent to two taels of silver. Two hundred thousand gold dragons was equivalent to four hundred thousand taels of silver.

A sailing warship used to be priced at that.

Zhu Wuliu did not care and acted as if he had plenty of money. “Elder Brother, two hundred thousand gold dragons are nothing to our old Zhu family now. We have six more merchant ships like this one. Now that the Empire and Europe have signed a ceasefire agreement, long-distance trade will surely become popular in the world. If we don’t seize this opportunity to establish a shipping company now, when will we?”

Zhu Sansi’s eyes softened a little as he looked at Zhu Wuliu. He had to admit that when it came to business, he was not even fit to carry his brother’s shoes. And according to Zhu Wuliu, he had even obtained a business school graduation certificate from Qingzhou University.

But remembering the executed Cao family father and son, he could not help but warn him, “Wuliu, you must never forget your elder brother’s advice. No matter how big your business gets and no matter how much money you make, you must never get involved in government affairs and you must not be too close to any official. The bloody lesson is right in front of you.”

Zhu Wuliu had personally experienced the terror of that time in Qingzhou, and the memory still sent a chill down his spine. He said, “Elder Brother, even if you gave me a hundred times more guts, I would not dare to follow the old path of the Cao family father and son. Now that the Empire is prosperous, earning money and living a rich life is much better than living with your head on the line.”

“At least you’re not confused.” Zhu Sansi felt relieved. He then asked, “By the way, why did you personally come to Snow City this time?”

“One reason is to see you, Elder Brother, and the other is for the fur trade and the king crab business in Alaska. Now that the people of the Empire have become wealthy, the food business is booming. The king crab from Alaska, in particular, is very popular and can be said to be a highly profitable business.”

Zhu Sansi understood when he heard this.

After Snow City was established, all the Tsarist Russian merchant caravans in Alaska were driven out by them. The entire Alaska was now under the Empire’s control.

And the reason Tsarist Russia remained here was for the fur, as they did not discover any gold or minerals in Alaska.

Not only Tsarist Russia, but the French and British were also very active in Alaska at that time. They cooperated with the local natives to transport furs.

This was because the ancient forests of Alaska were home to a rich and diverse variety of fur-bearing animals, such as beavers, muskrats, raccoons, wolves, foxes, and lynx.

Among these, the number of beavers was the largest, and their fur was of the best quality. Beaver fur was extremely light, soft, dense, and warm. It also dried quickly after being in water, making it the ideal material for decorating hats and coats.

Therefore, beaver fur became a favorite of European noblewomen and socialites.

“In that case, I have some advice for you, Elder Brother. Beaver fur is the most popular in Europe.” Zhu Sansi said.

Zhu Wuliu understood. He squeezed his eyes. “Elder Brother, can you not make things a little easier and let your younger brother monopolize the fur in Alaska?”

Zhu Sansi immediately frowned. “How many times have I told you that using public office for private gain is a great taboo in the military? If you say such nonsense again, I will have you arrested and put you on a hunger strike for a few days.”

“It was a joke, just a joke.” Zhu Wuliu, who was snubbed, said with an awkward smile.

Zhu Sansi grunted softly. He said, “From now on, we will only talk about private matters between brothers and not public matters. Let’s go. Since you have come to Snow City, I, your elder brother, must at least treat you to a good meal.”

Zhu Wuliu breathed a slight sigh of relief. He no longer dared to bring up the topic of business. He followed Zhu Sansi forward.

In front of them, a white city bathed in golden sunlight shone brightly. On the snowy road, which had been flattened by merchants, merchants on dog-drawn sleds were traveling back and forth.

On the city wall, soldiers in thick white military uniforms, with Han-style rifles on their backs, vigilantly watched the crowd. In the center of the city gate, six Changping-style machine guns overlooked the area outside the city, ready to shred any enemy who dared to attack.

“Commander Zhu!”

Just as the two of them arrived at the city gate, a trusted guard handed a sealed letter to Zhu Sansi.

Tearing open the letter, Zhu Sansi had Zhu Wuliu stand a little further away and read it carefully himself. A smile gradually appeared on his face.

He ignored Zhu Wuliu and just said, “Wuliu, I have an important matter to attend to, so I can’t accompany you anymore. You can make yourself at home in the city.”

With that, he and his trusted guards headed towards the military camp, leaving behind a dejected Zhu Wuliu.

Arriving at the camp, Zhu Sansi immediately summoned his subordinate generals. The letter from the Empire ordered him to attack the French colony in North America, which was something he had been looking forward to for a long time.

After his long period of investigation in North America, he had found that North America was truly a treasure trove. This continent, which had not yet been fully conquered by civilization, was full of primeval forests. The wildlife resources were very rich, and the climate was also very suitable for living.

In his opinion, at present, no other colony of the Empire could be compared to the entire North American region, except for Australia.

It was a great pity to have these places ruled by the Europeans.

“Soldiers, the Emperor’s order has arrived. From now on, we must prepare to attack New France.”

“It’s finally time to fight!” Gao Yingfeng jumped three feet high in excitement, his face all smiles.

Zhu Sansi stood in front of the North American map. He glared at Gao Yingfeng, and then pointed to the North American continent, which was currently called New France. “At present, New France includes the coastal areas of the Saint Lawrence Bay, Newfoundland, Acadia, the Great Lakes region, and some areas west of the Appalachian Mountains, all of which are claimed by the French.”

Gao Yingfeng said with some confusion, “That’s not right. Don’t the French have more colonies than that? What about Louisiana?”

“The French have already sold that region to the Americans. It is said that they sold it for sixty million francs.” Zhu Sansi said, “This was revealed by the Emperor in the letter. He wants us to deal with Canada first.”

The generals all nodded when they heard this. They did not care about this, because in their opinion, the entire North American continent would belong to the Empire sooner or later.