Chapter 20: Li Yangcai (Part 2)

Deng Cunyu grew proud immediately. Acting like a nouveau riche, he pointed his thick fingers at the weapons on the ground: “Not to mention anything else, there are forty Spencer rifles alone. Add fourteen other types of breech-loading guns, two revolvers—in total, fifty-six breech-loading guns, all extremely sharp.”
Fifty-six breech-loading guns—this truly shocked Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan. Even the French Marine Corps guarding the coast didn’t have that many guns!
Zhang Biao wanted to rush over and grab a few, but Liu Yu was dissatisfied with Deng Cunyu: “Boss Deng, this is your fault. I placed an order for a hundred Spencer rifles from you, and now, after a 70% price increase, this is all you can give me?”
He was being picky, but Deng Cunyu, a newcomer to arms dealing, lacked confidence: “Young Master Liu, it’s not that I won’t help. It’s just that even with money, it’s impossible to buy weapons here. Those forty Spencer rifles were smuggled in only because I bribed the French officials at the customs. As for these fifty-six breech-loading guns, who else in this place but me, Deng Cunyu, could arrange such a deal?”
Lian Jincheng chimed in: “That’s right. The boss went to great lengths to gather fifty-six breech-loading guns plus 11,000 rounds of ammunition—quite an effort.”
Liu Yu was still quite pleased. Even if a French regiment showed up, he wouldn’t be defenseless. With nearly a hundred breech-loading guns and 15,000 rounds of ammunition, he could hold his own.
Yet he wasn’t satisfied: “Just these few guns and ammunition? Boss Deng, how can you live up to the high price I paid? To be honest, I’m not afraid of spending money—I’m afraid you can’t deliver. You must give me an explanation.”
New riches feared encountering even richer newcomers. This seemed like an easy target, but Deng Cunyu was extremely cautious. He couldn’t afford to offend such a client. True wealth meant treating money as if it were worthless. This deal alone could sustain Boss Deng for three years in terms of quantity, and in terms of profit, it matched everything he’d made in his years of arms dealing.
Smiling, he said, “Young Master Liu, how could we neglect your request? Although only forty guns have arrived, more will follow…”
He glanced at Cai Yunnan and Zhang Biao before leaning close to Liu Yu: “There are another twenty guns. I’ve already sent reliable men to get them. I’ll definitely deliver them for you.”
Seeing Deng Cunyu speaking to Liu Yu in such a respectful tone, Zhang Biao and Cai Yunnan admired Liu Yu even more. Who was Deng Cunyu? One of the most influential figures in Haiyang, involved in everything from arms to opium—any profitable business. Yet here he was, showing such respect to Liu Yu.
They felt they admired Liu Yu even more. Deng Cunyu, blinded by wealth, wasn’t even afraid of the French. Now, if Liu Yu spent enough money, he’d even get the French consul’s mother for him.

Liu Yu was truly an outstanding dealmaker. When he heard that Deng Cunyu could even obtain twenty foreign rifles, he immediately decided, “Done! Let’s settle the account for these rifles first. Boss Deng, I’ll give you a slight discount—when settling, I’ll only pay you in Eagle Dollars.”
Eagle Dollars? Deng Cunyu’s face lit up with joy. This wasn’t a loss at all; it was a huge advantage.
At that time, the currency system was chaotic. Without prior agreement, one might suffer losses due to discrepancies in measurement standards. For example, a soldier from Shanxi Province received his salary in Xin Xiang Ping, but when he wanted to make large transactions, others used Shi Da Ping. When shopping in the market, vendors used Shi Xiao Ping, while wealthy merchants carried Yuan Bao with them.
Although Deng Cunyu claimed not to accept miscellaneous silver, he was willing to accept even Vietnamese white lead coins when dealing with major clients. But Eagle Dollars were different.
In China, Vietnam, and even the entire Far East during that era, the most trustworthy currency wasn’t the pound, the franc, the dollar, or the Qing dynasty’s coins—it was these Mexican silver coins.
Called “Piastra” originally, these coins enjoyed extremely high credibility. Even after France fully occupied Vietnam, it retained this currency standard and continued using it until the end of the colonial era.
Realizing that Liu Yu was giving him a discount by settling with Eagle Dollars, Deng Cunyu also decided to reciprocate. He picked through the rifles and finally chose a Winchester, handing it over and saying, “Although this gun is less powerful, its advantage lies in its fifteen-shot capacity and extremely fast firing rate. I won’t charge extra—consider it a favor to Young Master Liu.”
Now he understood that Liu Yu had no connection to the Black Flag Army, but his desire to curry favor grew even stronger. Liu Yu nodded, took the Winchester, and held it in his hands.
What a remarkable gun.
Of course, he wanted to buy this Winchester 1866 rifle—it was a world-class weapon. It was only the price that deterred him. But now his thoughts had changed. After all, he already had nearly a hundred breech-loading guns. Though not impressive—after all, every major power had hundreds of thousands of such guns—having this Winchester as his personal weapon would only slightly boost his combat strength and wouldn’t change the overall situation.
Over there, Cai Yunnan and Zhang Biao were drooling. These people were clearly better than them bandits.
Looking at Liu Yu, he had a seven-shot Spencer on his shoulder, two six-shot revolvers at his waist, and a fifteen-shot gun in his hand. If they had such equipment, they would be willing to call him father.
But they also had fantasies. This time, Liu Yu’s group had acquired fifty-six foreign rifles—surely they would give them one fewer rifle at a lower price. Even if they didn’t earn any credit this time, they had still put in effort.
Liu Yu held the Winchester but shook his head. Using this gun again would be a waste. Who could make the most of it?
He thought of one person. But then he shook his head again—this seemed too inappropriate. It could be given to anyone, but definitely not him. He felt he couldn’t decide this alone and needed to consult someone.
“Boss Deng, give me another revolver. By the way, I need to discuss something with Ning Xue.”

Deng Cunyu was lighting whole bundles of Eagle Dollars there, his heart almost bursting from the effort.
In this world, the only one he could discuss things with was Jiang Ningxue.
She was the person he loved the most.