Chapter Eighty-Five: Clearly Marked Prices

Yang Xiaolin laughed. “Minister Sadoyi, you are indeed a straightforward man. That makes things much easier between us. Over the past few days I have already let quite a few people go. As for why I have kept you here until now, there are two reasons. First, I truly hold you gentlemen in the highest esteem and wanted to keep you with me a little longer. I know my methods may be beyond your understanding, but please do not doubt my sincerity. Minister Sherley can bear witness: I am an honest man.”

Sherley gave a bitter smile. He knew that once he returned home, his political career would be over. France would never again allow him to sit in such a post, and the other legations would never forgive him either. All of this was thanks to that Yang demon. He did not answer Yang Xiaolin’s question and sat there in silence.

Yang Xiaolin did not care that no one replied. He went on. “Second, I am in a difficult position. I do not know how much ransom to ask from you. If I ask too little, it may be an insult to your standing.”

The ministers all understood at once that this second reason was the real one. They exchanged glances, and at that moment the Belgian minister, Yaoshideng, tried to be clever. He leaned forward slightly. “I suppose I am rather old. I cannot be worth very much.”

At once, Yang Xiaolin’s gun was pointed at his head. “If you are not worth much, then I will not keep you!”

Yaoshideng was horrified and hurriedly leaned back. “Wait! Perhaps I am worth a little after all!”

Yang Xiaolin gave Biaozi a look. Biaozi immediately took out paper and brush and spread them on the table. Yang Xiaolin lowered his gun. “Your Western countries always speak of human rights, do they not? I am a man who respects human rights more than anyone. I will not make things hard for you. You can write to the people outside yourselves and state how much ransom you are worth. No problem, I assume?”

Even if there were problems, these ministers would not dare say so now. One by one they picked up pen and paper and began to ponder what would be suitable to write. To put a price on themselves, then be sold by this bandit according to that price, was truly a painful matter.

They wrote slowly, occasionally glancing at the people beside them, and from time to time they exchanged words in a language Yang Xiaolin could not understand.

Yang Xiaolin did not know what they were discussing, but he did not stop them. Instead he said with a thoughtful air, “Perhaps you gentlemen do not quite understand. For people in our line of work, the closer you get to the end, the more dangerous it becomes. The other side often launches a surprise attack just when we think we have succeeded. If that should happen, I may need to borrow one of you gentlemen for a while.”

Then he added, as though he were in real difficulty, “I admire you all about equally. So whom should I borrow if that moment comes?”

His eyes swept over them again, and the ministers all clearly tried to avoid his gaze. They all understood Chinese very well and knew exactly what this beast meant by borrow. Just as they all hoped his eyes would not settle on them, Biaozi said from the side, “Borrow the one who is worth the least!”

Yang Xiaolin nodded. “Mm, excellent idea!”

The ministers were alarmed out of their wits. Almost in unison, like schoolboys cheating on an exam, they all turned to glance at the papers of the men beside them, trying to see what prices the others had written, while covering their own sheets so no one could see. Human nature is not made noble merely by rank. These normally dignified foreign grandees revealed their selfishness in all its nakedness in that instant.

Yang Xiaolin smiled. “Very well, gentlemen. There are not many people left in this courtyard now, and I imagine you have all been shut in this room long enough to feel rather stifled. I have good news for you. From today on, you may walk freely in the compound, though of course only where my men can see you.”

It was indeed good news. For more than ten days, these ministers had been confined to this one room, and even going out to use the latrine required someone to watch them. It had been unbearable. Now that Yang Xiaolin said they could move about the courtyard, smiles appeared on their faces before they could stop them.

Yang Xiaolin stood up. “I trust you are all smart men, so no one will try to do anything that might upset us at a time like this. Very well. Biaozi, open the door. You men outside can pull back. In the future, treat our honored guests with a little more respect.”

After saying this, he left with the bandits and did not bother to ask how much the ministers had priced themselves at. He guessed it would not be a small sum. In his mind, the total value of these men together had to exceed the ransom he had already obtained, or it would truly be an insult to their status as ministers.

Biaozi hurried after him. “Captain, are you really planning to let them go?”

Yang Xiaolin looked back at that room but did not answer. Instead he said mysteriously, “Go fetch that Englishman, Robert.”

Since entering the compound, Robert had been in a state of utter panic. He had been here several times before, and only now did he realize it had been a bandit lair all along. Every time he remembered how he had come swaggering in with his nose in the air and still managed to leave safely, he felt as though God himself must have been protecting him.

But was God still with him this time?

Every time someone was released, Robert hoped to hear his own name. Every time, however, he was bitterly disappointed. Yang Xiaolin had drawn up a list, and the men outside naturally chose first the people of standing and reputation. As for this swindler who had come to China intending to cheat and bluff his way into profit, of course he was being saved for last.

The others who were left behind did not panic. They had already understood the situation very well and knew they would all get out sooner or later. Robert was different. He had seen the young mistress several times. She had only glanced at him, but he had a guilty conscience and kept feeling that this woman would one day take revenge on him.

When Biaozi dragged him out from the crowd, Robert was terrified. “Hey! Where are you taking me? Don’t do this! I know I was wrong, all right? I beg you, let me go. I swear I’ll go back to England and never come again!”

He shouted all the way, sometimes roaring like thunder, sometimes pleading miserably, looking every inch like a dying man begging for his life by any means possible.

Biaozi paid him no mind. Together with a few others, he hauled Robert into Yang Xiaolin’s room and then shut the door.

Robert’s legs had gone weak. The moment he entered, he stumbled and fell to the floor. When he struggled back up, he suddenly froze. What he saw made him forget his fear, forget everything. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “Good God!”

Before him were stacks of banknotes piled as high as a hill. Dollars, francs, pounds, rubles, all kinds of colorful currency were heaped together in dazzling profusion. Robert could not help walking toward a pile of pounds, taking a stack in his hands. His breathing grew heavier at once.

Yang Xiaolin stood amid the money, wearing a charming smile. “Do you like it, Mr. Robert?”

Robert nodded mechanically. “Who wouldn’t? Is all this money yours?”

“Yes, all of it is mine,” Yang Xiaolin said. “I am troubled, because I do not know how to spend it all.”

Robert’s throat bobbed. “You are worried about the happiest problem in the world.”

Yang Xiaolin placed both hands on two bundles of rubles and looked at the man with a smile. He felt that this man would be quite suitable to work with.

Since he had obtained such a great sum from this kidnapping, he naturally had to spend it. Yang Xiaolin had never once thought of hiding the money in some cave on Wheel Mountain, drawing up a treasure map, and leaving it for future generations to hunt for.

Money is meant to be spent. Yang Xiaolin intended to use it to buy the things he wanted.

One thing was certain: after kidnapping foreigners, no respectable merchant would dare do business with him anymore. So he would have to look for the unscrupulous ones.

Robert had come to China trying to make a fortune from nothing, which showed that he possessed a certain adventurous spirit, and a scoundrel’s character was certainly nothing noble.

“Mr. Robert, tell me, are you a rogue?”

Robert stared blankly at him. “No, I think you may have misunderstood. I am actually a very upright man. I have never bullied the common people in China. Even when I wanted this house, I intended to buy it. You know I was negotiating the price.”

Yang Xiaolin seemed a little regretful. “That is a pity. I do not like dealing with upright men.”

He had not even made a threatening gesture before Robert rushed to say, “Wait! I am a rogue. I came to China because I committed a rape in England. The duke did not report me, but he wanted to have men beat me to death! As for buying this house, yes, I said it was on installment, but I never intended to pay the remaining balance! I am a thoroughgoing rogue. Is that satisfactory?”

Yang Xiaolin’s smile returned. “I like honest people. Only if you are honest can we do business.”

Robert still had not shaken off his fear. “What did you say? Do business with me?”

Yang Xiaolin nodded. “Can you read Chinese characters?”

“Of course. I studied for a year specifically to come to China.”

Yang Xiaolin handed him a sheet. “Take a good look at the machinery listed here. I want to get this batch of machines. Price is no object.”

The machines Yang Xiaolin wanted were not industrial production machines, because he understood very clearly that even if he built a huge industrial base, the products would still be blocked and restricted. That was one of the aftereffects of this entire undertaking. For at least several years, Yang the demon would be an object of hatred for every nation.

So he would make things that could not so easily be blocked.

These machines were what he intended to buy in order to make guns. Before 1908, the rifles used by all countries were still manually loaded. Self-loading semi-automatic rifles had not yet been invented.

In his previous life, Yang Xiaolin had been an avid fan of military forums and had collected many gun models. As for the advanced firearms of the 1980s and 1990s, he would not dare boast too much, but if he had the equipment, he could certainly build an AK-47.

He was even more confident about converting the rifles of the present day into semi-automatic weapons. It was actually very simple. By using the automatic gas mechanism invented by Maxim, the gas produced by the moving bullet and the recoil force could be used to eject the shell and load the next round, allowing another shot to be fired.

By this era, people were already researching such things, and not just one or two. By 1907, Mexican forces had already begun equipping semi-automatic firearms. What Yang Xiaolin could do was use his own advantages to bring them out a little earlier.

Other goods might not sell, but guns would always sell.