People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 159 The Current Situation in the Northwest, Young Marshal Ma

Liu Jing, who went ahead to prepare, directly booked a large hotel compound in Jinzhou, the capital of the Northwest.

They received a convoy of more than ten cars and more than ten trucks at the city gate.

Liu Jing led Lin Yi and his group to the hotel, amidst the stares of passersby.

After arranging for someone to settle the people Lin Yi brought, Liu Jing followed Lin Yi directly into the room.

Also present was Fang Chang, who had accompanied the exploration team and Lin Yi to Jinzhou after they met up.

“Mr. Lin, Jinzhou is only missing a royal palace.”

The first thing Liu Jing said was a bitter smile.

Over the years, he has traveled all over the country and seen all kinds of social scenes.

However, the Northwest, a place ruled by a family for more than forty years, greatly broadened his horizons.

Outsiders jokingly called Ma Yuanqing a local tyrant, but Liu Jing, who had lived in Jincheng for a while, was even more convinced that this local tyrant was the real emperor.

He was, after all, a regional lord.

Warlords in other places, even if they were just putting on an act, had to appear approachable and kind.

In Jinzhou, Ma Yuanqing, who held the highest position of power, dared to forcibly abduct a woman in broad daylight and in full view of everyone.

Whether they were young women or middle-aged women, anyone he set his sights on was abducted and taken to his Ma family compound.

Such incidents occur frequently, demonstrating an extremely arrogant and unrestrained behavior!

The decline of commerce in Jinzhou was due not only to the numerous miscellaneous taxes, but also, and perhaps most importantly, to the fact that most of the profitable businesses were government-run.

There is absolutely no chance for ordinary people.

It is only because Jinzhou has a special location, being a necessary route from the inland to the northern frontier, that it appears to be more prosperous.

In short, Liu Jing was unsure about doing business in this place.

If those in power have no scruples, how can businessmen feel secure?

“He needs money to build a palace.”

Lin Yi chuckled.

He had collected information about Ma Yuanqing.

He knows just as much as Liu Jing.

He knew it would be difficult to do business on Ma Yuanqing's turf, but ultimately it all came down to the distribution of profits.

As long as Ma Yuanqing isn't stupid and understands that he can continuously bring him benefits, then there shouldn't be a big problem.

It's simply a matter of who gets the bigger share.

He was prepared to make concessions on this point.

At first glance, it does seem like a loss, but once the oil is extracted and the industry is developed, the long-term benefits will be immense.

Furthermore, a major reason why the Ma family was able to rule the Northwest for over forty years without wavering was that the region was too isolated.

The tyrannical methods were partly due to Ma Yuanqing's personality, but from another perspective, they were also an inevitable choice to maintain the family's rule in the long run.

More than twenty years have passed since the Republic of China was established, and various warlords have risen and fallen. The earliest group of bigwigs have long since disappeared.

Only the Ma family has survived to this day.

In Lin Yi's view, it relied on this airtight control and tyrannical ruling methods.

The outside winds couldn't blow in, and the discontent within the jurisdiction was firmly suppressed.

In this era of widespread firearms, simple popular uprisings are no longer sufficient to overthrow tyrannical rulers.

He couldn't change Ma Yuanqing's methods of rule, but he could bring in a new atmosphere.

As for how this trend will eventually evolve and what changes it will bring to the Northwest, Lin Yi can't say for sure at the moment.

Moreover, as long as he can develop his career steadily, he won't bother with other things.

Because it's too troublesome, it would also affect his image as a profit-driven businessman in the eyes of outsiders.

This is important, especially for warlords like Chen Bonan and Li Delin.

They welcome businessmen who can bring them profits, but they will definitely regard businessmen with political motives as enemies.

Besides, I am not a savior.

The people of the Northwest were dissatisfied with the Ma family's rule and wanted a better life, but they had to work hard for it themselves.

All he can do is play the role of an arms dealer.

He sells weapons if someone pays him.

Therefore, he understood Liu Jing's concerns, but he could not back down just because there were risks involved.

Then, Lin Yi inquired about the progress.

There are no textile factories in the Northwest.

This time, contacting the Ma family's top leaders involved many detours and required a lot of connections.

Liu Jing arrived a month early, using these connections to gradually get closer to the upper echelons of the Ma family.

"It's already arranged, the time is set for the day after tomorrow."

As he spoke, he noticed Lin Yi's brows furrow slightly and quickly explained, "Mr. Lin, I wanted to arrange it for tomorrow, but the chief secretary of the provincial government office did not agree."

"Even though it was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, I still sent a gift to the person."

As he spoke, Liu Jing was also full of resentment.

He's very skilled at gift-giving and used to really enjoy doing things this way.

Those who receive the gift are often immediately friendly towards him.

This time, however, was truly awful.

Not only did he not receive a warm welcome for his gift, but the other party also directly expressed their dissatisfaction with it. In the end, he added another two thousand yuan on the spot before the other party reluctantly agreed to arrange it for the day after tomorrow.

"It's alright, we'll go with whatever the host says."

Lin Yi waved his hand and laughed, "Perfect timing. We're off today. Tomorrow we can enjoy the scenery of Jinzhou. Then I can think about how to flatter Director Ma when we meet."

After comforting Liu Jing and discussing the gift, the group dispersed.

Jinzhou's development is severely lagging behind, but its ancient architectural style is quite remarkable.

Lin Yi, who had been busy lately, also had a rare day of leisure.

Early on the third day, he packed up, took some carefully selected trinkets and a gleaming car, and headed to the Ma family compound.

Liu Jing suggested sending another box of gold bars, but Lin Yi refused.

He came to seek cooperation.

Although the initiative is in the other party's hands, in business, everyone is on equal footing.

It's simply a matter of whoever holds the initiative gets more profits.

Bringing gifts when visiting someone's home is still considered within the realm of etiquette.

But if you just give them money directly, it just doesn't feel right.

This will inevitably put you at a complete disadvantage in negotiations.

They arrived at the Ma family compound with minimal entourage and entered the gate without any problems.

But then he was left in a reception room and waited for more than two hours.

Lin Yi remained calm, and Fang Chang, who came with him, showed no signs of anxiety.

Instead, Liu Jing became extremely anxious and increasingly angry.

Damn it, Mr. Lin doesn't have many guns.

However, when it comes to financial resources, even though the Ma family owns the Northwest, it is still far from enough!

Moreover, it was something that was clearly agreed upon, but now it's been left hanging here. It's obvious that the people from the Ma family compound did this intentionally!

He was still angry when he heard a loud voice announce from outside the door: "Commander Ma has arrived!"

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Jing stopped and turned to look at the door.

Lin Yi, who was idly fiddling with his teacup, also looked up.

Then, accompanied by a hearty laugh, a tall young man carrying the rank of major general walked in.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting."

As soon as he finished speaking, the person next to him introduced him: "This is Director Ma's son, the commander of the Jinzhou Garrison."

As he spoke, he pointed to Lin Yi, who was slowly getting up: "Commander, this is Mr. Lin Yi."

"Mr. Lin, my name is Ma Jizu."

Ma Jizu stepped forward, extended his right hand and shook hands with Lin Yi: "I'm so sorry to have kept Mr. Lin waiting."

"I'm just too busy with official duties to get away."