Whether to stop building ships, the first to repeat the song are Wen Yu, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Wang Kaitai, the governor of Fujian. Fujian and Zhejiang have undertaken more than one million taels of "transmission incidents" for big weddings, which is not a small number, and if the construction of steamships is stopped, the customs duties allocated by Fujian Customs and the shipping administration can be used to cope with the "transmission incidents." However, after all, shipping administration is a major initiative of Fujian, and Shen Baozhen, minister of shipping administration, regards it as a life, and it would be a pity if it were stopped. So the two-man polyphony came with a quick knife cutting tofu - two sides of light. On the one hand, it said that the court was nervous and had a huge degree of use, and that it should be stopped; on the other hand, it also said that if the construction was stopped, according to the contract signed at the beginning, Daqing would bear economic losses, and it would also have to pay 700,000 taels of liquidated damages to the French personnel. The second repetition is Zuo Zongtang, who is firmly opposed to the suspension of construction, and said rather impolitely: "How can it save money to stop the construction of ships?" More than three million have been spent on the construction of the shipyard, and once the construction is stopped, the machine will become scrap iron when it is idle, is it not a waste of waste? Outsiders are self-righteous, watching from the sidelines, pointing fingers and feet, so that people who do things really don't know where to spill their blood! "When the subject played the shipbuilding invitation in the fifth year of Tongzhi, he said that he had done extraordinary things and slandered Yixing. The courtiers were not afraid of slander, but at this time they stopped building ships, and the matter was lost, and the public and private sides were worried about this. If shipbuilding stops, China will only be able to rely on foreign ships, and foreigners will be proud of what they have, and the country will never have the hope of self-improvement. "The original plan was to produce sixteen large and small steamships in five years, but in less than three years, nine have been created, and the ship's style has become more and more refined, the guns are more and more new, and the horsepower is getting bigger and bigger. The results of the ship administration are gradually improving, so what is the intention of the discussion to stop at this time? ”
Shen Baozhen, who was worried about Ding, followed Zuo Zongtang's fold, he was the manager of the shipping administration, and of course he was arguing according to reason. He refuted one by one the reasons why Song and Jin stopped building steamships: "The great Qing Dynasty's self-built steamships were originally a plan for self-improvement, and as Song Jin said, there is no need to guess at this, instead of taking the security of the country as the most important thing, he wants to remove the barriers. Song Jin accused the ships he built of ships that were inferior to foreign ships, and Shen Baozhen retorted, "Ships that have been founded for several years than ships that have been diligently seeking excellence for hundreds of years are sincere and cannot be suspended." For example, three-year-old children, how to cope with adults in their prime? However, in time, with all the efforts, it will be able to match the foreign wheel, just as a three-year-old child will eventually reach adulthood. His final conclusion was that not only could the shipping administration not be suspended, but also that "those who are immortal with our country for hundreds of millions of years will also be immortal." The repetition of the courtiers pleased Prince Gong. However, Li Hongzhang's replay was delayed, which made him very uneasy. With Li Hongzhang's current position, his attitude is very important, and if he opposes shipbuilding, the shipbuilding administration may really die prematurely. When the military planes were deliberating, Prince Gong couldn't help but ask, "What does Li Shaoquan really mean, he is closest to the Beijing Division, but he has not replied late?" Bao Zheng analyzed: "Li Shaoquan is afraid that he wants to watch the fire from the other side. Shipping administration was founded by Zuo Jigao, and of course he was happy to watch the hilarity. ”
Shen Guifen was the same year as Li Hongzhang, and the two had already passed a private letter, and he did not approve of Bao Zheng's statement: "Li Shaoquan took up his post as a foreign affair, and would never abolish justice with private feelings, and Wang Ye might as well wait a few more days." Prince Gong was also a little impatient, "Li Shaoquan should understand that if the ship administration is abolished, the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the Jinling Machine Bureau, and the Tianjin Machine Bureau, do he think he can run?" The next day, Li Hongzhang's fold arrived, and Prince Gong couldn't help but applaud one after another when he saw it. First of all, he said the root cause of the many insults that the Qing Dynasty had repeatedly bullied in recent years: The vassals had only plundered the European countries, and in the past hundred years they had invaded the hinterland of China's borders from India to the South China Sea and from the South China Sea to the northeast. Our emperor is like the degree of heaven, and he has made a covenant to trade with him in a cage, and the earth is ninety thousand miles away from the east, west, south, and shuo, and is gathered in China, and this is a major change in more than three thousand years. The Westerners are preoccupied with the sophistication of their guns and ships, so they can run amok in Middle-earth; the bows and spears, small guns, and earthen cannons that China uses are inferior to those of the other, and the cannons they use are inferior to the others, and the sails, boats, and cannons they use are inferior to the other wheels and ships, so they are subject to the Westerners. Even if you want to protect the peace bureau and defend the territory, even if you want to protect the peace bureau and defend the territory, it is difficult to keep it unprepared. The other side's sunrise and its skills compete with me to win, and the length is shorter and the angle is opposed, then how can I have nothing in a day? The next criticism of the suspension of the construction of ships is a big mistake, and the most resentful: the way of self-improvement cares about what the teacher can do, and robs him of his ears. Moreover, there are guns and ships, but they were only created in hundreds of decades, and the invasion of China has been so fast. If I have a deep understanding of the Fa, the more I learn, the more I push it, and the more I see that after a hundred decades, I will not be able to stand on my own? Japan's small country has recently traded with the West, added iron works, built more ships, changed to Western weapons, and wanted to protect itself and force China to look at China. The scholar is confined to the study of chapters and sentences and is ignorant of a major change in the past thousand years, and is obsessed with the present Gou An, and forgets why the first twenty or thirty years have been so great that the pain is deep, and why the last thousand years have been controlled by the inside and outside, and this discussion to stop the ship has also begun. The subjects are foolish to say that all the expenses of the state can be saved, but the expenses of raising troops for fortification, practicing guns, and building warships cannot be saved. If you seek to save money, you must eliminate everything, and the country will not be able to stand with it, and it will not be strong in the end. If there is little certainty of victory, and if you destroy yourself and become a conspiracy, you will be lightly taken by outsiders on weekdays, and you will only surrender your hand to obey orders when things are happening. "All the expenses of the state can be saved, but the cost of raising troops for fortification, practicing guns and artillery, and manufacturing military ships must not be saved." Well said! Prince Gong was stunned. Li Hongzhang gave three methods: The first method is to abolish the old-style boats and allocate the cost of building the old-style boats to the shipping administration. "In particular, the coastal provinces along the river are not allowed to purchase and hire western steamships separately, and if necessary, they are allowed to allocate orders to the two manufacturers in Fujian and Shanghai. The second method is to build merchant ships in fujian and Shanghai at the same time, for Chinese businessmen to hire and lead, set up their own companies, build their own banks, raise their own insurance, and allow them to transport grain at the same time, so as not to crowd out foreign businessmen. However, Li Hongzhang was not yet sure of the establishment of the steamship company, and he had to wait for Sheng Xuanhuai to come up with the charter before he could figure it out, so he only made a proposal in the middle of the recital, and said: "The matter of transporting grain is heavy, and there are no ships to hire at present, so we should consider it at a leisurely pace." In the future, when the number of ships of various manufacturers is built, please ask the prime minister to make proper arrangements for the provinces. "The third is to propose to set up coal mines and iron mines in order to seek prosperity. In his recital, he said: "There are more progressives in the use of ships, guns, and machines, and non-iron is not successful, and non-coal is not good, so the British are stronger than the Western Turks, and only by virtue of this two-end ear." The factories in Fujian and Shanghai need a lot of foreign coal and iron every day, and most of the products produced in Middle-earth are not suitable, that is, foreign ships must also use foreign coal. When there is a closed market, not only are the waste workers of various iron works trapped, but they have become ships without coal, but they cannot do anything, but they are very worried. In southern provinces such as Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhenjiang, Taiwan, etc., the rate of coal production, there is no pumping machine, only can dig up the upper level of coal, to the lower layer of good coal for water flooding, there is no way to extract net, can not be constructed. Sincerely appoint personnel and recruit merchants to buy machines to mine, the value will be lighter than that of foreign coal, and all trade outlets can be widely transported and sold nearby, while foreign coal will not be stopped, and shipyards will not be used in an endless way. To the Chu yue iron merchants, Xianfeng years ago sales were very strong, but recently the foreign iron prices are cheaper, the middle earth iron prices are higher, and the rough and hard is not suitable for use, so that the inner subway merchants are scattered. Western ironmaking, steelmaking, rolling iron plates, iron bars, and other items do not use machinery, and at the beginning of the opening, although there are many tools to be purchased, the refining work is extremely provincial, the refining method is extremely refined, the size is square, the color is available, and shipbuilding equipment and armaments are used. Earth iron is expensive and labor-intensive, foreign iron is cheap and useful, no wonder the sales of foreign iron are becoming more and more prosperous, and the operation of earth and iron is gradually becoming thinner. Recently, Westerners have repeatedly taken the coal and iron in the interior as an invitation, saying that Middle-earth has its own interests and cannot take it upon themselves, and they are deeply lamented. It is said that Japan now uses the Western French coal and iron ore to prosper the great profit, but also because of the appearance of the ship's warcraft. When Zeng Guofan first returned to Jiangnan, there was a proposal to try to mine coal kilns, but it was unsuccessful. Sincerely able to try to persuade officials to supervise the business office, but the use of foreign ware and foreign methods are not allowed to be handled by foreigners, such daily necessities, the harvesting of the law, the sales will be smooth, and the benefits will come from the opening. The rest of the profits, and the ability to raise ships and train troops, are particularly related to the strategy of enriching the country and strengthening the army. This was popularized by the manufacture of ship equipment, and its benefits were not only in ship equipment. ”
Prince Gong saw at a glance that Li Hongzhang was using the proposal to stop building ships to pave the way for the future opening of coal mines and iron mines. He had already had this intention, but he didn't dare to rush to put it forward in Qingliu. In the future, Li Hongzhang will be able to show his grand plan in the direct subordinate drum. "Now that the foreign atmosphere is full of breath, Li Shaoquan still has to learn from foreigners." When Kangqian was in his heyday, the plates were not allowed to go to the sea, and foreigners did not come to the Qing Dynasty, and the Land of the Qing Dynasty was vast, and everything was self-sufficient, the country was rich, the households were inexhaustible in their silver deposits, and the ropes for stringing money were rotten. Since the foreigners knocked on the gate, we have not been able to do anything as well as the foreigners. If we drive the foreigners away and do not exchange markets with the foreigners, we will still be able to maintain national peace and security. Li Hongzao has always had many objections to foreign affairs. Li Hongzao's original heart is consistent with Qingliu's insight, believing that the Great Qing is closed to the country, self-sufficient, and self-sufficient. However, he had been in the military plane for a long time, and unlike the general Qingliu, he knew that it was impossible to close the country. Therefore, Prince Gong took his words and said, "Lan Sun said it well, since the foreigners cannot drive away, then they can only seek self-improvement and let the foreigners obey in the future." To be self-reliant, we can't help but learn from foreigners, which is no way to do it. There are more than a dozen people in the Yangxin Hall in the capital city, and there are more than a dozen people called today, including the military plane, the imperial front, the prime minister Yamen, and the master of the Hongde Hall. Shen Guifen briefly played the replay of Wen Yu, Zuo Zongtang, Shen Baozhen, Li Hongzhang, and others, and the King of Alcohol County did not think so: "Building a steamship is just a struggle with foreigners, and it is really not worth spending huge sums of money." What is important is to train soldiers well and boost people's hearts. Prince Gong retorted: "Li Hongzhang said in the repertoire that there is nothing wrong with fighting with foreigners, and that in order to control the destruction, we must learn from what we can and take what we are ashamed of." According to Li Hongzhang, Japan's recent trade with the West, the establishment of iron works, and the extensive construction of steamships are really worrying and even more commendable. "Why bother with your teeth?" Do I have to learn from wokou? Now that the treasury is empty, the emperor's big wedding, Zuo Zongtang's western expedition, which one does not cost money, but also shipbuilding, boat raising, where does the silver come from? "The King of Alcohol Doesn't Take Japan seriously. Prince Gong also patiently explained: "As for the funds for shipbuilding and ship maintenance, Shen Baozhen and Li Hongzhang have proposed a solution, and in the future, the shipping administration can also build merchant ships, lease them to merchants, and rent them to raise ships." ”
"We must not let the people buy and hire steamships at will. For many years, the imperial court had extremely strict regulations on civilian wooden boats, whether merchant ships or fishing boats, limiting the beam head to no more than one foot and eight feet, and forever prohibiting large wooden boats with high masts that were conducive to the wind. Why? Once such a large ship is owned by the masses, slightly modified, and equipped with guns, will it not become a warship? For example, since the long-haired rebellion, fortunately, their sailors are weak, otherwise the coast will go straight up, and it will immediately endanger Beijing and Tianjin, and the consequences will be unimaginable! If the people are allowed to own the ships, wouldn't it be dangerous? The King of Alcohol County still did not forgive, and many people echoed this reason. "Or first discuss the matter of shipping administration - how to solve the funding, Li Hongzhang also proposed one, iron smelting, mining. He said that in building guns and ships, there can be no iron, and no coal can be done. At present, iron and coal are mainly purchased from foreign countries, and once foreign countries start a disturbance and close the market, not only can guns and cannons not be manufactured, but even the ships that have been built cannot go to sea because they have no coal, which is like scrap iron. Therefore, he suggested that the people should adopt the Western method of ironmaking and mining, not only to relieve the worries of coal and iron, but also to obtain the method of mining, sales will be smooth, the source of profits will be opened, and taxes will be increased, so that they can be used to raise ships and train troops, and rich countries and strong troops are just around the corner. "Prince Gong doesn't want to dwell here. Li Hongzao did not answer this, but instead told a story: "The minister recently read the hadith, Jiaqing ten years, there were two ministers of the clan and Su Who wrote a letter proposing to open a coal mine on the outskirts of Beijing, and The Holy Emperor (Emperor Jiaqing) gave royal approval to the two of them: 'Abandoning the peasants and opening mines, and the idle people gathering together in one place, they will inevitably cause trouble and provoke trouble.'" Remote provinces are not yet possible, let alone The Beijing Division? To broaden the path of speech is not to broaden the path of speech and profit; the minister of accumulation must not use him. As a result, Pan and Su were escorted back to their places of origin, and the local officials strictly controlled them. ”
Prince Gong smiled and said, "That was an old thing decades ago, and Western ironmaking, steelmaking, and coal mining all use machinery, which is different from relying entirely on artificial labor, and there are few people and considerable results." If strictly disciplined, it will not be a branch. "What The Holy Sect is most worried about is not that the nomads are making trouble, but that those who are afraid that the imperial court will become ministers who have gathered and amassed, from the officials to the people, and talk about self-improvement and how to control the people?" The king of alcohol is insinuating. Chinese Xiang, the minister of military aviation, was honest and self-guarding, and was somewhat dissatisfied with the words of the king of The County, retorting: "The problem now is not the accumulation of money, but the difficulty and overstretchedness of the imperial court, and we have to try to open up a source of profit and enrich the national treasury." If the country is not rich, why talk about training troops to strengthen themselves? "It has been more than ten years since foreign affairs have been self-reliant, and so far there is still nothing to do with foreigners, so that there is a Tianjin teaching plan to seek perfection, and I don't know what I have done in more than ten years?" Prince Gong had heard about it a long time ago, but today was the first time he had spoken out in person. Prince Gong then argued: "It is a good ten years, but the time for fighting in ten years is seven or eight years, and the empress dowager is very timid and frightened at night, and the so-called foreign affairs have not been able to handle it calmly." Now that the country is at peace, it is time to diligently pursue it. Cixi looked at the two of them fighting, and her face was displeased: "My sister and I are tired, let's discuss it here today." Everyone was a little strange, originally said that they were going to negotiate a result, but suddenly they did not discuss it. The crowd was full of doubts, and the fish withdrew. Li Hongzao, Xu Tong, Yu Lingchen, Song Jin and others gathered in the living room of the Palace of Alcohol, waiting for Wang Ye to speak. After a while, the King of Alcohol County came over, and everyone rushed to see the ceremony. Xu Tong said excitedly: "Wang Ye, at today's court meeting, you argued on the basis of reason, saying what the ministers and others wanted to say that they did not dare to say and could not say, and the ministers and others admired them to the point of admiration, and from then on, only Wang Ye was the leader of the horse." "That's a bad thing to say. The king simply said whatever he thought, and as for the head of a horse and a bull, he did not say anything. The King of Alcohol County waved his hand, looked at a strange official who was about the same age as him, and asked, "Presumably this old brother is Song Xueshi?" "Cabinet scholar Song Jin has met Wang Ye." Song Jin hugged his hand. The King of Alcohol County waved his hand so that Song Jin did not have to be polite: "All of you are people who can fold things, we talk about things, only by conscience, loyalty and sincerity is right and wrong, Qianqiu has his own public opinion, and the empress dowager has his own clear understanding." Please come back. ”
The crowd came out of the palace, deeply disappointed. Song Jin did not think so: "You have ignored half of what Wang Ye said, all of you are people who can fold things, and we are all people who can fold things, is this still necessary?" "You mean, Wang Ye made us fight for it?" Yu Lingchen had some understanding. Song Jin smiled and said, "Brother Yu, I didn't say that." Whether you can fold or not depends on whether you have a conscience, loyalty, and sincerity. Cixi had to look at each fold, and she looked at the folds of the feudal officials even more carefully. With regard to shipbuilding, she has accepted the views of Li Hongzhang and others, and feels that it is inappropriate to stop construction now. Calming down internal worries is her most proud achievement, while external troubles may erupt at any time, so it is her hope for self-improvement in foreign affairs. The original intention of cultivating Qingliu was not to do foreign affairs, but to ride it like an eagle dog to restrain Prince Gong. Qingliu's opposition to shipbuilding and foreign affairs is still a cliché of the Chinese debate, and it is all empty words of the hearts of the people of the world, so she decided to end this debate as soon as possible. On this day, the two sisters were talking and laughing, and Ci'an suddenly asked, "Sister, can this ship be built in the end?" "Sister, what do you say?" Cixi thought that Prince Gong had secretly sought out Ci'an, so she was very alert.
"You don't know, I don't have any idea about this kind of thing." It is a pity that it took so much silver not to build it. But if we continue to build it like this, as they said, we still can't be sure of fighting with foreigners, so isn't the silver in vain? This big idea, or the sister to take. "I had a number in my mind before the meeting, and the ships could not be stopped. But we still have to let them fight, otherwise everyone will say that our sisters are arbitrary. Cixi relaxed her heart, and then diverted the topic and said, "Sister, seeing that the emperor is about to get married, after all these years of experience, the king of The County, people have grown a lot, or should they be enjin to his prince, and first add some joy?" "Cheng, the old seven are still straight." Ci An nodded. The next morning, Cixi pointed to a thick stack of folds on the imperial case and said, "Old Sixth, those folds are all advocating the suspension of shipping administration, what do you think?" Prince Gong still insisted on his point of view: "Most of the people who oppose shipbuilding are Beijing officials, and they have not personally managed the military and politics, and what they see is inevitably pedantic." The courtiers were all supportive, and the slaves thought that the ship's government could not be stopped. "You're right, shipping can't stop. I discussed with my sister, not only can not stop, Li Hongzhang said, the country wants to be strong, must first seek prosperity, this is very reasonable, we are so embarrassed, is not there no silver? In the future, you will also make more efforts to open up the source of wealth. Unexpectedly, Cixi's words were certain, and this result was somewhat unexpected by Prince Gong, and he was excited to make Nono's voice ring. Cixi also asked, "How can Zeng Guofan and Rui Chang pass away from the two vacancies of university scholars left behind, and what are your opinions on the military plane?" Zeng Guofan died in February, missing from Wuyingdian University; Rui Chang died in March, missing from the first wenhuadian university scholar. Among the existing university scholars, Ruilin, a scholar of Wenyuange University and the governor of Liangguang, is the most qualified, and the scholar of Mandarin University is of course the most suitable to be transferred by him. At present, there are two co-organizing universities that can be supplemented by Zeng Guofan's missing wuyingdian university scholars, one is Li Hongzhang, who was awarded the co-organization for the seven years of Tongzhi with the merit of pacifying the twisting army, and the other is Wen Xiang, who co-organized it with the official Shangshu in the tenth year of Tongzhi. Cixi finally decided: "Li Hongzhang is very suitable, he handled the Tianjin teaching plan very well, and his vision is also very broad." The governor of Tianjin was really lively for a few days. Li Hongzhangjin was a scholar of Wu Yingdian University, and of course he had to celebrate it well. In the end, however, the imperial court not only decided to continue to build its own ships, to "strive for excellence in order to gradually advance into the frontier, and not to be confused by superficial remarks and tastes," but also completely adopted Li Hongzhang's proposition of establishing industry and commerce and strengthening the army with a rich country. Regarding his proposal that Chinese businessmen lead the Min Bureau and the Shanghai Bureau to build their own ships to carry ships, Premier Yamen sent a letter to "those who have a heart for current affairs, make proper plans for maintenance, express their own views independently, and do not talk about things on paper and talk about things as soon as possible," urging him to implement them as soon as possible.
After the bustle had passed, Li Hongzhang immediately asked Sheng Xuanhuai to come and ask, "Xingsun, the imperial court has agreed to run the steamship and merchant bureau, but I am a little relieved." The key is to attract merchants, how many powerful businessmen do you know in Shanghai? In fact, there are only two people that Sheng Xuanhuai really knows and can speak, one is Hu Xueyan, and the two can only be regarded as one-sided friends. One was Tang Tingshu, who had a fairly good relationship with Sheng Xuanhuai. Tang Tingshu, a Native of Guangdong, joined the school in his early years, worked as a translator at the customs for several years after graduation, and later helped the foreign firm to buy cotton and earn some silver. In the second year of Tongzhi, he was hired by the British Jardine Matheson & Co. as a comprador to manage the treasury, purchase silk tea, carry out shipping, and expand the business of the foreign firm at the treaty port outside Shanghai, which was very trusted and relied upon by the owners of the foreign firm. He himself invested in money banks, opened tea shops, operated real estate, transported and sold rice and salt, and even ventured into mineral mining in the interior. He learned from Hu Xueyan and wanted to become a red-top businessman, so he intended to get acquainted with Sheng Xuanhuai, in order to one day be able to lean on the big tree of Li Hongzhang.
Li Hongzhang listened to sheng Xuanhuai's list of two giant businessmen, shook his head one after another, and said: "Tang Jingxing works for foreigners and has a lot of income, and may not be willing to handle the China Merchants Bureau that is not sure." As for Hu Xueyan, everyone knows that he is a red man of Zuo Jigao and will definitely not participate in the China Merchants Bureau that I advocated. The imperial court had no money, nor did the direct subordinates have any money, and the only way to carry out shipping was the money of merchants. You run to Shanghai and find out the bottom of the Shanghai businessmen, how many people can contribute. I'll introduce you to someone, and you'll talk to him. ”
The person Li Hongzhang introduced was Zhu Qi'ang, a merchant from the sand boats in Zhenjiang. Zhu Qi'ang inherited his father's ancestral business of running sand boats, and worked hard with his younger brother Zhu Qizhao, in addition to operating freight from the north and south, he also undertook the shipping of grain. He was especially good at making friends with all kinds of people, and he had familiar friends in both the government and the gang. After the Taiping Army occupied Jiangsu, he also had relations with the Taiping Army, secretly doing business with them and making good profits. When Li Hongzhang regained Nanhui, the Taiping Army was willing to surrender, and Li Hongzhang was also willing to surrender, but he suffered from the fact that no one entered the city to communicate. Zhu Qi'ang offered himself and was willing to go to the city as a lobbyist. Because a leader of the Taiping Army in the city had a close relationship with him, things went very smoothly, so Li Hongzhang was impressed by Zhu Qi'ang, put him in the curtain, and served in the Huai Army's grain station, and later appointed him as a member of the Jiangsu Shipping Commission, in charge of the two rivers of grain shipping. His sand boat business grew against the trend when others were shutting down. He had suggested that ships transport water and sand boat shipping, and he had lived in Shanghai for many years, and the merchants knew a lot, and they were suitable candidates for running a steamship investment bureau. "Xingsun, the Zhu brothers have been undertaking shipping for nearly ten years, they are extremely familiar with the business situation, and they have the courage and courage to take responsibility, and you can't rely on him to contact the merchants to charter the official bureau ship." It's just that I've been away from Liangjiang for many years and haven't seen them. This time you must meet the two brothers, explain what I mean, they will definitely help. Li Hongzhang also personally wrote a letter to hand over to Zhu Qiang when the time came. So Sheng Xuanhuai was ordered to go south to Shanghai, and he had high hopes for the steamship Merchants Bureau, hoping to become his own promotion step. Listening to Li Hongzhang's meaning, it seems that he intends to let the Zhu brothers undertake it, so don't you just want to make a hilarity? Therefore, he planned not to look for the Zhu brothers first, and if he could recruit merchants on his own, then this great undertaking would naturally be borne by himself. He thought very simply, when he went to Shanghai to play the Beiyang signboard, didn't those businessmen who attached shares to the foreign steamship company still come to the door one after another and ask for a share in the steamship Merchants Bureau? Sheng Xuanhuai arrived in Shanghai with full confidence, first looking for Tang Tingshu, who he knew best. Tang Tingshu's residence was in a humble stone storehouse in the British Concession, with a narrow lintel, and it was hard to imagine that it would be the shelter of a comprador giant. Sheng Xuanhuai knocked on the door, and when the concierge appeared from the small window, the person who came did not wear official clothes, nor did he look like a rich businessman, so he said that the husband was not at home, and "slammed" the door shut. Sheng Xuanhuai motioned for the servant Tian San to knock on the door again, and the concierge looked at the two men and was about to close the door without saying a word. Sheng Xuanhuai took out a new-style business card, and the business card read: "Notes from the Military Aircraft Department, that is, the Beiyang Minister's Copywriting and Operations Office will handle Sheng Xuanhuai." The concierge saw that the three words of the military aircraft department were already solemnly respected, and it was the Daotai title that did not dare to be sloppy, and he repeatedly bowed his hand: "The little man is clumsy, please wait for the two of you." ”
After a while, the concierge opened the gate, and the two entered the courtyard, only to find that there was no hole in the sky. The courtyard is very large, in the middle is a pond with colorful fish, two small western-style buildings, doors, windows, steps are inlaid with marble. Entering the living room, five or six servants were busy, dressed as foreign servants, the floor was polished with light, there were all kinds of ancient dong utensils and Western objects on several and cases, and on the ceiling was a huge chandelier, like a blooming lotus flower... Sheng Xuanhuai was the first time he had seen such a luxurious residence, and the servant Tian San was even more dazzled. As soon as the door to the west rang, a chubby middle-aged man came out, and it was Tang Tingshu who Sheng Xuanhuai wanted to visit. He was wearing a foreign cloth bathrobe, slippers on his feet, and his hair was still wet. He arched his hand and said, "Old Brother Sheng is coming, and Brother Fool is taking a bath. Sheng Xuanhuai said the purpose of the trip and implored Tang Tingshu to join the shares. When Tang Tingshu heard that it was Beiyang's meaning, he was very amused and quickly agreed: "Since it is Li Zhongtang's intention, Tang Has definitely no reason for not being effective, let alone that it is Old Brother Sheng's contact." I just don't know how this China Merchants Bureau is going to start? "The meaning of the middle hall is that the government and business are jointly organized, and the official shares are less, and the commercial stocks are the mainstay." Tang Tingshu also explained: "There is no problem in despicable people to take shares, and it is also certain to introduce friends from the business community to take shares, but the business situation in Shanghai is no better than other places, and the contacts with foreigners have been long, and many things are imitated by foreigners." For example, after this shareholding, it is necessary to set up a shareholders' meeting, and whoever is the manager must be elected by the shareholders, only in this way can everyone rest assured that they can enter the shares. ”
Sheng Xuanhuai hesitated. If we follow this method, that is to say, who will be the general office of the China Merchants Bureau in the future and the meeting office is not li Zhongtang's decision, and the key is to decide how much shares to take. He then said: "The meaning of the Zhongtang is that of course the shareholders' meeting should be held, but since it is a joint venture between officials and businessmen, it must be run in accordance with the official rules The China Merchants Bureau must set up a general office and be appointed by the Beiyang Minister Xiazhazi to be an official at the level of the Daotai level, ten times more prestigious than the managers elected by the shareholders, and both officials and businessmen can eat on both sides." Tang Tingshu was such a clever person that he immediately understood that Sheng Xuanhuai meant that businessmen could have more money, but whoever was in charge of the general office and the meeting wanted Li Zhongtang to nod. In other words, it is not a big problem for Tang Tingshu to have more shares to get a meeting, but it is probably very difficult to handle it. Sheng Xuanhuai went from east to west, naturally not in vain, and nine times out of ten he came to the general office. At this thought, the enthusiasm in his heart retreated a few points. However, he still enthusiastically planned the business with Sheng Xuanhuai, and after some analysis by him, it was not difficult to raise 200,000 taels. Sheng Xuanhuai was greatly encouraged, if Zhu Qi'ang raised another hundred thousand yuan, Beiyang raised another part, half a million funds would be very sure, he could not hide his excitement: "Zhongtang's meaning, first, to engage in shipping is to compete with foreigners for profits, and second, to find a way out for sand boats, so I also asked the big sand boat households to join the shares, I am not familiar with the Zhu brothers, I don't know if Brother Jing Xing can help introduce them?" When Tang Tingshu heard that Sheng Xuanhuai was still going to visit Zhu Qi'ang, his heart was even more disappointed. It seems that Li Zhongtang's favorite is not necessarily his Tang Tingshu, the Zhu brothers are also used to being the boss, and if the Zhongtang intends to let them become the general office, there is no possibility of cooperation and success, but in his mouth he said: "The Zhu brothers are also counted figures in Shanghai, and it is of course very good to have them in the shares." It's just that I am only half-faced with them, but it is better than Sheng Brother going directly. "I don't even know where the Zhu brothers live, no matter what, Brother Jing Xing wants to help with this." Sheng Xuanhuai was still not dead hearted. Tang Tingshu couldn't push it away, so he said, "It is definitely appropriate for me to introduce someone to accompany you." He introduced Zheng Guanying, the character Tao Zhai, a small fellow of Tang Tingshu, a native of Xiangshan, Guangdong. A few years ago, he had been working as a comprador at Baoshun Foreign Firm and had business dealings with the Zhu brothers. After Baoshun was acquired by Qichang Foreign Firm, he ran his own tea house and salt industry, and his residence was not far from Tang Tingshu. Sheng Xuanhuai often read Zheng Guanying's articles in the "Declaration," but in fact they had never met, and what Li Hongzhang said about how familiar he was with Zheng Guanying was nothing more than pulling the flag in the wind. A moment later, the concierge came to report that Mr. Zheng had arrived. The two of them stood up to greet each other, and Zheng Guanying, who was dressed in silk robes and horses, came in with a smile on his face, seeing that he was only in his thirties, and his teeth were only two years older than Sheng Xuanhuai. He has nine brothers, the second eldest, and eight younger sisters. At that time, his family was not well-off, and there were many people in his hometown who made a fortune as compradors, so he abandoned the idea of the imperial examination, and at the age of fifteen he went to Shanghai to join the foreign trade to do business. After the collapse of Baoshun Foreign Firm the year before, he "wrapped his arms around 100,000 yuan and became the prime minister of Baoji Salt Affairs" and began to set foot in the salt industry.
Zheng Guanying heard that Sheng Xuanhuai was a red man in front of the Beiyang Minister, and he was naturally very upset. When it comes to the establishment of the Steamship Merchants Bureau, he is even more extremely supportive. But unfortunately, he could not enter the game, because the chief ship owner of the Swire Foreign Shipping Company had already asked him to become the prime minister and manage the accounting office, which was equivalent to the chief comprador, and the contract had been signed for five years, and he would take office next week. Sheng Xuanhuai was very sad that the two were so close, but they could not cooperate, and they had lost a good helper, so they would be competitors in the future. Zheng Guanying smiled: "Although this old brother Sheng is assured, the great Qing to run his own steamship company is also my dream for many years, and I will support old brother Sheng." At that time, there will be no flooding the Dragon King Temple, and the family will not know the family. It was getting late, and Zheng Guan should promise to take Sheng Xuanhuai to visit the Zhu brothers tomorrow. When they were separated, they also sent someone to bring a set of "Rescue Time Revealed" and respectfully respected "Brother Yazheng, please Xingsun." Back at the inn, Sheng Xuanhuai simply ate a meal, and looked at Zheng Guanying's "Saving Time Revealed" with the lamp, and he was immediately attracted. In this book, there are several articles about foreigners using Macao as a nest and abducting Chinese to become slaves in Peru. The abducted Chinese were humiliated to the fullest, some died of illness halfway, some of them asked for a dead person, even if they went to the shore, engaged in extremely hard and tiring work, lacked food, had more than enough whips, were like ants, and had no one to rescue them. Zheng Guan should have proposed that there should be consulates in foreigners' countries to defend our businessmen and the people and communicate with China and foreign countries. Between the lines, people feel a beating heart. Sheng Xuanhuai could not help but be full of admiration for this young comprador businessman, and it was really rare to be in a foreign company and not flattering, rich and sympathetic to the poor.
In particular, "On the Great Qing Steamship Advance and Stop" section has benefited Sheng Xuanhuai a lot Zheng Guanying held that whether it is shipbuilding or shipping, we should let the merchants handle it, because the official strength is poor, and the commercial capital is easy to collect. At present, Chinese merchants are not without funds, and the shares of Chinese merchants of the foreigner steamship company are 78 in 10, and the Chinese capital attached to the foreign firm is even more in the millions. Zheng Guan should have also made a sum of money: If Chinese merchants run a steamship company and more than twenty steamships only undertake one item of water transportation, they can make a net profit of 200,000 taels of water feet, plus half a year to sail between the north and south oceans to carry passengers and goods, and the profits are also very considerable, as long as the official words are credible and there is no additional extortion, the Chinese businessmen are willing to take shares. Zheng Guanying had been working in the foreign trade for more than ten years and was very familiar with the situation of sea transportation, and this statement was reasonable and convincing, and Sheng Xuanhuai was greatly encouraged and could not sleep in the middle of the night with excitement. When he woke up the next day, the sky was bright, and Sheng Xuanhuai complained that Tian San had not woken him up earlier. I heard someone downstairs with a slight Cantonese accent saying, "Old Brother Sheng, don't blame others, I didn't let me wake up." I heard the owner say you were still sleeping, so I didn't bother. What do you think? Can you sleep well? Sheng Xuanhuai looked downstairs, it turned out to be Zheng Guanying, and said truthfully: "Mr. Zheng's writing is so good, I read it in one breath, and I fell asleep when it was almost dawn." "I did it all, and at night I invited guests to make amends." Zheng Guanying laughed. "It doesn't hurt to suffer this kind of harm twice—I haven't seen such a book for a long time." Sheng Xuanhuai also smiled and responded. Sheng Xuanhuai called a small car and followed Zheng Guanying's small car to meet the Zhu brothers. The road was very familiar, turning east and west between the streets and alleys, and stopping at Yong'an Street in the French Concession north of Shanghai half an hour later. It is almost entirely sandboat merchants, and the juqiang brothers' residence is here. The old-style maritime sailing ships of the Qing Dynasty have different styles from north to south, and there are many reefs in the south, and the bottom of the ship should be pointed so as not to touch the reef; the northern coast is because of the sand, the bottom of the ship is flat and wide, which is convenient for sand, called sand boats. During the Daoguang years, because the canal was silted up, the grain was changed to sea transport, and the sand boats took on the great responsibility of transporting the water. After the Second Opium War, Britain, France, and other countries gained the right to trade ports, foreign ships developed rapidly, and the US Merchants Qichang Steamship Company, the British Merchants Hong Kong and Macao Steamship Company, the Justice Steamship Company, the Beiqing Steamship Company, the Huahai Steamship Company, and the Swire Steamship Company were established one after another to operate passenger and freight transportation along the Yangtze River and along the coast. Foreign ships are transported several times faster than the old sailing ships, and the number of people is small and the cost is low, so the old sailing ships are squeezed out of the livelihood.
Seven years ago, Zhu Qi'ang asked Li Hongzhang to transfer him from the Huaijun Grain Station to Shanghai to serve as a member of the Liangjiang Maritime Commission, specifically responsible for the shipping of grain. Originally from a shipping background, he accumulated tens of thousands of taels of silver on the grain platform, so he joined hands with his younger brother Zhu Qizhao to invest in sand ships and shipping, and within a few years, he had twenty-seven or eight large ships, and his value was also 200,000 taels. Coupled with the fact that his father was a famous predecessor in the shipping industry, everyone naturally respected them for three points, and the Zhu brothers have now become the brain figures of the Sand Boat Gang. The Chu brothers bought a large mansion on Yong'an Street, hired an accounting room, servants, and guys, and the scene was very large. Sheng Xuanhuai and others handed over business cards, the guys introduced them into the living room, and after a while, a man with a black and red face walked into the living room, looked at the two business cards, smiled, and said: "Mr. Zheng is a celebrity in Shanghai, how dare he work hard." Mr. Sheng was a copywriter for the Beiyang chancellor, and presumably he often saw Li Zhongtang. Is Li Zhongtang in good health? "It turned out that he was Zhu Qi'ang. Sheng Xuanhuai responded, "Today is at the behest of Zhongtang to see Mr. Sheng. "I wonder what the Middle Hall commanded?" Sheng Xuanhuai said what he meant, and Zhu Qi'ang asked, "I don't know if this is the meaning of the Middle Hall or the intention of Old Brother Sheng?" "Of course it means the middle church. A few years ago, some people went to the strip Chen, and the middle hall also had this intention. ”
Zhu Qi'ang smiled lightly and said, "Four or five years ago, someone wanted to run a shipping operation, and at that time, when Lord Zeng was sitting in Liangjiang, he was rejected by his old man' family. If Lord Zeng had been there, I am afraid that his old man would have refused. Why? These tens of thousands of people fed by sand boats! There are six or seven hundred sand boats in Shanghai, fifty or sixty people in large boats, and more than a dozen people in small boats Have you ever thought that foreign ships have taken away most of the vitality of sand ships, and Chinese businessmen will run ships again. Sheng Xuanhuai did not expect that the boss of the sand boat would not even approve of running a ship. There are foreign ships available, why do you have to guard the broken sails and not let go? So he provoked the general: "Zhongtang Jun, the steamship merchants bureau always has to do it." If you don't do it, someone will do it. Zhu Qi'ang sneered and said, "Anyone will say anything nice, but these foreign comprador abacus beads are shrewd." They have money to buy foreign stocks, and foreigners to make steady profits as backers; but to let them throw themselves into their own ships is to think twice, and the merchants of the Great Qing Dynasty have to undergo layers of exploitation, and they know better than anyone. Coupled with the fact that the Sand Boat Brothers did not agree, you would just kneel and prostrate, and he might not dare to throw a cent. The brothers on the sand boat all joined the Green Gang, and when they said hello, tens of thousands of people gathered at once, don't say that they used knives and guns, even the situation scared their guts! Zhu Qizhao, who then came in, eased the atmosphere and said, "Of course, the Zhongtang Jun's edict cannot be disobeyed, but it is only related to the livelihood of the sand boat brothers, and we must not be careless and cautious, if something happens, no one will be able to accept it, and the two of you please understand my brother's suffering." Zheng Guanying saw that Sheng Xuanhuai was dazed, so he lifted the siege and said: "Running a ship is the trend of the times, can the shachuan gang brothers stop Chinese do it, can they stop the foreigners?" I work in a foreign firm and know the basics of steamship shipping. Recently, the foreigners are jointly requesting the imperial court to handle the caoyun, and once the imperial court allows it, who will say to whom the bitter water of the sand boat brothers will go? This article surprised Zhu Qi'ang greatly, because he knew that Zheng Guanying was from a comprador, was most familiar with foreigners, and was very well-informed, but he still asked: "Is this news reliable?" "Of course it's reliable, so why should I lie to you?" Since the sand boats will be eliminated sooner or later, why doesn't Mr. Zhu Da ascend to the top and call for this game, compete with foreigners for profits, and give his brothers a way to live? Zhu Qi'ang thought for a long time and then asked, "I don't know what Zhongtang means, how is this bureau handled?" Who's going to take the total? Sheng Xuanhuai immediately understood that Zhu Qiang also wanted to be the general office of the future steamship merchants bureau, so he had to say vaguely: "The meaning of the Zhongtang, the joint operation of officials and businessmen, whoever takes the Zongzhongtang to the current Zhaozi appointment, always has to be undertaken by a person of high moral standing and respect." ”
"This matter is not trivial, our brothers must carefully sum it up, how about discussing it after three days?" Zhu Qi'ang finally relaxed. Sending away Sheng Xuanhuai and Zheng Guanying, the Zhu brothers closed the door for discussion. Zhu Qizhao asked doubtfully, "Judging from Sheng Xingsun's tone, I am afraid that the matter of running a steamship investment bureau is really Li Zhongtang's intention, and we can't stop it. The sin was small, and the rebellion against Li Zhongtang was great, not to mention that Li Zhongtang was kind to our Zhu family back then. Zhu Qiang shook his head and said, "Of course, we can't have a hard top, and we can't do it." If the Steamship Merchants Bureau does not do it, it will already be done, and if it is to be done, it will be handled by our brothers. Sheng Xuanhuai's ambition was not small, and he meant to take the total amount. We have to let him know that no one can do this ship except my Zhu brothers. The two brothers deliberated for a long time, called the housekeeper, and carefully instructed. Accompanying Sheng Xuanhuai back to the inn, Zheng Guan should have resigned in advance. Because he was going to go to the Swire Steamship Company tomorrow to do business, he could no longer accompany him, and he was scheduled to do an eastern banquet in the evening to invite Sheng Xuanhuai. Sending Zheng Guanying away, Sheng Xuanhuai went to visit Hu Xueyan, a giant merchant in Shanghai and Hangzhou. Hu Xueyan often runs errands in Shanghai, where there is also a residence. A few years ago, Sheng Xuanhuai came to Shanghai to purchase marching foreign medicines, and once met with Hu Xueyan at a dinner table. Although he was a giant businessman, he was very humble. With his net worth, it is not impossible to subscribe to tens of thousands of shares.
When he came to Hu Xueyan's residence in the public concession, the concierge said that Hu Xueyan had gone to Qianzhuang early in the morning, and Sheng Xuanhuai hurried to Fukang Qianzhuang. Hu Xueyan was indeed in Qianzhuang and was discussing a tricky matter with Liu Qingsheng, the qianzhuang guy. Lin Gui of Jiangsu Fantai sent a letter to borrow 50,000 taels of silver for urgent use. Hu Xueyan did not have much contact with this clan, and he heard that he was about to be transferred to Guangdong, so he did not know whether this silver would beat the dog with meat buns? Liu Qingsheng's meaning must not be borrowed, people are in human feelings, people are bad, and now that he is far away in Guangdong, we cannot burn this cold stove. He had to rely on it and not pay it back, and it was not enough to collect the travel expenses in Guangdong. Besides, we are not the kind of people who come to the door to collect debts, and we can find a reason to politely push it off. Hu Xueyan nodded and shook his head, "What you said makes sense." This Lin Fantai did not know how many people had rejected him, otherwise he would not have asked for our head. As far as I know, this clan is quite sincere, not the kind of person who owes debts and does not pay back his face. According to my speculation, his clan treasury must be short of a sum of silver, and he does not want to give the vacant handle of the clan treasury to others to influence his career. Let's borrow this silver, and we don't want interest! Hearing this, Liu Qingsheng looked at Hu Xueyan with some surprise. Hu Xueyan explained, "This fifty thousand taels of silver is nothing to us, and that little interest is not worth mentioning." But for Lord Lin, that is the future of the relationship. We must not only add icing on the cake, but also send charcoal in the snow. When the family is in difficulty, we have reached out to break the siege, and people naturally will not forget, when the time comes to use the power in their hands to make a convenience, why worry about fifty thousand taels of silver can not be earned back? For example, if we want to open a semicolon in Guangzhou City in the future, is it much more convenient to ask Lin Fantai to help? Business business, give life a way to be affectionate. The matter was so fixed, the two were about to discuss the purchase of land to build a rubber factory, and the running hall sent Sheng Xuanhuai's business card. Hu Xueyan looked at it and asked, "Where is this Sheng Xuanhuai, and how come I have no impression at all?" Check it out. Hu Xueyan has a habit of making a record as long as he knows anyone he knows, so as not to forget it for a long time. Liu Qingsheng quickly found out and said that he met in Shanghai more than a year ago. He was a native of Changzhou, and his father, Sheng Kang, was the same age as Li Zhongtang. Hu Xueyan also remembered that at that time, both sides had a meal with a foreigner from the French consulate over the arms issue. Hu Xueyan personally greeted him outside the door and arched his hand: "Elder Brother Xingsun is really full of brilliance." Hurry please, hurry please. Then it was tea, fruit, booing and greeting warmth, twelve points of enthusiasm. In particular, Hu Xueyan actually remembered the half-face meeting a year ago, which made Sheng Xuanhuai's heart warm even more. When it came to the intention, Hu Xueyan greatly approved of the matter of organizing the steamship investment bureau, and when it came to joining the shares, he said very frankly: "First, Marshal Zuo is about to put an end to the chaos in Shaanxi and Gansu, and will also go out of the customs to recover Xinjiang. Second, the two loans of the Western Expedition have reached the date of payment of interest, and the silver of the national treasury has not arrived, so I must first pay in advance. Third, I bought more than ten acres of land outside Hangzhou Yongjinmen to build a pharmacy rubber factory, and I also wanted a sum of silver. This last point," Hu Xueyan smiled and said, "Old Brother Xingsun is not an outsider, although the Xianghuai family always has the view of the portal, we are all people around the adults, and we are always involuntary." ”
This is clear: Zuo Zongtang is now the leader of the Xiang clan, and Li Hongzhang is the leader of the Huai clan, and the two of them have mustard, and Hu Xueyan is naturally inconvenient to mix with the Huai clan. Li Hongzhang had long expected this, and Sheng Xuanhuai fully understood this, but he did not expect Hu Xueyan to speak so frankly, although he was eventually rejected, but his heart was much more comfortable than in the Zhu brothers. With Hu Xueyan's style of acting, it is natural that Sheng Xuanhuai will not be completely desperate, and he added: "After Brother Sheng generally handles the Investment Bureau, the trumpet will definitely enter some dark stocks to support it." After resigning from Fukang Qianzhuang, Sheng Xuanhuai went directly to the Tang Dynasty's cardinal palace. The concierge already recognized Sheng Xuanhuai and said that Mr. Tang had gone to Jardine Matheson and was afraid that he would not come back for lunch. The road was very familiar, and he sent Sheng Xuanhuai to the Jardine Matheson Company in the British Concession, but the guy who compradored the house said that Mr. Tang had just left and went to Weiyuan. Weiyuan was another residence of Tang Tingshu in Suzhou Hebei, and the car driver also knew about it, and then sent Sheng Xuanhuai to Weiyuan. Finally did not pounce, handed over the business card soon, the concierge came to invite.
This residence of Tang Tingshu is different from the bungalows in the British Concession, which is completely a typical Chinese garden house, with a cloister twisting spring stone deep tree shadow and sparse flowers. After meeting and greeting, Tang Tingshu said bluntly: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't help the steamship recruitment." The foreign firm heard the news from nowhere, in order to retain, and raise the salary and increase the commission, the brother really could not afford to face it, so he had to continue to help the foreign firm. "So Brother Tang, how many shares can you give?" Sheng Xuanhuai asked again. "Since I continue to work in the foreign firm, naturally I still have to enter the shares of the foreign firm first." The reason why the foreigners kept me was, of course, because of that little share. So, I can't move out for the time being. However, Old Brother Sheng is assured, when your China Merchants Bureau hangs up the sign, I will definitely enter some dark stocks. Tang Tingshu's statement was the same as Hu Xueyan's, and Sheng Xuanhuai understood, in fact, he did not believe that the Steamship Merchants Bureau could handle it. "I'm talking about the heart-wrenching words, not perfunctory brother. I still have something to ask for! Tang Tingshu also had a way to get Sheng Xuanhuai to step down. What he asked for was for Sheng Xuanhuai to help and donate a direct subordinate Daotai. Sheng Xuanhuai asked in amazement, "The two rivers can donate to the Daotai, so why should they give up the near and seek the far?" Tang Tingshu explained: "When Marquis Zeng was sitting in Liangjiang, it was natural that the status of Liangjiang was lofty. However, since The Death of Marquis Zeng and Li Zhongtang sat in Zhili, Liangjiang could not be compared with Zhili. The brothers were going to the big tree of Li Zhongtang, so it is easy to say that there is a little more silver and a little less silver. "I'm just afraid that the Daotai directly under the direct subordination will cost a lot more silver than the two rivers, and I still have to find a suitable time to present it to the Zhongtang." Sheng Xuan's heart moved. "As long as it doesn't exceed twenty-five thousand taels, it's easy to say." "Brother can really help with this." When I returned to Beiyang, I immediately tried to return to the Middle Hall, and when the time came, I would come back to the letter to tell you. Of course, the tap of the yamen is indispensable. "All please, brother." Tang Tingshu stayed at Sheng Xuanhuai to eat, and the meal was very sumptuous, and if you counted roughly, you would have to spend hundreds of taels of silver. On the way back to the inn, Sheng Xuanhuai's mind was full of impressions of Tang Tingshu's two mansions and extravagant banquets. Li Zhongtang said that a big husband should be a big official and make a lot of money, and in This place in Shanghai, it is not enough to have only officials, and it is more important to have more money than official university. With money, they can call the wind and rain, and enjoy the glory that even a big member may not be able to see, let alone enjoy. I can only take the road of running an industry, and I will not be far away from having a money official.
After waking up drunk in the afternoon, he went back to comb through the busy two days and did not implement a practical commercial stock, and he could not help but be a little disappointed and anxious. Fortunately, there are also the Zhu brothers, and all hopes are pinned on here. The next day, after breakfast at the inn, Sheng Xuanhuai took his servants to see the Zhu brothers. As soon as I entered Yong'an Street, I saw that there were a lot of people today, all of them were dark-faced, obviously because of the long years of blowing sea breeze and sunshine. The guys on the sandboat merchants along the street also stuck out their heads, as if they were waiting for someone, as if they were waiting to see a trick. Because there were many people and the street was narrow, Sheng Xuan got out of the car and walked inside. Suddenly someone shouted, "That's the man!" Brothers, the man who ran the steamship to rob us of our business has come, come and ask him for an explanation. The two were immediately surrounded. The crowd was furious and asked Sheng Xuanhuai what he was doing. Sheng Xuanhuai was a little nervous at first, but they knew that it was useless to conceal it, not to mention that they were under the order of the Beiyang Minister, so they stood on a step and shook their hands to the crowd: "Brothers of the Sand Boat Gang, I am Sheng Xuanhuai, on the order of the Beiyang Minister, to come and discuss with Mr. Zhu Da the matter of opening a steamship investment bureau." ”
Before the words could be heard, there was a wave of reproach -- "You're going to run a steamship and rob us of our business, how are we going to live?" "The foreigners' steamship has forced us to be cornered, so why should you Beiyang ministers squeeze us?" Shanghai is the place of Nanyang, what is the relationship with Beiyang? Sheng Xuanhuai explained loudly: "Brothers, steamships will definitely replace wooden boats, sand boats will be eliminated sooner or later, and they will make foreigners force everyone to be cornered, so why don't we run our own steamship bureau and compete with foreigners for high and low." "You fight with foreigners, what do we do?" Let's live how! Someone shouted. "Brethren can go to the ship to make a living, and the ship needs manpower." Sheng Xuanhuai's words could not appease them at all; a sand boat used one or two dozen people, and a steamship topped a dozen sand boats, but there was no need to shake the bridge, no paddle, no need to pull the sails, at most it would use only twenty people, how many people would lose their jobs? Someone in the back encouraged: "Brothers, don't listen to his nonsense, he will stop talking about not running a steamship, if you want to fight this crooked idea again, don't let him go out of Yong'an Street!" Several young people gathered around, raised their fists in fright, and said, "You quickly say, don't run a steamship again, otherwise our fists won't have long eyes." Of course, Sheng Xuanhuai could not show weakness, and craned his neck and said, "Brothers, if you don't do it today, you must do it tomorrow, and I don't do it like everyone else." The raised fist looked like it was about to fall, only to hear someone shouting, "Stop me!" It was the Chu brothers who came. Everyone flashed out a passageway, and Zhu Qi'ang came over and arched his hand at Sheng Xuanhuai: "Brother is late, and there are many offenses." The brothers of the Sand Boat Gang are wild, and the brothers don't blame them. "Mr. Big, we can't let them run ships, we still have to live." Someone else took the opportunity to interject. Zhu Qi'ang also stood on the steps and said loudly, "Brothers, when it comes to hatred for ships, I hate you more than any of you." The brothers all know that my Zhu brothers originally did not run the sea route, but ran the Yangtze River. But the foreign ships forced us to almost destroy our families, so we came to run the sea. I didn't expect that the sea was the same, and it was forced to breathe by the foreign ships. Why? Because the sand boat is too far worse than the steamship, the speed is not comparable, we have to go for more than a month to do a trip to the north, and the ship can't even use it for ten days. Safety is even more incomparable, how many of our brothers have sunk ships at sea, and their families have been destroyed. The load is even more incomparable, a steamship is loaded with tens of thousands of stones, and our big sand ship is only loaded with fifteen or six hundred stones. Brothers, let's say, do we have a way to fight with the steamship in this sand ship? ”
Someone shouted, "Mr. Big, sand boats are dangerous, but they are better than being starved to death." Tears rose in Zhu Qiang's eyes: "Brothers, we can't starve to death." Instead of letting foreigners run ships to squeeze us, it is better to follow me to run ships, as long as I have a mouthful of food to eat, you will not be hungry. Now that this steamship can't be done, I have heard from my friends in the foreign firm that the three steamship companies of Swire, Qichang and Jardine Matheson are also going to compete with us for shipping. He was faster than our sand boat, and I heard that they were going to lower the foot fee, which was cheaper than our sand boat, could the imperial court not be moved? If Cao Yun let them fight, we really have no way out. Brothers follow me to run the ship, my Chu brothers to run, you can always rest assured, right? Hearing this, the crowd fell silent. Zhu Qi'ang added, "Brethren rest assured, if I were to run a steamship, I would at most buy four foreign ships, and I would only transport 200,000 stones a year, less than one-tenth of the transportation of southern and northern ships." Then look at the situation and add it year by year, and you can't always smash the brothers' rice bowl with a stick. Our brothers have run a steamship bureau, and like foreigners, they also need to build warehouses and stacks in Tianjin, Niuzhuang, Hankou, and other places, and they also need manpower, and I will try my best to arrange for my brothers to go over. ”
The matter finally passed, and Sheng Xuanhuai followed the Zhu brothers to discuss the details of the opening. "Old Brother Sheng, I don't know how many official banks Zhongtang plans to take to run the China Merchants Bureau?" Zhu Qi'ang asked. Sheng Xuanhuai pondered and said, "The meaning of zhongtang is that China Merchants bureau mainly relies on commercial stocks. For the time being, a number of steamships were taken over from the Fujian and Shanghai factories, and the merchants and shareholders were invited to be recruited and subscribed, and the officials supervised the commercial office. In this way, the officials should generalize their outlines, examine their advantages and disadvantages, shelter the officialdom, and avoid additional extortion; the operation should be at the mercy of the business, and the profits and losses should not be related to the officials. "Very good, the sign of the Steamship Merchants Bureau will be hung up at my Zhu Brothers' Place first, and the steamships that undertake the contract do not have to rush to the merchants, but will be called the Steamship Merchants Bureau first." When Sheng Xuanhuai heard that Zhu Qiang meant monopolizing the China Merchants Bureau, he hastened to declare: "Zhongtang means that the commercial stocks are the main body, and the officials supervise the commercial office, and they do not intend to do the official office." As for the general office, it is also necessary to appoint a sub-commission according to the IPO situation. Zhu Qi'ang smiled and said, "You have also seen the situation today, without our brothers to do it, the Sand Boat Gang will not be at ease." Sooner or later, the Steamship Merchants Bureau will have to do business, but at first I am afraid that it will not work. Who among the businessmen would put their shares into an uncertain situation? They are willing to buy shares in foreign companies because they see that foreign companies are profitable. When our steamship merchants bureau has a favorable position, the shares of Chinese businessmen who have invested in foreign banks will naturally merge. You returned this meaning to Zhongtang, and Zhongtang agreed, and our brothers went to meet Zhongtang, and when they received the zazi, they went to take over the steamship, and the elder brother Xingsun stayed in Shanghai to help our brothers set up the steamship investment bureau. Sheng Xuanhuai was reluctant to have a hundred, but the Zhu Qi'ang brothers were recommended by the Middle Hall, and the Sand Boat Gang was indeed difficult to deal with, and it was indeed impossible without the Zhu brothers. I thought things were simple, and it seemed that it was not so easy to set up a steamship investment bureau. However, if the Zhu brothers pick this head, they can also be regarded as having an explanation, so it is better to simply let the Zhu brothers go directly to the Middle Hall. Sheng Xuanhuai thought clearly, and then said, "If you want to run a steamship investment bureau, you naturally can't do without Brother Zhu." However, this is a big thing, not something you or I can decide, nor can it be done by passing on words, and I think it would be better for you to meet in the middle hall and listen to junjun's words in person? Zhu Qi'ang thought for a moment and said, "Only when you can see the side of the Middle Hall can things be accurate." It just so happened that I was going to transport grain north, and I would be able to reach Tianjin in about twenty days, when I was bound to come to the door to see Lord Zhongtang. Sheng Xuanhuai took a ship north and reported in detail to Li Hongzhang on his trip to Shanghai. When Li Hongzhang heard that the Zhu Qi'ang brothers had the desire to take the lead in undertaking the China Merchants Bureau, Hu Xueyan, Tang Tingshu, Zheng Guanying, and others all had the intention of joining the shares, so they were quite satisfied with his trip: "Xingsun, you also know that I intend to do foreign affairs on a large scale, I see that you have no spirit for the shopping mall, it is better to work hard in the shopping mall in the future, one is to help me do foreign affairs, and the other is also your way to advance." The path of examining people and entering the ranks is too boring. ”
"Everything is arranged by the uncle." "Well, when I met the Zhu brothers, if you set up a steamship to attract business, you will rely on this important matter, including the charter, and you will also help them draft, and you will also go to the Shanghai shopping mall to have more contacts with Yin Shang, which will only be good for you, not harmful." Sheng Xuanhuai nodded and said yes. "Xingsun, when there is a big change in the world, there are always some opportunities that are bound to be lost, and some new opportunities are bound to come, and some people will make a fortune and become a new upstart. For example, when the coastal ports were opened, foreigners seized some people's business, but they also created new opportunities, and those who gave up the right way to enter the foreign trade club were initially ridiculed by people, but after more than ten years, how many of them became extremely rich! This was the case with Tang Tingshu and Zheng Guanying. Now we want to do a great deal of foreign affairs, which is also a big change, and seizing the opportunity, there will be people who will become rich and wealthy, depending on whether they have the courage to seize the opportunity. Li Hongzhang seemed to sigh emptyly, and seemed to have some points, and Sheng Xuanhuai only nodded to Yin Yin.
When Sheng Xuanhuai was about to resign, he remembered Tang Tingshu's intention to donate directly subordinate Dao, and hurriedly reported it, and Li Hongzhang replied: "This year's emperor's big wedding, the direct subordinate will be apportioned to the household department 700,000 to 800,000 taels, bargaining, and finally spending more than half a million yuan on the emperor's big wedding. Sheng Xuan was overjoyed, knowing that there were benefits to be gained, so he should say: "The inferior post must be handled conscientiously, and it must not be betrayed and trusted." Tang Jingxing's idea was to donate 20,000 silver, and all the yamen were among them. "Well, I'll give it to the Bureau of Donations." Usually donate to the class road platform, 145,000 is not bad. There are more donation classes in Shanghai, you handle it carefully, as you said, don't live up to my trust. ”