When the time entered the fourth year of Tongzhi, the overseas trade of the entire Tanggu port came to a standstill, and the rest was for the Chinese to treat themselves.

The streets and alleys are full of people visiting relatives and friends to make big purchases, and the two major riots a year have not dampened people's enthusiasm for spending for the New Year, but have become more eager because of the sharp increase in income this year.

Due to the strong presence of Lotte & Co. in Tanggu, which provides a strong financial backing for all Chinese businessmen, the annual trade volume of the entire Tanggu Port has increased by 40%.

This is a figure that I couldn't think of in previous years, and all the merchants couldn't close their smiling mouths one by one, even the most stingy businessmen have raised the wages of their fellow workers this year.

The streets are full of people pinching silver shining silver coins, putting aside the stinky mud and poles of previous years, and still want to use the silver? But this year, everyone has entrusted Xiao Letian's blessing, and the kind of foreign money that can sound when it is blown can finally be put in the pockets of the people.

The streets are full of live chickens and ducks, frozen meat and tofu, grain and oil stores and grocery stores have never seen so many people with purchasing power, and almost all merchants are complaining that there are fewer goods prepared, and they are jumping to transfer goods everywhere one by one.

This year, not only the men and workers under the merchants have had a fat year, but even the farmers who are most reluctant to spend money on weekdays are also in good spirits, and a group of landless farmers represented by Xiaowangzhuang have actually become the vanguard of consumption.

The silver taels from the sale of land were not finished at home, and Xiao Letian arranged a good job for these people in order to thank the villagers for their assistance when he was in the most critical situation.

There is no way to break ground in the winter, but there should be no problem in building a fence, anyway, what the Chinese people are most afraid of is not working, as long as there is money to be made, there is no one who is too cold and tired.

Along the edge of the planned special zone, a long fence wall has been weaved, and countless peasants are taking their daily wages while looking at the fenced land with regret. They know that after the beginning of spring next year, they don't know what the farmland will become.

Fortunately, everyone still has Mr. Xiao's protection, and the big temple will be built next year, and the people's hearts will be stable.

There is a reason for the prosperity of the entire Tanggu City, just when entering Layue, the 20,000 elite Hunan army stopped in Cangzhou, and Weng Tongyi finally blocked the army in Cangzhou with the will of the imperial court.

No one knew what the two Han elites, the Qingliu leader and the Hunan army marshal, talked about, anyway, in the end, Zeng Guofan only took 24 guards and his ninth brother Starry Night to Beijing to face the saint, and the dark clouds in the sky completely disappeared.

The Hunan army retreated, the Qingliu people were also honest, Enke proceeded as usual, the government and the opposition seemed to have suddenly forgotten Xiao Letian, no one knew the result of the negotiation between Zhou Daoying, Ermao and Xiao Letian, people just knew that when Ermao returned to Beijing, he was immediately promoted to a level, and he was already a competent eunuch who could sit on an equal footing with Li Lianying.

The political characters are all monkey spirits, and they don't rub sand in their eyes, judging from Ermao's treatment, even if Xiao Letian successfully breaks through this year, Qingliu has no choice but to go into battle shirtless this time.

Demons, it's really a demon, the dark war between the court and Xiao Letian is fighting to this point, and Xiao Lotian can't help it, which shows that Xiao Letian's foundation is already very hard, and since he can't cut it, he can only borrow weight in the future.

The protests all over Beijing have disappeared, as have the flying leaflets and secretly distributed newspapers, and the eyes of the common people have returned to pots and pans, firewood, rice, oil and salt.

Xiao Letian is safe, which means that the special industrial zone will be safe, and the entire Tanggu business district is jubilant, and the posts that invite Xiao Lotian to the banquet every day are stacked like Xiaoshan, but Xiao Letian has no time to take care of them these days, he is busy paying his new army.

Now that Xiao Letian's new army has finally crossed the Ming Road, the imperial court has allowed Tanggu to form a merchant autonomous guard of no more than four hundred people. On the surface, he was in charge of the security of Tanggu Port together with the officials of the Tongzhi Yamen and the remaining officers and soldiers of the Green Battalion, but in fact, all the people of Tanggu knew very well that these soldiers in dark blue tweed uniforms could not afford to provoke anyone at all, and they were the actual rulers of Tanggu Province.

"No longer have to hide and tuck, brothers no longer have to hide in the warehouse to train at night, just like thieves, from today we can walk on the streets openly as a business district guard...... The Manchus finally gave in..."

Xiao Lotian roared, in exchange for a thunderous roar, "Wansheng... Wansheng... Wan Sheng ......" Xiao Letian was scared of sweat, fortunately these stupid boys didn't shout long live, otherwise it would be a big sin.

Around the camp of the new army are countless peasants who are watching the excitement, and when they see this majestic military posture, they subconsciously shrink back, this is the tiger ben who abolished the green camp and attacked the soldiers of the Eight Banners, today can be regarded as an eye-opener, there is such a group of killing gods in Tanggu, and they may really be able to live a good life for a few years.

Xiao Letian looked at his army with satisfaction, nodded and smiled, "The brothers have been fighting in their home country for half a year since they formed the army in the summer, and I, Xiao Letian, have not paid you a single military salary, I am ashamed, I am really ashamed...... Today, I'm going to make up for everything I owe to everyone......"

"A soldier is paid five per month, a squad leader is paid fifteen per month, a platoon commander is fifty per month, and the company commander with the highest rank is currently paid a hundred per month...... This is only the silver in peacetime, and double the silver in wartime..."

Xiao Letian's voice did not fall, these disciplined soldiers did not say a word, those ordinary people were dumbfounded, good guy with such a high salary... No wonder they are all like heavenly soldiers and generals, this is an army piled up from a mountain of silver.

The common people also have a lot of knowledge, they know that the average green battalion soldier's monthly salary is nominally one or two silver, but they never get the full amount, and they even sometimes use grain and cloth to top, and they can give a few hundred copper coins to be considered a rich army.

The situation of the Eight Banners of Manchuria is slightly better, but in recent years, the situation of deduction has also been very strict, and the situation of cash in kind is also very common, so these soldiers have more or less harassed the local situation, there is no way, they are too poor.

Xiao Letian looked around, he saw all the surprised eyes of the people, what he wanted was this feeling, he wanted to push his new army into the envy of the people, only in this way could the soldiers' sense of honor be stimulated.

"Brothers, when I was in military class before, you all know what the soldiers in the Qing Dynasty are like now, and all the poor ones have become Huazi, and they have all been forced to become thieves and robbers...... Why should I, Xiao Letian, give everyone a high salary? It is to let you have a sense of belonging to this army, and let you all become dignified soldiers, not stinky soldiers as the people say..."

Xiao Letian stood on the stage and shouted, "We are a well-known new army, we are a disciplined iron army, we have our own clean salaries, we don't have to bully the people, we don't have to burn, plunder, and slaughter the city, we rely on our guns to protect the people of the world, this is the foundation of our survival......"

"Military law is on your head, if someone dares to abuse the people and enrich themselves, I, Xiao Letian, don't mind personally sending you a bullet and sending you to hell...... Remember... Don't disgrace this army, don't disgrace all your comrades who died in battle, and don't disgrace your own......"

"Now let's start the roll call, I, Xiao Letian, will personally pay you silver ......"

Xiao Letian's reprimand was whipped on everyone's hearts like a whip, and not only the new army but even the people felt bursts of enthusiasm.

"This is the return of Grandpa Yue Feiyue's army back then... Freeze to death and don't demolish the house......"

"Shh......h Be quiet, don't say this, Grandpa Yue is beating the Jurchen and committing a taboo in the imperial court......"

In the midst of a lot of discussions, Wang Huaiyuan began to hold the roster and named "Wang Dazhuang...... Qian Fei...... Zheng Erbao ...... "With the sound of roll call, one soldier after another walked up to the stage and marched in front of Xiao Letian.

Today, Xiao Lotian also changed into an officer uniform, saluted each soldier with a stern face, and then took out a wad of paper from the wooden box next to him, counted it and stuffed it to the soldiers in front of him.

"Stinky boy, I remember you, you also blocked the rain of arrows for me when Shuri Castle was charging, but fortunately you were not injured...... Your name is Qian Fei? The first batch of people who lurked in when I captured Mailer? Good look, worthy of the soldiers trained by my Xiao Letian......"

Xiao Letian greeted them one by one and put a wad of paper into the soldier's arms, completely ignoring the soldier's surprised gaze. It was no wonder that the soldiers had strange faces, for they had something in their hands that they had never seen before.

"Lotte & Co. Small Certificate of Deposit? This small one is a silver coin exchange certificate, this one is a five-silver coin exchange certificate, and there are ten silver coins...... There is also a text on the back: 'Freely exchange huàn deposit receipts, anyone can use this deposit receipt to go to Lotte & Co. to exchange huàn silver coins of the same value', is this the legendary paper money used by foreigners?"

A large proportion of Xiao Letian's new army are Ryukyu grown up Chinese, they have been begging for a living on the dock since they were children, and they still have a little hearing of the small amount of paper money circulating in the West, and these Ryukyu Chinese do not have much doubt in their hearts.

However, those native-born mainland soldiers were dumbfounded, and they secretly wondered in their hearts: "What are you doing, sir? Is it that your lordship's capital turnover is not working?" The big guys gathered under your command to do a great cause, and not a few of them came purely for the sake of money? In the new army, they eat and drink well, and they are in charge of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but they really don't care if they have money or not, and as for printing a few pieces of paper to fool us?"

These soldiers are really wrong to blame Xiao Letian, this is not just random printing to fool people, Xiao Letian just wants to try to issue banknotes, if the reputation of this treasure spreads, the money earned in the future will be much more than minting silver coins.

Printing paper is Fan Yao's shopkeeper brought together more than 20 papermaking experts, plus Xiao Letian personally instructed to complete, the best wood pulp is mixed with a certain proportion of wool and cotton, so that the strength and toughness of the paper have been greatly improved, the ink imported from the West is wear-resistant and does not fade, although it is not as good as the special ink of later generations, but it is also unique in the Qing Dynasty.

Xiao Letian once talked with those craftsmen, with the current level of the Qing Dynasty, if you want to forge this kind of process, it is impossible to succeed without studying it for two or three years, but after two or three years, Xiao Letian's technology may be upgraded for many generations.

"Brothers, do you think that I, Xiao Letian, am a bit foolish? Don't worry, when I explain the beauty of this kind of small deposit certificate, you will know my good intentions. ”

This book was first published from 17K Novel Network, the first time to see the genuine content!R405