With Xianfeng's announcement of the declaration of war on Britain being published in newspapers of all sizes, and as the Nanyang Naval Fleet encircled Hong Kong Island and forced 3,000 British troops stationed in Hong Kong to surrender, the dark clouds of war once again began to hang over the capitals and counties of the southeastern coastal provinces. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

The war more than 10 years ago was triggered by the ban on smoking, and the officials, gentlemen, businessmen, and ordinary people in the provinces and counties along the southeast coast still remember vividly, and the British naval fleet was invincible on the southeast coast, wantonly attacking, plundering, and looting the coastal provinces and counties is still vividly remembered, and the rumbling cannon sound still seems to linger in the ears, and this nightmare-like scene will be repeated again, and the entire southeast is in a panic.

In recent years, Yuanqi's newspapers of all sizes have introduced Western countries endlessly, and in the first two years, they have continuously followed up and reported on the Crimean War that took place in Ottoman Turkey, and the people of the Qing Dynasty are no strangers to the protagonist of that war - the British and French coalition forces, but no one expected that suddenly, the Qing Dynasty would declare war on Britain!

The government and the opposition were boiling, the whole country was hotly discussed, and newspapers of all sizes published the most eye-catching headlines:

Can the Nanyang Navy continue to write the myth of invincibility?

The battle for the survival of the Qing Navy!

Although the country is big, the belligerent will die!

The rise of every world power will inevitably experience the baptism of war!

The British Navy that has been roaming the world's oceans for two hundred years.

Will the Qing Dynasty follow in Russia's footsteps?

At present, the great enemy should abandon the previous suspicions and join forces to resist the British!

Zhenhai Mansion, Changle Book House.

Yan Shikuan walked into the room with a stack of newspapers, glanced at Yi Zhi, who was sitting on the desk, put the newspaper on the coffee table, and said with a wry smile: "Big shopkeeper, why are the newspapers full of these messy articles, you don't care, the coastal prefecture and county branches of Yuanqi Bank have begun to run on them!" All stocks on the stock exchanges in Guangzhou and Shanghai have begun to fall sharply. ”

"Freedom of the press." It is easy to know that the head is not raised.

"Nor can freedom of the press be unfettered." Yan Shikuan said in a sullen voice: "Today's public opinion is almost not optimistic about Yuan Qi!" If there is really a large-scale run, it will be a big problem! ”

"How much trouble can it be? Since the day of its establishment, Yuanqi has experienced less runs? Yi Zhizhi said and put down the pen and got up, took the cigarette case and threw a cigarette over, lit one himself, paced to his side and sat down, glanced at the stack of newspapers on the coffee table and flipped through it casually.

Seeing his indifferent appearance, Yan Shikuan hesitated and said, "Shouldn't the big shopkeeper hold back any bad ideas?" ”

"What do you mean by a bad idea?" Yi Zhizu rolled his eyes, "Yuanqi Bank is growing step by step in the next step of the run, every run, will make people enhance their confidence in Yuanqi, this time Yuanqi fell out with the imperial court again, and a war broke out, the newspapers have been noisy, but the scale of the run is not large, this should be worth celebrating, not worrying!" ”

"The scale of the run is not large at the moment, and that's because there is no official war yet." Yan Shikuan said: "Paper money is not real money after all, once the war starts, there will definitely be a large-scale run." ”

"You are wrong, not a war, but a defeat." Yi Zhizhi said: "Only in the case of defeat will there be a large-scale run, and if it is a success, it is impossible for this situation to occur." Taking a step back, even if there is a large-scale run, Yuanqi can deal with it! ”

"Are you going to throw gold again?" Yan Shikuan said unceremoniously: "It's easy to throw out the gold, but it's not easy to take it back." ”

Eight years ago, Yi Zhizhi returned to his hometown and suffered impeachment, triggering a large-scale run, Yuan Qi made the decision to use inventory gold to deal with the run at a critical juncture, seeing him expose the old bottom, Yi Zhi didn't care at all, and said with a smile: "There is no need to throw gold to deal with the run, Shibei should be impressed in three days, not to mention that it is seven or eight years, you are still looking at Yuan Qi with old eyes." ”

After a pause, he continued: "Do you know how big the financing scale of the stock exchanges in Guangzhou and Shanghai is now? As he spoke, he held out three fingers.

Yan Shikuan said with a stump: "Three hundred million? ”

"Three hundred million is the principal at the time of stock issuance." Yi Zhizhi said leisurely: "With the price of stocks rising and expanding, the amount of silver in the stock exchange circle is far more than that. So, there's no need to worry about a run at all. ”

Yan Shikuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, no wonder the other party was not in a hurry at all, such a huge amount of silver was encircled on the stock exchange, what else did he need to worry about? Even if a large-scale run broke out across the country, Yuanqi was not afraid at all! However, as soon as he thought about it, he said worriedly: "The stock price has dropped sharply......." ”

"Even if it falls below the issue price, the principal that comes in can't get out, what are you worried about?" It is easy to be content with the way of the old god.

Yan Shikuan's heart sank when he heard this, he came here today to test Yi Zhi's contentment, because he held a lot of stocks in his hands, and he bought a lot of stocks in banking, railway, telegraph, steel, shipbuilding, machinery, raw silk, rubber and other industries, and if he really fell below the issue price, he was afraid that he would not even be able to find a place to cry, so he stammered: "It won't really fall below the issue price, right?" ”

Yi Zhizu glanced at him with disdain, "Don't you know that in the past year, Yuan Qi has been preparing for war?" Didn't sell any stocks? ”

"You didn't tell me to sell it, did you?" Yan Shikuan said pitifully: "A large family is waiting for me to raise it." ”

"What are you doing with so many concubines? Can you handle it? Yi Zhishu teased him, and then said: "If you don't sell it, you can pinch it in your hand, and you can't smash it, it's just to make less money." ”

Yan Shikuan's eyes rolled, "Those messy articles in the newspaper can't be intentionally connived at by you?" ”

"What intentional connivance?" Yi Zhishu didn't admit it at all, "The guidance of public opinion also requires strategy." ”

Coming out of the Zhenhai Mansion, Yan Shikuan boarded the four-wheeled carriage and ordered, "Go to the exchange." Listening to Yi Zhi's contented tone, this stock will definitely rise, and he is naturally unwilling to let go of this opportunity to make money.

The exchange is in a very grand mansion on Guangdong Road, with five entrances in front and back, covering a vast area, at this time, the trading hall is already overcrowded, and the corridors and wide courtyards on both sides are crowded with anxious people.

In recent years, many factories, companies, firms, fleets, and caravans have been listed on the stock exchange, because business is booming, almost all stocks are bullish, and the stock prices have risen vigorously, and the prices of many stocks have doubled within a year, and the income from investing in stocks is far more cost-effective than buying land.

The staff workers under the name of Yuanqi have tasted the sweetness in the previous crisis of Yuanqi stocks, and they are very enthusiastic about buying stocks, which has played a great leading role, coupled with the publicity of commercial newspapers and securities newspapers, after the opening of the telegram, Yuanqi Bank has opened the non-local stock trading business in a timely manner, which has greatly facilitated the trading of non-local stocks, and the exchange has also launched a brokerage business.

These facilitation measures, as well as the eye-catching high returns of the stock market, soon swept the Qing Dynasty, and soon became a boom, and the gentry, merchants, and landlords in many places invested their family savings and buried silver into the exchanges.

Under the shade of a few big trees in the corner of the courtyard is a large group of red-haired, yellow-haired, blue-eyed, green-eyed, high-nosed foreigners, most of whom are businessmen who have lived in Shanghai for a long time and technicians or technicians in various factories, who are more keen to invest in stocks than the people of the Qing Dynasty.

The Qing State declared war on Britain, and all the Westerners almost one-sided thought that the Qing State would be defeated, and no one was optimistic about Yuan Qi, in their opinion, Britain, as the world hegemon and the hegemon of the sea, was not something that the Qing State could provoke at all, and Russia, known as the 'European gendarme', was still beaten all over the place by the British, let alone the Qing State?

Many foreigners planned to sell their stocks and return to China to avoid the war, and they knew very well that once the war broke out, Guangzhou and Shanghai, which were the industrial bases of the Qing Dynasty, would inevitably become the targets of the British army.

Originally, the negative impact of the war on the stock market was very huge, and many foreigners rushed to sell it to trigger a sharp drop in the stock market, and the pessimism in the newspapers undoubtedly exacerbated the panic.

Yan Shikuan rushed to the exchange, saw the crowd inside, went straight to the back door, and entered the exchange through the back door, he had a lot of stocks in his hands, but he didn't hire a broker, because he was distressed about the commission, besides, what broker can compare to Yi Zhicontent? But I didn't expect this stock market fluctuation, Yi Zhixin actually didn't say a word!

He didn't look for anyone else, he entered the door and went straight to the office of Huo Qizheng, the big shopkeeper of the exchange, and when he heard the news that Yan Shikuan was coming, Huo Qizheng hurriedly greeted him, and said with a smile as soon as he met: "Yan's shopkeeper has time to come to the exchange today?" ”

"You're not pretending to be confused?" Yan Shikuan said: "What else can you do when you come to the exchange?" Naturally, it is to sell stocks. ”

Selling stocks? Huo Qizheng paused for a moment before he said, "How many stocks does Shopkeeper Yan have in his hand?" ”

"There are twenty or thirty thousand shares in total." Yan Shikuan said with a big grin: "It's all called on us to buy by the shopkeeper of Yida over the years." ”

Hearing only twenty or thirty thousand shares, Huo Qizheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, let him into the office, and after sitting down for tea, he said: "It is just when the stock market is plummeting, if the shopkeeper Yan is not in a hurry to use the money, it is better not to sell it first." ”

"This is the same as what Shopkeeper Yi said." Yan Shikuan smiled: "I'm not in a hurry to use money, but in a hurry to make money." ”

Make hay? Huo Qizheng shook his head, "The current stock market is not the time to make money. As he spoke, he turned his head, "I would like to ask, the shopkeeper of Yida has sold all the stocks in hand last year, but why didn't he remind you?" ”

Yan Shikuan slowly lit a cigarette, and didn't say a word, just looked at him directly, Huo Qizheng didn't sell it, and said directly: "All along, the exchange has been doing everything possible to cultivate market popularity, and the shopkeeper of Yida has even given up tens of millions of yuan of profits at his fingertips for this. ”

Yan Shikuan couldn't help but say: "Then why did he sell stocks last year?" Last year's stock price was close to its peak. ”

Huo Qizheng said: "Selling the stocks in hand is to raise funds to support the bottom, this may be the first large-scale stock market crash in the Qing Dynasty, without huge funds to support the bottom, the consequences are unimaginable." ”

Hearing this, Yan Shikuan immediately extinguished the idea of making money in the stock market, and also understood why Yi Zhishu didn't remind him, because Yi Zhishu didn't want him to make money in the stock market at all, think about it, follow Yi Zhifen, there are more ways to make money, why bother to come to the stock market to stir up, this look is too ugly, he immediately got up and arched his hand: "Don't tell Yi Da shopkeeper that I have been here." ”

Huo Qizheng hurriedly got up and arched his hand: "The stocks in the hands of the shopkeeper Yan may as well be held for a long time, and the income will definitely be very considerable." ”

In the past two years, with the rise of the stock speculation boom, as Yuan Qi and the imperial court joined hands to quell the turmoil and expel the Taiping Army into Burma, the stock market is hot, many stock prices are inflated, and it is not a bad thing to cool down, however, the popularity of the securities market has been cultivated with great difficulty, and it is not a good thing to hurt the muscles and bones!

It seems that the seizure of the three ports of the British in the Strait of Malacca should be made public, so as to give a proper boost to the confidence of the people, so as to avoid a precipitous fall in the stock market, which would be enough to deal a devastating blow to the sentiment of the stock market.

He was about to write a telegram order, Zhao Wenlie and Cao Gensheng walked in quickly, as soon as they entered the room, Cao Gensheng said in a heavy tone: "Big shopkeeper, Anhui Jing County called, Mr. An Wu passed away at home yesterday. ”

Bao Shichen proposed to return to his hometown, Yi Zhizhi already had a bad premonition, listening to the news, there was still an inexplicable grief in his heart, he was stunned for a long time without saying a word, and the scenes of more than ten years of getting along day and night were like movies in his mind.

Seeing that he looked stunned, Zhao Wenlie knew that the two had a deep relationship, and he was afraid that he would be too sad, so he hurriedly bowed his hand and said: "The big shopkeeper mourns, Mr. An Wu has not been tortured, and he has walked very peacefully." ”

Life in the world, no one can escape this catastrophe, Wu Bingjian is gone, Wang Ding is gone, Deng Tingzhen is also gone, and now even Bao Shichen is gone, after a while, Yi Zhizhi said: "Call Anhui Governor Luo Bingzhang, and let him go to Jing County on my behalf to condole, Mr. An Wu has been honest all his life, and he will give Dian Yi 10,000 yuan, spend it from my private account, and ask if Mr. has left a will." ”

asked the governor of a province to go to mourn on his behalf and give Dianyi 10,000 silver dollars, Cao Gensheng was secretly frightened and hurriedly recorded it, but Zhao Wenlie said softly: "The big shopkeeper, Liangtu Gong wants to go to Jing County to mourn in person." ”

Wei Yuan went to mourn in person? Yi Zhishu slowly shook his head and said: "Mr. Wei is over sixty years old, his body has never been tough, he is running back and forth, physically and mentally exhausted, Huifu is good at persuading him, besides, the current situation is inseparable from him." ”