On the day after the heated discussion in Beijing and the enthusiastic purchase of Beijing-Hangzhou Railway stocks began, "Jiangning Daily" and "Lin'an Daily" both published in eye-catching positions the blockbuster news that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had invested in Yuanqi Beijing-Hangzhou Railway and purchased 10 million shares of Beijing-Hangzhou Railway. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

As soon as the newspaper came out, it attracted great attention and discussion, and ordinary people may not know the origin of the internal affairs office, and only think that it is the imperial court to buy shares, but the officials and gentlemen who have a little insight know that the internal affairs office is a full-time institution to manage royal affairs, and the treasury of the internal affairs government is the emperor's money bag, and the internal affairs government is more shocking than the household department's shares!

Of course, there are also many people who are skeptical about this news, especially the local officials, 10 million taels of silver is not a small amount, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs' stake in the Yuanqi Beijing-Hangzhou Railway is a great support for the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway.

Liangjiang Governor's Palace, Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Lin Zexu threw a copy of "Jiangning Daily" on the coffee table, and said with a gloomy face: "What does it mean to be content?" Make a big noise and force the Ministry of Internal Affairs to buy shares? Do you know what you're doing? ”

Hearing this, Wei Yuan glanced at Yi Zhixiang with some concern, his eyes were full of worry, if it was really for this purpose, this disaster would be a big disaster, Yi Zhixiang said with a smile on his face: "The Lord of the Ministry is .....angry, raising funds for the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway is to share the worries of the imperial court, how can he get into trouble because of this?" ”

Seeing that he was determined, Lin Zexu said suspiciously: "Is the Internal Affairs Office really investing 10 million shares?" ”

"Before I set off from Shanghai, I was already on the fold." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "The emperor should agree to ......." ”

"I think I agree?" Lin Zexu said: "Be content and know how much silver is in the treasury of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? ”

How much silver is stored in the Treasury of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Yi Zhishu really didn't know, he said curiously: "Is the Internal Affairs Office unable to make ends meet?" ”

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not had a good time in the past few years!" Lin Zexu said affirmatively: "The main income of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally the three major sources, the income of the Huangzhuang, the Huaiyang salt merchants, and the surplus of tax customs. After a pause, he continued: "After Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang, implemented the salt reform, the salt merchants in Huaiyang declined rapidly, and the most important income of the internal affairs government was also cut off.

Customs surplus, contentment should be very clear, two years of war, Guangdong Customs almost no input, Zhejiang Customs, Jiangxi Customs, Jiangbei not to say, Jiangnan customs customs can not even complete the quota, let alone talk about surplus.

Fortunately, the emperor is strictly thrifty, and the Internal Affairs Office has accumulated some foundation over the years, otherwise it will inevitably be beyond its means, so you should understand the situation of the Internal Affairs Bureau, right? ”

It turned out that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had been gnawing at the old capital all these years, Yi Zhizhi nodded and said: "Don't worry, Lord Ministry, I suggest that the Ministry of Internal Affairs pay in installments, invest 10 million shares in three years, and invest in the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway, which is also a profitable move for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and can get a stable income in the future." ”

Lin Zexu said in a deep voice: "More than three million a year, and the Internal Affairs Office can hardly bear it." ”

"Jiangning Daily is run by Yuan Qi, and contentment will definitely not risk the reputation of Jiangning Daily." Wei Yuan said with a smile: "Contentment should be the news of the Jingshi?" ”

"I can't hide it from the two of you." Yi Zhisuff said with a smile: "The emperor has issued an order to share this 10 million share between the Internal Affairs Office and the royal family. ”

Hearing this, Lin Zexu was relieved, but Wei Yuan was a little puzzled, "Since that's the case, why don't you wait a few days for contentment?" It can't be that I can't wait even these days. ”

"It's nothing more than to boost the reputation of the newspaper." Yi Zhishu said casually, of course, he did it not only for this purpose, but he did not want to say more.

Lin Zexu said with concern: "With the Ministry of Internal Affairs taking shares, there should be no problem with fundraising, right?" ”

"It's hard to say, it depends." Yi Zhixiang said with a smile: "However, don't worry, this errand will definitely not be messed up." ”

Lin Zexu nodded, with Yuan Qi's strength and easy contentment, there was really nothing to worry about, and he groaned slightly, before he reminded: "Yuan Qi has opened a branch in Jingshi, Jingshi is not as good as Jiangnan, it is best to be honest." ”

"I understand below." Yi Zhishu also knows the situation of Jingshi, the slightly large-scale Qianzhuang Yinhao pawnshop in Jingshi, I am afraid that he has a deep background, he really has no plans to let Yuan Qi expand in Jingshi, at least not for the time being, and now the branch in Jingshi is just playing the role of transfer.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs invested 10 million in the Yuanqi Beijing-Hangzhou Railway, which not only had a sensational effect but also had a goat effect, and the effect was also immediate, many gentry and businessmen who were originally in a wait-and-see state began to buy railway stocks, and the headquarters of the railway company located in Yaqian Street was not only lively again, but also frequently appeared large sums of money to buy stocks, and the top and bottom were busy, and the chief shopkeeper Qi Tongyu and the second shopkeeper Kang Hongda were busy with the continuous rotation.

Yi Zhizhi is leisurely, all day and night mixed in teahouses and restaurants, exploring the discussion in the market, there are many local officials in Jiangning, there is no lack of knowledgeable, there are not many discussions about the matter of questioning the internal affairs government's shareholding, there are not only Lin Zexu who know the situation of the internal affairs government, well-informed officials know a little about the situation of the internal affairs government, how can there be no leaks.

Just when the market was talking about this news more and more suspicious, the imperial court newspaper arrived in Jiangning, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs invested 5 million taels of silver in the Yuanqi Beijing-Hangzhou Railway, and the royal family and clan relatives in Beijing partnered to invest 5 million silver. The next day, the "Jiangning Daily" published the newspaper, which once again caused a sensation, and the original doubts in the market were swept away, and the "Jiangning Daily" was lamented that the news was well-informed and fast.

Railroad company headquarters, backyard.

Yi Zhixiang looked at the excerpt that he had just sent and smiled bitterly, and Daoguang's Zhu Criticism on his excerpt was just one sentence - the imperial court borrowed 20 million taels.

Daoguang's favor was not for nothing, and he added 10 million taels of silver on the basis of the original loan!

In the blink of an eye, in December, on the morning of the seventh day of the new year, Qi Tongyu, who was full of red eyes but with an excited face, walked quickly into the room where he was content, and after the ceremony, he calmly reported: "The summary of the five provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Yulu and Zhili last month has been counted, and the total amount of funds raised by the railway is 46.32 million taels. ”

This figure is similar to what Yi Zhifu expected, after deducting the 10 million from the Internal Affairs Office, it is actually 36 million, within the 350 million he expected, and it is still low, borrowing 20 million from the imperial court, Yuan Qi is actually only 26 million.

Seeing Yi Zhi's noncommittal expression, Qi Tongyu said tentatively: "This is only a month, and there should be no problem in raising another 10 million or 20 million in the later stage, is the news of England, France, the United States and other countries investing in the stock .....?" ”

"Since we can raise forty or fifty million, there is no need to make extraneous branches." Yi Zhishu said and asked: "Can the deposits absorbed by the branches of Liangjiang and Zhejiang provinces be counted?" ”

"The Great Treasurer." Qi Tongyu said: "As of the end of last month, the four provinces have absorbed a total of 15.26 million taels of silver. ”

Yi Zhifen frowned, this number is a little unsatisfactory, Jiangnan is known as the wealth of the Qing Dynasty, is the richest place in the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Qi absorbs deposits at high interest rates, and only absorbs fifteen million in nearly a year, however, considering that the railway has absorbed more than 30 million, and the Jiangnan merchants are piled up, he is also a little relieved.

After a slight groan, he said: "Transfer four million taels of silver to Shanghai, there is no major matter here, I will return to Shanghai tomorrow." ”

Shanghai, Huangpu River.

On the river, two warships opened the way, three battleships were behind, and in the middle were twenty sea ships of different sizes, ten of which were Western sailing ships, and suddenly saw this fleet, the ships on the river avoided one after another, and many people on the river bank also paid attention, and the top of the mast on the ship to be seen was fluttering a blue and white striped flag - the sea soul flag, and a group of people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A few months ago, they were not uncommon to the boats on the Huangpu River and the people of Shanghai, a few months ago, they were not uncommon to see ships flying the Sea Soul Flag, knowing that it was Yuanqi's fleet, and when the fleet approached, the boats they saw were all yellow-skinned and black-eyed, and even if they were not the Sea Soul Flag, they were all secretly relieved.

On the deck of the largest battleship, Wu Changqing said excitedly: "This is Shanghai?" ”

"It's pretty prosperous." He Shutai said with a smile.

Xie Xiuyuan said with a smile: "Now this is Lord Wu's territory. ”

"Solve the shopkeeper and don't come to joke." Wu Changqing said with a smile: "This is the territory that the big shopkeeper has been optimistic about for a long time, and in the future, the general number of Yuanqi may move here." ”

Hearing this, He Shutai couldn't help but sigh, "Even if the port is opened, this is just a county seat, how can the big shopkeeper value this place so much?" ”

Xie Xiuyuan said with a smile: "What is the shopkeeper, this is questioning the vision of the big shopkeeper?" ”

"Don't dare, don't dare." He Shutai hurriedly said, what are you kidding, who dares to question the vision of the big shopkeeper now in Yuanqi?

On the old Baidu wharf, Yan Shikuan looked at the fleet slowly approaching with a smile on his face, and behind him, a team of soldiers with loaded guns and ammunition cleaned up all the idle people on the wharf, Xiao Mingliang strode forward, and said puzzledly: "Isn't it that Lord Wu took office and made such a big battle?" ”

"No one knows that Lord Wu is going to work." Yan Shikuan said with a smile: "The purpose of cleaning up the dock is to ensure the safety of silver dollars, and there are more than five million silver dollars that come with the ship. ”

More than five million silver dollars, no wonder five warships were sent to escort it, Xiao Mingliang pondered for a while, and then said: "Ready to implement silver dollars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang?" ”

Yan Shikuan shook his head slightly, and said, "I don't know how the big shopkeeper arranged, if you really want to implement it, five million is too little." ”

The two were talking, the battleship had docked, and when they saw Wu Changqing and others landing, the two hurriedly greeted them, and after some greetings, Wu Changqing said: "The big shopkeeper is not in Shanghai?" ”

"I went to Jiangning, and I should be back in the next two days." Yan Shikuan said with a smile: "You will stay in the branch for two days first. ”

Three days later, Yi Zhizhi rushed back to Shanghai, heard that Wu Changqing and others had arrived, and hurriedly asked someone to invite, and when he took a shower and changed clothes, Li Wang reported: "Wu Gongzi, Xie shopkeeper, He shopkeeper, Yan shopkeeper, etc. are already waiting in the study. ”

I haven't seen a few people for nearly a year, Yi Zhishu is also a little anxious, and immediately hurried over, stepped into the courtyard, and saw Wu Changqing and the four of them walking out quickly, he couldn't help but smile and said: "Time flies really fast, it's almost a year in a blink of an eye." ”

"I've seen the big shopkeeper!" Wu Changqing and the others bowed their hands together.

"No need to be polite." Yi Zhishu stretched out his hand and lifted it up.

Wu Changqing and the others said in unison: "Congratulations to the chief treasurer for being promoted to a first-class viscount." ”

"It's just a false name, an external object." Yi Zhishu said and stretched out his hand and said: "Come into the house and talk, this place is not as good as Guangzhou, and it is still relatively cold in winter." ”

Entering the room and sitting down, Yi Zhizhi smiled and said: "I, the Shanghai Dao, is a complete shopkeeper, staying in Shanghai for a few days, almost not a director, Changqing came just right, and I can take over after the handover procedures, and I will have more opportunities to walk around." ”

Wu Changqing smiled: "What ..... need to be handed over between us." ”

"It's just a formality." Yi Zhishu said and got up and took the cigar cigarette case for a few people to smoke, lit a cigar, and then he looked at Xie Xiuyuan and He Shutai: "Next year's sea trade season, Shanghai will officially open the port, and the monopoly of Jiangnan silk reeling industry can no longer be delayed.

There is not much time left for us now, we must monopolize the silk reeling industry in Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangnan, the three major centers of raw silk, before the Westerners react, and the foreign trade of raw silk will grow significantly in the next few decades, and it is very likely to surpass the tea trade.

With the opening of the three treaty ports of Xiamen, Ningbo and Shanghai, the Thirteen Banks have lost their monopoly on foreign trade, and it is impossible for the imperial court to support the monopoly of foreign trade. ”

He Shutai hurriedly arched his hand and said: "I will not disappoint the high expectations of the big shopkeeper." ”

Yi Zhizhi nodded, and said: "I have ordered a large number of steam engines from England and the United States, and the fleet of the United States will arrive at the beginning of next year, and the fleet of England will not arrive until the beginning of summer. ”

"I understand below."

Xie Xiuyuan said: "Since the American fleet can arrive in Shanghai at the beginning of the year, can we consider dominating the market in the spring cocoon?" ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhi couldn't help but smile, "It's not easy for the machine to transport long distances, even if the spring cocoon is enough, it's not too late for the summer cocoon to dominate the plate." As he spoke, he turned his head, "Brought the silver dollar?" ”

"Brought five million and seven thousand silver dollars." Xie Xiuyuan said: "There are also two sets of coinage machines. ”

Yi Zhishu nodded, and then asked, "How is the progress of the banknotes?" ”

"Before leaving, I went to the printing house." Xie Xiuyuan said: "Wei Sanwei said that next summer they can come up with banknotes that will satisfy the big shopkeeper." ”

So fast? Yi Zhifen smiled, paper money is a big killer, before Yuan Qi does not have enough self-protection ability, he does not dare to issue paper money, once Yuan Qi issues paper money, the court is afraid that Yuan Qi will no longer dare to let Yuan Qi develop, and may even turn his face. (To be continued.) )