latelenovela Chapter 120 Connecting the World
Chapter 120 Connecting the World
"Good! Mr. Qiao is so generous!" Nie Yuanshan clapped his hands as he watched Qiao Zhiyong down three cups of wine. Since the other party had already apologized, he should still give him some face, after all, he would still be cooperating with him in the end.
"Mr. Nie, please!" Qiao Zhiyong put down his wine glass and invited Nie Yuanshan to start eating.
"I wonder what brings Mr. Nie to see me this time?" Slightly tipsy, Qiao Zhiyong finally asked the question that concerned him most.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to give Mr. Qiao a great fortune. Let's see if Mr. Qiao dares to accept it!" Nie Yuanshan smiled slightly, took out a cigarette and lit it.
"We're not related, why is Shen Lian being so kind?" Qiao Zhiyong wondered to himself.
"Please enlighten me, Mr. Nie!" Qiao Zhiyong picked up the wine pot and filled Nie Yuanshan's cup.
"Does Mr. Qiao want to take over the tax remittances from all the provinces under the imperial court?" Nie Yuanshan exhaled a puff of smoke and said casually.
"Does Lord Shen have a solution?" Qiao Zhiyong was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Which bank wouldn't want to handle the imperial court's tax remittances? Not only could they earn huge commissions, but more importantly, with tens of millions of taels of silver circulating within their banks annually, they could do a lot more.
"Prepare 500,000 taels of silver immediately. My master can help you make this happen! Remember, this silver is not for my master's use, but for the imperial court."
"This?" Qiao Zhiyong pondered to himself; he was a very intelligent man. He immediately connected the dots, realizing that the Emperor was in Datong and was probably short of money.
He could come up with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but the key question was whether he could actually get the tax remittance business from the imperial court after he paid the money.
Qiao Zhiyong was always keen on cooperating with officials. When Zuo Zongtang recovered Xinjiang, he donated a large amount of money and grain, which earned Zuo Zongtang's appreciation and approval for him to be in charge of the military pay and silver allocated by the imperial court.
Li Zhongtang also donated a considerable amount of money to establish the Beiyang Fleet, taking the opportunity to build close ties with officials in the imperial court.
He's really keen on cooperating with Shen Lian now. If he can really secure the acceptance business in all the provinces under the imperial court, then his bank will truly soar to new heights.
"If this matter succeeds, how should I repay Lord Shen?" Qiao Zhiyong did not believe that there was such a great benefit in the world.
"My master neither wants your favors nor your money. He simply believes you are a rare talent and wishes to invest in establishing our own bank together with you after the battle of the capital, so that we can truly achieve global financial integration!"
"Connecting the world!!" Qiao Zhiyong's eyes lit up when he heard this; it was his lifelong dream.
"Alright! Mr. Nie, could you allow me some time to consider and raise the funds?"
“Alright! I’ll give Mr. Qiao two days. If you don’t give me an answer, I’ll have to talk to someone else!” Nie Yuanshan nodded.
He didn't know how his master managed to secure the imperial court's tax remittance, but since his master had given the order, he would just do as he was told.
Why? Because he was a prophet! Haha! Shen Lian knew that Qiao Zhiyong became the richest man by lending money to Empress Dowager Cixi, then securing the imperial tax revenue.
He would naturally do this favor first.
The next day, Qiao Zhiyong came in person to reply, offering to raise 500,000 taels of silver to lend to the imperial court.
"Okay! Then Mr. Qiao, just wait for my good news!"
Although the situation is improving and everyone's hearts have temporarily settled down, a new problem has arisen.
As news of the Emperor's arrival in Datong spread, officials from all over came one after another. While no one dared to go to the capital to defend the Emperor, those who came to Datong to protect him were very eager.
These people brought with them a large number of officials and soldiers, and the Datong Prefectural Government could no longer afford the soldiers' food, lodging, and other necessities.
The matter was quickly reported to Empress Dowager Cixi. "We are currently short of funds for the imperial residence. What do you all suggest we do?"
What should we do? How should I know? I certainly don't have any money. The ministers looked at each other.
"Your Majesty, why don't we have the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu send some over from Chang'an?" a minister suggested.
"I estimate that Shaanxi and Gansu don't have any extra silver either, as they suffered a disaster there this year," an official said.
"And here in Shanxi! They can't even come up with a few hundred thousand taels?"
"Your Majesty, the Shanxi treasury has been in deficit for years, and we really cannot come up with the silver," the Shanxi governor said, stepping forward.
The officials below were at a loss, and Empress Dowager Cixi's face immediately darkened. "They're all incompetent fools! Can't our mighty Qing Dynasty produce a few hundred thousand taels of silver?"
"Your Majesty! Governor Shen Lian of Zhili has a memorial to present!" Seeing that the time was right, Li Lianying stepped forward and reported.
"Oh! Little Li, what memorial does Minister Shen have? Bring it here quickly." Upon hearing that it was Shen Lian's memorial, Empress Dowager Cixi hurriedly said.
"Your Majesty, this is a telegram!" Li Lianying hurriedly presented the telegram.
"Good, good! Minister Shen is so thoughtful! He has to fight the foreigners in the capital while also taking care of the expenses of his residence. It's really not easy for him!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded in satisfaction.
"Prince Qing, Shen Lian has anticipated that the imperial residence will be short of funds. He has already sent someone to contact the Da De Tong Bank, and they are willing to lend money to the imperial court. You will be responsible for negotiating the details!"
"Yes, sir!" Yi Kuang accepted the task with a smile; he loved dealing with money the most.
The outer city of Beijing has been completely cleared. The new army not only captured hundreds of foreigners, but also took the opportunity to arrest many Boxers who were causing trouble, as well as local thugs and ruffians.
More than 20,000 soldiers who had fled into civilian life were also identified and apprehended. Shen Lian did not make things difficult for them. Instead, he provided them with rations, weapons, and organized them into a cohesive unit.
"Lord Shen, Lord Shen!" On this day, Shen Lian was inspecting the situation in the outer city when a man dressed as a minor official called out to him.
"You are!" Seeing that the other party did not seem like a dangerous person, Shen Lian waved his hand to let the guard relax.
"Chang Le, a clerk from the Ministry of Personnel, pays his respects to Your Excellency the Governor!" The middle-aged clerk immediately knelt down and bowed deeply.
"Mr. Chang, please rise. May I ask what business you have with me?" Shen Lian waved his hand.
"My lord, it is certainly appropriate to implement military control over the outer city now, but long-term military control is not a good thing. The common people are also somewhat afraid of the army. It would be best to find civil officials and arrange for the former yamen runners to maintain order!"
"Your new army will also be able to free up its forces to suppress the foreigners in the inner city!" Chang Le said, cupping his hands in a fist salute.
“Yes! You’re right, but now all the officials have scattered, and I don’t know where to look for them.” Shen Lian nodded.
"My lord, I've been working in the Ministry of Personnel for over ten years. I'm quite familiar with the officials in the capital. Hehe! Speaking of which, I have a bit of a history with you!"