Guan Zhuofan said: "Chunfu, this Tang Tingshu, please connect with him and ask him to preside over this ...... Kaiping Mining Bureau. ”

"Kaiping Mining Bureau?"

"Yes," Guan Zhuofan replied with a smile, "What's the name?" ”

"Yay!"

Guan Zhuofan said again: "Let's call it this name for the time being, and if the stall is bigger in the future, maybe it can be changed to 'Kailuan Mining Bureau' or something like that - a little more courageous." ”

"Good!"

Guan Zhuofan said: "When we raise shares, you will be the director of our shares. ”

Rong Hong nodded again and again and said, "Yes, I will start drafting the charter immediately." ”

Guan Zhuofan said solemnly: "Chunfu, there is one thing that you must remember - I also want to tell Tang Jingxing that this Kaiping Coal Mine, whether it is machinery and equipment, or management and operation, must be 100% Western methods, and must not bring the officialdom into it." ”

Rong Hong nodded again and again and said, "I know." Tang Jingxing will fully agree with this. ”

Guan Zhuofan said: "Okay, Chunfu, let's work together to make Kaiping Mining Bureau the first real modern enterprise in China!" ”

After Rong Hong left, Guan Zhuofan's second guest today was Hu Xueyan.

Guan and Hu Tong's family is very good, Hu Xueyan finished the salute, Guan Zhuofan asked someone to take Hu Xueyan to the side hall, changed into civilian clothes, and sat down again for tea after coming out.

Hu Xueyan came to "report" to Guan Zhuofan to handle the matter of borrowing foreign money for Zuo Zongtang.

In fact, the idea of borrowing foreign money for military expenses was given by Guan Zhuofan for Zuo Zongtang.

Shaanxi has been pacified by Guan Zhuofan, and Zuo Zongtang marched westward. It is based in Shaanxi. The beginning of spring next year. Entered Gansu.

Unlike the use of troops in the interior of the Central Plains, the biggest limitation is geography and climate.

Beginning with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, China used troops in the northwest frontier, and there was a common feature, that is, the duration of each expedition was not long. The major expeditions were all made by Meng Chun, and at most they were returned as late as Meng Qiu.

On the one hand, this is due to the long distance, difficult road conditions, and high logistical costs. Supplies are difficult, and it will be impossible to sustain it after too long.

On the other hand, in autumn, when the horses are fattened, the combat power of the nomads will suddenly increase; The severe cold climate of the following winter was even more unbearable than the soldiers in the interior of the Central Plains.

It is rare to see Li Guangli's second expedition to Dawan, with the strength of the whole country, and the work of several years, and finally succeeded.

And also. In fact, Dawan is mainly sedentary farming and pastoralism, and is not truly nomadic; Otherwise. Even if you are like Han Wu and Ershi, you may not be able to successfully complete the merit if you use the strength of the lion to fight the rabbit.

If the army is used in the northwest, it can only go to spring and return in autumn, then it is inevitable that like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, although there are Wei and Huo Kuangshi's talents, the conquests are endless, and the victories are continuous, but the grass is not eradicated, and the next year blows and grows, and the Han and Hungary will become an extremely cruel situation of mutual consumption.

The Huns were certainly unbearable; With the strength of the Han Dynasty, in the later period of Emperor Wu's dynasty, he was also exhausted, and the people were poor and lacking in money.

When the Xiongnu were in the Xuan Emperor, they finally succumbed to the Han Dynasty, one was because of internal divisions and weakened strength; One is that after all, the national strength cannot be compared with the Han, and it really can't stand this terrible consumption.

Military defeats, in fact, are secondary.

Zuo Zongtang was determined not to repeat this mistake.

His plan was to set up a reclamation in the northwest, make a plan for a few years or even 10 or 8 years without entering the customs, and thoroughly plow this weedy land that "was blown back by the spring breeze" several times, so as to truly "cut down the grass and eradicate the roots."

Guan Zhuofan agrees with this plan very much. That being the case, there is one thing that cannot but remind Zuo Zongtang that in this way, special arrangements have to be made for the military salaries of the Western Expedition.

The military has been prosperous in the northwest for a long time, and unlike the mainland, it is indispensable to continue to pay for it.

In the case of a shortage of salaries in the mainland, there is always time and channels to make a turnaround. Or, though the money is not available for the time being, some food can be raised, and the stomach will not starve. As long as the days of non-pay are not long, it will not cause too much trouble.

The northwest road is far away, and once the salary is cut off, there is nothing to rely on except for a barren Shanxi; As for the inconvenience of transportation, even if the mainland raises enough arrears, it will take a month or two to deport them. In the ice and snow, the soldiers are hungry, how can they get by? What if it causes a rout?

Fighting a war is fighting logistics, and the use of troops in the northwest is the best manifestation of this.

Therefore, as in the interior, the time cannot be measured in "months", and the provinces will send a large army to the west every month to pay the salary. Otherwise, if you are not careful, you will not eat the next meal, which is terrible.

Therefore, when Zuo Zongtang goes out of the customs, he must bring enough salary for at least one year or half a year at one time.

Zuo Zongtang's iron abacus crackled for a while, and the numbers came out: "Extraction fee", grain, horses, munitions, seeds and farm tools used in the tuntian, all added together, 3.5 million taels in the first year.

Because a lot of "upfront investment" has been made in the first year, the figure will be slightly lower in the second year.

Regardless of the second year, just say that the first year's 3.5 million, even if it is half a year, is 1.75 million taels - where does this money come from?

In the final analysis, the salary of the army of the Western Expedition is still a number for each province, and put it together to make up a large number. But you can't ask people to come up with a year's worth at once, and they can't live their own lives?

Of course, the household department does not have this money, who does? Guan Zhuofan reminded Zuo Zongtang in the letter: There are foreigners in the bank.

This is a brand-new idea, Zuo Zongtang's eyes were opened, but he couldn't be without doubts: Will the imperial court allow foreign debts?

Zuo Zongtang remembered that in the "Aspen Fleet Case", the Englishman Li Guotai once told King Gong: "If China wants to use silver, Yi Neng will borrow 10 million taels of silver from foreign merchants and return it with interest in each year." ”

But King Gong said: "He asked for 10 million taels of silver, and China has no way to do it." ”

In the "Aspen Fleet case", Guan Zhuofan was one of the parties, and these circumstances are naturally clear. He told Zuo Zongtang: At that time, Li Guotai's tricks, the court understood and understood, and no longer planned to make this deal with him, so King Gong would have such a statement, which was an excuse for resignation.

Now the military affairs of the northwest are needed, and the imperial court will allow it.

And hint: I'll help.

But Guan Zhuofan did not take the initiative to ask Ying to borrow this foreign debt for Zuo Zongtang at first. Zuo Zongtang had a Hu Xueyan there, so he naturally asked Hu Xueyan to do this first.

Hu Xueyan has been running for a long time, and he has already achieved a result.

The relatively large foreign banks in Shanghai, which used to be Standard Chartered and Liru, have just recently established two new banks, one is British, HSBC; One is American, Citibank.

Hu Xueyan has not dealt with Citibank; One of his close friends named Gu Yingchun worked as a comprador in HSBC, so he naturally found HSBC.

Borrowing money to fight wars is rare in China, but it is common in Westerners. Several of Europe's major royal families, British, French, and Spanish, loved to borrow money to fight wars. It's just that in terms of repayment, some have a good reputation, and some have not so good a reputation.

Among them, the credibility of the King of England is good; The credibility of the King of France is so-so; The King of Spain had the worst reputation, so Spain was the first to fall.

Borrow half of it first, which is 1,750,000 taels.

Although the numbers are large, they did not scare HSBC's Taipan Merlin. However, he wants to vouch.

The guarantee is the assistance of all places.

But Merlin didn't want to deal with governors from all over China. Although he has not been in China for a long time, he still understands Chinese politics. These local magistrates, sometimes, the Chinese emperor can't handle them, let alone a foreigner?

Merlin's condition is that the local customs office guarantee it. Because the General Taxation Department is an Englishman, Hurd, and most of the customs departments in various places are foreigners, he can trust the "stamps" of the customs.

Then the provincial co-ordination will be directly issued to the provincial customs. What kind of skin, the Chinese can just pull it themselves, and it is not the bank's business.

The problem is that Zuo Zongtang can't control the customs. The words of the governors of various localities may not be 100% effective in the customs of their own provinces. This matter must not be directly ordered by the imperial court to the local customs.

This is the first favor that Zuo Zongtang and Hu Xueyan want to ask Guan Zhuofan for help.

This was expected by Guan Zhuofan, and he agreed to it.

Hu Xueyan then reported to Guan Zhuofan the specific conditions of the loan.

Hu Xueyan's voice, although he tried to be as natural as possible, was still a little slurred.

Guan Zhuofan listened, his brows already furrowed slightly.

*(To be continued......)