Although the Chinese Empire had originally allowed merchants from various countries to trade and supply in large ports, according to Na Rong Hong, this card allowed him to trade and supply in the ports of the two provinces of Korea and Annam, which he had newly occupied, which was indeed an unexpected surprise. However, Jin Nengheng didn't care - in this eastern world, where else is there more and more abundant goods than Guangzhou and Shanghai?

Perhaps, then the Chinese Empire would have occupied Japan earlier. With this card, you can also travel to all parts of Japan to trade.

Kim Neng-hyung was thinking nonsense while touching the wine glass with Rong Hong.

Maybe it's because the wine is drunk, but Jin Nengheng doesn't feel like it, and Jin Nengheng and others naturally welcome Rong Hong's behavior of revealing his identity and intending to make friends.

And over there, the scholar surnamed Zhang didn't seem to have the heart to take precautions, and said to himself with a big tongue: "You guys, do you know who the surname Zhang is?" Let me tell you these foreign brothers, I am Zhang Zhidong, the county magistrate of Shanghai County! If you or your friends want to open a factory in Shanghai, just come to me. I fancy that piece of land, and I will grant it to you for free! However, after this month, this is not possible. I'll tell you a secret, don't spread it, or Your Majesty will have to cut off my head! ”

After saying that, he burped violently.

Rong Hong, who was persuading wine on the side, was already a little confused, lying on the table and shouting: "Yes, Master Zhang, don't leak secrets!" ”

The local businessmen who were persuading the wine looked at each other and then shook their heads. Xu Yuting of Xu's foreign bank opened his mouth to persuade: "Lord Zhang is drinking high!" Let the next person bring a bowl of decanting soup. Come, Mr. Tai Fosheng, Mr. Billy, I, let's keep drinking! ”

Zhang Zhidong lay on the edge of the table, and he really seemed to be about to fall asleep in a daze.

Jin Nengheng and others, who were provoked, especially Tai Fosheng, the founder of Guangyuan Foreign Company, Billy, the director of Baofeng Foreign Company, and Chaden, a French businessman, exchanged glances with each other, and immediately understood each other.

Billy smiled all over his face, and his voice was extremely soft, and he said in his skillful but somewhat strange Cantonese: "Mr. Zhang, it's incredible that you are the county magistrate at such a young age!" And secrets that we don't know, which can't be. ”

It has to be said that Billy's agitation method is extremely superficial. But Mr. Zhang, who was about to fall asleep, just ate this set, slammed the table, and shouted clearly with his tongue: "Don't believe it, I, Zhang Zhidong, am the Shanghai county magistrate personally appointed by His Majesty!" I tell you these foreign devils, His Majesty personally said that he would develop Shanghai into the largest port in the Far East, and that he was ready to announce the establishment of a tariff-free special trade zone next month. If I hadn't had the capital, I would have wanted to quit my job and turn to business. ”

Kim Nenghyung was unusually shocked! That's big news!

He knew that the British-occupied island had developed from a small fishing village to a trade transit point in the Far East. There is a great convenience of free trade, free entry and exit of capital and free establishment of enterprises, especially import and export trade, there are no tariffs on general commodities, and only a small amount of management tax and ad valorem tax is required to pay a small amount of import and export goods, the cost will be reduced a lot, and the relevant entry and exit inspection procedures will be much simpler. When Hong Kong Island was just opened, the businessmen who went there to invest and do business have been making huge profits for more than ten years, which makes people jealous.

Now Shanghai is going to adopt this model, it is really a great opportunity, Jin Nengheng was excited when he thought about it, clenched his fists, and secretly said that he must seize this opportunity!

And Will, Tai Fosheng and others on the side also had red eyes.

They all know that even the small isolated island of Hong Kong Island and the place where birds don't can be developed without tariffs, and Shanghai, which is located in the center of the richest Jiangnan of the Chinese Empire, and the first major port of the Yangtze River water conservancy, as well as the northern and southern coastal seas, and the Suzhou-Zhejiang Railway under construction converge and intersect in Shanghai, and the empire lists Shanghai as Tokyo, and most of the products of the Chinese Empire are gathered in Shanghai. This is a small island that is materially poor and completely dependent on Guangzhou Prefecture is far from comparable.

Early the next morning, Jin Nengheng and Will talked about pulling Xu Rong Village and going to visit Zhang Zhidong, but they were told that it was not like that, and it was just nonsense after drinking last night, and it should not be true.

But where did Kim Nenghyung and Will believe it, the more and more they believed that what they said before was true. It's a pity that Zhang Zhidong refused to let go, and finally was entangled in desperation, so he said, if you don't register an intention, and wait for the official news to come out next month, you can come to the government to register a company or start a factory, but it is best to operate machinery and equipment and ship manufacturing and maintenance or steel and other industries, as a brother can only reveal so much.

Jin Nengheng and Will were unwilling, and contacted Ma Hui to find the American Commissioner Mai Lian, but it didn't work, and asked the next Buddha or Billy and others, but they couldn't hear detailed information, and in desperation, Jin Nengheng had no idea, discussed with Will, and decided to wait for a while, and wait for the news to come out next month and then go back to Europe to purchase steel and ships.

Fortunately, just a few days later, it entered the so-called April of the fourth year of Taisheng.

On this day, Jin Nengheng, as usual, came to the consulate with Will, and as soon as he entered the door, he heard Ma Hui eagerly tell them: A notice has been posted outside the Shanghai city gate.

Jin Nengheng and Will hurriedly came to the North City Gate with Ma Hui and several other American businessmen who heard the news, Jin Nengheng had been in Shanghai for many years, so he was naturally familiar with those square words:

Notify!

Subjects of the Chinese Empire and friends of other countries: In order to develop the economy of the Chinese Empire, to enhance the industrial base of the Empire, and to successfully complete the first five-year plan, the Cabinet has made the following decisions.

1. Foshan Town, Nanhai County, Guangzhou Prefecture, Pudong Town, Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, and Dagu Town, Tianjin County, Tianjin Prefecture, will be opened up and set up as special free trade zones, namely the Nanhai Foshan Special Economic Zone, the Shanghai Pudong Special Economic Zone, and the Tianjin Dagu Special Economic Zone.

2. All kinds of foreign shops, factories and workshops that have completed registration before July 1 of the fourth year of Taisheng in the territory of the above three special free trade zones, as long as they have all business transactions in the categories of machinery and equipment, ships, weapons, etc., and the registered capital is more than 1 million yuan, shall be handled according to zero tariff, and once the whole ship trading of ships of more than 500 tons or the establishment of ship design, manufacturing, maintenance and other businesses or foreign firms, once identified, can enjoy a subsidy of 10 percent of the real transaction amount with the Chinese Empire. Businesses in other types of industries are still charged at the rates set by the Imperial Chinese Trade Regulations.

Third, for the establishment of foreign banks, factories, workshops and other business entities in the territory of the special free trade zone, the land rent can be reduced by half. For those with a registered capital of more than 500,000 yuan, preferential conditions are provided for the procurement of goods, product sales, residence and entry and exit procedures for foreign businessmen and their family attachés.

A map was posted next to it indicating the extent of Shanghai's Pudong Special Economic Zone, which includes all Shanghai counties east of the Huangpu River. There is also a detailed plan, along the Huangpu River is divided into ship business area, machinery business area, steel business area, bank business area and so on.

Seeing this preferential condition, Kim Nengheng and Will were overjoyed. Knowing that these days of waiting have not been in vain, this is a good opportunity to make a fortune. They immediately decided to set up a foreign bank, but according to the notice, the registered capital should be more than 1 million saints. But how can they have a million saints? This requires real cash verification.

At this time, Jin Nengheng had an idea and discussed with Will: "Then Xu's Foreign Company and Tang's Foreign Company seem to have strong funds, and they are local businessmen, if you can partner with them, won't you have enough funds?" And they are just compradors in their own country, earning the difference, and if we tell them about the advantages of our European connections and familiarity with the rules of the Western world, we will definitely impress them! ”

Will agrees. The two immediately quit Ma Hui and the others and rushed to the Guangzhou Hall in the east of the city.

As soon as they entered the hall, they saw Xu Yuting and Xu Rongcun two brothers sending Tai Fosheng from Guangyuan Foreign Company and Cha Deng from Baofeng Foreign Company out of the hall, and all four of them were smiling.

When Jin Nengheng asked, he found out that they also came because of the affairs of the Pudong Special Economic Zone, and they invited Xu's Foreign Company to set up a joint venture with Xu's Foreign Company, planning to invest 3 million holy yuan, and now they are still short of more than 1 million yuan in funds, and they are ready to find other people to invest.

Jin Nengheng and Will didn't expect Tai Fosheng and Chaden to be so fast, and they actually found Xu's foreign company first, and they had more advantages as Westerners than they thought of. Fortunately, the investment of three million Shengyuan is not a small amount, and even the three foreign banks are more difficult, so they have an opportunity.

They hurriedly grabbed the four of them and showed that they were willing to join the shares.

So, several people returned to the hall, after two hours of discussion, it was decided, by Guangyuan Foreign Bank, Baofeng Foreign Bank, Xu's Foreign Company, Jin Nengheng, Wei, two people, invested 3 million Shengyuan to set up a shipyard, named Xu Guangbao Shipyard, of which Xu's Foreign Bank invested 1.2 million Shengyuan, accounting for 40% of the shares, as the largest shareholder, Guangyuan Foreign Bank and Baofeng Foreign Bank each injected 600,000 yuan, each accounting for 20% of the shares, Jin Nengheng, Wei two people each invested 300,000 yuan, each accounting for 10% of the shares.

Two days later, the six of them went to the Commerce Bureau in Shanghai together, but when they saw that Rong Hong and Zhang Zhidong were there, they smiled and ordered their subordinates to help them go through the registration procedures. After several formalities and paperwork filling, the "Xu Guangbao Shipyard" was registered, and they quickly raised funds and deposited them in the Shanghai branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, so that the first largest private shipyard in the Chinese Empire was established.

Zhang Zhidong took the initiative in the ship business area of the Pudong Special Economic Zone, and selected this prime location on the bank of the Huangpu River facing the mouth of the Suzhou Creek, as the site of the "Xu Guangbao Shipyard", covering an area of 3,000 acres, along the Huangpu River more than two miles, have become the dock and wharf of the shipyard, and Zhang Zhidong took the initiative to exempt the rent of the first two years, and the third year was calculated at a price of 10 yuan per mu, and the annual growth rate was 5% in the future, and the price was not expensive or cheap, especially the tariff exemption in the future, and there were subsidies, which made everyone very satisfied. 71