Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has imported raw silk and tea techniques from China, and then hired French technicians to improve these techniques. Because Japan is small and does not have many minerals, raw silk and tea have become the pillar industries of Japan's export earnings. Japan's heavy industry is supported by the export of raw silk and tea.

Unless there is an accident, even if the quality of Japan's raw silk and tea is better than that of the Manchu Dynasty, it cannot shake the Manchu Dynasty's raw silk and tea exports, let alone the basic plate of the Manchu economy. But then there was an accident.

Before the Yapian War, China's commerce was in a state of seclusion, although there were exports, but the overall export was restricted, such as only in the city of Guangzhou, etc., which seriously hindered Britain's thirst for Chinese goods, and also hindered British goods from entering Chinese mainland. So the Yapian War broke out.

After the Yapian War, China opened a number of ports, as Japan did, and China's exports of raw silk and tea and porcelain soared, even more than doubling the previous average. On the other hand, British goods do not get much sales in China.

China's exports of silk and tea stimulated the Japanese government on the one hand, and the British government on the other. The British government began to consciously support the production of raw silk and tea in Japan. If this continues, Japan's raw silk and tea will make great progress, but they will definitely not surpass China. Because China was the world's largest producer of silk and tea at that time. It was impossible for Britain to cancel the purchase of Chinese raw silk and tea for the sake of Japan.

In 1860, in order to monopolize China's raw silk, the British began to establish a mechanical silk reeling factory in Shanghai. This has formed a strong impact on the traditional silk reeling industry. In order to earn surplus value, British merchants began to lower the purchase price of raw silk, with Japanese raw silk as a second choice, Chinese raw silk merchants began to kill each other, today you reduce the price, tomorrow he will drop even lower, resulting in in 1868, the market value of raw silk per quintal of silver 517 taels, by 1875, the price per quintal has fallen to 285 taels, and after 8 years it plummeted to 200 taels. The century-old Jiangnan textile industry is in rapid decline.

At this time, Hu Xueyan saw that it was profitable, so he successively invested about 15 million taels of silver to buy raw silk. Note that the 15 million taels of silver were on the market in 1883, except for Qiao Zhiyong and a few other people of the Jin Dynasty who could take it out, even the Manchu government could not come up with such a large amount.

When the war entered a critical moment, the news of the maturity of Italian raw silk came, and the market began to turmoil, but because Hu Xueyan controlled it properly, there was no large-scale sell-off at this time, because almost everyone understood a truth: Italy's raw silk production was not even one thousandth of that of China and Japan. Therefore, the success of Italian raw silk does not affect the final battle.

The critical moment was Hu Xueyan's enemy, Sheng Xuanhuai, who was making trouble. Hu Xueyan sold 15 million taels of silver to hoard silk, and Hu Xueyan's worth at his peak was only 20 million taels. This also includes the money of the money bank and the housing inventory of Hu Qingyutang and other physical industries. In other words, Hu Xueyan, who started the Silk War, actually had a lot of difficulty in taking out more than one million cash on hand.

At this time, the loan of 800,000 taels guaranteed by Hu Xueyan for Zuo Zongtang's western expedition should arrive on time, which can solve Hu Xueyan's urgent need. However, Sheng Xuanhuai invited the Shanghai magistrate to postpone the payment for 20 days. At the same time, Sheng not only worked with foreign banks and other money banks to demand a loan from Hu Xueyan (in fact, it was not due), but also spread news that Hu Xueyan had gone bankrupt (otherwise, how could a foreign bank urge Hu Xueyan for unexpired accounts?). ）。 As a result, the market has completely broken out in the "reverse debt trend". In order to maintain his reputation, Hu Xueyan raised funds to pay off the debts of foreign banks and money banks, and before he could breathe a sigh of relief, his Fukang money bank faced a run. At this time, almost all of Hu Xueyan's cash was paid to raw silk, foreign companies, and money banks. As the richest man in the Qing Dynasty, he couldn't even take out 100,000 taels of cash at this time. After Hu Xueyan failed to ask the county magistrate of Shanghai for 800,000 taels of silver, Fukang Qian Zhuang went bankrupt. Subsequently, Hu's raw silk was also forced to sell at a low price.

Many ignorant people think that raw silk at this time is a high price, so Hu is not affected. But in fact, anyone who knows a little bit about business understands it.

Hu Xueyan is facing the threat of bankruptcy, and what he lacks most at this time is not raw silk, but cash! The silver of the white flowers! Therefore, when he sold the raw silk, all the Chinese and foreign buyers demanded a low price, otherwise they would not be willing to pay cash.

People are swordsmen, I am fish and meat, and Hu Xueyan's stock of raw silk actually did not sell for a price at all. Business is so ruthless, it is obvious that it is a high-priced raw silk but it can't be sold at a high price. This is also the direct cause of the complete collapse of Hu Xueyan's business empire.

When Zuo Zongtang died in 1885, Cixi immediately ordered the seizure of Hu Xueyan's belongings. In fact, at this time, the imperial court owed Hu Xueyan at least one million taels. These include 800,000 taels of silver from Zuo Zhongtang's westward expedition. Cixi's purpose in confiscating Hu Xueyan was to repay the debt.

Before the arrival of the holy decree, Hu Xueyan "died of depression".

There are three groups that have benefited the most from the Sino-foreign Silk War, the first of which is the "patriotic group" represented by Cixi and Sheng Xuanhuai; the second is the raw silk industry represented by Japan and Italy; The third was a group of merchants led by the British.

Hu Xueyan's 15 million taels of silver raw silk was not even sold for 10 million in the end. This directly cheapens foreigners. The defeat of the Sino-foreign silk war also directly made the British angry and fully supported the Japanese silk industry. Japan eats the rest before it is the turn of the Chinese raw silk. In 1890 and 1900, Japan's raw silk production was officially equal to China's raw silk production. By 1910, Japan's raw silk production completely surpassed China and became the world's largest exporter of raw silk. It was also the defeat in the raw silk war that led to foreigners beginning to support the development of tea in India and Japan. By 1910, Japan and India had surpassed China in tea sales combined.

The two major economic fundamentals of the Great Qing Dynasty completely collapsed. The replacement of the Great Qing State by the Republic of China in 1912 was not only a matter of people's consciousness, nor was it the result of the efforts of Sun Dapao and Yuan Shikai and others, but the natural emergence after the economic collapse of the Great Qing Dynasty.

The collapse of the economy left the Qing Dynasty with no money to use. Hell is that a government without money can sustain itself.

It's only 1900. Japan's raw silk and the raw silk of the Great Qing Kingdom are on two starting lines, Japan is at the high and the Qing is at the low. Under normal circumstances, the Great Qing Kingdom did not have the slightest strength to resist.

But Hu Xiaoyan is here, so he is not ready to forget it. Lao Tzu's revenge, the son came to revenge, it was really a natural thing.

Hu Xiaoyan arrived in Nanjing from Shanghai, first went to Zhenjiang and other places to check the site of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, and then went around Changshu and other places around Jiangsu and then came to Zhejiang, and after a circle in Huzhou and Jiaxing, he came to Hangzhou. He was accompanied by his brother Hu Pinsan and his nephew and nephew Hu Caoqing's wife Dai Yongni.

To get the raw silk industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is necessary to figure out how deep the water is. Hu Xiaoyan didn't know the inside story, but Hu Pinsan and Dai Yongni knew very well. The former had already entered the industry at that time, and the latter had a delicate mind and a pungent temperament like Wang Xifeng. She also has an understanding of the bits and pieces before and after the defeat of the Hu family, Hu Pinsan is as gentle and elegant as a scholar, who is not good at management, and his father's life is difficult to do, so he can't do business and can't be an official. But Dai Yongni doesn't have this concern, and he doesn't care about his father's life.

If you want to start the silk industry, you need a leader, and Hu Xiaoyan, the local **** owner, can't be trusted. So Dai Yongni, the niece and daughter-in-law, became the best candidate.

But there's no hurry. When you arrive in Hangzhou, you always have to pay a visit to the pier.

In September, Zhejiang Governor Ren Daorong took office. He was very surprised to get Hu Xiaoyan's post to worship the pier. Because Hu Xiaoyan is the governor of the three eastern provinces, not an official in Zhejiang. Although there is a holy decree to inspect the railways, the provincial railways are generally presided over by the General Directorate of Railways with the governors of the provinces. The governor is the chief officer, and the railway bureau assists. There is no way, the land problem in the place where the railway passes must be settled by the governor.

Hu Xiaoyan's holy decree has no effect according to righteousness, everyone is a second-grade superintendent, and it is our duty to entertain you, and it is our duty not to entertain you.

Ren Daorong thought about it and agreed to meet. First of all, there is no hatred between the two, and secondly, Hu is currently deeply favored by the new emperor. Ren Daorong didn't need to annoy the other party.

Hu Xiaoyan took Hu Pinsan and Dai Yongni to see Ren Daorong.

After some conversation, Ren Daorong smiled bitterly.

Hu Xiaoyan wants to build a raw silk cooperative, and let Dai Yongni be the prime minister to fully control everything in the raw silk industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Hu Pinsan was a guest.

After Ren Daorong smiled bitterly, he returned to the back room and learned the identities of the three from the staff, only then did he remember that Hu Xiaoyan turned out to be Hu Guangyong's son.

"Is it another Sino-foreign silk war?" Ren Daorong frowned back and forth.

"My lord, the shrinkage of the raw silk industry is a foregone conclusion, and after the last raw silk war, countless owners went bankrupt. Today's raw silk industry is less than two-thirds of what it was in its heyday, and both production and sales are declining every year. Rather than this, it is better to give it a go. You must know that this Governor Hu is not the master of bad money. Whether he wins or loses. As long as he is willing to show up for silver to buy raw silk, our taxes will always be indispensable. The staff stepped forward and suggested.

Ren Daorong's eyes narrowed: "That's how rare it is to be confused?" ”