Dreams, ideals, and beliefs were indispensable in that era of great changes, and it was precisely their existence that inspired countless revolutionary aspirants who were worried about the country and the people to die one after another. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

However, the revolutionary road is different, and the ideology and theory are also different, and if we want to gather more people under the banner of the Revival Association, we must make achievements, prove our correctness with actual victories, and show the bright prospects for the success of the revolution with great strength.

Therefore, on the one hand, armed struggle must be carried out, which is the most attractive and morale-boosting means; On the other hand, it is the development of the economy and the accumulation of funds, and it is impossible to do the revolution without money, and the revolutionaries also have to eat and live. Moreover, the latter aspect should be stable and sustainable, and it cannot be done when there is enough money, and scattered when there is no money.

The construction of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway is also a similar situation, Chen Wenqiang has start-up capital is only the first step, and without continuous investment, it can only become an unfinished project.

According to the cost of 35,000 taels of silver per kilometer of the Luhan Railway, it would take at least 40 million taels of silver to build the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway, or even more. At this time, the importance of the bank was seen, and if there was no Sino-overseas joint venture bank, Chen Wenqiang would not dare to take over this huge project.

The business of the Sino-overseas Joint Venture Bank has been a strategy of steady development, and the number of banknotes issued is also conservative. Although because of Chen Wenqiang's contacts and operations, as well as the connections and influence of the Ningbo merchants themselves, banknotes were already in circulation in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and other coastal and riverside cities, but the circulation in 1905 was only 500,000.

Obviously, this amount is far from what Chen Wenqiang hoped for, and it cannot support the supply of funds for the construction of the railway. Therefore, borrowing foreign debt is not only imperative but also the only way. But banks must support Mr. Chan by providing him with start-up capital. and later act as a guarantor for foreign debts.

"Since Zhang Xiangshuai has agreed to exchange the money from the official treasury for banknotes, it should be possible to establish a branch in the Lianghu area and issue five million banknotes."

"Ten million is not impossible. If the banknotes issued by the banks can become the currency of circulation recognized by the government and the people in the two lakes, the benefits will be enormous. To this end, the head office and branches are also willing to transfer reserves. ”

"Risks are also considered. How long can Zhang Xiangshuai sit in the two lakes, in case he leaves. We spread the stall, but without official support, I'm afraid there will be trouble. ”

"The credit of the currency is guaranteed by strength, now it is to exchange banknotes for silver, we have taken a big advantage, even if Zhang Xiangshuai leaves office in the future, as long as the money is not issued indiscriminately, the credit is still maintained, and the impact will not be too great. It's completely affordable. The large circulation of banknotes in the two lakes is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a large-scale expansion of the bank's business. ”

"Jiangsu, Guangdong, and the two lakes, the bank has developed to this extent to be called a bank, not a money bank with a different name. With his own efforts, Wen Qiang enabled the bank to get the opportunity to expand its business in Guangdong and Lianghu, and also obtained preferential conditions such as exchanging banknotes from the official bank. It's unreasonable that you're still looking ahead and looking backwards. If the resolution of full support for Wenqiang's construction of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway cannot be passed. Then I will suggest that Ningbo shareholders withdraw their capital from the bank, I believe that Nanyang overseas Chinese capital will also choose Wenqiang, so why is it difficult to rebuild a bank with such financial strength? ”

"Yes, Wen Qiang is busy outside, making great contributions to the development of the bank and making everyone rich. Now the support of the bank is needed. The investment is a major project that has attracted attention from China and abroad, and some of them have been completed, and the strength and reputation of the bank will be comparable to that of international banks. Risk, why not see risk? The key is to weigh the risks against the benefits. Do you think that with the support of Zhang Xiangshuai and the support of the official bank, this big project is not worth investing in? ”

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The statements of Yu Qiaqing and Zhang Rongxuan are decisive, one on behalf of the Ningbo Business Group and the other on behalf of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Businessmen, which are precisely the two largest pillars of the Sino-overseas Joint Venture Bank.

Aside from the preferential treatment that Chen Wenqiang won in the two lakes, although the investment in the railway is huge and has a long return period, it is not much worse than the commercial investment in terms of safety. What's more, Chen Wenqiang has already negotiated privately with Yu Qiaqing and Zhang Rongxuan and reached a consensus.

Yu Qiaqing not only felt that this investment could be profitable, and the banking business could expand rapidly, but also had the strong support that Chen Wenqiang promised in the "trial case". At the end of the day, he was a very ambitious man. With the help of this Huayi dispute, if it could end in victory, Yu Qiaqing's prestige would be greatly increased, and he was ready to apply to the Ministry of Industry of the Concession to add Chinese directors, so that his personal status would rise to a new level.

Zhang Rongxuan's purpose is relatively simple, hoping that the Rili Bank opened by his family can divert business or investment from Nanyang to China, and the other is because of the deep affection of overseas Chinese for the motherland.

Chen Wenqiang is not surprised by the decision of Zhongqiao Bank, of course he still has a backup plan, but it has not yet been negotiated, so it is not easy to leak. He even had the idea of joining forces with the Chang brothers to rebuild a bank that could be more capable of using the official bank promised by Jang Zhidong as a reserve.

But in the end, he dismissed the idea. While it's easier and faster for a bank that says it all, it doesn't happen overnight to build credit and influence. And his funds have many uses, both explicit and implicit, and he doesn't want to be occupied by the bank, and he thinks that this kind of income is too small.

"Taking over the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway is not only to see the immediate losses, but also to see the future gains, which not only include the profits of railway operation, but also the expansion of banking business, and the income from local minerals and commodities brought by the right of way." After Chen Wenqiang expressed his gratitude to the shareholders, he analyzed and encouraged them, "Governor Zhang is worried that the right of way is owned by foreigners, but he can tolerate the right of way being owned by Chinese people, which is the benefit that can be expected." Think about those powers, when they heard that they had to borrow money for road construction, they came to solicit it, and they saw this. Looking at the Luhan Railway, since its completion, the business has been developed, the surplus profit is a lot, and it is very stable, this is an optimistic prospect, it is worth doing. ”

In fact, it is not surprising that some shareholders hesitate or even oppose it. This is because, in order to take over the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway, it is necessary to dissolve or annex the railway companies established in the three provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, and Hubei. It is the proper intention of the railway companies of these three provinces to return the road shares according to the principal, but Chen Wenqiang also decided to repay the losses caused by the private railway companies due to their own poor management and other reasons.

This is the difference in concept, the difference in long-term vision, and the magnitude of open-mindedness. And use your own money to make up for part of the shortfall of others. Obviously unpleasant. However, Chen Wenqiang attaches more importance to the overall situation, so he believes that he should not focus on immediate economic interests.

"And—" Chen Wenqiang paused and said cautiously: "By building the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway, I also have an idea, if successful, the Sino-overseas Joint Venture Bank will not only be among the best in China. It is more likely to become a large international bank. Please forgive me for maintaining confidentiality and not being able to disclose specific details. I also hope that all shareholders will believe in my ability and vision. ”

"I believe in Wen Qiang, and I believe it."

"If you want to talk about vertical and horizontal, if you want to talk about doing industrial and commercial industry, Wen Qiang is the first in China, and I am optimistic about what he said."

Yu Qiaqing and Zhang Rongxuan expressed their positions one after another, and the others saw that the resolution had been decided. is also happy to push the boat with the wind, even if he is suspicious, he will not easily offend Chen Wenqiang.

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Receiving the support of his internal allies undoubtedly strengthened Chen Wenqiang's confidence in taking over the construction of the Guangdong-Hankou Railway. The arrival of another good news made Chen Wenqiang's idea come into practice, and it also completely solved the problem of funds for the construction of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway.

Commercial operators also do not involve the right of way, and the interest deduction is light...... Not only did Jang Zhidong's offer to accept foreign loans be accepted by the Germans. Even the conditions attached by Chen Wenqiang were agreed to in the negotiations, such as the abolition of the "residual interest system" of dividends from railway revenues. It only needs to pay cash interest, and at the same time, it is no longer collateralized by the railway itself, but secured by the gold of Hunan, Hubei, and Guangdong provinces, and it is clearly stipulated that "all the rights to build the project and manage the railway shall be handled by the Chinese state".

Unexpected, sort of. Chen Wenqiang looked thoughtfully at Kodaks, the German consul in Shanghai, who was already meeting for the second time. Kodas pretended to be calm, but he was anxious for Chen Wenqiang to sign it soon so that he could complete the work that would bring him the honor.

Chen Wenqiang guessed that the borrowing might succeed, but he didn't know for sure how the German government would react to it.

When Kodas sent Chen Wenqiang with a letter of authorization from Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, and a handwritten letter, he hoped to borrow money from Germany for the construction of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway. After receiving the help of German engineers and technicians, he was overjoyed, calling it "the great progress made by German capital in the war of peace", and Kaiser Wilhelm called it "a great victory that broke through Britain's monopoly on the Yangtze River valley".

Obviously, Chen Wenqiang's ability to facilitate this in such a short period of time after his meeting with the governor of Qingdao also means that the idea of a Sino-German-American alliance is promising. In response to this, the German government immediately instructed Kodak to do its best to reach an agreement in order to express its intention to cooperate sincerely.

Chen Wenqiang was relieved by the inquiry, took out a pen, and signed the agreement carefully.

Two words had already been written, and when Kodas couldn't help but smile, Chen Wenqiang suddenly stopped writing, thought for a while, looked up and asked: "Mr. Consul, I have another suggestion, although it will not affect the conclusion of this loan agreement, but I want to say it first to see if your country can agree." ”

"Mr. Chen, please speak." Kodas swallowed, although Chen Wenqiang said that he didn't have to worry too much, he still hoped that Chen Wenqiang would finish the last word, or get some suggestions as soon as possible.

Interbank cooperation, or mutual guarantee, mutual exchange. Chen Wenqiang's suggestion was for Deutsche Hua Bank to establish a partnership with China Overseas Bank, and Deutsche Hua Bank would recognize the monetary credit of the banknotes issued by China Overseas Chinese Bank and exchange them on behalf of Deutsche Hua Bank. As for the Zhongqiao Bank, it is willing to absorb the funds of Deutsch-Hua Bank and become a shareholder of the bank.

This is an unequal cooperation, Deutsch-Hua Bank guarantees the currency and credit of the bank, in exchange for only shares, not a controlling stake, although there is one director in the bank, but the right to speak is limited, and it will certainly not overpower the other five Chinese directors.

Despite the strong government overtones of Deutsch-Walsch Bank, Kodak did not dare to commit to this suggestion lightly.

"I'm looking forward to the fact that Deutsch-Hua Bank will send someone to negotiate the specific matters, but this is not a necessary condition for reaching this loan agreement, and you should not misinterpret it as a complicated matter." Chen Wenqiang expressed his cautious understanding of Kodaks, and solemnly signed his name under Kodaks' somewhat uneasy gaze.

Kodas couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and the mission was accomplished. Although Chen Wenqiang tried his best to downplay the government color of borrowing this foreign debt and put on a commercial cloak for the loan, and Germany also cooperated with the fictitious creation of a private consortium, the essence has not changed. German capital has indeed broken through the British monopoly in the Yangtze River, and with the construction of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway, German capital in central China will have more opportunities for investment, construction and other exports.

"The agreement is an indication of the bright prospects for wider cooperation between China and Germany, and Your Majesty sincerely invites Mr. Chen to visit Germany, where you will be treated with the courtesy of honored guests. As for the proposal that Mr. Chan has just mentioned, I will try to facilitate it so that the cooperation can reach a deeper level. Kodak put away the agreement with great importance, shook hands with Chen Wenqiang, and issued a warm invitation.

"Thank you, Mr. Consul, and I also have good expectations and an optimistic attitude towards the non-governmental economic cooperation between China and Germany." Chen Wenqiang also smiled and prayed kindly, who knows what he was thinking in his heart?

With a loan period of 20 years, if the trilateral alliance between China, the United States and Germany cannot be formed, or if the interests prevent China from taking Germany's side, then Chen Wenqiang's best choice is to use World War I to hack Germany's foreign debt.

Between countries, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. In this regard, Chen Wenqiang obviously knows better than others. The traditional Chinese morality of benevolence, righteousness and morality is not suitable for handling international relations, and Chen Wenqiang will abandon it more thoroughly than others.

As far as the present situation is concerned, with the help of the peace dividend of the unification of Germany, the huge reparations of the Franco-Prussian War (Germany received 5 billion francs in the Franco-Prussian War, about 1.4 billion taels of silver, more than the sum of the principal and interest of all foreign reparations and loans in China's modern history) and the second industrial revolution, it has developed rapidly after recuperation, and has surpassed Britain in the early 20th century to become the largest economy in Europe.

Behind the rapid economic growth was the suppression of Germany by the old powers led by Britain, and it was difficult to compete for the market position of the old capitalist countries. At the beginning of the 20th century, Germany was a period of strategic opportunity, and its development was in the best state, and the rational choice was still to rise peacefully.

Against this background, it was only natural that Germany would regard the victory over the Anglo-French consortium and the entry of capital into the Yangtze River valley, which was monopolized by the British, as a great victory.

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