Ladies and gentlemen, do you still have a commuter pass?

"At the end of last year, the tide of the collapse of the Liangjiang money industry was very widespread, and a total of 16 money banks in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces closed down, and 89 money banks had turnover difficulties. Now all the bankrupt banks have been taken over by HSBC, accounting personnel have been stationed to audit the accounts, and the preliminary restructuring plan has been drawn up. Of the banks experiencing liquidity difficulties, 58 agreed to accept HSBC's capital injection and supervision. The remaining 31 banks with turnover difficulties raised their own principal to survive the crisis. In addition, there are 38 banks that have not experienced turnover difficulties, but they have also agreed to accept the supervision of HSBC and deposit 25% of the deposit margin......"

HSBC paid a total of 7.6 million silver dollars to inject capital into 58 banks that were experiencing liquidity difficulties, acquiring 40 to 50 percent of the equity in these banks. In the aftermath of the crisis, these 58 banks have deposited 34.9 million silver dollars (silver taels) on deposits. The other 38 banks that did not have difficulties and the 31 banks that raised funds to tide over the crisis on their own deposited a total of 33.3 million silver dollars (silver taels). ”

"According to preliminary calculations, the 16 money banks that have closed down are relatively large. If we liquidate now, we will have a total deficit of 3.2 million silver dollars (silver taels), and if we want to reorganize these 16 banks, we will need to invest at least 15 million silver dollars to replenish their capital ......"

In the study room of Guanwuzhou in Shanghai, Rod Riggs, Skoppel. William and Tang Qiwen reported on the rectification of the money industry in Liangjiang. According to the words of later generations, these three people are financial predators. Millions and millions of dollars are in their mouths a string of numbers that can be reported in the calmest tone. However, Luo Zenan and Li Hongzhang, who didn't know much about Zhu Ming's economic situation, were dumbfounded. There was a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Liangjiang Money Bank alone deposited HSBC's deposit deposit. It is as high as 68.2 million silver dollars, which is more than the annual income of the Ming Dynasty (excluding the revenue of the provincial and lower finances)!

But Zuo Zongtang, the prime minister of the cabinet, only frowned, kept shaking his head, and muttered: "I don't understand, I really don't understand......"

In financial matters, Zhu Jishi did not let the cabinet interfere, and he, the prime minister, was naturally not very satisfied. I didn't dare to openly oppose King Zhu's decision, but secretly I didn't cooperate with the work of HSBC. And the yamen of the two rivers and three provinces are also managed by one vote of retained personnel. are like abacus beads, and they don't move their days. No one will take the initiative to cooperate with HSBC, and according to the report obtained by Zuo Zongtang, HSBC did not ask the Liangjiang government to come forward to put pressure on the disobedient proprietor of the bank.

Could it be that King Zhu used the men and horses of the Jinyi Guard?

"Zuo Xiang, if you don't understand finance, you naturally won't understand the power of HSBC." Zhu Jishi looked at this confused Xianghu bigwig, and just smiled lightly, "Controlling finance relies on the word 'control', and there is no need to use a sword to scare people." And HSBC has long controlled Liangjiang's financial and interbank settlement. Loans, international and domestic exchanges. Until the minting of coins and the issuance of banknotes, HSBC is doing it and controlling it.

As long as Lone Wang's words can make any bank unable to carry out interbank settlement, there is no way to borrow funds, and there is no way to do domestic and international exchange business. Even Guwang can ask HSBC to issue a risk warning announcement in Ta Kung Pao, giving those disobedient banks a hat of insufficient capital and the possibility of bankruptcy. ”

This "Risk Warning Announcement" is no joke! Isn't the depositor who keeps their money in the bank most concerned about the safety of their money? HSBC, which is the central bank of Daming, came forward to spread rumors, who wouldn't rather believe it?

"Since the Liangjiang money industry has been used by me, what should I do next?" Zuo Zongtang asked lightly. He knows Zhu Jishi's major policies, and the two rivers must be firmly controlled. The starting point of combing the Liangjiang site is not in the land, but in the industry and commerce.

"Zuo Xiang, who do you think should be the next target?" Zhu Jishi squinted at Zuo Zongtang and asked with a smile. After all, the current Ming Dynasty still implements the cabinet system, and the army, spies, and the central bank, the three departments that are related to lifeblood, of course, cannot be handed over to the cabinet. But in other aspects, it is still necessary to let the cabinet play a lot of roles. Otherwise, this cabinet system will become a mere formality.

Zuo Zongtang stroked his beard, thought for a while, his brows gradually twisted, as if he was weighing something, and after a long time he said: "Your Majesty thinks that the next step should be to rectify the salt and water industries." ”

"Well, it's time to rectify the salt and water industries." Zhu Jishi nodded slightly.

At this time, the economy of Liangjiang was very developed, and unlike Guangdong, the economy of Liangjiang was not export-oriented, but both internal and external. The main industries that serve foreign trade are tea, silk and ceramics. Among them, the ceramic industry has weakened, and its products are not opponents of European bone china. Although the local tea merchants and silk merchants (mainly lake merchants) in Liangjiang also have some strength, the tea and silk industries are very dependent on capital, because the tea merchants and silk merchants must advance a large amount of funds for the purchase of tea and raw silk in the hands of tea farmers and silk farmers. Therefore, the tea and silk industries are very dependent on the loans of the money industry, and now that Zhu Jishi controls the Liangjiang money industry, and then promotes the industrial integration of the tea and silk industries, it is a matter of ease. Zhu Jishi's original plan was to integrate the tea and silk industries.

As for domestic trade, salt, cloth and rice are the most developed. Among them, the textile industry of Liangjiang was the most developed in China at that time, and the cloth produced by Liangjiang was sold in more than ten provinces in the north and south, and the only thing that could compete with it was the textile industry in Foshan. However, since Zhu Ming took control of Guangdong, he has made every effort to promote the upgrading of Foshan's textile industry, and the machine weaving factories invested and built by the Thirteen Banks have started construction since the first year of recovery. At present, although a large number of projects have not yet been completed and put into production, it is a matter of time before the impact on the Liangjiang cloth industry is impacted. Therefore, it is also a top priority to promote the upgrading and integration of the textile industry in Liangjiang.

The salt industry is mainly concentrated in the Jiangbei area, and the base camp of the famous Lianghuai salt merchants is in Yangzhou, a famous city in the north of the Yangtze River. During the Daoguang period, the annual salt tax of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was more than 12 million taels, half of which came from the Lianghuai salt industry. Moreover, the public income of salt tax was only part of the income of the Manchu Qing from the salt industry. Whenever there is a major military operation in the country, or a catastrophe or relief, or a river defense work, the salt merchants have to donate a huge amount of money. In addition, the emperor also directly "invested" in the salt industry and shared huge profits.

The salt merchants' contribution to the Manchu court naturally earned them great favors, obtaining hereditary monopolies, dividing the territory, and making huge profits. Therefore, the relationship between the two Huai salt merchants and the Manchu court is also like glue, such as the Cao family, the head of the Yangzhou salt merchants, is known as "the fifth generation and one product", Cao Wenyun and Cao Zhenyong are more known as the father and son prime minister, among which Cao Zhenyong is Pan Shien, Lin Zexu's teacher, the power of the Cao family is prominent, and it is by no means comparable to the first Wu family of the Thirteen Lines.

However, although the two Huai salt merchants are powerful, they are also unable to control the entire salt industry, and due to the existence of huge profits, the private salt trade has never been cut off. The power of the "Salt Gang" in the Lianghuai region should not be underestimated, and in order to deal with the Salt Gang, the Lianghuai Salt Merchants raised a large number of salt dings, and fought with the Salt Gang more than once, and the two were like two behemoths in northern Jiangsu.

But now, the two rivers have changed. Although the newly arrived Zhu Ming regime did not cancel the monopoly of the two Huai salt merchants for the time being, everyone knew that this was just an expedient measure.

In addition to the salt merchants and the salt gang, there is a third behemoth on the Liangjiang territory - the Cao Gang! The Cao Gang was the predecessor of the Later World Youth Gang. Although it is also a gang, its political stance is the opposite of that of Hongmen, and it is pro-Qing. Because the Cao Gang's business is to transport grain, it is not an exaggeration to say that they rely on the imperial court in Beijing to eat. In the early years of Yongzheng, it obtained a legal status, and in the Qianlong period, the power was even greater, and there were even rumors of "Qianlong joining the gang", and there was also a "Dharma Protector Dragon Stick" that was said to be given by Emperor Qianlong.

After Zhu Ming took control of the Liangjiang, Cao Yun was completely cut off, and the Cao Gang disciples had no food and clothing, so they naturally had a lot of dissatisfaction with King Zhu, and the Cao Gang itself became a huge unstable factor. (To be continued......)