"Mr. Lu said this, I guess that the Hu family's money is coming from the wrong way?" Lin Yiqing keenly heard the subtext in Lu Qingyun's words, and immediately asked.

"The general guessed well, even if Hu Yulin is known as the God of Wealth, and his wealth is claimed to be tens of millions, it is impossible to suddenly take out the six million taels of silver." Lu Qingyun said, "This money, he embezzled Zuo Gongxi's levy to assist in the salary. ”

"I see." When Lin Yiqing heard Lu Qingyun say that Hu Yulin had embezzled the military funds raised by Zuo Jigao's expedition to Xinjiang, he couldn't help but look stunned.

"The general can know that Hu Yulin opened a money bank ticket number, specialized in lending, and procured silk tea and other goods, and traded with foreign countries, his total assets are about 20 million, and the turnover position is only more than 3 million, and he urgently needs to go to foreign banks to borrow money, where can he come out with 6 million taels of silver at once?" Lu Qingyun said, "This time, in order to make huge profits, he moved the idea of the Western Expedition, and the six million taels of silver seized by the general came from the Western Expedition. ”

"What a daring thief! Even the imperial court money dares to embezzle! Lin Yiqing's eyes flashed with anger, "It's really a silverfish of the country!" ”

"That's what the general said." Lu Qingyun said, "Lu is short-sighted, and he also knows that if he acts like this, he will be killed in the future, so he has the intention of leaving him." ”

"What the gentleman said is very true, the sooner such a person leaves his side, the sooner he will avoid some troubles." Lin Yiqing changed his words, and began to ask in detail, "Dare to ask Mr., why is the Western Expedition Assistance handled by the Hu family?" ”

"Hu's career is to raise salaries for Zuo Gong, and now the Shanghai Procurement Bureau is controlled by him. The left public army needs all the money. It's all handled by him. Lu Qingyun replied. Because the provincial co-ordination is often in arrears, Zuo Gong listened to Hu's plan and borrowed foreign debts to meet emergency needs, and foreign debts are guaranteed by the provincial co-salaries. ”

"It's a chance to make a fortune for him." Lin Yiqing nodded and said, "Borrowing from foreign banks and assisting in repayment are all handled by him. The kickbacks and benefits are huge, no wonder he made his fortune so fast. ”

"Exactly." Lu Qingyun seemed to be afraid that Lin Yiqing wouldn't understand what this assistance was all about, and explained it to him.

Lu Qingyun told Lin Yiqing that the system of assistance is the central link in the operation of the entire financial system of the Great Qian Empire and the basic system for the central government to allocate the country's financial resources. The money involved in the assistance is called the cooperation fund, which refers to the inter-provincial cooperation operation. The flow of the co-funds is allocated by the order of the central government, and the allocation is based on the estimation of the current year's salary payable by the governors of the provinces in the winter of the previous year, that is, the so-called "winter estimate". The expenditures listed in the winter estimate are usually standing expenses, and they are verified by the household department to be free of fake and shoddy expenditures. It was allocated twice in the spring and autumn by the household department. The governors and vassals of each province shall allocate the internal financial resources of the province according to the spring and autumn appropriations. The withholding of funds approved for disbursement is called "retention"; The surplus part of the requisition, that is, must be reported, which is called "shipment". The shipment money shall be handed over to the central government according to the instructions of the Ministry of Households, or the provinces that are poor and unable to balance their revenues and expenditures.

However, at present, when the national strength of the Qianguo is weakened and the government's finances are in deficit in large quantities, coupled with the suppression of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom and the payment of foreign indemnities, a large amount of government treasury money has been consumed, and the system of assistance has almost ceased to exist in name only. Zuo Jigao's Western Expedition owed a lot of money and could not be collected. In this regard, Zuo Jigao listened to Hu Yulin's suggestion and came up with a way to borrow foreign debts: borrow money from foreign banks as a guarantee for these debts, and the provinces that should cooperate will be responsible for the repayment of foreign debts, and ask the Qing court to order the customs and taxation departments of the provinces to issue guarantee tickets, and through the General Customs and Taxation Department, the customs and taxation departments of the provinces will be stamped with the seals of the superintendents, so that the customs stamps of the cooperating provinces will replace the customs stamps that are difficult to bind. This not only solved the problem of funding for the Western Expedition, but also used the banner of "secretly taking advantage of the central government's order to compete with the co-allocated provinces for the source of salary" to deal with the southeastern governors who opposed the "Western Expedition." The "westward expedition loans" and all the loan matters contacted by foreign businessmen were handled by Hu Yulin, the political envoy who controlled the Shanghai Mining and Transportation Bureau, and the total amount of loans has reached 15.95 million taels of silver.

"What kind of huge profits, can he fight the idea of the Western Expedition?" Lin Yiqing understood the joints in this, and asked again quietly.

Since he started to run logistics and munitions for the Satsuma Army, Lin Yiqing also has a lot of understanding of the financial operation of this era, he originally did not know much about finance, but after contact with Sarah, Oyama Tsunashi and Iwasaki Yujia, these financial experts, have grown up, with Lu Qingyun's explanation, he can hear clearly, and he can also ask questions to the key points.

"The annual interest rate given by HSBC is no more than one cent (10%), and this time, in order to solve the shortage of coinage and silver, the Japanese government has allowed an annual interest rate of one cent and two percent (12%), and the borrowing time is only half a year." Lu Qingyun said, "Such preferential conditions, the Hu family's profit-loving people will naturally not let go." And in his hands, he has the convenience of handling the Western Expedition to assist in the salary, so that he can take risks. ”

Hearing what Lu Qingyun said in detail, Lin Yiqing secretly paid attention to himself and remembered everything he said.

"Now that the silver ship has been seized by me, he has poked a big hole, as far as the gentleman knows, how will he make up for the shortage?" Lin Yiqing thought about it and asked again.

"According to Lu's view, the Hu family wants to make up for the deficit as soon as possible, so they should sell the raw silk of the house first, and they can get more than 5 million taels of silver, and the rest can only be loaned to foreign businessmen." Lu Qingyun replied, "The operators of the Hu family are mostly money bank ticket numbers, and they lend money outside, if they are in a hurry to collect money, there will be rumors, or a run, so he will not pour out the silver from here, only to sell the goods first, or go out to borrow, there is no other way." ”

"Listening to Mr. Lu's words today, I benefited a lot." Lin Yiqing said to Lu Qingyun, "I don't know what to do?" ”

Hearing Lin Yiqing say that he wanted to repay himself, Lu Qingyun was secretly happy in his heart, knowing that what he just said was not in vain, he pretended to be sad and thought about it, and said: "Lu Mou has lost the silver ship now, has a home and has no livelihood, and is willing to follow the general, work for a small amount, and eat with a mouth." ”

"Mr. is too modest, Lin Moujie martial arts, can get the help of a master of science and talent like Mr. It was a blessing. It's just that Lin is the chief of staff of the Qinwang Division. He has the responsibility of commanding the battle, and is hated by the traitors of the Japanese government, so he must get rid of me as soon as possible. Lin Yiqing guessed that Lu Qingyun would make such a request, and he had already thought of an answer, "There have been many assassins who have come to assassinate me before, although they have not succeeded, but many of the people under my command have been killed and injured, and a great talent like Mr. After following me, he will inevitably become a thorn in the side of the assassins, and I am worried about the safety of my husband, but I am afraid that I will not be able to agree. ”

Listening to Lin Yiqing's answer, Lu Qingyun was shocked to realize that he understood that Lin Yiqing's words were not alarmist, but that there was such a real danger, and he couldn't help but feel secretly annoyed.

Lin Yiqing understood what Lu Qingyun was thinking, and then said, "Mr. will receive 10,000 silver dollars from me first. Thinking that I would be able to make ends meet, I sent someone to take refuge in the Ryukyus. Since Mr. does not dare to return to his hometown, he might as well go to Ryukyu for a while, and when the war stops, I will ask Mr. to come back to help me, what does Mr. think? ”

"Good! Good! Thank you, General! Listening to Lin Yiqing's suggestion, Lu Qingyun was overjoyed and hurriedly agreed.

For him, who is accustomed to seeing Hu Yulin's wealth, although 10,000 silver dollars is not a huge amount of money, it can undoubtedly ensure that he will have no worries about food and clothing in the future. And with his ability, 10,000 silver dollars was enough for him to go to Ryukyu in "Wanguo Jinliang" to do business.

When Hu Yulin's east window incident happened, he was imprisoned or his head fell to the ground, it was time for him to return to China!

Thinking of this, Lu Qingyun's heart was full of excitement, and he was secretly glad that his decision was correct.

At that moment, Lin Yiqing wrote him a note for withdrawing money, which stated that Mitsubishi Trading Company paid Lu Qingyun 10,000 yuan in silver, signed his name, and stamped his private seal. After Lin Yiqing wrote the note, he handed it to Lu Qingyun, Lu Qingyun carefully took it and put it away, and after the two chatted a few more words, Lu Qingyun said goodbye.

Out of the Satsuma Army Staff Camp, Lu Qingyun came to the street, it was close to noon at this time, the sun was shining on him, making him feel a burst of heat, he thought about the scene after going to the Ryukyus, and couldn't help but want to shout loudly.

At this time, Lu Qingyun didn't know that behind the window on the second floor, Lin Yiqing had already seen his performance.

"Why give him money to let him go? Lord, don't you need such talents very much now? Shiori Mochizuki's voice came from behind Lin Yiqing.

"A person like him lacks loyalty, and no matter how talented he is, I won't use it." Lin Yiqing smiled and said, "He can betray Hu Yulin today, and he may betray me tomorrow, how can I keep him by my side?" ”

Listening to Lin Yiqing's pun, Shiori Mochizuki's face couldn't help but blush slightly.

Lin Yiqing's attention to their sisters is something she can feel every moment.

"What are you going to do next?" Shiori Mochizuki asked.

"Hu Yulin helps the government, he is our enemy, and I must kill him." Lin Yiqing sneered and said.

"Is the lord going to send someone to do something to the country?" Shiori Mochizuki raised her eyebrows and asked.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, it's not that someone was sent to Qianguo to kill him." Lin Yiqing said with a smile, "This time, I'm going to use indirect methods. ”

"Indirect? How? Shiori Mochizuki asked curiously.

"Bankrupt him." Lin Yiqing smiled and replied, "I want him to be unable to plug this big hole!" ”

At this time, Lin Yiqing had already thought of a way to deal with Hu Yulin.

Shanghai, Fengyang Road, Xi's Manor.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and in the back garden of the village, a man of about thirty-five or sixteen years old was sitting in an octagonal pavilion, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the garden while sipping tea.

This man is Xi Zhengfu, a giant businessman of the "Dongting Mountain Gang" in Qianguo.

Xi Zhengfu Shaoguang was born in the eighteenth year of a large family in Dongting Dongshan, Suzhou. After the death of his father, Xi Pinfang, the family's fortune declined. When the war in the southeast half of the wall was not extinguished, Xi Zhengfu came to Shanghai from Suzhou to escape the war and worked as an apprentice in a small money village set up by his fellow villagers. He studied hard and soon mastered a lot of business about the bank, so he opened a bank in the tenth year of Xianfeng, and in the sixteenth year of Xianfeng, he became the runner of the British commercial HSBC. In the thirteenth year of Tongzhi, Xi Zhengfu was already a comprador of HSBC. At that time, in order to obtain working capital, Shanghai money banks often borrowed money from foreign banks, and then used this part of the money to lend to large and small businesses to obtain profits. became a hot celebrity in the silver and money industry at that time. Almost all the banks required him to join the share capital. Or hire someone he introduced as an assistant. At the same time, Xi Zhengfu has extensively invested in the money industry, silver building, pawn shop, and gold account that are related to the banking business, and can be described as a wide range of assets.

The reason why Xi Zhengfu was able to make a fortune in just a few years is not only because he was born in a money bank and is good at managing financial management, but also because he is shrewd and able to accurately grasp opportunities for speculation and drilling, which is also an important reason for his development.

Xi Zhengfu was drinking tea and enjoying the snow, and a servant hurriedly walked in and reported: "Master." Hu Yulin, Master Hu came to visit. ”

"Hurry up and invite Master Hu to come here and enjoy the tea and flowers." Xi Zhengfu smiled slightly, as if he knew that Hu Yulin would come, and immediately ordered.

The servant took the order and left, and after a short time, he led Hu Yulin to the back garden.

"Brother Guangyuan is here, please sit down, please sit down." Xi Zhengfu saw Hu Yulin enter the pavilion, and got up with a smile to greet him, "It's just a tea tasting and flower appreciation, come and come." Brother Guangyuan first tastes my 'West Lake Longjing'. ”

"Brother Sugui is so Yaxing, hehe."

Hu Yulin saw that he had come to visit. And Xi Zhengfu didn't greet him in person, but waited in the garden, he was originally unhappy, but because he was asking for the other party this time, he was forbearing, but greeted Xi Zhengfu with a smile.

After the two sat down, Xi Zhengfu poured Hu Yulin a cup of tea with his own hands, and the servant sent exquisite snacks, Xi Zhengfu seemed to know that Hu Yulin had private things to talk to him, so he waved his hand, and the servant saluted and retreated.

"I haven't seen Brother Hu for many days, I don't know where I have made a fortune recently?" Xi Zhengfu asked with a smile.

"Hehe, it's just a busy job, what kind of fortune do you make?" Hu Yulin said with a smile, "It's more expensive than Su, in Shanghai, a treasure land, calling for wind and rain." ”

"Where did Brother Hu come from?" Xi Zhengfu said with a smile, "I heard that Brother Hu is in charge of the Northwest Military Quartermaster, which is the envy of everyone." ”

"What kind of beauty, if you want to do it, I will recommend it to Zuo Gong." Hu Yulin smiled, "I don't know if Su Gui is willing?" ”

"I have more than enough heart but not enough strength, I'm just a small comprador for foreigners, I don't have the courage of Brother Hu, where can I do such a big thing." Xi Zhengfu seemed to hear the subtext in Hu Yulin's words, and immediately blocked it with a smile.

After listening to Xi Zhengfu's answer, Hu Yulin secretly scolded "traitor" in his heart, but he still had a smile on his face, "I heard that the Queen Mother celebrated her long life, and Su Gui repaid 100,000 taels of silver as soon as she made a move, and she was a big deal." ”

"Hehe, a mere 100,000 taels of silver, it's nothing to you and me, right?" Xi Zhengfu smiled quietly, "By the way, the Queen Mother has a long life, why don't you see Brother Hu repay the silver?" ”

"Where do I have such wealth as Su Gui," Hu Yulin sighed and said, "Don't hide Su Gui, I have too many bad debts here, where do I have spare money to serve." ”

Listening to Hu Yulin's words, Xi Zhengfu couldn't help but laugh in his heart that Hu Yulin was narrow-minded and short-sighted.

In Xi Zhengfu's view, even if the position turnover is difficult, the queen mother's reward silver must be offered!

As long as there is the favor of the Queen Mother, even if there is a big leak, there is also the royal umbrella!

As the boss of the "Hui Gang", Hu Yulin didn't understand this truth, isn't it strange!

In fact, it was this amount of money that was not very much that made Xi Zhengfu register in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and also made Xi Zhengfu gain power from then on, becoming a comprador of HSBC, and being appreciated by the court and ministers. After that, in order to obtain a huge loan, they vied with each other to win over Xi Zhengfu, and Li Shaoquan, the governor of Zhili, also specially wrote to the imperial court to sponsor him for the official position. But he became an official only to raise his value, and did not go to Beijing to take up a real position, and in the future, he used his relationship with the imperial court and his identity as a comprador of HSBC Bank to meet the source left and right, and all kinds of benefits can be said to be rolling in.

And Hu Yulin only gave up such a God-given opportunity in the name of "difficult position turnover", which is really incomprehensible!

From this point of view, this Hu Yulin is afraid that it is in vain!

"Brother Hu still has bad debts? Where does this come from? Xi Zhengfu secretly laughed at Hu Yulin's childishness in his heart, but on the surface, he asked with a look of concern.

"Those things are depressing to say, so don't mention them." Hu Yulin sighed, and took advantage of Xi Zhengfu's question to make clear the purpose of today's visit, "I still have one more matter, and I want to ask Su Chen for help." ”

"Brother Hu's words don't matter, as long as I can help, I will definitely serve." Xi Zhengfu said with a smile.

"Zuo Gong wants to use troops in Xinjiang to drive out the Hui bandits, and now it is difficult to deal with military salaries, no, this is urging me again." Hu Yulin said, "I have recently suffered losses and a shortage of positions, can Su Gui help me raise one or two to solve the current dilemma?" ”

Listening to Hu Yulin's request, Xi Zhengfu pondered for a while and did not answer immediately.

"This loan is to serve the country and recover the territory, if Su Gui can work with me to help Zuo Gong achieve this great achievement, it will be immeasurable in the future." Hu Yulin saw that Xi Zhengfu was hesitant, and said, "Zuo Gong is in a hurry, even if the interest rate is a little higher, it doesn't matter." ”

Hearing Hu Yulin's temptation of high interest, Xi Zhengfu couldn't help sneering in his heart.

He knew the weight of Zuo Jigao's promise very clearly. (To be continued......)

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