Besides, the things that can make Zuo Zongtang anxious must also be very important.

Hu Chuyuan said: "Lord Zhongtang, please say, your subordinates will definitely do it as soon as possible!" ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "The first thing is the military salary of Xinjiang Province, some time ago, the businessmen of Nanxun donated one million taels of military salaries, and I also played another imperial court, and half of the fine was left in the Liangjiang Yamen to pay the military salary." The imperial court generally agreed, but the specific amount still needs to be discussed, you first pay two million taels, a total of three million taels of silver, you transport it to Shaanxi through the money bank, and hand it over to Liu Kunyi. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said, "Okay." ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "The second thing is the Shanghai Steamship China Merchants Bureau left by Li Hefei in Shanghai, you have to think of a way to see if you can get it back." If you really can't do it, you can start from scratch to build the Jiangnan Steamship Bureau, even if you lose a lot of money, you have to squeeze him out, and you have to make a profit on the books. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "It should be possible." ”

That's pretty reluctant.

Zuo Zongtang said again: "The third thing, your third brother's father-in-law has already asked me to hand you a letter. You'll know after reading this letter! ”

After speaking, he took out a letter sealed with vermilion lacquer from the drawer next to the cloud couch and handed it to Hu Chuyuan.

The most important and troublesome things are usually put on the last floor.

Hu Chuyuan beat a drum in his heart, quickly pulled out the letter and browsed it, and when he saw half of it, his brows tightened.

It turned out that He Jing told all the ins and outs of what happened after Hu Xueyan's death, which involved too many secrets.

There are some things that Hu Chuyuan already knows, but what he doesn't know is that after Zuo Zongtang arrived in Shanghai, he secretly sent people to Fuzhou to find He Jing, wanting to use his Hunan army, He Jing's Fujian naval division, Li Hongzhang's Huai army, and Beiyang fleet to confront each other.

As a benefit of joining forces, Zuo Zongtang will suspend the construction of the Yangtze River Fleet, give military support to He Jing to prepare for the construction of the Fujian Naval Division, and only allocate the old ships of the Fujian Naval Division to the Yangtze River Fleet.

Where does this military spending come from, it is naturally Yanzheng.

Of course, He Jing was tempted and hit it off.

Aren't the Qing Dynasty officials, especially to the point of He Jing, pursuing the throne of the middle hall? He wanted to build a powerful Fujian sailor, and only in this way could he ascend to the throne of a scholar and become the best of the people.

If it is another history, it was the end of 1881 when Zuo Zongtang returned from Xinjiang Province, Li Hongzhang's Beiyang Fleet had already taken shape, and the affairs of Xinjiang Province had ended, and there was no longer a need for more military salaries.

Now it's different, Zuo Zongtang freed up his hands to go back and forth to the south of the Yangtze River to draw military salaries, give Li Hongzhang a salary from the bottom of the kettle, and then connect with He Jing to the southeast, and then fight with Li Hongzhang, the court has to think more about who to support, or try to stay in the middle?

After that, everything was in Zuo Zongtang's plan, step by step, forcing the imperial court to submit to the law, and handing over the salt administration of Liangjiang and Fujian and Zhejiang to the two local governors.

Because at present, the imperial court is completely inclined to the Beiyang Fleet, and the expenses of the Fujian Navy Division and the Nanyang Fleet can only be borne by Fujian, Zhejiang, and Liangjiang.

Zuo Zongtang and He Jing discussed that the only way was to let the Fuzhou Shipping Administration and the Governor run the business, build merchant ships for profit, and use the profits to build more military ships.

However, in order to let this matter pass in the imperial court, the two governors of them are not the key, but Hu Chuyuan has to pay to bribe several princes, and the cost will probably be huge and unprofitable, but it must be done.

After Hu Chuyuan finished reading the letter, Zuo Zongtang said to Hu Chuyuan: "What is written in this letter, I generally understand that many things in it must be said by He Jing himself." He Jing and I have calculated, if you want to be serious, it is best to start with the General Office of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and the General Office of the Fuzhou Shipbuilding, the former can be promoted to Shanghai Daotai, and the latter is the Minister of Fujian Shipbuilding. The Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau left too many shortcomings in the era of Zeng Guofan, and I can't adjust it clearly, you can't wade into this troubled water, so the most suitable opportunity at the moment is Fuzhou Shipbuilding. ”

(Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau is the name of the Republic of China period, and the late Qing Dynasty has always called it Fuzhou Shipbuilding Yamen, which is higher in rank than Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau and Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and belongs to the state directly under the control of the emperor.) The Harbour Master's Yamen is managed by the Harbour Master, with the same rank as the Governor's Yamen, and the Harbour Master's promotion is equivalent to the supervision of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, with real power, second only to the Harbour Master. The first shipmaster was promoted to Zhou Kaixi, the political envoy of Fuzhou, and the person who actually handled the promotion was Hu Xueyan)

After a pause, Zuo Zongtang said again: "What's more, this matter is related to the overall situation of the entire north and south, you have to do it if you don't do it, so that you have the opportunity to make so much money, just let me make up for this bottomless pit, and rely on your own strength to support the Fujian Navy Division that is enough to compete with the Beiyang Naval Division." ”

Scold.

Lift me up!

Hu Chuyuan smiled in his heart, but he felt that he could do it.

If he doesn't do it, he can't do it, in case He Jing escapes, the impact will only be faster, rather than that, it is better to throw money now and fight to the death with the French.

He thought about it for a while, and said to Zuo Zongtang: "Okay, leave this matter to me, but I won't make a big move for the time being, what should I do about many things, I have to wait for a trip to the United States before I think about it!" ”

Zuo Zongtang asked curiously, "Why?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "If you want to introduce and update machinery and equipment, you must negotiate with foreigners, but the foreigners in Shanghai are now very wary of me as a whole, so I have to bypass them and go to the United States." Second, I would like to talk to the Americans to see if we can give us the most-favored-nation treatment in the import of raw silk and tea, which I am afraid will have to be personally intervened by Lord Zhongtang; Third, those young children in the United States who are studying in the United States will definitely become great talents in the future, and I also want to take a look. ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "This is a trip, in this way, in the name of the governor of Liangjiang, I will play you as a first-class consul counselor in the United States with the imperial court, and go to the United States to see those children on my behalf, and contact the Americans by the way." I don't know if the Americans' arms are good or not, but if they are cheap and easy to use, we can buy them. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "It's true that it's cheap and easy to use, but compared to the Germans, there is still a gap, I'll take a look first!" ”

Zuo Zongtang asked, "When are you going to go?" ”

Hu Chuyuan thought for a while and said: "We will start harvesting raw silk at the end of April, and we will lay it out a month in advance, and I have to come back before that, so if I want to go, it must be the closest." ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "I'm in a hurry, but it's too late!" ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said, "Then the subordinates will go back to Hangzhou to handle the affairs of the Jiangnan Silk Industry Cooperative now, and adjust the equity of the Jiangnan Commercial Bank." ”

Zuo Zongtang wanted to keep him for a night, but there were indeed a lot of things at the moment, so he didn't stay overnight, and personally got up and sent Hu Chuyuan out of the yamen.

Fortunately, Hu Chuyuan chartered a river boat, and although it was late, he also had a boat to sit on.

In such a hurry, Hu Chuyuan embarked on the journey back to Hangzhou.