Humble Administrator's Garden, East Garden Lanxue Hall.

In the living room, Zuo Zongtang browsed the second batch of translations of current affairs sent by Hu Chuyuan, and after a while, he and Hu Chuyuan asked: "It seems that there are a lot fewer manuscripts this time, but there are things to say." ”

If you have some words, it is still useful.

Hu Chuyuan said: "I was in a hurry last time, this time, I filtered it first." In addition, the staff at Tokyo Translation Agency also have a little experience, and they can roughly distinguish what is valuable and what is not. ”

Zuo Zongtang hummed with satisfaction, put down the manuscript, and said to Hu Chuyuan: "Your raw silk is very light to put away this year, will it be like this next year!" ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Next year will be easier, many people are not giving up now, but next year, they will be completely dead." The raw silk business in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is controlled by me, and no one can take it away. In addition, the Jiangnan Silk Industry Cooperative has not yet been fully carried out, and more will be carried out next year, and it will expand from Taihu, Hangzhou, and Jinqu to other places, and wherever it expands, the quality and output of raw silk will be improved. ”

"Good, good!"

Zuo Zongtang smiled with more satisfaction, and sighed: "Your ability is really surprising, the old man was still very worried that this year's raw silk acquisition will be a bloody battle...... It's terrifying. So what do you want to do next? ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "I originally wanted to go to the United States, but now it seems that I am not in a hurry to go for the time being. As for what I have to do now, it is inevitably too much, the Jiangnan Steamship Bureau is preparing, and I have to compete with Sheng Xuanhuai for the right to operate the telegraph office, the affairs of the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Department have to be managed, and the Jiangnan Silk Industry Cooperative will slowly change into the Jiangnan Agricultural Cooperative, and officially set foot in the tea and cotton industry. ”

Zuo Zongtang couldn't help but sigh and said, "Compared with your father, you have handled several times more practices for the imperial court, or even ten times, which makes the old man unhappy." It's a pity that these things can only be left to you, and the old man can rest assured. I am afraid that some money is needed to handle these things, but although the old man has a fine of 12 million taels of silver in his hand, he does not dare to empty the debts owed to you by the Hunan army at one time, so as not to change in Xinjiang Province and the old man will go on the expedition again. ”

Hu Chuyuan secretly bared his teeth, but said: "Don't worry, Lord Zhongtang, I will come up with a way to solve the problem of liquidity!" ”

He knew that Zuo Zongtang might not be able to find a good way to think about this kind of problem, so it was better to let him go back and continue to ponder.

Xiang Jun's debt to him is as high as 12.94 million taels of silver, and in recent months, although his total assets have soared rapidly, the new part is all land in the Shanghai Concession and antique paintings and calligraphy, and the liquidity is getting less and less.

Zuo Zongtang applied to the imperial court in advance for 12 million taels of silver for military salaries, and the imperial court agreed, but because many merchants involved in the salt case would go bankrupt because of the fine, the prefects had to reduce or reduce it - of course, the prefects made another small profit, and the actual fine collected was only 14.13 million taels of silver.

Zuo Zongtang held 12 million taels of silver in his hands, and gave the remaining 2.13 million taels to the imperial court.

Li Hongzhang also applied for 5 million taels of silver as Beiyang military salary, which is good, 2.13 million taels of silver were sold out before they reached the household...... What's the matter, Li Hongzhang can definitely only scold like this.

In fact, Zuo Zongtang pinched 14.13 million taels of silver to collect a fine, and 2.13 million taels of silver to give the household a tooth sacrifice and a little light to those officials, but he didn't have Li Hongzhang's share.

Regarding Hu Chuyuan's ability, Zuo Zongtang no longer has any doubts, since Hu Chuyuan said that he would go back and find a way, he also believed that Hu Chuyuan would definitely be able to do it, and he didn't need to worry about it.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, this son is a great talent.

After weighing for a moment, he said to Hu Chuyuan again: "The old man has thought about it carefully, I still want you to be a serious official, even if you start from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and Fuzhou Shipbuilding, you can also live in an official house in the future, the problem is that your wealth is too amazing." If you are always so rich, and you can't hide all your wealth, the old man estimates that the highest errand you can get is the Fujian Shipping Minister...... It has to be the Harbour Master who stripped the military power. ”

Hu Chuyuan thought for a while and said: "I don't have any serious plans for the time being, for me, as long as I control the silk and tea industries in the five provinces south of the Yangtze River and manage them well, there will be no problem with the overall market of China's economy." This matter is a hundred times more important than being in a high position. ”

Zuo Zongtang was silent, of course he also understood this truth.

But he really can't find a second person who can inherit the career he failed to complete, Liu Kunyi and Tan Zhonglin are not young enough to take on this role, and the gap between the rest is even greater.

Hu Chuyuan has such an ability, such an age, and such a vision...... It's just the best candidate, and there is no other.

After pondering for a long time, he sighed slightly, as if he was a little disappointed.

Immediately, he got up and took out a set of four-volume "Zeng Guofan's Family Letters", and told Hu Chuyuan: "Whether you want to be a celebrity, let's talk about it here first, and then talk about it later." It's just that you are too clever and powerful, like a sharp sword, fast and thin, which can kill people invisibly, but it is also easy to break. The more you are a particularly extreme smart person, the more you have to understand the truth that you are stupid to your neighbors, the old man has a complete volume of family letters sent by Lao Jiu, you take it back and study it carefully, and don't take it off every day. With your intelligence and knowledge, even if you can have half of Zeng Guofan's ability to be a person and observe things, you will be invincible in the world! ”

Hu Chuyuan solemnly thanked him and accepted this set of family letters.

After that, the two discussed a number of matters, including the declaration of the telegraph office and the Zhejiang reservoir, focusing on debt and liquidity.

The best way Hu Chuyuan could come up with for the time being was to issue public bonds, 30 million taels of silver at a time in the name of the five provinces south of the Yangtze River.

Zuo Zongtang inevitably felt that the amount was too large, and the five provinces in the south of the Yangtze River might not be able to pay it off, so he hoped that Hu Chuyuan would think of another way.

After two days of discussions with Zuo Zongtang in Suzhou, Hu Chuyuan returned to Shanghai.

At this time, Wu Shuzhen had already returned from the United States, and first recruited more than 20 American technicians for Hu Chuyuan, and settled them in Qichang Foreign Bank.

Wu Zhenbang and the Russell family had been very hesitant about the conditions proposed by Hu Chuyuan, and it was not until the news that Hu Chuyuan monopolized the entire Jiangnan raw silk industry reached San Francisco that they suddenly understood...... Hu Chuyuan was premeditated, and everything was in Hu Chuyuan's plan.

At this point, they had to agree.

After several discussions between Wu Shuzhen, Pfister-Delano and Hu Chuyuan, in the end, under the condition of satisfying all Hu Chuyuan's requirements, Hu Chuyuan invested 1.75 million taels of silver to secretly acquire 42% of the shares of Qichang Foreign Company, with a total of seven people from the Russell and Delano families holding 32% of the shares, Wu Zhenbang holding 21% of the shares, and the remaining 5% being dispersed in the hands of several partners.

Hu Chuyuan actually contributed 750,000 taels of silver, and the rest was transferred to Qichang Foreign Bank in accordance with the agreement with Pfister-Delano in advance.

After the completion of the shareholding, Qichang Bank officially changed its name to Wanqi Bank, and began to plan to set up a separate American-funded Wanqi Bank, the establishment of the bank requires a large amount of funds, which will be borrowed by the Jiangnan Commercial Bank controlled by Hu Chuyuan, on the premise that the Technical Bureau of Wanqi Foreign Bank is responsible for providing various technical assistance to Jiangnan Commercial Bank.

On this basis, Wanqi Foreign Company also dreams of obtaining a large amount of raw silk, and its silk mill can produce at full capacity, and can also be exported to China on a large scale.

(Addendum: Chapter 78 was wrongly issued and has been revised)