After the Lushan Science and Technology Conference in 1922, Song Biao did not leave the Lushan Summer Palace, and after sending away scientific experts from all over the country and the chief engineers of various famous factories, Song Biao ushered in a new batch of guests in the Summer Palace, who were famous Chinese businessmen from all over the world.

During World War I, the Dutch colonies exploited Chinese businessmen to overwhelm Huang Zhonghan, during which he was introduced by Chen Jiageng and others, Huang Zhonghan joined the Nanyang Chinese Chamber of Commerce founded by Zhang Bishi as the prime minister, and the actual work was taken care of by his son Huang Zongguang.

At that time, half of the people in the Nanyang Chinese Chamber of Commerce were in Indonesia, and most of them were exploited by the Dutch colonial government, Zhang Bishi's eldest son Zhang Zhijun and son-in-law Zhang Hongsheng jointly asked the empire for help, at that time the Netherlands remained neutral, and did not have much military spending, the empire judged that this exploitation was to take the opportunity to deprive Chinese businessmen of their assets as the goal, and then sent warships to Semarang, where Chinese businessmen were most concentrated.

Under the threat of the Empire, the Dutch were forced to sign the Treaty for the Protection of Chinese Merchants in Indonesia, and the Imperial Navy maintained a small detachment fleet in Semarang until the end of World War I.

With the actual protection of the empire, the status of Chinese businessmen in Indonesia and Southeast Asia has also improved, and at the same time, the trade interests of the empire in Southeast Asia have also gradually expanded, and the contribution of Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia is the greatest, which is also the main reason why China continues to occupy a dominant position in Southeast Asia in the economic and trade war between China and China.

Overseas Chinese merchants were a very important and valuable force for the empire.

It is precisely with the pace of Chinese businessmen expanding to the whole world that the imperial trade can be effectively promoted to the whole world, whether it is in Korea, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, India, South America, Africa, the imperial trade always follows the pace of Chinese businessmen.

Huang Zhonghan has been in Shanghai for treatment for the past two years because of his illness, and he heard that the first World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference will be held in Lushan Summer Palace, so he can't wait to take a boat to Lushan in person.

When he arrived in Lushan, there were still a large number of scientific and technological experts who had not left, and the imperial Lushan scientific and technological seminar had not ended, and Song Biao did not take time to meet him.

After all the scientific and technological seminars were over, just as Chen Jiageng, Zhang Zhijun, and Zhang Hongsheng also arrived in Lushan, Song Biao specially set up a banquet in the summer palace to entertain the three of them, and also invited Huang Zhonghan to come over.

The central political axe has long wanted to convene the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference, but the time and place have been under consideration, this time Song Biao directly decided these things, arranged the first World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference in Lushan Summer Palace, and will attend the meeting in person.

Although it was only two months ago that the arrangements began urgently, Chinese businessmen from all over the country heard that Emperor Shenwu personally attended, and the location was in the summer palace of the imperial family, no matter how urgent the itinerary was, they all came immediately, even if some Chinese businessmen who were not invited by the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Federation and the China Federation of Industry and Commerce all had enough energy to participate in the meeting, for many people, there may be such a chance to meet Emperor Shenwu once in their lives.

A total of 14 people came to participate in the conference on behalf of Nanyang Chinese businessmen, including Huang Zhonghan, Chen Jiageng, Zhang Zhijun, Zhang Hongsheng, Zhuang Xiyan, Li Qingquan, Hu Wenhu, Jian Lianggeng, Jian Liangcheng and others.

Because it was the height of summer, the royal banquet in the evening was arranged very lightly, with six dishes, two soups and four cold dishes.

Huang Zhonghan and the four of them were invited to the banquet by the chamberlain very early to wait for the emperor, and they couldn't help but be a little worried, afraid that the emperor would not be able to come because of something temporary.

Over the years, the imperial liquor has become more and more complete, with a total of four kinds of liquor, namely Moutai, Luzhou Laojiao, Xifeng Liquor and Fenjiu, and three kinds of liquor such as Changyu Cabernet, Yunnan Shangri-La and Xinjiang Rose Red.

Usually, if there is no accident, it is always a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine, with Xifeng wine and Changyu dry red being the most used, and they are also the emperor's favorite in recent years.

Jiang Zuobin sent these two bottles of wine in, and was about to ask Huang Zhonghan and the four others what else they could serve, Zhang Hongsheng couldn't wait to ask because he had met Jiang Zuobin twice: "Colonel Jiang, is there anything the emperor can't come today?" ”

Jiang Zuobin smiled and reassured: "The four of you don't need to worry, the emperor is talking about things with Zheng Tingxiang, the minister of industry, in the imperial study, although the Lushan Conference is over, there are still some things that need to be decided separately, so please calm down and wait for a while." ”

Hearing this, Huang Zhonghan and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It is the greatest blessing in life to be able to see Emperor Shenwu a few times in his life, and to be invited by the emperor, if such an honor given by the emperor can come true, Huang Zhonghan will feel that death can also be blinded.

They continued to wait silently, and they didn't dare to say anything to each other, for fear that the emperor would come when he said it, and after a while, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor, and then two inner court guards hurriedly walked into the banquet room.

Knowing that it was the emperor who had finally come, the four of them immediately stood up, each more nervous than the other.

Sure enough, Song Biao walked in accompanied by Jiang Zuobin, and when he saw him, Huang Zhonghan and the four of them bowed together and said, "The people will wait to see the emperor." ”

Song Biao politely raised his hand to signal them to flatten, and said, "Let you wait for a long time, please sit down." ”

After saying this, Song Biao also sat down, and asked Huang Zhonghan, who was slowly about to sit next to him, and asked: "I asked people about your condition, it is said that it is nephritis, and Western medicine has no suitable treatment for the time being, and I have been relying on traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai for the past two years, how about it?" If the effect is not good, you go to Yanjing as soon as possible, and I will ask the experts of the Imperial Medical University to consult you. ”

Huang Zhonghan was grateful in his heart, the heat was surging, his eyes were already moist, he really didn't expect the emperor to know all these things about him, and immediately thanked him and said: "Thank you for the emperor's grace, and the people are ......!" ”

He was so moved that he didn't know how to say it for a while, so he got up and wanted to bow down.

Jiang Zuobin supported him in advance and reminded him in a low voice: "Mr. Huang, you must not mess with your own salutes before driving." ”

Huang Zhonghan nodded slightly, and couldn't help but be even more tearful.

He was actually very discouraged about life at this time, and his illness was getting worse and worse, and he could still see Emperor Shenwu at this time, and he could make Emperor Shenwu think about himself, he was really very moved.

Song Biao still invited him to sit down and persuaded him: "You don't think too much, I remember that Chang Wanchun, the chief of the Jilin Patrol, was also surnamed nephritis, and it was once said that he urinated blood every day, and then he was hospitalized at the Imperial Medical University for a year, and now he is not said to be a radical cure, after all, this disease is said to be very tricky, but it is definitely much better than before, and there is not too much repetition, just insist on drinking medicine." The level of traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai is still relatively poor, and the really best Chinese medicine is still in Yanjing, so you really can't go to the Imperial Medical University to give it a try. ”

Huang Zhonghan thanked him again and said: "Thank you for your concern, your majesty will go to the Imperial Medical University for medical treatment, if you are lucky enough to live for a few more years, I am willing to do more for the country and the nation, and donate all my family property to the Imperial Medical University before I die, encourage students to study medicine, and treat all sentient beings." ”

Song Biao laughed, didn't pay too much attention to Huang Zhonghan's excited words, let everyone else sit down too, and said: "I want to entertain you all with a royal banquet this time, precisely because among the Chinese businessmen in the world, Nanyang businessmen are the most difficult, and their achievements are also the best, which is really rare for the benefit of the country and the people." It is said that the economic and trade wars between China and China began in the last years of Guangxu, from the northeast to Guannai, from the country to Korea, Southeast Asia, and South America, and finally to the Middle East and India. The empire is becoming rich and strong, and the industry is developing rapidly, so you have to return to China from time to time to take a look, and if you have the ability, you can also invest more in the country and set up factories. ”

Listening to these words, Chen Jiageng and others promised one after another.

In order to express his gratitude, Song Biao also asked Jiang Zuobin to pour wine and toast the four industrialists present.

After Zhang Hongsheng entered the Zhang Mansion, he won the trust of Zhang Bishi, after Zhang Bishi's death, the property was divided into two and given half to Zhang Hongsheng, Zhang Zhijun generally stayed in the country to develop, and handed over the more sinister and fierce competition in the Nanyang market to Zhang Hongsheng, and Zhang Hongsheng also ran very beautifully, taking advantage of the First World War to move most of the industries to Central New Guinea, and operating copper mines, coffee, cocoa, rubber and other businesses locally.

Zhang Zhijun has been operating red wine, textiles and mining for many years, and a few years ago he bought a number of small workshops such as Xifeng Liquor and Jian Nanchun, and merged them into Changyu Liquor Corporation, and cooperated with Qiao Jingyan to operate textile and mining industries in the four northern provinces, while most of the others have invested in other people's companies, generally guarding the ancestral business, and it is very stable without danger, because a lot of the shares of Nanyang Steamship Corporation and Nanyang Bank are still in his hands, and he has a lot of time to and from Nanyang.

Tan Kah Kee and Huang Zhonghan are mainly in the sugar and rubber industries, and they earned a lot of profits during the First World War, but Tan Kah Kee in Malaya and Singapore, in general, was rarely exploited by the colonial political axe, and Huang Zhonghan was exploited by the Dutch colonial political axe several times, and his net worth plummeted.

The business environment of Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia is not good, but compared with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there must have been a great improvement, don't look at the various contests between China and Britain are very strong, but the status of Chinese businessmen in Singapore and Malaya has improved rapidly, in the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and other places, and now the more complicated places are Indonesia and Australia.

Speaking of the problem on the Australian side, Indonesia's side is really complicated, and now there are great changes in the attitudes towards China and the Chinese among the big countries, but it is difficult to deal with small countries such as Ben and the Netherlands, so it is difficult to deal with small ghosts.

After Song Biao asked them about the business situation in Southeast Asia in the past few years, the overall feeling was that the Netherlands had the most problems, and Zhang Hongsheng directly proposed that the empire directly send troops to defeat the Netherlands and annex Indonesia.

Listening to this proposal, several other Chinese businessmen also actively suggested that the empire send troops, and compared with the current empire, the Netherlands is indeed not a level of opponent.

After thinking about it for a while, Song Biao waved his hand and said: "China's current situation is not easy to come by, and there is no need to make the world's powers think that China is eager to expand and interrupt and restrict cooperation with China. Next year or the year after, we plan to arrange a fleet visit to Europe, send the main fleet to Europe and the United States, and then we will go to the Netherlands to let the Netherlands understand how strong the empire is, in addition, I also plan to invite high-ranking officials such as the Dutch foreign minister to visit the empire. Formally, we still respect the Dutch colonial right to Indonesia, but in terms of actual economic and trade control, because China is the main one, Chinese businessmen want to occupy the main position in the local economy. You can rest assured that if the Dutch colonial government dares to blackmail or illegally oppress you, the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Association will definitely come forward for you, and the empire will directly use force as your backing. In addition, I would like to ask more Chinese merchants from Nanyang to invest in New Caledonia and Central New Guinea, which are our colonies, and in the long run, the empire has a perfect immigration plan, and we have a naval base in Noumeia, New Caledonia, and will gradually station more naval fleets there in the future, and the protection will be more perfect. Of course, Indonesia and Malaya are still the most important places, in order to allow you to show your strengths, the empire will also inject capital into Nanyang Bank to provide you with more credit support, and the layout of China Commerce Bank in Nanyang has been largely completed, which is an important support for you. ”

Several Chinese businessmen were very happy, now that China is strong, it is much easier to do business in foreign countries, and in the end, as long as they can make the Netherlands a little more restrained, with their ability, they will naturally be as happy as a fish in water.

Song Biao remembered another thing, and reminded them: "There is just one thing to say, the rubber business in recent years should be more convergent, the imperial Ministry of Commerce statistics on the development of various industries in recent years, judging that in the next few years, the prices of several major products in the world will decline sharply, first of all, wheat and soybeans, wheat and soybean production in Canada and Argentina have increased by 7% per year in the past ten years, and China's wheat and soybean production has increased even more, with the rapid recovery of European agriculture, A significant decline in global food prices is expected next year. In addition, after these years of continuous growth and long-term high rubber prices, rubber production in Africa and Central America began to gradually reach a new peak in the next three years, and rubber production in Southeast Asia will also exceed the estimated growth, the most important principle of the balance of the empire's economic and trade relations is the relationship between consumer demand and output, in fact, the reason is very simple, everyone thinks that they will grow rubber to make money, and the result will always be unsold. The British company is the most courageous in acquiring rubber, and I have established that you will keep a portion of the rubber plantation, and all the others will be sold at a good price. Or to invest in the rubber planting industry in Hainan, because once the global rubber price hits hard, the empire will activate an emergency bill to increase rubber tariffs to protect the domestic rubber planting industry. ”

Zhang Hongsheng couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, where is the rubber in New Guinea?" ”

His rubber plantations in New Guinea were large and had only been in operation since the First World War, and they had not yet reached the end of their production period.

Song Biao thought for a while and said, "Theoretically, it should be within the scope of the protection bill, but we are not sure, it will depend on the situation at that time." In New Guinea, we mainly support the cultivation of coffee and cocoa, although Yunnan is developing coffee planting, but the total output is still relatively low, and cocoa has almost no industrial base in the country, the empire still needs cocoa, so planting cocoa in New Guinea will be a good investment, the key is how to open this market in the country, there must be a long-term operation and long-term marketing problem. There should also be a complete cocoa processing industry chain in China, and I suggest that you can make a long-term plan in this regard, and don't rush it. Of course, the scale of this business is not too large, and the Nanyang Steamship Company you are running now is still good, so you can make more efforts on this. In the long run, the domestic economy will still develop faster, but the international economic environment still has too many unstable factors, the United Kingdom has been trying to return to the gold standard in recent years, and we and the United States also support them, so as to avoid our currency being overspent on credit, causing domestic financial tightening. But if Britain and France fail to deal with this problem, it is likely that a new round of financial crisis will ensue. In recent years, you should still invest as much as possible in domestic industry, engage in trade in Southeast Asia, and try to avoid financial shocks. ”

For example, the big Chinese businessmen represented by Nanyang this time have successively participated in the early 175 projects in China, and in recent years, they have generally participated in some subsequent national industrial plan projects, and the value of China's industry is still there, but on the whole it is not as important as the Far East, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong merchants.

From the point of view of protecting the national industrialists, it is also necessary for the Empire to provide them with a safe haven, as well as to provide them with some up-to-date and relatively complete information on the international market that only the Imperial Ministry of Commerce can collect, to help and support their development.

During the First World War, the increase in international grain was very strong, but from the later stage of World War I, as Argentina, Canada and China's grain production began to increase rapidly, Argentina and China are cheap labor resources, land costs are cheap, once the upper limit of the population's food demand is exceeded, food prices will fall sharply, while Canada's high grain yield is completely due to mechanized planting, the cost is lower.

In 1919, the total wheat exports of the United States were $900 million, and that of China was $130 million, and in 1921, the total wheat exports of the United States fell to $540 million, while that of China increased to $280 million, and the total wheat exports of Canada and Argentina were as high as $400 million.

This is only the beginning, China is now learning from the United States, once the grain output per mu reaches the standard of the United States, and the land in the Far East and Novosibirsk has been effectively reclaimed, the total grain output of the empire will increase substantially, and this is still on the basis of China's vigorous development of forestry and animal husbandry.

With the continuous improvement of new reclamation and water conservancy conditions, China is now about 5.5 mu of cultivated land per capita, and it is expected to reach 7 mu of cultivated land per capita and 2.5 mu of pasture per capita in 10 years.

With the growth of domestic per capita income and labor costs, the empire has now considered preparing to implement protective tariffs on agriculture, and China will still exceed its grain to a certain extent every year on the premise of basically ensuring its own food needs, and on a global scale, the world grain production price will continue to fall.

The U.S. agricultural problem will be more serious because its agricultural output far exceeds its own needs.

During the Sino-US trade supplement talks, there was a fierce quarrel over the issue of US agricultural exports, but fortunately, the United States now has no subsidies for agriculture, and China has cheaper grain and meat products than the United States, and the United States has finally abandoned the disputed clause in this regard.

The problem of the United States now is that the foreign trade surplus has shrunk sharply, especially during the war prosperity period of the First World War, so at this stage, it mainly relies on credit to stimulate consumption, especially the installment loan is very powerful, and the production of automobiles in the United States has increased from 1.5 million in 1919 to 3 million in 1922, and to 5 million in 1929, and almost all rely on installments to support the development of the automobile industry, from real estate to automobiles. With the announcement of a large interest rate hike in the United Kingdom to protect the gold standard of the pound, the flow of funds back to the United Kingdom, the bubble of the American stock market collapsed, and it instantly turned into the largest economic crisis and Great Depression in the history of the world.

$100 million in 1929 was a staggering amount.

The U.S. stock market lost $84 billion in market value in a month, and in 1929, the world's dollar M2 added up to more than $60 billion, which is still M2, and the actual cash in circulation in transactions M0 could not exceed $40 billion.

In the process of continuously implementing the reform of the majority of the ministry system, Song Biao merged the Foreign Trade Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration of Foreign Trade, and the State Bureau of Statistics into a single Ministry of Commerce, and a very important task of the Ministry of Commerce is to collect global economic and trade data and study and judge the trend of the international economy.

At this time, Song Biao wanted to organize the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference, that is, he hoped that Chinese businessmen around the world would take the initiative to increase cooperation with the Imperial Ministry of Commerce, and share the statistics of the Ministry of Commerce on a regular basis through the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, which would be more conducive to their investment and business decisions in foreign countries.

The reason for this is very simple, it is to support and protect the development of Chinese business capital in global competition, and the empire now recognizes dual nationality, which means that as long as you are Chinese, having citizenship in a foreign country will not change the fact of holding Chinese nationality, unless the other country does not recognize dual nationality, and you will not be given national treatment if you do not give up your Chinese nationality.

Of course, one thing can be assured, the empire will never play the game of non-interference in foreign internal affairs, the empire will force all surrounding countries to accept dual citizenship, and if the Chinese have an accident in your country, I will have an excuse to settle accounts with you.

Don't say that our country is small and there are a large number of Chinese, and you are afraid that your big country will oppress us, you don't recognize dual nationality, and I can manage the Chinese in China.

Pull.

Big countries are going to do bad things like bullying and oppressing your small countries.

(To be continued)