Different from the business style of the first few years, Hu Chuyuan is rarely monopolizing a market alone, and has become a person who is extremely good at cutting cakes and dividing cakes.

Therefore, the Ningbo Merchants, the Guangdong Merchants, the Tianjin Merchants, and the Nanxun Merchants all like to do business with him, even the Jin Merchants who have always been alone, self-contained, and even empty-eyed Jin Merchants are willing to cooperate with him.

Liu Yong was quietly silent for several years, secretly running the family business, and slowly returned to the level of his heyday.

His current capital is about 50 million yuan, and he sees that the real estate, banking, railway, and industrial markets are getting hotter and hotter, and he also wants to make a big investment recently, but he must ask Hu Chuyuan for clarification first.

On this morning, Hu Chuyuan also talked to him and suggested that he should not be in a hurry to invest in real estate in the Tianjin Concession for the time being, because the highest profiteering period had passed, and let him invest in other projects in the Shanghai Concession.

When it comes to projects, others can't think about it, but Hu Chuyuan has a lot of it in his hand.

This time he went to the United States and Europe, and he bought a large number of technology patents on a large scale, and the project of the "safe" bicycle of the Englishman John Starley was already invested in Shanghai, and he suggested that Liu Yong also invest a large amount of money, and at the same time engage in tricycle and rickshaw technology.

Liu Yong has a lot of money in his hands, and he can also invest in building a new machine weaving factory.

Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou have formed a huge silk industry, which can also be said to be the center of the global silk industry, where the development momentum is the strongest, especially in Hangzhou, not only the production of silk fabrics, but also the production of new products such as silk quilts and silk pillows.

In addition, Shanghai is also the world's largest hemp processing place, fine imitation hemp fabrics are sold all over the world, and Nanchang, Jiangxi is the largest bamboo products processing place.

Under Hu Chuyuan's control, China's agricultural product processing and national industry developed very rapidly, and in Shanghai, cables, electric lights, glass, toothpaste, soap, laundry detergent, bicycles, paints, dyes, pigments, cement, gypsum, 、...... Almost all foreign industrial products, Shanghai has formed its own scale and system.

After sending Liu Yong away, Hu Chuyuan went back to Fairview Villa to meet Zhang Zhidong.

In Hu Chuyuan's view, Kang Youwei is fundamentally a political opportunist, smart is smart, but unfortunately it is used in the wrong place, and it can also be said to be a typical example of being smart but being mistaken by smart.

Zhang Zhidong, this person is a typical example of being really smart.

In the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty, you can no longer find a more powerful wall grass than Zhang Zhidong, but the most powerful thing about him is that he can always make the wisest choice at the most critical moment.

This is the real politician.

His family has been an official eunuch for generations, a native of Nanpi, born in Guizhou, when his father was a prefect in Guizhou, and he grew up in Guizhou when he was a child, and now he is a fifty-two-year-old Mr. Half Hundred.

In the flower hall of Splendid Villa, Hu Chuyuan saw Zhang Zhidong, who was quite burly, with a white beard on his face, he looked a bit like a military general, particularly majestic, and he seemed to be a person who dared to act.

Today, it is different from the past, and now Hu Chuyuan is a member of the imperial court.

As soon as he saw Hu Chuyuan, Zhang Zhidong, who was chatting with Miao Quansun about the past, hurriedly got up, folded with Hu Chuyuan, and bowed his hand and said: "Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Xiaguan Shandong, has seen the senior minister!" ”

Hu Chuyuan also bowed his hand slightly, asked Zhang Zhidong to continue to sit down, and asked, "Why did you come in such a hurry, and you didn't send a telegram in advance, I will send someone to pick you up." After all, is this Mr. Miao next to me still your protégé? ”

Zhang Zhidong said with a smile: "The matter is urgent, as soon as the decree of the imperial court comes, the lower officials hurried over and wanted to discuss with you." What to do about the affairs of Qingdao's industrial circles, this matter still has to be up to you to come up with a foolproof strategy. ”

Speaking of this, he said: "Second, the lower officials also want to make a special trip to thank the senior minister for his recommendation in front of the emperor, and he is grateful. ”

Hu Chuyuan was a little strange and thought...... Emperor Guangxu was still young and couldn't hold his breath.

He recommended Zhang Zhidong's matter, only he and Emperor Guangxu Zaiyan knew, only how long has it been now, Zhang Zhidong knows, it is clear that Emperor Guangxu Zaiyan has found Zhang Zhidong's brother Zhang Zhiwan to discuss, let Zhang Zhiwan get the news, and then secretly send a telegram to congratulate Zhang Zhidong, let Zhang Zhidong work hard in Shandong, the emperor is looking at him.

Hu Chuyuan didn't say much, only said: "Shandong is a place that can achieve a great cause, the key is whether the local governor has the courage and the courage to be the first in the world!" ”

Zhang Zhidong immediately said: "The lower official has the courage to do everything, and he only asks the senior minister to order everything." ”

Hu Chuyuan laughed and said, "I can't talk about orders, let's discuss it together." But before I talk about Shandong, I'll show you another telegram. ”

As he spoke, he asked Miao Quansun to go to the general letter room and bring the telegram sent by Li Hongzhang the day before yesterday.

The two waited for a while, and Miao Quansun took the telegram and handed it to Zhang Zhidong for a look.

Zhang Zhidong looked at it, not only frowning slightly.

It turned out that this telegram was quite private.

Li Hongzhang complained about Hu Chuyuan's treachery, he didn't do it properly at all, and actually arranged Sun Jianai to such a vacant position as the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, so that Yan Jingming held the power of the household department.

Yan Jingming and Li Hongzhang also had a little holiday, when Li Hongzhang received a sum of money from the imperial court to deal with the flood control levee of the Daqing River, he spent a lot of money, Li Hongzhang himself must have been greedy, he reported to the imperial court, saying that it had been done very beautifully, and the embankment would never break again in the future.

That's good, as soon as he finished speaking, he broke up.

Yan Jingming was the person in charge of appropriation at that time, and in a fit of anger, he ruthlessly participated in Li Hongzhang's book, making Li Hongzhang disgraced.

In addition, Li Hongzhang also wants to buy ironclad ships, the problem is that the three major sailors have a penny, and each family has 3 million yuan, which is not enough for Li Hongzhang's Huai army to fill the gaps. The same amount of money is basically enough in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Li Hongzhang himself is still to blame for the problem.

But he didn't care about this, he told Hu Chuyuan, saying that Hu Chuyuan only cared about himself, got an official position in the imperial court, and set up a big yamen in Shanghai, but he didn't give him any benefits.

After reading the telegram, Zhang Zhidong thought that Hu Chuyuan was going to fall out with Li Hongzhang, which was forcing him to set an example.

He immediately said: "Senior Minister, these statements in the middle hall are really unreasonable. Yan Shangshu is honest and honest, proficient in taxation, and is the first person to manage the household department. As for the matter of the Beiyang Naval Division, it is even more unreasonable, it is also an annual allocation of 3 million clear yuan, why did the Nanyang and Donghai naval divisions not say that the money is not enough? ”

Hu Chuyuan just smiled and said, "Zhongtang just lost his temper with me, and he didn't fall out with me for such a trivial matter." He was forcing me to find a way to help him, but he was too embarrassed to bow his face and speak. Don't worry. When it comes to the funding of the Beiyang Naval Division, there is also a reason for this, 3 million clear yuan is definitely enough for the annual expenses of the Beiyang Naval Division, and in an extra year, some money can be used to buy warships, build additional docks and military ports. The problem is that Zhongtang not only has the Beiyang Naval Division, but also the Huai Army under the account, and over the years, Zhongtang has been supporting part of the Huai Army with the money of the Water Division. Although the reason is wrong, it is also forced to be helpless. It stands to reason that he should dismantle some Huai troops and only raise elite soldiers, but after all, it is an old department for many years, and he is reluctant. ”

Zhang Zhi realized that he had just said, and immediately nodded: "It is really beyond Zhang's ability to be so wronged and take into account the overall situation. However, having said that, the affairs of the country are important, as an important minister of the imperial court, how can Zhongtang abolish the public because of private affairs, how can he be reluctant, he has been raising some idle soldiers, isn't this a major event that delays the country's coastal defense? ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "Forget it, each family has a scripture that is difficult to read. Besides, these things are not a problem for me. The reason why I want to let you see this telegram before talking about Shandong is that I want to share the worries and difficulties of Lord Zhongtang through you, and if you want to achieve success in Shandong, you still need Li Zhongtang's presence and support at some times. ”

Zhang Zhidong understood what Hu Chuyuan meant, and immediately said: "Thank you for your cultivation." ”

It's a pity that he has been very smooth today, one step at a time, and he became a governor at the age of fifty-two, but in front of Hu Chuyuan, this promotion speed is too slow.

Hu Chuyuan said: "Master Zhang, we don't have to be too polite, we really can't talk about cultivation, you and I are not superiors and subordinates." I am the Minister of Finance, and I am under the control of the Military Aircraft Department and the Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Office, and I am only assisting the Governor-General in handling industrial and commercial affairs. Whether it's a product or a second product, it's all virtual, and the emperor also gave me a first-class top for the sake of my money and efforts. How can we calculate that we are all at the same level, as the so-called strong dragon does not suppress the head snake, when I arrive in Shandong, I still have to call you a governor, take care of it. ”

As soon as he heard this, Zhang Zhidong's slightly suppressed and jealous heart also disappeared, and Lang laughed and said, "How dare you." Senior Minister, even if you are a member of the third grade, in Zhang's heart, you are the best court official in the world. What you can do, there is no second person in the world who can do. ”

Hu Chuyuan just smiled slightly and didn't say anything.

Zhang Zhidong continued to ask, "Senior Minister, then how do you plan for me to help a group of Zhongtang adults?" ”

"Wait a minute!"

Hu Chuyuan stood up, went to get a map of Shandong, spread it out for Zhang Zhidong to look at, pointed to Weihai Port and said: "This port is very good, but if we build fields in the sea in Sunjiatong Town, connect Huangdao, Qingdao, Liugong Island, and Yue Island, and make fields from Gushan Town to the north, form a stable circular bay, form an effective protection for the internal harbor, and then build forts on both sides and on the foundation of the circular double-arm island, continue to dig deep into the bay inside Liugong Island, clean up sand and gravel, and form a deeper harbor. and build a Weihai shipyard and dock repair yard in Huancui Town, so that this is not the best military port in the world, even if there are more enemy ships sailing over, it can only look at the port and sigh! ”

Zhang Zhidong was overjoyed and said: "This strategy is unique, Weihai Port is really far different from Luoyuan Bay Port of the East China Sea Division, but if there is such a transformation, it is really equivalent to the same small Luoyuan Bay." It's just that...... That's too much to spend, isn't it? ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "I estimated that it will cost more than 10 million yuan...... If you count the shipyard and the fort, I'm afraid it will cost 20 million yuan. When you think about it, it really feels like the gains outweigh the losses, but we have to do it. Although Port Arthur is good, it cannot play the role of defending the Beijing Division, and the base camp of the Beiyang Naval Division can only be located in Weihai. In order to defend Jingshi and Bohai Bay, this is what must be done. The money is paid by me, but it is only through the Shandong Yamen. This was originally a major event, but if this money was given to Lord Zhongtang to do it himself, I estimate that even if it was scattered with 30 million yuan, the matter might not be reliable. ”

Zhang Zhidong nodded silently and said, "Okay, since Senior Minister trusts me so much, then let me do it!" ”

He knew in his heart that Li Hongzhang's Huai Department had too many old departments, a group of friends, and when he encountered such a large sum of money, who didn't want to swallow a sum of money, and in the end, 20 million Qingyuan would be smashed out, and at least half of it would be swallowed by these moles.

After saying this, with this map, Hu Chuyuan took a pencil and drew a circle in several key places, and said: "Right now, the Bianji Railway from Kaifeng Prefecture to Jinan Prefecture is ready to start, and you are building two other railways in Shandong, one is from Jinan to Qingdao, and the other is from Haizhou to Weihai, passing through Qingdao. If there is something in Weihai, all armies can gather in Weihai in the shortest possible time to ensure that Weihai is not lost. If Weihai is not lost, the Jingshi will be safe, and the world will be safe. We must understand this account in our hearts. ”

Zhang Zhidong said: "Zhang understands, please rest assured." ”

Hu Chuyuan just smiled and asked Miao Quansun to take out all kinds of materials that he had explored in Shandong over the years and hand them over to Zhang Zhidong, so that he could first establish the Qingdao industrial community and run these mines through the Shandong Commercial Bank.

How to build Shandong, he has already designed a comprehensive plan.

Industry-based, supplemented by agriculture, set up a large steel plant and military factory in Laiwu, the work here can allow Shandong Commercial Bank and Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau to invest, there is no need to pay another sum of money from Shandong taxes, only need to merge Shandong Machinery Bureau into Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau.

The iron and steel industry and textile industry are definitely the priority industries for the development of Shandong, and a complete set of national industrial system has been developed in Qingdao's industrial circles around the iron and steel and other metallurgical industries and mining industries.

If everything can be done at a faster pace, within three years, Shandong's economy will be able to undergo qualitative changes and transform from a large agricultural province to a major industrial province.

Shandong's population is too large, and now it is proposed to immigrate to the northeast, and the surname may not be large, and the people's private invasion of the eastern part of the country cannot solve the problem.

Therefore, Shandong must have large-scale infrastructure investment in recent years, and in this regard, Shandong commercial banks alone will not work.

Hu Chuyuan thought that the Jiangnan Commercial Bank would directly annex the Shandong Commercial Bank, so that the problems of capital, technology, personnel and management could be easily solved, but this method was not the best.

Hu Chuyuan made a suggestion to Zhang Zhidong, and Zhang Zhidong agreed again and again, but what those people in the Military Aircraft Department would think, Hu Chuyuan couldn't tell.

Zhang Zhidong wanted to observe the Shanghai concession for a few days, as a model for Qingdao's industrial circles, and stayed in Yongyuan at night.

It was really in the evening that Hu Chuyuan made time to entertain the envoys of the Kingdom of Iran, and sure enough, as he expected, King Nassr al-Din Shah of the Qajar Dynasty of Iran wanted to borrow a sum of money from him to secretly build his own army.

At this time, Iran was also quite cheating, with Russian forces on the back, British forces on the south, and the Ottoman Empire on the west, and it has been continuously invaded by Britain and Russia in the past 20 years.

The last time he went to Iran and the Ottoman Empire, Hu Chuyuan specially chose a Hui shopkeeper named Ma Baoheng to accompany him, because he had the same religious beliefs, which left a lot of room for fantasy and goodwill for the other party.

Therefore, when thinking about borrowing money recently, both Ottoman and Iran are particularly prone to think of Hu Chuyuan.

For Hu Chuyuan, of course, this is a good thing, he has no energy to manage Iran at the moment, but he understands that sooner or later he will have to stretch out his hand.

Not only did he agree to borrow money, but he also asked Ma Baoheng to bring another sum of money to Iran for business.

(To be continued)