With Zuo Zongtang in charge, the emperor's funeral dares to happen, let alone a Hu Xueyan?

The Hu family finally released the news...... There are no impermeable walls in the world, and the families are not fuel-efficient lamps, and the news has long spread in the city of Hangzhou, but it has not been confirmed.

The next time, the "Declaration" issued a supplemental issue - the richest man in the world, Hu Guangyong, died of illness! The news spread to all parts of the Yangtze River, Tianjin, and Guangzhou in an instant, and the whole country was shocked.

Within a few days, officials and businessmen from all over Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui came to mourn one after another, and even He Jing, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Yu Lu, the governor of Anhui, sent their staff to mourn, and Mei Qizhao, the governor of Zhejiang, and Wu Yuanbing, the governor of Jiangsu, came in person.

No matter what era it is, the Chinese must pay attention to the formation and pay attention to a grand event.

Zuo Zongtang personally came back from Yanjing, and sat in the Hu family compound to mourn Hu Xueyan for the last time, and officials from all over the vicinity only looked at Zuo Zongtang's face and status to mourn Hu Xueyan.

The decree of the Qing court almost followed Zuo Zongtang, only one day later, and ordered Zuo Zongtang, a scholar of Dongge University and governor of Liangjiang, to hold a funeral, and to build two merit shrines in Qiantang County, Hangzhou and Jixi County, Huizhou, and the rest of the rewards were all approved by Zuo Zongtang.

Among the many rewards, the rank of Captain of the Cloud Rider is the most special, and it is the first time that a merchant can be awarded the title of knight after death, although it is only the lowest rank of the world.

The location of the tomb was personally chosen by Zuo Zongtang, because Hu Xueyan believed in Buddhism and often donated to temples all over Zhejiang, so he took the meaning of serving the country, and selected the cemetery in Baoguo Temple, and built "Qiantang monk Hu Guangyong Merit Temple" in the temple.

In order to facilitate the children of the Hu family to guard the mausoleum, a filial piety house was temporarily built in front of the cemetery, and on the day of the burial, Hu Chuyuan and his two younger brothers stayed there.

According to the traditional rules of Hu's Jixi Hall, keeping filial piety is not going out for three years, not getting married, not going out, and having to guard the tomb in front of the tomb for three months.

If there are several sons in the family and there are things to deal with at home, after the first seven years, you can assign a son to wear plain clothes to go out to run errands, which is called foreign filial piety.

On the eighth day, Hu Chuyuan returned to the Hu family compound in the name of filial piety.

Zuo Zongtang still lives in the house, and when he returned home, he first visited the old lady, and Hu Chuyuan went to see Zuo Zongtang to see if Zuo Zongtang had anything to order.

As soon as he entered the Rongdong Courtyard where Zuo Zongtang lived, Zuo Zongtang's staff Yang Changjun hurriedly walked out, and the two met squarely.

Yang Changjun was formerly the governor of Zhejiang, but was later dismissed and investigated by the imperial court for the case of "Yang Naiwu and Little Cabbage", and could only stay under Zuo Zongtang as a staff member.

Seeing Hu Chuyuan, Yang Changjun smiled and said: "It's almost time, you can come back to do something, Lord Zhongtang sent me to call you, but you sent it to the door yourself." Okay, come with me to the middle hall! ”

"Good!"

Hu Chuyuan nodded, thinking, he knew that there was something to order.

These days, Hu Chuyuan has been pondering, the affairs of Xinjiang Province are not over, although the land except Ili has been recovered, but there is still the possibility of war with the Russians, Zuo Zongtang urgently returned to serve as the governor of Liangjiang at this time, there must be a mystery in it.

Entering the flower hall on the first floor of Rongdong Courtyard, Hu Chuyuan saw Zuo Zongtang and his staff Hu Ruilan discussing things, and there was also a half-hundred-year-old man with a yellow and thin face, dressed plainly, looking like a poor old talent who had read poetry and books, with a cold and lonely expression, and he didn't know who it was.

As soon as he entered the door, Zuo Zongtang glanced at him, motioned for him to sit on the two rows of seats, and said, "Chu Yuan, I see that you are doing things reasonably and modestly these days, and you are still smart, so it is better to stay by my side for the time being!" ”

"Thank you, Lord Nakado, for your support!"

Hu Chuyuan clenched his fists and bowed his head, and then sat down beside Hu Ruilan, feeling both relieved and had another plan.

Hu Xueyan's death was completely unexpected by him, and it also disrupted his previous plan, if he wanted to keep his family business, he had to become an official and businessman of the Hunan army, and now it is impossible to take refuge in others, only the Hunan army and Zuo Zongtang can keep his family business, and even make him and the Hu family richer.

Now it's okay, Hu Chuyuan knows in his heart that he can basically keep the errand of officials and businessmen in the leftist forces of the Hunan army, so at least he can keep the family business for now, as for the future...... Then we can only take one step at a time, slowly look for new forces, support new forces, and of course, invest abroad and transfer assets, but that can't solve what Hu Chuyuan really wants to do in his heart.

In this era, if we want to revitalize China and revitalize China's economy, it is one aspect to engage in industry, and the real key is precisely to do a good job in agriculture, not only in the silk and tea industries, but also in grain, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, and hemp...... Wait a minute.

Agricultural exports were so important that the U.S. economy surpassed Britain in terms of national GDP in the eighties of the 19th century, but it was not until 1894 that the total foreign industrial exports of the United States exceeded those of agriculture and raw materials.

After all, there are only a few people who can really get rich together in industry, and it is different to engage in agriculture.

After all, China is an agrarian society, and when the peasants have money, then there will be a broad consumer market, and with the consumer market, you can have national industry.

There is nothing wrong with industry saving the country, the problem is that the big basic market cannot be avalanche.

If the big basic disk collapses, then nothing can save the country, and you can only wait for GCD...... Because 40,000,000 compatriots have become the poor of the poor, there is no market at all, the country is a poor mess, there is no export, only imports, then what kind of industry and capitalism are there to engage in?

Hu Chuyuan's other thought at the moment is to see if he can use his identity as an official and businessman and Zuo Zongtang's power to do a good job in China's agriculture, even if it is only to do a good job in agriculture in the two rivers and three provinces, and stabilize the silk industry and tea, then it is okay.

Of course, serving Zuo Zongtang as a staff member is not only the first step into his career, but also a member of the army, and he is also at the forefront of politics...... This is really unwise, but unfortunately, Hu Chuyuan didn't choose.

Since there is no choice, it is not a countermeasure to use strength.

When he sat down, Zuo Zongtang said: "You have the merits left by your father, and it is very easy to become a leader, but I hope you can take care of some miscellaneous chores on food taxes for me first!" ”

Hu Chuyuan hummed, expecting it in his heart.

He asked Zuo Zongtang very cautiously: "I don't know what kind of food and salary affairs Lord Zhongtang has to be taken care of by his subordinates!" ”

Zuo Zongtang got up and sighed, and said: "As soon as your father died, there was no one to help me raise military salaries in the Jiangnan area, and I couldn't even raise military salaries, so what kind of war was there to fight?" I am in such a hurry to return to Liangjiang and take on the important task of governor to prepare grain, grass and military salaries for the Hunan army. As for the war in Xinjiang, as far as I can see, the Russians should not have felt that they had any chance of victory, otherwise they would have already started a war with us in Ili. For now, as long as they stick to it and slowly consume it with money and food, they should meet and make peace. ”

Hu Chuyuan asked curiously: "Who will take care of the affairs of Xinjiang Province?" ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "I have already played with the imperial court, temporarily leaving the military affairs on the grounds of recuperation, the current situation, Yanzhuang's talent is enough to be competent, not to mention that Liu Jintang, Xu Zhanbiao and Zhang Yao are all there, as long as the food and grass and military salaries are sufficient, there will be no accidents." ”

Liu Kunyi, whose name is Yanzhuang, can now be regarded as the third boss in the Hunan faction, and is serving as the governor of Liangguang.

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said, "Lord Zhongtang, I don't know anything about the Hunan army's food and military affairs, can you tell me about the current situation?" ”

Zuo Zongtang bowed slightly, sat down again, lit a bag of hookahs by himself, and his staff, Hu Ruilan, the former Zhejiang Xuezheng who was dismissed because of the "Yang Naiwu and Little Cabbage" case, talked about it with Hu Chuyuan.

Zuo Zongtang went to Xinjiang Province in the first year of Guangxu, and for four years, he spent more than 27 million taels of silver, and Shanxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, and Anhui provinces shared more than 8 million taels of military salaries, and borrowed foreign debts from Standard Chartered Bank four times, accumulating more than 12 million taels of silver.

At present, the Hunan army in Xinjiang Province has owed Qiao Zhiyong's Dadefeng ticket number and the total debt of various warehouses and rice banks 2.44 million taels of silver, and another 4.8 million taels of ammunition owed to the German Lixin Foreign Company and Chanchen Foreign Company.

After Hu Ruilan finished speaking, Zuo Zongtang put down the hookah with a cold expression, and said to Hu Chuyuan: "The debt of the foreign bank, the old man originally asked Shen Baozhen to use the salt tax of Liangjiang to guarantee for me, and Shen Baozhen also agreed, but Li Hefei inserted a lever from it, and he had to use the salt tax to guarantee the salary of the Beiyang army. The old man was still in Xinjiang Province at the time, and there was no way to deal with him in detail, so he could only ask your father to guarantee in his private name and borrow debts from foreigners to pay military salaries for the Hunan army. Now that your father is gone, the foreign bank will inevitably come to collect the money, and the Jianghuai salt tax is not under the control of the old man, where does the old man have the money to pay back? ”

Hearing these words, Hu Chuyuan understood.

It is no wonder that Zuo Zongtang put down his military affairs and rushed back to take up the post of governor of Liangjiang, if not for anything else, just for the salt tax of Jianghuai, but also to compete with Li Hongzhang for a huge amount of money, and leave the money in the tent of the Hunan army.

Without this money, the Hunan army may not be able to fight, and can only let the Russians occupy Ili.

As a result, Wu Yuanbing, the governor of Jiangsu who Li Hongzhang took the opportunity, had to leave, Shen Baozhen was transferred to the secretary of the military department of the Beijing Division, and Liu Kunyi was transferred from the governor of Liangguang to the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, with the overall jurisdiction of the military affairs of Xinjiang Province, and Zeng Guoquan sat as the governor of Shanxi to prepare materials and food for the Hunan army.

The ...... of this game of chess In today's late Qing Dynasty political situation, that is, Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang have the ability to afford this.

Zuo Zongtang continued to Hu Chuyuan and said: "The matter of salt affairs, the old man still needs a little time to rectify. Before that, you go to Shanghai and talk to Standard Chartered Bank and two foreign banks, and continue to guarantee in your name...... I hope it helps. Not only that, but you also have to continue to raise five million four hundred and forty thousand taels of silver, pay off the Qiao family's debts first, and then give Liu Kun one or three million taels of silver for military expenses. Old Man Qiao can also be regarded as a Jin businessman who is anxious for justice and righteousness, but after all, he is an outsider, and people also have to do business, this money must be repaid first, and your family's debts are not in a hurry. If you can have half of your father's ability, the old man plans to hand over the salt industry of Jianghuai to you to take care of! ”

Hu Chuyuan gasped.

Salt industry in JAC...... If it is all handed over to the Hu family to take care of, the annual revenue will definitely not be less than five million taels of silver.

According to the price of gold, 1 million taels of silver today is equivalent to 1.185 billion RMB in 130 years, and if the average purchasing power is calculated, it can be regarded as at least 500 million RMB.

6 billion RMB a year, or 2.5 billion RMB.

This is clearly not a small deal, but the most profitable one of our times.