When Hu Chuyuan returned to Shanghai, it was already the tenth day of the second lunar month, and the weather in Shanghai was a little dry and cold, which made people feel uncomfortable.

CITIC deposit notes have been sold for more than half a year, not only CITIC Qianzhuang, Jiangnan Agricultural Cooperative and Jiangnan Commercial Bank, but also the semicolon Qianzhuang in which CITIC has a stake.

As of the twentieth day of last year, when CITIC suspended the sale of deposit notes on the grounds of abundant deposits, the total sales of deposit bills had reached 337.83 billion yuan, most of which were exchanged for 90.72 million taels of silver in various places, and then through river transportation, sea transportation, Cao transportation, and even other ticket numbers, including competitors, concentrated in Shanghai to cast into the Qing Dynasty silver yuan.

This process is still very thrilling, if the Qing court does not adopt the silver round design submitted by Hu Chuyuan, it will have to be re-cast.

Fortunately, the Qing court was in a hurry to borrow five million taels of silver from Hu Chuyuan's CITIC ticket number, and everything was left to the Shanghai Banking Bureau and CITIC Bank to do on their own.

When Hu Chuyuan returned to Shanghai, the Shanghai Silver Bureau had completed the minting of 40 million Qing silver yuan, and another 170 million Qing copper yuan, called Qing baht, each baht contained 3.3 times the copper content of the official seal copper coin.

500 baht is exchanged for one clear dollar, and the silver content of each clear round is exactly 0.49 taels, which is five coins of silver.

Each clear yuan is equal to half a tael of silver, 500 baht is exchanged for one clear yuan, 100 baht is exactly one silver coin, and 1 clear baht can be used according to market conditions for three copper coins.

Everything was ready, and Hu Chuyuan officially opened the Shanghai Banking Bureau on 20 February, with Tu Renshou as the first supervisor of the Banking Bureau, under the direct management of Yang Changjun of Shanghai Daotai, and the CITIC Bank was officially opened on the same day.

On the twentieth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the spring equinox, the zodiac is auspicious, and everything is appropriate.

This day should be written in history, the first bank of the Chinese finally appeared on the Huangpu Bund after two years of gestation and planning.

Unlike foreign banks, China CITIC Bank did not intend to issue silver dollar rolls from the beginning, it issued large denominations of paper baht, Hu Chuyuan was convinced that the domestic silver yuan was enough to serve as the highest denomination of currency, the real inconvenience was that there was no large amount of copper coins, so he focused on the paper baht route.

CITIC Bank's Qing Baht banknotes are issued in five denominations: 5 baht, 10 baht, 20 baht, 50 baht and 100 baht, and this design is also carefully considered, which is more acceptable and easier to calculate in the domestic market than the Mexican silver dollar, and is more suitable for people to use in their daily lives.

Taking advantage of the monopoly position of Jiangnan Agricultural Cooperatives and Jiangnan Commercial Banks, the newly minted silver yuan and Qing baht quickly entered the five provinces of Jiangnan, followed by paper baht.

Paper baht is indeed very convenient, as long as it is a paper baht issued by China CITIC Bank, it can be exchanged for silver yuan and copper baht in Jiangnan Commercial Bank, Jiangnan Agricultural Cooperative, and all merchants and money banks that cooperate with them.

Compared with copper coins, Qing Baht is directly bound to Qing Yuan, and the stability of the market value is beyond doubt.

The circulation rate of paper baht in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces has increased rapidly, and the people continue to exchange copper coins for Qing baht, while CITIC Money Zhuang continues to transfer copper coins to other provinces to exchange for silver, and issue additional Qing baht.

After the capital in his hands began to increase sharply, Hu Chuyuan did not immediately invest in Jiangnan agriculture, but first concentrated most of the funds in the Shanghai concession to operate real estate, and began to sell the houses built in the American concession in the past two years for installment loans, and the China CITIC Bank and Wanqi Bank were responsible for issuing loans.

Following him, the money village of the Ningbo merchant gang also quickly got involved in this market, and a large number of small businessmen began to invest in buying houses, and the increase in land prices in the Shanghai Concession has also accelerated significantly, with the price per mu exceeding 40,000 yuan, and the land prices on the Bund and Nanjing Road in the British Concession and the American Concession have successively exceeded 80,000 yuan per mu.

After all, Hu Chuyuan's goal is to cash out and withdraw funds back into agricultural investment.

He just chose a more beautiful way to cash out, he joined hands with Wanqi & Co., Swire & Co. to concentrate funds to build houses, plan various communities, and set up Jiangnan Commercial Bank branches, Fumao Department Store, Zhongrun Department Store, CITIC Money Village Branch, pawnshop, medicine store, hospital, public school, Yijuku and other ways to continuously increase the price of lots in Hongkou, Suzhou Creek and Yangpu areas.

He planned Yangpu as an entire industrial zone, where more than 40 private factories of various types were invested, and Hongkou was planned as a relatively high-end residential area with many small commercial centers.

Through the "Declaration" controlled in his hands and the new "Jiangnan Daily", he continued to publicize how much the overall price would increase after the improvement of various facilities in these lots, and speculated on the land price, which was conducive to his own cash.

It was under this kind of speculation that the real estate in the Hongkou area began to soar rapidly, sprinting towards an average rate of 80,000 yuan per mu, while the Bund rushed to the 100,000 yuan mark.

During this time, of course, he was very busy, from morning to night, and he had to insist on going to Fuzhou once a month, and Wu Shuzhen's Jetta Foreign Bank also ushered in a good start.

As the scale of the industry became larger and larger, in order to facilitate management, Hu Chuyuan set up a new general manager system, and the old four treasurers were still the chief treasurers, plus Zheng Xitai, who was the general manager of China CITIC Bank, a total of five people.

The chief shopkeeper is in charge of the big shopkeeper and the semicolon shopkeeper, but the big shopkeepers such as Hu Dazong, Zhu Funian, Zhu Yannian, and Li Hongling are also directly under the control of Hu Chuyuan.

Taking advantage of this time, Hu Chuyuan made a new adjustment to the entire CITIC system, and the CITIC ticket number continued to open a general shop only in the provincial capitals and the most prosperous prefectures, and the ticket number in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was mainly Fukang.

In addition, he opened a Wantong ticket number in Zhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Northwest China, a Zhaofeng ticket number in Liangjiang and three provinces, a Hongfeng ticket number in Huguang, a Guangxinyuan ticket number in Liangguang, a Wanliyuan ticket number in Yunnan and Guizhou, a Tianbaoyuan ticket number in Sichuan, a Kaitai Heyuan ticket number in Henan and Shandong, a Fuchangyuan ticket number in Fujian and Taiwan, and a Jinliyuan ticket number in the three northeastern provinces.

The big shopkeeper of these ticket numbers belongs to the big shopkeeper of the semicolon, except for Li Hongling, who promised in advance that only Hu Chuyuan would ask about it, and Zhu Yannian's hard work, the rest of the people were under the control of Chen Xiaobai.

Like the Shanxi ticket number, Chen Xiaobai has a second and third treasurers around him, respectively served by Wang Xijiu and Luo Jincheng, while Zheng Xitai is in charge of CITIC Bank, setting up branches in Tianjin and Hong Kong respectively, and three offices in San Francisco, Singapore and London, and Ye Tongguang is the general manager of CITIC Financing.

Through a huge network of semicolons, coupled with a large number of small money banks that participate, invest in shares, and hold shares, Hu Chuyuan has extremely strong authority in regulating currency exchange rates.

A steady stream of copper coins in the south of the Yangtze River were transferred to other provinces through these ticket numbers, turned into silver, and returned to the CITIC Bank from the books, and new paper money was issued to exchange for copper coins.

After all, the business of ticket numbers is special, and the old tradition is also very unique, Hu Chuyuan did not ask too much, but only managed the business of each ticket number through CITIC Bank.

Hu Chuyuan's business is getting bigger and bigger, but it is also getting more and more stable.

Gradually, the time came to September 1881, the tenth day of the eighth lunar month of the seventh year of Guangxu, and one more day was Bailu.

On this day, Hu Chuyuan received an urgent call from Zuo Zongtang from Suzhou, asking him to quickly return to Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden. He could only hand over the affairs of CITIC to Chen Xiaobai and others first, and set off back to Suzhou by himself.

This year's September in Suzhou is cool, wearing a horse coat is not too hot, the carriage is driving on the streets of Qingshi Road, and you can feel the cool breeze when you open the curtains.

Hu Chuyuan's heart was full of joy, at this time, he had gradually reached a peak in his life.

The skyrocketing price of land in the Shanghai Concession has made his net worth easily break through the 300 million yuan mark, and not many people know it, which feels really wonderful.

The carriage stopped in front of the Humble Administrator's Garden, and not far away was the yamen of the governor of Jiangsu.

Humble Administrator's Garden.

At this time, the Humble Administrator's Garden has fallen into the hands of Hu Chuyuan, and last year tens of thousands of taels of silver were allocated to repair and renovate, and all parts of the garden looked in good order, with a hundred flowers blooming, and the flowers were purple and red.

A lake is as quiet as jasper, wrinkled by the wind, and wrinkled like ripples.

This time, Zuo Zongtang lived in Wakano Hall, which is the main building in the middle of the Humble Administrator's Garden, surrounded by water on three sides and with charming scenery on all sides.

After being informed, Hu Chuyuan walked into the hall quickly, and when he looked up, he saw Zuo Zongtang just coming out of the back hall of the side hall. Compared with two years ago, Zuo Zongtang is now a little more blessed, with a ruddy complexion, but unfortunately his eyes are a little dark and not so sharp.

He took a few steps forward, clasped his fists and saluted: "Lord Zhongtang! ”

Zuo Zongtang bowed his head slightly, asked him to sit down first, and said, "You came just in time, the old man came to Suzhou this time to invite you to come over and talk about something." ”

Zuo Zongtang became turbid, and it was also bottomless.

Hu Chuyuan replied cautiously: "Please also speak up in the middle hall." ”

Zuo Zongtang didn't like it, he couldn't see his state of mind, and reminded indifferently: "Your period of Ding worry is coming to an end, thinking about your merits in the past few years, the court has made a fold, and wants the old man to recommend an official vacancy to you, you say, where do you want to be a leader?" ”

Hu Chuyuan, who had no intention of being an official, was inevitably a little casual, and said: "Zhongtang, the position of Fuzhou Shipmaster can be promoted!" ”

Zuo Zongtang nodded silently, but said: "I'm afraid I can't help you, the old man received a secret note from Prince Su some time ago, saying that the Queen Mother appreciates you very much and wants you to be a Shanghai Taoist...... But for now, there is something else to tell you. ”

Hu Chuyuan asked, "What errand?" ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "Chen Lanbin, please retreat, return to the imperial court, and want to recommend you as the minister to the United States." The court did not allow the performance, what about him, this is another setback, or you have to deal with it in the past, I am afraid it is a very tricky matter, it is said that the Americans are anti-Chinese, and all the people of our country will be expelled from the country, which is related to the dignity of the imperial court, and the queen mother still attaches great importance to it and wants you to do it. ”

"Oh?"

Hu Chuyuan estimated that this was also the case, and after a little thought, he said: "I can give it a try, but it may not be effective." ”

He has always been paying attention to this matter, and he also asked Rong Hong to make some preparations two years ago.

Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and said: "Either you don't go, if you want to go, then you still have to do it, it's really not good, the old man will find a reason for you to refuse." ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "Then let me take a look, there is always more way than others to go." ”

Hearing him say this, Zuo Zongtang understood in his heart that although Hu Chuyuan did not dare to guarantee the ticket, he was still sure that he was three or four percent.

(To be continued)