The tariff rules of the Taiping army and foreign merchants were discussed in the Yamen of the Manchu Qing Customs, which is adjacent to the Huangpu River and opposite the famous Sanshan Hall and Tianhou Temple.

Today it was very lively, and almost all the prominent figures in the foreign concession were present. British Minister Wen Han, Consul Ali Guo, Secretary Midile, French Minister Blomble, French Consul Aitang, American Minister Marshali, American Consul Wu Liguo, and Vice Consul Kim Nengheng. Wu Liguo and Kim Neng-hyung have dual identities, and they are also representatives of the American Qichang Foreign Company.

The representative of the British Baoshun Foreign Company was the Englishman Bill, and the Baoshun Foreign Company is its Chinese common name, in fact, it should be called the Budian Bill Foreign Company, and the first owner of this foreign company was the notorious East India Company opium merchant Lance Lum. He was one of the main culprits in the Opium War. Bill joined Baoshun in 1840, and after he joined, the name of the company was changed to that of Bill. Bill only brought a fifteen-year-old young Chinese, this young man was actually just an apprentice of Baoshun Foreign Company in Shanghai, and when they introduced each other, Xiao Yungui and Hong Yuner were a little surprised, and they didn't understand why Bill would bring an apprentice to attend, but when they heard his name, the two were immediately relieved, this guy's name was Xu Run.

Xu Run, also known as Yizhang, the word Runli, the name Yuzhi, alias Yuzhai, is a native of Beiling Village, Xiangshan County. At the age of 14, he was taken to Shanghai by his uncle, and under the recommendation of his uncle Xu Yuting, who was a comprador of Baoshun Foreign Company, he joined Baoshun Foreign Company as an apprentice and began his career. Xu Run later became one of the most influential businessmen in Shanghai and even in China, his business involved shipping, tea, silk, raw silk, cloth, money and so on, many firsts in China's business world were established by Xu Run, such as the first insurance company - Renji and Water and Fire Insurance Company, China's first machine printing factory - Tongshu Bureau, and the China Merchants Administration presided over by Xu Run laid the foundation of China's shipping industry. Because of the talent and intelligence. He is well-behaved by nature, hard-working, and skilled, and he is deeply valued by foreign companies, so this time Bill brought him here.

Other British foreign companies attending the conference include the famous Jardine Matheson, Swire & Co., and Dachang & Co. There are Aruné & Co., which specializes in arms business, and Li Ming, which specializes in liquor and French cosmetics.

There are also some Chinese merchants who are also involved, including Fang Zhenji, a Ningbo gang firm from Zhenhai, whose boss is Fang Runzhai. The Fang family started in the sugar industry in the early years, and Fang Runzhai and his fourth brother Fang Mengxiang partnered to open Fangcui and Sugar in Shanghai. In addition to the sugar industry, after Fang Runzhai opened a port in Shanghai, he began to operate money villages, raw silk, homespun cloth, groceries and other businesses. He is one of the leading businessmen in Shanghai.

In addition, there are Zhao Puzhai, who runs the sand boat shipping and money village, and his partner Li Yeting. Zhao Puzhai's original name was Zhao Licheng, Pu Zhai is his word, a foreigner from the Zhao family in Hongtang, Cixi, first studied literature, and then engaged in business. When I was young, I went to Shanghai and ran the street in Qianzhuang. Because he is smart. Capable. Good at communicating with people, and helpful, he quickly won the trust of customers, established a wide range of contacts, and laid a good foundation for independent entrepreneurship in the future. Li Yeting, famous. A native of Zhenhai, Zhejiang, a giant businessman in the shipping industry in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, once monopolized the sand shipping industry in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, and was the founder of the famous family business group "Xiaogang Li Family" in old Shanghai. In addition, there is a shipyard and shipbuilding industry. Yu Songnian, who is hugely wealthy, and Shen Daben, who runs a tea silk business. Yu Songnian was not only a businessman but also a famous book collector in the late Qing Dynasty, and it is said that he had a collection of 100,000 ancient and modern books at home.

The rest of the large and small Chinese firms also sent people, and the hall of the Yamen of Jianghaiguan was full of dozens of people, and the hall was also full of people. Chinese firms and merchants also attended the seminar, and Xiao Yungui mainly considered letting Chinese merchants listen to it, because foreign goods are menacing, and they have a great impact on local cloth and groceries, and tariffs are actually a means to protect local industry and commerce, and he hopes that Chinese businessmen can realize this, play their role, and participate in commercial affairs.

Dozens of guards from the west hall lined up at the entrance of the hall, and hundreds of Taiping soldiers and soldiers in distinct armor stood there at the entrance of the yamen, and idle people were not allowed to enter or leave. When the hour came, after three salutes rang out at the entrance of the yamen, a Taiping military officer in the hall shouted: "Silence! The noisy yamen gradually fell silent.

On the main seat of the lobby, Xiao Yungui, the king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, stood up, and the people sitting in front of him with their fists hugged their fists bowed, and the foreigners got up and bowed slightly, but many Chinese businessmen were startled, to say that the prince of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is a big official above ten thousand people under one person, even if you are rich and noble in China, you have to bow down when you see a seven-grade county order, when have you ever seen the prince give a salute to someone? Immediately, many people knelt down and bowed, only Yu Songnian and the others got up and bowed slightly.

Yu Songnian was born as an official eunuch, and he really looked down on this rebellious minister and thief in the hall, but he reluctantly came here because of his life, so naturally he would not bow down.

Xiao Yungui smiled and excused everyone, and after motioning for everyone to sit down, he said: "I, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, uphold the will of heaven, crusade against the Manchu Hu Nu, and restore my Han Zuo country, and now I have recovered Shanghai, this king hopes that the people of Shanghai can live and work in peace and contentment from now on, and will no longer be oppressed by the Manchu corrupt officials." This time, we have convened all the foreign banks and business owners to discuss important matters. One of them is to inform you that we in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom welcome you to continue to conduct business transactions in Shanghai, and you should continue to supply the department stores in Shanghai! ”

The Taiping Army had already posted a notice telling the people that the Taiping Army would protect all businesses and businesses and encourage the reopening of all industries, and that the Taiping Army would never destroy commerce, which had been heard for a long time, so up to today, Shanghai's large and small businesses had long since reopened.

Xiao Yungui continued: "The second is to inform all business owners that the commercial tax set by the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the past remains unchanged, but all the harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes other than the commercial tax, and the annual profit and filial piety will be cancelled together!" From now on, if there is an official or soldier in our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who asks you for any kind of benefit, even if you report it to the Political Department of the Shanghai Navy, our Heavenly Kingdom will definitely deal with it severely! ”

As soon as this remark came out, the merchants below began to discuss, and the merchants paid taxes as much as farming and paying taxes, but the Shanghai Manchu officials were corrupt and exploited layer by layer, and the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in addition to various taxes every month were numerous, which made the Shanghai merchants miserable.

Yu Songnian stood up and said: "It is a blessing for the people that the king of the west purges the rule of officials. Just don't just say it. Yu Songnian also had a great headache about the exploitation of the government, when the Taiping army attacked Shanghai, he was forced by the government to donate tens of thousands of taels of silver and food, and there were even more soldiers and officials who usually came to fight the autumn wind, if the Taiping army could cancel all kinds of harsh taxes in the future, it would be a good thing, but he didn't believe that this group of people who were bandits in his eyes could do this.

Xiao Yungui smiled and looked at Wang Minyun sitting next to him, only to see Wang Minyun stand up, take out a few yellow silk notices from his arms, and open them to show everyone. He said loudly: "This official is the first director of the Shanghai Military Administration Department of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and he served in Wuxi before. You can look at all the officials who have violated the laws of the kingdom of heaven. These proclamations list their crimes, and those who should be killed are killed. It's time to close! ”

The merchants were taken aback. Several of the counselors of the western temple circulated the proclamation to the merchants, only to see that it was written on such and such a person, such and such an official position, when and where, what crime was committed, and what punishment was imposed. There were dozens of people on several notices. There are even people who buy and sell things without paying for them, and they are also convicted and punished severely.

Wang Minyun said loudly: "This official is here to make it clear to everyone, but if you find any illegal behavior of my heavenly officials and soldiers, you can go to this official to report it. Each person who reported was not only innocent, but also received a reward of five taels of silver! ”

The merchants were talking for a while, and they always felt that the Taiping Army's move was very fresh, but they also seemed to see the determination of the Western King to clean up the officials, and immediately applauded together.

Xiao Yungui continued: "Third, this king appointed Wang Minyun as the director of the Shanghai Military Administration, our Heavenly Congress will vigorously support the country's industry and commerce, and then the military and political department will have a lot of investment projects introduced, this king intends to convene all the merchants in Shanghai to set up the General Administration of Investment, and the Military and Political Department together to prosper Shanghai's industry and commerce, in the future, Director Wang will often come to everyone to discuss, don't underestimate this General Administration of Investment, which is an opportunity to make a fortune, if you don't come, you will miss it, but don't watch others get rich at that time, your own eyes are hot." ”

The businessmen chuckled lightly, the foreigners couldn't sit still, they began to get restless after listening to the words of the translator around them, Jin Nengheng was the first to stand up and said loudly: "Your Excellency Xiwang, you are so unfair, your army wants to set up an investment promotion bureau in Shanghai, and we should also let our foreign businessmen participate, and the opportunities for market commerce and trade should be equal." ”

After Jin Nengheng's words were finished, a group of foreign businessmen applauded one after another, and many small merchants and Chinese in the hall also clamored, "If foreign devils want to come to China to make money, they have to ask us first in the future." "Dead foreign devils, buy foreign goods, so that our flower cloth can't be sold, let's go back as soon as possible."

Xiao Yungui laughed, sure enough, the unanimous nature of the Chinese people is still there, not to mention that many small businesses and merchants have been squeezed out of their living space by foreigners and foreign companies, and they are even more angry.

Xiao Yungui clapped his hands, suppressed everyone's voices and said: "Don't be impatient, everyone, it's not easy for foreigners to come to do business from afar, what do businessmen do?" Although the foreigners sell their country's goods on our land, don't they also buy our raw silk and tea when they go back? If they don't come, many of our goods won't be sold. ”

Someone in the hall coaxed: "The prince of the West is right, foreigners also have haode, but they look strange." Everyone laughed together, and all the foreigners shouted and cursed, and the boos and scolding were everywhere, and the scene became lively.

Outside the hall, dozens of West Hall attendants suddenly shouted together: "Silence! The shouts of these dozens of people were neat and sonorous, and everyone was calmed down at once, and the scene was quiet again.

Xiao Yungui stepped down from the stage, stood in the middle of the lobby and said loudly: "You don't have to make noise, everyone is open the door to do business, whether you make money or lose money, let's look at our own abilities, but what we can do in the Kingdom of Heaven will definitely be done, and there is one most important thing to invite you to come today, that is, to discuss with you the tariff rules of our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Shanghai Customs!" My heavenly merchants have to pay commercial taxes and customs duties when they do business in their own country, and foreigners have to collect customs duties when they come to do business, so it's fair, right? ”

Lord Wenhan said to Midile beside him with a gloomy face, "What does this King of the West want to do? ”

Midile said worriedly: "He wants to unite with Chinese businessmen to put pressure on us, want us to make concessions on the tariff matter, and before the negotiations have begun, he is making a noise, this person is very cunning and terrible." (To be continued......)