The headquarters of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is located next to Xujiahui Anglican School, and several two-storey Western-style buildings were built by Chinese businessmen, with the first floor being set up as a storefront and the second floor being the office space of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Those who came out to greet Xiao Yungui were Tao Enpei, deputy director of the Shanghai Military Administration, Yu Songnian, general manager of the Federation of Industry and Commerce, Fang Runzhai, boss of Ningbo firm Fang Zhenji, Zhao Puzhai, boss of Shanghai sand ship shipping, Li Yeting, boss of Shanghai specializing in tea silk, Shen Daben, king of Shanghai cloth industry, and Wei Hexiang, Guiyun firm. Wei Hexiang is Wei Helin's younger brother, after Wei Helin went to Tianjing to preside over the Financial Department, Wei Hexiang took over his brother's Guiyun firm, and the big boss behind Guiyun firm is actually the Lord of the West in front of him.

There are dozens of industrial and commercial people, crowded at the door, many people saw the driving of more than ten luxury carriages of the King of Xi, and they all wanted to kneel down to salute the corners of their robes, but a few accompanying military and political officials reminded them that they all performed the Han salute.

Xiao Yungui got out of the carriage with a smile and greeted everyone one by one, and entered the office building of the association with Yu Songnian.

On the lobby of the office building of the general association, everyone sat down as guests and hosts, Xiao Yungui naturally sat in the main seat, Tao Enpei sat on the left, and Yu Songnian sat down on the right. ”

Xiao Yungui smiled and said: "Heaven treats people in the industry equally, and earlier said that businessmen do not produce and enjoy their benefits, but in fact, I don't know that businessmen have always been an indispensable part. How much tax the remaining businessmen pay each year. How many people have been provided with jobs, this achievement is not small. ”

Yu Songnian and the others were all happy, although the Kingdom of Heaven issued a decree to support industry and commerce. But the King of the West has never praised the merchant so much in public, and he is now saying yes again and again. Xiao Yungui continued: "All of you here are famous businessmen and tycoons on the beach, and when I meet you today, I am familiar with each other and get acquainted with the princes, and secondly, I am also in business, and I am here to talk about a deal with you." Yu Gong can introduce the king one by one. ”

At that moment, Yu Songnian stood up after a few polite words and introduced everyone present to Xiao Yungui one by one, and each of the businessmen introduced got up to salute, and Xiao Yungui also returned the salute together. Everyone saw Xiao Yungui's face and words, and he spoke rudely. But he acted politely, and there was no prince's shelf, and he was all surprised.

After the introduction, Yu Songnian arched his hand and said, "His Royal Highness the King of the West." I will wait for the merchants in Shanghai to know that His Highness is coming. I specially prepared some small gifts to honor His Highness, and asked His Highness to smile. "Say goodbye, and the retinue will give you the gift list.

Xiao Yungui took it with a smile and looked at it, then got up and thanked him: "You have a heart, since it is your heart, this king accepted it disrespectfully." Then he turned his head to Tao Enpei and said: "Tao Gong, these gifts are worth more than 100,000 taels, isn't the Shanghai Navy Political Department about to set up a civil affairs shelter recently?" These gifts were donated, and the names of the bosses were engraved in the list of benevolent people. ”

The civil shelter was built by Tao Enpei. It is mainly to take care of and support some disabled and unsupported people in the society, and it is also a joint upgrade of the original Heavenly Kingdom Senior Citizens Center, Salesian Bureau and other charitable departments. It aims to make it possible for people who are unable to work in society to receive food and clothing.

At that moment, Tao Enpei got up with a smile and took it, and then thanked Yu Songnian and the others, Yu Songnian hurriedly got up and said: "Your Highness doesn't have to be like this, Tao Gong's charity, I will raise money to donate, and please accept these gifts." ”

Xiao Yungui waved his hand and said with a smile: "The officials of the heavenly kingdom are governed by the law, and they are not allowed to accept bribes, although these gifts are not bribes, but they are always extra income. You don't need to persuade you anymore, as long as you can spare the power of charity, this king is very welcome, but the kingdom of heaven will not be forced to donate like the Manchus, you can rest assured. ”

After listening to the words of the King of the West, the owners of some small businesses smiled, and their hearts fell to the ground, originally they had a small profit, and it was a last resort to get together to give the King of the West, if they were asked to donate money to the civil affairs shelter, it would be a little unbearable, the Taiping Army was this good, and it would never be forced to donate like the Manchus, which the Taiping Army said it would do. Before the last year's expedition to Liangguang, the Heavenly Court borrowed extensively from private merchants and sold war bonds, and at the end of last year, the first batch of profits had been returned, and the merchants who bought a lot also made a lot of money, and the reputation of the Heavenly Kingdom was excellent, and there was no need to mobilize the war bonds this year, and many businesses rushed to buy them, and even many ordinary people flocked to buy them.

Yu Songnian praised a few words and asked, "Your Highness said earlier that there is a big deal to discuss with us, I don't know what kind of deal?" ”

After Xiao Yungui took a sip of tea, he said slowly: "I heard that many business owners have not invested money to expand the scale of trading after making money recently, and this king has also inquired in private. ”

Shen Daben heard his name, hurriedly got up and saluted: "Your Highness, this is really no way, the villain also wants to build more factories, but the consumption of cloth in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is limited, and many retailers order so much, and the villain's fabrics and reeling silk are impossible to sell overseas, so I dare not build a new factory." ”

Xiao Yungui smiled and pressed it a few times and said, "Boss Shen doesn't need to worry, this king is not blaming you." We are worried that the goods will not be sold, there are so many people in need of goods in China, and there are so many foreign goods and local goods, and they have almost carved up the entire market in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other coastal areas, and there are indeed concerns about expanding the scale. ”

"This first point is not your mistake, let's not mention it for the time being, but the second point is that after the bosses have made money, they still only think about buying land on a large scale." Speaking of this, Xiao Yungui looked at Yu Songnian and said lightly: "I heard that the Yu family recently bought another 300 acres of fertile land in Baoshan, and it is rare that tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in Duke Yu's family are not enough?" ”

Yu Songnian was shocked, there is a law in heaven, and it is strictly forbidden to buy and sell land privately, especially the farmland used for cultivation is even more forbidden, and the 300 acres of fertile land Yu Songnian is a land transaction that is reported to wasteland, but I don't know how the king of the West knows.

At that moment, Yu Songnian's face turned a little pale and he got up and said, "Your Highness, I, this ......"

Xiao Yungui waved his hand and said: "Duke Yu sat down and spoke, I know that your fields were bought for two newborn sons, and it was a great joy for your concubines in the third and sixth rooms to add Ding to your Yu family in the same year." Our people always regard the land as the meat of their hearts, and they always feel that their families have a few acres of land, and their hearts are not steady. ”

Yu Songnian was even more surprised, King Xi even knew the reason why he bought the land clearly, he had two more sons last year, and he was always worried that his land would not be enough in the future, so he tried to take the risk of buying 300 acres of land.

Xiao Yungui continued: "In fact, not only Duke Yu, but also the bosses here have a large number of land transactions, and in a few years, at least each family has bought 3,000 acres of land." The owners of the various businesses were shocked, and many of them were already sweating on their foreheads.

Xiao Yungui said lightly: "If the situation in the country is finally stabilized today, it is because many farmers who have no land to cultivate are working in the factories and workshops you have set up to make a living. ”

Seeing that everyone was speechless, Xiao Yungui sighed lightly and said: "This king has also inquired, the land purchased by the bosses is fortunately fair trading, and the sellers are mostly the families of soldiers who died in battle, and most of these military families are old and young women and children. The bosses are also considered fair trade at the time of acquisition, and they do not take it by force, each time it is only a few dozen acres or more than a hundred acres, and the number is not large. But in the long run, it is not a problem, if every rich merchant does this, sooner or later the landless peasants will rise up in rebellion. ”

"Actually, I don't blame you bosses for this, but there are loopholes in the decree issued by our Heavenly Kingdom, which does not take into account whether the people who are divided into land have the ability to cultivate, and immediately the Heavenly Kingdom will issue a decree to re-regulate the law of land distribution and continue to restrict land transactions. The king hopes that the bosses will redeem the land they have acquired and give it to the heavenly court, which will distribute it to those in need. ”

Yu Songnian and the others only waited to get up and agreed, and Xiao Yungui continued: "This king knows that you are not willing, since there is no market to expand production, and you can't buy land, can the money you earn just let it go?" In fact, this king came this time to discuss this way out with the big guys, and let's make a big deal together. ”

When Yu Songnian and the others heard this, their hearts finally lit up, since the king of the west blocked the road to buy land, there must be another way for everyone to take, and at that moment Yu Songnian hurriedly asked: "Your Highness has any big deals, you can talk to me and others." ”

Xiao Yungui smiled and said, "Do you know the Netherlands? Everyone nodded, the Netherlands has been trading with China since the end of the Ming Dynasty, how could they not know?

Xiao Yungui continued: "This Dutch country is governed by merchants, although its country is only a few million, but it can run rampant all over the world for more than a hundred years, because all the people in the country are businessmen. And how do they do business together? Their own merchants, and even the common people, invested in a company formed by their Dutch state, which was called the Dutch East India Company ......" (to be continued......