Chapter 70 The End of the Jiangnan Salt Disaster

In the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), on the sixth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the imperial minister Zeng Guozheng officially closed the case. Tang Tingshu, Gu Shousong and Zhang Songxian were charged with "miscubusing foreign countries and plotting to disturb the salt government in the south of the Yangtze River". He was exiled to the border according to the law. Because Zhang Songxian was old, he was fined 5,000 taels of silver and sent back to his ancestral home of Huizhou.

Tang Gu's two families absconded for fear of crime, and were fined 200,000 taels of silver, both of which were pursued by the Prime Minister's foreign government.

Salt merchants in various places privately hoarded 115.8 million catties of salt and paid them to the public. At the price of 7 cents per catty, they were transferred to Jiangnan Commercial Bank, and the proceeds were made up for the Liangjiang army's pay. Salt merchants in Nanxun, Shanghai and other places will be fined 800 yuan per catty of salt hoarding, which shall be paid within three months.

At this time, the "Jiangnan Salt Disaster Case", which shocked the whole five provinces of the south of the Yangtze River and the imperial court, finally came to an end. However, its impact continued to expand, and the Nanxun Business Gang was disintegrating as quickly as the thirteen provinces of Guangdong.

According to this fine standard, the total fine is 30.88 million taels of silver. As long as the merchants involved in salt speculation, they will basically go bankrupt this time.

This amount is the heaviest in the history of the Qing Dynasty. In previous years, when it was fried salt and hoarded with salt, it was at most a fine of 300 cents per catty. What's more, the scope involved this time was too wide, covering almost all five provinces in the south of the Yangtze River.

......

Making money is actually very simple. As long as you seize the opportunity to invest money at a low price and sell it at a high price.

The key is to have capital, courage, and be able to predict. If you can't predict, then you need to master special sources of information.

There must be some people who want to make this fortune. The problem is where the funds are, and those who have funds should be temporarily transferred... When others are busy with these things, Hu Chuyuan has escorted the silver of snowflakes to various places and traded silver now.

The big event has been decided.

Hu Chuyuan finally took a break and decided to go home.

He has two families, one in the luxurious Hu family compound in Hangzhou, and the other in Zuo Zongtang's heart.

He went to Jiangning first.

It happened that the translation agency he stayed in Japan also delivered the first batch of translation manuscripts, including the Chinese translation of The Wealth of Nations, as well as a large number of Japanese and European and American political news. He took these manuscripts with him and was ready to send them to Zuo Zongtang

When he rode the river wheel against the current and arrived at the governor's government of Jiangning, it was already late.

Hu Chuyuan took the rented sedan chair and parked in the government office. Hu Rong went in with a worship post, but for a moment, Hu Ruilan and a thousand president led several Xiang soldiers to greet him.

Hearing the sound, Hu Chuyuan came down from the sedan chair and saw Hu Ruilan head-on.

This person is already depressed, but he is Hu Chuyuan's mentor. Without his support, Hu Chuyuan has no chance to become a man.

Hu Chuyuan came forward to pay a visit and said, "Teacher, how are you doing?"

Hu Ruilan said with a smile, "Mr. Hu, you're all right!"

Strangely, since Xu Run opened his head and used "Hu Shao" to call Hu Chuyuan, this simple respectful name became popular in Shanghai, and it came to Jiangning again so soon.

This respectful name is also very useful.

Calling Hu Chuyuan "Master Hu" seems to be less respectful. After all, he is the richest man in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He calls him "Master Hu" and "Boss Hu", but he is too young. He calls him "Master Hu" when he is just 20 years old. When he is 40 years old, won't he call him "Hu Zuzong"?

Therefore, everyone thinks that "Hu Shao" is easier to use.

Hu Chuyuan nodded silently and asked, "How are you, Lord Zhongtang?"

Hu Ruilan smiled and said, "Okay, I'm waiting for you in the flower hall. Come with me!"

Hu Chuyuan nodded again and entered the side courtyard of Yamen with Hu Ruilan.

Entering the Qiyun Pavilion where the governor often rested, there were more than a dozen strong officers and soldiers in it, and a general in a six-grade military uniform led the team.

In the middle of Qiyun Pavilion is a flower hall, which is much larger than the ordinary flower hall. This is the place where the governor of Liangjiang usually talks with the staff. At that time, Zeng Guofan died here.

Many years later, Zeng Guoxun also died here.

When Hu Chuyuan walked in, Zuo Zongtang was sitting on the cloud bed reading a book. He lit a tung oil lamp next to him. He was old. His eyes were not only dizzy, but also blue. He was wearing a pair of crystal reading glasses, and he had to use a magnifying glass to see the handwriting clearly.

Seeing this scene, Hu Chuyuan had an unspeakable sadness in his heart. He couldn't help sighing that the years made people grow old. Life... seemed to pass by in a flash, and he was old.

Who can have the next life?

He asked people to put those translation manuscripts on one page, and came forward to see: "The junior Hu Chuyuan has seen Lord Zhongtang!"

Zuo Zongtang had already heard his footsteps and saw him. He put down the book and waved his hand back.

When Hu Ruilan and others left, Zuo Zongtang asked Hu Chuyuan to get up and sit down. He looked at the pile of manuscripts and asked him, "What are these?"

Hu Chuyuan said, "The last time I went to Japan, I left a translation agency in Tokyo, specializing in translating Japanese political news and the latest emerging books. This is the first batch of manuscripts they have translated in the past two months."

"Oh?" Zuo Zongtang was slightly overjoyed and said secretly: He is indeed a kind-hearted person. This thing has been done very well.

But he still said quietly, "Then stay with me and let me have a look."

Hu Chuyuan nodded silently.

Zuo Zongtang asked again, "After the salt case, your family is much richer than before. How much money can you have now? Can there be an accurate number?"

Hu Chuyuan did not hide it, and said, "With the care of Zhongtang, my current financial resources are not too little as 30 million taels, and not too much as 50 million taels!"

Zuo Zongtang nodded slightly and asked, "So what do you want to do later?"

Hu Chuyuan asked, "Do you want to ask about my family affairs or state affairs?"

Zuo Zongtang said, "Family affairs are uncertain. Why do you talk about national affairs? Let's talk about family affairs first!"

Hu Chuyuan said, "Recruit talents and continue to make money!"

"This...?" Zuo Zongtang could only continue to ask, "What about national affairs?"

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Recruit talents and continue to make money!"

"Ha ha!" Zuo Zongtang couldn't help laughing and hummed slightly, "Your child is not honest. Tell me the details!"

Hu Chuyuan tweet and said, "At present, there are a few things that are the most important. Of course, the first thing is the silk tea industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. I plan to concentrate manpower and financial resources to build a silk industry cooperative in the south of the Yangtze River, issue loans to small farmers, and open nurseries and silkworm nurseries in various places. The second thing is to open a canal and build a reservoir. I have studied it recently. The key to the good lake silk is that the mulberry leaves are fat and tender, which requires sufficient water source irrigation to ensure. Therefore, if the silk industry in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Jinqu and other places wants to improve, the key is to build reservoirs and repair canals. In addition, southern Anhui and Jiangxi can raise mulberry. The key is to ensure the abundance of water sources and technical improvement.

Zuo Zongtang nodded silently and asked, "What about the third thing?"

Hu Chuyuan said, "The National Academy, the Western Academy and the Agronomy Museum, cultivate talents."

Zuo Zongtang nod and said, "Yes, these three things are very important, but now I have three urgent things for you to handle!"

This...that's a lot!

Zuo Zongtang's emergency will never be a small matter. If it is a small matter, he will not let Hu Chuyuan do it.