Chapter 144 The Role of Citibank

What should come will always come.

Hu Chuyuan admitted it.

Zuo Zongtang and others are clear about his holding of foreign shares. This will not cause much damage to him. The real big injury is his American citizenship.

The Qing court could appoint foreigners as officials, but they would never allow two ministers to appear among the Han people.

Back in the backyard, Hu Chuyuan's face was gloomy. Wu Shuzhen was letting people Zhang Luo's favorite dinners, which were ever-changing, and that bowl of golden bird's nest was always not missing.

Seeing that he looked embarrassed, Wu Shuzhen asked him what was wrong.

Hu Chuyuan asked the maids around him to leave first, told her about this matter alone, and couldn't help asking her, "How do you think I know these things?"

Wu Shuzhen was silent for a moment and said after a moment, "I can't say it clearly. It seems that it has taken a lot of energy, and it may also be an unexpected harvest... However, there are also several people in the United States who know about this matter. At the beginning, we may not have taken care of the Chinese disturbance. At that time, it was too eye-catching that it was inevitable that someone would investigate it. Check the problems of entry and exit!"

Hu Chuyuan nodded.

He guessed that he probably discovered it by accident. The root cause of the intelligence leak is probably those politicians in the United States... It may also be more special and unexpected people.

In short, it doesn't seem to matter who leaked the secret.

Hu Chuyuan sighed and said to Wu Shuzhen, "There is no impermeable wall in this world. I'm going to prepare for a way out... and be fast. I said that I prefer to seize this handle to convince me, or even pull me in, so I haven't told Li Hongzhang the card yet. Otherwise, Li Hongzhang will not give me a chance to breathe... Wrong, he doesn't give me a chance, but he won't give Xiangjun and Zuo Zongtang this opportunity. If I really collapse, Xiangjun and Zuo Zongtang, And the Fujian sailor also collapsed.

Wu Shuzhen was speechless. After a while, she said, "I guess I think I can hold us up."

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "That's why we have a little time to plan. It is estimated that we can still deal with the full people, or even wrench our wrists. It is still difficult for Man to confiscate me, but we also have to beware and try to transfer the capital and general ledger back to the concession in advance, even Hong Kong and the United States.

Wu Shuzhen smiled and said, "If it really doesn't work, let's go back to the United States." Even if these domestic assets are confiscated, our wealth in the United States is not much less than JP Morgan. You may still be the richest man in the United States.

Hu Chuyuan also smiled and said, "That's what I said, it's a pity... If the situation really can't be cleaned up, we can only retreat to Nanyang and the United States, so I'm afraid that the domestic business will be put aside... The plans I thought in my mind will also be interrupted."

Wu Shuzhen persuaded more and more generously, "If the Qing court doesn't know how to cherish it, why do you cherish it? I'm your wife, and I don't know your ability. This country should have been entrusted to you. You can't be an official of the Qing court. That's the best. Let's go back to the United States to run our own family business, and then carry out an asset revolution in the Southern Ocean to overthrow these Manchu people who don't know what's right or wrong.

Hu Chuyuan thought for a moment and also sneered.

He ate dinner first, and then got up and said to Wu Shuzhen, "Go to bed early today. I'm going back to the United States tomorrow. I'll have someone clean up at night. This time, even if the Qing court did not regard me as a big problem, most of them would not let me sit in the position of ship minister. The position of the head office of Jiangnan Commercial Bank... I'm afraid it's also dangerous... I have to do something in advance and transfer the assets to the concession first. Although the people are full of people dare not check me immediately, we have to be careful.

Wu Shuzhen understood what he meant as soon as she heard it. She smiled softly and said, "Okay, I'll go back to the United States tomorrow. Prepare for the retreat first. If it really doesn't work, let's go to the United States."

Hu Chuyuan smiled, got up and returned to the flower hall of the government office. He called Yan Shizhang, Miao Quansun and Chen Shanyuan over and discussed the matter first.

When he finished speaking, Yan Shizhang smoked a dry cigarette. After a while, Yan Shizhang said, "Owner, it's not too big to say that I'm playing behind. What we are afraid of is that Li Hongzhang will seize the opportunity to play a self-interest and damage to the country, and the two ministers."

At this point, he sighed again and said, "I'm afraid it's bound to sue like this."

Miao Tsuensun also said, "Yes, in the past, Li Hongzhang meant to make up with the adults, but he couldn't find any handle. Now that he has such a good handle, of course, he wants to denounce the adults to death. There are so many people in the Huai Department, and each person can also sue the adults.

Chen Shanyuan said with hatred, "Well, then we will do the opposite."

Hu Chuyuan looked at him coldly and asked, "What's the opposite?"

Chen Shanyuan was speechless.

Miao Quansun said, "On the contrary, there is nothing we can do. We have military pay and no military power in our hands. The immediate strategy is to keep the Jiangnan business first and plan for the next strategy.

Hu Chuyuan said, "The situation of Jiangnan Commercial Bank may be better. I have been prepared for a long time. If I'm lucky... or if I'm not bold enough, I can still restrain them. The position of ship minister can't be saved. It's better to retreat in advance and do a good job, so that Li Hongzhang will not seize the opportunity to install an incompetent person.

Yan Shizhang thought for a while and said, "At present, there are not many people who are qualified to sit in this position. Lord Yang Changjun, Shanghai Daotai, is the most suitable candidate. His relationship with us is self-evident. Find another way to let Huo Hongji take up the position of Shanghai Daotai, and Liao Zhongshan will make up for the lack of Yanhang Daotai, so that there will be no problem. The problem is... I'm afraid Yang Changjun can't come up!"

Hu Chuyuan thought silently and suddenly said, "Yang Changjun really can't come up. He is a person of Zuo Zongtang. At that time, Cixi will not easily use Hunan people. Find a way to let others recommend Zhang Zhidong. He has no choice.

Yan Shizhang also nodded slightly and said, "The last choice can also be used alive."

What should I do about political affairs? Yan Shizhang is the most suitable person to make decisions.

He quickly gave Hu Chuyuan a series of tricks to minimize the losses, so as not to let Li Hongzhang make too much profit.

That night, Hu Chuyuan sent telegrams to Zuo Zongtang, Mei Qizhao and Yang Changjun respectively, asking them to be more careful. Jiangnan Commercial Bank and others also received similar telegrams.

Next, Wu Shuzhen left with Ye Tongguang and other people from the general account to Auckland in the United States, while Hu Chuyuan visited He Jing to explain the matter.

The problem now is very obvious. It is said that it is not a big problem for me to play tricks in the back. Li Hongzhang is in the Ming Dynasty, and Sheng Xuanhuai is in the dark. One contributes to others, and the other pays money. Nine times out of ten, Hu Chuyuan can be put down.

The position of the ship's minister will definitely be changed, and the chance of Jiangnan Commercial Bank to change hands is half and even... The court is likely to investigate Hu Chuyuan's dismissal and take the opportunity to take away the huge wealth he has accumulated over the years.

After returning from the government of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, on the way, Hu Chuyuan silently sighed in his heart that life is so unpredictable. Once you change history, history will become more unpredictable.

Hu Chuyuan once imagined many possibilities, but he didn't expect it at all. He eventually collapsed because of the way he was reported by himself.

He also understood that once he fell, he slipped from the position of Minister of Ships in Fuzhou. Without the protection of military power, it was easier for him to assassinate him.

On the other hand, once Li Hongzhang beat Zuo Zongtang and let his people... especially the people I like master Jiangnan Business Firm, Jiangnan Silk Industry will no longer have a deterrent effect on Japan.

Things have become a little funny, but history is always so funny.

Those small details can change the wheel of history.

In order to win, I have always been unscrupulous, and this time, they seem to win again.

Even so, Hu Chuyuan did not intend to compromise, because he knew better that once he was forced to join hands with him, he would always become a Han anniper. The reason why Sheng Xuanhuai and Yuan Shikai became the hidden Han anniper all the way started from the smallest **.

My advantage is that I can't accept it at all.

Compared with his cooperation with him, Hu Chuyuan would rather die in his endless assassination.

As Hu Chuyuan predicted, it was indeed Li Hongzhang's first to shoot. Sheng Xuanhuai was also in the capital. He said that through his own intelligence network, he collected a large number of secret reports and news, all of which were provided to Sheng Xuanhuai and Li Hongzhang, becoming the best evidence for them to attack Zuo Zongtang and Hu Chuyuan.

Hu Chuyuan dodged the first day of junior high school and did not dodge the fifteenth day.

Cixi is a particularly dignified woman. The so-called "decision" is Zeng Guofan's words. To put it more bluntly, once Cixi is angry, there is basically no reason. Even if she knows in her heart that Zuo Zongtang can't offend directly, as long as she is given a real chance, she will spare no effort to attack the Hunan system. The power has stabilized the foundation in her heart.

Although Hu Chuyuan sent her a lot of money, in anger, she still wanted to dismiss Hu Chuyuan. In the end, Prince Su begged for mercy and persuaded Hu Chuyuan to be appointed as the deputy minister of the Qing Dynasty to the United States.

Deputy minister... This title has always been given to foreigners and Chinese-Americans, such as Rong Hong.

This is enough to explain what Cixi thinks of Hu Chuyuan.

Hu Chuyuan still explained that he did not control foreign banks for personal gain, but to use these foreign banks to handle various affairs. He joined the United States because of marriage and the convenience of controlling foreign banks.

These explanations have no power in the face of the slander of Li Hongzhang and Huai officials. Zuo Zongtang is actually quite angry... He is angry with Hu Chuyuan, angry and hates him, but he can only say nothing.

Cixi also said another thing funnyly - she would rather borrow 8 million taels of silver from foreigners than buy back the commercial shares of Jiangnan Commercial Bank with the State Council.

She thought that the total investment at the beginning was only a few million taels of silver, but now she buys all the shares with eight million taels of silver, which is a great face for Hu Chuyuan.

A funny old woman!

As early as last year, Hu Chuyuan did his homework after realizing that many people knew that they had American nationality.

He transferred some of the shares of foreign banks under his name to Jiangnan Commercial Bank. He held more than 30% of the four major foreign banks of Wanqi, Taigu, Zenchen and Wanbao, which he mainly built. The number of shares of Wanqi is 72%, Taigu is 59.7%, Zenchen is 36%, and Wanbao is 33%.

These four major foreign banks transferred about 10% of their shares to Jiangnan Commercial Bank respectively. While causing the capital of Jiangnan Commercial Bank to expand sharply, in order to maintain the share capital of the official shares, the imperial court owed Hu Chuyuan 37.78 million yuan.

In addition to the debts of the Xiang army, the loans of the Ministry of Households, and the loans for agricultural and water conservancy in the five provinces of the south of the Yangtze River, the imperial court owed Hu Chuyuan a total of 115.98 million yuan, and the annual interest is 11.2 million yuan.

Just before Li Hongzhang reported Hu Chuyuan, Hu Chuyuan had transferred the debt to Wanqi Bank.

At this time, Wanqi Bank has been renamed "Citibank" and has been directly separated from Wanqi Bank. It is the Shanghai branch of the National Trust and Savings Bank of the Americas. Hu Chuyuan is only the debt guarantor.

It's funny that domestic debt has become international debt.

With the courage of Cixi and the Qing court, Hu Chuyuan didn't believe that they dared to repudiate the debt?

As the largest creditor of Jiangnan Commercial Bank, Citibank's influence on China cannot be ignored. Hu Chuyuan wants to see how humorous Cixi will be this time!

Of course, Cixi and the Qing court were completely unaware at this time.

She thought that Hu Chuyuan was easy to send and wanted to send him away with eight million taels of silver. On the same day, she issued a decree to let Hu Chuyuan go to the United States.

Hu Chuyuan did leave on the same day. He waved his hand and did not take a check. He took his guards and attendants out of Fuzhou on the Tengchong. He didn't even have a chance to go to Shanghai.

He just left like this, looking extremely embarrassed.

Li Hongzhang and Sheng Xuanhuai were very happy. They thought that the billions of wealth left by Hu Chuyuan would belong to them, Jiangnan Commercial Bank would also be theirs, and CITIC Bank would also be theirs... The facts would make them laugh and cry.

Hu Chuyuan did not go to the United States immediately. The Tengchong went all the way south, but went to Singapore instead.

(to be continued)