Chapter 17 Red Top Businessman (11)

His first major event was the Western Expedition.And whenever there is a large-scale conquest, the first thing to plan is the two things of soldiers and salaries.Zuo Zongtang stayed up all night and meditated under the lamp, and he had written an outline of the plan; at this time, he took it out of the desk drawer and asked Hu Xueyan to read it carefully. In this abbreviation, we will talk about soldiers first, and pay later.And when talking about troops, you must adapt to local conditions. The terrain in the northwest and southeast is completely different. When the southern army reaches the northwest, first, they are not used to food;Therefore, Zuo Zongtang's powerful generals who fought in the southeast, especially those whose native place belonged to Fujian and Guangdong provinces, could not be brought to the northwest.

There were only more than 3,000 people who were brought to the northwest. In addition, he planned to send Liu Dian, who used to be an assistant in Fujian's military affairs, but has now given a memorial to recommend his assistant in Shaanxi-Gansu military affairs, back to Hunan, recruited 3,000 soldiers, and brought them to the northwest.These more than 6,000 people were used by Zuo Zongtang as his own soldiers; as for the large number of troops used for combat, he planned to recruit locally and work together with the "Heroes of Guanzhong". Seeing this, Hu Xueyan couldn't help saying: "My lord, according to your old man's method, how long will it take to calm down the chaos?"

"I don't quite understand what you said." "My lord, please think about it. Recruiting into an army does not happen overnight; it is even easier said than done to become an elite? This way, it will take a year or two." "Not just a year or two?" Zuo Zongtang said: , ten years is not enough to receive merit." "Ten years?" Hu Xueyan was taken aback, "That must be——." Although he kept silent, Zuo Zongtang knew how much he was talking about.He smiled and said, "Don't fight! I want to set up land reclamation in the northwest; this is a long-term solution. Just like setting up a shipyard, you can't rush to make a profit; but once it works, you will know that my plan is right."

"Yes!" Hu Xueyan put the abbreviation aside and lowered his head in thought. "What are you thinking?" "I think very far." Hu Xueyan replied, "I also think ten or eight years later." "Go!" Zuo Zongtang clapped his hands happily, "Your idea coincides with mine; we have to plan carefully and raise money for ten or eight years." Hu Xueyan didn't answer for now, picked up the excerpt and read it again, and got a general understanding of Zuo Zongtang's plan to use troops in the northwest.He wants to train the cavalry; he also wants to build "two-wheeled gun carts"; he needs to set up the "General Bureau of Tuntian"-to run reclamation, to ask for farm tools, seeds, carts and horses, and to advance all the miscellaneous grains before the harvest. Money, really not a few. "Your Excellency," Hu Xueyan asked, "Training the horse team and building gun carts are necessary for victory, and the imperial court will definitely approve it. I'm afraid the imperial court will regard it as a non-urgent task when it comes to reclamation?" "You don't understand this. Zuo Zongtang said, "There are many scholars in the court after all, and they will understand."

Hu Xueyan blushed, but said sincerely: "Yes! I really don't understand, please teach me." So Zuo Zongtang briefly explained to Hu Xueyan the restrictions on using troops in the Western Regions. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Western Expeditions were all in the early spring and returned in autumn.Because first, the autumn is tall and the horses are fat, and the enemy has the advantage first; the second is the severe cold weather, which the soldiers in the pass cannot adapt to. "Because of these inconveniences, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered the Xiongnu in the early years of Yuanshuo, and almost every year he won battles, and every year he had to go out as an army. Cutting the weeds could not get rid of the roots, which became an endless burden." After citing the scriptures, Zuo Zongtang transferred to The topic: "Nowadays there is chaos in Pinghui, and it seems to be the same reason: select a team of 20,000 to 30,000 capable players, go out in the spring, chase the north all summer, and hand in the autumn class teacher, just like what Wei Huo did back then, I can also do it .But, is this the end of the rebellion?"

"Naturally there is no leveling." Hu Xueyan understood, "There is a saying that goes, 'Wild fires are endless, and spring breeze blows again.' As long as you spend a lot of effort to turn over the land, weeds will naturally not grow." "Exactly! Your analogy is very appropriate." Zuo Zongtang said happily, "As long as you understand what I mean, I will be at ease. You will definitely do what I want." This "high hat" comes from Zuo Zongtang's mouth, and it is very precious; however, it is also extremely heavy.Hu Xueyan knew that Zuo Zongtang meant that he should bear the main responsibility for raising wages.After concentrating on it for a while, I felt that the matter was too big and the situation was complicated, so I had to ask for clarification first.

"My lord, how many battalions will we train in the future?" "It's hard to say, we have to go outside the customs to see the situation." The first question became a difficult problem; the number of people has not been determined, and the amount of monthly salary cannot be calculated.Hu Xueyan can only make a rough estimate. Based on 50,000 people, each person's food, clothing, weapons, and miscellaneous expenses such as camping pots and bowls, within five taels of silver, would cost 250,000 taels a month. So he asked the second question: "Is it to take 6,000 people out of customs?"

"Yes. About 6,500 people." Zuo Zongtang replied, "3,500 people started from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces; the other 3,000 people went directly out of the customs after being recruited into an army in Hunan." What? Is twelve taels enough for each person?" "I think that should be enough." "That's 65,000 taels, and it's in sight." Hu Xueyan asked the third question again: "How many cavalry are you going to train?" "I haven't led a cavalry team before, and I don't know the battalion system very well. Only from the initial plan, I will train a cavalry team of 3,000 people."

"Then there must be at least 3,000 horses." Hu Xueyan said, "You have to go to Zhangjiakou to buy horses. The money is ready-made, and I can advance it." "What? Do you have money in Zhangjiakou?" "Yes." Hu Xueyan said, "I have 100,000 silver in Zhangjiakou. I originally planned to keep it for leather goods and medicinal materials, but now I have to move it to buy horses." "That's good." Zuo Zongtang said happily, "In this case, I can immediately send committee members to purchase." "Yes! Your lord has appointed to inform me; I will send someone to accompany you." Hu Xueyan asked again, "Where are the two-wheeled gun carts? How much does it cost?"

"'General Han Xin, the more the better'. The vastness beyond the fortress, the galloping of dangerous horses, the bombardment of artillery carts, clearing them up in one fell swoop, is the most powerful weapon for sweeping holes and plowing courts!" Hearing this, Hu Xueyan felt heavy in his heart.Because he also often heard that there are officers and soldiers who don't care about the lives of the people, and they often point their cannons at the villages and bombard them indiscriminately.Of course, the bandits who hid in it either died or were injured or fled; but there were also many civilians who suffered from the disaster.

Hu Xueyan bought most of the foreign guns and cannons under Zuo Zongtang's department in Shanghai; the reasoning behind it was that he had committed crimes invisibly. For Hu Xueyan's purchase of murderous weapons, Mrs. Hu did not know how many times he had been persuaded. Second; Hu Xueyan is very filial, and obeys his mother's orders in housework, but he has to disobey his benevolent orders when he is on official business.Fortunately, Mrs. Hu is also very understanding; knowing that it is not her son who is disobedient, there is really nothing she can do.Therefore, I can only try my best to make up for his "sins", such as burning incense and worshiping Buddha at ordinary times; in summer, administering medicine, medicine and herbal tea; She promised generously. However, although countless good deeds have been done, buying birds and releasing them will not pay off human lives, so when Mrs. Hu mentions buying arms, she will be depressed.Hu Xueyan heard Zuo Zongtang speak so vigorously at this time, and couldn't help thinking of his mother's sad face; so he kept silent. "What?" Zuo Zongtang was of course puzzled, "Do you think it is difficult for me to build a two-wheeled gun carriage?" "No. I was thinking, how much is the cannon cart, and how much money does each cart cost? This budget cannot be found." "That's for the future. I just have to make an approximation; I think it's best to draw two hundred thousand silver to build a cannon cart." "Then what about farming? Excuse me, my lord, how much money do I need to raise?" "It's even harder to say." Zuo Zongtang said: "Fortunately, farming is not a matter of three to five years; and the burden is always getting lighter and lighter. I think there is half a million silver, which will be used in turn around, and it must be enough." "Yes." Hu Xueyan thought silently for a while, and said in a broken voice: "This is terrible! Terrible!" "how?" "I'll tell my lord!" Hu Xueyan pointed out: "The capital is 60,000. To buy horses with saddles and bridles, count him one hundred and twenty taels of silver, and three thousand horses are 36,000. Build gun carts 200,000. Half of the money will be raised for farming, 250,000. Food and salaries are calculated at 50,000 people, and each person is 5 taels per month. The total is 250,000, and 3 million a year. The total is 3.54 million. This is the salary to be raised in the first year." With this calculation, Zuo Zongtang was also stunned.How easy is it to raise 3.54 million taels of salary?Even if we raised half of it first, it would still be 1.7 to 800,000 yuan, which is really not a small sum. "Besides, I think that transportation in the northwest is inconvenient, and everything has to be calculated on the lenient. This payment must be prepared first and taken away! My lord, this is no better than Fuzhou to Shanghai, which can be reached in two days by sea. If there is an urgent need At that time, I was able to help no matter what. Thousands of miles away from the northwest, in the snow and ice, at that time, the adults were short of food and couldn’t respond well, wouldn’t it be useless to die suddenly?” "That's right, that's right! That's exactly what I mean. Xueyan, this salary must be raised first; if it's less than a year, at least half a year will be enough to avoid shortage." "As long as I have a reliable 'military salary', I will serve you no matter what." Then, Hu Xueyan analyzed the military pay for the Western Expedition, so there must be no reason for the slight delay.In other provinces, if there is a temporary shortage, there are taxes that can be allocated, money and food that can be transferred, or taxes that can be temporarily turned around, and even if it is not good, neighboring provinces can accommodate.The people in the Northwest are barren and poor, and there is nothing to move about. In the neighboring provinces, only Shanxi can be relied on, but it is also limited, and the transportation is inconvenient. It often takes a month to withdraw cash.Therefore, if the young and yellow are not picked up, and the hungry soldiers mutiny, it will become an uncontrollable trend. This view is also in Zuo Zongtang's deliberate foresight.Therefore, I fully agree with Hu Xueyan's proposition that the "payment" that is not short of a penny and not delayed for a day should be prepared first; that is, the "sweet payment" that the provinces should negotiate. Speaking of this level, Zuo Zongtang is very proud of his foresight; if he hadn't driven out his "in-law" Guo Songtao, he would have only two territories in Fujian and Zhejiang at most, but now there is a wealthy Guangdong inside.The salary to be raised naturally starts from these three provinces. Among the three provinces, we must first start with Fujian.Originally, Fujian had assisted Zuo Zongtang's monthly salary of 40,000 taels for the Zhejiang Army; Fujian Customs had assisted 10,000 taels a month.Since the eradication of the long-mao remnants, the 40,000 taels of Xiezhe were changed to Xieji Gansu; now it is logical to belong to Zuo Zongtang.As for the 10,000 taels from the customs, it has already been used to finance the shipyard; this matter was initiated by him, and he cannot go back on his word, so the 10,000 taels had to be given up.Followed by Zhejiang.When Yang Yuebin took over as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu and took full responsibility for the Western Expedition, Zeng Guofan once raised the salary on his behalf, and assigned Zhejiang to settle 20,000 yuan a month.Zuo Zongtang led troops to Guangdong in October last year, and the plan of "eating in Guangdong" had been realized. Under the urging of Hu Xueyan, he had to keep his promise to reduce the burden on Zhejiang.In Zhejiang, it is equivalent to an extra 140,000 silver per month; Ma Xinyi is a person who cares about the overall situation, so he asked for an additional 30,000 taels of silver, for a total of 50,000 silver per month. "Zhejiang is finally worthy of me; Ma Gushan is also very beautiful, and the salary of 50,000 silver per month is really not small. However," Zuo Zongtang paused and said, "There are two sums of money that were originally paid for in Zhejiang. What do you think of the expenditure, I will take it over and not increase the burden on Zhejiang?" "It depends on where it was originally given to?" "One is to agree to support the shipyard's shipbuilding funds, 10,000 taels per month. Now the factory is set up to build ships, all of which are allocated by Fujian tariffs and likin; the 10,000 taels may be changed to Gan pay." This is a disguised way to increase the burden on Fujian.Hu Xueyan was amused in his heart, Zuo Zongtang's abacus was sometimes more sophisticated than that of a philistine; but as long as he was not tired of Zhejiang, he had no reason to disapprove.So he nodded and said: "At this level, I don't think Ma Zhongcheng will object." "The other horse team that helped Prime Minister Zeng was also 10,000 taels. In my opinion, it should belong to me. Xueyan, think about it." The reason for it." "Ms. Zeng once set a monthly salary of 30,000 yuan for Jiangsu Xieji. I heard that the monthly salary is not enough. Does your lord want to use the 10,000 taels from Zhejiang to offset the salary that should be paid in Jiangsu?" "That's right! It's no harm to the past, so why can't you transfer the account?" In terms of facts, what is the so-called "no harm to the past"?Hu Xueyan wanted to persuade him that it was not worth the ten thousand taels of silver, which made Zeng Guofan unhappy.After thinking about it, Zuo Zongtang would definitely scold Zeng Guofan if he tried to persuade him like this.We can't talk about business.So he retracted the words that came to his mouth. This will be counted as Guangdong's aid.Guangdong's salary was originally set at only 10,000 yuan; the shipbuilding fund was also 10,000 yuan. Following the example of Zhejiang Province, the total was 20,000 yuan.Zuo Zongtang meant that he hoped to double the amount, the same as Fujian, 40,000 per month. "This can definitely be done." Hu Xueyan said, "Jiang Zhongcheng was single-handedly promoted by the lord, and he should do his best in public and private. It is not too late, and the lord will write a letter soon." "It doesn't matter, anyway, Jiang Xiangquan can't help but buy me." It can now be brought into the budget for the sake of saving face.” "Fujian 40,000, Zhejiang 70,000, Guangdong 40,000, plus Jianghai Customs 30,000. The actual amount that can be collected is 180,000; only 2.16 million a year. It's a lot worse." "Of course there are. As discussed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, there are seven other provinces that should assist in payment. Jiangxi, Hubei, and Henan. Salary, we can only talk about it when we arrive in Shaanxi. I think, all in all, 2.4 million silver a year, no matter what.” "Then, I'll raise half of the money for you." Hu Xueyan said nonchalantly. "Half?" Zuo Zongtang was afraid that he didn't hear clearly, so he made a special sentence: "Half is 1.2 million silver." "Yes, 1.2 million." Hu Xueyan said, "I prepared it for my lord and took it away." "Here," Zuo Zongtang didn't know what to say, "where did you raise such a huge sum? " "I have a solution. Of course, this method requires the approval of adults. I will report to adults after I have made a plan." Zuo Zongtang is inconvenient to follow up and ask.Although he was somewhat skeptical, he believed more than doubted; and when he thought that all the promises made by Hu Xueyan had never been fulfilled, he felt relieved and pleased. "When will your lord leave, and when will you leave the customs?" "I want to leave in early November, and talk to the governors of various provinces along the way about official business. I will walk slowly, and I will not arrive in Beijing until the end of the year." "To Beijing?" Hu Xueyan asked puzzledly, "The Shangyu is not a notice, and he will go out directly." What is the meaning of the superior?It is nothing more than some people coercing the world to order the princes.They are afraid that I will go to Beijing to cause trouble, so I will go to annoy them; before I leave, please see me.The empress dowagers of the two palaces will never stop me. Zuo Zongtang paused for a moment and said: "As for the date of leaving the customs, it cannot be scheduled yet."It would have to be next spring at the earliest. "That's three or four months."Before my lord leaves the customs, the 1.2 million will definitely be sufficient; as for the immediate needs, I can manage the 200,000 to 300,000 silver. " "That's great! Xueyan, I hope you make the plans early so that I can rest assured." So what does Zuo Zongtang say?Hu Xueyan also hopes that the outcome can be settled soon.But I had an idea in my heart, although I was 80% sure, I never got the money in the end.As the saying goes, "the duck flies away when it is cooked", it is an exaggeration; but when it comes to money, there is an agreement, and it is not uncommon for people to change their minds at the last moment.1.2 million taels is not a small amount. The key to the success or failure of the Western Expedition and Zuo Zongtang's ability to enter the cabinet after being ennobled is all related to this. The relationship is really serious.If you fail, how do you explain it? Thinking of this, Hu Xueyan deeply regretted, why would he forget the precept of "full food is delicious, full of words?"? Now that we can't retreat, we have to go all out and step up. The trouble is that they still can't get away, because Riyige and Dekebei have to deal with the Chinese officialdom, from the shipyard project to the personal life.In Zuo Zongtang, he had mixed doubts and beliefs towards foreigners; and when he was afraid of saying something, the foreigners would be straightforward and dismiss it on the spot, which would hurt his status and prestige, so Hu Xueyan, a person who conveyed it in an intermediary manner, was indispensable. This is difficult!Thinking about it, I couldn't think of an answer for a while; I sat there in a daze.This is the appearance Zuo Zongtang has never seen before, so he can't help being surprised; but it's hard to ask.The two guests of honor answered each other silently; Ghoshha, who was standing in the hall, was also shocked, because Zuo Zongtang and Hu Xueyan always met each other on weekdays, talking and laughing happily, and talking endlessly, why are they sitting in a daze at this moment? So, Geshha, a close friend of Zuo Zongtang, stepped forward and asked, "But Mr. Liuhu is here to eat?" This made Hu Xueyan wake up, "No, no, thank you!" He thanked first, "I have to go to the pier to see off the passengers." "To whom?" Zuo Zongtang asked. "Fuzhou Taxation Bureau is making waves." "Oh, he's going to Shanghai." "Yes." Hu Xueyan replied, "It is the French Consul General in Shanghai, Belini, who is looking for him to discuss business matters." "What business are you talking about?" Zuo Zongtang asked, "Could it be related to the shipyard?" Hu Xueyan had an idea, nodded and replied, "Maybe." "You have to be careful." Zuo Zongtang said, "Foreigners have many tricks. Riyige and Dekebei handled this matter, bypassing their consul general at first, and going directly back to the country to meet; of course Bailini is not happy. And at this moment, all contracts are also It's up to Beliny to make a pledge; I'm afraid he'll thwart it." "Your Excellency is far-sighted and sees it very well. I think—" Hu Xueyan hesitated deliberately, "Impossible things. Forget it!" "What?" Zuo Zongtang asked, "What can't be done?" "I think it's best for me to go too; to pin the Bolang. It's just that I'm not allowed here." Zuo Zongtang stroked his short gray mustache, pondered for a while, and said slowly: "Go and come back quickly, it will not hinder you." Hearing this, Hu Xueyan cheered up, "Yes!" He immediately replied, "I will follow your lord's order and go back quickly. If the business that Bulang is talking about has nothing to do with the ship, he can return to Fuzhou in only three to five days." .” "Okay!" Zuo Zongtang said, "You can please! I still have a lot of important matters to discuss with you; especially the 1.2 million silver, I have no money for a day, and I am restless all the time." Hu Xueyan didn't dare to talk anymore this time, and only promised to rush back as soon as possible.As for Fuzhou, the only ones who are not at ease, Riyige and Deke Monument, have begun to retreat. They are afraid that there will be twists and turns, and there will be no one to mediate, which will lead to a break; Good words to persuade, good to comfort.If there is any point of disagreement, I will put it aside for the time being and wait for Hu Xueyan to return to Fuzhou.With this guarantee, Hu Xueyan felt at ease; when he returned to his apartment, he hurriedly packed his bags and rushed to the pier, where he was on the same boat as Bulang and sailed directly to Shanghai. The first thing to do in Shanghai is to visit Gu Yingchun for a secret talk. Gu Yingchun has made new developments in recent years. He is the comprador of the British HSBC Bank; according to the English translation, he is commonly known as "Kang Baidu", and he is the head of the Chinese staff in the bank; All negotiations with the Chinese, ranging from handing over the officialdom to hiring coolies, are all done by compradors.And Chinese people have business contacts in foreign banks, and they have to find compradors.Therefore, Gu Yingchun has a lot of power in HSBC; he is capable and diligent, and he is trusted by Yang Dong, and he obeys his advice. This is why Hu Xueyan first sought him out. "I'm going to invite the 'staff' of several foreign banks to dinner." He said as soon as he opened his mouth, "You can write a list for me instead!" "Uncle," Gu Yingchun asked, "Is it because of the shipyard?" "No! I want to borrow money from them." I usually borrow money from foreign banks, one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand silver, and I can borrow it with just a word from Hu Xueyan.Now it is specially to invite foreigners to dinner, it can be seen that the number is not small.Gu Yingchun thought for a while, took out a list of foreign commercial firms in Tongzhi four years ago, turned to the column of "Bank" and asked: "Do you want to invite all ten companies? Hu Xueyan looked at these ten foreign banks: 1. Agara Bank 2. Lizhong Bank 3. Lishang Bank 4. Huiquan Bank 5. Macquarie Bank 6. Huilong Bank 7. Beneficial Bank 8. Bank of France 9 HSBC ten, Liru Bank This time, he hesitated.Because it is commonly known as a foreign bank, but has different nationalities; especially Britain and France, which have always been fighting each other to expand their power, and now set up factories and shipbuilding for Zuo Zongtang, which is even more at odds.Wouldn't it be a waste of effort if you were invited together, suspicious of each other, and unwilling to meet openly and honestly? So he asked, "How about coming separately?" "Of course. But, as far as I am concerned, little uncle, please only use what is useful. Once you get it right, you don't need to worry about the rest." "So, tell me, which ones are useful?" Gu Yingchun held the pen in his hand, and without hesitation, he checked five, seven, and nine banks.This is also Hu Xueyan's idea, because HSBC is indispensable in Gu Yingchun; as long as there is HSBC, there are two companies, Macquarie and Lili, because these two are British banks and have a deep relationship with HSBC. However, HSBC is not purely a British bank.It was originally named "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Co., Ltd.", and its head office was established in Hong Kong in the third year of Tongzhi, with a capital of five million Hong Kong dollars. invest.Chinese businessmen also have shares; Gu Yingchun is one of them, and with this origin, he was able to act as the comprador of the Shanghai branch. The Shanghai branch of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was established one year later than the head office. The general manager who was sent was named Mai Lin, who was British; So recruit him as comprador.Gu Yingchun's first suggestion after taking over the incident was to "rectify the name"; the name of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, according to the literal translation of the original English name, is correct, but according to the Chinese custom, regardless of the size of the store, it is always necessary to choose an auspicious name; Moreover, it is inexplicable to use two place names as the name of the bank.If "Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank" is added with the words "Shanghai Branch", it will feel even more nondescript, and it will be difficult to become a "golden signboard". Mai Lin followed the advice of Gu Yingchun and adopted the advice of Gu Yingchun. According to the Chinese custom of "talking for words", he named the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation; referred to as HSBC or HSBC, regardless of the northern and southern accents, the shouts are very loud.Moreover, there is no difference between the northern and southern accents; unlike the word Mecca in the Macquarie Bank, it is not consistent with the northerners in the Shanghai population. Gu Yingchun's second suggestion is that if shareholders have different nationalities and different positions, they will have different opinions, forming mutual constraints and unfavorable situations that cannot be developed.Therefore, it is advocated to take the UK as the main body and gradually buy shares in other countries; at the same time, contact friendly banks to gather forces and support each other.It was also readily accepted by Mai Lin. The two friendly banks contacted by HSBC are of course the Bank of England, that is, Macquarie and Lee Bank.Lili is the oldest foreign bank in Shanghai, founded in the fourth year of Xianfeng.It is one of the UK's overseas banks, headquartered in London; it has branches in Mumbai, India and Shanghai. Macquarie Bank is a joint stock limited company issued by the Emperor to set up branches in India, Australia and Shanghai.The head office is located in London; Xianfeng opened a branch in Shanghai in seven years, and the Cantonese call it "Zhada Bank"; Zhada is the transliteration of the English word "Charter"; It was named after the first general manager, Macquarie, and called it Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank was set up solely to facilitate the trade of British businessmen in India, Australia, and Shanghai. Therefore, in addition to their peer relationship with Hu Xueyan in Fukang Bank, they also had business contacts with "Selling Foreign Village". "Of course these three banks are useful." Hu Xueyan said hesitantly, "I'm afraid it's not enough." After a long time, the tacit understanding has been deep, guessing and talking about it is a ridiculous thing after all, so I asked briefly: "Little uncle, how much money do you want to borrow?" "At least 1.2 million." "This is a huge amount that the bank has never lent before." Gu Yingchun asked again, "Who is it borrowing for? Of course Master Zuo?" "certainly!" "Building a ship?" "No! Military pay for the Western Expedition." Even Gu Yingchun, who is well-versed in both China and foreign countries, couldn't help but be stunned, "I don't seem to have heard of the fact that I borrowed money from foreigners to fight wars." He said frankly: "Uncle, this matter It's going to be difficult." "I also know it's difficult. But it must be done successfully." Gu Yingchun no longer discouraged.Hu Xueyan was never afraid of difficulties, and persuasion was useless; he knew that the only attitude he could take was to help Hu Xueyan overcome difficulties regardless of success or failure.So he asked: "Uncle, you have always thought of a regulation, how to borrow, how to repay; how much interest to pay, and how much time to set? Let's talk about it first, and see if it works or not?" "Borrowing 1.2 million, the interest may be slightly higher. The term is one year, and only the interest will be paid in the first half of the year; in the second half of the year, the monthly payment will be paid according to the principal, and the loan will be repaid in six installments." "What will you pay back then?" "Western Expeditions of all provinces." Hu Xueyan said flexibly: "Fujian 40,000, Guangdong 40,000, Zhejiang 70,000; this is 150,000, only 50,000 short. Jiang Customs' idea of ​​30,000 is still short. 20,000, no matter what, think about it." "Uncle, you've got your wishful thinking. The provincial co-pays are unreliable! What if you default?" "I am guaranteed by Fukang Bank." "Otherwise!" Gu Yingchun shook his head, "There's no need to do this! Besides, foreigners are straightforward in doing things; if it comes to Fukang's guarantee, foreigners will definitely say: 'I will lend you the money in Fukang Bank. As long as you provide a guarantee, we don't care what you use it for.' Then, little grandpa, you are not only taking too much risk, but you are also too ostentatious. Not right, not right!" After thinking about it, it really wasn't right, Hu Xueyan, who was very obedient, nodded deeply, "You are much more proficient than me in the rules of foreign banks and the temper of foreigners; you see, how do you do it?" He said, "As long as things are done I will accept any conditions.” “Foreigners do things a little differently from us. We talk about faith and business, and we only count on one word; A bit of a "little man's heart", it is not good, but bad first. Taking borrowing money as an example, the first thing that comes to mind is, if the other party can't pay back in the future? What if the other party can't pay back? These two points, Uncle, you have to make up your mind first; otherwise, it's better not to speak." "I understand. The first point is that it must be worth it, because the co-payment of each province has a fixed amount, so it is natural to report it to the Ming court; if any province is incomprehensible about the major event of the Western Expedition, it will delay the military opportunity, and the crime is not light. Besides, In Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang provinces, there are people from Mr. Zuo there, and they will definitely buy it. There are 150,000 in these three provinces; there are three out of four shares, so don’t worry.” "Okay, I can tell foreigners about this. What about the guarantee?" "Since it is inconvenient for Fukang to guarantee, I have to ask Master Zuo to come forward." "Master Zuo can only come forward to borrow money, not to be a guarantor." "This is difficult!" Hu Xueyan had an idea, "Please ask the governors of the provinces who are cooperating with the payment to be guarantors, first issue the stamps, and collect them from the yamen of the Shaofan divisions when they expire. Is this all right?" "Not necessarily! But always It's a theory." Gu Yingchun said again, "In my opinion, the governors of the provinces are not necessarily willing." "You don't have to worry about this level, Mr. Zuo can do it naturally. He is best at the trick of 'holding the emperor to make the princes'." "Okay. As long as we are sure, we can talk about it." Gu Yingchun said: "I think it's better to put the meal in the back; I'll take the big board of HSBC to make an appointment with my uncle first, how about it? " "Daban" is the abbreviation of "Big Boss"; the Chinese employees of foreign firms all call their "Yangdong" in this way.HSBC's "big board" Mailin, Hu Xueyan has also met, he is very shrewd, but as the Shanghainese say, he is "on the road", as long as everything is on the right track, the negotiation can always be successful.So Hu Xueyan readily agreed.But there are still some things to explain. "Old Gu," he said, "I can't hide my situation from you; this year, I have taken you as an employee of HSBC, and I am a little alienated from my personal situation. Now I am a 'hollow old man', and the situation is too much. It’s big, and there are unspeakable hardships. On the Fujian side, the cash relief and the advances for the purchase of arms cost me two to three hundred thousand yuan; on the Zhejiang side, the accounts of the agency treasury have not been settled clearly. It's easy to reimburse, but it's not easy to argue, because it's a hindrance to Mr. Zuo's face; the advance money from the aftermath bureau has to be left there. Calculated in this way, it's another two to three hundred thousand, a total of five hundred thousand silver. The tent is there, you say, how can you bear it?" "There are so many delinquent accounts!" Gu Yingchun was taken aback. "In the blink of an eye, spring will start, and the two cities of Silk and Tea will be bustling; first, we have to put down a lot of money. At that time, my uncle, Fukang, if the turnover is not working well, Isn't it ugly?" "It's not only ugly? It's terrible!" Hu Xueyan continued, "Speaking of ugly, if something is not arranged well during the year, it will show its original shape. I am a Taoist who distributes Fujian, and I shouldn't be in charge of the salt affairs in northern Zhejiang; However, Zhejiang is finally under the jurisdiction of the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, which makes sense. Now that I have been sent by the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, I will be stationed in Shanghai in the future to handle the transfer of military supplies and salaries in the Northwest; The deficit of more than a hundred thousand yuan, why not return it?" "That is to say, it will cost hundreds of thousands of yuan to pass the door within a year." "It's just this place; there are others. Fukang will need 500,000 taels of silver to turn around once it's opened for a new year. If the loan is successful, I can remit it in batches, and I can use it first; once it arrives Next summer, when the silk and tea markets are over and the money for goods comes in, I will be alive." Gu Yingchun heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay!" He said resolutely, "I will definitely find a way to use this loan to succeed." "With you, we can definitely succeed. Old Gu, I still have something to say, let me tell you, first, this matter must be kept secret, and no news must be leaked, otherwise, the "Master Du" in Beijing will play a Ben, there are more than enough bad things. Let me tell you, even Mr. Zuo himself doesn’t know about this approach—” As soon as this remark came out, Gu Yingchun was very surprised, "Then," he said anxiously, "when the negotiation is successful, if Mr. Zuo says 'no', it is not a joke!" "Don't worry! There will be no jokes, I have every confidence that he will do as I say." "Okay! Let's talk about the second thing." "Second, I want to entrust a foreign businessman; in fact, if someone is willing to lend money, they might as well take some part and earn more interest." "It depends, it's too early to tell." "As long as you know what's in your mind." Hu Xueyan said, "Master Zuo's fame and my career are all based on this loan." In order to keep the secrets, Gu Yingchun asked Mai Lin to meet Hu Xueyan at the newly established "German General Association", and as soon as they sat down, they talked straight to the point.Mai Lin was quite deep. After listening to the details, he made a series of inquiries without commenting. "What is your court's opinion on this matter?" "Suppressing chaos is regarded as the top priority in China." Hu Xueyan replied through Gu Yingchun's explanation: "If the minister who leads the army can raise enough military expenses by himself, the imperial court will of course fully support it." "As far as I know, the ministers leading the army in China have their own spheres of influence. Lord Zuo's sphere of influence seems to be only Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, which are the most barren places." "No." Hu Xueyan refused to admit the theory of territory , "The prestige of the imperial court extends to all provinces; as long as the imperial court agrees to the loan and the method of apportioning the repayment by the provinces, it must be done, so please don't worry about it." "Then, why don't you ask your government to come forward to borrow this loan?" "Master Zuo is representing the Chinese government." Hu Xueyan said, "All negotiations must be of equal status; if the Chinese government comes forward , you should discuss it with your 'household department', not us here." Mai Lin nodded deeply; but then asked: "Master Zuo represents the Chinese government, and you represent Lord Zuo; that means you represent the Chinese government. Is that so?" This is a difficult question to answer.Because of this matter, at the beginning of the campaign, even Zuo Zongtang didn't even know that there was a way to borrow money; let alone the authorization of the imperial court.If rumors are passed on, Hu Xueyan is stealing his name and blatantly humiliating the country, and the crime is not light.But if you don't dare to admit it, you will lose your grounds and can't talk anymore. After thinking for a while, he replied vaguely: "If the negotiation is successful, I represent the Chinese government; if the negotiation fails, I only represent myself." "Mr. Hu's eloquence is wonderful and mysterious, but it is also very real. Okay, I will treat it as a representative of your Chinese government. I can agree to this loan in principle; however, I must declare that in our negotiations You can't talk to any other bank until you have a conclusion." "Yes, I am willing to trust you." Hu Xueyan said, "But we should set a deadline for the negotiation; at the same time, I also have a request that you must keep the secret until the negotiation has no result." "That is a constraint that both parties should accept. As for the deadline, it is difficult to set a deadline, because the negotiation of details often requires long-term negotiations." "Good! Let's talk about the details now." This is tantamount to confirming that Mai Lin has made a promise to borrow money; even Gu Yingchun laughed, "Uncle," he said, "I think you can handle the negotiation yourself; I will only do the interpretation. Mai Lin is very shrewd; only shrewd people can make him admire. " So a secret and lengthy negotiation was launched immediately; three days before and after, repeated discussions, almost forgetting to sleep and eat.麦林原来就佩服精明的人，此时更为胡雪岩的旺盛企图心所感动；更为胡雪岩的过人的精力所压倒，终于建成了协议。 这一协议并未订成草约，亦未写下笔录，但彼此保证，口头协定，亦具有道义上的约束力量，决无翻悔。商定的办法与条件是： 第一、借款总数，关于一百二十万两；由汇丰银行组成财团承贷。 第二、月息八厘，付款先扣。 第三、由胡雪岩、古应春介绍华商向汇丰银行存款，月息明盘四厘、暗盘六厘。 第四、各海关每月有常数收入，各税务局多为洋人，因此，借款笔据，应由各海关出印票，并由各省督抚加印，到期向各海关兑取。 第五、自同治六年七月起，每月拔本二十万两，半年清偿。 这五条办法中，第三条是洋商与胡雪岩、古应春合得的好处，明盘四厘，暗盘六厘，即是中间人得二厘的佣金；这也就是说，洋商向中国人借了钱，转借与中国官场，四厘入，八厘出，所得四厘好处，各半均分。 至于印票必出自海关，是麦林坚决的主张。因为他虽相信胡雪岩与左宗棠，却不相信有关各省的督抚，到时候印票如废纸，无可奈何；而海关由洋人担任税务局，一经承诺，没有理由不守信用。 这在胡雪岩却是个难题，因为除江海关每月协解三万两，可以情商上海道先出印票以外，其余各海关并无协饷之责，就不见得肯出印票。想来想去只有一个办法，就是奏明朝廷，每月由各省藩司负责将应解甘饷，解交本省海关归垫。 幸好协饷各省都有海关，每月闽粤两海关各代借二十四万；浙海关代借四十二万两；加上江海关本身应解的十八万两，共计一百零八万两，所缺只有十二万。胡雪岩建议左宗棠要求湖北每月协饷两万，由江汉关出十二万两的印票，合成一百二十万整数。 这些办法，左宗棠完全同意；但等奏准，已在开春，丝茶两市方兴，正须放款，因而利息提高到一分三厘。这是从未有过的高利贷，于是流言四起，说胡雪岩从中渔利；尤其是李鸿章一派的人，不但展开口头的攻击，而且亦有实际的破坏行动。 这个行动很简单，却很有效，就是策动江海关税务司拒绝出具印票。一关如此，他关皆然，几于功败垂成。 经过胡雪岩的巧妙斡旋，这笔大借款还是做成功了。是为中国借外债的开始；而左宗棠的勋业，以及胡雪岩个人的事业，亦因此而有了一个新的开始。但福者祸所倚，“红顶商人”胡雪岩的结局，相当凄惨；种因亦在于此！