"Master Wu, the city of Jiangning is about to be destroyed by Changmao, right? As a prefect, I don't even have the city, so how can I make money? Isn't this fat job a bit unworthy of its name?"
In the reception room where they were traveling together, Luo Yaoguo led Chen Chengrong, Cheng Fulei, and Wu Ruxiao as soon as they sat down and began to express their dissatisfaction to Wu Jianzhang.
Although the Jiangnan Yanfa Dao and the prefect of Jiangning are genuine fourth-grade Taoists, their territory is Jiangning Prefecture... The land in this prefecture is almost gone, so why are you still trying to make money like this? This fourth-grade Taoist platform is a shrunken product, and it must be Change it to another one.
"Hey, Master Luo doesn't know something," Wu Jianzhang immediately waved his hand and said with a smile: "The wealth of Jiangnan Yanfa Road and Jiangning Prefecture has never been in Jiangning Prefecture. Although Jiangning Prefecture is a rich and powerful mansion, it is also the governor of Liangjiang. And the station of General Jiangning. There is a governor above, and the general is watching, how much can the prefect make? The Jiangnan Salt Law Road built with the prefect of Jiangning is the fat one! There are no officials in charge of salt who are not fat, let alone Jiangnan. of salt?
Let me tell you this, before the opening of Shanghai, local officials below the governor level were only supervised by the Guangdong Customs. The Lianghuai Salt Transportation allowed these officials to compete with the Jiangnan Salt Road. However, the supervision of the Guangdong Customs has always been an internal matter. Only talents from the government can be appointed, but the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy is a third-rank official, and since the Yongzheng Year, the Salt Transport Envoy has also been under the supervision of the Governor of Liangjiang, and the money earned has to be divided with the Governor. The actual income is no more than that of the Jiangnan Salt Transport Envoy. There are so many ways.”
"Oh, that's it," Luo Yaoguo nodded, indicating that he had been taught, but then he frowned, "It's impossible for Changmao to stop Jiangning, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, and Suzhou. I'm afraid Changmao will soon attack Governor Yi." Can you hold it? "
Wu Jianzhang smiled and said: "If you can defend it for a day, you can make a day's money. How much territory you can defend, and the salt that the people on those territories eat, you can make a portion of the money. In the end, even if you can only defend one Songjiang Mansion, As long as you trust me, I can help you make a lot of money."
"How much salt can a person in Songjiang Prefecture eat?" Luo Yaoguo didn't quite believe it. No more salt? They still have to eat salt...
"Hey, that's not how the score is calculated," Wu Jianzhang said with a smile, "Do people in the hairy land have hairy people?"
"Master Wu means," Luo Yaoguo stared, "I am selling private salt to
"How can it be private salt? You are a member of the Salt Law!" Wu Jianzhang said with a serious face, "The criterion for whether this salt is public or private depends on whether you have received the money. As long as you have received the money, the salt is Public salt, if you keep your money, this salt is private salt! It has nothing to do with who the salt is sold to. Even if you buy the salt and throw it into the sea, as long as you pay the money, it is public salt. Salt!" "Oh, that makes sense!" Luo Yaoguo suddenly discovered that Wu Jianzhang, the customs supervisor, was very talented in anti-smuggling! Could it be that by giving him money, smuggling could be changed to "trafficking"?
Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo looked at Wu Jianzhang and asked: "Master Wu, if we can hold Shanghai, we can sell more than just salt to the west, right?"
Wu Jianzhang smiled "hehe": "Mr. Luo, although the port of Shanghai is small, it is already a place of Chinese and foreign trade, a place of communication between China and foreign countries... It is not only the outlet of the Yangtze River, but also the main outlet of the Jiangnan water network. This is really What a unique trade port!
Do you know what the Jiangnan Water Network is? It means that almost all the villages in Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Zhenjiang, and Taicang, the rich capitals, are covered by a water network. !A boat that can run in the canal can go anywhere in this water network.
And this water network leads to the Yangtze River estuary through the Wusong River and Huangpu River. This is the main outlet of Jiangnan! Mr. Luo, you have to know that although Jiangnan is close to the sea and has a dense water network, water transportation is extremely convenient. There are not many good ports to the sea, but the Huangpu River is the first port.
As long as we hold this first port firmly in our hands, we can act as middlemen between foreigners, Changmao, and the imperial court, making money on all three sides!
Mr. Luo, the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish! The more chaotic the situation, the higher the profit from trade!"
Wu Jianzhang is not good at being an official or fighting, but he is really good at making money! Even if the situation is such a mess, he can see at a glance where there is big money to be made!
The conditions for developing trade in Shanghai during the hundred years from the second half of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century were indeed unique!
In fact, Luo Yaoguo could have been the "King of Changsha" a long time ago. Isn't the reason why he went to Shanghai so troublesome because he took a fancy to Shanghai's unique advantages in the next hundred years?
When Luo Yaoguo was thinking about how to turn Shanghai into a "money-making zone" where he could make money from three sides, he suddenly found someone tugging at his clothes, it seemed to be Chen Chengrong. Luo Yaoguo knew that this man who looked treacherous was actually full of money. Bad water, let’s hear what he has to say.
So he tilted his head toward Chen Chengrong.
"Sir," Chen Chengrong whispered in Hakka, "this Master Wu is the Daoist here in Shanghai and the supervisor of the customs. If you keep the Taiping Army out, he will benefit the most!"
That’s right! Why didn’t you think of that?
Although Wu Jianzhang will be captured by the Little Sword Society within a month, he doesn't know it yet...so he can still get more benefits from him now! "Master Wu," Luo Yaoguo frowned, "You are Su Songtai, Songjiang Mansion In the final analysis, it is your territory! And I am the prefect of Jiangning... My yamen should be located in Jiangning! No matter how good the business in Shanghai is, it has nothing to do with me, an official in Jiangning, right?"
Wu Jianzhang smiled and said: "This is easy to handle! Just open your Daotai Yamen to Songjiang Prefecture and Taicang Prefecture. The cost of opening the Yamen will be covered by the Customs Yamen, and all your expenses in Shanghai will also be covered by the Customs Yamen. The customs office has taken care of it!
Let's make a report to Mr. Yi together. From now on, the Shanghai New Army will be paid by the customs office. Don't you plan to apply for eight or nine thousand first? We will reimburse you at the rate of twelve thousand, and I will reimburse you at the rate of each for the remaining three thousand. People can get five taels of silver per month in cash."
Well, for being greedy for fifteen thousand taels a month... that's a lot to give! But Luo Yaoguo still wants more!
"Master Wu," Luo Yaoguo thought for a moment and asked, "Do you really want to keep the port of Shanghai?"
"I want it! I want it so much!"
Wu Jianzhang looked at Luo Yaoguo expectantly.
"Then I have to put forward three conditions." Luo Yaoguo said seriously. "You say it, just say it!" Wu Jianzhang said, patting his chest.
Luo Yaoguo said: "First, the regiment training in Songjiang Prefecture and Taicang Prefecture must be under my unified command. It cannot be managed by the local prefect or prefecture! I have two people, one is in charge of the Songjiang regiment training, and the other is in charge of the Taicang regiment training. I am the person. Send it on your behalf."
"In a word! My mission is to patrol Su Songtai and prepare troops for the road!" Wu Jianzhang laughed, "I can take care of the regiment training in Songjiang and Taicang... You give two people, and I will send them to be the supervisor and supervisor of the regiment training in Songjiang Prefecture. Taicang Prefecture team training supervisor!"
"Okay!" Luo Yaoguo nodded, "Then I will tell you the second condition. My Yanfa Road office must be placed in the concession, preferably on the Bund, away from the two old locks sold to me by the British. The river must be close enough, and I will station two companies of troops inside the Yamen of Yanfa Road to protect my money."
"Okay!" Wu Jianzhang nodded, "I'll go talk to the foreigners."
"The third condition is that I want to dig a trench and build a wooden wall between the Suzhou River and the Huangpu River to protect Shanghai County and the French Concession and the British Concession."
Luo Yaoguo stated his third condition.
Today's Shanghai is not "Big Shanghai", not even "Little Shanghai", at most it is "Little Shanghai". The truly prosperous area is the corner area where Suzhou River and Huangpu River meet.
The Suzhou River and the Huangpu River are almost natural chasms for the British, French and American imperialists who have steam gunboats at their disposal. If a trench and wooden wall defense line with a total length of 12 to 13 miles are built between the Suzhou River and the Huangpu River, they should be able to The Taiping Army, which was poorly equipped and had not undergone rigorous Western-French military training, was blocked from the most prosperous areas of Shanghai by its sheer numbers and bravery.
"Okay! I promise you!" Wu Jianzhang nodded without hesitation, "I will hire people to dig trenches and build wooden walls right away!"
Luo Yaoguo added: "Go to A Liguo, Aitang and Ma Hui and ask them to send foreign engineers to help... I have received accurate information that the Holy Angel of King Wu of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will come to attack Shanghai! We must go all out to be able to bring him It hurts! Only when it hurts will he agree to turn Shanghai into a port for three-party transactions!"
Chapter completed!