In the afternoon, Li Guolou came to Li Hongzhang's residence and gave Uncle Guan a bag. He handed over a ten-tael banknote. Uncle Guan didn't blink an eyelid and said: "Little building, you have to wait for a while. In the middle hall Your Excellency is here to meet with Sheng Huaixuan. I'm afraid it will take a while."
Li Guolou touched his nose and handed over another banknote. He smiled and said: "Uncle Guan and Uncle Sheng are here. So there is no guarantee. You can check the sky for me. If uncle is not available, I will leave. ."
Uncle Guan smiled and said: "Oh, it's easy to discuss with my family. I'll go in and take a look." After saying that, Uncle Guan turned around and ran towards the courtyard. He was still running in a trotting posture. He explained the amount of the banknote given by Li Guolou behind. Let him have it. Infinite motivation.
Sheng Huaixuan, courtesy name Xingsun, was born in Wujin, Jiangsu. He was a scholar. In the second year of Tongzhi, he entered the shogunate of Li Hongzhang. In this year, Li Hongzhang led troops from Zhili to Shaanxi and assisted Zuo Zongtang in his crusade against the rebellion in the northwest. Sheng Huaixuan served as the camp copywriter and conference manager. The Business Office gained fame from this. Sheng Huaixuan and possessing the ability to engage in business operations. He worshiped Li Hongzhang as his adoptive father. He was a direct descendant of Li Hongzhang. He was an official and businessman. His ability to make money was unparalleled. Li Hongzhang appointed Tang Tingshu and Xu Run to found Shanghai Steamship China Merchants Bureau soon appointed Sheng Huaixuan as its director. From then on, Sheng Huaixuan set foot in the industrial world.
Steamship Merchants Company. It was originally a Steamship Merchants Company. Since the Qing government stipulated that official property must be transported by this company first, China Merchants Company had another stable income. Among them, the rice that was exclusively carried by China Merchants Company was the top priority. And Since the establishment of the company, people in the Qing Dynasty have boarded the ship of China Merchants. This has increased the competitiveness of China Merchants. Foreign companies also lowered prices for this reason. In the end, they suffered greatly. The American Qichang Company went bankrupt because of this. China Merchants The Bureau acquired the ships and docks of Qichang Company together. The strength of China Merchants Bureau was greatly enhanced. This process was passed through the hands of Sheng Huaixuan. After the contribution to China Merchants Bureau, he received commissions. Therefore, he was criticized by the Censor. of impeachment.
At this time, Sheng Huaixuan was only in his twenties. After the impeachment, he had no official position and was idle at home. He came to his adoptive father Li Hongzhang to complain. He wanted to return to the court through Li Hongzhang's recommendation.
Li Hongzhang was chatting happily with Sheng Huaixuan in the living room. He was chatting here and there. He couldn't stop for a while. When he heard Li Guolou coming, his face darkened.
Li Hongzhang had his own ideas about Li Guolou, an alternative member of the Li family. Li Guolou returned from abroad and his words, deeds and behavior made him dislike him. So he deliberately ignored Li Guolou for a long time. Of course, the shoes were also worn by Li Guolou several times during that time, which caused the relatives of this grandson to get a bad rap in the official circles of the capital. Unexpectedly, this brat snuck into the Ministry of Punishment as an errand, and even got the appreciation of Shangshu Bao for wearing it. A ninth-grade official hat. This time Li Guolou wrote to Prince Gong Yixin and made eleven statements. As for the eleven statements written by Li Guolou, Li Hongzhang had it at the Yamen discussion meeting of the Prime Minister's Office. They agreed. Some were firmly opposed. They were simmering with anger. The yellow-haired boy didn't even have hair, so he talked about national affairs in a boastful way.
Sheng Huaixuan, who was next to him, had heard something about Li Guolou. When he saw Li Hongzhang's expression was unhappy and he kept silent, he was so smart. He immediately smiled and said: "Father, I have heard about your grandson Li Guolou's affairs. I heard that like his brother, he is a master of making money and has a prosperous career. Can you recommend him to me?"
Li Hongzhang's expression returned to normal. He stroked his beard and said: "Xiaoguan, let Xiaolou come in. The brat knows how to come. He is quite thick-skinned. Xingsun, you two are quite similar. You are both a scholar. You are the one who can work in the camp. Humanoid.”
Sheng Huaixuan was a little embarrassed. He chuckled a few times. How could he honor his adoptive father without making money? How could he come to the door empty-handed? He was just unlucky enough to be pinched by someone and bumped into the censor's gun. There was no government support in doing business. How could he make money? After earning a lot of money and doing government business, Sheng Huaixuan wanted to find a lucrative job. He could only rely on his "adopted father" Li Hongzhang for advice to resume his official career.
Li Guolou entered the living room and saw Li Hongzhang in casual clothes. He immediately paid homage with the courtesy of an elder. After some greetings, Li Guolou took out the gift list and handed it over. He was afraid that Li Hongzhang would be angry and not accept the gift, so he did not bring any property. If it was property If Li Hongzhang doesn't accept it, it will be difficult to deal with it in the future.
The Li family is a big family. He can still get into Li Hongzhang's eyes because his elder brother and sister are money-making experts. They respect Li Hongzhang's eldest son Li Jingyi, so they are still interacting with each other. Those relatives of the Li family in his hometown are just rich people. Li Hongzhang's three sons have official positions in the court. Among them, the eldest son Li Jingyi (adopted son) is the most important. Several brothers in Li Hongzhang's direct line are high officials and big businessmen. Other descendants from the collateral line are not as big as Li Hongzhang. Shu. Li Guolou's family belongs to a branch lineage that is well-off.
Li Hongzhang opened the gift list and glanced at it. He knew how much the property was worth. There were antiques, jades, paintings and calligraphy worth about 5,000 taels, and some valuable furniture. This was a gift from a junior. Li Hongzhang smiled slightly and put the gift list on the table. It was not returned to Li Guolou.
"Sit down in the small building. I haven't seen you for more than a year. You have grown stronger." Li Hongzhang exchanged a few pleasantries and asked Li Guolou to express his gratitude to his grandchildren.
Li Guolou greeted his uncle's family and chatted for a while. He looked humble and did not dare to straighten his chest and sit up straight.
At this time, Li Hongzhang was in his prime. He was less than fifty years old. He had a rectangular face, full of energy and three strands of black beard. He was exactly the handsome man in the ancient standard portrait. Li Hongzhang's official career was inseparable from the appreciation of his teacher Zeng Guofan. However, He gained more trust from the court than Zeng Guofan. He had been promoted from the Governor of Liangjiang to the Governor of Zhili, ranking first among the ministers. If he was promoted further, he could only be given the honorary title of "Grand Scholar of Wuyingdian", the head of the Han ministers.
In the Qing Dynasty, there was only one person of the opposite sex who was crowned king. That was Fukang'an during the Qianlong Emperor's period. He was General Yum. The person who made the greatest contribution to Tibet's integration into Chinese territory was Fukang'an. It was after Fukang'an suppressed the Tibetan rebellion that Tibet began With the Qing garrison, it was different from those vassal states that paid tribute. Folk legend said that Fukang'an was the illegitimate son of Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong made an exception and violated the ancestral precept that "the opposite sex cannot be crowned king". Although Qianlong was not in Fu Kang'an Kang'an gave him the title of king during his lifetime (and posthumously made him the Prince of Jiayong County), but he still granted him the title of Baylor, which only members of the clan can obtain.
In the fifty-sixth year of Qianlong's reign (1791), Tibet was invaded by the Gorkhas. Fukang'an was ordered to be the commander-in-chief, and Hailancha was the deputy commander-in-chief to lead more than 10,000 troops into Tibet to fight back. The following year, with the support of the Tibetan people, they directly invaded the Gorkhas. Victory was achieved in Kabul.
Due to the Gorkha invasion, various local systems in Tibet were weakened and all kinds of shortcomings were exposed. Fukang'an Chengzhi, together with the minister in Tibet and other senior officials in Tibet, jointly negotiated and approved the central government and promulgated the famous "" The Imperial Regulations on Dealing with the Disaster in Tibet (Article 29). It clearly and in detail regulates all the powers of local administration, religion, military, justice, foreign affairs, finance and taxation in Tibet. It greatly enhances and improves the powers of ministers stationed in Tibet. For this reason, Later, he made important contributions by strengthening the leadership of the central government over local governments, consolidating national defense, maintaining social order, developing production, and improving people's lives. However, Fukang'an was a well-known arrogant and domineering general in history. He was a man with a lot of personal moral debt.
Li Hongzhang nodded. He was quite satisfied with the filial piety of his "grandson". He stared at Li Guolou for a while with a pair of bottomless black pupils. He said: "Xiaolou, you have been very prosperous in recent times. I often hear you. Even the Prime Minister's Office has seen your letter. Your ambition is not small. Even Prince Gong has personally praised you."
Li Guolou leaned forward and said, "Thank you for the compliment, uncle. My grandson must guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and use outstanding political achievements to repay my uncle for cultivating his grandson."
How could Li Guolou not know that he was promoted so quickly and that Prince Gong Yixin recommended him for the imperial examination. It was not because Li Hongzhang was his uncle. Although some of the eleven statements in his letter were inconsistent with Li Hongzhang's views, generally speaking .He still belongs to the Westernization faction and is a member of the same lineage as Li Hongzhang.
"Hmm... It's good to know. Let's watch the tea." Li Hongzhang picked up the tea cup to tell Li Guolou that he wanted to chat for a while and would not rush Li Guolou away immediately. Today, it is a matter of family etiquette. They all address each other based on their seniority.
Sheng Huaixuan was also sizing up Li Guolou. As expected, he looked very similar to Li Hongzhang. He had the same rectangular face and slender eyes. He was a relative from the same family.
"Xiaolou, let's treat each other as equals. Otherwise, I'll be embarrassed." Sheng Huaixuan looked at Li Guolou with a smile. Now he doesn't have an official position. He is worse than Li Guolou, who is a generation younger. As for official rules, he wanted to give Li Guolou a big gift. How could he do it?
Li Guolou looked at Sheng Huaixuan, who had a big-eared face and a rich look on his face. He smiled sweetly and said: "Brother Xingsun is well-known. I have been looking up to you for a long time. The mountains are high."
"Hahahaha. Brother Yu is so ashamed. Now he is just a commoner. He has embarrassed his adoptive father." Sheng Huaixuan spread his hands helplessly. Only his adoptive father Li Hongzhang knew the grievances he felt.
Li Hongzhang smiled and said: "Little building. Just now Xingsun and I mentioned that you and your brother have business acumen. They opened a textile factory and made some achievements in industry. Now they have developed their business in Tianjin. It's amazing. Jingyi often praises you. You two brothers can still make a career without relying on government support. It belongs to your brothers' Yadong Textile Factory. I met your brother when I was in Tianjin. It is a good idea to set up a bank in the British Concession. I I support this initiative of yours.”
An old fox is an old fox. Li Hongzhang had already seen that Li Guoyun and Li Guolou founded the bank "Invite Bank" in the British Concession in Tianjin. It was a joint venture. It relied on foreigners' territory. The Qing government would not be able to annex Invite Bank in the future.
Of course, create a new bank. A huge capital chain needs to be maintained. Next, the banking business will need the help of many people. Come on, Li Hongzhang. Huge water transport capital flows in the local area. If you come in, the bank will get a share of the pie. Li Hongzhang will not invest in it. Please come in. bank. But his son Li Jingyi naturally occupied 10% of the shares of the bank.
Li Guolou said with a smile: "My grandson, thank you very much for your uncle's support. The plan that invited us to the bank was written by my grandson. He has no other abilities. He still makes plans with evidence. He never fights an uncertain battle. "
Li Hongzhang curled his lips slightly and ignored Li Guolou. We were only talking about business today. His adopted son Sheng Huaixuan was by his side. How could national policies be discussed with Li Guolou?
Sheng Huaixuan listened for a while and figured out the ins and outs of being invited to join the bank. He was secretly jealous. The Li family was so powerful that they even got involved in the banking industry. All the money that was passed around in society would eventually fall into the hands of the Li family.
Although Sheng Huaixuan is worth a lot of money, he has not yet reached the level of sudden wealth. The banking industry does not dare to think about it. The last time he was impeached by the censor, he spent atonement money and paid 50,000 taels of silver into the national treasury. Prison. This time he just wanted to get another good job and get back the lost money with interest.
The Qing Dynasty has a national policy, that is, if an official commits a crime of corruption and the crime is exposed, he can spend money to atone for his crime, ranging from a hundred taels to hundreds of thousands of taels. The "atonement money" is directly paid into the state treasury, which is also considered a national item. Income. Who formulated this national policy? It’s funny to say that this highly innovative national policy was personally approved by He Shen, the biggest corrupt official during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It has been used to this day without any change. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty The government is not afraid of official corruption. The bigger the corrupt officials are, they will be a silver mine for the country in the future.
Sheng Huaixuan calmed down and did not let Li Hongzhang see the depression in his heart. He smiled and said: "Xiaolou is capable of literary and military skills. He has thoroughly understood the essence of government and business. This move uses my strength. No one can find fault with me. It looks better than the ticket accounts founded by Qiao Zhiyong, Hu Xueyan and others."
Li Guolou said smugly: "Brother Xingsun is the one who knows the goods. In fact, everyone will do it. But because there is no precedent, I was allowed to take the lead. My grandson is not boasting about Haikou. If my grandson is invited to come to the bank, I will do it." The Qing Dynasty has taken root. A Beiyang navy can be fattened by just inviting people to the bank. No state funding is needed."
At this point, Li Guolou kept silent. He picked up his tea cup and drank tea. It was up to him whether Li Hongzhang would take the bait or not. Most of the local banks and bank accounts were run by local forces, and all the money they earned went into their own pockets. The country has not reaped the benefits. It is impossible for the government to support and promote it. Only if the national government can truly benefit, will the emerging "invite banks" sprout up like mushrooms after rain in the Qing Empire.
Li Hongzhang's face changed. He looked at the young Li Guolou. Could it be that he had misjudged the fake foreign devil who looked like a playboy. He was a great talent and a leader who used foreign goods to serve China.
Li Hongzhang is a young and mature figure. He has both civil and military skills. He has been in a high position since he was young. He has also had ups and downs in the officialdom. He has been tempered for a long time. At this time, his temperament has become more stable. He treats others with a gentleman's demeanor. His acting skills are as pure as fire. He does not like things and does not take himself for granted. sad.
But when Li Guolou talked about his hard work, the Beiyang Navy, Li Hongzhang could no longer hold it in. The Beiyang Navy was a monster that devoured huge sums of money from the national treasury. Although a lot of the money for the new Beiyang Navy was directly financed by local customs duties. Subsidies do not require the use of state treasury funds. But Li Hongzhang knew in his heart that this was a means of deceiving himself and others. Every amount of money is related to the country's people's livelihood. As Li Guolou said, building a new Beiyang Navy would mean tearing down the western wall to make up for the eastern wall. There are always loopholes for people to exploit. If a new generation of army and navy can be formed together, wouldn't everyone be happy?