Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 452: The Shanxi Merchants Killed as a Warning (6K)

After capturing Chukubaxing, the Tang army only rested for a while before marching non-stop towards Wudebaxing.

After World War I, Ukraine's Baixing also changed hands.

The Tang army continued along the Selenge River towards the North Sea.

Afterwards, they headed along the North Sea towards Irkutsk on the west side of the North Sea.

Irkutsk is the most important city of Tsarist Russia in Lake Baikal and even in Siberia, without a doubt.

……

Beijing, Sihai Hotel.

This is the largest hotel in Beijing with the most luxurious facilities.

The hotel was just completed last year and is located in the outer city of the capital, close to Chongwenmen in the inner city.

The overall building is an 8-storey circular high-rise building, covering an area of ​​nearly one hectare, with a total of nearly suites of different levels.

It has supporting services such as swimming pool, gym, garden, laundry, restaurant, sauna, casino, pub, teahouse, theater, etc.

The facilities include electric lights, running water, elevators, flush toilets, etc.

Naturally, with so many supporting facilities at the Sihai Hotel, the room rate will not be cheap.

Even the lowest-grade standard room, Class D, costs 60 silver dollars per night.

In this era, this is almost two or three years' annual income of an average family!

But even so, the rooms at Sihai Hotel are in short supply, and one even needs to make a reservation half a month in advance to check in.

Those who can afford to live in this place are naturally not ordinary people. They are either wealthy businessmen or high-ranking officials.

Qiao Zhiyong, who came from Shanxi, took a horse-drawn carriage into the capital and got off outside the Sihai Hotel.

Looking at the huge hotel in front of him, he couldn't help but be amazed and spoke in Mandarin with a distinct Shanxi accent.

“This hotel is really magnificent!”

Just as Qiao Zhiyong got off the carriage, a servant came over to the hotel gate and asked.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have an appointment?"

"The carriage cannot stop here without a reservation."

Qiao Zhiyong smiled and motioned to the butler Lao Liang beside him to show the appointment receipt.

Lao Liang took a few steps forward, took out a room reservation receipt from his pocket, and began to speak.

"Our master's name is Qiao. He has booked a first-class suite in the VIP hotel. Here is the receipt."

Upon hearing this, the servant took the bill from the other party with both hands with a serious expression and then checked it.

After confirming that there was no problem with the bill, the attendant spoke more respectfully.

"Dear guest, I'm very sorry for what happened just now. In order to protect the rights of the guests staying here, we don't allow strangers to approach the hotel at will."

"However, since you have booked a room, you are our most distinguished guest. Please follow me."

"The first-class suite you reserved comes with free carriage parking and corresponding horse care services."

"Just leave your carriage to my colleague, I will take you to check in!"

The A-class suite is the highest-level suite in the Sihai Hotel, and the daily room rate is as high as 300 silver dollars.

Those who can afford to wait are definitely not ordinary people.

No matter what, it was not someone a mere gatekeeper like him could afford to offend, so it would never go wrong to be respectful.

Qiao Zhiyong smiled and nodded, still in a friendly manner, then followed the attendant and walked towards the hotel lobby.

After they left, Qiao Zhiyong's carriage was taken away by another servant and taken to a safe place.

As soon as he arrived at the hotel lobby, Qiao Zhiyong was a little shocked.

What appeared before his eyes was a building with very exquisite decorations.

The steps in front of the door are marble, and the door is not a traditional wooden door, but a glass revolving door.

Such a design may be ordinary in later generations, but in this era, it is absolutely eye-catching.

After passing through the glass revolving door and entering the hotel lobby, the first thing that catches your eye is the crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling in the center of the lobby.

The sunlight shines through the glass door and onto the crystal chandelier, reflecting a dazzling sparkle.

When the power is turned on at night, this chandelier will become more beautiful and dreamy.

The floor is paved with white tiles, which are polished to a bright shine that can illuminate people.

In front of one wall is a display cabinet, on which are placed many exquisite antiques and artworks.

If someone who knows the business comes to see it, they will find that the antiques on this antique display shelf are all authentic and very valuable.

The entire hotel lobby is decorated in a magnificent style, with accessories shining with golden light everywhere, giving people a feeling of luxury at first glance.

But more importantly, there is a framed painting hanging in the lobby.

There are only four words on the calligraphy and painting: Prosperous Business!

These four characters can only be considered as neat, without any artistic value, nor are they any ancient relics.

At least according to Qiao Zhiyong's perspective, who has appreciated many ancient and modern famous calligraphy and paintings, it is just upright.

However, the signature of this calligraphy and painting is extraordinary.

It is stamped with the emperor's personal seal!
Although it is not a formal imperial seal like the imperial seal, it can still represent the emperor.

Not to mention anything else, just looking at the calligraphy and painting in front of him, Qiao Zhiyong felt that his rent money was not wasted.

That is the emperor's imperial calligraphy!
After registering their names at the front desk and completing the check-in process, the attendant who led the way took Qiao Zhiyong and Butler Liang towards the elevator.

Now that we're in front of the elevator.

Press the button and the indicator light comes on.

The attendant who was in charge of operating the elevator came forward, opened the elevator door with the key in his hand, and invited Qiao Zhiyong in.

Behind him, the butler carrying the luggage also walked in.

The attendant leading the way stepped in and pressed the button for the 8th floor.

The elevator door is closed!
Then lock it from the inside!
Accompanied by the creaking sound of the steel cables, the elevator began to slowly ascend.

Qiao Zhiyong endured the discomfort brought by weightlessness and asked the servant in front of him with some surprise.

"Brother, is this the legendary elevator?"

It is obvious that Qiao Zhiyong is a man of insight and would not treat the elevator as his own room.

Upon hearing this, the attendant replied enthusiastically.

"Your Excellency is right. This is indeed an elevator."

"Our Sihai Hotel is the first hotel in the entire capital to use an elevator."

“With this elevator, I save a lot of effort climbing stairs, and all the guests who have stayed here have given it a thumbs up.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhiyong nodded in agreement.

"It does save effort, but the space is a bit cramped."

The servant smiled but did not respond.

Although guests always have some strange ideas, as a service staff, he knows that he must never go against the guests.

Soon, with a noticeable pause, the elevator reached the eighth floor.

As the elevator door opened, Qiao Zhiyong and his butler Lao Liang walked out of the elevator.

What appeared in front of him was a long and narrow corridor.

There are rooms on both sides of the corridor instead of windows.

However, although the lighting in the corridor was not good, it was still as bright as day because of the electric lights on the wall.

Qiao Zhiyong walked forward with his attendants.

Only then did he realize that he was standing on a soft wool carpet, which felt very nice to step on.

Soon, Qiao Zhiyong was brought to the door of Room 3, Class A.

The servant took out the key and opened the door, and a faint scent of incense lingered around his nose.

Qiao Zhiyong raised his eyebrows and asked curiously.

"Is it ambergris?"

The attendant nodded very honestly.

"Yes, distinguished guest!"

"According to the rules of our hotel, from the moment you book a room, no matter when you come to stay, we will fumigate your room on time."

“Make sure you have a comfortable stay no matter when you come!”

In the past, ambergris was a top-notch precious spice and was even a tribute to the royal family. It was generally not available even if one had money, so it was in short supply.

But now times have changed. As the Tang Dynasty opened up the seas, headed towards the deep blue, and even carried out large-scale whaling activities, the price of ambergris began to drop significantly.

However, it is ambergris after all. Even if the price drops a lot, it is still a valuable spice.

The fact that this hotel uses this level of incense in its guest rooms shows how much care it puts into it.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhiyong nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad, I'm interested!"

"I am very satisfied!"

The servant bowed slightly, let Qiao Zhiyong into the house, and then asked.

"My dear guest, do you need a servant's room arranged for your servant?"

"The first-class room you reserved has corresponding services, all free of charge!"

Qiao Zhiyong hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Okay, you're done!"

Upon hearing this, the attendant spoke hurriedly.

"You're welcome. This is what we servants should do."

After saying this, the servant turned around and left, leaving Qiao Zhiyong to keep the steward Lao Liang to talk.

They entered the suite and sat down on the sofa.

Lao Liang stood up and poured tea for his master.

Before drinking it, Qiao Zhiyong smelled the tea and couldn't help but sigh.

“What a great tea!”

"It is said that the service at Sihai Hotel is quite good. Now I see that it is true. Even the complimentary tea is the best Dahongpao from Wuyi Mountain."

After taking a sip of tea, Qiao Zhiyong asked.

"Lao Liang, what is our schedule going to be?"

Upon hearing this, Lao Liang replied immediately.

"To reply to the shopkeeper, according to the scheduled plan, we will rest in the hotel today. Tomorrow morning, we will go to the Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall to meet with representatives of various Shanxi merchants."

"The day after tomorrow, I will go to the Ministry of Railways to discuss with the imperial court the investment in a railway connecting Shanxi and the outside of the Great Wall, and even Mobei."

"The day after tomorrow, I will go to the Ministry of Commerce of the imperial court to participate in the auction of the third banking license of the Tang Dynasty."

"Later, I will buy property in Beijing..."

Although Shanxi's coal bosses are not well-known these days, Shanxi merchants are no less wealthy than the coal bosses.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhiyong nodded slightly.

Then asked.

"Lao Liang, what do you think about me building a hotel like this in our hometown in Shanxi?"

Upon hearing this, Lao Liang replied without any hesitation.

"The master is wise!"

"It's just that our hometown in Shanxi is not as prosperous as Beijing after all. If I use the same pricing as the Sihai Hotel, I'm afraid no one will stay here!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhiyong rolled his eyes.

"What are you thinking about!"

"How can it be possible to use the same pricing as Sihai Hotel?"

"The room rates at the Sihai Hotel are obviously overpriced. The reason why so many people stay there despite the premium is because the emperor's calligraphy is hung in the hotel lobby."

"Who would come to live here if there is no imperial calligraphy? Three hundred silver dollars a night, that's really a steal!" "Why, can I get the imperial calligraphy?"

Upon hearing this, Lao Liang couldn't help wiping the sweat off his face with his sleeves and nodded repeatedly.

Then, Qiao Zhiyong waved his hand, indicating that Lao Liang could leave.

And he was ready to take a rest.

The next morning, Lao Liang came to Qiao Zhiyong's door early and knocked on it to wake him up.

Soon, Qiao Zhiyong got up and opened the door. After packing up, the two of them rushed to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast.

The restaurant is located on the first floor of the hotel and is a hall covering an area of ​​nearly 1,000 square meters.

There are tables and dining counters in the hall, and dining is buffet style.

There are all kinds of food here, not only traditional Chinese meals, but also many Western-style bread, milk, sandwiches, etc.

Qiao Zhiyong saw quite a few blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners in the restaurant.

After breakfast, Qiao Zhiyong left the hotel and headed for the Shanxi Merchants Guild Hall in the capital.

Soon, he arrived outside the guild hall.

At this time, a row of carriages were parked outside the guild hall.

Seeing Qiao Zhiyong arriving, a servant came forward and greeted him.

"May I ask if this is Mr. Qiao Zhiyong, the Qiao family of Qi County, in person?"

Qiao Zhiyong smiled and nodded.

"it's me!"

The attendant spoke quickly.

"Master Qiao, please follow me. The heads of the various families have basically arrived and are waiting for you to preside over the meeting."

Today, the Qiao family is the leading family among Shanxi merchants. If anything needs to be discussed now, Qiao Zhiyong will naturally be the one to preside over it.

Qiao Zhiyong nodded and asked.

"Who's here?"

The attendant replied.

"In reply to Master Qiao, the Chang family of Yuci, the Cao family of Taigu, the Hou family of Jiexiu, the Qu family of Qixian and several other families have already arrived."

"The masters of the Linfen Kang family and the Taigu Kong family are still on their way. They will probably be arriving soon..."

As he was speaking, the servant saw several carriages coming on the street and spoke hurriedly.

"Here they are. Looking at the logo on the carriage, they should be the people from the Linfen Kang family and the Taigu Kong family."

Qiao Zhiyong nodded slightly, stopped walking towards the guild hall, stood outside the guild hall, and prepared to wait for the people from the Kang family and the Kong family to arrive and go in together.

Soon, two carriages stopped in front of the guild hall.

The heads of the Kong family and the Kang family got off the carriage one after another.

Qiao Zhiyong clasped his fists.

"My two brothers, polite!"

Upon seeing this, the heads of the Kong and Kang families also clasped their fists in return.

The two sides exchanged greetings and then walked into the guild hall together.

Soon, they were brought to a meeting room by servants.

When I opened the door, a cloud of smoke rushed in.

Several people inside were smoking pipes, so the meeting room was filled with smoke.

Fanning his nose, Qiao Zhiyong walked into the conference room and sat down in his seat.

After sitting down, Qiao Zhiyong looked around and spoke.

"Haha, after taking a look, all seven of us are gathered together."

“It’s not easy to get everyone together on weekdays!”

The reason why there are seven major families instead of eight is very simple.

Because the Fan family in Jiexiu had been raided by the imperial court.

The head of the Fan family was beheaded, and all the men, women, young and old in his family were sent to labor camps for forced labor.

The reason why the Fan family was raided was because they were collaborating with the enemy and selling out their country.

Although the country that was sold was the Ming Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty still had to settle accounts with the Fan family.

On the one hand, by confiscating the Fan family, they could make a small fortune, which would greatly fill the financial gap of the court.

But more importantly, it is to warn the world.

Li Yi wanted to confiscate the Fan family's property to make it clear to the people of the world that if one is a traitor, one must be prepared to have his property confiscated and his family exterminated.

Even if the previous dynasty perished before it had time to settle accounts with you, the next generation will still seek to settle accounts with you.

In addition, it was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and threaten the Shanxi merchants to be obedient and sensible.

You can decide for yourself whether to listen to the imperial court, contribute money and manpower to help the imperial court build the railway, or be like the Fan family and have your property confiscated and your family exterminated.

Although the Fan family was raided because of their unclean ancestors, apart from the Fan family, the rest of the Shanxi merchants were not that clean either.

Although most of them made their fortunes through legitimate business, they did not make their fortunes by collaborating with the enemy and becoming traitors like the Fan family.

However, after becoming rich, they often colluded with the Qing court.

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to liquidate them, it would be easy to find a reason.

"Today, we are meeting in this Jinshang Guild Hall mainly for two reasons."

Qiao Zhiyong said with a serious expression.

"First, the imperial court wants to build a railway connecting Guannei and Mobei, and hopes that each of us can contribute and contract a section."

"After the railway is completed, the court can distribute the revenue from railway operation to us as dividends every year."

"What do you all think about this matter?"

That’s right, although the Tang Dynasty was prepared to use the power of Shanxi merchants to build this railway connecting Mobei and the interior, it was not prepared to give them the ownership, let alone the operating rights.

But only dividends are given!

Upon hearing this, the head of the Wang family spoke.

"Since the imperial court has spoken, this railway must be built, and we just have to cooperate."

"I don't want to repeat the mistakes of the Fan family..."

"The only question now is, how much will this railway cost?"

“Also, once the railway is completed, will it really be profitable?”

If the Tang Dynasty could raid the Fan family, it could raid them as well.

Even though they are all wealthy businessmen and rich enough to rival a country, they are nothing but lambs to be slaughtered in front of the imperial court.

As long as you want to kill, there is no situation where you can't kill.

In this land, wealth has never had a say in the face of power.

Qiao Zhiyong heard this and spoke.

"Before I went to Beijing, I took a train connecting Beijing and Tianjin. I had a deep impression of trains."

"If goods are transported by train, the cost and efficiency of transportation can be minimized."

"If we can build a train connecting the interior and exterior of the country, profitability will certainly not be a problem."

"As for the cost of building the railway, I don't know about that."

"When the time comes, we will have to consult the Ministry of Railways of the imperial court. However, I think it will not be cheap."

The head of the Kong family said with a smile.

"You don't have to be so pessimistic."

"We are mainly engaged in the business of connecting the outside world with the outside world. Once the railway is completed, it will connect the inside and the outside world."

"When the time comes, when we want to ship goods outside the customs, won't the cost and efficiency be faster and lower?"

“This is also a good thing for us!”

When everyone heard this, they smiled cooperatively, but their expressions were still grim.

Qiao Zhiyong spoke and made the final decision.

"Okay, okay, let's just let this matter go for now!"

"Anyway, the court has made its intentions very clear. We have no choice. In that case, why not do this happily?"

After saying this, Qiao Zhiyong went on to talk about the second thing.

"The second thing is that the imperial court is going to publicly auction the third banking license of the Tang Dynasty."

"We must get this banking license, no matter what the cost!"

It is true that the main business of Shanxi merchants is the trade routes outside the Great Wall.

However, money shops and bill shops are also one of the main sources of profit for Shanxi merchants, and their importance is even no less than that of the trade routes outside the Great Wall.

The reason why Shanxi merchants had the capital to repeatedly travel to trade routes outside the Great Wall, even to trade routes as far as Central Asia and Eastern Europe, was because of the ability of money houses to raise funds.

But the problem is that with the establishment of the Tang Royal Bank and the expansion of its business.

This modern bank, which had the royal reputation backing, the court policy support, and advanced management experience, greatly seized the business of Shanxi merchants' money shops and bill shops.

The impact on Shanxi merchants is huge!

They did consider integrating and reforming the money houses into banks, but the Tang Dynasty issued policies stipulating that banking operations not only required an entry license, but also required the payment of a deposit to the court to guarantee banking business.

Therefore, Shanxi merchants' money shops and bill shops have never been able to complete the transformation.

Of course, it’s not a matter of deposit. Shanxi merchants are rich and will pay the deposit.

The biggest problem is that the court does not issue an entry license.

Well, one of the two previous access licenses was from the Tang Royal Bank, needless to say.

This is the first modern bank in the Tang Dynasty!

As for the second one, as soon as it came out, it was taken into the pockets of the Guangdong and Guangxi business gangs.

Well, standing behind the Guangdong and Guangxi business community are those powerful nobles in the court who are from Guangdong and Guangxi.

Not only can the Shanxi merchants not compete with others, even if they can, they dare not do so.

However, Shanxi merchants are determined to obtain this third entry license.

Well, after all, they had just agreed to help the court build a railway connecting the interior and exterior of the Great Wall, and now they have definitely caught the emperor's eye.

This is also the reason why they have the confidence to compete for the third banking license.

Qiao Zhiyong narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Everyone, tell me how much funding each of you can get?"

The bank's access license is to be auctioned. Since it is an auction, how much money can be raised is naturally a very important issue.

After speaking, he continued.

"Let me make a statement first. My Qiao family will take 2 million."

The head of the Wang family said with a smile.

"My Wang family will also contribute two million!"

The Kong family's shopkeeper gave a bitter smile.

"My Kong family is almost done, and we need to set aside a balance in advance for the cost of building the railway. Well, we can only take 1.5 million."

Afterwards, a group of Shanxi merchants pooled money together, with some contributing 2 million and some contributing 1 million.

Twelve million was quickly raised!

Qiao Zhiyong continued.

"In addition to us, the rest of the Shanxi merchants also want to contribute to get this third banking license back to Shanxi."

"They collected three million in total!"

"Adding what we can take out, that's only 15 million."

"I think that should be enough..."

(End of this chapter)