Qing Yao

Chapter 371 Teacher Zhao is about to draw his sword again.

Using underhanded tactics to deal with a provincial literary emperor is excessive, but as long as it's effective, that's fine.

If Xu Ligang can be implicated, the matter of requesting temporary donations in Anhui can be put on the agenda. At that time, just selling the quota of students in the Imperial Academy could bring in millions of taels of silver.

Through Master Xu, Zhao An could further extend his influence into the education sector of Anhui, which would be beneficial for him to cultivate local elites. It was a win-win situation, so even though Zhao An felt somewhat uneasy, he didn't hesitate.

A few days ago, he met with representatives sent by Jiangsu Governor Fu Song, Jiangsu Provincial Treasurer Chen Fengzi, and Jiangning Provincial Treasurer Fu Chang, and reached an agreement on the joint construction of the "two provinces and three provincial treasuries".

Personnel have already been dispatched to Suzhou to establish the Xianfeng branch. It is expected that by the end of the year, the three major treasuries of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangning will be able to achieve "interconnection and interoperability," thereby facilitating Zhao An's disguised monopoly of the southeastern finances and providing a powerful engine for the development of industry and commerce in Anhui.

The interoperability of banknotes, regardless of region or industry, can greatly promote the "interconnection" of industries between Anhui and Jiangsu, and also facilitate the orderly circulation of private capital according to Zhao An's wishes.

For business people, the intercity exchange not only makes depositing and withdrawing money convenient, but also saves them a lot of money in other places. It truly enables them to withdraw the money they earned in Anhui yesterday in Jiangning today.

This alone gives Xianfengxing the ability to become an industry leader.

Because the rumor that Zhao An was the emperor's illegitimate son spread throughout Jiangnan, and because he rose to the rank of a second-grade official in just over a year, coupled with the unwavering belief of Jiangning Provincial Governor Fu Chang and Jiangsu Governor Fu Song, the biggest benefit was that not only did officials in the two Jiang regions feel "close" to Prince Zhao, but also a large number of well-informed merchants, hoping to "catch a cold flame," wanted to befriend him. Hearing that Anqing was "attracting investment," and that Prince Zhao himself was encouraging industry and commerce to revitalize the province, they naturally flocked to Anqing to invest.

It's true that businessmen are profit-driven, but they also have an extraordinary sensitivity to power.

If Zhao Anzhen was indeed an illegitimate son born during the emperor's southern tour, then undoubtedly a "Five Blessings Party" would emerge in the Liangjiang region, much like the interest groups formed around the Third and Fourth Blessings.

Even if one cannot obtain powerful assistance from Prince Zhao, having a high-ranking local official of the second rank as a backer is entirely beneficial to a merchant.

Moreover, this Prince Zhao is so young, his future is truly limitless.

The arrival of a large number of out-of-town merchants injected unprecedented vitality into Anqing City overnight, and the market was bustling with activity and merchants gathered from all over the world.

At the dock, cargo ships bearing the flags of Suzhou, Yangzhou, and Songjiang were constantly passing by. The ships carried either building materials and machinery from Jiangnan, or technicians hired by Jiangnan merchants or local merchants.

Job postings were plastered on both sides of the gate of the industrial park in the east of the city, and "intermediaries" sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Merchants, accountants, and craftsmen speaking with accents from other places could be seen everywhere on the streets, and teahouses and taverns were filled with new terms that had never been heard of before, such as "share capital" and "exchange".

The Bureau of Industry and Commerce, which was under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Treasurer's Office, played a significant role in this, and the minor officials who went to various places to attract investment also made a great contribution to the development of Anhui.

The provincial governor's office was bustling with activity, with numerous business people sending their visiting cards every day, hoping to meet Zhao An.

Zhao An knew, of course, that the tremendous changes in Anqing were not only due to his guidance and encouragement, but also to the influence of rumors about his background, and he was happy to see this happen.

Anyway, I will never deny it.

Fortunately, no one has asked him to verify this.

Even if asked, Zhao An would not give a direct answer.

On the same day that the Education Commissioner was taken by Lao Song to handle the loan procedures, Zhao An held another symposium at the Provincial Governor's Office, mainly attended by representatives of out-of-town businessmen who had recently invested in Anqing.

To project a more approachable image, Zhao An wore casual clothes, and the meeting was still held in the second hall of the provincial governor's office, with the same layout as when the governor's officers were arrested. This gave people an atmosphere of "discussing business together," rather than a group of merchants sitting humbly while the provincial governor sat in the main seat and talked at length.

"Please, everyone, do not stand on ceremony today. Speak freely."

Zhao An's pursuit of "efficiency" is reflected in his simple opening remarks. He doesn't like to sit there for half an hour with a prepared speech, emphasizing what to highlight, what to elaborate on, and so on.

He holds meetings to understand the situation.

"Don't dare, don't dare!"

"My lord, I love you so much!"

The out-of-town merchants attending the symposium quickly rose and bowed. Although they had already heard that the young Lord Zhao was quite pragmatic, they were still surprised by his pragmatism to this extent. The person from the Commerce Commissioner's Office introduced Zhao An: "Sir, this is Master Xi from Suzhou. His family mainly deals in silk and cloth, and they own dozens of shops in Suzhou and Songjiang. Their business is extremely large. Several of the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou get their goods from his family."

"Oh?"

Zhao An looked at the wealthy man and found that he was about fifty years old and had a particularly shrewd look in his eyes.

He knew about the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou, which was currently the only window for trade between the Qing Dynasty and foreigners.

The annual profits are staggering.

Heshen's assets amounted to over a billion taels of silver, largely due to his business dealings in Guangzhou.

The money that He Zhongtang had was not all obtained through corruption; most of it was earned.

It was simply earned through a monopoly.

It is said that Heshen had been dedicated to promoting comprehensive trade between the Qing Dynasty and Western countries, but unfortunately, just as things were starting to look promising, the Jiaqing Emperor shut him down.

The richest man in the Jiaqing era changed from Heshen to a certain "big comprador" of the Thirteen Factories.

Since this wealthy man surnamed Xi has business dealings with the Thirteen Factories, he might be able to make contact with them through the Xi family in the future and also get a share of the profits from foreign trade.

Thinking this way, he looked at the wealthy man in a more friendly manner.

The Commerce Commissioner said that Master Xi had invested 200,000 taels of silver in the Chengdong Industrial Park to build Anqing’s largest distribution center for cloth and silk.

If completed, it will definitely boost the local textile industry in Anhui.

Zhao An nodded slightly and smiled, "Anhui has a rich cotton and hemp production, but it lacks technology and management. If you can bring advanced techniques from Jiangnan and work with local merchants to develop the Jianghuai market, I will be extremely grateful! If you have any business problems, you can discuss them with the Commerce Supervision Office of my yamen. The government will definitely provide assistance. However, you can also come to me if you have nothing to do. Although I am a poor official, I can still afford to entertain you with tea."

Such a witty remark naturally drew laughter from the merchants, and the atmosphere instantly lightened.

Next was a slightly overweight businessman named Pan Qizhong, from Jiangning, whose family business was timber and lacquerware.

"I heard of your virtuous reputation in Jiangning, and I also heard that you have been reforming the bureaucracy and developing industry and commerce in Anhui. I am here today to donate 50,000 taels to help the government repair the official road from Anqing to Luzhou Prefecture, and to undertake the construction of post stations and warehouses along the way. In addition, I also plan to invest 100,000 taels to build two wharves in Anqing and Wuhu, so that cargo ships from all over the country can easily load and unload their goods."

Upon hearing Pan Qizhong's words, a glint flashed in Zhao An's eyes. This man had a sharp eye and understood the importance of transportation and logistics and the huge business opportunities behind it.

"Boss Pan has good vision. As the saying goes, 'To get rich, build roads first.' Only when roads are open can goods circulate freely. Boss Pan can contact the government's workshop about this matter."

The term "boss" existed as early as the late Ming Dynasty and is now common in the South. It's not that Zhao An simply adopted a habit from his previous life.

The officials from the supervisory office introduced several more businessmen, all of whom were wealthy and influential. Zhao An responded to each of them, offering encouragement, promises, or leaving room for maneuver, thus channeling the businessmen's enthusiasm and "curiosity" about him into the blueprint for Anhui's great development.

The symposium lasted for two hours, and both the host and guests enjoyed themselves. Although Zhao An was unable to fulfill the requests of some businessmen to meet privately, his patronizing attitude towards business and his dedication to "wholeheartedly protecting and supporting merchants" still won the approval of these business representatives.

After the meeting, Zhao An planned to go back to the back office for dinner, but a letter from Fengyang Prefecture made his gaze turn somewhat cold.

The letter was sent by Yang Xiaoshuan, who was sent to Yangzhou to contact the salt bandits. He said that the salt bandits in Huaibei refused to accept the offer of amnesty, and Baili Yunlong, who had been sent to offer amnesty, had been detained by them.

If Yang Xiaoshuan hadn't run so fast, he would most likely have been taken hostage by the salt bandits.

It seems that even if Zhao An is unwilling, he has no choice but to take a hard line against those salt bandits.

If the salt bandits are not eradicated, how can "China Salt" operate freely in Huaibei?

(End of this chapter)