Without exception, they are reports of bank runs in various places.
Jinshang Bank's cash, which was about to bottom out, completely dried up after encountering a run crisis.
Qiao Wenkai secretly discussed with his father that the shareholders of Jinshang Bank had already planned to abandon Jinshang Bank.
Jinshang Bank does have some extremely valuable assets, but its holes are too big.
Many things were done by Qiao Wenkai, taking advantage of the empire's imperfect banking laws.
Jinshang Bank created a hole worth at least 20 million taels of silver coins.
After Jinshang Bank went bankrupt due to a run crisis, it went into bankruptcy liquidation.
The hole in Jinshang Bank exploded, and he, the president, would be sentenced to death by Dali Temple.
He has become the abandoned son of the Qiao family, and the shareholder behind Jinshang Bank wants him to bear all responsibilities.
If it weren't for the fact that no one in the empire had been punished by death, he would have "died" by now.
Qiao Wenkai enjoyed too much of the world of entertainment, and he didn't want to die at all.
He is now like a drowning man, trying to grab any life-saving straw.
Qiao Wenkai continued to call the presidents of other banks. He wanted to exchange part of Jinshang Bank's interests for help from these banks.
He made several phone calls in succession, and these former friends heard that Jinshang Bank was experiencing a run crisis.
They either made excuses to refuse help, or complained that they were also experiencing a run crisis.
There were only a few fellow villagers with whom he had good relations, who warned Qiao Wenkai to seek help from the banking association as much as possible.
They have turned over their reserves, and the banking association has an obligation to rescue members who suffer a run.
When Qiao Wenkai heard this, he smiled bitterly.
Don’t other people know how big the hole is in Jinshang Bank?
Besides, if the Banks Association carries out a rescue, it will inevitably review Jinshang Bank.
In this way, everything he has done will be exposed, and this is not like falling into a trap.
Qiao Wenkai thought that Jinshang Bank could no longer survive the run crisis safely.
He found several asset certificates of Zhao, Chu, and Qi from the bank's safe.
This was the escape route he had prepared for himself before.
After Qiao Wenkai weighed the pros and cons, he decided to flee the empire and spend his life abroad in anonymity.
After disguising himself, he took a taxi to Tianjin Port.
He was going to take a boat from Tianjin Port to the Kingdom of Zhao.
As long as he leaves the empire, no one can find him in the vast sea of people.
As soon as Qiao Wenkai arrived at Tianjin Port, he was arrested and brought to justice by the patrol police from the Criminal Department who had been preparing for it for a long time.
"Mr. Qiao, if you don't run away, it's really hard for us to take action based on your status.
Now come back with me and confess your crime."
News of the arrest of Qiao Wenkai, president of Jinshang Bank, quickly appeared in major newspapers in the empire.
The depositors of Jinshang Bank who were still confident at first saw this news and joined the crowd of bank runs.
Jinshang Bank was leaderless and had improper response measures. It could have persisted for half a month, but banks all over the country closed their doors within three days.
The imperial court immediately asked Imperial Bank and other banking groups to form a liquidation and takeover team.
The liquidation and takeover team announced to Jinshang Bank's depositors through newspaper broadcasts and other means.
Depositors with funds below five hundred taels of silver coins will have their assets fully cashed out.
Whether it is to withdraw money or move the account to another bank, depositors can choose on their own.
…
The waiter at Li's Tavern is waiting outside the door to welcome guests.
During this period, there are much fewer guests than in the past, and those who spend a lot of money are even rarer.
Li's Tavern is located next to Tianjin Port Railway Station.
It relies on the two important transportation hubs of Tianjin Port and Railway Station.
Usually there is no need to welcome guests at all, and the tavern will soon be filled with merchants coming and going.
The waiter saw a customer wearing a silk uniform.
He immediately smiled and said: "Mr. Kong, you are welcome to come to the store for consumption.
Please continue to order Jiannanchun, or order another grade of wine."
Mr. Kong waved his hand and said: "Bring me a jar of Fenjiu, Jian Nanchun can't afford it.
A bottle of Jiannanchun cost 10 taels of silver coins, but it can buy 500 jars of Fenjiu."
The waiter said politely: "Mr. Kong, I want to change my taste. With your status, it is easy to drink some good wine."
Kong Jingwei found a seat casually in the lobby. He waited until the waiter brought the wine and immediately drank it all from the jar.
Taking advantage of his drinking power, he slapped the table and said, "What kind of world is this? The 10,000 taels of silver coins deposited in Jinshang Bank are now all wasted.
It's just Jinshang Bank, so I'll admit it's bad luck.
I also deposited 10,000 taels of silver coins in Fuqing Bank, but Fuqing Bank also went bankrupt.
This is really God trying to kill me."
As soon as he finished speaking, a rough voice came from beside him.
“Brother, do your own thing and take responsibility for it, don’t blame others.
Jinshang Bank and Fuqing Bank are the two banks with the highest deposit interest rates.
You covet their interest, and they covet your principal.
It depends on who is more skilled. If you suffer a loss, you have to admit defeat.
Imperial Bank's interest rate is indeed low, but it is safe.
Even if you deposit in Tianjin Bank, now Tianjin Bank can only withdraw one thousand taels of silver coins per day, and you need to make an appointment in advance.
But at least it did not go bankrupt, but the governor’s office continued to invest money.”
When Kong Jingwei heard these remarks, the distress in his chest became even worse.
All this is indeed because he is greedy for money and covets bank interest.
But admitting his mistake did make him extremely painful.
Kong Jingwei drank a jar of wine and ate a few peanuts, then he got up and headed to his factory.
All his wealth was lost due to bank failure.
The factory that has been working hard for more than ten years now cannot even pay workers’ wages without the injection of funds.
Kong Jingwei came to Jingwei Textile Factory and saw a warehouse of cotton thread and raw silk.
Because of the recession, the prices of cotton thread and raw silk have dropped by 30%. Even so, many people are losing their cotton thread and raw silk and cannot sell it at all.
Because textile factories like his have closed down in large numbers due to various reasons.
The supply of textile raw materials is temporarily oversupplied, and it is difficult to sell them unless they are at extremely low prices.
He bought cotton thread and raw silk at a high price and sold it at the current price, and he would lose as much as he sold.
When Kong Jingwei came to the factory, he immediately called all the workers to the factory area.
He said with a sad and angry look: "I'm not afraid of everyone's laughter. As a member of Shanxi Merchants, I trust Shanxi Merchants Bank very much.
Deposit all your wealth in Jinshang Bank.
Everyone knows the situation of Jinshang Bank, so I don’t need to say more.
To be honest with you, next month’s salary has not been paid.
There are also some finished silk and cotton cloths in the warehouse.
Everyone knows the quality of the silk and cotton fabrics produced in our factory.
I have decided to close the factory, and everyone will use some of the silk and cotton in the warehouse as wages."
After Kong Jingwei said this, he bowed to the workers.
When the workshop manager heard what Kong Jingwei said, he shouted loudly: "Director Kong, we want to continue to follow you.
The factory has not yet reached its end.
I am willing to pay my salary and continue to stay in the factory for a while.
Everyone knows what’s going on outside right now?
Many workers are unemployed and need to receive relief food to survive.
We are no longer young. Besides Factory Director Kong, who else needs to be an older worker?
If everyone endures these difficult times for a while, there will definitely be a market for the quality of our factory products.
At least it’s not difficult to feed us.”
When the workers heard this sentence, they gave birth to one after another and were willing to owe the company first and continue to work in the factory.
This is an environment in which most of the outside world are unemployed. Their own age and Kong Jingwei's character jointly prompted them to make this determination.
When Kong Jingwei heard this, he was very excited.
He has always been an atypical figure in the business world.
Other factories squeeze workers' wages and treat them like animals. Once they are overage or injured, they will be fired immediately.
There were even some factories that specifically hired natives from the newly occupied territories of the empire who had not yet been Chineseized.
Kong Jingwei is different from other businessmen in that he really treats the workers in the factory as family members.
He thought it was a normal thing and didn't expect anything in return.
His kindness now makes it possible for him to survive this crisis.
Boss Li next door to Jingwei Textile Factory encountered a similar situation.
Boss Li, however, could only go bankrupt without any possibility of self-rescue.
Kong Jingwei said excitedly: "I am here to thank you for your trust.
I will definitely lead you and the factory through this economic winter so that we will no longer be unemployed.
If you give me a month, if it doesn’t work, I will definitely close the factory and I can’t delay you.”
Jingwei Textile Factory united as one and embarked on the road of self-rescue.
…
Prince Su Shu looked at the memorial reported by the cabinet.
On April 26, two private commercial banks, Shanxi Commercial Bank and Fuqing Bank, declared bankruptcy one after another.
The Imperial Bank promptly took over these two banks and fully compensated depositors with a value of less than 500 taels of silver.
The imperial court acted extremely quickly, which relieved the panic of most people.
However, the bankruptcy of two important banks directly led to extremely serious collateral reactions.
Depositors and loan customers of the two banks were implicated.
Many banks had business dealings with the two failed banks, and they were also implicated.
As the trust crisis intensified, deposit business decreased and loan business exploded.
The banking industry is the blood vessel of industry. If there is a big problem in the banking industry, the bankruptcies of factories that have been happening intermittently will immediately start to accelerate.
In just over a month, local governments have counted more than 5,600 bankrupt factories.
This data continues to rise.
Each factory employs 20 people, which means 100,000 people are unemployed.
Prince Su Shu had been hearing about the possible economic crisis from his father.
But the economic crisis really broke out, and the consequences surprised even Prince Su Shu.
In just one month, five banks, large and small, collapsed one after another.
There are more than 100,000 unemployed workers that the government can count.
If the economic crisis lasts for a normal period, it will inevitably lead to a depression in all industries.
If the court is not prepared in advance, it may cause great turmoil.
When Prince Su Shu thought of this, he immediately summoned Prime Minister Lin Wenjing.
He and Prime Minister Lim Wen Jing are responsible for dealing with issues related to the economic crisis.
This is a big test for him from his father, and he must submit a perfect answer sheet.
Prime Minister Lin Wenjing quickly came to the room where Prince Su Shu was.
After they established each other, they sat down with their hands on Lin Wenjing and said with emotion: "I really didn't expect that after the economic crisis broke out, it would have such a big impact.
Your Majesty takes this matter very seriously, and we are fully prepared.
Otherwise, if an economic crisis suddenly occurs, it will definitely have extremely negative consequences."
Prince Su Shu nodded and said: "The most important thing now is stability. We must give the people sufficient confidence to persevere.
The imperial court prepared sufficient mixed noodles.
But I found that there were not many workers receiving relief food.
Will there be corruption or laziness in local government? People want to receive relief food, but don’t know where to go to get it.”
Prime Minister Lin Wenjing explained: "Your Royal Highness, I am also aware of this situation.
It has only been a month since the economic crisis broke out, and many workers have some savings.
Even if the bank failed, the court would try its best to pay off their deposits.
Now that the price of food in the empire is generally low, the workers' savings are enough to buy food for them.
Even if they have a few hundred pennies in their pockets, they will not receive relief food.
Receiving relief food is detrimental to their face. The lower class people are, the more they value their own face.
There is another important reason: relief food is really hard to eat.
Only hungry people are willing to receive relief and fertile land to satisfy their hunger.
Of course, there must be lazy officials in various places, and some relief grains will be resold.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate now attaches great importance to this matter and has sent supervisory censors to supervise officials in various places.
The imperial court also publicized this matter through various means, striving to let every poor person know that the imperial court was distributing relief grains."
Prince Su Shu saw Prime Minister Lin Wenjing's confident performance.
This matter is not just for him, it is also a big test for the cabinet.
Prime Minister Lin Wenjing will never dare to slack off on matters that are of great concern to her father.
Prince Su Shu asked: "The consequences of this economic crisis are far beyond expectations.
I believe that as the impact of the economic crisis deepens, depression in all industries will inevitably occur.
The imperial court must prepare early to deal with the depression of various industries and ensure that there are no problems with the core industries of the empire.
The government's work-for-relief program must be launched as soon as possible.
I remember that the route planning for railways and highways had already been completed.
The cabinet should complete the project bidding as soon as possible and start these projects.
Now many factories are on the verge of bankruptcy, and the court must inject vitality into the market so that these factories can have the confidence to survive."
Prime Minister Lin Wenjing replied: "Your Royal Highness, the route planning of the highway is basically to connect county towns and prefectural cities, and the planned distance of each route is shorter.
Even if a problem occurs, the plan can be adjusted in time.
The cabinet will launch a tender for the highway project as soon as possible.
The railways built this time are all long-distance railways.
Not just consider the current situation, but also consider the future situation.
Railway planning is being studied by cabinet organization experts and a specific plan will be formed in the near future.
Water conservancy projects are centuries-old projects. Once something goes wrong, tens of millions of people will be affected. We must be cautious and cautious.
The planning of the water conservancy project will take at least one year, and only after it is confirmed that there are no problems will the bidding start."
Prince Su Shu nodded and said: "These projects will be carried out slowly, as long as the court takes action and gives the people confidence.
They can rely on their own skills to survive the economic crisis."