Liu Ziguang entered the room and saw a man and a woman waiting for him. The man was sitting on the imperial chair, holding a tea bowl and gently blowing the hot air, looking calm and relaxed, while the woman in gorgeous clothes stood meekly.
Behind the man, she put her hands on his shoulders and gently hammered him. This woman was none other than Miss Hu Yimin, the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, the boss of Rishengchang Bank.
The man had an unusually handsome face that was enviable to all women. Upon closer inspection, his eyebrows were somewhat similar to Hu Yimin's, but there was a faint scar on this almost perfect face, which added a touch of toughness to this man.
spirit.
Liu Ziguang had seen countless people. When he saw this scene, he immediately knew that this person must be the legendary old shopkeeper Hu Xueyan of Rishengchang. Speaking of this Hu Xueyan, he was definitely a legendary figure. He developed from a poor scholar to the richest man in the world in just ten years.
The situation in the coming year is nothing, but the unparalleled love between him and the second lady of the Li family back then was shocking. Even now, Obasan, who is in his forties or fifties, can't help but sigh when he talks about what happened back then.
A sour man from the mountainous area of southern Anhui Province had no rice at home, so he rushed to the capital with determination. As a result, he met Li Min, the second young lady of the imperial court. He was twenty years old at the time, and she was only seventeen years old, and an unforgettable journey ensued.
The relationship began. This kind of love that was not in the right family was naturally strongly opposed by the Taishi Mansion. The specific story is no longer available, because the parties involved are dead and separated. Anyway, everyone knows the result.
The seemingly frail scholar used unimaginable perseverance to withstand the pressure of the world and the pursuit of the Li family. He fled to the world with his beloved wife, gave up his identity as a scholar, and started working as a salesman incognito. He started with a penny and developed into assets worth hundreds of millions.
His ticket number became the number one among the merchants of the Ming Dynasty, so much so that even the dignitaries of the court had to look at him with admiration. You can imagine the sweat, blood and tears that went into this.
If Liu Ziguang is the idol in the hearts of people today, then Hu Xueyan is the irreplaceable idol in the hearts of the generation twenty years ago. He is young and handsome, persistent and has no regrets. What is even more respectable is his loyalty to love. Since Li Min's death,
Later, he was single for decades and didn't even have a maid by his side. Liu Ziguang couldn't compare to him in this aspect alone. No matter whether he was going to war or fleeing from disaster, Marshal Liu never forgot to take in a little wife.
Facing this legendary senior, Liu Ziguang naturally did not dare to pretend to be arrogant. He took two steps quickly to salute Hu Xueyan as a junior, but Hu Xueyan held him in his arms and said: "The Duke of the country has killed the common people.
"
Hu Xueyan's voice is extremely magnetic, making people feel comfortable listening to it, and the smile on his face is even more refreshing. No wonder such an amiable person can make a fortune. Liu Ziguang said hurriedly: "Ziguang is just a criminal now."
Who is the Duke of the country? Don’t make fun of me, Old Shopkeeper Hu."
Hu Xueyan chuckled and said: "Your Excellency is the pillar of the country, and the title of Duke of the Kingdom must belong to you. This is the honorific title given to you by thousands of people. It cannot be canceled by a few sycophants. As long as we work together,
There will always be a day when the clouds will clear and the moon will shine. At that time, the Holy Father will naturally return all the titles, so it is not wrong to call him the Duke of the country now. Do you think this is true?"
Liu Ziguang laughed loudly and said: "Then just follow the old shopkeeper's wishes. Why are you standing here? Please sit down quickly."
The two parties sat down separately and exchanged greetings for a while. Hu Xueyan was very talkative and a good listener. He was good at finding topics that both parties were interested in. It was really a pleasure to chat with such a person.
While chatting, the current situation came up. Hu Xueyan asked Liu Ziguang what his plans were in the future. Liu Ziguang sighed and repeated his old trick: "Liu really doesn't want to plunge the world into war and chaos because of his personal honor and disgrace. What's the next step?"
The only option is to live in exile overseas.”
Hu Xueyan said: "The Duke's righteousness is commendable, but this move has put hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians who are loyal to you in danger. Just imagine, the Duke has gone to other places, such as Gansu, Shanxi, Hebei and Qingdao."
Where will the soldiers go? Surrendering to the imperial court will definitely lead to a purge, with rivers of blood and heads rolling in. I think this is not the original intention of the Duke of the country."
Liu Ziguang sighed: "What can I do? The emperor is the emperor after all, and I am a minister after all. No matter what the reason is, if you start an army and cause chaos, you will always be criticized by the world's scholars. Don't look at the people now showing filial piety because of the news of my death.
Parade, if we really want to start a war, there won’t be that many supporters. Even if we hold half of the country, it doesn’t matter. The people on both sides are fighting and killing people from the Han family, only taking advantage of outsiders like the Xixia, Manchu and Qing Dynasties.”
Hu Xueyan turned to his daughter, who had been listening to them, and said, "Min'er, please go outside for a walk. My father and the Duke have important matters to discuss."
Hu Yimin, who has always had the impression of a strong woman, was like a docile kitten and basically didn't interrupt today. When her father spoke, she quickly responded and avoided it. Peng Jinrong is such a smart person. She didn't wait for Liu Ziguang to say anything and said: "Sister Hu, I'll accompany you."
You go to the beach for a walk."
The two women left, and only Liu Ziguang and Hu Xueyan were left in the room. Only then did Mr. Hu, the shopkeeper, say seriously: "My lord, to tell you the truth, I don't think you are the same person as us."
Liu Ziguang was shocked: "Where do you start talking about this?"
Hu Xueyan said: "Thirty years ago in the Ming Dynasty, a hero emerged. He introduced overseas advanced technology to the Ming Dynasty, and personally built a large factory to produce countless durable tools and weapons, and laid the foundation for the Ming Dynasty.
He built the first railway in the Central Plains and formed an army to fight on the front line against the Qing Dynasty. He also tried to change the political situation, assisting the crown prince to ascend the throne and fight against the eunuchs, but like you, he was not ruthless and determined enough, so he had to withdraw from politics in the end.
, just to be a rich man."
Liu Ziguang knew this and asked, "Who is this person?"
Hu Xueyan said: "This man is your father-in-law Peng Jianguo. I feel that neither of you, father-in-law and son-in-law, are like people in this world. He changed the Ming Dynasty, and you also changed the Ming Dynasty. And the changes you brought about,
The changes caused by Elder Peng are much greater. The two of you also have a common characteristic, that is, you do not take the imperial power seriously. If I am not wrong, there is no king in your heart at all.
The reason why we are unwilling to raise troops to march south is because of other reasons, such as insufficient military pay."
Liu Ziguang secretly thought that none of the treacherous ministers who had usurped the throne since ancient times had a king in their hearts. However, Hu Xueyan did judge people more accurately. He and his father-in-law were both time travellers. Naturally, they were different from the people of the Ming Dynasty. Travelers had inherent advantages, or they were unknown.
Die at the beginning of the time travel, or you will change the world vigorously. Peng Jianguo changed the Ming Dynasty, and he also changed the Ming Dynasty, but what they both did was not thorough enough, that is, to destroy the imperial rule and establish a republic.
Now that Hu Xueyan had spoken to this extent, Liu Ziguang stopped being secretive and said frankly: "To be honest with the old shopkeeper, Qingdao City only has enough food and ammunition for a month now, and the warships in the harbor only have enough
There is only a base amount of coal and artillery shells for a single voyage. The road to transport food and wages from the south of the Yangtze River has long been cut off. Next month's wages cannot be paid out. This is especially true for Hebei, Shanxi and Gansu. The lifeblood is in the hands of others.
What should I fight with?"
Hu Xueyan nodded, and Liu Ziguang continued: "The old foundation of the Red Shirt Army is the iron guards and eight hundred slave workers in the early years. These people are almost dead, and those who are still alive have become rich men. How can they still have the energy to fight?
The current Red Shirt Army continues the tradition of the old Red Shirt Regiment. They are brave and fierce, and march forward courageously in battles. However, this is based on generous military pay. They simply worship me as a person. Without military pay, will they?
Working for me is still a different matter. Moreover, when our army fights, artillery comes first. Without the artillery shells made in Jiangnan, the Red Shirt Army does not have much advantage. On the other hand, the imperial army has the financial support of the rich land in Jiangnan, and its weapons and ammunition are even more important.
There are as many as there are, and there are enough reserve soldiers. As soon as I join the army, the direction of public opinion will immediately change. After all, the idea of loyalty to the emperor has been deeply rooted for thousands of years and cannot be changed overnight. In summary, the chance of winning against the imperial court is not great.
.”
Hu Xueyan said: "That's it. Jiangnan's financial and material resources far exceed those of the north. It can be seen from our Rishengchang business that the economic aggregate of the north will be difficult to compete with the south within ten years. If you just wanted to
If you start an army to conquer the south, I will think that you are too impetuous, but you still did not disappoint me. It seems that Xiao Min is right, you are not only a handsome man who is good at fighting, but also an expert who understands the national economy and people's livelihood."
Liu Ziguang thought to himself, Old Man Hu, you are kidding me. You know that we can't start a war, but you still ask me to start an army. What's the point?
Yeah, Ziguang just likes to think more when things happen."
Hu Xueyan said: "I think when we, Ri Shengchang, chose to join forces with you, we had already expected this situation, because heroes like you are by no means inferior to others. For the arrival of this day, our Hu family has already prepared
Complete preparations were made, so a few hours after the incident in the capital, Rishengchang from all over the country responded, and the eunuchs who came to take over found only an empty shell. The bank vaults in Luzhou and the capital had long been emptied."
Jiang is still hot. Liu Ziguang praised him sincerely. Hu Xueyan suddenly changed his expression and said seriously: "In this way, Rishengchang's reputation for many years will be destroyed. From now on, there will no longer be Rishengchang in the world."
, Our Hu family has sacrificed so much, not just to let you go into exile overseas. Didn’t you say that the military pay is not enough? I have it here and have initially prepared this number for you. "