In fact, Wang Deqian is not only the richest man in Zigong, but also the richest man in Sichuan. The "Tangbancheng" in Chongqing is just a child's play.
Of course, we cannot say that he is the richest man in Sichuan now, because the four major families have moved inward.
At the end of last year, the Japanese secret service counted the deposits of government officials in the Shanghai International Bank. Chang Kaishen, Soong Meiling and his wife totaled 11.86 million U.S. dollars, Song Ziwen 6.37 million U.S. dollars, and Kong Xiangxi 6.35 million U.S. dollars. At that time, the total deposits of Chinese domestic banks (excluding the fall of Japan)
District) converted into U.S. dollars is just over 700 million U.S. dollars, and based on the black market exchange rate it is even less - less than 300 million U.S. dollars. The four major families are definitely as rich as the rest of the country.
This deposit statistics report is internal information of the Japanese government and has not been publicized. It was later stored in the archives of Stanford University in the United States. There should be no possibility of fraud.
We won’t discuss how the money of the four major families came from. Wang Deqian’s money is really not easy to earn.
Zigong (including Fushun), as Sichuan's number one source of tax revenue, has been targeted by all parties since the late Qing and early Ming dynasties. Even warlords from Yunnan and Guizhou came to get a share of the pie. For local warlords, only by controlling Zigong can they
Really control Sichuan.
Although Wang Deqian came from a wealthy family, he was almost bankrupt when he took over the family business.
The family was constantly fighting within the family, warlords took turns ravaging them, the government imposed heavy taxes and exploited them, and competitors besieged and framed them...Wang Deqian struggled to defeat his two younger brothers to inherit the family business. At that time, the price of salt plummeted, and the entire factory stopped production. He had to sell hundreds of salt pots to pay back the family business.
Debts in installments. The tribesmen again made trouble and forcibly divided the family. After all the troubles, Wang Deqian even lost his salt wells and only had some natural gas wells. The profit was not enough to repay the debt.
Wang Deqian carried out drastic corporate reforms and gradually regained several salt wells. However, as soon as he started to improve, he encountered a fire in the salt well and was involved in a life-and-death lawsuit. Then he encountered a dispute with the owner while repairing the stove, which led to the suspension of the new well and the payment of a huge deposit to the government.
, and at this time, his two younger brothers were still in a lawsuit with him to divide the family property.
It was under this terrible situation that Wang Deqian, who was once bankrupt, became the richest man in Sichuan in just over ten years.
He believes in Buddhism and Taoism, he helps the poor, he donates money to fight against Japan, he is diligent and frugal... all of these are true. But he is also cunning, domineering, cunning, cold-hearted and sinister. Because he owes a huge sum of money, he has been
He has been hiding in the mountains for several years, not daring to go out. He is always surrounded by dozens of thugs, and all business is conducted remotely from the Buddhist temple in the mountains.
Since the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War, Wang Deqian has been practicing Buddhism all day long without socializing or going out. Because the Nationalist Government is too powerful, all salt is collected and sold together, buying low and buying high, the entire salt market is controlled by the government
, the salt merchants only need to be responsible for production. Coupled with the continuous depreciation of the legal currency, the profits of the hot salt business were meager. Before the founding of New China, the richest man in Sichuan was essentially bankrupt.
Just like the bankruptcy of steel companies during wartime, salt companies can also be bankrupted. It must be said that the Nationalist government is very capable.
For this reason, Wang Deqian was extremely hostile to the Kuomintang and did not allow any Kuomintang branches to appear in his companies. At the same time, he tacitly allowed the underground party to develop around him, and he was happy to see the results of his family's children being recommended to study in Yan'an.
When he heard that the famous Zhou Shenxian had come to Zigong, Wang Deqian immediately took people to the gate to greet him. He laughed and said: "I have admired Zhou's name for a long time. I can see him today. I have no regrets in this life!"
"Brother Wang, you're welcome. I've heard about your good reputation in eastern Sichuan." Zhou Hexuan casually sent a flattering word.
This sentence was very useful to Wang Deqian. He now has no intention of running an industry, but pays more attention to reputation. He said happily: "I am very satisfied to be able to do what I can for the people of the country. Good and bad reputations are all false."
Zhou Hexuan introduced: "This is Qian Ji, a monk who has returned to secular life, and this is Nan Huaijin, a Buddhist and Taoist practitioner."
Wang Deqian took the two of them by the hand and said: "Brother Zhou's friends are naturally young and talented people. I have been obsessed with Buddhism for many years, and I just want to ask you for advice."
"It's not appropriate to ask for advice. Let's confirm each other." Nan Huaijin and Qian Ji said quickly.
The Wang family's banquet was not extravagant, just ordinary dishes such as bean curd and twice-cooked pork. As soon as everyone sat down and before they even moved their chopsticks, a servant suddenly reported: "My lord, Mayor Cao is here!"
"Invite him in quickly." Wang Deqian said enthusiastically.
Cao Renyuan is the first mayor of Zigong and a member of the League. He participated in the Guangzhou Uprising, Wuchang Uprising and Sichuan Road Protection Movement. He studied agriculture at Tokyo Agricultural University, chemical engineering at the University of Michigan, and then the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin.
Study for a master's degree and then go to Germany to study for a PhD.
The most popular indanshilin cloth during the Republic of China was invented by Cao Renyuan when he was studying for a doctorate. This cloth was praised by intellectuals as national pride and can be called the "national cloth". At that time, cheongsams and gowns were made of this cloth.
as the first choice.
We mentioned the anecdote of Master Hongyi earlier. He once boycotted foreign products and only wore Chinese cloth. A student gave him a good dress, but he thought the fabric was high-end and refused to wear it. Later he learned that it was a Chinese product and he happily accepted it - that dress
It's made of indanthrine cloth.
A member of the alliance like Cao Renyuan who returned from studying abroad is famous, qualified, and capable enough to be a deputy minister in the central government, but he was sent to be the mayor of Zigong. This shows how bleak his official career is. The reason is simple. He is with the wrong people.
He was Hu Hanmin's confidant, and he specifically opposed Chiang Kai-shek. If he hadn't been a famous doctor of chemical engineering, and Zigong also produced salt, he wouldn't even be the mayor of Zigong.
"Mr. Zhou," Cao Renyuan greeted Wang Deqian, then shook Zhou Hexuan's hand enthusiastically and said, "Mr. Zhou, you didn't even say a word that you came to pay tribute, so I can fulfill my friendship as a landlord!"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Dr. Cao, you're welcome. I came to pay tribute mainly to visit friends, and I didn't want to alarm you."
Cao Renyuan smiled and said: "General Feng mentioned your righteous deeds many times in his letter, which makes me admire you very much!"
Cao Renyuan and Feng Yuxiang are also old friends. After the Great Wall War of Resistance, he assisted Feng Yuxiang in forming the Anti-Japanese Allied Army in Zhangjiakou, which was the army where Ji Hongchang and Fang Zhenwu belonged.
In such a large circle, they all turned out to be friends. No wonder Wang Deqian donated so much money in one go when Feng Yuxiang called for donations to fight against Japan.
When Cao Renyuan was the mayor of Zigong, he was relatively clean and did not exploit the salt merchants seriously, so he had a very good relationship with Wang Deqian. But soon, Zigong will change its mayor, and the salt merchants will be deceived.
Even to death, my hatred for the Kuomintang was no less than my hatred for the Japanese.
A pair of bowls and chopsticks were quickly added to the table. Cao Renyuan was originally from Sichuan, and he took the initiative to talk about Zhou Hexuan's deeds in Sichuan. When he talked about the battle between Zhou Hexuan and Liu Congyun, he made the whole room laugh, even the waiter next to him.
The maids are all covering their mouths.
Wang Deqian said disdainfully: "I am quite familiar with Liu Congyun. He is from Weiyuan, which is just across the river from Da'an Village. Before he joined Liu Xiang, he often came to Da'an to defraud. I had just taken over the salt company at that time.
There were a lot of bad things going on. Liu Congyun took a compass and wanted to show me Feng Shui. He was looking at Feng Shui. He was talking nonsense, so I just asked the thugs to blow him away."
Nan Huaijin was very concerned about Buddhism and Taoism, and asked: "Mr. Zhou, how real is Liu Congyun? If it is purely a lie, how come so many people have been fooled?"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Then I will give you a live demonstration."
"How to demonstrate?" Nan Huaijin asked.
Zhou Hexuan said: "I tell Dr. Cao's fortune."
Cao Renyuan said happily: "Mr. Zhou personally told me my fortune. I'm really flattered."
Zhou Hexuan said: "Dr. Cao, please tell me your birth date."
Cao Renyuan immediately cooperated: "I was born on the twelfth lunar month of the 19th year of Guangxu's reign."
Zhou Hexuan pretended to count with his fingers, and suddenly said: "You are the only son in the family!"
Cao Renyuan shook his head and said: "No."
Nan Huaijin laughed loudly: "Mr. Zhou's calculation was wrong!"
Zhou Hexuan emphasized seriously: "You must be an only child!"
Cao Renyuan said: "I have two brothers."
Zhou Hexuan said: "Think about it again, when were you born?"
Cao Renyuan was a little confused and recalled: "It must have been Chou Shi. My mother heard a rooster crow when she gave birth to me."
Zhou Hexuan said: "The rooster crows usually after 3 o'clock in the morning, which is already Yin Shi. There are many brothers in Ziwu, Maoyou, Yin, Shen and Sihai, three or two, and Chen, Xu Chou is not the only one. If he was born at Yin Shi, then the three brothers will be just right.
It’s not that I miscalculated, it’s that you remembered your birth time incorrectly.”
"Am I really remembering it wrong?" Cao Renyuan really couldn't figure it out, because in the late Qing Dynasty, there were very few households with clocks.
Zhou Hexuan said: "It is also possible that your father-in-law did not understand clearly. It was so late at night that it was easy to confuse Chou Shi and Yin Shi."
Cao Renyuan touched his head and suddenly realized: "Did you lie to me?"
"Hahahahaha," Zhou Hexuan laughed and said to Nan Huaijin, "Have you seen it? This is the usual trick of charlatans. Although it doesn't work against Dr. Cao, it is enough to deceive those foolish men and women. There are tricks in fortune telling and Feng Shui.
, coupled with the ability to observe words and emotions and adapt to circumstances, if you read some Taoist classics, you will be able to go anywhere in the world."
Wang Deqian looked on with great joy and said, "Brother Zhou is a master!"
Qian Ji smiled and said: "No wonder the Americans call you the Wizard of the Far East. You really have a way."
Wang Deqian said: "Destiny is not determined by God, it all depends on man. Doing good will lead to good results, and naturally there will be many children and grandchildren. People like Liu Congyun will die if they do too much unrighteousness."
Nan Huaijin asked: "Which sect of Buddhism does Yi Gong practice?"
Wang Deqian said: "Pure Land Sect."
Nan Huaijin said: "I once met a Pure Land master in Hangzhou."
Wang Deqian became interested: "Oh, who is it?"
Okay, these two people started discussing Buddhism.