The Supreme King of the Kingdom of Shu ordered someone to summon the shopkeeper of Huifeng Bank into the palace. The shopkeeper’s surname was Wang. He was chubby and looked like Maitreya Buddha in his forties. He kowtowed to the Supreme King. The Supreme King narrowed his eyes and looked at him for a long time.
He said slowly: "Do you know why I called you?"
Shopkeeper Wang said honestly: "I don't know."
"If you don't know, go back and ask your employer." The Supreme King said, "Isn't your employer in the State of Lu?"
Shopkeeper Wang said with a naive smile: "The villain's boss's family committee is in the state of Lu, but he doesn't care much about the bank's affairs anymore."
The Supreme King laughed a few times and looked at Situ Cen. Situ Cen said: "Tell Liu Feng that his employer's guerrillas robbed our official warehouse and granary officials, and they all have to pay compensation. He can decide how much to pay.
When he couldn't make up his mind, he went to ask his boss. Anyway, I had to take advantage and not suffer a loss."
Shopkeeper Wang was stunned and only said one word for a long time: "Ah?!"
Situ Cen waved his hand and said, "Go back and ask your boss and his boss's boss."
Shopkeeper Wang looked around blankly, kowtowed in confusion and left. The prince looked at his back and frowned: "All the people in the Jia family who are in their thirties or forties who can be used are trained by Jia Cong. This man can take over the HSBC Bank.
You shouldn't be so dull."
Situ Cen sneered: "Do you believe he is stupid? He doesn't know how to deal with it at the moment, so he is just pretending. And let people keep an eye on him. When I come back, I will even count the special envoy of Yan State as a hostage."
The prince thought for a while, shook his head and said, "Don't make such a good calculation."
Early the next morning, the Huifeng Bank was closed! There were large notices posted at the door and in the shop, saying that guerrillas had been inundated in Shu recently and had robbed many government warehouses and granaries in various states and counties, causing heavy losses to the court. The Supreme King summoned my bank yesterday.
The shopkeeper ordered my bank to provide money to cover the government's losses. Although my bank has nothing to do with the guerrillas, it is still doing business in Shu. The court of Shu asked my bank for money, and my bank had to pay. Therefore, we suspended our daily routine.
business, trying their best to raise money to contribute to the national treasury.
Many people come to HSBC Bank every day to do business. They were shocked when they saw this notice. They asked the clerk at the door: "What's going on? Why does the Supreme King want you to fill the official treasury?"
The clerk wiped his tears and said: "Because we have money. This is obviously a robbery! I have never heard of the imperial court robbing a bank."
Someone asked anxiously: "Do you have enough money?"
"How could you know this?" Another clerk also choked with sobs. "Isn't the money in our bank all the savings of ordinary people?"
Someone yelled: "That's our money! When the government is robbed, we use the people's money to make up for it. How can it make sense! We have never paid less in taxes!"
"That's right! I never paid less than half a copper coin!"
"Where's the money I saved? I want to withdraw it!"
The waiter cried: "How dare you withdraw money for the guests! Our shopkeeper is hoping that everyone will take all the money away right now! This money no longer belongs to our bank."
"Wow~~" The crowd was like cold water poured into boiling oil, everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. Some even pretended to defend the HSBC Bank, but in fact they were all worried that the imperial court had robbed the bank and their savings would be wiped out.
, no one wanted to leave. So more and more people gathered.
Not long after, a large four-wheeled carriage came at the corner of the street. Since it could not get close to the shop, the people in the carriage got out far away. When everyone saw it, it was Ruixia Mi, the president of the Shu Business Federation.
The owner of the shop is Mr. Peng. This old man is nearly seventy years old, and his beard and hair are all white. His body is very strong and he does not need help or crutches. Ruixia Rice Shop has been operating in Shu for many years. It is a time-honored brand with fair prices.
Mrs. Peng often led her daughter-in-law and granddaughters to give food and clothes to the poor, which earned her great respect from the people. When they saw Mr. Peng arriving, they consciously made way out of the way. The HSBC clerk recognized him and hurried forward to greet him.
Mr. Peng asked: "Is your shopkeeper in there?"
"Here you are." The waiter said in a tearful voice, "I haven't slept a wink all night. I don't know what to do."
Mr. Peng nodded and said, "Lead me in and take a look."
The clerk hurriedly opened the counter and led the old man to the back. Someone shouted: "Please help me, Mrs. Peng, to ask the Supreme King for a favor! Let us take out the money!" "Please help me, Mr. Peng, it's all our hard work."
Money!”
Mr. Peng looked back at the crowd and nodded slightly. "Coax--" the crowd started making noise again. "Thank you, Mr. Peng-"
There was a man in brown clothes and a small hat who hid in the corner of the shop and watched secretly for a while, then squeezed out of the door with all his strength. It took half an hour to find his companion. Both of them were sent by Situ Cen to keep an eye on him.
Negotiating a bargain, I sent one back to report the news.
Since Shopkeeper Wang returned to the shop yesterday, more than a dozen of them took turns keeping an eye on them, but they didn't see a banker go out, let alone Shopkeeper Wang himself. Even the food they ate was delivered by the vegetable farmer they had arranged for, and the kitchen aunt also
Never left. Shopkeeper Wang did not send anyone to the State of Lu to deliver a message to his boss Liu Feng, nor did he contact the Jia family horse shop who was also in Chengdu, let alone the special envoy of the State of Yan. Situ Cen was still thinking last night that it was impossible for him to
Ignoring it, this is what happened today. He led the messenger straight to the Prince of Shu's Mansion.
After hearing this, the Supreme King waved his hand and said, "Don't pay attention to him. It's just a small bank."
Situ Cen said sternly: "Father, please don't underestimate them. HSBC is engaged in large and small businesses. Once they close down, the economy of the entire Shu Kingdom will be affected. Not to mention that old fox named Peng is still here."
The Supreme King hummed: "A merchant, what are you talking about? This man obviously doesn't know anything, and he is not afraid of being blamed by his employer, so he wants to smooth over the matter himself. He is ignorant and short-sighted."
Situ Cen shook his head and said: "No. A foolish and short-sighted person cannot be the boss of HSBC. Father, I guess he must have some back-ups. Let's send someone to refute the rumors quickly."
The Supreme King glanced at him: "How to refute the rumors? The court does not want HSBC's money?"
"At least we have to let people withdraw money."
"No." The Supreme King said, "The Lone King hasn't thought of the trick of not being allowed to withdraw money, but they have thought of it themselves. Their bank has semicolons everywhere, allowing them to transfer money from other places for people to withdraw."
Just as he was talking, the eunuch came back to the prince to ask for an audience. The Supreme King ordered him to come in. The prince hurried in and cursed: "That man named Wang is so cunning! I knew he would not be an economical lamp."
The prince received someone after his death, and it was none other than Ming Duan, a fellow acquaintance of Xian Yuzhou. Ming Duan stepped forward to salute, took out a large stack of paper from his arms, and said: "Your Majesty, HSBC Bank is the largest bank in the country. In addition to deposits and withdrawals,
, they also have loans, investments, guarantees, insurance and other projects. This is the impact of the closure of Chengdu HSBC calculated by Weichen, which is really huge."
The Supreme King took the stack of paper and looked at it. He couldn't understand the various numerical forms on it, so he said: "Just tell me what will happen."
Ming Duan said: "Many shops and factories will close down, workers will lose their jobs, and those who cannot get insurance compensation may die because they have no money for medical treatment."
The Supreme King was shocked: "Why is this!"
Ming Duan smiled bitterly and said, "It's true."
The prince said: "We lost this battle unjustly. The entire financial industry is in someone else's hands."
The Supreme King slapped the case and said: "You have rebelled against them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone reported urgently: "Your Majesty, the old man Peng from the Federation of Commerce personally drafted a petition, begging the court not to force HSBC to fill the official treasury."
The Supreme King sneered: "If the lonely king doesn't agree, what do they want?"
The messenger said: "The petition has been sent to all the major merchants and wealthy people for signature."
The Supreme King slapped the case and said: "I want to see what trouble they can cause!"
The prince and Situ Cen said in unison: "Strike the market!" Situ Cen said, "Liu Feng went on strike in the state of Lu and pushed Liu Shunao out of power."
Mingduan suddenly said: "No."
The prince asked: "Why not?"
Ming Duan hurriedly bowed his head and cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, I just blurted out this without thinking. In fact, I didn't think about how not to do it."
The Supreme King just frowned, and the Crown Prince said first: "The words that come out of your mouth are the most truthful. Think about it quickly, why do you think he won't strike?"
Ming Duan thought for a long time and said: "Wei Chen... Wei Chen thought that since Shopkeeper Wang has never asked Liu Feng for instructions, he should be prepared to handle the matter himself. Then he will not use the tricks Liu Feng used. Otherwise, he will not do it."
It's better to ask for instructions. I wonder if Your Highness might understand what Wei Chen means."
The prince's face was full of doubts and he clearly didn't understand. Situ Cen said: "I understand. Shopkeeper Wang may have other intentions and does not want Liu Feng to get involved in the affairs of the Kingdom of Shu. If he does what Liu Feng did in the Kingdom of Lu and stopped the market, he will not be able to show his
No worse than Liu Feng."
The prince said: "Isn't Liu Feng his boss?"
"Jia Cong is his boss." Situ Cen said, "Shopkeeper Wang doesn't want to live under Liu Feng anymore." He glanced at Ming Duan and praised, "It's rare for Master Ming to think in his shoes."
Ming Duan was a little embarrassed and said, "But Wei Chen really can't guess what he wants to do."
Taishang Wang said leisurely: "No matter what he does, he can't get out of the palm of the lonely king." The old man suddenly became curious and wanted to see what novel tricks the shopkeeper Wang could come up with.
The prince then ordered his officials to go to the market to refute rumors that HSBC Bank was secretly supporting the guerrillas. Ming Duan said: "I'm afraid not many people believe it."
The prince said, "I'm just giving you an explanation. I'm not forcing anyone to believe it."
I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow to see HSBC's countermeasures, but I didn't expect that they would be announced that afternoon. HSBC Bank bought 300 wicker frames and placed them in front of more than 300 shops in the city to raise donations from the people in the city.
Three hundred loud voices announced the incident. Several Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in the city took the lead in donating money to the wicker frame, saying they were doing their part for the stability of Shu. Students from Shu University also expressed support for HSBC Bank and posted notices everywhere.
The next day, all the workers and managers in six factories invested by HSBC Bank, totaling more than 2,000 people, beat gongs and drums and held up small colorful flags. They walked around the streets in Chengdu, and they all
Brush shouted: "Support HSBC Bank! Oppose the robbery of people's wealth! King Shu is wise and powerful!" They did not break the law, they were just strolling on the street, and the policemen could not find an excuse to stop them. In the afternoon, the number of people increased.
It reached more than 4,000. The next day, many shops were closed, and the shopkeepers and shopkeepers all joined in waving flags and shouting slogans. A small number of students from Shuguo University and many middle school students also joined in. With the addition of new workers, there was a huge crowd.
Tens of thousands of people came. All the people in the city gathered around to watch the fun, and many also followed. The whole Chengdu was in chaos. Reporters from newspapers from various countries did not know where they got the news from, and they followed these people to take pictures and conduct interviews. "Chengdu"
Although the Weekly had published an additional issue to refute the rumors, no one read it. By the third day, more than 30,000 people took to the streets to wave flags and shout.
On the fourth day, the crown prince ordered the HSBC bank to be closed down and asked the people to come and collect their deposits. Officers and soldiers surrounded the bank to arrest the clerks and stewards. Shopkeeper Wang disappeared! Ming Duan personally led the people to the bank's warehouse. When he opened it, he found that most of it was empty.
Yes, I only had three or four boxes of copper coins.
Ming Duan was in a hurry and hurried back to the prince's mansion. The prince was stunned: "No money? How could there be no money! Aren't the third uncle's people guarding him?" He hurriedly called Situ Cen to come.
Situ Cen was also stunned. "In the past few days, we have specially sent extra personnel to watch them. It is obvious that they can only go in and out. Shopkeeper Wang saw him last night." So he sent someone to call the leader Xi Zuo.
People waiting to receive money lined up for three streets. After waiting for half a day without any movement, someone went to the front to inquire. At first there was no news, but after Ming Duan left, a loud voice came out of nowhere and shouted:
"That lord just led the troops to transport the gold away!" Everyone was so anxious that they immediately rushed to the shop.
A young man who looked like a clerk cried loudly: "You guys arrested the shopkeeper last night, and you even asked us where the shopkeeper had gone."
He asked in a loud voice: "Is the gold still in the warehouse?"
The waiter cried: "How do we know? Our shop has been under surveillance by the imperial court for how many days!" He ran to the corner in three steps and grabbed the collar of a man in brown clothes and a hat, "Ask him! He is a meticulous worker of the imperial court, and he works hard every day.
Keep an eye on us! If we have any idea or trouble, they will know it!"
Everyone gathered around him: "Where's the gold?"
The man in brown clothes hurriedly argued: "I'm just a neighbor, here to watch the excitement, how can I know what gold is!"
The waiter sneered and said, "Are you a neighbor? There are all shops around here. Which store are you from? You have been staring at the front door of our shop for five or six days, but your boss didn't send you away?"
He said in a loud voice: "Who wants to see the excitement for five or six days?"
The clerk pressed the arm of the man in brown clothes with one hand, reached into his arms with the other hand and dug twice, took out something, and held it up high: "Look, everyone! Look, everyone! Secretary of the Zhenfu! He is the Zhenfu Secretary."
Fu Si’s meticulous work!”
Everyone took a closer look and saw that what the waiter was holding was indeed the Zhenfu Division's waist card, and they all took a step back. The waiter shouted: "Shopkeeper Wang was captured by them at the fourth watch last night! More than thirty officials
He was taken away from the back door and put in shackles!" He cried, "He is just an ordinary citizen with no strength, how can he need so many people?"
He said in a loud voice: "Master official, if the gold is still in the warehouse, the prince asked us to collect the deposit, when will we start to release the money? If the gold is not in the warehouse, but was transported out secretly by their shopkeeper Wang, please give me a look
Yes, after keeping an eye on them for five or six days, I know where they are shipped to. We can’t control them, we are just waiting to receive the money. That is our hard-earned money for many years! The court cannot just snatch it away in broad daylight!
"
A loud voice came out of nowhere: "Ah! Are they planning to blame Shopkeeper Wang for the disappearance of the gold? Let's just forget about it!"