The businessmen were trembling with fear, thinking that Zhao Xuening would give them many excessive reasons and even extort money from them to buy their lives.
But what they didn't expect was that Zhao Xuening called them over just to tell them some precautions.
"Although there is a war going on, I will do my best to control the scale of the war and not let the war affect the transactions. So if you have any business to do, you can still do it. If you have any difficulties, come to me and I will try my best to help you solve it. question.
You don’t have to worry about what will happen after the Spaniards are driven away by me. How you did business in the past is still how you do business now. There may be some details that need to be changed, but I am not here to destroy everything.
I just wanted to get rid of some uninvited guests who shouldn't belong here, and let this sea area return to a state where we are the masters. The Europeans' hometowns are too far away from here, so I helped them and sent them back to their hometowns. . "
After talking about his goals with a smile, Zhao Xuening issued some passes to and from the state government to these people. With this pass, there is no need to make an appointment in advance, and you can come to the meeting with a pass.
Zhao Xuening did not ask them for money, and of course he did not allow them to eat. In the end, only Liu Chongwen, the representative of the Chinese businessmen, was left.
The reason for keeping him is simple. Zhao Xuening wants to build a relationship with the Thirteenth Bank, further develop his contacts in Guangdong, and lay the foundation for future expansion into Guangdong, Fujian and other places.
So far, the Lanfang regime has not had any contact with any official organization of the Qing Empire.
The intelligence merchants Zhao Xuening appointed Chen Qilong to send to Guangdong, Fujian and other places were only businessmen, and businessmen had little status in the Qing Empire.
At present, they have not been able to open up the relationship with officials within the Qing Empire. The one that has made the most progress is to open up the relationship with the master next to a county magistrate.
Therefore, this intelligence network can only provide Zhao Xuening with the information they have learned, but cannot provide first-hand official reports, especially high-level political intelligence. At best, it is a radio that can only listen to public channels.
So Zhao Xuening wanted to open a gap from Liu Chongwen.
The Chinese traders who can go out to do business these days are basically the insiders of the Guangzhou Thirteenth Bank, and the Guangzhou Thirteenth Bank is known as the Nanku of the Emperor. It has inextricably linked with the imperial court in the capital. It is constantly cut and confused.
If we could get the source of some information from Thirteen Lines, it would be equivalent to placing a bug in the Forbidden City.
Liu Chongwen didn't know what Zhao Xuening meant by leaving him alone, but he knew very well what kind of methods this Nanyang tycoon had, and it would definitely be terrifying to offend him.
Apart from anything else, looking at his rigid haircut and his unshaven head and braids, he is definitely a hard-core and ruthless person who is desperate for his life. He cannot afford to offend such a person.
So he carefully saluted Zhao Xuening and asked why.
Zhao Xuening just smiled.
"Don't worry, I just want to ask Mr. Liu if he is a member of the Guangzhou Thirteenth Bank?"
"Indeed, this old man does have some connections in the Thirteenth Industry. I wonder if your Excellency, the President, has any advice?"
"I can't talk about it. I just want to know if Mr. Liu came to Manila because the Thirteenth Party sent some tasks for you to complete?"
"indeed so……"
"Is it related to the Forbidden City?"
"this……"
"I see."
Zhao Xuening smiled and said: "Some things are hard to tell. Of course, I have no malice. I just want to ask and am willing to provide some help to you. If you need anything, you can tell me directly. I can do it." Definitely help."
Liu Chongwen thought about it in his heart.
Did Zhao Xuening come here to get involved with Thirteen Lines?
Is it to do business with Thirteenth Bank?
Want to continue the Hong Maoyi business, obtain silk, porcelain and tea from the Qing Dynasty, and then sell them for money?
It is indeed possible, but...
This Zhao Xuening spoke standard Cantonese Mandarin, and was obviously a Han Chinese. He did not have a Qing Dynasty hairstyle and no braids. If he set foot in Qing Dynasty territory, it would definitely be a capital crime.
In this case, if he is not amusing himself in Nanyang and becoming king, why is he getting involved with the Thirteenth Line?
Isn't he afraid that the Qing Dynasty will send troops to attack him if they find out that he, a Han, is king and hegemon in Nanyang and has a different hairstyle from the Qing people?
The imperial court obviously did not want to have any conflict with those Western barbarians, so it was not interested in the series of actions of the Western barbarians in Southeast Asia. As long as they did not go north to invade the Qing Dynasty, they could say anything.
But if a Han Chinese like Zhao Xuening were to become the king and hegemon in Nanyang, it is hard to say whether the court would take any action.
The emperor of the current dynasty was very particular about guarding against Han invaders.
Liu Chongwen had a clever mind, but his face showed nothing. He just bowed to Zhao Xuening and said with a smile that they had almost purchased what they wanted to purchase. They would return to the Thirteenth Line soon, so they would not trouble His Excellency the President's kindness. .
Zhao Xuening could hear Liu Chongwen's resistance, so he could only shake his head and sigh, with a look of regret on his face.
"It's a pity, Mr. Liu, the cunning rabbit still has three burrows, not to mention the human beings? Today he rejected one burrow, but tomorrow, there will still be one burrow left. Can he live in peace and contentment?"
Listening to this elegant sentence, Liu Chongwen was stunned.
"Your Excellency, what do you mean by this?"
"Literally speaking, although I have never lived in the Qing Dynasty, I have read a lot of books and know the story of the cunning rabbit's three burrows. In order to save his life, a rabbit often does not have only one nest, but three nests. This way Only in this way can you protect your own safety to the greatest extent.
As the leader of all things, man should be smarter and more alert than all things, and he should prepare more escape routes. But why did Mr. Liu only focus on the cave in front of him, instead of seeking more caves and leaving more caves for himself? What's a way out? "
"A way out?"
Liu Chongwen straightened up and looked at Zhao Xuening with a puzzled expression: "If the president has something to say, he might as well say it directly."
"Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, Mr. Liu, merchants were always at the bottom of the four peoples in the Qing Dynasty, or in other words, they were untouchables. Business was an unworthy industry. Although they were wealthy and had good food and clothing behind closed doors, in all fairness, merchants were really Is it safe?"
Zhao Xuening stared at Liu Chongwen and smiled: "In my opinion, if the Qing Dynasty government is a tiger, then a businessman like Mr. Liu is not even as good as a rabbit, and even a small subordinate is not as good as a businessman. comparable.
Whatever the government requires of merchants, merchants must fulfill it. Even if it is the heads of the Thirteenth Line, if a decree comes down from the Forbidden City, even if there are huge problems, even if they do not do their own things, they must be completed first. The order of the court.
Even so, in the eyes of the court, he is just a pariah. He takes everything he wants, and controls the power of life and death. Whenever the court is short of money, he will ask you businessmen for it. To put it bluntly, the Thirteenth Bank is just another wallet in the Forbidden City. "
The more Zhao Xuening spoke, the worse Liu Chongwen's complexion became. When Zhao Xuening finished speaking, Liu Chongwen's face turned dark.
"By saying such words, Your Excellency, the President, is mocking the old man as a bitch who runs a mean business?"
"No, no."
Zhao Xuening shook his head and said: "Speaking of bitches, in fact, in the eyes of the Qing court, Zhao is also a bitch. There are many such bitches in the entire Lanfang Republic. From this perspective, Lanfang Republic, but It’s just a bunch of bitches hugging each other to keep warm.”
"so what?"
"So, I want to advise Mr. Liu to keep a thin line in everything, and have many friends and many paths."
Zhao Xuening spread his hands and said with a smile: "A cunning rabbit still has three caves, let alone people? In recent years, there must be many thirteen-line tooth merchants who have been forced to have their families destroyed by the government and the Forbidden City? Mr. Liu must have seen it with his own eyes. Quite a few, right?”
"………………"
"But Mr. Liu still has to continue to do these things, because there is no other way. Under the heavy pressure of the court, someone has to do these things, and if you do these things, you can at least get tens of thousands of wealth and enjoy it for a while. It’s much better than eating chaffy vegetables.”
"………………"
"But Mr. Liu, I heard that a war broke out in Gansu. A man named Su Shishisan rebelled in Gansu. The court is working to put down the rebellion, but I don't know how much military resources the Thirteenth Bank will allocate this time. ? How many people are going to have their families destroyed because of this? Mr. Liu, even if you don’t suffer any disaster today, will you feel a chill in your lips and teeth when you see your colleagues suffering?"
"………………"
Liu Chongwen lowered his head, clenched his hands into fists, and his body was trembling slightly.
After a while, he raised his head and looked at Zhao Xuening with incomprehensible eyes.
"Does your Excellency the President want Lao Chen to seek refuge with His Excellency the President, secretly make connections and pass on information for His Excellency the President, in exchange for His Excellency the President's protection of Lao Chen and his family?"
"It's a pleasure to talk to intelligent people."
Zhao Xuening said with a smile: "Since Mr. Liu is able to go out to do business, he must have some background and connections, and his status is not ordinary. It would be best if Mr. Liu is willing to help me matchmaking and find someone who is willing to cooperate with Lanfang in business.
In addition, with Mr. Liu's backstage connections, it should not be difficult to obtain the latest news from the Forbidden City. Mr. Liu only needs to pass this news to me in real time. If these two things are accomplished, I will send someone to protect Mr. Liu.
If the imperial court intends to take action against Mr. Liu and seize Mr. Liu's family property, my people will dispatch quickly. They can help Mr. Liu escape from Guangzhou and come to Lanfang. With the sky high and the emperor far away, Mr. Liu can spend his old age in peace. "
