This caught the Ryukyu Chinese businessmen off guard. More than 90% of the silver coins at the exchange points were sold out. There was no silver for exchange. There was another run on the grain ships on the Yangtze River.
What's even more frightening is that a group of ruffians actually took advantage of the chaos and set fire to some Nanyang grain ships, which suddenly pushed the panic atmosphere to the extreme.
"Folks! Don't crowd! There are plenty of silver coins. The Prime Minister's ship transporting silver coins is on the sea. There are plenty of silver coins in Ryukyu..." The guys drifted with the crowd and tried their best to explain to everyone.
But the people went crazy again and cursed angrily, "Liar, Xiao Letian is a liar... Don't listen to his farts, everyone. Jiangnan Qianbao has issued 1.6 billion yuan, and Xiao Letian doesn't have that much cash! They are all lies." of……"
"Don't believe their lies. Half of the grain ships on the Yangtze River are empty. They are used to stabilize people's hearts... Someone set fire to several ships in the morning. As a result, there was no food at all, only big rocks..."
"Rumors! Folks, don't believe it! These are bad people spreading rumors...Oh, don't step on me...Help!"
The poor boy wanted to explain to everyone, but no one listened. The crazy crowd only became more crowded, and the boy was trampled under his feet as they crowded around.
The painful wailing only sounded for a few times, and then there was nothing. The numb and crazy crowd stepped on the little guy's body, but no one felt that there was a living person under their feet.
There is only one word in everyone's eyes, money!
Everyone in the entire Jiangnan area has fallen into the eyes of money. No matter how high or low their status is, everyone is caught up in it. The price of exchanging banknotes for silver coins in the market changes three times a day. Advocates from both sides roll up their sleeves and the war finally spreads to newspapers. superior.
It’s interesting to say that newspapers, which have existed in Europe for hundreds of years, were not a rarity in the Qing Dynasty. Xiao Letian was the first to run the Qing Minbao, but it was later discontinued as a result of negotiations with the Qing government.
Although the Minbao was restored after that, the Qing government strictly prohibited Xiao Letian from publishing any news about government affairs in it. Xiao Letian was in a relative honeymoon period with the Qing government at the moment and was unwilling to overly stimulate them, so the Minbao is now It was actually turned into a gossip tabloid.
A large amount of business information and interesting news from the market, including side stories, and a large number of columns introducing overseas customs and customs, turned the People's Daily into an entertainment newspaper through and through.
Of course, foreigners also had newspapers, but their circulation was not large, and the foreign editions were all for foreigners in Asia. People in the Qing Dynasty did not even know that foreign newspapers existed.
Everything was peaceful at first, but unfortunately, a war suddenly changed the development process of East Asia's newspaper industry. Both the enemy and us discovered almost at the same time that hiring people from society to spread news was too inefficient. After thinking about it, newspapers were more enjoyable.
The Qing Min Daily suddenly issued a separate bulletin with a drastically changed style. It was a serious bulletin without any advertisements or gossip.
In the extra chapter, the editor with a sophisticated writing style gave a complete account of everything in this war, starting from the Russian massacre of gold miners in Qingdao and the enslavement of the people of the Wusuli River, to the remnants of the Chinese Empire rising up to resist and forming a volunteer army. …
The sharp writing style and pure vernacular make it easy for all people to understand this slogan. Only now did the people in Jiangnan understand that such a large piece of land was robbed by the Russians during the Xinyou years, and so many Chinese people. People were oppressed and enslaved, and even the people's newspapers found out the masterminds behind the paper currency crisis, namely those foreign bankers.
Luoyang paper is really expensive. This extra copy was printed more than ten times in the Jiangnan area, and countless people began to copy it. The originally bad image of foreigners suddenly collapsed.
The foreign businessmen in the Shanghai Concession saw that this was okay, and they made an emergency plan that night. The "Shanghai Daily Times" and "Shanghai Sunday Times" founded by the British in Shanghai were merged into the "Shanghai Times". "published a Chinese character version and began to declare war on Xiao Letian's Minbao.
A full page of the Times began to analyze the power gap between Ryukyu and Russia, how much population, land, and army Russia had, and how many glorious victories it had in history.
On the other hand, Xiao Letian only has so much pitiful strength. Even a fool can tell that Xiao Letian will lose from the comparison of the two. I hope the people of Jiangnan will keep their eyes open and never get on the wrong ship impulsively.
Anyway, I kept saying the same thing over and over: "Now is Banknote's last chance to escape. If you don't run away, you will die without a burial place!"
How had the Qing Dynasty ever seen such a crazy public opinion war? For a moment, everyone was shocked and lost their voice. "It turns out...it turns out that this world is so complicated!"
The competition between the long and short sides in the financial war is so fierce, and the dividends after this war are so huge. It is conservatively estimated that if Xiao Letian wins, he will earn at least 600 million yuan, enough for him to form the most powerful team in Asia. Navy.
For the foreign bankers and the comprador class, if they win, the spoils they will get will not only be 600 million yuan, but the profit may be as high as 2 billion yuan. Those high-quality fixed assets in Jiangnan are usually worth buying. It can't be bought.
Everyone has turned their attention to the Russian fleet. This is the first time that the people in Jiangnan have paid so much attention to the movements of a foreign fleet. A huge financial betting market has appeared, and there are even rumors about this battle on the black market. Betting on financial derivatives.
The dealer opened a handicap, and gamblers could bet on who would win or lose, or on the ratio of banknotes to silver coins the next day. Even the price of food three times a day was added to the bet.
Do you think this is gambling? But in Xiao Letian's eyes, how could this be so similar to the financial futures practiced by Wall Street in later generations? It seems that China does not lack smart people, China just lacks a stage for smart people to dance.
From that day on, the Russian fleet became a curse on the entire South China. Countless people were paying attention to its movements. Every time the fleet took a step closer to Asia, it was like the noose of death getting closer. The hearts of the whole society Total chaos.
The southern ticket market was about to collapse. At this time, people saw the benefits of the northern ticket issued by the northern court. Since the Qing government maintained a neutral attitude in this war, Beipiao's credibility was protected to a certain extent.
Of course, in Henan Province, where the north and south meet, as well as Anhui and Jiangsu, Beipiao has also experienced certain market fluctuations, but don’t forget how the Manchus settled in the Central Plains?
Of course, kill him! The imperial court responded very effectively this time. It issued a strict decree that anyone who dared to use Beipiao to cause trouble would be killed without mercy. At the same time, it was guaranteed that the imperial court's tax revenue would be collected in banknotes.
The Tatars don't know how to talk about human rights to the people. What are you talking about? Want to exchange cash? Take him out and behead him in public display! Do you dare not accept paper money for government purchases? Take him out and behead him in public display!
The bloody heads frightened the bankers, and then the government kept guaranteeing that there would be no problems with tax payment in Beipiao. The court definitely recognized it, and this brought temporary stability to the market in Beipiao.
There was a printing difference between Beipiao and Nanpiao, and ordinary people could tell them apart at a glance. Therefore, the Qing court was not very afraid of this financial crisis. On the contrary, some smart people in the court even saw opportunities in this crisis.
An excellent opportunity for Beipiao to seize the Jiangnan market.
