Colonial monopoly plus economic colonial aggression, this was Xiao Letian's entire strategic arrangement before launching a military attack on the Qing Dynasty!
I don't want your sovereignty first. I really don't covet your Manchu territory at all. I swear to God that I really am not going to use a large army to invade you.
But you can't stop me from making money. If you want to block my financial path, I will definitely deal with you. This is something Xiao Letian said very clearly to the senior officials of the Qing Dynasty.
The empress dowagers of the two palaces knew it very well, as did Prince Gong and other princes and nobles, and the little emperor even mentioned it many times.
Even now, even the Manchus are doubting whether Xiao Letian is really a money-grubber doing business. I am afraid that he really has no territorial claims to this continent.
Jiangnan is still the territory of the Qing Dynasty, but half of the economic activities in the entire Jiangnan are firmly controlled by the Chinese, and the remaining half is the food of the Qing Dynasty and Western forces.
In the eyes of many Manchus, Xiao Letian's force is more like a group of armed merchants. They do business every day, engage in industrialization and ocean trade, and then train a group of troops by themselves because they are afraid of being robbed by others.
As a result, this army was more elite than anyone else, winning every battle. The Manchus and Qing Dynasties fought against him several times and never took advantage.
If Xiao Letian never rebels and just wants to make money, then it is not unacceptable!
Many Eight Banners dudes have this plan in mind. Xiao Letian didn't stop me from eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. I continued to eat a big bowl of fried noodles every day.
No one stopped me from visiting the kiln, and no one stopped me from singing. Moreover, the number of hardcore crops in the Eight Banners has actually increased slightly in the past few years.
It seems that the Prime Minister is very conscientious in doing business with the Manchus. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Eight Banners' respective yamen have plenty of money, so they can get more flag pay.
Everyone is happy! This is truly a happy situation for everyone!
Now when dealing with Xinjiang, Xiao Letian is doing this again. Economic aggression is still the way to go. Don't you, Zuo Zongtang, want to go to war? I will give you money, but you have to exchange for the contract for the entire economic reconstruction of Xinjiang after the war.
The regulations brought by Fan Jin can be said to be very harsh in the eyes of modern people in the 21st century.
This basically monopolizes all the industries that can develop in Xinjiang, including mineral deposits, road transportation, light industry, heavy industry, people's livelihood industries, food industry... The zero-to-zero total covers everything from the basic necessities of life for the common people to the military and heavy industry that is the weapon of the country.
All require exclusivity. To put it bluntly, it is a monopoly contract, and the term of this contract will last for a hundred years once it is signed!
Zuo Zongtang knew very well that once this treaty was signed, all money and food in Xinjiang would be controlled by the Western Region Development Bank in the future.
The imperial court can no longer receive a copper coin in tax, and only owns this land in name!
"It's a loss of power and humiliation to the country! Are you asking me to sign a treaty that is a loss of power and humiliation to the country? This means that all the economic lifeblood of Xinjiang is in your hands..."
"Hahaha... That's wrong!" Fan Jin laughed and said, "Why is it in our hands? It should be in the hands of everyone in the world!"
"Don't forget, this investment bank is listed on the stock market. Anyone, including the commander-in-chief and your men, can buy it. The imperial court can also buy stocks!"
"Everyone holds it, everyone is a shareholder... When the money is made, everyone will share it together! The imperial court has purchased the shares, and in the end they will also be able to share the dividends!"
"This is a business that is sure to make money without losing money. How can you say we have it all?"
"Besides, have the various industries we want to invest in been developed by the imperial court? Is there a modern factory in Xinjiang? Is there a modern mine? Is there even a light industry spinning and weaving factory?"
"Nothing! It's all empty. We have to invest from scratch, and it will take several years to see profits!"
"Whoever invests will benefit. Isn't this a natural thing? What kind of meat have we taken from the court's bowl? Your bowl is empty to begin with, okay?"
Zuo Zongtang's face turned slightly red after saying this. This was really on point. Although Xinjiang was large, it did not have much economic significance to the imperial court.
Every year, they just collect tribute from the local kings, and the Yili General Mansion collects some commercial taxes to support the army!
The little jade, gold and silverware, carpets, beauties that are paid as tribute every year... Compared with the millions of taels of taxes paid by those provinces in the Central Plains, the wealth that Xinjiang can create is really minimal.
From a business perspective, the Qing Dynasty's conquest of Xinjiang was originally a loss-making business. Its positive significance was mainly to expand China's living space and leave a fertile soil for future generations.
But no matter how fertile the land is, it must be built and managed by people. The Manchus are really not good at construction, and it has been difficult for the Han people to enter this land for hundreds of years, which makes Xinjiang appear even more backward.
In this era, the Central Plains under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was no longer comparable to Europe, but the economic situation here in Xinjiang was not as good as that of the Central Plains. The people's basic necessities, food, clothing, housing and transportation were exactly the same as they were five or six hundred years ago.
It's like this place has been frozen in the photo forever, without any change!
If the Manchu and Qing Dynasty refuses to build, why don't we, the Han people, come to build? Besides, we didn’t come empty-handed. I provided you with 35 million taels of military expenses!
After throwing down so much money, why don't you allow me to get something in return?
Zuo Zongtang was silent, but Liu Jintang next to him had some thoughts.
In his mind, he kept thinking about what shopkeeper Fan Jin said: "Everyone can buy stocks, so I, the commander-in-chief, can also buy them!"
"I am at such a high level, will there be any discount for buying these stocks? If I buy too much and it is passed down from generation to generation, does it mean that my descendants will be able to enjoy the dividends brought by Xinjiang every year? "
"Create a land, and then future generations will always be able to reap the dividends created by this land!"
"Huh? Xiao Letian's stock market is quite interesting. He can actually turn war into a business!"
"Then the question is, when the Eight Banners fought desperately against the Ming Dynasty outside the Pass, why did they work so hard? Didn't they want to conquer the country and then receive dividends every year? There is no difference in this principle..."
With his mind moving, he glanced at the Chinese people. Fan Jin had no time to deal with Zuo Zongtang, but Zuo Dachaofeng understood.
"Everyone, sit down for a moment, I'll go make it easy..."
"Hey, I'm a little anxious too. This brother will lead the way and go with me..."
The two walked out of the living room one after another, got together in the shadow of the adobe house, and began to whisper.
And Fan Jin kept telling Zuo Zongtang, "Commander! The imperial court has no money to give you. It only gave you 2 million taels for such a big war. Why do you think it's enough?"
"It's not possible to rely on the provinces to pay for each other. Those people are not united in their hearts and there are many ways to hold them back!"
"Foreign devils' money? Haha...the conditions are even harsher than ours. Who else can you choose besides us?"
"In the final analysis, you are using industries that have not yet appeared in Xinjiang in the future as collateral to realize cash, and using the future to mortgage current military expenditures..."
"The imperial court won't care about these things. As long as the territory is not lost and the sovereignty is not changed... isn't the rest just money?"
