The final savior of the famine crisis in the north of the Qing Dynasty could only be the Chinese. Emperor Tongzhi's plan to use southern food to provide disaster relief was not feasible.
Because he didn't know that a rebellion was about to break out, and then the lifeline of food transportation between the north and the south would be cut off!
The only way to transport food is through Chinese shipping. The food is transported on ships from the south of the Yangtze River, and goes north directly to Dagukou, and then goes straight to the capital along the railway or the Haihe River system.
But how much food can Jiangnan provide? In fact, there are very few. People have the impression that Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, which is good, but today's land of fish and rice is no longer a major food-producing area.
On the same land, people are more willing to grow valuable cash crops, such as tea trees, mulberry trees, workshops, factories... any of which are more profitable than growing food.
Therefore, a large part of the food eaten by the people in Jiangnan at this moment needs to be supplied by the two lakes areas and Nanyang!
Expect Jiangnan to squeeze out food for the North? It’s better to buy it directly from the Chinese company!
But I never expected that these sixteen telegrams would just sink into the ocean, and the Chinese would not respond!
Why? Because there were a lot of opposition voices within the Chinese community, conflicts broke out within the last Trusteeship Committee without the head of state.
The two grain merchants Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu cannot be bypassed to buy grain, but they never expected that these two people would have no grain in their hands!
Mi Fu sighed, "Old Niu, you still have a lot of money. You can take out 400,000 shi in one go. I can't. The maximum is 300,000 shi. If you take any more, it will be gone..."
"Don't rush me. If you force me to sell more, I will be selling the rations of our Chinese people. I have no choice..."
"Ah!" Cai Bixia exclaimed, "Only 700,000? How is this enough... The four northern provinces of the Qing Dynasty were hit by disasters and tens of millions of people had no food to eat. How can 700,000 be enough?"
Mi Fu spread his hands and said, "What can we do? If there is nothing, there is nothing. I can't sell our own people's rations!"
Niu Jinfu also spoke, "That's right...we are doing business. People who say we are some kind of grain trust are actually all nonsense!"
"You all know the rules of the head of state. Grain is a strategic material related to national security. The real strategic storage of grain is in the hands of the head of state!"
"The Military Department, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Colonial Independent Grain Storage Base...these places have much more grain storage than the two of us. At this time, it depends on you adults!"
Come on, the ball has been kicked to the feet of these high-ranking officials again. The Four Heavenly Kings, Xiang Ying, and others looked at each other with strange expressions. Xiang Ying said, "Boss Mi, Boss Niu... what are you talking about! The food stored in the military department is for the soldiers to eat." Yes, how can this move?"
"Although some of the food in the colonies can be used, the day lilies are getting cold due to the long journey to the capital!"
"We can squeeze out some of the grain from the Ministry of Agriculture, but it's only a surplus of more than one million shi. We still have to prepare for war and famine, and we don't dare to use it all... So we still have to ask the two gods of wealth to think carefully. Find a way!"
"No...no means no, what can I do? Captain Xiang, you are a good fighter, but this is not how you do business!"
"He is full of Qing Dynasty, but he can't come up with a single sum of cash. He still wants to default on his debts, and he wants to ask for five million dan. Isn't this embarrassing?"
Cai Bixia saw that the negotiation was about to reach a dead end and immediately took over the conversation, "We can still negotiate the purchase quantity. If it doesn't have five million stones, three or four million is fine!"
"But 700,000 is too little! If we don't look at the monk's face and the Buddha's face, we can only look at the hungry and cold victims. We can't just sit back and do nothing!"
Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu lowered their heads and said nothing. For a long time, Mi Fu sighed and said helplessly, "Special Envoy Cai... Let me tell you this, please ask Lao Niu for this matter. I really have no choice. !”
"I also want to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, but I don't have the strength... I'll say the ugly things first!"
"Lao Niu, after all, you started your business in Tanggu. Your ancestors all lived in the mainland. You have also benefited from the Manchu Qing Dynasty and have a lot of love!"
"My Mifu ancestors fled to Naha during the war in the late Ming Dynasty. They have been reproducing for more than two hundred years and have reached my generation... I have no family ties there, and I have never been under the control of the Tatars!"
"In this world, except for my savior, the head of state, and except for the Chinese people... I don't recognize anyone!"
"Just one sentence, three hundred thousand dan, cash transaction...I really can't help you!"
After Mi Fu said that, he actually stood up and bowed to everyone. He turned around and left in shame. Niu Jinfu pointed at him and said, "Hey, hey, hey... what are you talking about? Throw me out at the critical moment..."
"What's wrong with me? It's not my fault that I was born in the Qing Dynasty. What kind of relationship do I have with the Tatars? What good things have they done besides bullying me?"
"If you say that, then I don't care! I only have 500,000 yuan, and I don't have an extra grain of food... You stabbed me at the critical moment and I broke up with you!"
Mi Fu touched the ground with his crutch and angrily said, "If we break our relationship, we'll break it! Anyway, I don't have any food, that's all... You already have more money than me, so you have to pay more..."
"Bah... I didn't, why should I pay more... Master, I won't serve you anymore. If it weren't for your bad legs and feet, I would give you a punch!"
"How dare you! How dare you hit me..."
This pair actually wanted to fight in the bunker. The two of them were holding each other's postures and making noises. As a result, everyone came out to start a fight.
After they separated, they pushed the door open and left angrily, without speaking to anyone!
The committee members present were dumbfounded. The two major grain merchants had given up their choice. How could this meeting be held?
Xiang Ying looked at everyone helplessly, "What can we do? After a long time, we got 700,000 stones. What is this enough for?"
Everyone present is a smart person, and there is no sign that Mi Fu and Lao Niu are acting. This pair is an old rival in the business world. They are competitive and cooperative.
The transactions are all worth more than one million taels of silver, how could they fall out over this small amount of food?
Sure enough, after the carriage left the naval base, Mi Fu and Niu Jinfu opened the curtains and winked at each other, saying nothing.
But if you see through it without saying it, the committee meeting will still have to be held.
Xiao Hexin closed his notebook, "It seems that they are determined to give this much, 700,000 stones! We will discuss other plans to raise food later..."
"The food of the military department cannot be moved, and the food of the colonies is beyond the reach of the whip... Then all that is left is the national grain reserves in the warehouse of the Ministry of Agriculture!"
"Now the Ministry of Agriculture reserves a total of 750,000 tons of grain... It stands to reason that 250,000 tons should be used to relieve the disaster in the four northern provinces..."
Before Xiao Hexin finished speaking, a cold voice rang out, "I object! I firmly object... The national grain reserve is the food that ensures the survival of our 20 million Chinese soldiers and civilians. It cannot be given to the Manchus..."
Hingtaro spoke, Xiao Letian's adopted son, the top commander of the Foreign Legion!
