1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 6

These things all require money, and where does the money come from? It certainly doesn't come from the Manchus themselves, but is instead passed on to Han Chinese farmers, merchants, and workers.

Everyone was forced into a corner, including businessmen. Although businessmen pursue profits, they are not afraid of risks, because the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.

In fact, if you paint a picture of sufficient profit for businessmen, they will support you regardless of any risks. These people are willing to sell even the rope that would hang themselves if they could make a 300% profit.

Not to mention that the benefits Zhao Yan has promised them now are far more than 300%, and they can't even be measured in money. They are fundamental benefits, and no one but Zhao Yan would offer them such benefits again.

The Qing Dynasty court brought this upon itself. They had piled up the firewood and even poured oil on it. Now all that was left was a spark, and Zhao Yan was that spark!

Chapter 10 is only 9999! You won't regret buying it!

"Mr. Zhao, what should we do? We want to be capitalists too!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhao, the Manchu Qing dynasty is immoral, and we have reached our limit of tolerance. What do you suggest we do?"

"We want to be governors! We want fairness!"

The crowd below was furious; these wealthy business owners had completely gone mad, all swayed by Zhao Yan's words.

Merchants from any other dynasty would not have dared to utter such treasonous words, but there's nothing that can be done about it, since these merchants are the most special kind of merchants.

The last powerful salt merchant was Zhang Shicheng! And the most powerful salt merchant before that was Huang Chao!

Salt merchants in the Jianghuai region have a long-standing tradition of excellence. They are among the most combative and revolutionary-spirited merchants.

If even these salt merchants don't dare to rebel, then you shouldn't even think about targeting other merchants.

An even more important reason is that the salt merchants had been driven to the brink of extinction; the Manchu Qing dynasty was simply too inhumane.

Lacking funds for various indemnities, the Manchu emperors' first thought was to exploit the salt merchants. From Kangxi to Yongzheng to Qianlong, whenever the Manchu emperors needed money, their first thought was always to take advantage of the salt merchants in Yangzhou, Jianghuai.

I tolerated you asking me for money to pay compensation, I tolerated you asking me for money to build your garden, I tolerated you even making several trips to the south to beg for money, but you have to let me live.

Previously, the Qing Dynasty was able to sustainably exploit resources, but now it's like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, because the Qing Dynasty mortgaged almost all of its salt tax to foreigners!

Why did the salt merchants, who once dominated the economy, disappear in the late Qing Dynasty? Why did we no longer hear about the salt merchant group during the Republic of China period? It's as if this group, which dominated the entire Qing Dynasty, vanished overnight.

Did the Chinese stop eating salt after the fall of the Qing Dynasty? Did China stop producing salt after the establishment of the Republic of China? Neither!

It was the Qing government that handed over the salt tax to foreigners, and the official taxation power of an industry was seized by foreigners. This is similar to the Ming Dynasty. If Zhu Yuanzhang had given the right to issue salt permits to Japanese pirates, do you think the salt industry and salt merchants of the Ming Dynasty could have survived?

In the original timeline, during the Republican era following the late Qing Dynasty, the salt merchants along the coast of Jiangnan were completely wiped out. Everyone had heard of the salt industry in inland Sichuan, with Zigong salt wells being particularly famous, but there was no Chinese salt industry presence along the coast.

The reason is that these people were forced to their deaths, starting now. The Qing dynasty sold them to foreigners to pay reparations.

We've been serving your Manchu masters like slaves for almost three hundred years, always getting whatever we wanted. Even a rat raised for three hundred years would have some affection by now, but the Manchus were so heartless and cruel.

Now that Zhao Yan's spark has come so close, a raging fire has immediately broken out.

As Zhao Yan listened to the salt merchants' calls, it was as if his ears were suddenly enlightened by celestial music!

He raised his hands high: "Revolution, future capitalists! The opportunity is right in front of you, don't miss it!"

"The Revival Party issues bearer revolutionary bonds, only 9999, 9999, symbolizing longevity!"

"Nine times nine times nine, you won't be fooled, you won't lose out!"

"This bond offers an annual interest rate of 10%, compounded, with a ten-year term, and is redeemable upon maturity!"

"The Revival Party will keep every buyer's identity absolutely confidential and will never register them. Even if we are arrested, you will not be in danger of being beheaded!"

After working hard for most of the day, his throat was practically hoarse from shouting, Zhao Yan finally ushered in the moment of harvest. He glanced at Liu Shangsheng, the assistant who was carrying the bag, and he immediately stepped forward.

Zhao Yan took out a box of high-end business cards from his bag, which had been transported from another era, and presented them to the crowd.

"This item is called a business card. My name, Zhao Yan, is engraved on it. This business card is made with a special process and there is absolutely no possibility of it being counterfeited."

"This business card is now a revival bond, each with a face value of 9,999 taels of silver, an annual interest rate of 10%, compounded annually! Ten-year term, redeemable upon maturity!"

"The purchase process is very simple and requires no registration. You only need to pay money. There will be no loose ends, and you don't need to worry about the Qing Dynasty holding you accountable. All consequences will be borne by our Restoration Party!"

"Those who wish to purchase, please bring your banknotes to the stage to make your purchase. First come, first served, and the first three purchasers will enjoy a 30% discount!"

"And those who buy the revival bonds are friends of my revival party and supporters of the revolution. The revival party will never treat its friends unfairly, and the revolution will never let down its supporters!"

Yu Jingqian was the first to step forward: "I'll take five! I don't have enough money right now, so I can only give half for now. I'll definitely give the rest to my nephew Liu Shangsheng!"

Liu Yongfu immediately stepped forward to support him: "I'll buy five tickets too!"

Liu Yongfu had no choice but to continue supporting him; his son was now in cahoots with Zhao Yan, and as his father, he had no choice but to go all the way down this path.

With these two people setting an example, everyone else had no choice but to buy them, and in no time Zhao Yan sold more than eighty business cards.

The maximum is five tickets, which is the level of Chairman Yu Jinggan and Liu Yongfu. The rest of the people either buy one ticket by themselves or several people pool their money to buy one ticket together.

"Success Trust, General Manager Zhao Yan?"

"Huh? Why is this picture of me from the Women's Care Hotline, hosted by Zhao Yan?"

"Mine is different too. It's called something like Urban Greening Group, Chairman Zhao Yan!"

"Yes, this must be a code, it must be!"

The business cards that everyone received were all different, a wide variety of styles. How could Zhao Yan, who travels the world, possibly only have one alias?

But the salt merchants found these anonymous, high-tech anti-counterfeiting "bonds" very convenient. They didn't need to sign or put their fingerprints on them, nor did they need to write any pledges of allegiance. They simply paid the money and received a business card.

This thing is too easy to hide. When the authorities come, you can just deny everything and say you don't know anything. Even if the truth comes out, there's still room for maneuver.

Even more importantly, Zhao Yan's name is written on it, so there's no fear of being denied payment if someone tries to settle the matter later.

Low risk, high return, and the ability to save yourself from a dead end—this deal is too good to pass up.

Zhao Yan was laughing so hard he almost dropped his teeth. You coveted the hope I promised, but I coveted your principal! With so much money, I could just pack my bags, run away abroad, and never have to worry about anything again!

All the salt merchants present held revival bonds, and everyone was in the same boat, making the atmosphere incredibly harmonious.

The salt merchants trusted Zhao Yan's reputation. He even cut off his queue; didn't that show his determination? He didn't care about his own head; why should you care about this worthless money?

They risked their lives and shed their blood to fight for the future of us salt merchants, so what's wrong with us contributing a little money?

Besides, at this critical juncture, with the government exploiting us internally and foreigners encroaching on us inch by inch from the outside, keeping our money is just waiting for our property to be confiscated and for us to slowly die. We might as well take it out and gamble!

Although this group of people did not have the courage to stand up and rebel on their own, they were not people who would sit idly by and wait for death. They did not have the courage to stand up on their own, but they still had the courage to support Huang Chao.

However, the salt merchants were not completely blinded by greed. They still had some precautions. All the silver was deposited in Sihai Draft Bank, an internal draft bank for the salt merchants. Wherever the salt merchants went, this draft bank would also open there. It was a money exchange controlled by the Huaiyang salt merchants.

Moreover, Liu Changsheng, the Finance Minister of the Revival Party, would also be keeping an eye on this money. The salt merchants were worried about Liu's foolish son, so they specifically asked Liu Yongfu, this smiling tiger, to keep a close eye on it.

Zhao Yan had no objection to this and even supported the salt merchants in their vigorous supervision, which reassured the investors.

Little did they know that Zhao Yan didn't take these oversight measures seriously at all. Back then, even the financial security tokens of those listed companies couldn't protect him. You country bumpkins think you can keep an eye on him? Dream on.

Zhao Yan was overjoyed at the successful fundraising, and his anger towards Liu Shangsheng, his incompetent teammate, disappeared. He even felt that it was so convenient to swindle money under the guise of revolution.

Because once the name of revolution is raised, the business must be closed on the spot, since the risk is too great, especially when there are many people around.

Everyone has to buy it; anyone who doesn't is a spy. In the end, everyone has to pay up, and they have to pay on the spot because the risk of doing so afterward is too great.

The female performers present were all forced to contribute one hundred taels of silver as a share, the tea-serving servants had to buy in their wages for the month, and the salt merchants who had no money would lend it to you directly and even make you sign an IOU.

In any case, everyone at the scene has to give generously to even a single dog; no one can afford to take chances!

This semi-forced purchase made Zhao Yan extremely happy!

The gaze directed at Liu Shangsheng also softened and became more ardent. Who said he was a bad teammate? He was practically a money-giving boy!

Chapter 11 President, Save Me!

"President, you are truly amazing! Your revolutionary abilities are unmatched, and your understanding and execution of the revolution are absolutely perfect!"

"You are simply our sun, the sole guide for the cause of the Chinese revolution, you are..."

After the teahouse incident, Liu Shangsheng, that sycophant, kept flattering Zhao Yan, spouting all sorts of lewd remarks. Even Zhao Yan, with his thick skin, was made to blush a little by Liu Shangsheng's words.

Zhao Yan quickly interrupted, "Hey, that's enough, Xiao Liu. On the road to revolution, it's far from enough for me to succeed alone. It requires everyone's joint efforts!"

"Although you are not quite capable now, you are still young and your future is destined to be bright. As long as you are good at learning, loyal to your beliefs, and steadfast in your revolution, you will grow and mature."

Zhao Yan gave the young man some motivational advice at the right time, and Liu Shangsheng listened with his eyes sparkling.

After returning to the inn in the concession area and lying on the bed, Zhao Yan finally relaxed completely. Entering the concession meant he was no longer in a state of complete peace, but at least he felt safer than when he was in the territory of the Manchus.

It's absurd that a Chinese person feels safer on foreign soil than on their own territory; this is the absurdity of our times.

But what could Zhao Yan do? He didn't have a braid at the back of his head. If he went out, even if he was wearing a fake braid, it would be very dangerous. If it fell off even slightly and someone found out, he would lose his head.

Only in this way will people believe him. Otherwise, if you have a queue on the back of your head and say you want to start a revolution, who the hell would believe you? You yourself still have a way out. Would someone with a way out start a revolution? Do you believe that?

Who doesn't go completely insane when they're desperate? If they weren't, who would stand up and risk their lives?

Fortunately, they encountered a group of salt merchants who were also completely desperate. Otherwise, if it had been silk merchants or grain merchants, they would have had a hard time raising funds or even surviving!

Zhao Yan lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to think about what methods he should use to siphon money from the bank, where to book ship tickets, and which country he should go to for a good time.

Lost in thought, Zhao Yan fell into a deep sleep.

"Something terrible has happened, Mr. President!"

Zhao Yan was shaken awake from his sleep, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Hao, that brute!

"President, Minister Wu and the others are in trouble! They've been arrested in the countryside!" Zhao Hao's face was full of anxiety, and his eyes were almost overflowing with panic.

Zhao Hao grabbed Zhao Yan's shoulders with his two strong hands and shook him vigorously, like shaking a champagne bottle.

"Stop...stop shaking!" Zhao Yan's head was practically turned into tofu pudding from being shaken so much.

At this moment, Liu Shangsheng quickly pried Zhao Hao's hand off. Zhao Yan, who had recovered somewhat, asked in a daze, "Who are you? What Minister Wu? Who's in trouble?"

Zhao Hao was too anxious to speak, but Liu Shangsheng spoke up: "President, Zhao Hao, the captain of the action team, rushed back early this morning. Minister Wu Zifu got into trouble, and all five people from the Organization Department have been arrested!"

Zhao Yan rubbed his forehead, and it took him a while to finally get up. After thinking for a moment, he remembered Wu Zifu: "Wasn't he going to recruit new members? What happened?"

Zhao Hao immediately explained, "Minister Wu was on his way to Huguang with a mission, as instructed by you. However, he was arrested by local villagers in Jiaxing because they found that he didn't have a queue."

Our team almost got wiped out too. I had no other choice but to come back and report. Only you, Boss, could help!

"Why are these young people so good at causing trouble?" Zhao Yan thought to himself.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yan frowned and said, "Being arrested in the countryside is going to be difficult."

Zhao Yan was reluctant to go. There was no money to be made in the countryside; everyone there was poor. Going there would be a waste of time, and he might even lose money.

Back then, Zhao Yan despised his competitors who sold water purifiers in rural areas, thinking they were all scammers. But these competitors in rural areas were the least promising, only good at scamming farmers and the elderly.

Zhao Hao was almost in tears. Although he had only known Wu Zifu and the others for a short time, as revolutionary comrades, his sacred sense of mission made him regard all his comrades as his closest brothers.

"President, only you can save them. Those farmers are too barbaric. They can't reason with people at all. They arrested people but didn't even send them to the government. They just locked them up in the ancestral hall and said they were going to drown Minister Wu and the others!"

Zhao Yan said with a serious expression, "There's no way. If we continue now, we'll just be sending people to their deaths. It'll just mean a few more people will drown in the pond."

"We must remain alive to continue the revolution. A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. That's the nature of revolution—it's cruel!"

Zhao Hao was in despair: "So we can only watch helplessly as Minister Wu and the others are drowned?"

Zhao Yan looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, closed his eyes, and said deeply, "This is a necessary sacrifice!"

The chubby Liu Shangsheng standing nearby immediately burst into tears: "My poor brother Wu, your family's huge business in Guangzhou, your parents' only son, just like that, gone!"

"Wait, Guangzhou Trading Company? That's huge?" Zhao Yan opened his eyes, lowered his head, and asked, "What's Wu Zifu's family background?"

Liu Shangsheng and Wu Zifu had known each other for a long time. Both were from wealthy families and were very familiar with each other. Liu Shangsheng immediately told Wu Zifu about his family background.

Wu Zifu's background was not simple either. His family came from the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou and was quite wealthy. However, Wu Zifu's direct line was always short of people. His father was an only son, and he was also an only son. The rest were his sisters.

"Oh dear, his family is so rich... cough cough, he's an only child, why didn't you say so sooner!"

Zhao Hao slapped his thigh and immediately stood up: "Although revolution is destined to have sacrifices, we can't let people be childless and without descendants. Let's pack our things and head to Minister Wu!"

"The action team will assemble and find Minister Liu Shangsheng to get money to buy eggs, as many as possible, and send them to Jiaxing!"

"Liu Shangsheng, contact the salt merchants and get some pistols. Make sure everyone carries one when you go to Jiaxing!"

Liu Shangsheng and Zhao Hao were both dumbfounded. Buying a gun was understandable, since it was for saving people, but why did you buy eggs?

"Courtesy first, then force, understand? Let's try to build rapport first and see if we can get them out without resorting to violence. What do rural folks like most? Eggs, of course!"

"If all else fails, then we'll resort to force! You bunch of idiots, I have to teach you everything. You've been in class for so many days, haven't you learned anything?"

Although these two young lads were a bit dim-witted, they were still obedient. They would immediately carry out Zhao Yan's orders.

It was too late to buy them from Shanghai, and it wasn't practical to send eggs over such a long distance, so the two of them went to the concession area and bought a few British-made revolvers from black market dealers, one for each of them.

The group of seven, including several members of the action team, immediately set off for Jiaxing at full speed.

They traveled all night, the carriage was almost falling apart, and finally arrived in Jiaxing the next day. In Jiaxing, Liu Shangsheng spent a lot of money, buying more than 20,000 eggs in one go. He also sent other members of his team to contact nearby rural areas to send eggs to the village where Wu Zifu was arrested.

Zhao Yan said the more eggs the better, so he immediately spent over three thousand taels of silver to buy eggs, fearing that if there weren't enough eggs, he wouldn't be able to save Wu Zifu!