Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 114: The Battle of Chiefs ( words updated on the second day, please support with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets.)
Zheng Guohui sighed inwardly;
In this era, the eldest brother is like a father, and he has a natural moral obligation to his younger brothers and sisters. He must help them no matter what to avoid being criticized as being mean and heartless.

But he really couldn't spend too much time and energy on his brother and sister-in-law, so he had to harden his heart and use the most brutal and simple method.

If you don't work hard and don't walk on the right path, then we will whip you and force you to move forward.

My third brother Zheng Guoguang and fourth brother Zheng Guoyao were both in their most rebellious teenage years. My fifth brother Zheng Guotai was only 12 years old and would be 13 after the Lunar New Year. It was almost this time.

If you talk to them patiently one by one, citing facts and reasoning with them, the effect will not be very good. Rich people are lazy and have great inertia, so they may not listen to you.

Instead, they will think that their elder brother is kind and easy to talk to, and they will become more and more arrogant. The day when they will have to clean up their mess is still to come!
My father, Zheng Shouren, is old and has to take care of his wife and children every day. He is easily influenced by the concubines and can do nothing about it.

It will definitely not work if I rely entirely on my old father.

Therefore, I have to take on the responsibility of disciplining my younger siblings and force them onto the right path.

These teenage brothers were thrown directly into the military camp to be tempered and honed. At least they understood the principles of being a human being and doing things, and they couldn't be any worse than they actually are.

As for my little sister Zheng Xiuyun, even though I dote on her...

Thinking about my worries all the way
Zheng Guohui walked to the door of the main hall in the front yard and happened to meet the third master Zheng Shoudao, who walked in calmly with a pipe in his hand.

Judging from his appearance, Zheng Shoudao looked increasingly wealthy. He wore a brocade mink fur lining jacket, a gilded jade belt with animal patterns around his waist, a nine-treasure silk sachet hanging from his waist, and two jewel rings on his chubby hands. He exuded the air of a country tycoon.

"What's the matter, Third Uncle? You are dressed like a jewelry store owner buying goods. You are afraid that others will not know that you have made a fortune! If you get beaten up tomorrow, don't look for me." Zheng Guohui stopped and started to tease.

Although Zheng Shoudao is the elder, he does not dare to act arrogantly in front of Zheng Shouhui.

He quickly stepped forward, smiled, and offered his hand, saying, "Jinghai, stop making fun of Third Uncle. We are all benefiting from your kindness. I am offering you this courtesy."

"Don't worry, I can't bear it."

"Hehehe... I can handle it, I can handle it. If anything happens to Third Uncle, you'll have to ask me. Otherwise... I'll go back and put on my old cotton-padded jacket."

"Put on some clothes. It's almost New Year's Day, and you can't even eat meat all year round."

"Hehe... With Jinghai's word, I'd be willing to wear something worth thousands, not just a few hundred taels."

"That's enough. A tall tree attracts the wind." Zheng Guohui shook his head, pointed his finger upward, and said, "Today is different from the past. Prince Gong Yixin has been resented by the palace and his title of Prince Regent has been stripped away. Please think carefully..."

"Ah..." Zheng Shoudao's face turned pale after hearing this.

Hesitated
He asked tentatively, "My dear nephew Jinghai, is this Prince Gong your..."

Zheng Guohui lost "a look that you yourself understand", and Zheng Shoudao's face changed visibly.

He is not a man without experience. Now he travels all over the country in the business world and has met too many people in the government, so they will all give him some face.

Zheng Shoudao knows

His influence was nothing in the eyes of others. What the government officials valued was his background, the powerful figure Jiangnan Deputy General Zheng Guohui and others at a higher level...

The Zheng family's business is now getting bigger and bigger. Private salt, grain, and cloth are all bulk goods. In addition, the shipping company often employs thousands of people. They have access to all roads in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, so it is impossible not to prosper.

All these businesses were done in the name of the clan, because the resources, capital and court backing all came from Zheng Guohui. After discussion among the clan, the eldest branch of the family took over 60% of the profits, the lion's share.

The remaining third, fourth and fifth branches of the direct line each received 10%, and the last 10% was given to the eighth branch of Zheng's descendants from illegitimate families, from the sixth uncle to the youngest uncle (note: the thirteenth uncle Zheng Shouxin is now the Governor-General of Mindanao), and each family received a share.

There is no one in my second uncle's family, and they have not made any contribution, so naturally they cannot get any benefits.

To operate such a large-scale private salt, cotton and grain business, there must be hundreds of shopkeepers in various places. If you add the big and small water heads (captains of merchant fleets), the number of people will be even greater.

In order to run their own business, each branch head mobilized all relatives and close relatives to go to Hunan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi to open branches. They all made contributions to the family business and did not get anything for free.

For example, my younger uncle Zheng Shouxin, although he had already gone to Southeast Asia, several of his brothers-in-law from the Yue family were in Zheng’s branches in various places, and one of them was in charge of a grain store in Jinling Prefecture.

My third uncle Zheng Shoudao's family can get a net income of 40,000 to 50,000 taels of silver every year, and the family business is growing like a balloon.

My sixth uncle and my younger uncle, who were born out of wedlock, could earn several thousand taels of silver every year, making them a truly wealthy family.

Anyone have questions?
Just from the private salt business, Zheng Guohui could earn several hundred thousand taels of silver a year. But why was it that when it fell into the hands of his third uncle Zheng Shoudao, he could only get 40,000 to 50,000 taels of profit? Isn't this account right?

The public accounts are definitely correct. The so-called private salt business is divided into two parts.

One part is the Zheng family's seaside salt field located in Lushi Port. In recent years, the amount of illegal salt produced has increased significantly, and all of it is secretly shipped to Jinling, Changzhou, Suzhou, and Changsha in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The profit of this part includes production and transportation.

The other part is about the private salt being delivered and then packaged and sold in various places, which has nothing to do with the Zheng family's public accounts. This is Zheng Guohui's private salt business with local officials. The profits were to be shared with the various prefectures and counties, and also to be paid to Prince Gong. The remaining money was his own money.

The branches of the Zheng clan in various places mainly dealt in grain and cloth. Of course, they could not make such huge profits as illegal salt, but the income was also very considerable.

"Uncle San, come with me. We can discuss the matter of going to Beijing to get married. You will go on behalf of the elders of the clan. It's a good opportunity to see if there is any other elder in the clan who can withstand the fatigue of riding a horse and go with us." After Zheng Guohui said this, he walked straight towards the Moon Gate.

Zheng Shoudao followed closely, saying with a flattering smile, "Jinghai, you finally got it. Third Uncle couldn't sleep at night because of this. Let's go, let's go... Big brother's legs are not good, and Third Uncle has no choice but to help his nephew. "

Zheng Guohui twitched his lips and took his uncle Zheng Shoudao, who was very excited, to the study to discuss...

2 days later
Zheng Guohui arrived at Xiaguan Wharf on the Guangming sailing ship. On the first day after returning, he directly captured Wang Jincai, a major grain merchant in Nanjing, and detained all 132 people in his mansion. He threw them into the Du Biaoying prison and sealed off 17 stores of Wang's grain store.

The charge was "selling inferior goods as good ones and selling military rations as bribes." This was a very serious crime punishable by death.

Zheng Guohui's move directly shocked the Jinling officialdom, and was equivalent to completely breaking off relations with the Governor Elong. The two sides fought each other with guns and horses.

why?
The Governor Elong was unable to interfere in the illegal salt business and had been resentful for a long time, but due to Zheng Guohui's dominance and the terrifying figure behind him, he really couldn't afford to offend him.

So I just swallowed my anger and endured it.

The governor Elong supported the big grain merchant Wang Jincai to make some money for himself. As the saying goes, one becomes an official for money. If he can't make a lot of money, a small amount will be fine.

Everyone knows
Wang Jincai was Elong's money bag. His business was booming and people in the officialdom avoided him and tried to give him convenience as much as possible.

In Jiangnan Province, Wang and Zheng are the two giant grain merchants, and there are more than a dozen medium-sized grain merchants and hundreds of small grain merchants who jointly operate the entire grain and oil market.

Things are different now. Prince Gong Yixin was deprived of the title of "Prince Regent" by the court. For a time, calls for war and killing were heard everywhere. The hard-line members of the court royal family, such as Uzigeri Woren, became more powerful and influential.

Even though Prince Gong Yixin has absolute power, we also have connections in the palace.

The governor Elong finally couldn't hold back any longer and took the initiative to attack Zheng Guohui. The struggle for interests made them mortal enemies.

But now, Zheng Guohui's counterattack was very fierce. He cut off the purse of the governor Elong with one move. The two sides were fighting to the death.

The entire officialdom of Jiangnan Province was shocked by this, and there were many different opinions.

Qinhuai River, Zhanyuan Garden, and Jiangnan Provincial Administration Office
This era
No matter whether it was the governor's office, the provincial government, the censorate or the government offices of prefectures and counties, the court had the front yamen and the back residence. The front was where the government office was located, and the back was the residence of the chief official.

In the front hall of the inner house
The governor Elong angrily smashed the teacup to pieces on the black stone floor, making a crisp "clang" sound, which scared the maidservant behind him so much that she shuddered.

"How outrageous! How dare Zheng do this?" Elong's face turned red with anger, one hand trembling and he was gasping for breath.

Huliwen, the Minister of Grain, glanced at the governor and was not at all surprised by his rage, nor did he intend to persuade him.

Just sit aside like a clay or wooden statue of a Buddha, and don't get involved in this mess.

Although Huliwen is also a member of the Manchu royal family, it does not mean that he will stand on Shangguan Elong's side. He accepted the customary tribute of silver from Zheng's grain merchants, and no one would go against silver.

Huliwen was a third-rank grain inspector and the right-hand man of the governor. When doing grain business in Jiangnan Province, one could not get around this chief official no matter what.

The tribute money from the Zheng family was not enough for Huliwen to confront his immediate superior, so the most appropriate attitude was to not help either side.

Wu Jianchuan, the councilor of the division, looked around and saw that the chief officers were all pretending to be stupid. He could only bite the bullet and stand up, bowing with both hands, and said:

"Sir, please stop your thundering path for now. The military commander has seized upon this matter, and the evidence is irrefutable. If there is no other choice, we can only sacrifice Wang Jincai's family and the only way to save the king is to sacrifice the pawns."

Doing this is like slapping someone in the face!

"Nonsense! How will my office maintain its dignity?" Still furious, Elong pointed his finger at Cao Yucheng, the Jinling prefect. "This is your job as the Jinling prefect. Take my handwritten order and bring the man out to me. I wonder who dares to stop me."

Cao Yucheng, the prefect of Jinling, was originally sitting nearby pretending to be dead, but he did not expect to be called upon by the governor. His face immediately turned bitter, and he stood up, hesitant and unable to speak.

Cao Yucheng was the type of person who took money from both sides. He took a share of the money from Zheng Guohui's private salt, grain and cloth business, and he also took a share of the money from Wang Jincai's grain business.

The former is obviously much more than the latter, and it is obvious which way the butt is leaning.

Shangguan's fight brought disaster upon himself, Cao Yucheng cried out in his heart that it was bad luck, and said with an embarrassed expression:

"Your Excellency, this matter is beyond the reach of this humble office. According to court rules, we should petition the Magistrate, Wu Weicheng, to intervene and have the prisoner brought to the custody of the Provincial Surveillance Commission."

In one word, it was completely cleared away.

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(End of this chapter)