The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao continued to listen to the demands of all other countries and sighed in his heart, "The imperialist face and colonial nature have been exposed. A dog will never change its nature!"

Zhang Yinghao glanced at the large pendulum clock on the wall. It was getting late. He then looked at his comrades, who were looking grim and suppressing their anger. He immediately said, "Ministers, we need time to discuss the requests of various countries. You've traveled all the way from Beijing to Wuhan. You should rest well first. We can discuss it tomorrow."

After the ministers left, the comrades continued to sit quietly on their stools without saying a word. Zhang Yinghao understood their feelings and immediately said, "Tell us, comrades. After listening for a whole morning, what are your thoughts?"

The comrades could no longer hold back and immediately said, "Chairman, the great powers are really going too far in bullying us. None of them are good people."

"Chairman, if the great powers want to fight, then we should fight them, as if we are afraid of them." "Yes, fight them to death, and we can also take back all the concessions in Wuhan and eliminate the security risks."

Zhang Yinghao was speechless after hearing this. If Li Hongzhang had been so ambitious back then, he wouldn't have been called a traitor. Li Hongzhang was indeed just a paperhanger who tried every possible means to maintain and safeguard the rule of the Qing court. He represented the interests of the Qing court, not the interests of the people of the world.

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "It is said that knowing yourself and the enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. The great powers do not understand us. Comrades, why do they still want to fight a war with us?"

Although Zhang Zhidong was old, he reacted quickly and said immediately: "It's nothing more than the word 'profit'."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and smiled, "That's right. Interests can blind us. A single leaf can block our view of the mountain. The great powers, fearing damage to their own interests, fail to see that our Progressive Party is completely different from the Qing Dynasty. They want to use war to oppress and bully China again, reliving their old dreams."

"What the Chairman said is true, but we represent the vast majority of the people in the liberated areas. The people will not agree to the demands of the great powers, so naturally we cannot agree to their demands."

Zhang Yinghao knocked on the table and said, "That hits the nail on the head. We can't just stand by ourselves when we're bullied. We should publish the content of the negotiations, fully mobilize the masses, and let the people of the country see the true face of the imperialist powers. The source of strength for our Forward Party and the People's Liberation Army is the broad masses of people. As long as the people support us, we can be invincible. If the people don't know the truth, don't support us, and all act as guides, we won't be able to deal with the powers. Therefore, for China, it has never been a question of whether to fight or not, but a question of how to get the masses to stand with us."

Chapter 3: Second update!

Zhang Yinghao's words came true. The thing he was most worried about happened. The great powers finally united and were ready to go into battle bare-armed. They had disregarded their status and directly put pressure on the liberated areas, threatening them with war.

Direct pressure from the great powers undoubtedly delayed the unification of China by the liberated areas and required greater sacrifices. At this point, Zhang Yinghao felt a little annoyed. If the People's Liberation Army had recklessly stormed the capital to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and directly eliminated the Beiyang Army, perhaps there wouldn't be so many troubles now. Would the great powers still dare to attack China? This was an unknown, and Zhang Yinghao had no way of making assumptions, as it was meaningless.

Zhang Yinghao looked at his comrades and continued, "Peace will survive if we seek it through struggle, but it will perish if we seek it through compromise. Comrades, the great powers are like a group of mafia gangs, and everyone should understand the mafia gangs. If we swallow our anger when we are bullied by the mafia gangs, then they will think we are weak and can be bullied, and they will bully us even more. The only way is to do everything we can to fight the mafia gangs to the end. For us, when faced with the bullying of the great powers, no one will give us justice, and there is no place to reason. The only way is to strike back with one punch to avoid a hundred punches. If we catch a member of the mafia gang, we will beat him to death. This will make other great powers afraid to act rashly."

This is the truth. If you're bullied and bullied, you can't just swallow your anger. If you don't dare fight back once, or if you can't get back at someone several times over the next time, you'll be bullied forever. In society, you can turn to your parents or the police, but who else can you turn to in the liberated areas right now? You can't side with one side at this time, whether it's the Allies, the Central Powers, or the United States.

"Chairman, which country are we going to pick on and beat up?"

"Is the Chairman picking on the weak? He's going to hit whoever is the weakest?"

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "No, no, no. We should beat whoever poses the greatest threat to us and strikes the hardest. We should beat whoever can benefit from beating us, and whoever is less likely to retaliate against us later."

When everyone heard this, they all felt the same way.

"Comrades, do you know how we will deal with the great powers next?"

Seeing that his comrades were silent, Zhang Yinghao paused and said, "Comrades, are you waiting for the foreign powers to attack us?"

Seeing that some comrades still looked clueless, Zhang Yinghao continued, "No way, no way! Are we all just waiting like this? Look everyone, the great powers have many similarities in their demands on us, but even more differences. The great powers' interests in China are not aligned, and this is an opportunity to divide and disintegrate them! War is only temporary; peace is lasting. Comrades, please sign up at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and arrange to have a private talk with the envoy of one of these countries. The great powers fight wars solely for profit. The fair exchange of interests is the eternal law and one of the cornerstones of our diplomacy. I will personally talk to the British Minister, Sir Jordan. If we still can't reach an agreement, war isn't the only thing left. There's much more to do! Comrades, there's still a lot to learn. Comrade Shen Ru, please make the arrangements."

""OK."

"Also, write down everything said in the recording word for word. Make several copies of the recording and keep them separate and safe. Don't damage or lose them. These are testaments to China's humiliation, our unyielding spirit, and Chinese history. They are essential documents for future historical research."

"Chairman, you have truly accomplished something great by allowing people thousands of years from now to hear the sound of us being bullied and witness the shameless faces of foreigners."

Zhang Yinghao laughed and said, "The great powers now completely ignore us and refuse to negotiate with us on an equal footing. They still treat us like the Manchus who can be slaughtered at will. This is a great loss. But this is also the sorrow of our China. Naturally, it must be recorded in detail so that all Chinese people will remember the truth that those who lag behind will be beaten. Let every Chinese know that they must work hard and strive for national strength. However, our generation is also lucky because we can wash away this humiliation for our motherland with our own hands. This is such a happy thing. History will always remember us. I hope that our generation will fight the wars of three generations, so that all future generations will no longer have to suffer and live in peace and happiness. Let future generations say to our graves: The prosperous age is as you wished!"

After listening to Zhang Yinghao's words and imagining the scene, the comrades were all moved. Yes, a prosperous era is what we wish for, but we don't know whether it can be realized or when it can be realized.

"Chairman, I don't know when the golden age will arrive, but I believe we will definitely defeat the great powers, and our country will surely stand tall in the East of the world."

Zhang Yinghao immediately replied: "That's right, we will definitely achieve the final victory. Comrades, do you have any questions?"

"Chairman, are we negotiating with the powers separately and only discussing interests?" Zhang Yinghao laughed and said, "Our Progressive Party prides itself on being a materialist party. We believe that history is an upward spiral and that things are constantly developing and changing. The powers are now imperialists. They always want to be the only ones to dominate and to gain unchanging benefits. Honestly, can't we fool such a group of people? China's interests are too great for the powers. These interests are so great that all the powers are salivating and can even feed them. But no one can swallow them all in one go, which gives us the opportunity to divide and disintegrate them. If we really want to satisfy the interests of a country, wouldn't it be easy? The problem now is that we can't sit at the table with the powers on an equal footing. We have to overturn the table to unite the powers. But if the table is not overturned, we have no right and opportunity to sit at the table on an equal footing, no right to have an equal dialogue, and no opportunity to drink and eat with the powers. What we need to do now is to divide and disintegrate the powers who are sitting at the table and eating meat. Do you have any good ideas?"

The comrades were naturally familiar with the topic of eating, and they immediately replied, "First, we need to stabilize the powers, which means that we will have more and better meat on the table."

"Yes, the principle is the same. To bring more and better meat to the table means we need to sign more trade contracts with the great powers. We need to tell them that while cooperating with us may mean losing some privileges, we will certainly gain more benefits. We will still have meat to eat, but we will eat better, more, and with greater peace of mind. This is the key to this negotiation. As long as comrades are not afraid of threats from the great powers and negotiate based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit, there will be no problem. Of course, the prerequisite is that we have the strength to overturn the table."

"Chairman, can we discuss this without flipping the table?"

"Comrades, the great powers are now eating the flesh and blood cut from our country. If we don't overturn the table and start anew, the great powers will always want to eat us up. We can't cut meat for them to eat while demanding equal dialogue with them. How is that possible? Only when the great powers realize that if they don't follow our rules, no one will get a piece of meat, will they be able to patiently dialogue with us. However, if we want to have an equal dialogue with the great powers, we must stab them a few times and make them feel heartbroken. Otherwise, they will not be willing to share the food with us. Therefore, we must fight a war with the great powers and defeat them and scare them into submission."

"After the Chairman said this, we all understood."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "It's not easy to get the great powers to abide by our rules. Although human nature is the same, the great powers eat with knives and forks, which means they eat separately and are unwilling to share. We Chinese use chopsticks, and we all eat from a single dish. When relatives and friends come, we even serve the delicious food, and we are more willing to share. Although from the perspective of safety, hygiene, and convenience, the separate dining system does have significant advantages, otherwise our cafeterias wouldn't need people to serve food, but the great powers use the name of protecting privacy and equality and freedom, but in reality they are just rigid hierarchies and a show of superiority, using separate dining to show their status. Ancient China also had a separate dining system like this. Therefore, the selfish and self-centered nature of the great powers gives us the conditions to defeat them one by one."

"Chairman, some people say that the Western practice of separate dining is civilized, and that we Chinese, using chopsticks to eat together, is backward."

"So don't just follow the crowd; be independent thinkers. We Chinese can adapt to and accept both separate and shared dining. It just depends on our needs; there's no such thing as advanced or backward dining. Separate dining is naturally best in schools and factories, while shared dining is more comfortable for family gatherings..."

Zhang Yinghao realized that he had gone off topic, paused, and continued: "Comrades, you must remember that if we want to negotiate with the great powers, the most important foundation is that we ourselves are strong enough. That is, everything must start from ourselves, and we must analyze and consider problems in a realistic way. Of course, there is no need to be servile or servile at any time. We Chinese must have backbone. Without Zhang the Butcher, we would not have to eat hairy pigs. The Qing court was weak and always wanted to negotiate with the great powers. What was the final result? The loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country, the cession of territory and payment of indemnities, and the signing of a series of unequal treaties. Therefore, the key to everything is to strengthen ourselves. The iron must be hard to forge. However, even if we are not strong enough now, we must make it clear to the great powers that if they still want to bully the liberated areas like they bullied the Qing Dynasty, that is impossible. Even if we die, we will break their teeth and spray their blood..."

That afternoon, Zhang Yinghao met with Jordan alone. He got straight to the point: "Sir Jordan, we've gone back to discuss your country's demands and believe many of them need revision. Our liberated areas have always insisted on maintaining the status quo, so Hong Kong and Kowloon will remain as they are. The concessions in Tianjin and Shanghai will also remain as they are. In our liberated areas, extraterritoriality is not recognized. Of course, if any foreigners commit crimes, we can notify diplomats from various countries and ensure openness and fairness... We will continue to expand our trade with your country."

The current British Empire is becoming increasingly unable to cope with the situation. However, if it really agrees to the demands of Zhang Yinghao and others, it will lead to the collapse of the empire's colonial system, greatly encourage the colonies, and be completely detrimental to colonial rule.

"I'm sorry, Chairman Zhang, but your attitude is exacerbating the turmoil in China. We demand that you unconditionally agree to our demands. Otherwise, we don't mind using force, and you will bear all the responsibility for the consequences."

Jordan was fully aware that suppressing the Progressive Party and allowing Yuan Shikai to unify China was the true interest of the great powers. Jordan was also well aware that once China rose to power, it would have a profound impact on the entire Asian landscape, and indeed the world. The great powers were unwilling to allow China to rise. They always hoped that China would remain the country bullied and exploited by the great powers, and that the shadow of the great powers would hang over the country. When necessary, they could show China some respect, even returning some of what they had plundered. However, when the great powers, especially the British Empire, made demands and had a say, China must comply and not argue.

However, facing Zhang Yinghao's hardline stance also caused Jordan a great deal of trouble. The British Empire was in a truly difficult situation, otherwise they would have sent troops directly. First, the frequent economic crises remained unresolved, and workers' strikes and demonstrations intensified. Second, the Germans on the European continent were becoming increasingly powerful, restless, and aggressive, forcing Britain to abandon its policy of "splendid isolation" and ally with France. They had already begun negotiations to form an alliance with Russia.

This is also one of the butterfly effects after Zhang Yinghao traveled through time. At this time, Germany is stronger than in history, Russia has been weakened even more, the interests of Britain and France in China have been damaged, and Britain's invasion of Tibet has failed. Myitkyina was attacked and looted by the People's Liberation Army, which led to the alliance between Britain and Russia being brought forward.

After hearing what Jordan said, Zhang Yinghao felt that there was no room for negotiation. Facing Jordan's threat of war, Zhang Yinghao said angrily: "Sir Jordan, I am a nationalist, and your words make me very angry. You want to cut flesh from China, oppress China and not let China fight back, or even say a few words. There is no such thing in this world. It is outrageous. You forced the Qing Dynasty to sign unequal treaties and plundered China through victory in the war. Now you stand on the moral high ground and accuse us. If we don't accept your demands, we will exacerbate the turmoil in China. This is clearly the logic of a bandit! The Chinese people will never accept such logic. The Chinese people will never tolerate the aggression of the great powers, and will never accept the cession of territory and payment of indemnities, the loss of sovereignty and humiliation of the country."

"No, no, no. The demands made by the great powers have caused a strong reaction in all European countries. All countries feel that these terms are very reasonable."

If they wanted to talk, Zhang Yinghao could continue to argue with Zhu Erdian, but Zhang Yinghao felt that there was no need to waste time. Since the British were determined to fight, then let's fight and talk about it. Damn, Zhang Yinghao really wanted to say: If you want to fight, then fight!

It's fun to talk big, but fighting without breaking is the best principle. Zhang Yinghao knocked on the table and said, "Mr. Zhu Erdian, we believe we will meet again soon. I look forward to seeing you again. Bye!"

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao immediately stood up and left, leaving Zhu Erdian with a look of surprise on his face. Looking at Zhang Yinghao's departing back, Zhu Erdian opened his mouth, but in the end, he just watched Zhang Yinghao leave.

Back in the office, before they'd finished processing much paperwork, other comrades began to arrive. After they'd reported their respective negotiation results, Zhang Yinghao concluded, "The powers are taking a tough stance now. This is undoubtedly a result of anger, as they believe they can defeat us and take advantage of us. Furthermore, they're already prepared for war, yet they must adhere to the principle of unity among the powers regarding China, so they won't yield easily. However, everyone should maintain contact with the envoys of the powers. If we go to war with them, they'll inevitably split internally, and that's when we'll have the opportunity to truly divide and disintegrate them."

At this moment, Zhang Yinghao suddenly understood why the first victory was so important in war. It would not only boost one's own morale, but also undermine the morale of the enemy. The gap between the increase and decrease would emerge, and the interests would be huge. For a coalition like the great powers, the friendship would be like tofu and would break at the slightest touch.

Seeing his comrades' mood was a bit low, Zhang Yinghao suddenly remembered the history of the Qin Dynasty and said with a smile: "Comrades, I have said before that this era is exactly the same as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Now that the great powers are uniting to attack us, isn't that the same as the six countries uniting to attack Qin? Has the Qin Dynasty been destroyed?"

"No."

"Not only that, but Qin is growing stronger, and the Qin people are becoming more united. Furthermore, and most importantly, the six kingdoms have united to attack Qin five times. There's nothing new under the sun, and history always repeats itself. So, we might not just face a coalition of powers launching a war against China this time; there might be a second, third, or even a fourth or fifth. Therefore, the key isn't the enemy, but our own strength. As long as we're strong enough, we won't be afraid of any enemy or coalition of enemies."

Hearing Zhang Yinghao's analogy, everyone felt relieved. Ah, so our ancestors had already faced this kind of situation and emerged victorious. So, it's all right!

"Chairman, we understand! But I still feel uncomfortable." Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Of course it's uncomfortable to be bullied, so we must work hard. As long as we are strong enough and can sit on an equal footing with the great powers and eat at the same table, the great powers will naturally come to us for help. Okay, I'm not a psychologist, so I'm not responsible for psychological counseling for comrades. Now, let's arrange the work."

When he heard that he was going to be assigned a task, he immediately sat up straight and picked up his pen to take notes.

"Comrade Shen Ruo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will go to the diplomatic corps of the great powers for negotiations again tomorrow. If the great powers maintain their attitude and do not make any obvious concessions, terminate the negotiations immediately."

"Ok."

"Comrade Guiwen, after the failure of the negotiations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Propaganda Department immediately publicized the demands of the imperialist powers, letting the people know that the imperialist powers were going to invade China and recognize their true face."

"Chairman, if we do this, we will offend the great powers. There is no room for maneuver." "We are about to go to war, why should we consider the attitude of the great powers?"

"I understand."

"Comrade Weiqiang, after the demands of the great powers are announced, I will hold a press conference. Please have someone take charge of inviting reporters and setting up the venue. The police and other departments will be responsible for security."

"Yes."

Chapter 4: First update!

Zhang Yinghao's current arrangements were based on the assumption that the great powers would not yield. With each step of action unfolding and the conflict escalating, a war was inevitable, as both sides were eager for it. Britain and France also wanted to quickly resolve the liberated areas so they could focus their efforts on Europe and specifically on dealing with the Allies.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Yinghao summoned Bai Guangliang and Bao Shilin again, poured them a cup of tea, and said, "War is fought on logistics, but in reality it's fought on the economy. In the previous war against Russo-Japanese, we shorted the yen and ruble. Not only did we make money, but we also weakened Japan and Russia, which significantly helped us achieve victory. We also trained a team capable of standing on its own two feet. I'm very satisfied with your work."

"Thank you, Chairman. This is what we should do."

Zhang Yinghao knew that those like Bai Guangliang and Bao Shilin, who had mastered finance, were never short of money. They had indeed made substantial profits shorting the yen and ruble. Even if they had quietly pocketed hundreds of thousands, Zhang Yinghao likely wouldn't have been able to detect any problems. Just like someone's massive IPO in a previous life, who would have believed there wasn't a massive exchange of interests involved? Therefore, Zhang Yinghao simply warned them, continuing, "War is the greatest money-sucking pit. It's inevitable that we exploit firsthand information about war to profit. Don't be complacent or impatient. The yen and ruble exchange rates have basically stabilized, and we can start making money again. Our primary targets this time are Britain, France, Japan, and Russia. Therefore, I urge you to continue seizing opportunities, closely coordinating with the military, obtaining firsthand information, and using the victories and defeats of each battle to accurately gauge public sentiment. This time, we'll short not only the yen and ruble, but also the franc and the British pound."

Financial warfare—the true invisible war—is even more intense, inflicting even greater losses and harming the nation. The combined powers launched the war of aggression against China. Beyond confiscating their property and reclaiming concessions and privileges, the liberated areas were virtually unable to reap any benefits, including reparations. How could war be viable without sufficient returns? Someone had to pay for these losses. Zhang Yinghao's first thought was to profit through financial means, the fastest way to profit. Seizing the opportunity, finance could generate revenue at a rate far superior to that of industry.

"Chairman, we have already hired a considerable number of financial professionals from various countries, and we have also trained a number of our own talents to ensure that we can complete the task."

Zhang Yinghao nodded and said, "I won't go into the rest. I'll just emphasize two points. First, we must not let the great powers know that we are making money in their financial markets. We should hire more American financial talent, and we can also invite British financial talent to work in France. This way, we can cross-pollinate our talents. Our agents can disguise themselves as Japanese or Russians in the Asian forces to carry out their work, or they can act as bodyguards to monitor the movement of funds, while you manipulate the situation from behind. We must prevent certain patriots from selling us out and causing unnecessary losses."

In fact, Zhang Yinghao didn't need to emphasize such things. Bai Guangliang and the others already had experience and naturally knew what to do.

"Secondly, capitalist countries have inherent weaknesses that cannot be overcome at present, with frequent economic crises. We must pay attention to this, otherwise we will suffer huge losses. We can hire professional managers, especially in the United States, open factories, and tie our capital to the factories to achieve the goal of preserving and increasing their value. We can also purchase gold or machinery and equipment and ship them back to China... In short, overseas funds must be coordinated with various domestic actions and needs."

Zhang Yinghao knew that before World War I, economic crises occurred every few years; otherwise, there would be no motivation to start a war. So, the priority now was to avoid losses as much as possible. After World War I broke out, the US stock market would see a wave of huge gains, and Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't miss it.

"We understand, Chairman."

"You should also send people to learn more about securities trading. In the future, we will also have our own exchange to help companies raise funds for development. Of course, there's no need to rush the exchange; there's still time. Comrade Guangliang, you will be responsible for shorting the powers from now on. Comrade Shilin, please allocate more talents to assist Comrade Guangliang."

"Chairman, what about selling heroin and morphine..."

"Leave it to your deputy. Remember, morphine can be produced continuously, and our hospitals also need a large amount of sedatives and analgesics. However, heroin is somewhat addictive, and its manufacture and sale will definitely be banned in the end. Therefore, if heroin goes bankrupt, production and sale will be stopped immediately. The foreign powers sold opium to our country, harming countless people. We can make it into medicine and sell it back to the foreign powers to cure diseases and save lives, which can be considered as accumulating good karma."

Heroin is still a drug, and the British Pharmacopoeia still has the production process. Now Zhang Yinghao needs a lot of money, so naturally he cannot miss this opportunity to make money.

"Okay, Chairman."

"Do you have any other questions?"

Bao Shilin thought for a moment and said, "Chairman, do you know the Xi family of the Dongting Mountain Gang?"

"The Xi family, one of the four major compradors?" "The Chairman knows?"

Zhang Yinghao sneered and said, "Haha, one of the four major compradors! Tell me more about it."

In his previous life, Zhang Yinghao had researched the Xi family, though he had long forgotten the details. However, he clearly remembered that the four great compradors, Tang Tingshu, Xu Run, and Zheng Guanying, all established significant businesses and earned the title of industrialist. Tang Tingshu made fundamental contributions to the development of modern Chinese industry. However, Xi Zhengfu was the only one who differed; his and his family's business activities were primarily focused on finance.

Moreover, Zhang Yinghao remembered a sentence very clearly. Data showed that after liberation, most of the Xi family's descendants withdrew from mainland China along with foreign capital, and their investments in real estate and industrial shares also disappeared. It was obvious what this sentence meant.

Listening to Bao Shilin's introduction, Zhang Yinghao finally pieced together his memories of his past life. The Xi family of Suzhou's Dongting Mountain Gang had held the position of comprador for HSBC for over half a century, starting with Xi Zhengfu in 1874.

All of HSBC's business with China, including the bill-discounting business for Shanghai money shops and bill exchanges, political loans and railway loans to the Chinese government, and advance payment of silver for the opium trade, were handled by the HSBC "comprador office" controlled by the Xi family.

High-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement, from Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang to Sheng Xuanhuai, would inevitably ask the Xi family for help whenever they needed financing, and without exception, they became guests of honor and protective umbrellas of the Xi family.

Shanghai money houses, which frequently needed financing for their daily operations, became lackeys and obeyed the Xi family's orders.

The other three of Xi Zhengfu's four brothers of the same generation were also prominent figures. The eldest, Xi Xiaqing, became a comprador at the British Standard Chartered Bank's Shanghai branch the year after its establishment, becoming a veteran of the bank. The third, Xi Jinhua, was a comprador at the British Defence Bank and the Russo-Asian Bank. The fourth, adopted by a Xi relative and the first comprador of the new Sassoon & Co., Shen Eryuan, succeeded him as comprador and became known as "Sassoon Fourth."

In addition to acting as compradors for international bankers, the Xi family also took advantage of their monopoly on foreign banks' business and their connections with government officials. With their strong financial resources, the Xi family participated in the creation of China's state-run banking system, such as the Ministry of Revenue Bank, the Bank of Qing, the Bank of China, etc., and became a major shareholder.

It can be said that the entire financial industry in Shanghai, from foreign banks to state-owned banks to private money houses and bill shops, are all within the sphere of influence of the Xi family.

Back then, the Xi family only had to try their hand at it and they killed Hu Xueyan, who was known as the richest man in China.

Led by Xi Zhengfu, Xi's descendants gradually entered the family's comprador network and became compradors of 13 foreign banks. More in-laws, fellow townsmen, and classmates also gradually entered this system, and a powerful financial social network was formed.

The Xi family's network is so huge, covering a wide range of China's financial fields, and its influence on foreign banking systems, official banking systems, Shanghai money shops and bill exchange systems, and government financial regulatory departments is unprecedented in the history of China's financial industry. It is no wonder that Bao Shilin has many concerns about the Xi family.

Over thirty banks, large and small, were established in Shanghai by the foreign powers, half of which were managed by members of the Xi family, who occupied a prominent position in Shanghai's financial world. As a result, the Dongting Dongshan people became a formidable force in Shanghai's financial sector. Merchants from all over the country, facing capital shortages, had to turn to the Dongting Mountain for assistance. Hence, a popular saying: "No matter how ruthless the Hui Gang (primarily engaged in business) are, they still have to put up with the Shan Shang Gang."

Bao Shilin took a sip of tea and continued, "...the Xi family, through their extensive intermarriages, formed an even broader comprador group. They not only wove a commercial network among foreign firms, money houses, and banks, but also established close in-law relationships with several prominent political figures. This was also a crucial foundation for the family's long-term foothold in Shanghai's financial world."

“What are you going to do?”

Bao Shilin did not answer, but said: "Chairman, many landlords and wealthy people have fled to Shanghai. These people are really rich and have brought a lot of real money to Shanghai. Coupled with the tens of thousands of foreign soldiers, they have caused Shanghai's current abnormal prosperity. However, it has also caused Shanghai's prices to soar, and the lives of ordinary people are miserable."

After that, Bao Shilin took out some documents and handed one to Zhang Yinghao, saying, "This is the report summarized by several of our comrades after their investigation in Shanghai."

Zhang Yinghao took it and started reading it. The content was so shocking that it made Zhang Yinghao's scalp tingle.

"Chairman, I just received this report on the investigation of the prostitution industry in Shanghai. We should pay more attention to it. Shanghai currently has an estimated population of over 2.2 million, but there are over 18,000 openly registered prostitutes. If we include clandestine prostitutes, the number must be no less than 50,000. Even if women account for one million of Shanghai's 2.2 million population, that means one in every 20 Shanghai women is a prostitute. If we exclude young girls and elderly women who are unable to engage in prostitution, the proportion of prostitutes is even more alarming. Our comrades have found a hidden treatment center, and there is a constant stream of women coming in and out every day for treatment for venereal diseases..."

Zhang Yinghao knew that penicillin was the best treatment for syphilis and other STDs. However, Shanghai hadn't been liberated yet, and penicillin wasn't yet commercially produced, so his advice was pointless. However, the laboratory had already begun researching methods for cultivating and fermenting liquid culture media within fixed containers, aerated with sterile air. Zhang Yinghao had researchers utilize various traditional genetic methods to modify the penicillin-producing strain, continuously improving the culture medium and fermentation conditions, refining the fermentation equipment, and optimizing the fermentation production process. Breakthrough progress had already been made in the industrial production of penicillin, and it was believed that this liquid gold would soon bring vast quantities of metallic gold to the liberated areas.

However, when Bao Shilin mentioned venereal diseases, Zhang Yinghao suddenly remembered a sulfonamide drug extracted from dyes that could also treat them. Zhang Yinghao remembered that it seemed to be found in a red dye. Zhang Yinghao picked up his pen and wrote the words "Huang An" on the paper, so that he wouldn't forget it later.

Zhang Yinghao finished reading the document and handed it to Bai Guangliang. Bai Guangliang briefly reviewed the document and then said, "The proportion of prostitutes in Shanghai's population is indeed appalling. The fundamental reason is that Shanghai is a deformed semi-colonial city, driven by profit and without rules. After the Opium War, Shanghai was one of the first ports to be opened. Major imperialist powers rushed to Shanghai to seize concessions. Within a few years, high-rise buildings were erected and the population increased dramatically. As the city became increasingly prosperous, the sexual pleasure industry serving foreign adventurers and colonists also expanded rapidly. The trafficking of women and the forced prostitution of women were common occurrences. In addition, the small peasant economy in the surrounding rural areas was rapidly bankrupted by the dumping of foreign goods, forcing poor girls to flee to Shanghai to make a living. Many women were forced to fall into this pit..."

Zhang Yinghao knew that condoms were available in some pharmacies and foreign goods stores, but they were quite expensive. Zhang Yinghao hadn't avoided pregnancy, relying solely on natural fertility treatment. He hadn't used condoms from this era, so he hadn't noticed this issue. Zhang Yinghao knew that condoms could be made from natural rubber, so he thought it was worth investigating. This was another industry that could sustain people for hundreds, if not thousands, of years!

However, Zhang Yinghao was a little confused after hearing this. He didn't know what the purpose of Bao Shilin and the others was in saying this, so he just continued to wait patiently.

After listening to Bai Guangliang's story about prostitution in Shanghai, Bao Shilin handed Zhang Yinghao a document and said, "Chairman, this is a report on the use of child labor in Shanghai."

Zhang Yinghao took it and heard Bao Shilin say, "Shanghai is now a city where child labor is widely used, even more so than in cities in powerful countries. The youngest child laborers can be as young as four or five years old."

Zhang Yinghao frowned after hearing this. Aren't children of this age still just learning to speak? Can they actually work?

Bao Shilin then answered Zhang Yinghao's question: "These furry children who can't even speak properly are working at least twelve hours a day in Shanghai factories. Being verbally abused, beaten, abused, and sexually assaulted by supervisors seems to be commonplace.

There was a poor ten-year-old girl whose mother depended on her for a living. However, she was fired because she was too tired and made a small mistake. Even kneeling and begging was useless. She went home dumbfounded and died three days later. According to the doctor, the girl might have been frightened to death.

It is said that children from poor families grow up early, but children from poor families who are only ten or eight years old are not able to grow up at all. Their hearts are still fragile. How can they withstand the rough throats and thumb-sized sticks of foremen and employees? In the factory, one can often hear the miserable cries and shrill screams of child laborers, which are unbearable to read.

Here's a young girl we rescued. Her name is Lian Taoer, and she's only thirteen years old. She's from Pudong, close to downtown Shanghai. To avoid the dangers of foreigners, Lian Taoer began working at the American Commercial Tobacco Company at the age of eleven. She started working as a temporary worker at eleven, and when she was fourteen, her mother died of illness. Her father left to work, leaving this fourteen-year-old to support herself and her younger siblings. She was also frequently bullied by supervisors and suffered several miscarriages. By the time our union discovered Lian Taoer's situation, she was already suffering from gynecological problems and was nearly dead.