Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 500: Borrowing? No, it’s a black online loan!

Upon hearing this, Horida Masamune's face turned ugly.

But he didn't dare to explode on the spot, and could only speak with a slightly aggrieved look on his face.

"These conditions are of great importance. I cannot make decisions on my own. I need to report to the Shogun for a decision."

"I hope you can give me some time!"

Zhao Xinpei heard this and said with a smile on his face.

"Well, that's fine too!"

Li Wu on the side snorted again.

"It better be quick!"

"The soldiers have come all the way from the Tang Dynasty, and all the food and food this man eats is money."

"If your shogunate takes too long, haha, then the compensation will have to be increased!"

Upon hearing this, Masamune Horida could only keep nodding in agreement.

Then he said goodbye and left the Weiyuan.

After Masamune Horita left, Li Wu turned to look at Zhao Xinpei and asked.

"Master Zhao, do you think the Tokugawa Shogunate will agree to the Tang Dynasty's request?"

Zhao Xinpei picked up the teacup, took a sip, then said with a smile.

"Hard to say!"

"So, Commander Li must be prepared to send troops into battle at any time!"

"If the Tokugawa shogunate refuses the Tang Dynasty's request, then we will send troops to attack Edo. Once our army enters Edo Castle, the shogunate will definitely consider the Tang Dynasty's conditions properly."

Zhao Xinpei did not think there was anything wrong with the war.

Upon hearing this, Li Wu nodded to show that he understood.

What he just said about the soldiers being eager for military merit was not just talk.

The Tang Dynasty today is in its early stages of founding.

This is the time when military merit can be promoted most quickly!
As long as one has military merits, he can quickly rise from a private to a high-ranking official, and have his wife and children honored with titles.

Looking at the real cases of those predecessors who were ordinary people like themselves more than ten years ago, but became extremely wealthy and powerful by virtue of their military achievements within ten years, how could the soldiers not be fanatical?
They are happy to hear about war, this is what the Tang army is like now!

……

Masamune Horita returned to Edo Castle.

He rushed to the shogunate residence as soon as possible to discuss matters with everyone.

Everyone took their seats, and Masamune Horida began to introduce to everyone several conditions offered by the Tang Dynasty.

After Masamune Horita finished his story, everyone, including Nobumasa Ando, ​​Masahiro Abe, Tadamichi Matsuda, and at the top, Iemochi Tokugawa, couldn't help but show a solemn look on their faces.

"impossible!"

"The shogunate will never agree to the conditions proposed by the Tang Dynasty!"

Tokugawa Iemochi said with some excitement.

Among the conditions proposed by the Tang Dynasty, the first one was to severely punish the murderer.

The rest were either cutting the shogunate's flesh or slapping it in the face.

Not to mention anything else, the compensation alone is 1000 million silver dollars.

Even if I sold the shogunate, I couldn't raise such a huge sum of money.

After Tokugawa Iemochi finished speaking, Ando Nobumasa and others also showed great excitement.

Horita Masamune looked around and said with a serious expression.

"But I think the attitude of the Tang Dynasty is very tough. These conditions are probably not negotiable..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

The expressions on every face were solemn.

At this moment, Tokugawa Iemochi asked.

"If the Tang army invades Edo, is Edo sure it can hold on?"

Since the last time the British army invaded, the new army of the shogunate successfully blocked the British army's invasion of Edo.

So, this time, Tokugawa Iemochi also wanted to try what would happen after facing the Tang Dynasty.

In his opinion, if the shogunate could defend Edo Castle against the attack of the Tang army, then the conditions proposed by the Tang Dynasty might still have room for maneuver.

As I said, if you can’t get it on the battlefield, you can’t get it at the negotiating table.

But on the other hand, if you can gain an advantage on the battlefield, then negotiations will naturally be easier.

This is what Tokugawa Iemochi is planning now.

However, after Tokugawa Iemochi said this, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more solemn.

The expressions on everyone's faces were somewhat speechless!

"General, if we face the Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the new shogunate army to exert its normal combat effectiveness."

"Currently, a large number of officers in the new army have taken leave..."

Abe Masahiro spoke up.

Today, the shogunate's greatest military reliance is the shogunate's new army.

However, the shogunate's new army not only used Chinese drill manuals, Chinese military tactics, and Chinese weapons, but even a considerable number of officers were hired directly from the Tang Dynasty.

When these officers were fighting against the British, they naturally put their heart and soul into commanding their troops.

But if they are facing the Tang Dynasty, it is normal for officers to ask for leave directly.

It is even possible to lead people to turn against their own side on the battlefield!
Abe Masahiro's words silenced Tokugawa Iemochi.

Tokugawa Iemochi took a deep breath and asked.

"So, the shogunate has no other choice now?"

"If the shogunate agrees to all of the Tang Dynasty's conditions, it will be heavily criticized by the anti-shogunate faction. Once the shogunate's prestige is greatly damaged, the consequences will be disastrous."

As he said this, Tokugawa Iemochi clenched his fists tightly, feeling humiliated in his heart.

But while feeling humiliated, what he felt more was fear.

Because once the shogunate agreed to these conditions of the Tang Dynasty, its prestige would inevitably be greatly damaged, and at that time, the shogunate's rule over Japan might be shaken.

This kind of thing is really too serious!

At this moment, Masamune Horita suddenly spoke.

"General, I have an idea that might work..."

When Tokugawa Iemochi heard this, he felt like he had found a life-saving straw and asked questions hurriedly.

"If you have any ideas, please speak up!"

Masamune Horita pondered for a moment and organized his words a little.

"Didn't the Tang Dynasty demand that my shogunate pay 1000 million silver dollars in compensation?"

"My shogunate certainly can't afford this amount of money. If we want to pay, the only way is to borrow money from the Tang Dynasty."

"I think the shogunate might as well borrow more when it borrows money from the Tang Dynasty."

"If so, my shogunate will have money to pay the compensation."

"Secondly, my shogunate has the money to follow the example of the Tang Dynasty and carry out reforms."

"Thirdly, the Tang Dynasty is the creditor of my shogunate!"

After Horida Masamune finished speaking, everyone in the shogunate looked at each other in confusion, and then they suddenly understood.

They all understood what Horida Masamune was thinking in an instant.

As the saying goes, the one who owes money is the boss!
If the shogunate owed money to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty would definitely not let the shogunate fall in order to prevent its debt from going to waste.

In this way, the shogunate would be able to get the support of the Tang Dynasty.

And if the shogunate can get the support of the Tang Dynasty, there will be no need to worry about the anti-shogunate faction taking advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble!
We can even use this incident as an opportunity to wipe out and crack down on the anti-Qing faction...

When Tokugawa Iemochi heard this, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

At this time, he was still a little hesitant.

"If the shogunate borrows too much, will the Tang Dynasty lend it?"

Horita Masamune said after hearing this.

"We can talk! At worst we can give you a higher interest rate."

Money is important to the shogunate, but sometimes it is not that important.

As long as you can keep power, you don’t have to worry about having no money!
Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Iemochi said with a serious expression.

"In that case, everything will be handed over to Mr. Horida."

"The rise and fall of the shogunate depends entirely on one man, the old minister!"

Upon hearing this, Masamune Horida simply nodded vigorously.

Then, he took the latest batch of military supplies and prepared to set out to negotiate with the Tang Dynasty fleet in Edo Bay.

……

Weiyuan, in the conference room!

Zhao Xinpei and Li Wu sat in their original seats. Opposite them, Horida Masamune looked a little reserved.

"After careful consideration of the conditions proposed by the Tang Dynasty, the Shogun has expressed his willingness to accept them."

"However, given the current revenue of the shogunate, I am afraid it will not be able to pay the compensation to the Tang Dynasty."

"So, the shogunate wants to borrow some money from the Tang Dynasty."

"One is to pay the Tang Dynasty's indemnity."

"Second, the shogunate also wants to follow the example of the Tang Dynasty and carry out reforms..."

When Zhao Xinpei heard this, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

The shogunate wanted to borrow money from the Tang Dynasty.

This is actually a good thing to some extent.

This is because the Tang Royal Bank provides low-interest or even interest-free loans to the general public.

But at the national level, the interest rate on loans will definitely not be low.

The profit here is definitely not a small number.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Xinpei asked.

"I wonder how much the shogunate wants to borrow?"

Masamune Horita took a deep breath and then said a number.

"One hundred million silver dollars!"

Of course, Masamune Horida did not expect to actually get such a large loan, but he just asked for the high amount first.

As for the specific amount of the loan, we can discuss it slowly.

Zhao Xinpei couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this.

"How many?!"

Masamune Horita's expression remained unchanged.

"One hundred million silver dollars!"

Zhao Xinpei couldn't help but twitch his lips. One hundred million silver dollars was an astronomical figure even for the Tang Dynasty.

Even it is unknown whether there is 100 million silver dollars in the Tang Royal Bank.

Zhao Xinpei laughed.

"One hundred million silver dollars, even if the Tang Dynasty can come up with it, what can the shogunate use as collateral? What can they use to pay back?"

To put it bluntly, even if the shogunate was sold, it would not be worth this price.

When Horida Masamune heard this, his expression changed. He knew there was a way, and he couldn't help asking, "How much money can the Tang Dynasty lend to the shogunate?"

Zhao Xinpei's expression changed, and he was obviously thinking.

"This matter still needs to be reported to the court for a decision."

A sum of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars was not something that Zhao Xinpei, an ambassador to Japan, could decide.

Even Emperor Li Yi would have to think carefully before making a decision on such a matter.

Upon hearing this, Masamune Horida spoke immediately.

"Please, Zhao Sang!"

"The shogunate needs this money to stabilize the situation!"

"Please give us more help, Tang Dynasty!"

……

Datang Royal Bank Headquarters!

The Tang Royal Bank is the largest bank in Tang Dynasty with the largest amount of deposits.

In the financial industry of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Royal Bank is the real overlord.

The status is quite high!
In today's Tang Dynasty, the Tang Royal Bank is not just a simple bank. It also has functions such as issuing currency, selling national bonds, and macro-controlling the economy.

To put it bluntly, the Tang Royal Bank is actually similar to the central banks of various countries in later generations.

At the end of each year, the Tang Royal Bank holds a conference where the presidents of branches from all provinces gather in the capital to review the year's performance.

Then, report to the court and the emperor.

The headquarters of the Tang Royal Bank is located in the inner city of the capital.

It is located near Longtan Lake and not far from the Temple of Heaven.

This is a six-story, 24-meter-high cylindrical building. The building is surrounded by a circle with a diamond-shaped park in the middle.

If you look down from the sky, the entire building is shaped like a copper coin.

It is worth mentioning that this Copper Coin Building is not only used for office purposes, but also has one of the most important silver vaults of the Tang Royal Bank in its basement.

The amount of silver deposited there was at least 30 to 50 million silver dollars!

When there are a lot of them, there are even mountains of gold and silver.

It's the end of the year and the annual summary meeting is about to be held. As the president of the Tang Royal Bank, Zong Duanxing is extremely busy with affairs on hand.

Every day, a huge amount of documents and accounts of various types are sent to him, and he needs to review them personally.

Zong Duanxing wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and dressed in decent clothes. He looked gentle and refined, like a good old man.

However, the gleam in his eyes behind the glasses made it clear that he was not a good guy, but a shrewd old fox.

"What's going on at the Shanxi branch?"

“Why is this year’s revenue so much less than expected?”

Zong Duanxing closed the document in his hand and asked with a grim expression.

Opposite him, the secretary spoke.

"In reply to the president, according to the report from the Shanxi branch, Jinshang Bank was fully launched in Shanxi at the beginning of this year."

"In order to grab deposits and loans, Jinshang Bank has carried out a large-scale interest rate hike and interest rate cut. By increasing deposit interest rates and lowering loan interest rates, Jinshang Bank has snatched several large loan businesses from us."

"Therefore, the profits of the Shanxi branch will decline!"

In today's Tang Dynasty, there is not only one Tang Royal Bank.

For example, the Shanxi Merchants Bank established by Shanxi merchants, the Nanyang Development Bank in Guangzhou, and the Jiangnan Bank established by Huizhou merchants were all constantly expanding their businesses.

It is no exaggeration to say that a hundred flowers are blooming!

Therefore, after going through the initial period of rapid development, the Tang Royal Bank is now beginning to face threats from private competitors.

When Zong Duanxing heard this, his expression became slightly complicated.

But in the end he didn't say anything.

The behavior of Jinshang Bank was normal business competition. Even if he was dissatisfied, he couldn't say anything.

Seeing this, the secretary asked.

"President, can we also follow the example of Jinshang Bank and raise interest rates and lower them?"

"If we also increase profits and reduce interest rates, I believe we can quickly bring back all of Liushi's users."

Upon hearing this, Zong Duanxing pondered for a while and then spoke.

"That's a solution, but it's a serious matter after all, so we still have to convene a board meeting first and ask the directors to discuss it together."

Although Zong Duanxing is the bank president, many things are not something he can decide on his own, but need to be decided in meetings.

Upon hearing this, the secretary nodded and took note of the matter, writing it down in Zong Duanxing's itinerary.

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Another secretary came in from outside.

"President, there's a message from Yuanmingyuan, His Majesty is summoning you!"

When Zong Duanxing heard this, he was stunned at first, then he immediately gave orders.

"Secretary Hu, immediately order someone to prepare the car and get ready to set off for the Old Summer Palace!"

Upon hearing this, Secretary Hu nodded to show that he understood, then turned around to make the arrangements.

Zong Duanxing simply organized the documents on his desk, took the report on the performance of the Tang Royal Bank this year, and strode out of the office.

After leaving the office, Zong Duanxing brought his secretary to the elevator and then took the elevator down to the first floor lobby.

Then, he took his secretary and walked out of the headquarters building of the Tang Royal Bank.

When he arrived at the door of the building, another secretary had already ordered a car to come over and was standing in front of the door waiting.

The car started and drove towards the Old Summer Palace.

Although the permanent population of the capital of the Tang Dynasty has soared to five million, due to the high prices of cars today, even though the population of the capital has skyrocketed, there are still not many cars on the streets.

Zong Duanxing's car drove on the asphalt road all the way to the Old Summer Palace, and there was no traffic jam throughout the journey.

It took him less than half an hour to drive outside the Old Summer Palace.

The car stopped with a creak, and several guards came forward to conduct a security check.

After completing the security check, Zong Duanxing was led into the Old Summer Palace.

Walking on the road in the Old Summer Palace, Zong Duanxing couldn't help but look sideways as he looked at the surrounding scenery.

Although this was not his first time to come to the Old Summer Palace to report to the emperor, he could not help but marvel at the Old Summer Palace every time he saw it.

This place is truly prosperous and exquisite, like a paradise on earth, and it deserves to be called the Garden of Gardens!
Zong Duanxing withdrew his gaze and followed the young eunuch who came to greet him, all the way into the Old Summer Palace, and walked along the corridor towards Jiuzhou Qingyan where the emperor was.

Soon, Zong Duanxing was taken to a study room in Jiuzhou Qingyan.

After entering the study, he bowed to Li Yi immediately.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and at peace!"

Seeing this, Li Yi just raised his hand slightly and motioned Zong Duanxing to sit down.

Wang Zhong, who was standing by, was very considerate and came forward to bring a chair for Zong Duanxing.

Seeing this, Zongduan sat down on the chair a little stiffly.

Seeing this, Li Yi spoke.

"I summoned you here today because I have something I need your advice on."

"The thing is, our Tang Dynasty's new ambassador to Japan, Zhao Xinpei, has sent back the latest news that the Tokugawa Shogunate intends to borrow some money from our Tang Dynasty."

“It’s a huge number!”

"After all, I am not a professional, so I cannot make arbitrary decisions. That is why I ask you to come and consult me."

Upon hearing this, Zong Duanxing took a deep breath and asked.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, how much money does the Tokugawa Shogunate want to borrow?"

"What is the collateral? What is the interest?"

If you want to borrow money, you definitely need collateral!
If there is no collateral, if the other party defaults on the payment, then it will be a big problem.

Even loans between countries still require collateral.

Li Yi heard this and said with a smile.

"The shogunate took the initiative to ask for a loan of 100 million silver dollars. As for the collateral and interest, they didn't mention it."

"Let the Tang Dynasty have the final say!"

Zong Duanxing couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this.

One hundred million silver dollars...

This number is really too big!
"Your Majesty, it's not impossible for the Tang Royal Bank to take out 100 million silver dollars."

"But if we really lend it out, the bank's deposits will probably be exhausted. If a bank run occurs, I'm afraid the bank will not be able to survive..."

If it was a loan of 18 million, Zongduanxing would be eager to lend it out.

Because, borrowing money requires interest, and interest is the bank's profit, there is no doubt about that.

Otherwise, the money will stay in the bank, not only will there be no profit, but you will even have to pay deposit interest.

There is a huge difference between going in and out.

So, generally speaking, banks are definitely welcoming of loans.

However, the situation this time is really special.

One hundred million Tang Dynasty silver dollars is almost equal to two or three percent of the annual income of the Tang Dynasty. The number is too large, and Zong Duanxing did not dare to take the risk.

Otherwise, if the money is lent out and cannot be recovered, Zong Duanxing will not be able to bear the blame.

Li Yi heard this and said with a smile.

"I know!"

"But who said that this loan of 100 million silver dollars can only be repaid with cash?"

"The loans to Japan can be redeemed with paper money and real goods."

The current monetary system of the Tang Dynasty is not a simple gold and silver precious metal currency, but a coexistence of precious metal currency and paper currency.

Moreover, with the industrial revolution and economic development, the demand for currency is increasing, and the proportion of paper money in daily production and life is gradually increasing.

Moreover, the industrial development of the Tang Dynasty is now quite rapid. It has a vast territory and abundant resources. In addition, the entire East Asia, Southeast Asia, and even South Asia are all within the Tang Dynasty's sphere of influence.

Within this range, the Tang Dynasty's paper money is hard currency, and one can use it to buy almost everything one needs.

Therefore, the gold content of the Tang Dynasty's paper currency was still very high, and when used for external lending, the other party would most likely recognize it.

Well, you have to admit it. If you don’t admit it, the Tang Dynasty doesn’t mind beating you until you think it’s enough!
As for cashing in kind, Li Yi knew that the reason why Japan borrowed money from the Tang Dynasty was that it wanted to use the money to emulate the Tang Dynasty in developing industry and commerce and carrying out reforms.

If Japan wants to develop its industry and commerce, various types of industrial equipment are indispensable.

Japan can only buy these things from the Tang Dynasty!

To put it bluntly, Japan will use the money borrowed from the Tang Dynasty to purchase Tang Dynasty's equipment and goods.

After all the changes of hands, the money belongs to Datang, the product orders belong to Datang, the jobs created by the orders belong to Datang, and even the interest on the loans belongs to Datang.

The benefits that can be brought about by all these combined are simply astronomical.

If there were people from later generations here, they would probably be amazed and say, this is not a loan at all, it is clearly an illegal online loan!

Let’s put it this way, Japan may not lose money in this loan, but the Tang Dynasty will definitely make a huge profit.

And more importantly, using paper money to pay for loans can minimize the risk of borrowing to the greatest extent.

Well, if Japan dares to default on its debt, the Tang Dynasty can simply declare all banknotes from a certain digit range to another digit range invalid.

When Zong Duanxing heard this, he was slightly surprised, and in his heart he was complaining that the emperor had a really evil heart.

This is how we play it!
Li Yi continued with a smile.

"The next thing we need to consider here at the Tang Dynasty is the collateral required for the shogunate's loan, as well as the interest..."

(End of this chapter)