Number of People

  Chapter 1796 Ren Zijuan sighs that loyalty is unparalleled in the past and present

  Feng Ziying pondered and said: "Who has the greatest influence in the Guangdong Navy at present, besides Zhao Dazhang, who else?"

"The former navy admiral Wu Jianzhang." Duan Xigui said: "At present, his nephew Wu Mingchao is an admiral of the navy and basically inherited his uncle's connections, so Zhao Dazhang is very afraid, and he always hopes to eliminate and limit his influence. Because Wu Jianzhang was too strong when he served as the admiral of the navy, so now the generals and guerrillas below are more willing to see a weak admiral like Zhao Dazhang."

Feng Ziying understood the meaning of Duan Xigui's words. If he wanted to support Wu Mingchao, the other generals of the Guangdong Navy would not be very willing, but if he allowed Zhao Dazhang to gain a foothold in the Guangdong Navy with Xie Yuankun's support, he might even get Nanjing money. If the support from the bank bribes and wins over a group of naval generals, then the maritime trade between Beidi and Guangdong will be in trouble.

   "Zhao Dazhang is a trouble, I'm afraid we can't let him continue to serve as the admiral of the Navy." Feng Ziying said slowly: "The longer he stays, the greater the risk, and this trouble needs to be eliminated."

   "How to get rid of it?" Duan Xigui asked cautiously: "The imperial court ordered the dismissal directly? I am afraid that Zhao Dazhang will not accept it, and may even directly vote for Nanjing."

   "What if Wu Mingchao is allowed to take over? With Wu Jianzhang's support, can we win the Guangdong Navy?" Feng Ziying asked.

Duan Xigui hesitated for a moment, "Guangdong navy generals are divided into two groups, one is outsiders and the other is locals. Wu Jianzhang is mainly able to get the support of local generals, but foreign generals reject Wu Jianzhang. If Zhao Dazhang gets Xie Yuankun's support, these foreign generals will The generals will definitely support Zhao Dazhang, then Wu Mingchao may not be able to compete with Zhao Dazhang."

  What Duan Xigui said made Feng Ziying hesitate.

   "Are the generals from other places monolithic? They all support Zhao Dazhang?" Feng Ziying didn't believe it.

  Duan Xigui thought for a while, "It should be half and half. There should be a few generals from the Northland. I know one is from Shanxi, and two are directly from Beidi,..."

"Since that's the case, it's easy." Feng Ziying said decisively, "After you go back, send someone to contact these Northlanders. I will immediately go to the Ministry of War to find out the origin of these people and the situation of their robes in the army, so that their old status can be restored. Colleagues wrote to them, asking them to support Wu Mingchao. In addition, Haitong Yinzhuang took out a sum of money to support Wu Mingchao, and asked him to bribe the lieutenant generals in the army, and must control the Guangdong Navy in the hands of the court..."

   "This..." Duan Xigui didn't expect Feng Ziying to make a decision so neatly, "Ziying, why don't you ask the court's opinion?"

"The imperial court is also hesitant, because it is uncertain about the internal situation of the Guangdong Navy, and is worried that a wrong decision will lead to an unfavorable situation. Since you said that, then I know it in my heart, and I will go to the Ministry of War to say, In addition, I will ask Zhuang Limin to assist you, he has great influence in Foshan and Guangzhou." Feng Ziying said with certainty.

"Well, it will be much easier if Zhuang Limin cooperates and supports him. He has all-hands and eyes in Guangdong, and he is extremely powerful among officials and people." Duan Xigui nodded repeatedly. deal."

   "But Zhao Dazhang still needs to be dealt with." Feng Ziying pondered for a while, "If an accident can be caused to kill Zhao Dazhang, and then let Wu Mingchao take over, wouldn't it be safer?"

  Duan Xigui was taken aback, and looked at his cousin in disbelief: "Ziying,..."

"If this is not the case, it will be difficult to quickly stabilize the Guangdong Navy. This is related to the trade between Guangdong, Guangxi and the North, and we can't take risks." Feng Ziying's face remained unchanged. Make a decision, otherwise there will be endless troubles."

  Duan Xigui was silent for a while, and finally nodded: "That's the only way to go. I'll arrange it after I go back."

Feng Ziying knew that this suggestion of hers shocked Duan Xigui a lot, probably because she thought how could she become so ruthless, but to herself, it was just someone she didn't know, and she was stuck at the key point of the Guangdong Navy. no.

  Denglai Navy, Fujian Navy, Guangdong Navy, the three major naval forces are indispensable. If the Guangdong Navy is controlled by Nanjing, it will be in big trouble, so we must act decisively.

  I have embarked on the road of official career, and many times I can't help myself, especially in this situation, a little negligence will fall short, so he must nip all risks in the bud.

  The other matters discussed next are relatively simple.

  Haitong Yinzhuang has a good momentum of development in Guangzhou.

  Gein Guangdong has a strong commercial atmosphere, coupled with the transportation to Nanyang and developed maritime trade, it has a high acceptance of new things like Yinzhuang.

  Especially this model of universal deposit and withdrawal is extremely popular.

  Many Flangji and Hongmaofan merchants who have been traveling between Nanyang and Dazhou for a long time have begun to accept bank notes from Haitong Yinzhuang, and are also willing to deposit silver in Haitong Yinzhuang.

  In fact, the capital flow and deposits of Haitong Yinzhuang Guangzhou have surpassed Yangzhou and Beijing, becoming the well-deserved No. 1.

   In contrast, if it weren’t for this war that greatly increased the court’s demand for silver, although the original Jingshi had a lot of silver deposits, the amount of loans was not large.

  However, this time the North-South war started, the imperial court took the initiative to borrow from Haitong Yinzhuang, and the opening amount was three to five million, which immediately boosted the business volume of the Jingshi.

Duan Xigui suggested that Sulu and Luzon could be considered to set up a new Yinzhuang, so as to more conveniently intervene in the entire Nanyang maritime trade. Of course, this is only an idea, after all, it is beyond the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou. The Guangdong Navy is also unable to do so, so further investigation is needed.

Feng Ziying admired Duan Xigui's pioneering spirit very much. Compared with Jia Lian's conservative and easy-to-get rich, Jia Yun followed the rules. His cousin was indeed much more knowledgeable and dared to take risks. In his opinion, it would be a matter of time before he explored Nanyang. , Dare to take risks, even if you fail, it is worthwhile, at least sum up the experience and pave the way for the next attempt.

Feng Ziying naturally wanted to strongly support it, and even suggested that Japan and Ryukyu could also be considered to develop business. Duan Xigui was also very satisfied. As long as Feng Ziying supported him, he would feel more at ease, and Feng Ziying's proposal to expand business in Japan and Ryukyu was even more Let him realize that his cousin is more courageous and far-sighted than him.

   Waiting until Duan Xigui went down to rest, Feng Ziying freed up his mind to deal with Jia's mess.

Wu Yaoqing inquired about the news that almost all members of the Jia family were sent to the Imperial Prison, and they were not sent to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice as expected. It is estimated that the matter of Jia's amnesty is viewed by the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Since Sun Shaozu has already rebelled, it will also be included in the conspiracy The reverse side is here.

Forget it, the Jia family was thrown into imperial prison with a total of fifty or sixty people, not too many and not too few, but Feng Ziying estimated that such servants as Zhou Rui, Lin Zhixiao, Wang Shanbao, Qian Hua, and Zhang Cai They can be released on bail after being closed for a period of time, but it may be difficult for the immediate family members like the Jia family.

  Yuanyang and Ping'er planned to go in to have a look, but Long Jinwei did not allow it. The reason was that the prisoner had just entered the prison and had not yet been tried, so he was not allowed to visit.

   This made Yuanyang and the others extremely anxious, but there was nothing they could do.

"Okay, you two don't cry and sob here, I know to ask." Seeing the second daughter's timid appearance of disturbing her, Feng Ziying also waved her hands, "We are all a family, why don't we leave?" What are you talking about? Long Jinwei will definitely not let people visit so early, you have to force these people, outsiders will find a way to bail people, this is the rule in the yamen, it is the same everywhere."

   "The old ancestor..." Yuanyang showed surprise in his eyes.

Feng Ziying interrupted angrily: "Don't think about it. I mean those insignificant people, such as Wang Shanbao and Lin Zhixiao. After a period of time, there will definitely be rumors that they can be released on bail. As long as there are guarantors, If you pay bail, you should be released pending trial."

  Mandarin Duck felt dejected, and Ping'er also looked sad.

"As for the old lady, the girls, and Brother Bao Yuhuan, I will also go to the prison to say hello, so that I won't let them suffer too much in it. I'm just used to pampering them. I'm afraid this day is really bad. Boil." Feng Ziying added.

   "Thank you, Lord." Yuanyang and Ping'er all got up and thanked each other.

   "It's been said that we are all a family, and you are so polite, can you really think of yourself as Jia's family?" Feng Ziying pretended to be annoyed, "Then I have to accept a thank you gift."

Yuanyang and Heping'er heard the deep meaning in Feng Ziying's words, and their faces turned red. Yuanyang was more generous, after all, Jia's mother had already given her to Feng Ziying, and murmured: "Naturally, the servant is the master's person, but the servant is subject to Jia. There are so many favors from my family, I really can't let them go..."

"Okay, if you are a cold-blooded and ruthless person, I won't value you so much, and Ping'er is the same. You two are so congenial, but it's rare that you are so loyal. I really admire it." Feng Ziying said shallowly smile.

"What did you say? This is what slaves and maidservants should take for granted. How can they deserve such praise from you?" Yuanyang shook his head: "Of course, you must repay your kindness. Slaves grew up in Jia's family, and their parents are also in Jia's house. How can you ignore the Jia family’s troubles when doing things? It’s just that the slaves have limited abilities, so they can only do this.”

Feng Ziying was also deeply moved. These two girls are both loyal, virtuous and intelligent. In modern times, they are definitely the type of good wives and good mothers sought after by countless people, but in this era, they can only treat themselves as concubines, and they are not even concubines. It can only be a girl in the house. In this era, hey, it's so intoxicating!

  (end of this chapter)