Chapter 267: Long Stairs to Heaven (Big Chapter!!!)

Today, the back door of the county government office was too busy. Before the seven or eight carriages parked at the door moved to the alley, two or three more carriages flew in. Pan Youan was so happy to welcome the guests that he finally sent the last guest in.

Although Chen Heng was a local official, he was the host. He did not hide in the house at this moment and waited for all the guests to arrive before coming out. When Xinda at the second gate brought the guests to the front of the hall, Chen Heng went directly to the corridor, and the smile on his face was illuminated by the morning light. When a guest came in front of him, he also took the initiative to accompany the other party for a few steps and chatted with him.

After sending the other party to his seat, Xinda turned around and led the next distinguished guest. The overall situation in the hall was naturally left to Chen Heng to receive. The male guests were handed over to them, and the ladies who came with the merchants were also greeted by Zijuan and Qingwen. The two maids were both experienced in this. With Daiyu in charge, Chen Heng, the head of the family, didn't have to worry about the banquet in the backyard.

Seeing that the guests had almost arrived, Chen Heng, who was wearing a green robe and a white cloak, sat between Zhang Shangde and Wang Shouyi. One of them was the head of the Shanxi merchants and the oldest. The other was an old friend from his hometown, so it was reasonable for him to be led to the upper seat.

As the weather was getting colder, Daiyu personally ordered chrysanthemum hot pot as the main dish for this banquet, which was also very appropriate. The corresponding side dishes filled the table. In the back kitchen, there were several cooks and maids who were busy cooking dishes. No fish is complete without a banquet. When you come to Songjiang Prefecture, you must eat sea bass.

Don't think that the ancients were too elegant. When it comes to eating, the process that everyone should follow is not much different from that of later generations. The so-called inheritance is probably like this. Chen Heng raised the cup to lead the wine, and all the guests at the three tables raised their cups to welcome him. The guests in the full house also knew that today was just an appetizer. The real thing that Lord Chen wanted to talk about would only be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, when the main event would come.

After toasting the welcoming wine, Chen Heng urged the distinguished guests who came from afar to drink. Xinda, Liu Xianglian and others began to hold wine glasses and wandered among the three tables to do a good job of receiving Chen Heng.

The merchants who could sit at the main table where Chen Heng was sitting were all the people who had the final say in their respective chambers of commerce. In addition to Zhang Shangde, who was the only Shanxi merchant, there were two Hui merchants, one Zhejiang merchant, one Guangdong merchant, one Fujian merchant, two Jiangsu merchants, and one Beijing merchant.

There were many familiar faces here. In addition to Wang Shouyi, there was also Feng Zhu, the head of the Yangzhou Salt Merchants Association. Others such as Xia Jingui also had several encounters in the capital.

Chen Heng was also very good at making friends and chatting. After sitting down and chatting for a few words, he asked everyone about their situation in Southeast Asia with a smile. This topic just tickled everyone's heart, and everyone had something to say, which immediately made the atmosphere lively.

It will be two years before the time to purchase Western ships. Everyone naturally has some understanding of the customs and habits of Nanyang. There are people like Zhang Shangde who are cautious in their words and deeds, and there must be people who are boastful and eloquent. As a businessman, you can't do without the skills of talking to people.

In addition, the customs of Nanyang are indeed somewhat different from those of Dayong. When it comes to some regions that are rich in gold and silver, many people who are listening in prick up their ears. Seeing that the colleagues who have been to Nanyang nodded, they dared to confirm the authenticity of the news.

Chen Heng listened with a smile, and then asked: "It seems that you have gained a lot, which is really gratifying."

The harvest is naturally indispensable. If the things of Dayong are taken to Nanyang for sale, it is the condescension from the Celestial Empire. It is not at the same level as the small toys made by the local natives. It is said that shipping is risky, but the greater the risk, the greater the profit. Otherwise, why would people be willing to take risks?

Everyone smiled at each other, and Zhang Shangde took the lead in raising the cup and said to Chen Heng: "If it weren't for Lord Chen's matchmaking, we wouldn't be together today. Lord Chen, let me toast you on behalf of everyone."

Who doesn't know the benefits of going to Southeast Asia? In the past, it didn't happen because of the lack of ships and people. These two things have always been held in the hands of merchants in Guangzhou as heirlooms. In other words, the Fujian merchants relied on daring to fight and tear a piece of meat from the mouths of Guangzhou merchants.

Most of the business of the Shanxi merchants who made their fortunes in Guandong fell on land. If it weren't for the convenience of Chen Heng, I really don't know when they would have to wait to open up a route on their own.

Seeing someone taking the lead, the merchants present also drank a glass of wine. They didn't care what rank Chen Heng was as a county magistrate. They judged people by their ability, foresight and mind. Chen Heng's work in the Maritime Affairs Department, newspapers and cars convinced everyone.

"Mr. Zhang, you're welcome." Chen Heng was not arrogant in response to Zhang Shangde's thanks. He immediately filled his glass with wine and showed the etiquette of a junior.

He had heard about the group-building trend of Shanxi merchants. He knew that as long as he could convince Zhang Shangde about tomorrow's matter, it would be equivalent to convincing more than half of the Shanxi merchants. It was not an exaggeration to say that such people were valued.

The sun in the sky moved, and everyone's laughter continued. Someone asked about the excitement at the city gate today. Chen Heng smiled, made a riddle, and said to the distant guest who asked the question: "Everyone, please be patient. I will tell you about it tomorrow."

Did they set the day for the discussion tomorrow? Everyone understood and immediately stopped thinking about drinking. There is no way, these people all know that Chen Heng is the "godson" of the God of Wealth, and he has all the golden ideas to make a fortune.

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At the first building in Yunjian, Zhen Zijing learned about the situation from the servants. He knew that the guests who gathered in Huating County today were all merchants from all over the country. He immediately said in his heart, "Why didn't you say it earlier?"

The servant who came to report the news was also stunned, and still apologized in panic, "Sir, it's all my fault."

Zhen Zijing was so anxious that he couldn't take care of entertaining the rich people in the city. He didn't even bother to say goodbye. He just picked up his robe, staggered downstairs, sat in the sedan chair, and ran to his own house.

As soon as he returned to the county government, Zhen Zijing hurriedly told the news he heard to the Zhen family manager who was listening to music at home. When the latter heard it, even Zhang Shangde came. He was surprised and asked, "How did he get to know this person?"

"He is a country boy, and he doesn't have any connections." Zhen Zijing guessed, "Manager, do you think it was his father-in-law who came forward?"

If the second-rank official of the court came in person, it would not be surprising that Zhang Shangde and the Xia family would come to Songjiang Prefecture.

"Impossible." Manager Zhen had more information, and he shook his head immediately, "There is a big case in the capital recently, even if it is his father-in-law's personal letter. These people will not come to join in the fun at this moment to avoid suspicion."

"What can I do then?" Zhen Zijing was so anxious that he turned around. If this continued, Chen Heng would have to complete the port business. Whether the port was built or not had nothing to do with the Zhen family. But Chen Heng looked like he was going to check the land and make decisions for the people, so he must not let this person continue to stay in Songjiang Prefecture, lest it ruin the Zhen family's big business.

The steward of the Zhen family also knew the severity of the situation. He immediately stood up and said, "I'll go home and ask him to send a letter to Prime Minister Gu. Let's see if it's the intention of the Minister of Justice..."

"What does this have to do with the Minister of Justice?" Zhen Zijing asked curiously. He was a local county magistrate, and he had never had the opportunity to go to the capital in his life.

"You idiot, you know nothing." The steward cursed as he walked, "The Minister of Justice is from Shanxi, and he is a fellow villager of Zhang Shangde."

Zhen Zijing was scolded for no reason, and he didn't dare to say anything more, so he had to send the steward out of the house with courtesy.

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The next day, the sunny winter day was the same as usual. The merchants who were invited again had chosen candidates who could represent themselves after a night of private talks. It was similar to the guests sitting at the main table yesterday, and Chen Heng didn't care about the extra few unfamiliar faces.

The place for the meeting this time was changed to the main hall of the back yamen. Perhaps it was because of bad intentions, Daiyu specially chose Jinling's Yuhua tea for the tea for the guests.

They had already had a good relationship with each other because they drank together at the same table yesterday. Before Chen Heng showed up, they had already started chatting quietly. Everyone had found out a lot of news last night, and knew that the Magistrate of Huating County was going to build a new port in Chuansha Hall. These things, as long as you are willing to find out, can't be hidden from anyone. You can read a little bit by buying a newspaper on the road.

Everyone was still guessing why Chen Heng invited them, and waited until the Magistrate of Huating County came out in his official uniform. The discussion among the crowd subsided, and many people stood up to salute the Magistrate. The only person who sat still was Zhang Shangde. He was old, and the merchants who performed the flat salute could also see that they had donated their idle official positions to him early.

"Everyone, sit down." Chen Heng smiled and pressed his hand, but did not return the greeting too much. Yesterday was the friendship between the host and the guest, and today he is an official appointed by the court of Dayong. The person who was in front of the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans was Chen Heng in his official robe.

They chatted briefly about the gossip of yesterday's banquet, and waited until the atmosphere turned slightly relaxed and harmonious. Chen Heng coughed lightly and asked, "I wrote a letter to invite you all to come here because I have something to ask you."

Everyone's expression immediately became serious, and they thought in their hearts: It's better to be a powerful official. Isn't it just to borrow money from us to repair the port? Even the borrowing is so open and aboveboard, using the word "ask" directly.

"In another year, our agreement with the red-haired foreigners will end. Do you have enough ships and crews? When you return them, will there be successors?"

Huh? Why did the topic turn to this? Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what Chen Heng was up to. The Fujian merchants were the most impatient, and one of them came out immediately, saying, "Not enough, Mr. Chen, how can these two things be enough?"

At the beginning, the sea ships brought out by the red-haired foreigners and the Portuguese were eaten by half of the Shanxi merchants. The remaining half was taken away by Hui merchants. The last few ships were divided up by Zhejiang merchants, Guangdong merchants, and Fujian merchants.

There were fewer ships, so there were fewer captains and sailors. Although a round trip to Nanyang was very profitable, it took a long time, and the crew members that could be trained by the family were naturally slower. Everyone was bitter, but they didn't dare to get angry with Zhang Shangde.

This is where the interesting part of Shanxi merchants comes in. They made their fortunes by working together with the villagers and by the clear rules of the clan. The children in the family all abide by the family tradition, keep a low profile when going out, and study and live their lives when they have nothing to do.

Compared with the equally wealthy Hui merchants, their reputation is much better. However, there is no need to laugh at the fact that there are too many Hui merchants. How many people in the world don't support a few opera troupes and a few concubines after they become rich? The fact that Shanxi merchants can have today's family tradition is also related to their fortunes since the Tang and Song dynasties.

Chen Heng nodded and smiled, then said, "I do have something to tell you. This is very important to you."

Important? Everyone looked at him sideways, wondering if Chen Heng was going to force them to submit, or if he was trying to get their millions of dollars?

"Last month, a colleague from the Honglu Temple sent me a message." It's easier to get things done with someone in the court. Chen Heng took out his first-hand information and said, "This summer, the red-haired barbarians won the naval battle with Britain."

What does this have to do with us? Anyway, we will not get any money no matter whether we win or lose the battle. Everyone was still confused, Zhang Shangde was the first to react, and immediately said anxiously: "Master Chen, is this true?"

Seeing Zhang Shangde's worried face, others thought about it and understood. Damn, these red-haired foreigners won the naval battle, so they must go back to Nanyang to show off their power?

"The envoys of the red-haired foreigners have submitted their letters to the court. At the end of the year, the envoys of the red-haired foreigners will come to present gifts to Your Majesty on behalf of their king." Chen Heng still smiled brightly. This matter was still kept secret from the outside world, that is, Chen Heng had pushed this matter successfully and made a great reputation for the Honglu Temple, so there was a direct channel to understand it.

At this point, everyone reacted. This is not Master Chen asking them to borrow money, but they are looking for Master Chen to ask for advice.

"Sir, you always have a way. Can you tell us what you want?"

"There are many red-haired barbarians and many ships. If we really want to rob them, I'm afraid we won't be able to rob them."

"Yes, sir, when you asked us to go to Southeast Asia, we didn't frown. At that time, our family spent hundreds of thousands of taels just to buy ships."

Listening to their words, Chen Heng nodded. If these merchants hadn't contributed their money, Dayong's finances would not have been relieved. Now there is still enough strength and confidence to fight the second border war.

"Don't worry, everyone." Chen Heng gestured to Pan Youan to pour tea for the guests, and then smiled, "You should also know that I am carrying out the imperial order to renovate the port in Chuansha Hall. When the port is completed, your business will be robbed by the red-haired barbarians. The port that I took the trouble to build will become an empty decoration."

In a few words, he linked his fate with everyone present. After planting the third seed in everyone's heart, Chen Heng will start watering and fertilizing.

"I intend to rebuild a shipyard in Songjiang Prefecture, and then build a school to train seamen and boatmen. In the future, people who come out of here can give priority to meeting your needs. The same is true for the shipyard. As long as you are interested in building ships, your needs will also be met first."

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This may be a debate in philosophy. But in the business world, creating and tapping demand must come first. Simply put, it is better to give chickens than eggs. With the huge profits in Nanyang, there is a demand for shipping to Nanyang. When everyone heard Chen Heng's words, they immediately became interested.

Chen Heng did not give them time to continue interrupting, and directly asked Pan Youan and Xinda to move the sea charts they prepared in advance from the back.

The sea chart sand table was very simple, only the size of a table. In addition to depicting the extended coastline of Dayong, more detailed places are not as good as some state capital maps.

But everyone is a native of Dayong, even if they just look at it a few times, they can find the location of the state capital from the sand table.

The longbow-like coastline appeared in front of everyone. Chen Heng pointed to the top and said, "This is the capital and Qingniwa." His hand moved to the bottom of the sea map, "This is Guangzhou Prefecture."

Finally, his finger stopped between the two places, nodded, and smiled, "This is Songjiang Prefecture. What prefectures are around Songjiang Prefecture? I don't need to say more."

The big pie that he drew for the red-haired foreigners back then is really going to come true today. Chen Heng's heart is also full of pride. He looked around at the expressions of the people around him, and he could see their brighter eyes.

Reading the map so intuitively, everyone found the geographical advantages of Songjiang Prefecture. This location is really great. Starting from Songjiang Prefecture in the middle, whether it is going north to the capital or south to Guangzhou, it is almost the same distance. Not to mention that there is also a Yangtze River here, which goes directly to the inland of the two lakes.

Business people, as long as they think about it, they can understand how lively and prosperous Songjiang Prefecture, which is located between Suzhou and Hangzhou, will become in the future. Coupled with what Chen Heng said before about setting up a shipyard and a school, I am afraid that this trend of sea transportation will continue to flourish.

Noticing the enthusiasm in everyone's eyes, Chen Heng smiled slightly, and finally said: "This official is under the emperor's order. In the next few years..." In the interval between Chen Heng's words, Liu Xianglian, with a solemn look in his eyes, was holding the imperial edict and said, "I will take care of this matter in Songjiang Prefecture."

This is also to tell everyone that as long as everyone wants to eat at Songjiang Prefecture in the future, they can't get around me, Chen Heng. Everyone is not a fool, and they all understand Chen Heng's metaphor at the moment.

After such a combination of soft and hard tactics, merchants from all over the country were convinced. After a while of calming down, someone spoke up to break the silence, "Master Chen, I, Lao Xu, am convinced by you. Master, just say it directly. If there is a place where you need to donate money and materials, just speak up."

Others nodded when they heard it. They understood that Chen Heng called them to treat them to dinner and drink tea and chat. Of course, it is not just about friendship, it is nothing more than contributing money and effort. Before, they may have had some resistance or some intention to deal with it, but now they really want to hear Chen Heng's plan.

Chen Heng was not surprised to get this answer after all his efforts. He said in a deep voice: "The most urgent task is to expand the port. This is a once-and-for-all matter, and I need your help. When the port is completed, you don't have to worry about the shipyard and the school."

"I have some friendship with the red-haired foreign envoys. I will leave a group of people to teach, and you don't have to bear all the expenses." Chen Heng naturally had a reason to say this. When the port is full of cargo ships, the tax revenue will come. It is natural to maintain a shipyard and a school.

The more everyone listened, the more relaxed they became. The look on his face gradually turned serious. They listened as Chen Heng continued: "In the spring of next year, I will build another street market in Ruanjia Alley outside the city. Then all your guild halls and shops can be located here."

After saying this, Chen Heng stopped talking. There is no way to get him to borrow money personally. The banquet in Nanyang has been prepared. Whether they want to serve it or not depends on their own thoughts.

While everyone was still hesitating and thinking about how much money to take out, a loud shout suddenly came from the hall.

"Sir Chen, our Xia family is willing to contribute 50,000 taels." Xia Jingui, a wealthy man in the capital, made an extraordinary statement, "I would also like to ask you to save a few good shops for me on the street."

Chen Heng really didn't expect that she would come out on top. He thought the first person to make the decision would be Zhang Shangde. In fact, if you think about it carefully, you can understand the reason. Everyone present today more or less represents the interests of some people behind their backs, and they inevitably have more to consider.

But the Xia family is a millionaire, but Xia Jingui alone has the final say. Even though this person is a girl, she has a very aggressive personality. But since she took over the family business, the Xia family has managed to maintain its wealth, and its life is as prosperous as when her father was still here, and they can be said to be women.

"I forgot to mention it before." Chen Heng nodded and said with a smile, "In order to thank those who donated money and materials, in addition to five shops on the street, we will give away five shops. In the future, the port taxes will also be reduced or exempted for three years. Xia...the head of the house, you can just pick a place after the market is built."

No, Mr. Chen, are you just talking about such an important thing as tax reduction and exemption now? Everyone couldn't help but roll their eyes. Wang Shouyi had already shouted: "The Wang family in Yangzhou has eighty thousand taels."

Xiao Ping, who was keeping accounts at the back, felt his hands tremble when he heard this. How could he not be excited when he got 130,000 taels in the blink of an eye. Ke Xia and Wang are just appetizers, the real highlight is the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.

Zhang Shangde had already made up his mind and dropped a huge boulder directly on the ripples of the lake. "Master Chen is far-sighted. I'm here to join in the fun and be a porter delivering firewood." Although he was old, the old man was very energetic and stretched out his hand. The leader said, "Our chamber of commerce will provide five hundred thousand taels."

After hearing this amount, Chen Heng stood up directly and bowed to Zhang Shangde to thank him. He knew that the jackpot this time would have to fall on Shanxi merchants. In terms of financial resources, Huizhou merchants are definitely not inferior to Shanxi merchants, but when it comes to the unity within the chamber of commerce, there is something different. Huizhou merchants are similar to Fujian merchants, and they pay more attention to the difference between family names.

Afterwards, everyone donated generously. Hui merchants won the second prize with 350,000 taels, while Zhejiang merchants and Fujian merchants ranked third and fourth with 250,000 taels each. The Cantonese businessman's position was placed here, so he only spent a hundred thousand taels to show his affection.

If only Cantonese businessmen were present today, they might even be thinking of buying out. Nowadays, everyone is vying for the throne, so there is no need to join in the fun. Anyway, the people closest to Nanyang are themselves. Ha, the ancestors rewarded us with food, there is nothing we can do about it.

Among the remaining Su merchants, Feng Zhuwei still spoke. The man pondered for a while, looked at Chen Heng carefully, and said after careful consideration: "Yangzhou Salt Society will give two hundred thousand taels." The money was not too much, but compared to the salt merchant's wealth, it was stingy. But compared to most people, it's pretty good.

Unexpectedly, Feng Zhu suddenly said again, "I will pay another 200,000 taels in my own name. Haha, after all, he is the champion of our own house, there is no reason for Brother Wang to win the jackpot."

Good guy, it turns out you were waiting here for doing this. Everyone fell down, and even Wang Shouyi burst into laughter after hearing this, so he had to stand up and bow to Feng Zhuzuo.

Originally, the matter was about the same as this, with a total of 1.98 million taels raised. Let alone expanding the port, building two more would be enough. Chen Heng is already very satisfied. When the commercial street is built in the future, he will be able to sell shops and houses.

Seeing that everyone was about to leave, a businessman who had been silent from beginning to end suddenly stood up and said, "Sir, don't worry, our family hasn't paid for it yet."

Chen Heng was a little confused. Seeing that he came with Brother Zhu from Zhejiang, he looked at Brother Zhu curiously. Didn't you Zhejiang merchants donate money?

Before Brother Zhu from Yuhang could speak, the man himself said: "Haha, you don't have to look at Brother Zhu. Our hometown is small, and Brother Zhu doesn't like our place."

I saw that there was a different kind of charlatanism in this man's words. Chen Heng also became interested. He left Brother Zhu, who looked a little ugly, and asked, "I wonder where Brother comes from."

"My surname is Lin, from Yongjia County, Wenzhou Prefecture, and my name is Shilian. I am the second in line in my family. If you don't mind, you can call me Lin Er." The man replied with a smile.

No wonder, he speaks Mandarin with such a strong accent. Chen Heng nodded, sat back down and asked, "I wonder how much Brother Lin has come up with."

"Three hundred thousand taels." Lin Shilian said immediately. Even though he looked pained, his voice was very decisive. It was obvious that he had already planned this. After hearing this, Brother Zhu frowned wildly and couldn't help shouting: "You are talking nonsense, where did you get so much money. Don't break your trust in front of Mr. Chen. It will be hard to explain when you go back."

Wenzhou Prefecture has always been a land of poor mountains and poor waters, with many mountains and few fields. The people who come out of this place also have a tough temperament. Lin Shilian immediately retorted: "There are many people in our village, so you care about me."

After he finished speaking, a Fujian businessman actually came out to support him, "That's right, Brother Zhu, you are too lenient."

What else could Chen Heng do, just stand up and act as a peacemaker.

After some gentle words, Chen Heng sent away the guests and signaled everyone to prepare the money early so that the Huating County Government could get the money in their pockets.

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At this time, at the Chuansha Wharf, Jia Yucun was leading a group of newly recruited corvées and had just cleaned the messy ground. Several craftsmen who were hammering stones and driving piles were thinking about where to put the hammers. Occasionally, they looked up at Jia Yucun, who was standing with his hands on his hips and supervising the work in the distance, and asked, "Old man, you really have to smash it. This wharf is still brand new."

"Smash it! Smash it hard for me." Jia Yucun said hatefully. His family's future depends on this wharf. If he doesn't smash it thoroughly, how can he build a big port that benefits the country and the people from the ground?

Several craftsmen looked at each other. There was no way. The county magistrate had said so they had to do it. Several people held the tools, and a sturdy man rolled up his sleeves and spit twice into his palm. He then held the heavy hammer tightly and smashed it hard on the stone.

There was a loud bang, and sparks flew everywhere.

The passers-by who were watching could not figure out the meaning of it. They just commented angrily, "What's the point of repairing this broken thing when there is nothing to do. When the Japanese pirates come in the future, everyone will have to run away."

"Shh, don't cause trouble for yourself." Someone next to him hurriedly advised.

Friday is a good day. The mood of typing has become much happier. Hahahaha. Please vote, please vote for the monthly ticket, please vote for the recommendation.