Chapter 540: The Ridicule of a Third Party

On the 21st day of the first lunar month, the Han Palace in Nanjing, the court meeting.

Chen Hui, who looked very healthy, looked at the civil and military ministers who were chattering and attacking each other in the hall, and his head was swollen.

Chirping, don't you know that he is going to be the emperor? He didn't want to listen to all the words said by the ministers below, and he didn't want to listen. Those voices were all chirping like birds. If he didn't need to hold the emperor's airs, he would want to close his eyes now, lean back, and rest for a while. He is dizzy now, and he has a headache!

What kind of people are these? They don't say a few more good words to him in the last time, but chirp in his ears every day. It's so annoying.

Chen Hui's current psychology is very complicated, but he is a sensible person. He is in a state of "self-abandonment" regarding political affairs. Anyway, he is going to leave, and his heart is no longer on the business.

"Hmm..."

"You all are right. This matter is of great importance and needs to be handled with caution. I will think about it carefully."

Chen Hui did not even push Chen Ming away. As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch beside him immediately shouted loudly: "Dismiss the court."

Chen Ming, who was sitting on the side, had no expression on his face. Since the last court meeting, the news that the military reorganization plan submitted by the Grand Commandery before the New Year cost up to 40 million yuan had spread throughout the court. The cabinet and the Grand Commandery started a war over the military reorganization cost of 40 million yuan and the total military expenditure of 100 million yuan, and they were completely in a tit-for-tat posture. It has been ten days since the first confrontation between the two sides!

The cabinet firmly disagreed with the total military expenditure of 100 million yuan and the military reorganization cost of 40 million yuan. It believed that the total military expenditure for the whole year could be reduced to 60 million yuan, and the military reorganization plan cost 10 million yuan, and there was no need to spend a penny more.

In addition, a report of up to 20 pages was produced for the military reorganization plan of the Grand Governor's Office, which revealed many examples of the Grand Governor's Office falsely reporting expenses to increase military expenditures. For example, the construction costs of the navy's offshore bases and some coastal defense forts, the budget of the Grand Governor's Office and the budget of the cabinet can differ by 20% to 30%, and there is also the purchase and feed of mules and horses in the army.

Because the reorganization of the entire army cannot be completed immediately with a single order, it takes a long time. The tens of thousands of horses needed by the main force cannot be all in place at once, but there is a value listed in the military supply report produced by the Grand Governor's Office, which is the total amount of food, labor, and horse sheds for the planned horses throughout the year, which is obviously misleading.

There are many such "loopholes" in the entire military reorganization plan. Everyone knows that this is a trick played by the military to increase military expenditures.

The current Fu Han Army is a solid block, and the Army is the undisputed leader. The Navy, which is being updated, has become accustomed to being a vassal of the Army. This has been the rule for thousands of years, and this impression has long been taken for granted.

The dispute between the sea and the land may break out in the future, but that is in the unpredictable future. The entire Chen Han military is still as solid as a solid block. The navy and the land are on the battlefield, and they will fight against the cabinet and not give up an inch of land.

The administrative system is mobilized and serious, and of course it has a strong combat effectiveness. It only took a few days to find many loopholes in the plan, and they have real evidence in their hands. But the Grand Commander's Office is not a vegetarian, they have some intelligence that the cabinet does not know, such as the French and South Vietnam's rapprochement, and the British support for Burma.

"Eight main divisions, fifteen garrison divisions." Chen Erbao sneered. The ten-day struggle was a process of confrontation and compromise. The cabinet promised to increase the initial military expenditure of 50 million to 60 million, and then to 65 million. While removing the four main divisions, three garrison divisions were added, but the cabinet wanted to reduce part of the shipbuilding plan for next year, and the construction of some coastal artillery and offshore bases. It would be strange if the Grand Commandery could recognize it!

"Humph. I see how they cracked this move." At today's court meeting, he threw out the big bomb that Britain, France and Guangnan Burma were in secret contact for the first time. Thinking of the instant changes in the faces of Chen Cong, Liu Dezhao, and Peng Zhongrui, Chen Erbao felt so good in his heart.

Myanmar was Chen Ming's designated "enemy", and the British had ulterior motives in contacting it. Guangnan was a vassal of Chen Han, and the French were involved, and they were not well-intentioned. Britain and France, as China's largest foreign trade partners, forced China to pay attention to their huge economic interests. Moreover, the naval forces of Britain and France were extremely powerful, especially the British. Their destination is in India, adjacent to Myanmar...

"But the military expenditure of 10 million..." is really impossible. His Royal Highness is under pressure, and both sides still have to continue to compromise.

"Brother Erbao. Of course, we can't get the military expenditure of 10 million, but at least we have to get 90 million." The whole army is reorganized. If the Grand Commandery doesn't take the opportunity to make a fortune, it will be a great opportunity. Chen Quan, the head of the logistics department sitting next to Chen Erbao, rubbed the tea bowl in his hand, with a gleam in his eyes.

Since the Chen family started the army, Chen Quan has been circling the logistics system. At first, he was not optimistic about the Chen family's actions and thought it was a dead end, so he would not stand in the front like Chen Erbao. Although Chen Quan's power was suppressed in the logistics department, his safety was guaranteed. But as the strength of the Fu Han Army increased little by little and its influence expanded little by little, when Chen Quan found that big things were expected, he could no longer intervene in the front-line troops.

The Fuhan Army has developed smoothly. Those who were on the front line have become successful and famous. Who would want others to suddenly extend their hands into their territory?

Moreover, in the Logistics Department, Chen Quan did not have a single hand to control the sky. When the military industry system was not completely separated from the Logistics Department, this was the place where the largest number of children of the three surnames gathered. Later, the Chen Han regime developed and expanded, with more and more positions in power, and many people dispersed to other areas. However, Chen Hui and Chen Ming's father and son's control over the logistics department not only did not weaken, but also increased over time. It's getting stronger and stronger. Even Chen Quan, who had a certain ability to compete with the position of the head of the Chen Hui family, also really realized the difference between superior and inferior, and the difference between monarch and minister in this process.

To describe it in one sentence, Chen Quan and many of the Chen family’s children, with the passage of time and the development and growth of Fuhan Army, have cleverly transformed their perception of ‘small shareholders’ into that of ‘senior managers’. This was very valuable to Chen and Han, but it was also the result of the highly unified thinking of China's imperial power for thousands of years.

Even the emperor and princes are kings and ministers first, father and son second, let alone relatives and in-laws?

And this is the imperial power of the East, and this is the civilization of the East.

Chen Quan has long thrown some old ideas out of the sky, and now his eyes are fixed on his own little piece of land. Don't think that he can control the logistics department because he is a member of the Chen family. Although this reason exists, it is not absolute. Chen Quan's own abilities are not bad either.

The Fuhan Army has grown from weak to strong, from scratch, from a few hundred people at the beginning to hundreds of thousands now. This process itself is the best lesson. Among the important figures of the year, there were some who could keep up with the team, some who were lagging behind halfway, and some who were always lagging behind. You can't expect the team to stop and wait for you. If you fall behind while the team is moving, you will always be behind.

Just like Chen Ming's already unknown tenth uncle Chen Yi, that is an obvious example. There is also sixth uncle Chen Jia, who can only live in the military industry system for the rest of his life. The position is important, but what big rights can he have beyond that one-third acre of land? There are many such positions, and the criterion for appointment is reliability rather than ability, and there are many, many such examples in the huge group of Chen Han.

…

After leaving the court, Chen Ming sat with his father for a while, took over the pot that Chen Hui didn't throw at him in the court, then went to the old lady's place, then to the old lady's place, and finally left the palace and returned to the house. Chen Ming can go straight to lunch.

In the afternoon, he received preliminary submissions from the cabinet and the Metropolitan Governor's Office respectively. The Cabinet relaxed a certain amount of military spending, and the positive amount was increased to 70 million, while the military budget of the Metropolitan Governor's Office was also reduced by 5 million, and the bilateral There have been compromises and concessions, but the gap between the two is still huge.

Chen Ming asked someone to deliver the cabinet's opinion letter to the Governor's Office and send the letter of opinion from the Governor's Office to the cabinet.

Chen Jiqing looked at the financial reports on both sides with some speechlessness. "Their plans are very detailed, but do these people really think that once the banknotes are introduced, they can be used as silver dollars? This will definitely have a major impact on commodity prices." "So ten million silver dollars will probably not have the value of 'ten million' after the currency reform." Chen Jiqing was very puzzled. Why couldn't the cabinet and the governor's office see such a simple question? They were quarreling back and forth, why didn't they find someone to come to the bank management meeting to ask about the banknotes?

This is a change that the imperial court itself is promoting.

As a standing member of the Banking Regulatory Commission, Chen Jigong is very aware of the banknotes that will be introduced soon. Although the law stipulates that one silver dollar is equivalent to one silver dollar, if silver and gold are exchanged for banknotes at the bank within the specified time, one silver dollar can be exchanged for Twelve dollar banknote. When people exchange real gold and silver for banknotes in the first three months, they can get a 20% increase. This is a preferential policy and a red fruit temptation. With such a certain increase in currency circulation, it can be expected that prices across the country will generally rise. As for whether the magnitude is high or low, Chen Jiqing cannot draw a conclusion now.

This matter is also classified as an absolute secret in the Banking Supervisory Committee. It is not surprising that the people in the cabinet have not heard the news, but they must have a certain perspective to see this matter, right?

Not to mention anything else, paper money is inherently incapable of gaining the trust of the people. China's use of gold and silver as currency is not just a matter of one or two years, but hundreds of years. It is a matter of course. Now the imperial court suddenly issued an order not to allow the common people to use real money anymore. Holding this piece of paper in their hands, no matter how much they trust the court, they will feel very uneasy in their hearts, right? And there is a 20% increase in currency value. Isn't this proof that paper currency did not have silver dollars? What's more, China has learned a lesson from the Yuan and Ming Dynasty banknotes. When these banknotes are in the hands of ordinary people, their money is actually depreciating.

Chen Mingcai allowed 20% more banknotes to be exchanged, which was a compensation to a certain extent. It was also an inducement to use people's greed for small gains to promote banknotes in Chinese social life as soon as possible.

So under such a situation, you can know with your toes that prices across the country will usher in a wave of rising climax.

The cabinet and the governor's office are really a bit slow. Even if the news is blocked, they shouldn't have thought of this? ——The common people have certain doubts about banknotes. This alone will definitely cause a shock to the market. At that time, the money in their hands was not so ‘valuable’.

Chen Ming approved the word "read" on the report submitted by the bank management committee. When he saw Chen Jiqing's mumbling, he couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think any government agency is as sensitive to the social market as the Banking Regulatory Commission?" How is that possible?

The Banking Management Committee is an elite organization that Chen Ming spent a lot of energy to raise. The standing committee has only five people, and there are not many consultants and staff under the standing committee. Even those who do odd jobs outside, now there are always The number of people was probably around fifty. But among these fifty people, many of the middle and lower levels were shopkeepers and big shopkeepers who had been working in banks for more than ten years. They are the group of people who have the deepest understanding of ‘currency’ in China at present.

With the issuance of banknotes, the Banking Regulatory Commission, which is studying the Western economic system, is also planning a new goal-the stock exchange. The report sent by Chen Jiqing today is the "market forecast" of the Banking Regulatory Commission.

They believe that with the peace of the world, China will inevitably usher in an unpredictable wave of economic recovery, and as companies and shares account for an increasing proportion of the economy, it is imperative to open a stock exchange.

You know, according to some information obtained by the Banking Regulatory Commission from various banks, when many companies and individuals are facing tight financial operations or unable to meet industry expansion, they have only two ways to obtain money. One is from relatives and friends. Friends, this is the safest and most reliable source of funds; the second is bank loans.

Although the 'markets' in each port are far more prosperous than ordinary prefectural cities or even provincial cities in the interior, the area of ​​the former is too small. Compared with the vast inland China, there is only a gap between a chicken and a cow. The market of the former has an initial trend of saturation, but the latter is still hungry.

"... After research, our Banking Regulatory Commission feels that opening a stock exchange is an imperative move in the future. Therefore, we want to have a comprehensive and detailed understanding of Western stock exchanges in advance." The emergence of stock exchanges can To make better use of private wealth, the Banking Regulatory Commission wants to send people to the West to inspect, collect various detailed information before and after the establishment of stock exchanges in various countries, and predict future development trends, and integrate them so that they can be used for their own use in the future.

Chen Ming gave this report a thumbs up! Be enterprising.

"Who are you going to send?"

"Huang Song leads the team, Lu Guanheng, Wu Guoying..." Chen Jiqing quickly said several preliminaries.

The name Chen Ming here may sound impressive to you, while others may sound completely unfamiliar to you. For example, under the yellow pine, Lu Guanheng is ranked first. "Who is this person?" Being listed behind Lao Biao is obviously something that the bank management will be very optimistic about.

"Lu Guanheng is from Xinhui, Guangdong. He used to transport grain, rice, oil, salt and iron to Zheng Ji, and he made a fortune relying on the Tiandihui in central Fujian. But this man is a smart man. He knows whether Tiandihui can succeed, so he has taken the initiative to find him. Went to the secret camp. Then last winter, under the instructions of the National Security Bureau, we cut off all contact with Minzhong.”

"Wu Guoying was born as a clerk in the Pan family. She studied at Nanhai Academy in Guangzhou for one year, but soon got bored. She dropped out of Nanhai Academy despite her family's objections and worked as a clerk in Pan Zhencheng's bulk cargo stall. For more than ten years, she dropped out of Nanhai Academy despite her family's objections. He rose from an ordinary clerk to a semi-colon manager within a year, and was highly regarded by Pan Zhencheng. When Pan Zhencheng joined the company, he was also transferred to the Bank Management Committee last summer. "

…

Chen Jiqing recounted the names, origins, and life experiences of eleven or two people in a row. It can be said that these people are all people whom the Banking Supervisory Committee can trust. Chen Jiqing's ability to know the information of these people by heart also shows that the senior management of the Banking Regulatory Commission attaches great importance to this new plan.

Chen Ming nodded. He knew the origins of these people, but he would not get involved lightly. When it comes to understanding these people, he is far inferior to the Banking Regulatory Commission, so why should he get involved? It is most appropriate for the bank management committee to make the decision.

Chen Jiqing smiled, left the Prince's Mansion with Chen Ming's conclusive answer, and drove directly to Huang's house.

Huang Song was willing to go abroad with his men this time, and he was very determined. Of course, it is an absolute prerequisite that he has left roots for the Huang family. Huang Song identified the stock exchange, and each of the three top second-generation people who gathered under Chen Ming as advisers found their own future.

Gao Yanming turned to diplomacy, Chen Jiqing was about to work in the banking management committee, and Huang Song set his sights on the stock exchange...