Ru Shui's gaze, which was extremely out of proportion to his fat body, calmly passed over everyone's faces, which showed regret, regret, anxiety, anger, frustration and fear. Liao Qichang secretly sighed in his heart for these short-sighted guys. If he had known this, why would he bother them in the first place? He had already mentioned them over and over again, but Their narrow vision makes them like frogs at the bottom of a well, unable to see the whole world until they see the tiny spot in front of them.
Just as Li Wufeng said when he and Li Wufeng talked about the merchants in Jiangnan, merchants can only be the wheels on a chariot. The quality of the wheels can determine the speed of the chariot, but if it is missing, it will not run on its own. Nor can it decide the direction. The one who leads the direction of the chariot can only be the war horse, and the war horse as the guide of history is the person in power who can take a high-level view of the problem. When the chariot is running fast, only the wheels are consumed and worn. The more brutal the war is and the longer it lasts, the deeper the damage will be to the wheels.
Only then did Liao Qichang feel that the other party's words were really insightful. Look at the group of guys in front of him. The usual domineering and wealthy people have long disappeared. Faced with the extortion of the powerful regime, they did not dare to say a word and could only obediently transfer their property to them. Seriously, to be honest, he really doesn't want to deal with these guys, but as the governor of Jiangnan County, he is also the unwavering representative of Jiangnan's business power. If he lets it go, I'm afraid that Jiangnan's business power will really... In this battle that comes like sea, rain, sky and wind, not even one of them can survive.
"Everyone, what we need now is to calm down and discuss how to protect the capital, property and interests of our respective families to the greatest extent. I don't want to talk nonsense. I think you all regret now why you didn't listen to what I reminded you. But let's talk now These things no longer have much meaning, and it is most important to face reality." Liao Qichang originally did not want to mention the past, but when he thought about how these guys had acted against each other, he felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but beat them with guns and sticks. .
Embarrassed looks of guilt and regret appeared on everyone's faces. When Liao Qichang made the suggestion, he always thought that the other party had a close personal relationship with Li Wufeng and wanted to help Li Wufeng open up a situation. Unexpectedly, the words struck a chord, and the other party really caught on. But now It's too late to regret, but I really hope that the other party can now point out a clear path for everyone, so as to protect the interests of each family to the maximum extent.
"I can tell you honestly that based on my observations, the safest places at present are Guanxi County and Tiannan County controlled by Li Wufeng. Of course, Burma is also good, but the basic conditions are worse. You may want to ask, Li Wufeng The controlled area is so large, why do we only refer to Kansai and Tiannan? Kansai Tiannan has undergone drastic changes. Once the emperor and the courtiers changed their masters, the political and economic forces will undergo large-scale blood changes and adjustments within a period of time. This It is something that every dynasty, every generation, and every place must inevitably experience. It is precisely in this way that outsiders can be given opportunities. The Wen family has probably been ahead of you in this regard. The Southern Bank in Tiannan County has been acquired by the Wen family. Now it has become the second largest bank in Tiannan and Myanmar after the Northwest Bank, and the Wen family has also won considerable political credibility in the entire northwest, which is also the most important guarantee to ensure the safety of the Wen family's assets."
Liao Qichang's words immediately attracted a lot of boos and envious looks from the Wen family. No wonder the Wen family began to sell off their properties in the past six months, and the scale of their business gradually became smaller. I originally thought that the Wen family was in decline. There were even two families that thought they could replace the Wen family as the leader of the seven Jiangnan families, but they didn't expect that this was the case.
On the other hand, Wen Ge smiled and met everyone's gaze and said calmly: "Brothers don't have any foresight. Back then, brothers also invited you to invest in the northwest, but you didn't seem to be very interested, so Wen Ge had to take the first step. As for Southern Bank, that’s because Mr. Wen previously acquired Chase Bank in the northwest, and there was this factor involved, so Mr. Li was so considerate that he asked Mr. Wen to take over. In fact, it’s not a lucrative position. In terms of economic benefits, I’m afraid The Wen family will still suffer some losses, but Wen thinks it’s worth it.”
Of course it’s worth it. A lot of people are in the shopping mall. Access to the financial industry is very strict in various places. No matter how rich you are, if you don’t have a good relationship with the people in power, you will never be able to enter this market. Southern Bank It was once the leader in Tiannan's financial industry. After taking over, with the funds of the Wen family and the support of those in power, it was quickly able to come back to life. What's even more rare is that it won the appreciation of Li Wufeng. It can be said to be a great thing with hundreds of benefits and no harm.
Seeing the gloomy and gloomy faces of a group of people, Liao Qichang felt the need to encourage everyone's confidence: "Everyone, instead of trying to fish in the abyss, it is better to retreat and build a net to mend the situation before it is too late."
"Master Liao, it's just that we didn't listen to your teachings at the beginning, so we made mistakes one step at a time. Now only you can show us a clear path and see where the seven Jiangnan families should go." He coughed. With a sound, the rickety old man stood up and bowed deeply to Liao Qichang. Liao Qichang was so panicked that he quickly stood up and supported him and said: "Mr. Qian, you are overly complimentary. You can't blame everyone. After all, it's hard to leave your hometown. It's hard to leave this hometown." No one can easily erase our feelings, but now that the situation is about to get serious, I’m afraid we have to prepare for the worst.”
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on his face, Liao Qichang felt the expectation and pressure behind these eyes. In all his years in politics, he had never felt such great pressure, which was almost suffocating.
"Everyone, although the situation in Jiangnan will not change much in the short term, in my personal opinion, it is inevitable to face a major war. Let us first look at this sudden drought. This drought has already It has affected the entire eastern continent, especially the central and northern parts. Except for a few places such as Wadi and other places that have a bumper harvest in spring, the rest of the places have experienced widespread crop failure or even no harvests. As of now, the drought still shows no signs of easing, except for Jiangnan and Wuhu. Except for the Jianglinhu area, which can barely survive, if this drought continues, I'm afraid it will be another catastrophe in the entire Eastern Continent."
"Our Jiangnan and Five Lakes have crisscrossed water systems and well-developed irrigation. No matter what happens, there will be no crop failure. At most, there will be a bad harvest. This is originally a good thing, but in the eyes of outsiders, it may become a coveted fat. . Putting aside the distance, I estimate that His Highness’s next plan is to march into Jiangnan and maintain his huge army. Jiangnan is indispensable both from the perspective of food issues and finance and taxation. Yes, taking Jiangnan will not only ensure the operation of his regime, but also cut off an arm of the current emperor; and His Highness the King of Chu's performance in the East China Sea has been too bad, which has fueled His Highness's determination to go south. His Highness the King of Chu is now Our military strength is simply not enough to compete with His Highness, that’s why we are expanding our army with such great fanfare, and military expansion requires military expenditures, so it is only normal to ask for donations from you. But on the other hand, as the backing of His Highness the King of Chu, the Milan people also suffered from drought. , they also need food, it is reasonable for the Milan people to intervene, and the Milan people will never be willing to just hide behind His Highness King Chu. If they really want to enter Jiangnan, I am afraid they will never be willing to go back."
Although it was midsummer, the biting sweat penetrated into the hearts of everyone without any hindrance. They had never considered the interests of their own family from the perspective of changes in the political situation of the entire empire. Jiangnan had become the focus of all forces. All parties are bound to gain the fat. Then His Royal Highness the King of Chu will unite with the people of Milan to fight against His Highness's army. The battle will start in Jiangnan. What will this battle look like? How long will it last? Which side should your family be on, and which side will be the final winner? You can imagine the consequences of standing on the wrong team.
"I'm afraid things are not just that simple. His Highness the Sixth Prince has now established a foothold in Wuhu and won the full support of the land nobles in the Wuhu area. Now he is also expanding his army aggressively. In addition to dealing with the threat of the Macihans, he Whether he will have designs on Jiangnan, especially when His Highness is at war with His Royal Highness the King of Chu and the Milan people, I can’t predict which step he will take. In addition, Cheng Dayou, the leader of the Taiping Rebel Party who is hiding in Jiujiang, He has been working hard behind closed doors for so long. What's even more strange is that all parties turn a blind eye to him. This person is also quite dangerous. Once Jiangnan becomes a battlefield for all parties, it is also very difficult to see whether he will get involved. It's hard to say." Liao Qi added carefully.
"All in all, once this war breaks out, it will be protracted and will definitely not end in three to five months or half a year. This requires huge funds to support. Jiangnan is the big deal in the minds of all the contenders, and you are the most popular in the eyes of those people. A good contributor of capital and property is the best part of the dish.”
As Liao Qichang, who has been up and down in the officialdom and politics for decades, his analysis could not help but admire this guy's keen sense of smell and vision even if Situ Tai, Situ Yuan, Situ Biao, even Cheng Dayou and the Milanese were sitting aside to listen. Kuang Kuang, just based on the interests of the seven major industrial and commercial families in Jiangnan, he was able to analyze the deep roots behind this.
After Liao Qichang's words fell, the entire Huafang fell into a deathly silence again. Everyone could see the panic and despair in each other's eyes as they looked at each other. The battle for Jiangnan was about to break out, and in order to win, his family had to hold on to those hands. In the hands of the powerful, they are almost like fat sheep. They have no power to resist and can only obediently offer all their wealth. Using one's own bones to boil one's own oil is the truest evaluation of this war. War will not only destroy the economic environment, but the funds to support the war will inevitably fall on everyone here.