The longevity of the heavens begins with Mingyu Gong

Chapter 14
Amidst the neighing of people and the neighing of horses, there was the sound of whistles. As the two watched, the pedestrians and convoys on the road began to give way to both sides of the road, and quickly gave way to a road.

The two of them squeezed into the pile of goods in a tacit understanding, and the straw hats on their heads were pulled down even lower.

Looking squinting, a four-wheeled vehicle with a simple shape rumbled over amidst the awe-inspiring eyes of the crowd and the dust flying in the sky.

The dirt roads in the late Qing Dynasty were completely real dirt roads. Not to mention the bumps, when cars and horses passed by, it was just a simple sandstorm that flew towards you.

In the flying dust, Hu Tianpoo recognized that it was an Oldsmobile, an American car that was extremely rare in this era.

In the late Qing Dynasty, even in the capital city, vehicles driven by animal power were the most common, such as horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, mule carts, and ox carts.

Officials from wealthy households usually choose horse-drawn carriages or rickshaws when traveling.

These days, bicycles are imported products, extremely rare gadgets, and automobiles, that is, in Guangzhou, which is a major trade center and has been most heavily baptized by the West, only wealthy families buy them.

"What is this iron bump? Why is it screaming and running?"

People who have never seen a car, looked at the passing cars, and whispered.

"I heard people say that this is called a Qiche. It is said to be a Western thing, but it is very expensive. Most people can't afford one for a lifetime without eating or drinking."

"It's so expensive, so whose family is it?"

"I've seen the person sitting on it. It belongs to Wang Jiachong. The Wang family, the richest man in Guangzhou, came to our village to collect rent last time. This is the Wang family's car."

Hearing the name of the Wang family, Song Xing could feel the awe-inspiring eyes of the people around him.

When the car drove past, no matter whether it was people, horses or goods, they were all covered with a layer of earthy yellow, but facing the powerful Wang family, everyone could only mutter a few words in a low voice, and continued to pack their bags and go on their way.

The road quickly returned to its original crowded appearance, and Song Xing patted the dust on his body. Turning his head, he saw Hu Tianpoo staring thoughtfully at the car driving away.

Song Xing asked vigilantly: "Is there something wrong?"

Hu Tianjiao came back to his senses and shook his head: "No, mentioning this Wang family reminds me of an old friend. Maybe we can enter the city in a different way."

The Wang family, the richest man in Guangzhou, is not just an ordinary wealthy businessman's family.

In the middle of the 19th century, due to the closed-door policy of the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou became the only foreign trade port on the southeast coast.

Since then, Guangzhou has become the center of overseas import and export trade.

Such great business opportunities gave birth to the most capable businessmen in the Qing Dynasty. They were not only the leaders of domestic trade, but also the window of China's foreign exchanges.

Only through them, trading ships from Europe and the United States can enter Guangzhou, connect with China's huge market network, and transport high-profit Chinese-made products back to China for sale.

Under the link of interests, businessmen in Guangzhou Prefecture united together and established Guangzhou Shisanhang Merchant, whose business covers all industries in Guangzhou Prefecture.

Among them, the five major families headed by Wang, Pan, Lu, Wu, and Ye were the leaders of all commercial firms and had great influence in the Guangzhou government at that time.

Wealth is a godsend. When foreigners' warships sailed into China's ports and the ruling power of the Qing court was shaky, these five families relied on their huge financial resources to make friends with foreigners, and they got mixed up in Guangzhou instead.

Their industry is no longer limited to owning real estate, real estate, tea gardens, shops, etc. in China, but also has a large number of industries in Western and Southeast Asia.

Compared with the other four major families, the Wang family has dominated Guangzhou for thousands of years. It is a veritable family of thousands of years that has experienced several dynasties. helpless.

And the biggest confidence that allows the Wang family to stand firm in the troubled times is that the Wang family never puts chips in one basket.

The ancestors of the Wang family knew very well that without the blessing of the imperial court, no amount of wealth could be passed on. Therefore, the children of the Wang family focused on education. Since the Kangxi period, every generation has been a Jinshi. The highest officials even went to the general of Jingzhou, the governor of Huguang, the bachelor of Wenhuadian and the secretary of the Ministry of punishment.

Thanks to this, the Wang family's foundation grew stronger and stronger, becoming the largest family in Guangzhou.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Wang family resolutely made friends with foreigners. In Guangzhou Mansion, a place where good and bad people were mixed, even the governor had to look at their faces. He could be called a veritable local emperor.

Hu Tiangao explained the details of the Wang family to Song Xing, but he didn't notice that Song Xing's surprised eyes flashed away under the brim of his hat.

Because this Wang family happens to be the descendants of Wang Du, and it is also the Wang family that has the ancient mirror hidden in the jade seal mission.

Hu Tianjiao is still saying: "When I was studying, I had a classmate named Wang Yigu. Although he was born in a family, he was dissatisfied with the corrupt rule of the Qing court. Later, when I joined the Fuxing Society, I was much appreciated by him. funding."

Song Xing had already guessed: "This Wang Yigu is from the Wang family?"

If the Wang family had such power in Guangzhou Mansion, what Hu Tianjiao wanted was to use Wang Yigu's power to enter Guangzhou City.

"That's right," Hu Tianjiao nodded, "But he is not a direct descendant of the Wang family, but just a side branch of the Wang family. I don't know if it will work if he comes to the door rashly."

Hu Tianjiao's secrets are too important, if it is not a last resort, he is unwilling to expose it under the eyes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In the Guangzhou government, if the Green Battalion intervenes again, it will undoubtedly be extremely difficult to leave Guangzhou for Hong Kong without anyone noticing.

Song Xing pondered for a while, and said: "If you can borrow the power of the Wang family, it is best not to alarm the Qing court, but is this person reliable?"

In this era, Song Xing has seen many businessmen who are ungrateful for profit, and some doubt whether the Wang family will betray them.

Hu Tianjiao saw that a box of goods next to him was tilted, stepped forward to straighten it, and then said: "These families that can be passed down for hundreds of years are best at hedging their bets when the wind direction is unclear."

"Although we failed several times in the uprising, it also made these aristocratic families see clearly that the Qing government's control over Guangdong and Guangxi has become increasingly weak."

"Combined with the fact that the Green Camp's Eight Banners' fighting strength is corrupt, and with foreigners as their backing, the Wang family will not completely fall to the Qing court."

Looking back at the long crowd behind him, Hu Tianjiao said with certainty: "Besides, I believe Wang Yigu, even if he won't help us, he won't betray us."

Seeing what Hu Tiangao said, Song Xing nodded and said, "Okay, then let's go to Wangjiachong first."

(End of this chapter)