20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 492: Selecting troops and generals, ready to go

Since the late Qing Dynasty, foreign currencies from various countries have flooded into the market, and the court's currency system has been extremely chaotic, especially in the three northeastern provinces.

Just the most common currencies on the market included Fengtian Ocean Notes, Kazakh Ocean Notes, Gold Notes of the Bank of Korea, Military Notes of the East, and Japanese Yen. The exchange rates between them fluctuated so much that it was completely confusing.

If we add the official notes issued by various provinces, the private notes issued by major chambers of commerce and businesses, and the old money left over from the Qing Dynasty, the currency system is simply in a mess.

Nowadays, the most credible and valuable currency is still the Great Wallet.

For no other reason, the words "immediate redemption" were written on the face of the Harbin Ocean Notes, which could be exchanged for silver dollars of equal value in Harbin.

In addition, Harbin Ocean Notes were backed by the Bank of China, the Bank of Communications, and the official silver banks of the three northeastern provinces, so they were often circulated in Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangzuo and other places. However, if one wanted to exchange them for silver dollars, one could only trade in Harbin.

At the same time, in order to ensure the credibility of the "exchange for notes" of Harbin silver dollars, tens of millions of silver dollars were transferred to Harbin, and an international financial center in the Far East was built.

However, this move also caused the price of silver in Jilin and Fengtian provinces to rise, leaving money shop owners with an opportunity to make profits.

Ten yuan in Harbin ocean notes can be exchanged for ten silver dollars in Harbin; but these ten silver dollars, after being transferred several times in other places, can be exchanged for eleven yuan in Harbin ocean notes; if you then go to Harbin again, you can exchange them for eleven silver dollars again.

By repeating this cycle, you can make huge profits.

The price would be to drain the reserve fund of the Ha'an dollar, and - possibly lose your head.

If the world is peaceful, the situation can still be maintained; but once the situation becomes turbulent, a bank run will inevitably occur.

In times of war, real money is the hard truth - this is something even farmers who work in the soil understand.

The difference is that some people realize it first, while others realize it later.

By the time ordinary people get wind of the situation, the real gold and silver will probably have already been exchanged away by the powerful and wealthy.

Jiang Lianheng never cared much about such trivial matters.

But Hu Xiaoyan was in charge of the accounts at home, and was quite sensitive about how to seek profit and avoid harm. She still remembered the shortage of Fengpiao in recent years vividly.

Hearing this, the eldest sister-in-law hurriedly ordered: "The Jiang family must take the lead in buying provincial government bonds. This money cannot be saved, but it must be purchased with Fengpiao. In addition, the Harbin dollar notes on the counter must be exchanged for cash in Harbin as soon as possible. Nanfeng, I'll leave this matter to you."

Wang Zhengnan nodded, but asked, "Sister-in-law, why don't we take this opportunity to make another fortune?"

"What are you trying to get!" Hu Xiaoyan scolded, "We are about to go to war. You can take shelter, but taking this opportunity to make money will only destroy Marshal Zhang's backstage. Do you want to make money without risking your life?"

"No, no, I'm just asking casually." Wang Zhengnan laughed foolishly and immediately became obedient.

After hearing this, everyone prepared to go back and exchange their money for cash.

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about this matter. Lao Zhang has another errand for me to do. Ladies and gentlemen, I have to go to Jiangzuo, Shanghai, the foreign land soon."

Hu Xiaoyan and the others were stunned for a moment, and asked hurriedly: "We are staying well in Fengtian, why are we going there?"

"Then go talk to Lao Zhang for me?" Jiang Lianheng asked unhappily. "The Jiang family got by by being a spy for Lao Zhang from the beginning. Lao Zhang wants news from Shanghai now. What can I say?"

Everyone was silent.

Jiang Lianheng then relayed Marshal Zhang's instructions.

It is easy to recruit foreign engineers from Shanghai, as long as it is done in an open and aboveboard manner; it is also easy to inquire about the business situation and public opinion in Shanghai, as long as you pay more attention; the only thing is to place spies on the lake, which is really difficult.

Northerners, especially those from outside the Great Wall, were rarely seen in the foreign lands.

Marshal Zhang allocated 100,000 yuan for the activity. Although using money to win over the informant was a method, it was not reliable. Moreover, he did not know the informant's background well, and he could not be sure of the informant's ability.

But no matter how many difficulties there are, there is no way to refuse.

What we need to consider now is who to take with us on this mission.

"I'll go."

Zhao Guoyan sat in an armchair at the far end, folded his arms, and blurted out the words without any hesitation in his tone.

As the "head of the gun" of the Jiang family, Lao Zhao has always been the most capable fighter, so there is nothing wrong with bringing him to Shanghai.

However, Jiang Lianheng thought about it again and again, but still shook his head.

"Guo Yan, don't go on this errand." He said, "I'm going to Jiangzuo this time, and I won't be back for three days. If someone on the line asks for help, there must be someone at home who can calm the situation."

"Then I'll go?" Li Zhengxi asked immediately.

This time, Jiang Lianheng did not refuse, but nodded and said, "Xifeng can go with me. Also - Wen Tingge should also go with me."

When Wen Tingge heard his name, he was a little surprised at first, but then he thought again that this was the opportunity to make merit that he had been longing for, so he readily agreed.

Wen Tingge is now the thief leader of Fengtian. If the big and small monks in the provincial capital want to open a business, they have to come to him to pay homage. Otherwise, they would be giving the Jiang family no face. When he is wanted by both the black and white worlds, no matter how powerful he is, he will be unable to escape.

"Boss, I'll tell my men later so we can set off early tomorrow morning."

Wen Tingge was eager to try, but Li Zhengxi listened and turned away silently.

"There's no need to be so anxious." Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "Shanghai is not an ordinary place. We need to prepare well before we set off."

As he spoke, he glanced at the remaining people.

Xue Yingqing immediately asked, "Do you want me to go with you?"

"Forget it." Jiang Lianheng refused flatly, "You look like a troublemaker. You may cause trouble even if nothing happened."

"Tsk - it's better not to go, so I don't have to go back and forth."

Although Xue Yingqing is wild and active, she is not willing to get too close to the government by nature. Although she looks like a modern girl, she is actually an old-fashioned gangster at heart.

"Manager Xue, you don't have to go, but if Brother Zhang comes to your place recently, you must treat him well." Jiang Lianheng instructed.

"I know, I know." Xue Yingqing waved his hand impatiently, "I've already told Kang Zheng and the others that when that tall guy comes, we'll give him the best possible reception."

Jiang Lianheng hesitated and nodded.

I had originally planned to take advantage of this time to help the great poet Zhang with his advice, but unexpected events occurred. For now, I can only complete the task assigned by the Marshal first.

Of the remaining three, Zhang Zhengdong would definitely not leave, and Wang Zhengnan had to go to Harbin to exchange silver dollars, so only Liu Yansheng had time to dispatch them. "Boss, I've been to Shanghai with my master before." Liu Yansheng volunteered, "How about I go with you on this errand? There are many southerners there, and maybe I can run into someone I know."

"That would be great." Jiang Lianheng said, "But even if you are an acquaintance, you haven't seen each other for at least fifteen or sixteen years, right? No one can tell what the situation is over there now."

At this time, Hu Xiaoyan suddenly said, "If you ask me, let Yansheng ask around in the Chamber of Commerce to see which companies have business dealings in Shanghai. Even if there are few northerners in Shanghai, there shouldn't be none, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yansheng immediately responded, "I know two shops that sell medicinal herbs. They ship ginseng and deer antlers from southern Liaoning to Shanghai. There should be employees there to take care of them."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Zhengnan quickly took over the conversation, "Ask someone to ask in Shanghai if there is a hometown association of Fengtian. Even if there are only three or five people, it's better than going there without anyone to guide the way!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The Jiang family is now very powerful and is considered the number one expert in the entire outer border area. Even if they are going to a city where they are unfamiliar with the place, they will not be completely in the dark and run around like a headless fly.

Jiang Lianheng thought for a moment, and finally made a decision: "That's settled. Xifeng, Yansheng, and Wen Tingge will go with me on this trip to Shanghai. Everyone go back and make preparations. When the Marshal's Mansion allocates funds, we will go south to Jiangzuo."

Everyone could see that Jiang Lianheng was unwilling.

This trip south was forced upon me, but I can't blame anyone else.

Perhaps, since the moment Jiang Lianheng presented the list of members of the Anti-Qing Society to Zhang Laogenda in exchange for official connivance and acquiescence ten years ago, the future fate of the Jiang family had already been determined.

It's like a speeding train. Knowing that there is a deep and endless tunnel ahead, it has no power to turn around and can only continue moving forward in the direction of the tracks. Derailment means the train will be destroyed and people will die.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't say he regretted anything, because at that moment, he had no better choice.

But how much room for autonomy he will have in the future now seems to be unknown.

He was not worried about making his way in the foreign land. No matter how powerful a street thug was, he could not be more powerful than a mountain bandit. There was nothing to be afraid of. What he was really worried about was that making his way in the foreign land was just the beginning, and there would probably be more and more such assignments in the future.

Once you lose your independence, the livelihood of your entire family will be in the hands of others.

Only family members will truly care about their own interests.

Those who live in the underworld must seek profit and avoid harm.

There will certainly be many benefits to following Marshal Zhang, but can all the disadvantages be avoided?

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Jiang Lianheng knew that it was useless to say more, so he waved his hand and changed the subject, "By the way, Guoyan, I'll ask Yasipsen to go with me to Shanghai this time. He's German, and Lao Zhang wants to recruit foreign engineers in Shanghai, so it's more appropriate for him to be a lobbyist. He won't refuse to help with this little favor."

"Okay, I'll go talk to him later." Zhao Guoyan nodded.

"Okay, if there's nothing else, everyone can go home."

After saying that, everyone responded and were about to get up and leave, but they were suddenly stunned, as if they felt that something was missing on this trip, but suddenly they couldn't remember what it was.

After thinking carefully for a while, I finally reacted.

"Boss, aren't you going to bring Chuanghu with you on this errand?"

The person asking the questions was Zhao Guoyan, and the rest of the people also woke up from their dreams soon after.

Jiang Lianheng had gone on several long journeys before, whether for business or to look for enemies, and he almost always had "Bed Under the Poppy" by his side.

Taking this kid Chuanghu with him always seems to bring some unexpected gains. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a lucky general.

Moreover, this time, Chuang Hu actually took the rare initiative to ask to go along, but Jiang Lianheng had no intention of taking him along.

"This trip to Shanghai is to recruit foreign engineers, plant spies for Zhang in Jiangzuo, and to find out about business and public opinion. I don't have anything to do, so there's no need to bring him along. Too many people will attract too much attention."

Jiang Lianheng knew that Chuanghu was just being playful this time, and after thinking about it, he didn't think there was any place where this kid's abilities would be useful.

What's more, there is already Wen Tingge in the team. In terms of following the team, his ability is far better than Chuang Hu. There is no need to sneak under his bed to listen to every news.

But Hu Xiaoyan said, "If Chuanghu wants to go, then take him with you. It doesn't matter if he goes alone. After all, it's a long journey, and more people will help us take care of each other."

It’s still the sister-in-law who has the final say!
As soon as Hu Xiaoyan recommended him, Jiang Lianheng was no longer stubborn.

"That's fine too. Just think of it as helping Hu Zi find inspiration." Jiang Lianheng nodded in agreement, then smiled and waved his hand, "Okay, okay, let's all go. I won't serve dinner tonight!"

After a few jokes, the atmosphere suddenly became a lot more relaxed.

Everyone stood up laughing and went back to their homes early while it was still light.

For the next three or two days, everyone was busy and had no time to rest.

The Jiang family's power is now as stable as a rock in the provincial capital. This time they are heading south, with Zhao Guoyan staying behind to take charge, so of course they have no worries. However, there are still many trivial matters that need to be taken care of.

Xue Yingqing wanted to urge Kang Zheng and others to entertain the great poet Zhang and his colleagues who came to join him.

Zhao Guoyan came to the building of Zongheng Insurance Company and contacted Fangyan about Hezi, who had recently come online to seek help from the Jiang family.

Liu Yansheng inquired in the Chamber of Commerce whether the shop owners had business dealings in Shanghai. He also supervised the purchase of provincial government bonds and paid attention to the situation of the Fengtian Association in Shanghai, so that when he went south, he would have someone to lead the way and act as a guide.

Wen Tingge notified the famous Buddhist master in Fengtian, as well as the black market dealers who specialized in selling stolen goods, and even made a special call to Mr. Jiang Erye of the Patrol Police Bureau, telling him that if there was any major case involving the Rong family recently, they would be arrested.

Wang Zhengnan summoned the managers and accountants of Jiang's various businesses, temporarily collected the surplus on the counter, took four or five "xiangzi", and went to Harbin to exchange them for silver dollars.

Li Zhengxi properly arranged the messy piece of land along the small river and temporarily handed over the matter of "land acquisition" to his subordinates to manage.

Needless to say, Zhao Zhengbei was in the military camp and did not ask about the Jiang family's affairs.

East wind?

Zhang Zhengdong also has to pick up Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye from school. This is one of the most important events in the Jiang family and can only be done by him.

By the time Jiang Lianheng and others had finished packing and the Marshal's Mansion had allocated funds for the spy's activities, the trip to Shanghai was already on the verge of being launched.

It was precisely because of this episode that Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan rarely quarreled for a few days. Instead, the couple was very loving. Every midnight, they would whisper to each other at the bedside, giving each other all kinds of instructions and discussions.

Half a month later, Jiang Lianheng and his men set off by train, heading south to Jiangzuo.

(End of this chapter)