Chapter Twenty-Four: The Ticket Number

  Li Mingfeng thought to himself that this person was indeed straightforward and, seeing that he wasn't a deceitful or evasive person, became more frank and direct.

  When he saw Li Mingfeng gesture for him to sit down, Zhang Shiping didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly on the edge of the bed. He then said: "The business I do is all related to the Bu Zhuang wine shop. Although it can earn some silver, the business has always been unable to expand. In recent years, the development of ticketing houses has been very rapid, with several households rising rapidly in just a few years. To be honest, Zhang also wants to get a share of the profits, but unfortunately, there is no way to do so. Please help me out, sir." As he spoke, Zhang Shiping handed over a silver note, and Old Li accepted it without hesitation.

  Li Mingfeng didn't understand the ticket business at all. In his understanding, it was a private bank. What does the bank's business need to help with? He asked questions and the two of them talked for a long time, Li Mingfeng finally understood the general meaning.

  Originally, the ticket number was a highly profitable industry, completely unlike later generations where banks survived on loans. The main business of the ticket number was universal exchange, and the most profitable one was the annual tax exchange. Before the emergence of ticket numbers, the imperial court's taxes were all collected by various provinces, scattered silver coins were melted into official silver, and then regular troops were dispatched to escort them to the capital.

  When it's time to give local officials their salaries or soldiers their grain allowances, or when disaster strikes and silver is allocated for disaster relief, the court takes out more silver from the treasury and dispatches troops to escort it. It's usually distributed into the hands of soldiers or disaster-stricken commoners, and the official silver is again broken up and used in small change.

  This smelt silver, generally has fifteen percent of fire consumption, the cost of delivery is also around ten percent. Since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom uprising, the Taiping army's power stretched across the Yangtze River basin, cutting off transportation between north and south, making it a big problem to deliver tax silver from southern provinces, with delivery costs reaching twenty or thirty percent of the tax silver.

  The emergence of draft solved the problem, only need to submit a silver bill, the imperial court can directly go to the draft's branch in Beijing to withdraw the corresponding silver, Zhang Shiping wanted to do this business.

  However, to do this business, at least three conditions must be met: First, there must be sufficient silver, with at least over a million taels of silver in circulation; Second, there must be enough branches and shopkeepers; Third, and most importantly, it is necessary to gain the trust of local officials.

  Zhang Shipei's first two conditions can barely be met. His family's cloth store, tea house and wine shop have branches in many provinces, and after years of operation, they have accumulated a lot of silver and have many experienced managers.

  The third item was not so easy to satisfy, he also tried to give silver to the governors of several provinces, but no one accepted. It's not that officials suddenly became honest, but rather that the imperial court's tax officials couldn't be careless with their silver. If there were even a slight problem in this matter, they could lose their heads. The Daye Datong Chang hundred-year-old shop sign was so hard to come by, and only a few provinces like Shanxi and Shaanxi trusted them.

  Zhang Shiping now opens his mouth and lets the governor-general take out several million taels of silver tax for that year, Li Mingfeng thinks that if he were to be the governor-general himself, he would not trust him either, after all, it's a big deal.

  "Are you asking me to go and beg the Governor-General to intervene, so that this matter of exchanging the official silver can be handled by you?" Li Mingfeng asked with a furrowed brow. Although he was confident that Bai Gui would give him some face in ordinary matters, when it came to matters involving his official rank and even his life, Li Mingfeng didn't dare say how much face he still had left with Bai Gui.

  "Governor Li misunderstood, I don't want the right to exchange official silver between these two provinces." Zhang Shiping said with a smile. Ignoring Li Mingfeng's stunned expression, Zhang Shiping continued: "What I want is the right to exchange official silver in all thirteen provinces of the Qing Empire, from Nanjing to Beijing!"

  As soon as this was said, Li Mingfeng felt that there was something wrong with his ears. To say that he could still put in some effort for the affairs of the two Guangs, but the entire Qing dynasty's official silver exchange, such a big thing, how could he be of any help? How could Zhang Shipei be so arrogant?

  It seemed that Zhang Shipei saw Li Mingfeng's doubts, and explained: "Don't worry, sir. Since I've said this, I still have some confidence in doing it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

  "I'd love to hear more!" Li Mingfeng thought about the man's behavior at the banquet and knew he wasn't an ordinary person, maybe he really had a way to get this big fat job.

  "Haha, adults are in the midst of Lushan, but can't see the whole picture. In Guangzhou, you're like a fish in water, not relying on that old master in the Governor's mansion, but rather the favor of England and France with their million-strong elite troops."

  As soon as this was said, it can be said that Li Mingfeng was suddenly enlightened. Ah! What Bai Gui couldn't do, Erlang could do. In history, as the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, Erlang had led troops to burn down the Yuanmingyuan and attack Beijing. This small translator for the Allied Forces in Guangzhou was able to rise to prominence not because of his own abilities, but because he relied on the foreigners backing him up from behind. As long as he could cling to the leg of the Allied Forces, it wasn't impossible to force the Qing government to make concessions.

  With this understanding, Li Mingfeng's mind suddenly became more agile. If this nationwide ticket number is done, the silver in the future will truly flow in like running water. Zhang Shipei really has vision, knowing to come and contact him before the Allied victory, with Li Mingfeng's historical knowledge, of course, he knew that the future victory belonged to the Allies, but he didn't expect this unassuming guy could also see this point, which is truly rare. Because in this era, after all, the vast majority, or even all Chinese people, believe that the Qing Dynasty is the heavenly kingdom, and they can't imagine that the Qing will be thoroughly defeated.

  He's a genius! Li Mingfeng became even more determined in his initial idea, no matter what, he had to get this person under his control.

  Zhang Shiping saw the greedy gaze in Li Mingfeng's eyes and hastily explained: "If Your Excellency can facilitate this matter, you can take a 50% stake!" He misunderstood that Li Mingfeng had other thoughts and was preparing to get rid of him and do the ticket number himself, so he threw out an even greater temptation.

  Smart people don't need to say much, the two of them exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together. Li Mingfeng stretched out his hand and gave Zhang Shipei a high-five: "Haha, that's settled then! Neither of us is allowed to back down!"

  The two of them discussed some basic business issues related to the ticket number, and Li Mingfeng brought out all his knowledge about the bank's operations, talking eloquently. Zhang Shiping listened with repeated exclamations of surprise, never expecting that Li Mingfeng would be so well-versed in ticket numbers as well. Moreover, the prospects depicted by Li Mingfeng seemed even broader than those of all current ticket number business operations.

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