Therefore, these people with ulterior motives took the opportunity to disperse people and join the crowd, which eventually caused the bank doors and counters to collapse.

Obviously, the instigators behind this are the Japanese.

"No, although I, Sheng Xuanhuai, am not inclined towards Japan and have not had many business contacts in recent years, there is no deep hatred between us. Why are they targeting me this time?" Sheng Xuanhuai looked confused.

"This...I will make an in-depth investigation before I make a conclusion. Please rest assured, Shanda people, late birth will definitely make the Japanese people unable to eat and carry around."

Chen Tianhua's words reached his throat, but he swallowed them back.

He didn't want to tell the truth now. It wouldn't be too late to announce it after the follow-up incident came to light and the truth was revealed and the Japanese people were caught by the seven inches.

He already knew as clearly as a mirror that this act of revenge against Sheng Xuanhuai was caused by the Changxing Yaojin Mining case that just concluded at the end of January.

Not only did the Dongyang people lose control of Yaojin Mining, but their initial investment of hundreds of taels of silver was wasted. They were also humiliated by the British side at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In addition to paying compensation, they had to apologize. In the end, they found a few scapegoats and executed them to apologize.

It finally calmed down.

This was a loss-making business that cost both a wife and an army. The Japanese had never done it before, so naturally they couldn't swallow it.

It is their habit to retaliate.

The British couldn't find it, but of course they found the instigator. They found Chen Tianhua.

Like Zhang Zhidong and his staff, Japanese people also do not believe that a countryman who is only 21 years old and has never been overseas can have such foresight?

They naturally pointed the finger at Li Jingfang and Sheng Xuanhuai, so they first came up with a counterfeit currency plan and then vented their anger.

To be honest, the Japanese side planned this counterfeit currency incident properly and achieved their expected goals.

Chen Tianhua felt very guilty and regretful about letting Sheng Xuanhuai lie innocently and take the blame for himself.

He hesitated to speak because he did not want Sheng Xuanhuai to be too depressed. He was now worried that in addition to the Commercial Bank, there were many troubles that would follow.

Sheng Xuanhuai in history, since Ding You in the 29th year of Guangxu, his business kingdom began to decline.

First, let’s go to the Commercial Bank.

Since the counterfeit currency case, the bank's daily operations have been hit hard. In the following years, the deposit balance and loan balance, profit rate and net profit of Commercial Bank have all shrunk by more than half.

Although Sheng Xuanhuai later took back all the old coins and asked HSBC to reprint new coins and put them on the market, the majority of banks and merchants did not buy it. Many merchant banks refused to accept Bank of China's banknotes and even its commercial bills, and their creditworthiness was greatly reduced.

reduce.

Behind them are Sheng Xuanhuai's General Office of the Steamship Investment Promotion Bureau and Supervision of the Postal and Telegraph Bureau. These two official positions were deceived by Yuan Shikai through deception and became the most important source of finance for the Beiyang Department.

Regarding the two official positions of the Steamship Merchants Bureau and the Postal and Telegraph Bureau, Chen Tianhua had already confessed to Li Jingfang at Li's mansion and asked him to take up the posts.

Li Jingfang agreed in principle and said he would discuss it with Sheng Xuanhuai.

Shanghai was under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Trade Minister Zhang Zhidong. Chen Tianhua was preparing to mobilize Zhang Xiangshuai to come to court to mediate. He must not let the thief Yuan Shikai's conspiracy succeed.

Of course, this is a later story.

"There is another point in this case that I have never figured out, which is why the Japanese ronin named Nakai Ginosuke, after the run subsided, blatantly took four thousand counterfeit coins and exchanged them for silver dollars. Could it be that

He doesn't understand that the counterfeit currency is easy to see through, and will he be arrested if he sees it through?" Sheng Xuanhuai continued to ask.

"Yes, Hua Zhixian's son-in-law, I don't understand this either. Could it be that the ronin was too short of money to spend, so he took risks, and he wasn't afraid of losing the face of the Japanese people?" Li Jingfang also wondered.

Chen Tianhua took a sip of tea, raised his eyebrows and said:

"Sheng Shanda, uncle, the most puzzling thing about this counterfeit currency case is that Ginosuke Nakai took 4,000 counterfeit coins to the counter to exchange them."

"More than ten days after the counterfeit currency was exposed, it has alarmed the concession authorities and bank executives. They are doing everything possible to find the perpetrator. According to common sense, Nakai Ginosuke should hide, but he did the opposite, which is quite embarrassing.

He has thrown himself into a trap."

"Is he an idiot? Absolutely not."

Having said this, Chen Tianhua paused deliberately and said in a deep voice:

"This is because his boss ordered him to throw himself into a trap, and he simply went directly to the counter of HSBC Bank, which has stronger identification capabilities, thereby exposing that the initiator of the counterfeit currency case was Japanese."

"On the surface, this is a personal act of Japanese ronin. In fact, Japan is telling the world that Shanghai Commercial Bank has offended the Empire of Japan, and Japan is determined to retaliate. Similar incidents will happen again in the future. I hope everyone will stay away from Commercial Bank."

, so as not to hurt innocent people.”

"I can guess that major banks and banknotes in Shanghai and surrounding provinces will receive warnings one after another. Merchants are better off doing less than doing more. They may no longer accept banknotes and commercial bills from the Commercial Bank in the future."

"This is the sequelae of this counterfeit currency case, and it is also the true purpose of the initiator. Anyway, Ronin and the others can be extradited back, and there will be no loss to them. When it comes to reputation, the Japanese Consulate blames Ronin, but the subtext has made many sensible people read

Just understand."

Chen Tianhua talked eloquently and analyzed everything penetratingly.

For a senior spy with a modern scientific mind, this kind of trick can't be deceived.

"Hua Zhixian's analysis is very reasonable. It seems that I am being targeted by the Japanese. Well, let's compete if you want. In the land of the Qing Dynasty, I, Sheng Xuanhuai, want to avenge the Sino-Japanese War." Sheng Xuanhuai stood at the station.

He stood up and took a few steps and said.

He, his mentor Li Hongzhang, and his junior brother Li Jingfang hated the Japanese, so of course he couldn't show weakness when they provoked them this time.

"Yes, Brother Xingsun, let's compete with them on mineral and railway resources, starting with the Niutoushan Coal Mine." Li Jingfang also stood up and clenched his fists.

"Okay, Shanda people, uncle, since the two elders have high fighting spirit and Wansheng's confidence has doubled, in this way, based on Wansheng's view, the Commercial Bank will take back the old coins within a limited time at this stage, and then regenerate and print new coins for issuance."

"We will open the coal mine with great fanfare at the end of this month or the beginning of next month. At the same time, I will send people to keep an eye on the Gongchenqiao Japanese Concession. How about that?"

"Okay, it's settled."

Sheng Xuanhuai and Li Jingfang nodded in agreement almost in unison.

…

After Chen Tianhua said goodbye to Sheng Xuanhuai and the others, he boarded a small steamer that night and rushed back to Hangzhou.

At five o'clock the next day, they returned to the New Army Pier at Yunsi River in Hangzhou. Chen Tianhua went to the official residence first and reported to his father-in-law Li Cunzhi about the meeting with Zhang Zhidong and the Shanghai counterfeit currency case.
Chapter completed!