After sending off the anti-bone boy Luo Xiaoquan and the messenger to prepare for the itinerary, Zhao Kuo pulled his confidant Zhu Qingzheng and said, "Those two little guys are easy to say. You are looking for someone to send to Hong Kong. The problem is Hong Renqiu."

Zhu Qingzheng was stunned for a moment and immediately sneered. He clasped his fists and reported, "Don't worry, Marquis, I'll find someone to contact the brothers of the Tiandihui in Hong Kong. If you kill such a civilian, whether you let him corpse on the street or throw it into the sea, it will be a side dish."

Now Zhu Qingzheng has long converted to the Christian Baptist Church and thinks that Hong Xiuquan is a bastard, but there is no conflict between believing in God and the national rejuvenation. When he stands up from the cross, Zhu Qingzheng, the former gangster, will immediately be as cold-blooded and ruthless as Zhao Kuo.

"Hmph!" Very satisfied with his subordinates' intelligence and loyalty, Zhao Kuo snorted coldly: "Send them out to Shanghai and owe me a favor. However," Zhao Kuo turned his face, with a ferocious look on his face: "If these three people want to come to me, they will smash their heads and throw them into the sea to feed the fish!"

At this moment, the guards came in and reported that a Guangzhou opium merchant wanted to see Zhao Kuo.

"Opium merchant?" Zhao Kuo and Zhu Qingzheng looked at each other, and both gasped, wondering if this idiot was crazy?

You should know that although Zhao Kuo disdains Hong Xiuquan's nonsense theory, opium is still very banned. On the one hand, it shows the difference between them and the Qing army. On the other hand, opium and white silver are almost equivalent in this day and age. Who will they rob?

If you steal other people's money, will others be willing to give it to you?

If you don't give it, you'll be slaughtered.

So the opium merchants saw the Taiping Army running faster than rabbits.

But today I was really a traitor. There was a lunatic opium merchant coming to meet the leader of the Taiping Army in Guangdong?!

This is like a mouse coming to the cat to wish you a happy new year!

After a while, Zhao Kuo waved his hand: "Bring it in, let me see what it has such a big gallbladder."

Soon, a man in a satin robe came in with his head down and dragged his braids. After being taken to the center of the hall by the guards, he kept his head down and his smooth and shiny scalp secretly raised his greasy scalp, because he could not see Zhao Kuo at all, and could only see a large earthen platform. After his eyebrows were level, he could barely see a pair of boots on the platform, but at this moment, the guard beside him yelled: "Bold by the profiteer!"

With one sentence, the man was so scared that he knelt on his knees, and his body was overwhelmed. The floor tiles with green scalp cracked, and a loud noise: "Good king! The villain never dares to do it again!"

"Bold and unruly people! You are a murderer for selling opium! You dare to come to find me? Are you tired of living?" Zhao Kuo on the high platform stared at the big braid below and slapped the armrest of the mahogany chair hard.

The platform under Zhao Kuo's chair is one meter high, which is why this kid can't see people.

The Taiping Heavenly Kings and Princes Mansions raised the main seat in the middle of the hall into a high platform, and a great man's chair was placed on it with a mosquito net-like top cover on it, and the other subordinates' seats were then arranged in the two sides below.

The overall effect is like the mountain god in the temple, which is just that there is no incense table with fruit candles in front of it.

Zhao Kuo knew that this arrangement was very stupid and naive in later generations. He had to step onto the five steps to sit on the stage and sit on the chair. He thought it was troublesome, but people recognized this in that era!

If you have an equal relationship with others, he will think that you are not worth enough! You can't hold back!

But sitting on the platform, you can’t even see your face below, but you kneel down at any time. That’s really majestic, and people recognize this!

Sure enough, the opium merchant below was so scared that he almost urinated and kowtowed. Zhao Kuo saw the boy's back soaked in a blink of an eye. However, the guy's words shocked Zhao Kuo: "Marty, it's true that the little one sells opium. But the little one also informed King Yu, asking the king to return the villain's opium..."

Request opium for me?

Zhao Kuo was stunned for a while and thought about the number of people who died in his hands recently. Although it was not an astronomical figure, it was impossible for people to be regarded as a sick cat. In fact, he was ten thousand times stronger than the South China tiger. Is this person crazy?

"Tell me your reasons." Zhao Kuo crossed his legs in the seat of the mountain god, sneered and looked at the guy below and said, "Don't let me down. Otherwise, I'll wait to collect my body today."

"Yes, Marquis." The man leaned on the floor, his forehead hit the stone bricks, and his mouth and nose blew the dust on the ground, and he reported it.

It turns out that this person's name is Zhong Jialiang, 27 years old, a native of Guangzhou. His ancestors are also famous. He was once one of the businessmen authorized by the Qing Dynasty to do business with foreigners.

You should know that in the past, Guangzhou, only opens the "tributary" trade to foreigners in China, and the local traders were a few merchants authorized by the Qing Dynasty, equivalent to the national import and export companies in later generations. They have used tea, raw silk and opium in China. It is conceivable how rich these merchant families will be. Among them, Wu Bingqian, the leader of them, was once claimed to be the world's richest man who was richer than Queen Elizabeth, with tens of millions of taels of silver.

However, with the "Nanjing Treaty" signed by the Opium War ten years ago, four trading ports were added, and Guangzhou could no longer monopolize ocean trade, and the business system was also abolished. At this time, the Guangzhou Business Group, which became rich by monopolies, began to decline.

First, because the trade center began to transfer, Shanghai replaced Guangzhou as a new trade center.

Shanghai has a very superior geographical location. It not only has excellent marine ports, but also has the entire basin connected by the Yangtze River. In addition, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas have been a prosperous area since ancient times, and it is simply a natural international metropolis.

In fact, since the Europeans discovered the Qing Dynasty in the Far East and tried to trade during the Kangxi and Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, they abandoned Guangzhou designated by the Qing Dynasty and would rather go north and go to Ningbo to trade. As a result, the rage of Mr. Robinson, the "Eternal King" in Beijing, forced all maritime trade in other regions, and could only trade in Guangzhou. This saved Guangzhou's status and fattened up the emperor's private wallet, local administrative and customs officials, and businessmen who were looked down upon by the former.

The trader even established a public office fund, which means that each trader proposed 10% of the trader's trade profits as a fund. The purpose is to deal with the bribes requested by officials.

In just 1807-1813, the fund spent 5 million taels of silver. On the one hand, the corruption of the Qing Dynasty can be seen, and on the other hand, it also shows the prosperity and strength of the Qing Dynasty merchants at that time.

But now the powerful artillery bombarded the country's gates, and the trading center quickly moved to Shanghai, and the days of Guangzhou's businessmen were plummeting. Most of the once arrogant rich people disappeared quickly.

Second, because of the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the south, the war caused the export commodity trade routes to Guangzhou to be cut off, and silk and tea were affected, and they were transported to Shanghai, which made Guangzhou decline and Shanghai even faster.

In Zhao Kuo's army, there were many former coolies. Because of the Taiping Army, the 100,000 coolies engaged in Hunan-Guangdong transportation were unemployed!

The Zhong family was once a small businessman. Although it was not as rich as the Wu family, at its peak, there was a family of one million taels of silver.

However, over the past decade, the business has become increasingly difficult. They have made up everything they do. My father died in depression. This rich family who used to wander in the opium restaurant and brothel found that their family members were fewer and fewer servants. When the houses were sold frequently, they finally changed their hearts and wanted to revive the family.

But this guy was born with a golden spoon. He had no ability except to identify the quality of opium and the beauty of brothel girls. Naturally, except for being deceived by a group of wine and meat friends to many wealth, he made no achievements in business.

But about half a year ago, a great opportunity was placed in front of him.

An opium tycoon who controls part of the opium industry in Huizhou Prefecture wants to go back to Guangzhou but doesn't want to do it anymore. He wants to transfer a batch of high-quality opium cigarettes and comes with several opium restaurants. The price is not high, and he also said that whoever takes over will help him get the Heibaidao in Huizhou.

Several friends found him and asked him if he wanted to take over.

You should know that profitable business like opium cannot be done without a big backstage, and don’t even think about intervening. Bai Dao can eat you, but the underworld will do you.

But if you can get in, you will be digging a mountain of gold.

Zhong Jialiang thought to himself that when his father was alive, he knew several opium merchants and would not have to worry about the source of goods. If the buyer was real and helped him become acquainted with his friends in Heibaidao, wouldn’t he be able to enter the opium industry in Huizhou?

The seller was really good, not a scam person. The boy gritted his teeth and sold all his old house in Guangzhou, raised 400,000 taels of silver for all his property, and took over 400 dan of the best Patna opium produced in the Bangladesh Region of India, plus three opium restaurants.

At this time, Zhao Kuo had already entered Guangdong, but Zhong Jialiang thought that the rebels must have rushed directly from Shaozhou to Guangzhou. How could they come to Huizhou? Even if they come, he could transport opium to Hong Kong and then smuggle it to Shanghai.

Who would have thought that Zhao Kuozhen took off the handlebars and the chariot came to kill Huizhou.

This unlucky guy was stunned and rushed to transport the opium from the chaos of Huizhou City to a friend's house in the countryside. He wanted to find an opportunity to transport the opium to Hong Kong, but before he could find a reliable and safe convoy, his friend spontaneously "cleaning the countryside" came. This friend's family had a fame and organization and training, and had 300 acres of land. The first one on the blacklist! He was directly copied.

400 dan of opium became Zhao Kuosheng Curry's spoils in a flash.

Only then did Zhong Jialiang remember why the seller could make opium in Huizhou. He was originally the brother-in-law of the General of the Green Camp!

Who can be more informed about the war news than him?

It’s a pity that I, an unlucky guy who knows nothing, went to the bandit area to take over, and in a blink of an eye he became a complete proletarian.

There is definitely no way to get the Opium Pavilion, but 400 dan of Patner opium is worth 200,000 taels of silver!

A month after escaping back to Guangzhou, he chose the latter while jumping into the sea to commit suicide or fighting to the death.

Of course he won't come empty-handed either, he has his stuff for trading.

"Why do you make opium without connections? Do you think this is a legal society in the future! Another stupid donkey!" Zhao Kuo sneered and said, "Raise your face."

The unlucky guy who was complaining about himself raised his face and his eyes were full of tears. When Zhao Kuo saw this boy, he couldn't help but be weak. He was probably hollowed out by opium and women. His hair was slightly curled up, his tiny eyes were narrowed together, and his two thin lips were indeed unlucky.

"Okay, you have taken up a lot of my time. If you fucking nagging about your blood and tears, I will kill you directly. Now you have something to give me? It's worth 200,000 taels of silver and you're all your life? Humph, is there such a expensive thing in Guangdong?" Zhao Kuo shook his legs and looked at the ceiling.

Zhong Jialiang hesitated for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief: "I was able to return to Huizhou because a month ago, Forbes, president of the American Chamber of Commerce, invited me to see what your army did..."

"What?" Because he suddenly rushed forward while crossing his legs, the mountain god almost went down from the divine platform.

"Forbes? Which Forbes?" Zhao Kuo's head stretched forward and his head was out of the edge of the platform. He stared at Zhong Jialiang and asked, "Which Forbes who refused to evacuate during the war of ​​the nose? He said, 'I came to China not to recuperate and have fun. As long as I could sell a piece of cloth or buy a pound of tea, I would stick to my post... We American citizens don't have a queen to guarantee compensation for our losses'??"

"Do you know him too?" Zhong Jialiang stretched out his sleeves and wiped the tears, wanting to see the king clearly.

"How do you contact him? Just invite him to me, okay?" Zhao Kuo extended his hand to Zhong Jialiang.

==

Notes on the retail price of opium:

Unfortunately, the information I have at hand does not have the domestic price of opium in Guangdong in the late Qing Dynasty.

In the above, I price each load of high-quality Patner opium at 500 taels of silver, which is my deduction.

During the Qing Dynasty, opium units were boxes or loads.

The former box of opium = 140 pounds ≈63kg

The latter one leopard of opium = 100 kilograms ≈ 60kg

Because 1 jin in Qing Dynasty = 16 taels = 600g

Cambridge's late Qing history records: When Lin Zexu was discharging cigarettes, British merchants lost 20,283 boxes of opium, worth 9 million yuan.

Because the author Fei Zhengqing is an American scholar, I believe that the 9 million yuan is US$9 million.

According to data from Xiamen Customs of the Qing Dynasty at the end of the 19th century:

$100 = 73 taels in the city, and 2000 is an ordinary two units.

So the price of 1840 opium → 9 million US dollars in 1840)/20,000 boxes ≈323 taels of silver.

But the value of the US dollar has been depreciating because more and more products have been created in the United States: in 1865, 1 US dollar was about 5 shillings (UK), and in 1886, it was only 3 shillings.

Moreover, when Humen dismissed cigarettes, because foreigners were unable to enter the mainland to do business at that time, the prices of this batch of opium must be wholesale prices. After entering the mainland, the cost of corruption and smuggling risks will inevitably be added.

Therefore, I set the price of a tuft of high-quality opium in Guangdong in 1853 at 500 taels.

In addition, I have the domestic price data of various commodities from 1880 to 1920, which is counted by the customs, but the data on the price of the two pounds and customs is very strange. I am stupid and I don’t understand. The price of Indian opium imports has increased by astonishingly, from 383→472→940→5535. Moreover, the units of the two opium are fog poles and cabinets, so I don’t know the conversion of this unit. However, this shows that the opium commodity is greatly affected by the gold standard, which has caused price fluctuations on the Qing Dynasty in the silver circle.

And even though I knew the price of pound opium at that time, I still couldn't calculate the exchange rate of the opium denominated in US dollars in Fairbank. Because I didn't know the exchange rate of pound, dollar and market balance at that time.

So I roughly set the price of the opium unit - a stowage - in mainland China to 500 taels.

I forgive everyone.

Don’t counterattack me if you have any relevant data and information. Please let me know, thank you.

[Thanks to his classmates 50,000 miles from the sea, this Zhong Jialiang was nurtured by him!]

Reply: [Creative - Drama] Long-term collection of supporting roles, name of supporting roles

Name Zhong Jialiang

Origin of Guangzhou, Guangdong

He has slightly curly hair, long and thin face, small and slightly long eyes, concave cheeks, thin lips, slightly longer lip line, and tall figure. He looks weak and unconventional, and has a bit of a scholarly temperament.

He is a ruffian, and because of his big mouth, he doesn't look vicious. His weak figure makes people unable to be cautious, but he is extremely cruel when fighting and is very heavy-handed.

Character (the author can do it by himself)
Chapter completed!