Chapter 1212: The Dog Who Lost His Home (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Dadetong Bank is the largest bank in the north and also the first bank opened by Shanxi merchants.
Who was hit hardest by the fall of the Qing Dynasty?
Perhaps the biggest blow was to the Shanxi merchants. With the demise of the Qing Dynasty, they not only lost their business privileges in Mongolia, but also suffered heavy losses due to the escape of princes and nobles - those princes and nobles owed them hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver, and the princes and nobles in Mongolia owed them even more.
And now?
This account has become a dead end. The people have fled, the country has been destroyed, who can they ask for compensation? What's more terrible? Of course, they have lost their support in the court. Overnight, countless tea and banknote houses of Shanxi merchants went bankrupt.
When dynasties change, there are those who are wiped out and ruined, but there are also those who prosper. The Qiao family of Dadetong is undoubtedly the latter. With the first-mover advantage of opening a bank in the north, the current Dadetong Bank has become the most famous private bank in the Tianjin-Beijing area. The reason for this is the result of the Qiao family's investigation in the Ming Dynasty. Even the bank was hired by Qiao Zhiyong from the Ming Dynasty at a high salary.
For Li Youan, the reason why he resigned and returned to Hua Xia was not for the 10% stake in the bank, but for what Qiao Zhiyong said - to start a business.
In recent years, thanks to his painstaking efforts, the capital of Dadetong Bank has exceeded 10 million yuan, and in recent times, he has been thinking about getting involved in the insurance industry.
"Isn't that the consulate's carriage? The weather has been hot lately, and I'm going to move out of town to escape the heat for them as usual."
"If you really want to escape the summer heat, you should go to Beidai..."
Looking toward the window, Li Youan saw a royal blue BMW sedan not far away.
Qiao Jingyan, who was sitting next to him at the moment, said casually:
"I'm afraid the consulate is having a hard time these days. I heard that the archaeological experts sent by the Imperial Royal Historical Association are planning to conduct an excavation at the Eastern Tomb. If this news gets out, the consulate will have a hard time."
"Archaeology? Who told you this?"
Turning around, Li Youan looked at Mr. Qiao in astonishment and asked.
"I heard?"
Qiao Jingyan said with narrowed eyes.
"When I was studying in Yingtian, I heard that someone suggested excavating the Dongling Tomb for the sake of archaeology. But you know, in China, no one would do such a thing as "digging up people's ancestral graves" no matter what. How shameless must this person be to come up with such an idea. But... I didn't expect that what I thought was just a joke at the time has now become a reality. This is really surprising. Tell me, if it wasn't for the Dongling Tomb excavation, why would they send an archaeological team here?"
Qiao Jingyan's speculation is absolutely well-founded.
"Manager Li, you see, Xuzhou really did everything it could to please the Ming Dynasty! Even digging up people's ancestral graves..."
"Can't I dig it?"
Before he could finish, Li Youan interrupted.
Then he lit a cigarette, looked at the car driving away, and said coldly.
"Given the crimes they committed, it's fine to dig them up even for revenge, let alone for archaeological purposes. But... I'm curious about how those guys who fled to Mumbai would react if they knew their ancestral graves were dug up."
What will the reaction be?
It's nothing more than a few cries and curses. Does it have any impact on the overall situation?
There is no impact.
"But we also need to consider the impact of the outside world, so what should we do according to the plan? The entire archaeological process will last for more than a year. We will first conduct archaeological exploration on the surface of the East and West Tombs, and then go deeper into the underground palace..."
After pondering for a moment, Sun Kuiyuan said.
"Well, it should be called protective excavation. After all, the East and West Tombs have suffered serious damage in the past few years. We think it is necessary to carry out protective archaeology. Of course, the archaeology will definitely not start there. We will start in a certain area first..."
The reasons are certainly sufficient. In order to implement this plan, the East and West Tombs were even designated as a military restricted area for the next year.
In a word, Xuzhou fully cooperated. Sometimes some things cannot be changed by personal will. At least, for the monarch and ministers of Xuzhou, they need the support of the empire more than the dead.
Besides, archaeology is also a science.
Soon, good news came from the Chinese Joint Archaeological Team near Peking - during the archaeological survey around Peking, ancient human fossils were discovered in a natural limestone cave in Zhoukoudian. This news immediately shocked the archaeological community, so in order to further examine the origin of the Chinese people, the archaeological area was further expanded and the area was designated as a military restricted area to facilitate archaeological excavations.
Of course, as for what the archaeological excavations revealed?
I'm afraid only God knows.
But one thing is certain, in the following days, a large number of archaeological results were transported to Xuzhou by train.
Outsiders know almost nothing about all this. Even the laborers live in restricted areas for a long time and are not allowed to go out.
…
However, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. After several months of archaeological work, the news finally came out. For a while, public opinion was in an uproar, but that was all. For the sake of science, some sacrifices were inevitable.
Even though some court officials cried and said that digging up people's ancestral graves was inhumane, everyone knew that behind this matter was not only the shadow of the Ming Dynasty, but also the shadow of the Tang Emperor.
Digging up people's ancestral graves... that's also ZZ correct.
But when the news reached Mumbai, those filial sons and grandchildren immediately burst into tears. When they mentioned Li Hongzhang, they all wished to grind his bones and scatter his ashes. However, contrary to their wishes, it was their ancestors who were grinded to ashes. Even the treasures buried with their ancestors became exhibits in museums. They all felt as heartbroken as if they had lost their parents.
During this period of time, they were deeply distressed!
"If you don't take revenge, you are not a descendant of Aixinjuelu."
In Prince Su's Palace... No, there is no palace in Mumbai nowadays. The Empress Dowager Cixi and Zai Tian, that is, Emperor Guangxu, lived in a villa.
As for the so-called Prince Su, he was just a king behind closed doors. In this place, who would recognize him as a prince? Even if they did, it would only be the exiled bannermen.
"Of course the prince wants revenge!"
Standing in front of Prince Su, Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence still respectfully called him "Prince", but in fact, there was no such thing as a prince for these people.
They are just a bunch of stray dogs.
But even if they are stray dogs, they still have their value to be used. Of course, it depends on how to use them. Just like the reason why he came here now is to use these people.
"But how do we avenge this?"
Lawrence looked at him and said.
"Your Majesty, there is an opportunity now. As long as you seize this opportunity, with the help of the British Empire, you will not only be able to take revenge, but you can even return to China in the near future and retake your country."
Retake the country!
In an instant, Long Qin became excited. He stared at Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence and said.
"Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence, are you telling the truth?"
(End of this chapter)
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