After the Lushan Science and Technology Conference in 1922, Song Biao did not leave the Lushan Summer Palace. After seeing off scientific experts from all over the country and chief engineers of famous factories, Song Biao welcomed a new batch of guests at the Summer Palace.

They are famous Chinese businessmen from all over the world.

After the death of Zhang Bishi, the most famous Chinese businessman abroad was Huang Zhonghan, the king of the Indonesian sugar industry. During World War I, Huang Zhonghan was overwhelmed by the wanton exploitation of Chinese businessmen by the Dutch colonies. During this period, Huang Zhonghan was introduced by Tan Kah Kee and others. Huang Zhonghan joined Nanyang founded during Zhang Bishi's period.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce serves as the general director, and his son Huang Zongguang is responsible for the actual work.

At that time, half of the Nanyang Chinese Chamber of Commerce was in Indonesia, and most of them were exploited by the Dutch colonial government. Zhang Bishi's eldest son Zhang Zhijun and his son-in-law Zhang Hongsheng jointly asked the empire for help. At that time, the Netherlands remained neutral and did not have large military expenditures. The empire judged this

The goal of exploitation was to seize the opportunity to deprive Chinese businessmen of their assets, and then dispatched warships to Semarang, where the largest concentration of Chinese businessmen were located.

Under the threat of the empire, the Netherlands was forced to sign the "Treaty for the Protection of Chinese Businessmen in Indonesia". Since then, the Imperial Navy has maintained a small fleet in Semarang and did not withdraw until the end of World War I.

With the actual protection of the empire, the status of Chinese businessmen in Indonesia and Southeast Asia is also increasing day by day. At the same time, the empire's trade interests in Southeast Asia are also expanding day by day. Chinese businessmen have made the greatest contribution in Southeast Asia. This is also the reason for China's economic and trade war between China and Japan.

The main reason why Southeast Asia continues to occupy a dominant position.

Overseas Chinese businessmen were a very important and valuable force for the empire.

It was with the pace of Chinese businessmen expanding to the world that imperial trade could be effectively promoted around the world, whether in Korea, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, India, South America, and Africa. Imperial trade always followed the pace of Chinese businessmen.

Huang Zhonghan has been receiving treatment in Shanghai for the past two years due to illness. Hearing that the First World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference would be held at the Lushan Summer Palace, he couldn't wait to take a boat to Lushan himself.

When he arrived in Lushan, a large number of scientific and technological experts had not left, and the Imperial Lushan Science and Technology Seminar had not yet ended. Song Biao did not spare the time to receive him.

After all the science and technology seminars were over, Tan Kah Kee, Zhang Zhijun, and Zhang Hongsheng also arrived in Lushan. Song Biao specially held a banquet in the Summer Palace to entertain the three of them, and also invited Huang Zhonghan to come with him.

The central government has wanted to hold the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference for a long time, but the time and location have been under consideration. This time, Song Biao directly decided on these things. The first World Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference was arranged at the Lushan Summer Palace, and

Will attend the meeting in person.

Although the urgent arrangements were only started two months ago, Chinese businessmen from all over the country heard that Emperor Shenwu was attending in person and that the location was the summer palace of the royal family. No matter how urgent the schedule was, they all came immediately, even if some did not get the approval from the World Chinese Business Federation and

The Chinese businessmen invited by the China Federation of Industry and Commerce are all eager to attend the meeting. For many people, it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Emperor Shenwu.

There are fourteen people representing Nanyang Chinese businessmen attending the Chinese Business Conference. Huang Zhonghan, Tan Kah Kee, Zhang Zhijun, Zhang Hongsheng, Zhuang Xiyan, Li Qingquan, Hu Wenhu, Jian Lianggeng, Jian Liangcheng and others are all here.

Because it was midsummer, the royal banquet in the evening was very light, with six dishes, two soups and four cold dishes.

The four of them, Huang Zhonghan, were invited to the banquet by the chamberlain to wait for the emperor very early. They waited left and right but saw no one. They were all a little worried, fearing that the emperor would not be able to come due to something unexpected today. It happened that Jiang Zuobin came in to arrange the banquet.

Over the years, the regulations for royal wine have become more and more complete, including four types of white wines: Moutai, Luzhou Laojiao, Xifeng Wine, and Fenjiu, and three types of wine: Changyu Cabernet, Yunnan Shangri-La, and Xinjiang Rose Red.

Normally, if there are no accidents, there is always one bottle of white wine and one bottle of red wine. Xifeng wine and Changyu dry red are the most used, and they are also the emperor's favorite in recent years.

Jiang Zuobin brought the two bottles of wine in, and was about to ask Huang Zhonghan and the others if they had anything else they could do for them. Zhang Hongsheng, who had met Jiang Zuobin twice, couldn't wait to ask: "Colonel Jiang, is the Emperor unable to come today because of something else?"

Jiang Zuobin comforted him with a smile: "Don't worry, four of you. The emperor is discussing matters with Industry Minister Zheng Tingxiang in the imperial study. Although the Lushan Conference is over, there are still some things that need to be decided separately, so please be patient.

Just wait a moment."

Hearing this, Huang Zhonghan and others could not help but heave a sigh of relief.

It is the greatest blessing in life to be able to see Emperor Shenwu and receive banquets from the emperor several times in his life. If such honors bestowed by the emperor can come true, Huang Zhonghan feels that he can die in peace.

They continued to wait in silence, not daring to say anything to each other, for fear that the emperor would come at his request. After a while, there was a sudden rush of footsteps in the corridor, and then two inner court guards hurriedly walked into the banquet room.

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Knowing that the emperor had finally arrived, the four of them immediately stood up, each one more nervous than the other.

Sure enough, Song Biao walked in accompanied by Jiang Zuobin. When they saw him, Huang Zhonghan and the four of them bowed together and said: "I, the common people, pay homage to the emperor."

Song Biao raised his hand politely to indicate that they should level up, and said: "I've kept you waiting for a long time, please take a seat."

After saying this, Song Biao also sat down and asked Huang Zhonghan, who was slowly asking to sit down but did not dare to sit down next to him: "I asked someone about your condition. It is said that it is chronic nephritis. Western medicine has no suitable treatment method yet.

I have been relying on traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai for the past two years. How about it? If the effect is not good, go to Beijing as soon as possible and I will ask experts from the Imperial Medical University to consult you."

Huang Zhonghan was filled with gratitude, heat surged in his heart, and his eyes were already moist. He really didn't expect that the emperor knew all these things about him, so he immediately thanked him and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, my people...!"

He was so moved that he didn't know what to say anymore, so he stood up and knelt down.

Jiang Zuobin helped him in advance and reminded him in a low voice: "Mr. Huang, you must not mess with your etiquette before driving."

Huang Zhonghan nodded slightly, but couldn't help but burst into tears.

He was actually very discouraged about life at this time. His condition was getting worse and worse, and he could still see Emperor Shenwu at this time. He was really touched that Emperor Shenwu could remember him.

Song Biao still asked him to sit down and persuaded him: "Don't think too hard. I remember that Chang Wanchun, the former Jilin Patrol Chief, also suffered from chronic nephritis. It was said that he urinated blood every day. Later, he was hospitalized at the Imperial Medical University for a period of treatment.

year, it is not said to be a radical cure now. After all, this

It is said that this disease is still very difficult. But it is definitely better than before, and there are not many recurrences. I just insist on taking medicine. The level of Chinese medicine in Shanghai is still relatively poor. The best Chinese medicine is still in Beijing.

Over there. You really don’t want to go to the Imperial Medical University and give it a try."

Huang Zhonghan thanked him again and said: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. You must go to the Imperial Medical University to seek medical treatment. If you are lucky enough to live a few more years, I am willing to do your best for the country and the nation, and donate all your family property to the Imperial Medical University before you die."

, encourage students to study medicine and treat all living beings.”

Song Biao laughed and didn't pay much attention to Huang Zhonghan's excited words. He asked everyone else to sit down and said: "I will entertain you all with a royal banquet this time. It is precisely because among the Chinese businessmen in the world, Nanyang businessmen are the most

It is not easy, and the results are the best. It benefits the country and the people, which is really rare. The Sino-Japanese economic and trade war started in the late years of Guangxu, and fought from the northeast to the customs, from the country to North Korea, and from the east to the east.

South Asia and South America, and finally the Middle East, India, it should be said that the reason why Japan suffered repeatedly was because of the problem of Chinese businessmen. We Chinese businessmen united and cooperated with each other, and it can be said that the Japanese businessmen suffered a lot. The empire

It is becoming increasingly prosperous and powerful, and its industry is developing rapidly. You should return to your country from time to time to take a look. If you have the ability, you can invest and set up more factories in the country."

After hearing these words, Tan Kah Kee and others agreed one after another.

In order to express his gratitude, Song Biao also asked Jiang Zuobin to pour wine and toast to the four industrialists present.

Zhang Hongsheng won the trust of Zhang Bishi after he married into the Zhang family. After Zhang Bishi's death, he divided his property in two and gave half to Zhang Hongsheng. Instead, Zhang Zhijun mostly stayed in the country for development and handed over the more sinister and fiercely competitive Nanyang market to Zhang Hongsheng.

Zhang Hongsheng also managed a very good business. Taking advantage of the First World War, he moved most of his industries to Chinese New Guinea, where he ran copper mines, coffee, cocoa, rubber and other businesses.

Zhang Zhijun has been engaged in red wine, textiles and mining in recent years. In the past few years, he bought many small workshops such as Xifeng Wine and Jiannanchun, and merged them into Changyu Wine Corporation. He has partnered with Qiao Jingyan to operate the textile and mining industries in the four northern provinces, and most of the others have invested in other companies.

His company generally adheres to the ancestral business and is very stable without any surprises, because he still holds a lot of equity in the Nanyang Steamship Corporation and Nanyang Bank, and he spends a lot of time traveling to and from Nanyang.

Both Tan Kah Kee and Huang Zhonghan were mainly engaged in the sugar and rubber industries. During World War I, they earned a lot of profits. However, Tan Kah Kee was generally rarely exploited by the colonial government in Malaya and Singapore, while Huang Zhonghan was exploited several times by the Dutch colonial government.

This time, his fortune plummeted.

The business environment for Chinese businessmen in Southeast Asia is not good, but it has definitely improved greatly compared to the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. Despite the fierce competition between China and Britain, the status of Chinese businessmen in Singapore and Malaya has improved very quickly.

, not to mention places such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The more complicated places now are Indonesia and Australia.

Speaking of the issue in Australia, Indonesia is really complicated. Nowadays, the attitudes of big countries towards China and the Chinese have changed a lot. However, small countries like Japan and the Netherlands are very difficult to deal with, so they are called imps.

.

After Song Biao briefly asked them about the situation of doing business in Southeast Asia in recent years during the banquet, the overall feeling was that the Netherlands had the most problems. Zhang Hongsheng even directly proposed that the empire directly send troops to defeat the Netherlands and annex Indonesia.

After hearing this proposal, several other Chinese businessmen also actively suggested that the empire send troops. Compared with today's empire, the Netherlands is indeed not a rival on the same level.

After thinking about it for a moment, Song Biao waved his hand and said: "China's current situation has not come easily. There is no need for the world's powers to think that our country is eager to expand and interrupt or limit cooperation with our country. However, the Netherlands still needs to be beaten.

Next year, or the year after that, we plan to arrange a fleet visit to Europe, and send the main fleet to Europe and the United States for a global visit. At that time, we will go to the Netherlands.

I will visit the Netherlands to let the Netherlands understand how strong the empire is. In addition, I also plan to invite senior officials such as the Dutch Foreign Minister to visit the empire. Formally, we still respect the Dutch colonial rights over Indonesia, but In terms of actual economic and trade control, my country is the main country, and Chinese businessmen are expected to occupy a major position in the local economy. You can rest assured. If the Dutch colonial government still dares

There is extortion or illegal oppression against you. The World Chinese Entrepreneurs Association will definitely come forward for you, and the empire will directly use force as your backing. In addition, I also ask more Nanyang Chinese merchants to go to New Caledonia and China.

It is an investment in New Guinea. It is our colony. In the long run, the empire has a complete immigration plan. We have a plan in Noumea, New Caledonia.

The naval base will gradually station more naval fleets there in the future, and the protection will be more complete. Of course, Indonesia and Malaya are still the most important places. In order to allow you to fully demonstrate your talents, the empire will also set up a strategic plan for Nanyang.

The bank will inject capital and provide you with more credit support. China Commercial Bank's layout in Nanyang has been basically completed, which is your important support."

Several Chinese businessmen were very happy. Now that China is strong, it is much easier to do business in foreign countries. In the end, as long as the Netherlands can be restrained, they will naturally be as happy as a fish in water with their abilities.

Song Biao thought of another thing and reminded them: "There is just one thing to say. The rubber business in recent years has to be more restrained. The Imperial Ministry of Commerce has compiled statistics on the development of various industries in recent years and judged the situation in the next few years.

.The prices of several major products around the world will fall sharply. The first is wheat and soybeans. Canada

Wheat and soybean production in Argentina and Argentina have increased by 7% annually over the past decade, and my country's wheat and soybean production has increased even more dramatically. With the rapid recovery of European agriculture, global food prices are expected to fall sharply next year. In addition, After years of continuous growth and long-term highs, rubber prices in Africa and Central America

rubber production will gradually reach a new peak in the next three years, and the rubber production in Southeast Asia will also exceed the estimated growth. The most important principle of balance in the empire's economic and trade relations is the relationship between consumer demand and production. In fact, the truth

It's very simple. Everyone thinks they can make money by planting rubber, but in the end they won't be able to sell it. UK

The company is the most aggressive in acquiring rubber. I encourage you to keep part of the rubber plantation holdings and sell the rest at a suitable price. Or invest in the rubber planting industry in Hainan, because once the global rubber price hits hard,

The Empire will activate an emergency bill to increase rubber tariffs to protect the country's rubber planting industry."

Zhang Hongsheng couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, where is the rubber from New Guinea?"

His rubber plantation in New Guinea is large-scale, and it was only started after World War I. It has not yet reached the rubber production period.

Song Biao thought for a while and said: "Theoretically, it should be within the scope of the protection bill, but we are not sure. It will depend on the situation. Over in New Guinea, we mainly support the cultivation of coffee and cocoa. Although Yunnan is

The coffee planting industry is developing, but the total output is still at a relatively low stage, and cocoa has almost no industrial base in the country. The empire still needs cocoa.

Yes, so growing cocoa in New Guinea is a good investment. The key is how to open this market in the country. There must be a long-term operation and long-term marketing issue. There must also be a complete cocoa processing industry chain in the country.

I suggest you make a long-term plan in this regard and don’t rush for success. Of course, the scale of this business will not be too large.

The Nanyang Shipping Company is still operating well, and more efforts can be made in this regard. In the long run, the domestic economy will still develop faster, but the international economic environment still has too many unstable factors. In the past few years, the UK

They have been trying to return to the gold standard, and we and the United States also support them. This can prevent our currency from being over-credited and causing domestic

Financial austerity. But if the UK and France cannot handle this problem well, it is likely to cause a new round of financial crisis. Your domestic investment amount is not small. In the past few years, you should still invest in domestic industries as much as possible in Southeast Asia.
To be continued...