In just two days, the master of Hongjiang changed from Zhou Zefan to Wang Zhenyu. All that was left of Zhou Zefan in Hongjiang was the story of how he lost Hongjiang with three smiles. And Zhou Zefan also left behind the nickname "Three Smiles", becoming a joke for the people of Hongjiang over tea and dinner.

  Wang Zhenyu was not a fool either, he did not want to leave any handles for the provincial government, so he still retained the Fifth Defense Zone, and Zhou Ze Fan was still the nominal commander, but this commander was politely sent out of the border.

  So Hongjiang seems like nothing has changed, yet everything has changed...

  On June 28, 1912, Wang Zhenyu strode into the Hongjiang Garrison Command. This was previously Zhou Ze's residence, and further back was the Hongjiang County Government Office. But from now on, this would be Wang Zhenyu's temporary residence. Meanwhile, He Jian and a group of military officers who had been secretly stationed in Hongjiang had changed into their blue-gray uniforms and were waiting anxiously for Wang Zhenyu to receive them.

  As soon as Song Haomin's command was given, the personnel of the Military Intelligence Bureau who had been waiting for a long time all stood up and gave Wang Zhenyu a very standard military salute as he stepped into the main hall.

  Wang Zhenyu was not particularly meticulous about his attire, and he wore only an ordinary blue-gray military uniform, no different from the other officers and soldiers of the Hu Ben Brigade. The only possible difference was the shining general's star on his collar, which seemed to be constantly reminding everyone that this was a major general.

  Next, Wang Zhenyu will issue promotion orders and new military ranks to the personnel of the Military Intelligence Bureau who made the greatest contributions in this Hongjiang battle.

  When He Jian excitedly received the appointment as head of the Military Intelligence Department from Wang Zhenyu, tears burst out uncontrollably. He had finally transformed from a small police officer to a mid-level military officer in the Ferocious Tiger Troop, and all these years of frustration, his father's disappointment, and relatives' ridicule were washed away clean. Wang Zhenyu smiled broadly as he looked at this somewhat flustered subordinate, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and hung the lieutenant colonel insignia on He Jian's collar.

  To be honest, Wang Zhenyu didn't like the way of showing military rank with collar badges. He thought that military rank should be reflected on shoulder epaulets, which is truly majestic and beautiful.

  Promotions and awards didn't take too much time, after all, there were less than fifteen military personnel lurking in the Hongjiang store.

  Jia praised everyone for a few words, Wang Zhenyu sat down with a plop, and gestured to everyone to sit down, don't stand anymore.

  At this time, He Jian, who had just been promoted to deputy director, handed over a document with the title "Hong Shang Shi Lu" written on the cover.

  Wang Zhenyu saw these four words and was very interested in the material, and he flipped through it on the spot.

  They were all information about wealthy merchants and big households:

  1. Zhu Zhida, ancestral home in Anhui Jingxian County. A wealthy merchant from Hongjiang. In the Xianfeng period (1854), he followed his mother to Hongjiang to settle down and start a business. After experiencing hardships, he successively opened a silk thread shop, a fabric store, and a money house. Due to good management and excellent performance, he founded the famous brand "Zhu Zhida" oil company between 1880 and 1900. He had branches in Hankou, Zhenjiang, and Nanjing, with hundreds of employees and over 70 stores. Except for the hairdressing and bathing industries, he almost monopolized all sectors in Hongjiang, with immense wealth and a vast scale that left others far behind.

  2. Liang Xiangfan, also known as Wen He, was originally from Kaifeng, Henan Province. He was a prominent merchant in Hongjiang. Born in Huitong County, Hunan Province, he came to Hongjiang at the age of 16 to do business and relied on selling liangfen (a type of starch jelly) to make a living. Later, he was taken as an apprentice by Zhu Zhida, a wealthy businessman. Due to his diligence, ability, and cleverness, he was highly valued by his master and promoted to be in charge of the household after three years. In 1879, he set up his own business, "Liang Dexintang", which operated in various industries including timber, oil, salt, rice, tea, pawnshops, silk embroidery, Suzhou and Guangdong products, local specialties, and foreign goods. The business expanded to Yunnan, Guizhou, Hankou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Shanghai, accumulating enormous wealth. He was a generous and magnanimous person who often provided assistance to the poor and donated large sums of money to local charities.

  Liu Qishan, from Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. A wealthy merchant in Hongjiang (1860-1865). He served as a soldier in the Taiping Army for five years and returned to his hometown to farm after leaving the army. Due to poverty at home, he came to Hongjiang alone to make a living and start a business. Initially, he was an apprentice at the "Gao Canshun" oil shop. Because of his outstanding performance, strong work ethic, and exceptional bravery, he was promoted to general manager of the business department. In 1911, he left Gao's household and started his own business from scratch, setting up a stall selling cloth. He worked hard to establish the "Qingyuanfeng" oil shop. He was good at grasping business opportunities, transforming operating models, recycling funds for re-production, reducing costs, and running his own workshop. He set up branches in Shanghai, Zhenjiang, Hankou, and other places, and also operated remittance businesses, owning millions of silver taels. He Jian annotated this person with the character: The largest opium dealer in western Hunan.

  4. Xu Dongfu, from Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. A wealthy merchant in Hongjiang. At the age of 16, he entered his fellow clansman's oil shop "Xu Fulong" as an apprentice and worked hard to make a name for himself. He set up his own business, opening the "Rongchang Xiang" fabric store and the "Xu Rongchang" oil shop. He widely recruited talented individuals, made strategic plans, and achieved great success, with capital exceeding one million silver dollars. Despite his wealth, he remained humble and charitable, donating to social causes whenever asked. Regarding this person, He Jian also added a note in small script: "This year, at the age of 45, he is still very enthusiastic about industrial development." This note immediately sparked great interest in Wang Zhenyu towards this merchant.

  Liu Songxiu, a native of Xinyu County, Jiangxi Province. A wealthy merchant in Hongjiang. In the early years of Guangxu, he followed his father Liu Rongzhai to Hongjiang to start a business and successively partnered with fellow townspeople to establish the "Xiehe" money house, later renamed "Qingfeng Xiang" cloth store, "Liu Tongqing" oil shop, and "Liu Anqing" oil shop. Special standards: Liu Songxiu was 32 years old, skilled in management, emphasized financial accounting, established a system of accounts payable and receivable, inventory of goods, production, tools, etc. He was also good at using people, network information, analyzing market trends, emphasizing product quality, adhering to integrity and morality, prioritizing customer interests, caring for employee welfare, and expanding the industry.

  6. Chen Kunshan, from Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. A wealthy merchant in Hongjiang. Born into a poor family, he was once an employee of the "Gao Can Shun" oil store, but due to his exceptional talent, he was promoted to be in charge of the Hankou branch. Later, he operated independently and opened the "Yifeng Shi" fabric store and the "Chen Dunren" pharmacy with his son Chen Qiubing, also engaging in processing, manufacturing, wholesale, and retail businesses. He also set up specialized fabric stores in Changde, Hankou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and other places. He Jian made a special note about this father-son duo: The Chen family is loyal, righteous, humble, and modest, and they recognize talent without exception. They have cultivated many business talents for the Hongjiang business community.

  7. Yang Zhuqiu, a Confucian merchant from Hongjiang. He was a Xiucai in the late Qing dynasty, knowledgeable and reasonable, with ambitions in his heart, following the path of filial piety, taking on the labor for his mother, and refusing official positions. In 1894, he jointly invested with others, managed the household independently, and took charge of the family business. He founded the famous "Yang Hengyuan" oil brand. He Jian's annotation about this person is: Enthusiastic about collecting antiques in his spare time from business.

  Zhou Zhiyun, a merchant from Hongjiang. At the age of 13, he came to Hongjiang as an apprentice and later operated his own business selling silk fabrics, raw lacquer, and tung oil. He worked diligently, was frugal but forgot his hardships, and was diligent but forgot his labor. He made many friends, kept his promises, and was known for his integrity. After becoming wealthy, he did not forget his roots, helped those in need, assisted his hometown, and was enthusiastic about public welfare, earning him the reputation as a "merchant of integrity".

  9. Yang Jinseng, a wealthy merchant from Hongjiang. Born into a poor family, he experienced hardships and worked hard to make a living. He started his business with ceramics, later dealing in soybeans, cowhide, mercury, and timber, creating the brands "Yichanghou" and "Shenchangsen". Although he was a rich man, his life was extremely frugal, but he treated people with kindness and generosity.

  As for the Zhang family and other Hong merchants, they are naturally also on the list. However, after observing for some time, He Jian believes that currently only the above nine families can influence Hongjiang, and the rest can be ignored. Especially the Zhang family, although it is still a large family with a big business, its right to speak in the industry has long since declined.

  Wang Zhenyu nodded slightly at an imperceptible frequency, and curiously asked He Jian a sentence: "Director He, you have also been here for several months, and you should have a deep understanding of Zhu Zhi, the first family of Hong Shang. Does this person have any weaknesses? How can I make him useful to me?"

  He Jian was prepared for his boss's inquiry, but he didn't dare to answer casually, lest he give his boss the impression that he was a gossip.

  He replied cautiously: "Commander, do you still remember the words of Zhu Zhida that I mentioned in my last letter? 'If our descendants are better than us, what's the use of money? If they're not as good as us, what's the use of money?'"

  Wang Zhenyu was delighted as soon as he heard it, nodding repeatedly: "I remember, I remember, this person is really insightful about the ways of the world!"

  He nodded and continued: "Understanding doesn't mean this person can really let go. On the contrary, based on my observation, Zhu Zhi's fortune-telling is all about the prosperity of his descendants, but the result is that wealth won't last beyond three generations. This old man is afraid that after he dies, his family business will decline and his descendants will be poor. Last year, he built over 300 large shops in Hongjiang and gave them to needy merchants for free, with only one condition..."

  He said here, He Kui deliberately paused for a moment, but found that Wang Zhenyu was not as interested in continuing the conversation as expected, but rather looked at him with a playful expression. At that time, he felt a chill in his heart, withdrew his cleverness and continued to say: "It's just that in the future, the Zhu family will decline, and their descendants will come to beg for food, can give them a bowl of rice to eat."

  Wang Zhenyu burst out laughing: "Interesting, interesting! What ideas do you have about this?"

  He Qian bowed his head and said: "I have investigated, Zhu Zhida's eldest grandson Zhu Cihang is very much loved by his grandfather. However, his father passed away early, and this child is only twenty years old, but he was born not liking business, and instead likes to dance with guns and sticks. Zhu Zhida has also given up the idea of letting him inherit the family business. I think that if the commander can recruit this son into our army, it would be equivalent to giving him an official position, and ensuring his future is worry-free. With Zhu Zhida's love for this grandson, he will definitely be extremely grateful."

  Wang Zhenyu had three secret talks with Ye Zuwen during his time in Jingzhou, the core idea of which was how to integrate resources in western Hunan, develop industry and build up western Hunan.

  According to Ye Zuwen, the wealth of Hong Shang is astonishing. If it can be used by Wang Zhenyu, not to mention Xiangxi, even rebuilding Hunan Province is not impossible. However, the prerequisite is that you must have a charter to make these business people who are suspicious of society take out their money.

  Li Hongzhang was ahead in this regard, his method of integrating various merchants back then was practical, which was to set up a company, have everyone invest and share the profits. Since there were benefits to be gained, the merchants naturally lent their full support, now it is possible to draw lessons from this approach.

  Wang Zhenyu thought for a long time, then decided to set up a Xiangxi Development Company. He would use this company to circulate the foreign currency in Hong Shang's hands and use it for the construction of Xiangxi.

  Ideas are always good, but how to implement them is the key. At least you have to make these merchants believe in you. In order to gain the support of the merchants of Jingzhou, he had reformed himself in the government of Jingzhou and improved the political and social status of the merchants. However, the merchants of Hongjiang were more formidable and could not be easily won over by a single local government policy. Therefore, Wang Zhenyu thought for a long time and still felt that it was possible to learn from Li Hongzhang's approach and set up a large development company, integrating the resources of Xiangxi, and then everyone would get rich together. It's just that everything is difficult at the beginning, and you have to find someone with prestige to take the lead. Now it seems that Zhu Zhi is not a bad choice.

  Having understood this point, Wang Zhenyu asked He Jian sideways: "What kind of person is Zhu Cihang?"

  He Keyan felt that there was something to be gained from the commander's question, and he respectfully replied: "This young man is a knight who values bravery and has a relatively calm temperament, which is quite different from ordinary rich merchants' sons."

  Wang Zhenyu knew that He Jian was still not daring to deceive himself, and thought that he was indeed a usable person. He nodded and said: "Then you arrange it, I'll visit him at home that day to ask for advice."

  "He Qian was overjoyed: 'Commander, I can summon him to see you.'"

  Wang Zhenyu waved his hand: "It's settled then."

  "What your humble servant means is, if it's an order, then your humble servant will push it down?"

  Wang Zhenyu took a look at He Jian and said: "They can all go down now. He Jian, you stay for a while."

  He was so frightened that he couldn't sit still in his chair.