introduction
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government signed a series of unequal treaties that humiliated the country, bringing huge financial pressure to the country. The government no longer suppresses the development of business as before, It gives our national capitalism a chance to develop Many people have also adapted to the current situation and become rich businessmen. Many powerful business groups have emerged.
In our country, the famous merchants include Huizhou merchants, Shanxi merchants, Fujian merchants, Shandong merchants, etc. Hu Xueyan is one of the famous representatives of Huizhou merchants. He was born poor and worked as a waiter in the shop, sweeping the court and even pouring out urinals to make a living. But he was appreciated by the bank owner with his smart mind and unique vision and got the opportunity to develop.
The owner who had no son left the bank to him before he died. Later, Hu Xueyan reviewed the situation, expanded the industry step by step, and paid attention to making friends with officials, He was also appreciated by Zuo Zongtang. Since then, he has embarked on the road of being an official and a businessman.
Hu Xueyan's support was indispensable to the establishment of Fuzhou Ship Administration Bureau and the military funds and drugs when Zuo Zongtang recovered Xinjiang. Hu Qingyutang, which he founded, can already be compared with Tongrentang in Beijing. In 1881, the court also appointed Hu Xueyan as a secondary official for his contribution to the recovery of Xinjiang.
(Hu Qingyutang)
By this time, Hu Xueyan had become famous and rich. But how could he have expected that two years later, he would sell his family property at a low price, be dismissed by the imperial court, and the industry he worked hard for would be closed down by the imperial court. Why did Hu Xueyan fall into such a situation? This matter also starts from a Sino foreign business war.
1、 More than half of the family property was forced to pay off debts, and bureaucrats took the opportunity to extort
At that time, in the international market, Chinese businessmen were always pushed and suppressed by foreigners, and the pricing power of many commodities was in the hands of foreigners. After some thinking, Hu Xueyan decided to store a large amount of raw silk, If foreigners can only buy raw silk from their own hands, they can not only seize the pricing power of raw silk, but also obtain rich profits.
He bought more than 15000 bags of raw silk in large quantities, and almost all the funds he had were invested in raw silk. However, Hu Xueyan's failure was due to his overconfidence in his own strength, He mistakenly predicted the international trade market due to the lagging information.
(Hu Xueyan Memorial Hall)
Originally, Hu Xueyan was going to sell it to Italy. However, the raw silk in Italy had a great harvest, and Hu Xueyan did not receive the news in time, In desperation, Hu Xueyan had to sell it to the foreign firm at a discount.
At this time, Hu Xueyan, who is tens of millions of people, can still resist, but the credit crisis when the financial crisis came, let Hu Xueyan really fall into a desperate situation.
At that time, China was in the panic of the Sino French war, and the financial market was also affected. The tide of Guiwei was set off. Many bank securities firms went bankrupt and their stocks plummeted, causing millions of losses.
(Sino French War)
In order to earn high interest, Hu Xueyan also authorized his bank to lend money to people who buy stocks for profit. After the financial crisis, huge amounts of funds cannot be recovered.
His official friends, who used to be his brothers, also worried that Hu Xueyan was really bankrupt. They took the opportunity to kick the bucket, demanded to withdraw their deposits, and extorted money from him.
The officials who had a quarrel with him also fell into the trap and secretly spread the false news that Hu Xueyan had gone bankrupt, causing many depositors to flock to withdraw money. In the end, Hu Xueyan's silver shop went bankrupt, and most of his family's assets were scattered.
So who on earth wants to kill Hu Xueyan? The person behind this is Li Hongzhang, who has been at odds with Zuo Zongtang for a long time.
(Zuo Zongtang)
2、 Involved in the party struggle and suffered heavy losses, the Qing government investigated and dealt with relentlessly
In the eyes of many people, Zuo Zongtang's protection is inseparable from Hu Xueyan's achievements in the officialdom, and Hu Xueyan is a matter of the Left Party. Hu Xueyan himself once profited from Zuo Zongtang's fame.
However, the big tree behind Hu Xueyan is not so good for enjoying the cool 。 When Zuo Zongtang was young, he was arrogant and had little regard for others, so he made many enemies and had few supporters in the imperial court. With his military achievements and political mind, he can stand still, but he is also a little helpless.
After Zeng Guofan's death, Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were popular figures in the imperial court The phenomenon of striving for power and profit is more serious. As a loyal supporter of Zuo Zongtang, Hu Xueyan's attitude towards Li Hongzhang is not good. In order to suppress Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang decided to completely defeat Hu Xueyan. He thought this was a good opportunity.
(Li Hongzhang)
When Hu Xueyan went through the raw silk trade and financial crisis, he had to prepare funds for Zuo Zongtang to fight abroad 。 Hu Xueyan wants to borrow money from the foreign bank, and then the imperial court will allocate funds from provinces to pay him back the silver, so as to avoid the embarrassment of cash shortage.
However, Li Hongzhang secretly told Shao Youlian, the official in charge of money allocation, to postpone the allocation, and encouraged the Bank of Foreigners to urge Hu Xueyan to pay back the money, forcing Hu Xueyan to lose his money, desperate to sell his property. The news of the Hu family's bankruptcy was also inspired by him 。
In the end, Hu Xueyan's bank failed, and the debts borrowed from the government could not be repaid. Li Hongzhang took advantage of the problem and said that Hu Xueyan's customs bank still owed the Qing government money, Cixi was so angry that she ordered Hu Xueyan to be dismissed from his post as a family thief.
(Shao Youlian)
However, Hu Xueyan retained his backbone. He did not express dissatisfaction or ask others to intercede. Having seen the officialdom clearly, he chose to be frank. He knew that Liu Bingzhang, governor of Zhejiang, was also a Li Hongzhang school, However, he still handed over the property book to the other party without reservation.
In the end, Hu Xueyan's family wealth was exhausted, and all the articles in his private house were sold off.
So since Zuo Zongtang made friends with Hu Xueyan, why didn't he save Hu Xueyan?
(Sheng Xuanhuai)
3、 There is no one in the imperial court after the death of the backer, and the poverty and hatred are too weak to return to heaven
At that time, Zuo Zongtang was busy fighting in other places, and the telegram for help sent by Hu Xueyan was also detained by Sheng Xuanhuai, the head office of the telegraph office sent by Li Hongzhang, When Zuo Zongtang got the news, the imperial edict had been issued.
At this time, Zuo Zongtang was dissatisfied with Cixi because of his main battle, and he could not provide asylum politically. But in order to avoid the dominance of Li Hongzhang's family and balance the power. In November 1883, the imperial court finally sent Zuo Zongtang to investigate Hu Xueyan personally. The Qing government urged again and again, but Zuo Zongtang had no choice but to close down pawnshops and businesses, But I still want to save Hu Xueyan and his descendants.
Who expected that in September 1885, when Zuo Zongtang died of illness, Hu Xueyan lost his support completely 。 Yan Jingming, the head secretary of the Ministry of Household, who had long been dissatisfied with Hu Xueyan's act of relying on the government to open a door for himself, wrote directly to ask Hu Xueyan to be brought to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation. In order to rectify the national law, Cixi also agreed to this practice.
(Yan Jingming)
However, when the imperial court sent people to arrest Hu Xueyan, they learned that Hu Xueyan had already died of poverty. Some people speculated that Hu Xueyan did not die of a sudden illness, But I have already known my end and decided to cut myself.
The body of this former rich businessman was buried in a mass grave after his death, and he still owed the Qing government 60000 taels of silver. The end was bleak.
Although Hu Xueyan made friends with officials and took advantage of Zuo Zongtang's position, It is an indisputable fact to escort our own business. However, he is also a patriotic businessman, who has donated money to disaster relief areas affected by drought and flood for many times, and has gone to Japan twice to buy back Chinese cultural relics lost in foreign countries at a high price. The medicine hall opened by him has been operated in good faith, saving countless people.
(Hu Xueyan's Former Residence)
Although the result of being calculated due to involvement in party strife and excessive aggressiveness is sobering, it also tells us a truth that excessive dependence on the interpersonal relationships in the officialdom may also bring disaster to oneself. A man should be down-to-earth, not aggressive, and be lucky in order to go far.
