At this point, Manager Wei’s fists clenched again, his face filled with hatred.
Like a long-dormant brain suddenly jolted awake, Old Master Zhang felt enlightened and snapped back to reality. His complexion darkened as he gritted his teeth and spat, “Beast!”
In the past, Jiangnan had four major cloth stores, but now only Zhang’s cloth store remained. This was because Old Master Zhang had repeatedly invested the family’s money to cover losses and keep the store afloat. After the other three cloth stores went bankrupt, no one took over, and they were ultimately forced to sell their inventory to foreigners at a loss. After all, aside from foreigners, no one dared to handle such a large quantity of goods!
Now, Old Master Zhang finally understood it all! The foreigners’ schemes were far too deep, and this business battle was indeed extremely foul! Having spent his whole life in commerce, it was quite disgusting for him to encounter such cutthroat competition in his old age. The cloth store, struggling to survive, was entirely the fault of these foreign merchants! No wonder Zhang Fang wanted to retaliate and fight against the foreign cloth and merchants! After being bullied by the foreigners for so long, who could tolerate this humiliation? Hence, even if it meant losing everything, the Zhang family had to fight for their dignity!
Old Master Zhang pointed at Zhang Fang and told Manager Wei, “From today on, he is the young master of the cloth store! His words represent the will of the Zhang family!”
Manager Wei respectfully cupped his hands to Zhang Fang, saying, “Young master! The cloth store will be in your hands!”
“Old Fifth, did you hear that? The cloth store will be led by you from now on,” Old Master Zhang reassessed this son. He always knew his bloodline couldn’t be that awful! As expected, a tiger father does not raise a dog son! He himself was a shrewd businessman in his youth, and now his son was also someone with guts who dared to fight!
Zhang Fang solemnly replied, “I will never let Father down!”
After going out for market research, Old Master Zhang returned home, first venting his anger at the foreign merchants while addressing his beloved wife’s tablet, then said with red eyes, “Old Fifth has now become a truly admirable young man! He is spirited, clever, and daring, just like I was in my youth. In this business battle, even if the Zhang family spends all its wealth, we will never regret fighting to the death against the foreign merchants!”
Throughout history, rulers have classified social identities into various ranks, namely scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant. Yet, in the face of national duty, every man has a responsibility.
When the country is in peril, from old men to young boys, even women and the weak, all wish to contribute their strength to build the Great Wall and protect this land beneath their feet.
Old Master Zhang wiped away his tears, regaining his calm demeanor. He instructed Old Zhao to post an invitation for a banquet next month for all affluent guests at the estate. He would organize a joint merchant association to collectively resist the foreign merchants!
Zhang Fang felt heavy-hearted after researching outside all day.
This heaviness stemmed from disappointment with those above, worries for those below, vigilance against the outside, and concerns within.
Upon returning to the Zhang residence, Zhang Fang locked himself in his room to sort through his thoughts.
Old Master Zhang walked to the door of Zhang Fang’s room; it was late at night, and the candlelight inside flickered brightly, casting clear shadows of the person within.
Silent Old Zhao accompanied Old Master Zhang.
After lingering at the door for a long time, Old Master Zhang turned and left.
“Master, can the Zhang family truly go against the foreign merchants? They have an army backing them. If we provoke them, won’t the common people suffer?” Old Zhao asked, his face filled with worry and uncertainty.
Old Master Zhang’s gaze was cold, and he remained silent.
Once in the study, he sat down and said, “Take one-fifth of the Zhang family’s wealth and find a way to purchase foreign artillery. Bring it back, find someone to dismantle it, and let’s learn to make artillery ourselves!”
Our Chinese people are so clever; what can’t we create? As long as we master the technology, Old Master Zhang firmly believed they could produce artillery even more powerful than what the foreigners made!
Old Zhao was shocked, unable to believe what he was hearing. “Master intends to buy firearms and create them ourselves? This is a matter that could cost us our heads!”
Old Master Zhang looked calm and unfazed, saying, “It’s not the Zhang family making it ourselves; it will be made by the court.”
The Zhang family will only be responsible for buying it; after purchasing, they will figure out the technology. Old Master Zhang needed to choose a high-ranking official with integrity and ambition to hand the task to.
Having connections with the governor of the two Jiang provinces, Old Master Zhang understood the situation in the court. Currently, the government’s attitude toward foreigners was divided among officials into two factions: the pro-foreigner faction and the reformist faction. Recent naval defeat forced the court to admit that their artillery could not compete with the foreigners. Hence, in recent years, some officials had begun advocating for “learning from foreign powers to resist foreign powers,” focusing on reform and innovation to establish schools for learning Western culture and technology.
Initially, Old Master Zhang thought this was just a power struggle in court and had nothing to do with him. But now, he clearly saw the connection. Whether in terms of foreign relations or domestic affairs, these were all intricately related to common people like them! If the country was helpless against the foreigners, how could ordinary citizens have any power? The foreign merchants dared to bully businesspeople like them only because they relied on military support! Ultimately, it all circled back to the national defense capability!
Old Zhao was confused by Old Master Zhang’s words. After contemplating for a while, he hesitantly asked, “Master, do you mean to support the new schools?”
“Exactly.” Old Master Zhang stood up and reached for a long sword placed on the rack.
This long sword had been passed down through the Zhang family for generations. By the time it reached Old Master Zhang, it had already been in the family for one hundred and thirty-eight generations.
Holding the long sword, Old Master Zhang gripped the hilt and slowly withdrew the blade from its sheath.
The long sword, long silenced, emitted a glaring cold light in the candle’s glow.
Once fully drawn, Old Master Zhang lifted the heavy sword high with one hand. In a powerful and resonant voice, he recited line by line: “Gold is like dirt, and a hard heart is like iron. The sword cuts down the enemies of the frontier; bones are the foundation of a new city!”
Old Zhao clenched his fists, his gaze firming as he followed suit, reciting, “The sword cuts down the enemies of the frontier; bones are the foundation of a new city!”
Far away, at the Taoist temple, Young Master Zhang experienced a nightmare, finding himself in a sea of flames. Zhang Fang stood on a burning ship, waving at him.
“Old Fifth! Come back! Old Fifth!”
Young Master Zhang’s heart raced, and in the dream, he desperately ran towards that great ship. However, it was floating in the sea; even diving into the water and swimming with all his strength, he could not reach the burning vessel. Finally, he could only watch helplessly as the ship burned to ashes, disappearing into the sea, along with Zhang Fang, who also turned to ash and flowed into the ocean.
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