Currently, the Zhang family has become a prime target, attracting the attention of many eyes in the court. Some officials proposed an increase in export taxes. If local merchants want to sell their goods, they must pay a hefty sum in tariffs! The tariffs have skyrocketed tenfold from their previous amounts!
After the new policy was announced, many merchants could only adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Three months later, the first batch of merchants who went overseas for trade returned. Everyone looked cheerful and enthusiastic. The day after they set foot back on their homeland, a newspaper published an article penned by Zhang Fang, highlighting the Eastern Trade Street, which had garnered global attention and become the most popular market for new goods. Anyone who entered or exited the Eastern Trade Street was either a local noble or a high-ranking official from the parliament.
Upon returning home, Zhang Fang immediately donated a significant sum of trade revenue to the court to support military manufacturing.
This attitude pleased the court greatly. Moreover, since the Zhang family had connections with various merchants in the court, even though they were currently flourishing, the court would not take action against them.
Seeing the first batch of merchants return with hefty profits from overseas, many traders flocked to the Zhang family’s doorstep, kneeling and begging to be included in the next overseas venture!
This time, Zhang Fang did not head home. The George family had been surprisingly quiet for the past few months, which made him feel as if a storm was brewing. He sent someone to contact the workers at the foreign fabric manufacturing plant, only to find them still acting like zombies. He couldn’t gather any useful information from them. Zhang Fang, along with John’s brother, reached out to the British officers left in the East and brought them several generous gifts, eventually gathering some valuable intelligence—the George family was in contact with the Japanese!
This was not good news. Zhang Fang had a premonition that the Japanese would collaborate with the George family, possibly using it as an excuse to instigate a naval conflict.
Using his memory, Zhang Fang sketched the internal structure of the British Royal Navy ships. There were still some parts missing, but on the next overseas voyage, once he saw the core technology, his country would surely be able to build such warships!
Right now, they needed to make money quickly and acquire the core technology of those warships!
Mr. Zhang had already selected the second batch of merchants. The number chosen was triple that of the first batch. They had long since moved their prepared goods to Sea City, and upon seeing the newspaper content, they were elated. Once Zhang Fang sent word, they hurriedly loaded their goods onto the ship, fearing they would miss the opportunity to sail with him!
Leaving a letter to be sent home, Zhang Fang quickly led the merchant convoy out to sea.
As Zhang Fang expected, the Japanese had indeed collaborated with the George family. The George family’s backing had shifted from the British military to the Japanese military. They demanded that the court declare foreign fabric to be the number one material in the world and restore its reputation.
The court found this ridiculous; after all, the George family was merely foreign merchants. Without the British military’s support, they were just ordinary traders. How dare a humble merchant make such demands of their great nation’s court?
Just as the court was about to take action against the George family, news arrived that the Japanese were invading the islands.
In an instant, opinions in the court split into two factions. They were now facing enemies on all fronts—internal unrest in the western border combined with Russian invasions, and harassment from the Japanese overseas. However, the national treasury was empty, and the court could only allocate a limited amount of funds for military supplies. One group of officials advocated for maritime defense, while another insisted on fortification. War necessitated not just recruitment but also funds to prepare weaponry and a large quantity of provisions. The court’s budget could only support one military engagement, leading to endless disputes among the officials.
Lord Zuo expressed his views on the matter, advocating for equal emphasis on both maritime security and land fortifications. Of course, the court wished to defend both fronts, but they were limited in their capabilities and unable to allocate funds.
Thus, Lord Zuo made a special trip to Jiangnan to approach Mr. Zhang. He sought a loan from Jiangnan’s merchants in the name of the court for the war effort.
Without hesitation, Mr. Zhang immediately donated three million taels of silver for the war. He also reached out to various merchants, convening a meeting to discuss fundraising for the military.
Many merchants were initially reluctant to donate money for the court’s military but, in order to show face for Mr. Zhang, they all contributed a little. After all, they still wanted the Zhang family to lead them in opening the overseas trade market.
Staring at the figures written on the paper, Mr. Zhang appeared indifferent, saying nothing. However, he soon let it slip that the list of merchants for the next foreign trade venture would be selected based on the amount donated.
Once this information spread, many merchants hurriedly increased their donations. In just ten days, Mr. Zhang helped Lord Zuo raise ten million taels of military funds.
With this money in hand, Lord Zuo immediately set about establishing shipbuilding and munitions factories. They would produce a significant amount of weapons and learn Western naval technology.
As spring blossomed, Zhang Fang returned to his homeland. He could notably feel that the spirit of the people had improved. The number of beggars on the streets had decreased, and the bustling streets were vibrant, with hope evident in the eyes of the passersby.
“Young Master Five, the foreign fabric weaving factory has been remarkably quiet these past few months.”
“Remarkably quiet?” Zhang Fang shrugged off his coat, and someone helped him take it to hang up.
“Yes, completely quiet. It’s quite strange,” replied the person monitoring the foreign fabric weaving factory, who also thought the George family’s stillness was peculiar. For over half a year, the George family’s fabric factory had been in a state of loss; apart from initially bribing court officials to target the Zhang family, nothing else had happened.
Zhang Fang pondered thoughtfully and asked them, “Have the George family sent any merchant convoys overseas during this period?”
“No. The manager of the George family did attempt to imitate others by leading a merchant convoy to a remote area to sell their goods.”
“Did anyone buy their fabrics?” Zhang Fang pressed on.
At the mention of this, Manager Liu expressed disdain and sarcastically said, “Of course not! They took one cart of fabric out, and multiple carts came back.”
Zhang Fang shook his head and muttered softly, “No, something isn’t right. What if their purpose for leaving wasn’t to sell fabric?”
If the George family were truly that eager to sell their fabrics, they would surely be driven to desperation after half a year. However, after they made connections with the Japanese, they had ceased all direct actions against the Zhang family. They were either lying low or silently plotting something sinister!