Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei was busy scrambling to expand his business, first handling business paperwork with government officials and then negotiating financing with major businesses in Yunzhou City. The results weren't ideal, and several of his late father's old friends tried to dissuade him from wading into this murky water. After several nights of pulling all-nighters to revise his plans, he spent a fortune on a brothel and even invited the courtesan Ningxiang to perform songs and dances. This finally brought together the wealthy merchants from Yunzhou City and its counties.

Inside the bustling brothel, wealthy merchants from all over Yunzhou arrived as scheduled. These merchants frequently interacted with each other in the business world, so they were naturally very familiar with each other. As soon as they met, they exchanged pleasantries enthusiastically, creating a lively atmosphere.

One person greeted another with a broad smile, bowing and saying, "Ah, Boss Wei! I didn't expect you to be here today!" The man called Boss Wei laughed heartily and replied, "Yes, I heard that this young man from the Zhang family specially invited an otaku to perform. I'm not particularly interested in the Huangfu family's expansion, but it's a delight to be able to appreciate the otaku's graceful dance moves!"

At this time, someone else came over and greeted a middle-aged man in fancy clothes: "Master Luo, you are so kind to come here today. You are a rare guest!"

Luo Dongjia smiled and nodded, saying, "No, no, everyone is here, why shouldn't I come?"

Not far away, a cry of surprise was heard: "Oh, isn't this the young master of the He family!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a graceful young man walking towards them.

Ma Tianmao also entered with a group of young masters, and then someone shouted, "Look, the young master of the Ma family is here too. I have to go over and say hello to him!" For a moment, the entire brothel was filled with laughter and greetings.

Someone in the crowd suddenly lowered his voice and said, "I heard that even the Tongzhi will be here in person tonight. Mr. Li has been worrying about the water transportation, and this is a good opportunity to take care of it!" After hearing this, the people around nodded in agreement.

Someone else shook his head and laughed, saying, "Although I'm a bit skeptical about the Huangfu family's expansion, those who were able to come tonight are all important figures. I have to say, the young man from the Zhang family is really thoughtful!"

The area around the flower building was filled with carriages, and the entrance of the flower building was guarded by elite soldiers from Yunzhou. Zhang Jingwei nodded with satisfaction, and then asked someone to carry a pile of huge papers and walked into the venue.

As for PPT, it is a basic skill for an assistant to the workshop director. In the past two days, he invited an artist to draw a paper version of PPT with more than 50 pages. In his opinion, this novel way of attracting investment will definitely make these wealthy businessmen shine.

Ningxiang was invited by Zhang Jingwei, so she performed particularly hard. She even performed the extremely difficult Western dance in front of these wealthy businessmen while wearing extremely revealing clothes in this autumn.

The tips from these wealthy merchants all started at a hundred taels. They were either the owners of a certain market town or the heads of a certain trading company, and giving less was likely to be a loss of face. The brothel owner in the backstage area was grinning from ear to ear. She had initially thought the entire place wouldn't be profitable, but she ended up making a killing.

Liu Yanzhi was also watching with great interest. His seat was in the front row. These wealthy businessmen came up to talk to him under the pretext of giving him rewards. Although Liu Yanzhi was very disdainful of such occasions, he still smiled for the sake of his students.

After Ningxiang finished her three-song dance, she was sweating profusely and panting with exhaustion. Several dancers next to her could hardly stand. After Zhang Jingwei replaced them off the stage, he arranged for someone to set up a large screen, and all the paper versions of the PPTs were hung on it.

The audience was crowded with people, whispering and talking, and noisy sounds were heard one after another.

"Hey, look at you, what on earth is going on?" someone asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Another person sighed and said, "What else could it be? It's just the same old camp expansion. I was tired of watching it when it was performed in my house!" There was a hint of impatience in his words.

At this time, someone lowered his voice and said, "Tell me, Young Master Zhang has deployed so many soldiers at the door. If we are unwilling to provide financial support, will it cause trouble?" As soon as these words came out, the faces of several people around him suddenly became solemn.

However, someone immediately retorted, "What are you afraid of? He's just a small fifth-rank garrison commander. My cousin is an official at the heart of the imperial court. How could he be afraid of him?"

Someone nearby echoed, "That's right. After all, he's just a young boy. Do you really think you can make us surrender by using these tricks? That's wishful thinking!" Everyone laughed.

But at this moment, a warning suddenly came from the crowd: "Don't say that. I heard that the Huangfu Army is full of good and bad people, and there are some bandits. We'd better be cautious."

Faced with the chirping of crickets, Zhang Jingwei just laughed it off. He opened the first page of the paper version of the PPT, on which were written four big characters: "Huangfu Junxing".

Zhang Jingwei stood on the high platform, his eyes sweeping over the owners and bosses present below. He cleared his throat and said, "My dear owners and bosses, we've known each other for many years, so I'm going to be frank today! My father-in-law is the garrison general of Yunzhou! The Yunzhou army is planning to expand its camp, and this is extremely urgent! The money, manpower, and various supplies required are simply astronomical! So, I've come here today to ask all of you uncles and brothers to lend a hand and help the Yunzhou soldiers solve this urgent problem!"

However, the wealthy businessmen in the audience all had gloomy faces and stared at Zhang Jingwei on the stage expressionlessly, as if they were examining something.

Zhang Jingwei, unfazed by this, continued, "Let me tell you about the Huangfu Military Bank. It's a large trading company spearheaded by the Huangfu family. Its business scope is quite extensive, encompassing everything from the salt and tea trade to warhorse transactions, essential for the military... Next, let's discuss the equity system. As long as you're willing to invest, you'll receive a certain equity share in proportion to your investment. Every year, we conduct a unified accounting of overall operating conditions and distribute dividends based on the size of your holdings. Furthermore, if this fundraising is successful, the Huangfu Military Bank plans to launch a public stock raise. At that time, the bank will officially issue shares, and the returns from your shares will surely surge like a tide!"

Suddenly, a burst of wild laughter rang out from the audience. "Hahaha, this is hilarious! You actually made such a bold statement, saying you're going to create a brand new currency? This is no joke, this kind of behavior is a serious crime!"

Zhang Jingwei remained calm, smiling and shaking his head. "That's not the case. You all don't know that the stocks people buy are actually just equity certificates issued by the military. They can't be used directly for daily transactions or circulation like a common currency."

At this time, someone in the crowd asked loudly, "If that's the case, then what's the practical significance of buying these stocks? Isn't it just a waste of money?"

Zhang Jingwei cleared his throat and patiently explained, "The significance of this is that the market value of the military bank determines the price of its stock. If the military bank thrives and its market value doubles, then the value of your shares will naturally double accordingly. Conversely, if the military bank performs poorly and its market value declines, the value of your shares will also be affected and decrease."

However, just as he finished speaking, a harsh voice rang out: "Huh, if you say so, how different is this from opening a gambling house? In my opinion, Master Zhang, you might as well open a few more casinos in the military camp. Maybe you can earn enough money to expand the camp faster!" This person's words caused everyone around to burst into laughter, and the scene became a little noisy for a while.