Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

"Borrowing money from foreigners?"

This is no joke!

Guo Songtao was shocked and asked, "Brother, is this possible? Will they lend it to us? Even if they can lend it to us, foreigners are always cunning. What if they cheat us? They are unreasonable!"

Liu Ye laughed heartily and said, "Brother, maybe they won't lend it to others, but if I come forward, there will definitely be no problem! Also, they can cheat others, but they don't have the ability to cheat me. If they piss me off, I will make them lose everything!"

Guo Songtao's heart tightened. Damn, this kid is really not an easy person to deal with. I hope he doesn't really cause any trouble...

Guo Songtao then asked: "However, we want to borrow money from foreigners, but how do we do it? Who should we contact? We are completely in the dark."

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. I'll do it! The American Minister John Warren is my old friend. The American businessman Colt is my partner. The arms company we run can make him millions of taels of silver a year. Do you think they would refuse if I asked them to lend me some money? As for cheating me, Colt doesn't have the guts to do that. He's still counting on me to make a fortune. He wouldn't care about a million or eight hundred thousand taels of silver. These businessmen have a long-term vision and won't care about such a small amount of money."

Guo Songtao was completely shocked and asked, "What did you say? You cooperated with the Americans to build an arsenal?"

Guo Songtao had served in Zeng Guofan's court, specializing in materials and foreign affairs. He knew about the huge profits of Western weapons. But Liu Ye had actually opened a huge arms company without showing off!

Guo Songtao asked, "Brother, are you confident in handing over such a large factory to the Americans? Aren't you afraid that they might play tricks on you?"

Liu Ye sneered, "Brother, I say the same thing again. He would only embezzle the profits if he no longer wants the wealth that will come later. However, Colt's ambitions definitely go beyond this. In order to win me over, he will not only give me more than he deserves, but will even give me a little more. He knows that if I leave him, I can find a better partner. If he leaves me, he will get nothing from the subsequent firearms technology."

Guo Songtao was completely speechless. Who on earth was this person? Not only did he control the princes and nobles in the court, but he also controlled the foreigners. Where did he get such great ability?

"So what exactly are you going to do?"

Liu Ye continued, "I've already written to Hua Ruohan. He'll be in Jinan in about half a month. When that happens, I'll formally ask him for a loan. Not only that, I'll also suggest that he buy shares in our bank. This way, our capital will be even more substantial, and we'll be more confident in supporting Shandong's development."

"What's next?"

"What's next? It's very simple! Once I have the money, I will immediately invest in construction. First, the development of the Yanzhou Coal Mine and the Laiyang Iron Mine. Within three years, I will invest two to three million taels of silver in these two factories and mines. Then I will raise funds to build the Qingdao Port in Dengzhou, and include the entire Jimo in it. The investment in these three years will also be more than one million taels of silver. In addition to these three projects, there is the construction of the arsenal. Colt has already promised me that I will not have enough time this year. Next year, I will build an arsenal in Jinan or Jining to produce Western-style muskets to equip the Qing army!"

Guo Songtao calculated in his mind the three things, which meant that he would have to invest more than five million taels of silver, which was an astronomical figure. In addition, the other expenses were even larger. If he wanted to generate income to make up for it, he would have to wait at least two or three years.

Guo Songtao hesitated and said, "I'm afraid that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst..."

Liu Ye laughed heartily. "Brother, you're too cautious. Do you think our bank only provides us with funds? We're just children's play. My goal is to provide support to anyone who wants to start a business or open a factory. Shandong has a two-year tax exemption for businesses and factories. Just think about it, won't these businessmen be crazy about borrowing money to start businesses? Two years, as long as we can hold on for two years, by then, we'll be rich as a ton."

Liu Ye stood up, poured Guo Songtao a cup of tea, and continued, "Banks, banks, we call them money houses in our country. The so-called banks use the spare money of ordinary people to do big things. We have millions of taels of silver as capital. Well, the government also needs to put out some money. Within three months, all nine prefectures and ten states must open branches. In the early stage, we will lend money at a small profit to encourage these merchants to do business. With the meager interest rate and the tax-free policy, it will be difficult for their businesses not to make money! In two years, they can accumulate a large amount of funds and develop in a snowball manner. In two or three years, they will usher in a huge explosion!"

Guo Songtao was excited and inspired by Liu Ye's passionate words. If Liu Ye's dream could be realized, he, as a governor, would be able to leave a mark in history.

Liu Ye continued, "Brother, once I step down as Governor of Shandong, you will be the only candidate to succeed me. I will never allow anyone else to get involved in this position. Anyone who wants to take advantage of it will be blocked. Even if someone comes, I will get rid of him!"

Guo Songtao smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, it's not that cruel, is it?"

Liu Ye snorted coldly and replied, "It took several years of hard work to make Shandong start to improve. It will take another ten years to become the leader in the Qing Dynasty or to control half of its finances. I definitely can't stay that long. Letting someone else come? Can they guarantee that the plan I have set will not go astray? I don't want my hard work to be ruined. This position can only be yours, and no one can take it away!"

Guo Songtao felt a chill in his heart. Liu Ye was not trying to gain control of his faction, but was determined to revitalize Shandong. For this ideal, he was willing to force his way to the position, which would be under tremendous pressure. Once Shandong became prosperous, those powerful people would scramble for the position. The position of Governor of Shandong would become the most sought-after position. If he wanted to keep himself there, he would have to offend countless powerful people. This kind of vision was definitely not something that ordinary people could match.

Liu Ye continued, "In the future, we will have to invest huge sums of money to build a province-wide railway network and introduce Western railways. That would be a much bigger undertaking. Big brother, I'm afraid that by then, it will be your turn to truly show your skills. This opportunity to leave your name in history is reserved for you!"