Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Hua Ruohan smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, well, I really don't have such a large amount of real money.

Liu Ye smiled and said, "So, Mr. Hua Ruohan, it's best for you to do business without any capital. That's the second thing I want to say!"

Hua Ruohan was stunned and asked, "What is a no-cost business?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Mr. Hua Ruohan, you know, when I first arrived in Shandong, it was a time of great ambition. Shandong was in ruins and needed a lot of money. However, where would such money come from in such a poor place like Shandong? After much thought, I can only ask you for help. I need a loan to build Shandong."

Hua Ruohan frowned. Loan?

Liu Ye continued, "In my plan, Shandong will have to invest at least 10 million taels of silver within three years for large-scale construction. However, in order to quell the rebellion in Shandong and revitalize Shandong's industry and commerce, I will also implement large-scale tax cuts or exemptions for Shandong's three industries: industry, agriculture, and commerce. Within three years, Shandong Province's fiscal revenue will be reduced by at least half. In other words, the original fiscal revenue of nearly 12 million taels over three years will probably not even reach 7 million taels. This huge gap can only be filled through loans."

At least 10 million taels were invested, and the total fiscal revenue of Shandong over the past three years was only 7 million taels. Doesn't that mean there is a gap of at least several million taels? This is a huge hole!

Hua Ruohan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Sir Liu, how much do you want to borrow?"

Liu Ye held up five fingers and replied, "Five million taels of silver! If I remember correctly, that's two and a half million US dollars. How about that number? Doesn't it scare you?"

Two and a half million dollars!

Hua Ruohan's mouth twitched, and he said bitterly, "My Lord Governor, you're asking for too much! Two and a half million US dollars!"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, your hard work won't be in vain. Didn't I say it before? This is a business with no capital. As long as you can help me make it happen, I will naturally not let my friend's hard work be in vain. So, as long as you can accomplish this, I am willing to give you $100,000 as a reward. How about it?"

One hundred thousand US dollars, that's two hundred thousand taels of silver!

Zhang Chunping and Li Junfeng were heartbroken. "My Lord, that's pure silver! Silver! You just gave it away like that? You prodigal son, you prodigal son!"

Li Junfeng kept winking at Liu Ye, indicating that Liu Ye should think about it, but Liu Ye turned a blind eye and ignored him.

Hua Ruohan swallowed hard. One hundred thousand dollars, even if he took out all his real estate, that was all he was worth. If he could succeed, it would be a huge fortune. These days, his annual salary is only a few thousand dollars, but this is twenty years of salary, maybe more! However, getting this done was no easy task. Two and a half million dollars, such a huge fortune, how could it be loaned out so easily?

Hua Ruohan said in a hoarse voice, "Liu Ye, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the amount is too huge. How can I borrow it easily? How can you repay it? You have to know that your country has a system of floating official positions. If one day you are transferred to another place, who will be responsible for this debt? The risk is too great. Besides, where do you have such a large amount of collateral?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "This wealth is indeed enormous, but it's not something Shandong can't repay. Under normal circumstances, Shandong's annual fiscal revenue is a whopping four million taels, no more, no less. I've pledged Shandong's financial resources. Are you still worried that you can't repay it? If it's still not enough, hehe, we still have a huge amount of wealth that we haven't used yet..."

Hua Ruohan asked in confusion, "Immense wealth? What kind of wealth?"

Liu Ye whispered, "Mr. Hua Ruohan, you should know that the British and French forces looted the entire Old Summer Palace. The treasures inside are an astronomical figure!"

Hua Ruohan nodded and replied, "Of course I heard about it. This time, the British and French forces looted at least tens of millions of taels of silver. They made a fortune!"

Liu Ye sneered, "Hehe, damn it, they're just a bunch of beasts. Sooner or later, I'll take care of them all! The most important thing is, weren't they robbed right after leaving Beijing?"

"Yes, we were robbed more than ten times in a row, and the losses were heavy. Not only that, but many people died. Wait, could it be you who is responsible for this..."

Hua Ruohan's eyes widened. It was absolutely true. Why hadn't he thought of this before? In the entire Qing Dynasty, was there anyone else who dared to rob the Anglo-French forces? Not to mention the Chinese, even the Americans wouldn't dare to be so audacious. This would lead to annihilation!

Li Junfeng and Zhang Chunping on the side looked at each other in horror, shocked. It was too shocking. This governor really dared to do anything. It was unknown how much gold and silver he had robbed, but the number of British and French soldiers killed and injured was not small. The British and French forces reported that the casualties were close to one thousand. If the news leaked out, I am afraid Liu Ye would be caught and skinned alive!

Liu Ye smiled and nodded, saying, "This matter is between you and me. If Hua Ruohan leaks any information, our friendship will be gone..."

Hua Ruohan was speechless and said, "You've already done it, and you're still afraid of people knowing?"

Liu Ye chuckled and said, "Of course, less trouble is worse than more, right? I'm not afraid of them, but if they start making trouble, I won't have the energy to take care of anything else, right? Besides the gold and silver, I also have all kinds of precious antiques and artworks, worth no less than three or four million taels. If they were put on the market, I'm afraid they would be worth even more. I'm willing to use these artworks as collateral!"

Hua Ruohan's heart was pounding. He suddenly said, "How about you not pledge the property? I'll take these treasures to America and auction them off for you. They're worth at least three or four million taels of silver. I'm afraid I can turn them into three or four million US dollars. What do you think?"

Liu Ye's face darkened and he said, "Hua Ruohan, are you sure you're not joking?"

When Hua Ruohan was stared at by Liu Ye, he immediately felt a little uneasy. Damn, he said the wrong thing. Although this guy is open-minded, he has always been a nationalist. How could he allow these priceless works of art to flow into Europe and the United States?

Hua Ruohan smiled awkwardly and replied, "Just kidding, just kidding, Liu Ye, you're not humorous at all. It's boring, really boring..."

Liu Ye's expression softened, and he said, "Alright, that's it. Zhu Hai will be back soon, and you will be able to personally inspect this batch of supplies. I must get five million taels of silver, not a cent less. As for the interest, it doesn't matter. You can decide for yourself. Five million taels of silver, to be repaid in installments over ten years. I hope you can get this done for me as soon as possible. Old friend, I'm leaving it to you!"