Chapter 212 Shanxi Merchants
The gap between the rich and the poor in this era was particularly large. The rich had vast fields and tall buildings, while the poor could not even get enough food or clothes, and even lived from day to day.

If the social structure of later generations is like a pyramid, then the social structure of this era is like the Eiffel Tower, and the real top dignitaries are the flagpole at the top.

If Chen Gui wanted to make money, he naturally had to find a way from the upper level. After all, the upper level had money, and many problems could be solved by just grabbing a little bit from the flagpole.

And it doesn’t matter even if the flagpole is pulled down, the absence of the flagpole will not affect the entire tower. But if there is a problem with the bottom layer, the whole tower will be at risk of collapsing.

Now that he's out, Chen Gu plans to visit each department.

The headquarters of various departments are all on Baixiang Street outside the Chongqing government office. In the past, officials of all levels in Chongqing lived on this street. Now, their houses have naturally been requisitioned by the Huaxia Department. Next to the Finance and Taxation Department is the Forestry and Mining Department controlled by the Dong family.

There are two large vats at the entrance of the Forestry and Mining Department, or to be more precise, potted plants, with two orange trees planted in them. It is the time when the oranges are ripe, and the two oranges are in very good condition. The red oranges hanging on the trees look very festive.

Chen Gu picked one and peeled it to taste. It was surprisingly sweet, so he said to the accompanying guard, "Very good. Pick some for me later. My two ladies like it."

The smiling head of the Forestry and Mining Department suddenly turned into a bitter face. After hesitating for a long time, he finally plucked up the courage to salute Chen Gu first, and then said: "Leader, these two orange trees of our Forestry and Mining Department are placed at the door to look good.

If you want to eat oranges, I will sell them to you right away. I guarantee that they are sweeter than the ones on this tree. Just pick the ones on the tree. If you pluck all the oranges, I will not be able to explain it. It will be a small matter, but it will be a big matter for our Ministry of Forestry and Mining and the Ministry of Huaxia. Wouldn't that also be a loss of face for your leader?"

"Haha, that's true. Is your minister in the ministry?" Chen Gu nodded and said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm having tea with the owner of Shanxi Guild Hall!" the doorman reminded.

Chen Gu looked back at the Shanxi Guild Hall not far away. Being on the same street, the Shanxi Guild Hall provided him with considerable convenience.

When talking about Shanxi Guild Hall, we have to mention Shanxi merchants.

At least half of the credit for the development of the Qing Dynasty can be attributed to the Shanxi merchants, especially in the early Qing Dynasty, when the Ming Dynasty launched economic sanctions against the Qing Dynasty and imposed a material blockade. It was the Shanxi merchants who started from Shanxi and went through Mongolia, and with great difficulty delivered materials to the Qing Dynasty in the northeast.

Shanxi merchants were present in all subsequent military operations of the Qing Dynasty, including the external and internal military operations during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. They handled spoils of war and provided military supplies for the army. It is not an exaggeration to call Shanxi merchants of this era imperial merchants.

Of course, serving the military is not their main business. It is just to gain political capital. Their main business is finance and energy, that is, silver bills and coal.

Shanxi merchants are rich. You can go to any province or prefecture with their large-denomination silver notes to withdraw silver. You only need to pay a small handling fee. Shanxi is also a major coal-producing province.

These two businesses alone are enough to make people rich.

Does it sound a bit like the dollar-pegged-to-oil model?

It's a pity that the Qing Dynasty closed its doors to the outside world. In the end, not only did it fail to dominate the world, but its doors were also blasted open by others with cannons.

In fact, Shanxi merchants were already on the decline at that time, because coal was being mined all over the country. After all, the demand for coal was not large in that era. Take Sichuan for example, there were more than a dozen large coal mines, which were fully sufficient for domestic needs and could even be sold along the Yangtze River.

As for the business of banknote exchange, Zhejiang merchants have established UnionPay in Shanghai, so you can imagine how badly the banknote exchange business of Shanxi merchants has been squeezed. However, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, at least the huge Shanxi merchants are still very useful to Chen Jue now.

Putting aside other things, at least letting them go around the country to look for oil will definitely be more convenient than having Chen Gu arrange people to look for it. They can even transport it to Sichuan for you.

Chen Gu smiled and walked into the Forestry and Mining Department.

Chen the Eunuch went straight to the lobby of the ministry. The two people in the room should have known about Chen the Eunuch's arrival in advance, and were waiting with their heads bowed. When Chen the Eunuch came in, they bowed together to greet him.

"Dong Zhongde!"

"Qiao Quanyi!"

"Meet the leader, I hope you are well!"

"Hello, both of you. Please take a seat. You're welcome!" Chen Gu nodded with a smile. After he sat down at the main seat, he asked with a smile, "I came out to look around when I had nothing to do. I just came out from Lao Jiang's Finance and Taxation Department. I heard that Qiao Zhongxian was there, so I came in to see what you two were talking about just now?"

Zhongxian Daifu was a fourth-rank official, a very high rank, but it was an honorary title and did not correspond to any actual position. It was just a title for civil servants. The court also often used it to reward the parents, wives and children of meritorious officials.

Well, it can also be bought and sold. It is a very common official position, which is why this official title can be found on many Qing Dynasty tombstones.

Of course, the so-called tombs everywhere are only for the powerful and wealthy. Ordinary people cannot reach them. In fact, ordinary people don’t even have tombstones.

For officials, spending some money to get themselves a fourth-rank official position can make many things much more convenient, and they can also enjoy certain privileges. It can be regarded as a transaction between money and power.

The selling of official positions and titles has actually always existed in the Qing Dynasty, and it was a serious business of the court, but few people mentioned it. In comparison, Emperor Ling of Han was severely criticized for selling official positions and titles.

After Dong Zhongde and Qiao Quanyi sat upright, Dong Zhongde spoke first: "I am discussing oil matters with Mr. Qiao."

Chen Gu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Hey, they really thought of the same thing. But this is normal. Chen Gu had already ordered the forestry and mining departments to look for oil.

After all, this is a very profitable business because the prices are relatively cheap and the various oils refined from them sell very well and are even in short supply.

Mainly because most of it was used as military supplies. Although Chen Kui did not consume much in the war, necessary military reserves were necessary. Therefore, not many types of oils refined from petroleum have flowed into the market.

Ultimately, the amount of oil that naturally flows out of the well inside the Buddha treasure is too small, and not much can be sold except for personal use.

But Chen Gu did not dare to increase the mining intensity rashly. After all, dozens of tons of metal were flowing out every day. If he mined rashly and something unexpected happened, the gain would be counterproductive.

It is better to wait until the flow stops or decreases before considering mining.

(End of this chapter)