1928: The rise of giant merchants

The principal who defeated the Guangxi clique in April and May successfully forced Feng Yuxiang to resign at the end of May. After that, his target was Yan Laoxi Yan Xishan, who was entrenched in Shanxi.

There has always been a feud between Yan Xishan and the principal.

In early 1929, the principal forced Yan Xishan to transfer the Pingjin tax revenue to Jinling in the name of dividing "national tax" and "local tax"; Yan Xishan applied for the issuance of 30 million yuan in provincial public bonds, but no result was obtained.

At the end of the Northern Expedition, Yan Xishan profited from the struggle between Jiang and Feng and established his own government in Peiping. Although the principal appointed Yan Xishan as the commander of the Beijing-Tianjin garrison, he appointed He Chengjun as the camp director and mayor of Peking. Surrounded, making him uneasy.

However, Yan Xishan was also a partisan who stood on both sides of the fence. Seeing the principal fighting with various princes, he wanted to benefit from it but did not want to openly quarrel with him, so he made all kinds of false promises with Feng Yuxiang, and violated the law. .

The principal was happy to see Yan Xishan jumping around repeatedly, so he didn't care about him.

At this time, the war was about to start, and Feng Yuxiang was forced to go out of the field. The proud principal couldn't help but hold a celebration banquet in Jinling. At the banquet, a group of military and political dignitaries flattered him. The principal's hypocrisy was immediately committed, and he immediately shied away the credit to Colonel Marks, who was a pre-war advisor.

Since the Hua-German military cooperation project, Colonel Max has focused on the projects originally formulated by Yeluo: electronic equipment, automobile spare parts, and the original Tangshan Artillery School.

Nowadays, several batches of graduates from the Tangshan Artillery School have enlisted in the army and become important artillery force officers. Several of them also participated in the previous Jiang-Gui War, as well as the recent Jiang-Feng War with Feng Yuxiang. With the assistance of Colonel Max, Brilliant results were achieved.

This also made the principal more interested in the China-Germany military cooperation project, and repeatedly urged Song Ziwen to fully assist in providing project funds.

The principal did not forget Ye Luo.

His wife told him a few months ago that she had secretly given Ye Luo some small money to operate in the U.S. stock market. In just one month, I heard that he had become successful and helped them make hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This immediately made the principal feel that Mrs. Yelobi's brother was still useful!

Therefore, he turned a blind eye to those important military and political figures who asked Yeluo to speculate in American stocks, and with a wave of his hand, the Ye family became even more powerful in Shanghai.

After Zhang Dingyao left, Zhang Qun made a seamless connection. He had already been on good terms with the Ye family, and now with the principal's acquiescence, he immediately gave the green light to invest in the Ye family without any taboos.

Feng Shaoshan and others fled to Macao. The Eighth Meeting of the Provisional Branch of the National Government in Shanghai decided to send personnel to take over the Shanghai Bund General Chamber of Commerce. They believed that the General Chamber of Commerce was illegally elected under the control of Feng Shaoshan and others, and ordered the dissolution of the organization. And interrogate all directors and members.

In mid-May, Qian Xinzhi and others who were ordered to take over the General Chamber of Commerce convened members to hold a temporary emergency meeting and announced the formation of a temporary committee of the General Chamber of Commerce. On May 20, the Central Business Department of the Jinling National Government issued a notice stating that "the old chamber of commerce is poorly organized and has lost its position as a leading merchant, and should be abolished."

After issuing the wanted order, the Jinling National Government ordered the Shanghai Bund City Hall to form a business group organization committee, which covered all previous business groups of all kinds, whether they were businessmen from old or new factions, old Manchus, or rogue tycoons. Committee governance, if anyone disobeys, he will be regarded as an accomplice of Feng Shaoshan and others and will be killed without mercy!

After the establishment of the business group organization committee, Yu Qiaqing became the interim president, and everyone realized that he had always been on the side of the principal.

Everyone thought that Lin Kanghou would take up the position of vice president, but they did not expect that this job would fall on Ye Luo.

On the day of the opening ceremony of the committee, Ye Luo did not attend in the United States, and he did not even know that he had been named a vice president.

But this was an appointment made by the principal himself, and no one dared to disobey it.

Since then, the Ye family has officially become the number one wealthy family in Shanghai recognized by both black and white.

Nowadays, everyone in Shanghai aims to enter Ye's investment career and regards the second young master as the number one tycoon.

Previously, due to a charity gala, the reputation of Ye's investment plummeted. However, a group of representatives from the pharmaceutical industry led by Ding Guomao argued for Ye Luo and presented a large amount of evidence and facts. Only then did everyone discover that the second young master was not just a random person. Talk about it, but the funds raised from that charity gala were actually used for disaster relief!

The disaster in the north is heart-wrenching. One of Yan Laoxi and Feng Yuxiang only cares about petty profits, and the other only cares about fighting for power. Instead, it is the reviled Ye's investment that holds up half of the sky, which is very sad.

It was June 2 when Ye Luo received a call from the principal.

"Vice president of the business organization organization committee? Principal, I, I am so helpless." Ye Luo was full of questions. It seemed that the telegram from home mentioned this matter a few days ago, but Ye Luo has been keeping a close eye on it recently. Watching the stock market, waiting for the first round of short-selling opportunities, how could you care about this?

At this time, the principal personally called and he realized the seriousness of the matter.

Think back.

Good guy, isn't this business group organization committee the vanguard that the Nationalist government later used to "advance the country and retreat the people", exploit businessmen and the people, and make a lot of money?

Today's business groups are dominated by major chaebols. In Shanghai, in addition to the Ye family, the most powerful family, there are also the Jiangsu and Zhejiang chaebols headed by Yu Qiaqing and others. These people are as rich as the enemy. As long as there is no major war, they don't need to pay attention to the National Government. Attitude.

And to make these business groups surrender.

Or directly use the army to kill the family bloodyly.

But now is a new era, not a feudal society ruled by the Qing Dynasty. If you do this, you will be forced out of office by public opinion the next day.

If the hard one doesn't work, the only option is the soft one.

Make a fuss within the business group.

Divide a group, suppress a group, and promote a group.

Establish an official organization in the name of the Business Department of the National Government to govern all businessmen, and then say, I will not interfere with your business activities, but you have to act based on our faces.

The businessmen group organization committee is a pilot project, it has been established here in Shanghai, and it is expected to be extended to the whole country.

By then, the National Government will control the Ministry of Merchants, the Ministry of Merchants will control the Business Group Organization Committee, and the Business Group Organization Committee will control all businessmen. Isn’t that the decision of Principal Ren?

The errand was a good errand, but this promise became a stain that could not be washed away.

At that time, he joined the General Chamber of Commerce, which also included patriotic figures such as Feng Shaoshan. The current business group organization committee is, to put it bluntly, all pro-Chiang cadres.

"Aluo, if you weren't really young, only twenty-three years old, I would have promoted you to be the interim president. Now, don't refuse the position of vice president." The principal thought he was worried that he was too young to be able to do it. Convinced everyone, smiled and reassured, "With my personnel arrangements, no one will have any objections."

"Principal, it's not that I don't want to be the vice president, it's just that I won't be able to come back to Shanghai for the time being. The committee has heavy affairs, but I estimate that the second half of the year will be spent in the United States." Ye Luo had no choice but to bring out a life-saving straw.

I'm helping you trade stocks now. Do you want me to stop trading stocks and come back to wipe your ass?

The principal thought that the matter in the U.S. stock market would last only a few months, but from what he meant, it seemed like a long battle, and he frowned.

Thinking that Madam and others still had a sum of money with Ye Luo, and that Kong Lingjun was also accompanying him overseas, the principal thought twice and had to give up: "That's really a pity, do you have any good candidates?"

"I think Marquis Lin Kang is quite suitable." Ye Luo quickly moved out this "savior".

After all, isn’t he just thinking about following the trend? The position of this eternal traitor should be awarded to Boss Lin.

The principal himself was quite disgusted with people like Lin Kanghou, but thinking that having Lin Kanghou assist Yu Qiaqing would also disgust him, he nodded slightly: "Okay, let Lin Kanghou temporarily act as the vice president until you start. When the United States comes back, I will hand it over to you."

"Thank you, principal." Ye Luo breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he got through the beginning, he had many ways not to get involved in this nonsense.