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Chapter 21: Others in the carriage are used by me. The envoy from Beijing took the bait (please ask for the moon)

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    There is no doubt that in Mei Lehe's opinion, the carriage he is in at this time is undoubtedly the most luxurious carriage he has ever seen. Even the so-called Empress Dowager Cixi's float cannot compare with it. The interior of the carriage  It is decorated in the style of the Palace of Versailles.  //www.//.  .  There are golden sculptures in the train aisle and gorgeous murals on the top. The entire carriage looks as luxurious as a palace. Merle and Dao are very curious about this, because although the prime minister in front of them is very rich, maybe he is  One of the richest people in the East, and his wealth is increasing at a rate of hundreds of thousands or even millions every day, but he is not a luxurious person, and can even be said to be a bit frugal.  But this rather luxurious carriage subverted his consciousness.

    Seeing that Mei Lehe¡¯s attention had been focused on the luxurious interior decoration of the carriage, Li Zicheng smiled slightly.

    "This carriage was ordered by the Siberian Railway Company of Russia before the war. It was originally used for the international transport line in Siberia. The interior decoration of the carriage was designed by the French. However, Russia canceled the order last year and was later bought by the Longhai Railway Company at a low price.  Come down, this time when I return to Beijing, they insist on hanging these carriages, well, I am using my power for personal gain!"

    Li Zicheng's words were full of jokes, but Mei Lehe finally understood why the prime minister would ride in such a luxurious carriage. It was originally ordered by the Russians. Just when he suddenly realized it, Li Zicheng stood up.  , opened the wine cabinet door, turned around and asked:

    "What to drink? Whiskey, orange juice or coffee?"

    Because it was a private conversation, there was no one else in the carriage.

    "Orange juice."

    Knowing that this would be a serious conversation, Merlot would naturally not ask for wine. He needed to keep a clear mind and had a conversation with the prime minister.

    When Li Zicheng poured the orange juice, the carriage started very smoothly.  Merle only noticed the car accelerating when she saw the orange juice level tilting backwards.  He looked out the window and saw the green tree wilderness sweeping back.  A flock of birds fluttered outside the window and immediately appeared in the window behind.  But he keenly discovered that the so-called window was very thick. He tentatively knocked on the window with his hand, and the muffled sound from the window reminded him that the window might not be as simple as he thought.

    Seeing that he was a little curious about the window of the carriage, Li Zicheng smiled and said:

    "Mr. Mei, your observation skills are very keen. As you know, this carriage is fully enclosed, and the central air-conditioning controls the temperature inside the carriage. If you are willing to introduce our central air-conditioning to your British friends, I guarantee that the company  We will definitely give you the best price. Our air conditioners are the best in the world. I believe you will not doubt this. If I remember correctly, Jianghai Customs also installed air conditioners this summer."

    Like most of the time, Li Zicheng would always advertise his company's products when he didn't expect it. When Mei Lehe praised the air conditioner for allowing him to have a very comfortable summer, Li Zicheng just smiled.  said,

    ¡°I have no doubt that the progress of science and technology should bring a better life to people.¡±

    At this time, the train has exited the semi-underground passage and started to speed up, and the scenery outside the window is sweeping back faster and faster.  Judging from the previous visit to Lianyun, the train has now left the Lianyun station site.

    After Merlot took a sip of orange juice, Li Zicheng¡¯s expression became serious:

    "I know, your uncle may have told you why I chose you as the Chief Tax Department!"

    "Yes, Your Excellency Prime Minister, my uncle once told me directly in a letter!"

    Mei Lehe did not hide anything. In the letter to him, he clearly mentioned that "the Prime Minister needs a general tax department who can take into account China's interests." At the same time, he implicitly hinted that if the Prime Minister proposed conditions, if not  Violate principles and try to accept it because he is a person who does not mind using any means - "He will be more difficult to deal with than Li Hongzhang."

    "How should I put it? I very much hope that you can become the third General Taxation Secretary, but first you must completely eliminate your previous ideas."

    Li Zicheng pondered for a moment and said calmly:

    "You must understand that although you are a British citizen, you are an employee of the Chinese government. You must understand this."

    Regarding Li Zicheng¡¯s emphasis, Mei Lehe just smiled and said:

    "Your Excellency Prime Minister, when I was very young, Uncle Hurd once told me that we are just Chinese employees, and as an employee, he must first be loyal to his employer. I think, for this  , Your Excellency the Prime Minister does not need to have any doubts. In the future, my work will prove this.

    After looking at him for a long time, Li Zicheng smiled and said:

    "I'm not wrong about you. Your thinking is indeed very bright. You can catch it all at once."??Key.  But please understand that your predecessor was fired because he refused to accept the administrative order of the Chinese government. Personally speaking, because of my business experience, I have always firmly believed that incompetent employees should not be punished.  I will not have any room for sympathy. For a company, the first thing it requires is the loyalty of its employees to the company, and the same is true for the country"

    Staring at Mei Lehe, Li Zicheng emphasized,

    "I hope you can keep this in mind. You are British, but as an employee of the Chinese government, you must first consider the interests of China, not the interests of the United Kingdom. If the interests of China and the United Kingdom conflict, in terms of customs,  As a matter of professional ethics, I think you will make the right choice.¡±

    Facing the Prime Minister's words, Merlot just smiled and said nothing. In fact, from the first day he received the letter, he understood that his position as Chief Tax Department was definitely different from Anglian, and was also inferior to Hurd.  He has no doubt that the customs will lose its independence and slowly become the real Chinese customs.

    At this time, Li Zicheng stopped talking and simply said:

    "I have finished speaking. I hope you can remember our conversation today."

    At the end of the day, he added another sentence,

    "I hope one day I can call you 'our Merlot'."

    Faced with this title, Mei Lehe pondered for a moment and said.

    "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I personally believe that for at least the next three to four years, it is impossible for the customs to completely terminate the employment of new foreign workers!"

    Looking at the Prime Minister in front of him, Mei Lehe continued:

    "At this point, I stick to my opinion. In fact, I think that even if the proportion of Chinese personnel is increased, their own quality needs to be taken into consideration. For a country, the most precious thing is the integrity and effectiveness of the customs.  ¡¤So, I hope that the Prime Minister can seriously consider this suggestion.

    When Mei Lehe made this suggestion, Li Zicheng instinctively thought it was just Mei Lehe's excuse at first, but after thinking about it for a moment, Li Zicheng took a breath in his heart. Sometimes some things really shouldn't be rushed.  But he did not give him a direct answer:

    "I will seriously consider your suggestion! However, I hope you will sign the new customs order immediately after arriving in the capital."

    Sure enough, what is supposed to come will come. Melohe immediately realized that perhaps what comes next is the real core of this negotiation - tariffs. The Chinese government needs tariffs, and the State Council needs tariffs even more. For the relationship between the State Council and the Presidential Palace,  Merle had some familiarity with the financial secret war. As early as when Li Zicheng took office as Prime Minister, when Merle chatted with his colleagues, they would always say that "China's seemingly stable and effective two-horse carriage"  The central government will fall into new difficulties due to the financial dispute between the State Council and the Presidential Office." But what is unexpected is that Li Zicheng did not grab the "local small money". As soon as he came, he took advantage of the hard nut of customs, but  What is his ultimate goal?

    It is undoubtedly the tariff!

    Seeing that Mei Lehe was just listening, Li Zicheng said calmly:

    "I think it is extremely inappropriate to deposit China's huge tariffs in foreign banks. This not only damages China's financial interests, but also damages China's national interests and national image. I will never tolerate this. Likewise,  China will not tolerate it either, so I hope to see it."

    With that said, Li Zicheng looked down at the calendar in his hand, and then said:

    "Before October 15th, customs duties can be deposited into China's central bank, that is, the Bank of China!"

    Smiling, surprisingly, Mei Lehe did not answer, he just remained silent, seeming to be using silence to fight against Li Zicheng's decision, while Li Zicheng was also not in a hurry and just drank tea with a smile, no matter how he  He said that this tariff must be recovered, and he is still waiting to use the tariff to do big things:

    "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, after the General Taxation Department of Anglian integrated all customs tariffs into HSBC, it certainly took control of China's tariff power, but on the other hand, it also created an opportunity for the central government to take back the unified power of taxation, at least avoiding local interception.  tariff¡­"

    When Mei Lehe tried to defend his predecessor and fight for the interests of his friends, Li Zicheng looked suspicious of him, and then said:

    "Oh? Is that really the case? If I remember correctly, there may be customs surplus in recent years, but the customs duties are eventually transferred from various customs to HSBC. After being summarized by the customs and HSBC, they are first paid.  Compensation, and then there is the so-called Guanyu,"

    With a sneer, Li Zicheng looked at Mei Lehe and said.

    "And if I, the dignified Prime Minister, want to do something, I need to use Guan Yu and the General Taxation Department."?Signed, the power of the General Taxation Department of Customs is really great. Even the Ministry of Finance has no power to use Guan Yu. I would like to ask a question, is this the customs of China or the customs of the General Taxation Department?  "

    The cold question did not make Mei Lehe's heart tremble slightly. Now he finally knew why his uncle said that he was easier to deal with than Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai, but more difficult to deal with than them. Because, you don't know what  When the time comes, he will break his face!

    "Local governments intercept tariffs. If they can intercept tariffs, what do they need the General Taxation Department to do? What do they need the customs to do?"

    After several cold questions, Li Zicheng thought for a while and said:

    "Of course, as a British person, you need to take into account the opinions of the minister and the wishes of the consul. However, as the Prime Minister of China, I cannot tolerate all this. On the 15th, I hope to see the tariffs deposited  Bank of China,."

    "But, Prime Minister, the customs must ensure that the compensation can be paid to all countries on time. Even if the adjustment is made now, it will not be possible to complete the transfer business within half a month."

    "General Mei's Taxation Department, I believe in your ability. You can transfer the tariffs deposited in the Bank of China to HSBC within three years. Then, there will be no problem in transferring the tariffs to the Bank of China within fifteen days."  ,What do you think?"

    No Mercy. When it comes to practical issues, Melehe noticed that the Prime Minister showed no mercy to him. His toughness was even greater than the Manchu "conservatives" Melehe had ever seen.  ,

    Looking at Mei Lehe with a half-smile, Li Zicheng was thinking about a question in his mind, would it be counterproductive if he was too tough?  On how to deal with the issue of customs, after some discussions with the State Council, the final decision was that we must bypass the British and let the customs make some decisions directly. To be precise, it is a decision that is beneficial to China, and how can we make it happen?  Mei Lehe, this time the General Taxation Department obeys the State Council?

    The only way is to make him realize that the State Council will not make any substantive concessions on customs issues. Otherwise, once it makes concessions, it will be considered weak and can be bullied, and naturally it will be impossible to buy into the State Council's account.  The reason why Anglian can ignore the Chinese government is very simple. What he relies on is the legation.

    Li Zicheng's sarcasm only made Mei Lehe look slightly embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he said in a rather embarrassed tone.

    "There are some issues that are not decided by Mr. Prime Minister and me. We must fully take into account the attitude of the mission!"

    Mei Lehe finally chose to confess, but Li Zicheng nodded with a half-smile.

    "Oh, is it so?"

    Looking at Mei Le and Li Zicheng, he said directly.

    "I remember this was China's customs! Yes, the Manchu Qing Dynasty did use customs to lend money to various countries to repay the Geng Dynasty money, but we must not hand over our own customs to other countries for management. I think Mr. Zhu Erdian can understand this, and also  Will accept it¡¤?¡±

    "This is unacceptable!"

    Facing the Russian Minister Kudanev in the British Legation, Zhu Erdian said with excitement that after the Wuchang Uprising, it was under his planning that Anglian relied on him to "maintain the credibility of debt reparations payment".  The customs and taxation departments of the uprising provinces were instructed to withhold taxes and deposit them in HSBC. Then they forced the Qing government to deposit customs taxes in Northeast China, Tianjin and other places still under its control into HSBC.

    Later, in the face of protests from the German and Russian ministers, in exchange for their support, the United Kingdom took the opportunity to organize a "Joint Committee of Banks of Various Countries" with three banks, HSBC UK, Dehua "Germany" and Dowson Russia as directors, to formulate the "General Taxation"  Since then, the banks of the three countries have used huge taxes to further increase their control over China's financial system.

    Now facing pressure from the State Department, Zhu Erdian, as the British Minister, knows that he must win over the alliance and then act together with it, so as to avoid a situation that cannot be sustained alone. Apart from the real benefit sharers, other countries cannot  Give British support for British interests.

    "Minister Kudanev, according to the statistics of the Joint Committee, your country's Daosheng Bank received more than 5 million taels of tax deposits last year. If China is allowed to receive the taxes, Daosheng Bank's losses will be extremely heavy.  of!"

    "I totally agree with this!"

    Kudanev nodded in agreement and said that as the minister to China, he must take into account all Russia's interests in China, including "financial interests!" But as soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Erdian with a half-smile.

    "Minister Zhu Erdian, however, China's customs duties revenue last year was ten times as much as the taxes deposited by Daosheng Bank!"

    As soon as his words came out of his mouth, Zhu Erdian felt something in his heart.Cursing this damn Kudanev, Kudanev continued.

    "In the past, taxes were jointly handled by the United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia. According to the division at that time, the United Kingdom was 1, Germany and Russia were 1 each, and the banks of each country shared 20%. But now, it seems that Germany's 1 has been HSBC, and even  Along with the customers shared by various countries, many of them have been taken over by this Hong Kong bank!"

    Kudanev has long been dissatisfied with the British banks' exclusive use of customs duties, and now is an opportunity to force the British to spit out this fat piece of meat. The more tariffs that Dowson Bank can handle, the more tariffs it can handle in China.  Further expand financial influence, thereby issuing more banknotes, and then use those banknotes to purchase various materials that Russia urgently needs from China.

    "Damn old fox!"

    Although he was cursing in his heart, Zhu Erdian smiled.

    "Germany's 1st Bank of Germany!"

    "Add more"

    In less than half an hour, Zhu Erdian and Kudanev reached an agreement to share the guilt, and then a joint document from the two British and Russian ministers was sent to the State Council Office. Zhu Erdian refused to deal with the "Special Diplomatic Committee"  It seemed like this was his only option.

    When the joint official letter from the British and Russian ministers was delivered to Li Zicheng, a smile immediately appeared on his face, and he immediately called Gu Weijun.

    "The British are hooked!"

    Until he hung up the phone, Li Zicheng still had a smile on his face. He was as smart as a British man. He finally accidentally "hook" and only needed a little "little thing" to break the seemingly solid wall.

    "Yilin, you know why, you are as smart as Zhu Erdian, why did you make such a basic mistake?"

    Looking at the triumphant Prime Minister, Zhang Yilin shook his head. Indeed, with Zhu Erdian's shrewdness, why would he make such a mistake?

    "The reason is not simple. In the past, we just turned a blind eye. It was not that Zhu Erdian was too shrewd, but that Britain was too powerful. But this time, Zicheng, I insist on being picky!"
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