1928: The rise of giant merchants

March 15, the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929).

Ye Mansion.

The sunshine in early spring was just right, and Xiao Aqiao, who was six months pregnant, walked to the small garden with Xiaoli's support to water the flowers and bask in the sun.

Ye Luo was sitting on a bench in the garden. Opposite him was Chen Zhen, who was standing straight and wearing a Chinese tunic suit.

"How's the progress?" Ye Luo took a sip of tea and looked at him with a smile.

Chen Zhen looked serious and said in a deep voice: "As of the end of last year, Ye's Charitable Foundation had raised a total of about 970,000 yuan in donations, and Ye's investment dividends totaled 860,000 yuan, for a total of about 1.9 million yuan."

"I'm talking about you and Yamada Mitsuko." Ye Luo glared at him.

In order to avoid this classmate and friend from Japan, Chen Zhen spent the entire New Year in the north, leaving the little girl to live alone and helpless in an apartment building in the Shanghai Bund Concession with no one else around.

"Second Young Master, she is a Japanese invader" Chen Zhen looked troubled.

His teacher Huo Yuanjia was poisoned by the Japanese invaders, and finally died tragically in the ring, and his reputation was ruined.

The Jingwu Sports Association has been shouldering the heavy responsibility of revitalizing Chinese martial arts over the years, but it is often ridiculed by its colleagues for Huo Yuanjia's incident. It finally relied on Huo Ting'en to defeat the Hongkou Taoist gymnasium owner, which made him angry and angered foreigners.

If it weren't for the Second Young Master to deal with it, he really couldn't think of a way for the Jingwu Sports Club to survive.

Not long ago, I was framed by the Japanese invaders and went to the consular court.

"Even if she is a Japanese invader, she is still a girl who is willing to use her reputation to defend you in court. You can't let them down." Ye Luo looked like he hated iron.

Ye Luo still remembers the movie in which Mitsuko Yamada betrayed his family and country because of appearing in court, and then said playfully to Chen Zhen, "I have abandoned everything now, and you will support me for the rest of my life." At the end, he left a letter saying, "Chen Zhen, I'm sorry. There are always things in life that are more important than love. You can do more things without me by your side. Keep your promise and wait for you in Kyoto when the Japanese army returns to Japan."

Then he left in a rickshaw.

Fortunately, in this world and the Republic of China, with the support of Ye Luo, Yamada Mitsuko has followed Hu Die to establish a foothold in Ye's Yongxing Company. Even without Chen Zhen, she still has friends, colleagues, etc. here.

"Second Young Master, this matter is not important. Did you read the call Liu Yufen sent?" Chen Zhen didn't want to trouble Ye Luo with his personal feelings, so he immediately changed the subject.

"It's about the disaster, of course I saw it." Speaking of this, the smile on Ye Luo's face gradually faded.

Before giving a speech at the Chinese and Western Girls' School, Ye Luo successfully conveyed the concept of making money in American stocks to the principal's wife. The latter took the shares of Ye's Yongxing and Ye Luo's promise and left Shanghai happily. It is estimated that she will make money after returning to Jinling. Encourage his younger brother Song Ziwen to cooperate with Ye Luo.

Not long after that, the Jinling Nationalist Government also released an urgent telegram from Liu Yufen, commander-in-chief of the Second Group Army and Seventh Route Army of the Nationalist Army and the top leader of Long Province.

On March 1, 1929, Liu Yufen could no longer conceal the situation, so she telegraphed the disaster situation to the Jinling National Government: "In various parts of Long Province, natural disasters and military disasters have occurred in successive years. Farms have been destroyed, villages have been burned, and bark, grass and roots have all been eaten. People have eaten all their bark, grass and roots. They are fighting for food, and they are dying; the goats and wild mice have all eaten up, and they are short of seeds and cattle. There is no need to waste time. Who cares about lost time? Although there is living soil, it will eventually become a stone field. In a situation like this, we will sit down and talk Spring plowing has no hope of autumn harvest. The victims of the disaster have been displaced, and there are more than a million homeless people. I feel sorry for the border people, and would rather die!"

The 18th year of the Republic of China began in 1928 (the 17th year of the Republic of China).

This is a catastrophic disaster dominated by drought, locusts, wind, snow, hail, floods, earthquakes, and epidemics. It is centered on Qin and Long provinces and spreads throughout Shanxi, Suiyuan, Hebei, Chahar, Rehe, It affected eight provinces in Henan, and affected part or most of Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangxi and other provinces.

This disaster lasted from 1928 to 1930. People were knocked down like yellowed wheat, and the earth was covered with villagers struggling to survive. A total of more than 13 million people died of starvation in the wasteland. .

The singing and dancing in the south and the major disasters in the north make people feel like a magical world.

"Second Young Master, these donations are just a drop in the bucket. Nowadays, disasters are prevalent. If we, the Ye's Charitable Foundation, want to provide disaster relief and rescue the people, we must first manage the local hard relations. At least 50,000 of the 100,000 you allocated will fall into their hands. The remaining 50,000 yuan in his pocket has to be robbed by some profiteers and unscrupulous people. The money that can really save people is less than one tenth."

Chen Zhen's face was full of indignation.

He is invincible with two fists, but he also witnessed in the north what it means that two fists are invincible against four hands.

When he was first sent to the north, he thought disaster relief was a simple job. Wasn't it just asking everyone to donate money, and then using the money to buy food and bedding and distribute it to the poor?

But in fact, from top to bottom, managing various relationships, setting up camps, bargaining with profiteers, and always being on guard against unscrupulous people looting warehouses, etc., he only felt that there were never enough manpower and money. Looking around, the poor people still had nothing to gain. What a change.

When a person is hungry, he can do anything.

"I know that in a month or two, I will have a solution. Please be patient and I will go to the north in person." Ye Luo knew how serious the disaster was now and had a preliminary plan to deal with it.

What is even more frightening is that on February 21, the Guangxi clique that occupied the Jiangcheng area removed Lu Diping, who was close to Chiang Kai-shek, from his post in the name of the Jiangcheng Political Branch, and sent troops to Hunan. Lu led his troops to retreat into Gan Province.

The principal used this as an excuse to order a crusade against the Gui clique on March 26, and the Jiang-Gui war broke out.

It just happened to be during a time of great famine like this year.

These warlords are really not human beings.

One person, or a group company, is ultimately unable to provide disaster relief. If you want to slightly change the disaster situation, these warlords must unite.

And what can make them obey their orders?

Of course it's money.

When the Jiang-Gui war broke out and the principal was seriously short of money, Ye Luo's opportunity came.

With Ye Luo's words, Chen Zhen felt a little relieved.

If nothing else, the second young master is probably the only rich person who can truly consider the victims.

In the north, if there is a convoy from the Yip Charity Foundation, the victims will flock to it as if they have seen a savior.

But as the second young master said, disaster victims are also unruly people. If they are allowed to do whatever they want, the disaster relief work will only get worse.

They are sometimes scarier than those powerful people who just want money.

Ye's motorcade encountered dangerous situations several times, and they were inseparable from them.

To this end, Ye Luo also specially strengthened the configuration of the Ye's Charity Foundation fleet, selected more capable staff to go, doubled the salary, and tried to equip everyone with weapons in case of emergency.

It's just that there are more people and less equipment. If everyone wants to have a luzi and undergo formal training, it is equivalent to building a motley army.

This is only possible by building an industrial park here in Shanghai.

Ye Luo and Chen Zhen were chatting when Xiaoli suddenly ran over to report: "Second Young Master, Doctor Ding is here to see Second Wife."