Zhang Jian went to Jiangning again to meet with Zhang Zhidong. He bluntly stated that Tongzhou cotton farmers were struggling to make a living, and repeatedly stated that it was imperative to pledge donations.He analyzed the interests and benefits, and cut off the monopoly of foreign merchants and forced them to sell at low prices. He pledged donations to stop the corruption of officials, and returned one share of the proceeds from layer-by-level exploitation to the public and benefited farmers.

In this way, it will not only prevent officials and officials from enriching their own pockets, but also save redundant bureau card fees. It will be convenient for both officials and people, the treasury will be full, and businessmen and people can go about their business unimpeded by paying one tax.Zhang Zhidong thought so, and immediately prepared a petition. If the order was accurate, he would reduce or reduce the Tonghai Cotton Mill's tax. If not, he would make small donations in Liangjiang to protect business strength.

At home, Mrs. Xu Duan had not had any heirs for many years, so she invited her third brother Zhang Jian to discuss, and she was willing to take Wu Daomin as his concubine for Zhang Jian to continue the Zhang family.Zhang Jin understood Xu Duan's hard work and went to Shen's house to meet Shen Yuhe in person on her behalf.Shen Yuhe criticized Zhang Jian for abandoning his official position and going into business, but Wu Daoyin was determined and asked Zhang Jian to deliver a paper umbrella and a letter.

Now that the market is depressed due to heavy taxes, cotton farmer Ni and his daughter came to Hengji Cloth Village and begged Shen Jingfu to recommend a florist to harvest cotton.Shen Jingfu looked embarrassed and told the cloth merchants that the cotton merchants had agreed to go on strike to resist donations, and no store dared to accept them.Halfway through pushing his cart, Mr. Ni saw the police arresting people who were resisting the donation. Because he said a few words, he was accused of taking the lead in making trouble.At the critical moment, Zhang Jian stepped forward to stop it, appease the public anger, and promised to try his best to reduce taxes.

At this time, the newly opened Mitsui & Co., Ltd. posted a cotton collection notice. Zhang Jian came closer and saw that the person in charge was Nishimura Matsubei.Foreign companies offer free shipping and no tax on cotton, which seems to be a benefit, but in fact they require cotton farmers to sign a pledge and promise to only sell cotton to Japan in the future.

Father Ni would rather the cotton rot at home than sell it to the enemy who killed his compatriots.Zhang Jian confronted Xi Cun face to face and pointed out that he was purchasing goods at low prices with the intention of controlling the price of cotton and exploiting farmers at will in the future.Nishimura denied it and instead invited Zhang Jian to cooperate.

Soon after, Zhang Zhidong sent a message saying that the imperial court had acquiesced to the previous petition and awarded Zhang Jian the title of Tonghai Commercial Prime Minister.Although he has no real power, he is still justified.Zhang Zhidong warned Zhang Jian that the trade sea is dangerous, what you see may not always be what you get, and not all colleagues may be of the same mind, so preparations must be made in advance.

Zhang Jian deeply felt that local officials were mediocre and wealthy businessmen only pursued their own interests, so he firmly determined to save the country through industry.He believed that to make a country strong, it must first strengthen its species, and to strengthen its species, it must first develop education. Since the resources for education are in industry, the only priority is to set up factories and start operations.Shen Jingfu tested Zhang Jian's determination to engage in business, and Zhang Jian responded with a couplet written by himself to reassure him.

Later, Zhang Jian personally visited Sheng Xuanhuai, hoping that he could help organize the cotton mill.Sheng Xuanhuai persuaded Zhang Jian to rein in the situation. Seeing that Zhang Jian was determined not to change, he stopped trying to stop him. He only said that he would know the joys and sorrows of it after it was done. He hoped that by then, he would not complain about himself.

On the other side, Nishimura Matsubei talked about investing in the factory, and Yamamoto Jotaro proposed a slight adjustment in the shares. Half of the total shares would be given priority to Tanebuchi Textile shareholders, the other half would mostly be owned by the Mitsui family, and the remaining shares would be recruited from ordinary shareholders.Faced with such conditions, Nishimura Matsubei thought twice and no longer had any objections.

Zhang Jian returned home and gathered with Shen Jingfu and Jiang Mengsheng to discuss setting up a factory. Shen Jingfu had persuaded several cloth merchants to invest in the factory, but Sheng Xuanhuai did not invest directly. Instead, he introduced a foreign comprador, Guo Huamao.When Jiang Mengsheng heard this, he quickly waved his hands, thinking that the comprador was backed by foreigners. Even if he was not short of financial resources, if foreigners got involved, he would probably make things difficult for him at every turn.However, Zhang Jian knew that he needed capital to start a business. After much deliberation, he decided to rely on Guo Huamao. The top priority was to have money. Regardless of his background, he devoted all his efforts to financing the establishment of a cotton mill.