Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 441: Chapter 420: Promissory Note_2

Yang Zhenshan spoke slowly.

Whether it is a silver note or such a debt note, it is essentially a matter of trust.

The key is how to make everyone believe that you can redeem it when it is due.

Yang Zhenshan was afraid these people wouldn’t trust the General Mansion’s reputation, so he put his own personal reputation on the line.

Three years is neither long nor short.

Three million taels is not a lot, but definitely not a small amount either.

Wang Zhenze thought for a moment and said, ”Marquis, my Wang family is willing to lend two hundred thousand taels! If the Marquis is in need, our Wang family can gather another one hundred thousand taels!”

For Yang Zhenshan, Wang Zhenze had complete trust, and the Wang family’s status today was also owed to Yang Zhenshan’s support.

When the Wang family lost five thousand taels of cotton cloth back in the day, Wang Zhenze felt as if the sky had fallen, but now, they could easily take out two hundred thousand taels in cash, all because they had hitched a ride on the Tenglong Guard’s coattails.

Wang Zhenze had always been grateful to Yang Zhenshan, and now that Yang Zhenshan needed silver, he hardly hesitated to offer the cash in his hands to Yang Zhenshan.

His statement truly moved Yang Zhenshan.

If Luo Shang had made such a move, Yang Zhenshan might have taken it for granted, but seeing Wang Zhenze do so, Yang Zhenshan was both surprised and touched.

In reality, Yang Zhenshan had not intentionally supported the Wang family before; it was simply because Wang Zhenze was willing to invest in the Tenglong Guard, so he reaped the greatest benefits.

”Then I must first thank the Family Head Wang!” Yang Zhenshan bowed with his hands together, looking at Wang Zhenze with admiration.

The others exchanged glances, looking at one another.

At this moment, the head of the Zhang family from Liao’an, Zhang Qingsong, spoke up: ”My Zhang family is willing to lend three hundred thousand taels of silver! I hope the Marquis does not find it too little!”

The former head of the Zhang family in Liao’an was Zhang Maosheng, but he had passed away two years ago, leaving Zhang Qingsong to take charge of the family.

Although the Zhang family suffered losses five years ago due to their involvement in the Liaodong Salt Transport Department’s corruption case, the Zhang family of Liao’an remains the wealthiest in Liaodong.

The Zhang family’s banks are spread throughout Liaodong, and they even have many branches in the Capital City, Jiangnan, and other places.

Zhang Qingsong’s willingness to lend three hundred thousand taels of silver was different from Wang Zhenze’s offer of two hundred thousand taels.

Wang Zhenze had only two hundred thousand taels in cash and was nearly lending all of it to Yang Zhenshan, which naturally touched Yang Zhenshan deeply.

Although Zhang Qingsong offered ten thousand more taels, the Zhang family definitely had more than that in cash.

Yang Zhenshan still remembered the courtyard full of cash that belonged to the Zhang family.

However, since the Zhang family had given him face, he also had to be appreciative; they had indeed offered real silver, and although the affection wasn’t as strong, the action still showed their support.

Three hundred thousand taels is not a small sum either.

”Marquis thanks Family Head Zhang!” Yang Zhenshan bowed in gratitude.

”Marquis, my Lin family is willing to lend one hundred and fifty thousand taels, well, I am not as capable as Brother Wang, I hope the Marquis won’t look down on us!” Lin Qi, the head of the Jing’an Lin family, said with a simple smile.

”Not at all, I am thankful to the Family Head Lin for supporting the General Mansion and myself!” Yang Zhenshan chuckled.

The financial strength of the Jing’an Prefecture Lin family was slightly less than that of the Wang family; being able to offer one hundred and fifty thousand taels was already doing their best.

”Then the Zhen family from Ping Yuan is willing to lend fifty thousand taels!”

”The Li family from Sui’an is willing to lend thirty thousand taels!”

”The Qi family from Huaining is willing to lend seventy thousand taels!”

...

Following this, the merchants present expressed their willingness one after another.

Although they were still skeptical about the debt notes in Yang Zhenshan’s hands, they couldn’t refuse to give face to Yang Zhenshan.

They were not willing to part with too much, but they could still manage a thirty thousand or twenty thousand taels by gritting their teeth.

”Gentlemen, if you are willing to lend Silver Coin, you may register in the side chamber, and the Silver Coin can be transported to Chongshan Pass within a month!” Lu Wenhua saw that the people were all speaking up and promptly took the opportunity to lead them to register.

After they were registered, although the silver had not yet been transported over and no silver notes were issued to them, they had already signed and sealed the register, which meant they could no longer renege on their commitment.

With Wang Zhenze, Lin Qi, and Zhang Qingsong taking the lead, the others were also fairly enthusiastic.

Approximately after one and a half two hours, everyone had completed the registration.

Yang Zhenshan stood at the entrance of the Marquis Mansion, sending off the group of merchants before returning to his study.

”How much in total?” he asked Lu Wenhua.

”A total of one million eight hundred thirty thousand taels!” Lu Wenhua handed the register to Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly.

One million eight hundred thirty thousand taels!

There was still quite a gap from the three million taels.

However, it was also within his prior expectation.

Over eighty people, averaging about twenty-three thousand taels per person, aside from a few families who were particularly supportive of him, most had actually only contributed ten thousand taels of Silver.

Thus, they were essentially giving face to Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan opened the register to take a look, but when he saw that the Zhang family from Jing’an had only contributed ten thousand taels of Silver, a cold smile appeared on his face.

The Wang family, the Lin family, and the Zhang family from Jing’an had all risen to power on the coattails of the Tenglong Guard.

The Wangs and the Lins had exerted themselves on behalf of Yang Zhenshan, but the Zhang family dared to play this game with him.

However, Yang Zhenshan was not going to fuss over the Zhang family, for it would be beneath him.

As the Marquis of Jing’an, how could he take a mere merchant to heart?

Of course, from now on, the Zhang family should not expect to get any major deals from him.

Issuing these bonds was not solely for the purpose of raising silver for the General Mansion; Yang Zhenshan also intended to select partner merchants for the General Mansion.

The Wang family from Jing’an, the Lin family, the Qi family from Huaining, the Zhen family from Ping Yuan, and the Zhang family from Liao’an were all fairly decent.

How much Silver they were willing to lend was not the key point; what mattered was their sincerity.

Although the Qi family from Huaining and the Zhen family from Ping Yuan were considered wealthy merchants, their financial power was far less than that of the Wangs and the Lins. They were willing to give fifty thousand and seventy thousand taels, which indeed showed their commitment.

Yang Zhenshan had always been generous to those who treated him with sincerity.

Closing the register, Yang Zhenshan said, ”Tomorrow, you go around the various houses in the city to see if they are willing to buy the bonds.”

”Leave fifty thousand taels of bonds for the Marquis Mansion, and if there are any leftover, sell them at the Chongshan Bank!”

Chongshan Bank, officially known as the Chongshan Town Development Bank, was operated by the General Mansion, and its main business was currently selling the General Mansion’s bonds.

Whether it would open up other businesses in the future depended on Yang Zhenshan’s needs.

If there was a need, Yang Zhenshan would not mind setting up a bank; if not, after redeeming the bonds in three years, he would simply shut down the bank.

At this moment on the main street of South City near Chongshan Pass, Chongshan Bank had already opened for business.

However, the opening of Chongshan Bank was not grand; it simply hung a red silk banner and that was all.

Many passersby on the street looked curiously at the shop, but were just curious and did not enter to inquire.

Inside the shop, there was only one Shopkeeper and two assistants, the Shopkeeper being a civil servant from the General Mansion and the assistants being constables from the General Mansion.

As for security concerns, there was no need to worry, because the patrol room for the Camp was right across the street.

Moreover, there was no silver vault in the bank; the Silver collected by the bank was transported to the General Mansion’s silver vault on the same day and would not be kept overnight in the shop.