Cao Qi weather forecast

This small object is the treasure of the town hall now hidden in Sanduotang Museum, "Golden Locomotive Clock".

This is a gift from France (now France) to Qianlong during the Qianlong period. It is made of gold, platinum, black gold and crystal and weighs 42.25 kilograms. There is a clock on the clock body of the golden locomotive clock. Every time, the white bell on the roof will ring the time by itself. At the same time, there is a barometer on the right side of the train, which can accurately predict the weather changes.

Matching the golden locomotive clock are two tracks made of Wujin material, which are 1.5 meters long. At that time, there was a golden key on the train that could be wound. As long as the wind is tightened, the locomotive can travel back and forth on the track. When the locomotive starts, the hour hand and minute hand will also move with it. In addition, there is a cylinder in front of the clock of the locomotive. When the train is running, as long as water is poured into the cylinder, steam will come out of the chimney on the locomotive and then smoke like a real train.

This golden locomotive is an ordinary toy for us now, but the materials are very expensive. But if put in the late Qing dynasty, it is a rare thing, and the Qing royal family regards it as a treasure.

But to tell the truth, it is not priceless to the Cao family, and it is not worth it. Who is Cao Jia? One of the richest families in the Jin Merchants Group in the Qing Dynasty, their business spanned the north and south of the river, and they not only owned more than 640 pavements all over the country, but also had assets as high as122,000 silver. At that time, the Cao family was still doing business in Paris, London, Tokyo and Japan. So do you think the Cao family really cares about a "toy" that is a rare thing at best?

Don't forget, the "golden motorcycle clock" was made by the French. Since it is made by people, it is easy to make another thing. What's more, the Cao family was already doing business in France, which means that if you really want it, you can order another one with a sum of money. I think the cost of doing this must be lower than the huge sum lent to Cixi.

In fact, the value that people in the Cao family say is not this value, but the value of the benefits that can be brought to the Cao family behind it.

You should know that the "golden locomotive clock" was given to the Cao family by Cixi, the ruler of the Qing Dynasty. Think about it, even the government owes money to the Cao family. What do you think the world will think? It must be that the Cao family is really rich. Even Galeries Lafayette borrowed money from them, and Galeries Lafayette can't afford the debts that even a country can't afford. How much is this? But even with so much money, the Cao family can lend it out. It seems that Cao Jia is really powerful.

Imagine, to put it bluntly, isn't doing business based on strength? Only when others think you are strong enough will they do business with you and dare to do business with you. In fact, at that time, Cao's assets were still very strong on the surface, but it was already sunset, and many businessmen knew Cao's situation more or less. So at this time, the Cao family must let those hesitant partners regain confidence in themselves, otherwise the Cao family will die.

It was at this time that the "golden locomotive clock" used by Cixi to pay off debts came in handy. After all, no one knows how much money Cixi asked the Cao family at this time, and Cixi will not say. It can be said that at this time, the Cao family can decide how much money Cixi borrowed from Cao family. Although he can't say it himself, he can secretly let people go outside to spread rumors. After all, at this time, the object "golden locomotive clock" used by Cixi to pay off debts knew where it was, and everyone believed it.

That is, in the eyes of outsiders, Cao Cao's strength is still very strong, and doing business with them will never be an accident. In this way, Cao's business can be brought back to life. Of course, in the end, due to the continuous civil strife in the Qing Dynasty, the powers launched anti-Qing wars in succession, and the Cao family's base camp in the northeast was later occupied by Japan, and the Cao family was finally lonely.

In addition, there are actually two other sayings that the "golden locomotive clock" fell into the hands of Cao Jia.

First, the "golden locomotive clock" was originally hidden in the Yuanmingyuan. When the British and French allied forces invaded Beijing and burned the Yuanmingyuan, some eunuchs also took advantage of the chaos to steal many treasures and then sold them. In this way, the "Golden Motorcycle Clock" was bought by the Cao Shi "Xianyuanhui" firm.

Secondly, the "Golden Locomotive Clock" was given to the Cao family's "Xianyuanhui" firm by a big French businessman who had business dealings with the Cao family. 194 1 year, the Japanese invaded the northeast and the "Xianyuanhui" bank was annexed. But before that, the shopkeeper of Xianyuanhui took advantage of the chaos to transfer small objects such as gold locomotive clocks to Cao Jia in Beijing.

Of course, in any case, it is an indisputable fact that the "golden locomotive clock" once belonged to the Cao family.