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Volume 4 Leviathan 176 Building a Bridge

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    "Railway construction? Banking industry in England?" When Chen Zaixing heard this, he couldn't help but feel moved. He naturally knew that foreign capital's participation in railway construction was not just about simply obtaining capital gains.  In the world at the end of the 19th century, the most typical way for advanced industrial countries to invade and control backward agricultural countries was to grant large loans to them to carry out infrastructure construction such as railways and ports. However, due to the disadvantages of backward agricultural countries in the international industrial division of labor,  They are in an extremely disadvantageous position. The products they produce are generally very substitutable in the international market. It is difficult to repay large loans from industrial countries on time through exporting products. The result is that the railways that have been built with so much hard work are  , ports were used as collateral for loans and became owned by the great powers. Instead, they became tools for exporting products to agricultural countries and plundering raw materials.  Such examples are common in history. The construction of the Yunnan-Myanmar Railway by Shunhua Company is a good example.  But Chen Zaixing's current problem is that he lacks enough funds to complete the project. He knows that the bait provided by the other party is highly toxic, so he has to swallow it.  "Mr. Balfour, your question is too broad. Could you please go into more detail?" "Of course!" Balfour gestured to the long chair under the cherry tree and sat down first: "  Mr. Chen, the current situation in China is just like the British Empire twenty years ago, which is building railways on a large scale. And compared to our country, railways are more important to your country because your country is a continental country.  Apart from a small number of canals, there are no cheap means of transporting bulk goods in the inland areas. There is no doubt that a scientifically planned railway network is very important for the public interest and national security, but railway construction requires huge funds. "  At this point, Belfort paused and whispered: "The London stock market is the global financial center, where any smart businessman can raise enough capital at the lowest cost." Chen Zaixing did not answer  , but there was a fierce ideological struggle deep in his heart. Belfort's words just now were like Mephisto (the devil in "Faust", who tempted the protagonist Faust to set up a bet with him, using his soul as a bet).  The whispers were constantly tempting him.  yes!  Anyway, what I need is a large amount of funds. What difference does it make whether the funds come from a Dashun banker or a British banker?  Regardless of whether the gold coins are engraved with the portrait of the Queen of England or the Emperor Dashun, they are all golden gold. The Dashun banker will not charge him half a penny less in interest just because he is his compatriot. On the contrary, he will only  He will take advantage of Dashun's lack of domestic capital and take away every last penny in his wallet.  "Mr. Balfour!" Chen Zaixing finally opened his mouth, but his tongue seemed to be made of lead and his speech became very slow: "If you want to raise funds in the London market, what are the restrictions?  What about the form of fundraising? Or the amount of interest? " "Is it possible that you are interested in this aspect?" Belfort was secretly happy, but he pretended to be surprised: "It seems that you are still interested in the British Empire.  I don¡¯t know very well, but the imperial government will not interfere too much in the securities market. On this issue, you can rest assured. As long as your company has a bright future, you don¡¯t have to worry about whether it can raise enough funds.  "Thank you, Mr. Belfort!" Chen Zaixing nodded and stopped asking questions in this regard. Belfort was also a smart man. Seeing that Chen Zaixing did not say anything, he also asked about the status of the main railways constructed in Dashun in recent years.  , Chen Zaixing still had something to ask for, so he naturally told the story as best he could. About forty minutes had passed.  Belfort nodded with satisfaction: "Dashun has made such great progress on the road to civilization in just a dozen years. This is really exciting news. I believe that in the near future  In the future, the British Empire and the Shun Empire will join hands in the Far East and work together for the common progress of human civilization!" "Of course, this is what I hope for!" Chen Zaixing smiled, and then Shu Yin said.  Come Mrs. George's voice.  Belfort smiled and said: "It seems that we were so absorbed in talking that we forgot about the hospitable hostess. It's time to take a seat!" "Of course!" Chen Zaixing pulled Belfort half a step back and walked towards the courtyard together.  He walked towards the dining table, and after just two steps, he suddenly heard Balfour whisper: "Mr. Chen, as far as I know, Mr. Shen, the current Minister of Finance of your country, is your classmate and close friend. He is working on the ongoing railway project."  It has a great influence on construction. If possible, I hope to have a completely private meeting with him. I wonder if it is possible?" Chen Zaixing was stunned for a moment before he realized that this was the real purpose of the meeting today.  Purpose, he hesitated for a moment, and finally whispered: "I think there should be no problem." Decades later, Arthur.  When Balfour was writing his memoirs, he proudly described this evening in the autumn of 1892??It was "one of the most important nights in my diplomatic career. It opened the door to victory and glory for the British Empire at a negligible price. If it were not for the stupid and paranoid behavior of some gentlemen in the House of Commons,  (Omitting several hundred words of Mr. Balfour¡¯s attack on his political opponents later), the British Empire would never be so reckless as to plunge into a devastating war (referring to World War I), and the flag of Great Britain would continue to fly around the world.  "Go on." However, if a later historian opens a photocopy of the diary of another participant in "this famous dinner party", he will be surprised to find that there is something in this diary that is so detailed that it is somewhat trivial.  There was no mention of what happened that night, as if it was just Arthur.  It's just Mr. Balfour's imagination.  If historians hadn't found a large number of detailed records in the notes of another participant in this incident, Shen Hongmao, they would have even suspected that all of this was just Arthur.  These are just some shells specially concocted by Balfour to attack his political opponents. Things like this are all too common in the memoirs of retired British politicians.  Fifteen days later, Hanjing, Luming Pavilion.  "Resurrection, what do you mean? You dragged me out just to make me come to see this Belfort?" Shen Hongmao's voice was stern, which was extremely rare since he became the Minister of Household Affairs.  "It's up to you whether I see him here or not. I owe him a favor, so I have to build a bridge for him. Why should you be angry!" Chen Zaixing sat at the wine table, pouring himself a drink, looking very relaxed.  "Owe him a favor?" Shen Hongmao keenly discovered Duan Ni from Chen Zaixing's words, and asked in a deep voice: "What favor? What favor do you owe that British man?" "It's just a small matter." Chen Zaixing's face  A trace of panic flashed across his face, and he turned around, trying to excuse himself.  But Shen Hongmao grabbed him and asked repeatedly: "Is it a matter of raising money for the Burma Railway? It must be, you are respected in the south of Burma, what else can you owe that British guy for?"  "Okay, okay, okay!" Chen Zaixing finally couldn't stand the other party's urging and said loudly: "Yes, I want to raise funds in the London market, but what can I do? Railway construction requires money, and that bastard Liu Qingyang is stuck everywhere.  My neck, if you say you need a guarantee to borrow money, isn't it digging a hole for me to jump into? The conditions in London are much more favorable, the annual interest rate is one point lower, and you only need to use the railway 100%.  Of course I will choose the London side if I have 15% of the shares as guarantee." "But that's the British! You forgot that we just fought with them a few years ago. Aren't you afraid that this is their trick?"  There is a surplus of capital in Europe, and we are looking for profitable investment projects. The Burma Railway is a very profitable business. So what if we have fought a war? Are there any countries in Europe that have not fought a war?  Well, the British themselves said: "There are no eternal friends, and there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests!" "You!" Shen Hongmao was angry at Chen Zaixing's words.  He was almost speechless. After a while, he pointed at the other person and said: "Fu Sheng, back then you wanted to build factories and build railways. You kept saying it was for the country and Dashun, but what about now? Look at yourself.  , He talks about profits and making money! He only has eyes for you. Is he still the same Chen Fusheng who had the world in mind? " "Hahaha!" Chen Zaixing suddenly laughed: "Shen Hongmao, Shen Hongmao! You have been the Minister of Household Affairs for several years!  Why, you still haven¡¯t figured it out? Today¡¯s times have changed. It doesn¡¯t mean that a few benevolent gentlemen can work hard in court and then the country will prosper. What needs to be done is for the whole country and the whole nation to work together to stand tall among the nations of the world.  As the saying goes, "A gentleman is better than a righteous man, and a villain is better than a profit." You Shen Hongmao can say nothing but profit, but how many Shen Hongmao are there in the world? No matter what I, Chen Zaixing, said, things were finally done, but what did you accomplish? "  Chen Zaixing's rebuttal made Shen Hongmao speechless. After a while, he asked: "Then what do you think we should do? Accept that Belfort's request? Borrow money from the British?" "It's you, the Minister of Household Affairs, not me.  ." Chen Zaixing smiled and his face became serious: "Hongmao, this question is actually very simple. Every choice has pros and cons. It's just a choice between more pros and cons or more cons and less pros. I'm just asking you a question.  Question, is it very urgent to build a railway in the north now? " Shen Hongmao recalled the construction plan of the Youzhou-Jilin railway in the military combat plan proposed by Zao Guoquan at the cabinet meeting, and couldn't help but nodded silently.  "That's it. There is no doubt that there will be additional conditions for British loans, but are these conditions more important than the urgency of the railway? You can make a calm comparison and judgment on this. Ang Moo  , the court ministers sometimes have to?Some risky decisions, but you have no choice.  "
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