Han Yeping, a name that cannot be skipped in the history of China's iron and steel industry. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Hanyang Iron Works, Daye Iron Mine, Jiangxi Pingxiang Coal Mine, a steel complex composed of three enterprises, was formally established in 1908, and it was Sheng Xuanhuai, the father of industry in the late Qing Dynasty, who controlled him.

Sheng Xuanhuai's merits and demerits, I won't say much here.

However, as the largest iron and steel enterprise in China in this era, Hanyeping, which accounted for more than ninety percent of the steel output at the end of the Qing Dynasty, has a bumpy road to development. In 1908, Han Yeping was just established, and it was at the best time. Taking advantage of the opportunity of building railways in China, through measures such as expanding production scale and improving technology, Hanyeping's production cost has been reduced, and the quality of products has also been improved to a certain extent. For example, in June 1907, the average coke consumption per ton of pig iron was 1.14 tons, which was much lower than the standard of 1.75 tons in 1904. In 1904, for example, the cost of a ton of pig iron in an iron mill exceeded 30 taels of silver. In 1905 it was 24 taels, and in the spring of 1910 it was 18.5 taels. The cost per ton of Martin steel dropped from 41 taels in 1907 to about 30 taels in early 1910......

It was in 1908 that Han Yeping began to make his first profit.

But the Xinhai Revolution three years later changed all that. Because of the chaotic situation, Han Yeping lost the ability to develop independently. Han Yeping, who had already relied on a large amount of borrowing to develop, had to borrow heavily again, most of which was Japanese funds......

In the 20s of the 20th century, Hanyeping completely became a supplier of raw materials.

In fact, in 1908, Hanyeping and Japan's Yawata Steel were basically on the same level, and the gap between the steel industries of the two countries was extremely small. But in the following years, because of the completely different policies and development environments of the two countries, the gap between them became wider and wider, and finally Han Yeping fell into the hands of the Japanese by various means.

Now is the best time to step in.

Don't look at the fact that the Japanese defeated the Qing Dynasty in the First Sino-Japanese War, and then defeated the Russian a few years ago, but that doesn't mean that the country is very strong now. The reason why he was able to defeat Russia was not only because of his absolute geographical superiority, but also because he had the support of the world hegemon behind him, and at the same time, the Russians themselves defeated themselves. In fact, in addition to the spirit of striving for progress, Japan in this era was also backward in all aspects, for example, steel was almost on the same level as the Qing Dynasty, and the famous Hachiman Iron was not necessarily much better than Han Yeping.

Soon after, Han Yeping, who was in trouble, needed foreign aid.

Han Yeping needs a lot of money and hopes to use it to expand the scale of production to reduce costs and open up sales; He needs to get rid of those arrogant foreign experts and get advanced technology and equipment abroad; He also needs truly modern management to get Han Yeping free from the shackles of backward management system and internal chaos; He even needs more factories that use steel to solve the problem of how to get out of the product...... In 1908, he could only find these things through foreigners - and it was simply wishful thinking to get those Westerners and Easterners to really help the Chinese, so in the end the Japanese picked up a big bargain.

Han Yeping wants all these things, and he is stronger than the Japanese!

John, who had just made a fortune in the economic crisis, had money. More importantly, John still has the technology and talent that Han Yeping urgently needs - until now, Han Yeping has not been able to truly stand on his own, and they cannot do without those foreign experts who look through their nostrils, let alone the most advanced steelmaking technology in the United States.

"So, I suggest you go to Han Yeping Company first."

With a strange brilliance flashing in his eyes, John said indifferently: "With what you have learned in the United States, you can definitely become the technical backbone of Hanyeping Company, help them improve the production process, improve the quality and output of products." When necessary, I will even provide you with a sum of money, a very large sum of money, so that you can try to take a stake in Han Yeping Company; Once successful, I will send you more skilled workers to help improve the process, send you management experts to solve the problem of backward management and low productivity, and I will also invest in some factories in China to solve the problem of steel sales for you in the future...... Would you like to give it a try, gentlemen? ”

“……”

When they heard this, everyone was stunned.

As Chinese aspiring to the steel industry, they certainly know about the Hanyang Iron Works, and they also know that it is the only place in China that can be called a real steel factory. But no one could have imagined that Mr. Huntelaar's so-called starting point would be the only giant in China's steel industry!

This...... How is this possible?!

"Hehe, nothing impossible."

As if seeing the doubts in the hearts of several people, John smiled slightly: "Gentlemen, if it were just you, of course it would be impossible, and it would be more likely to be played to death by those cunning officials." But without the help of the Huntelaar Bank and the support of Mr. Yung Hong, nothing would have been impossible......"

……

In June 1908, John? Huntelaar and 47 international students gathered together.

Half of these energetic young people came from the first batch of young children to go to the United States, and half came from the college students sponsored by John to study abroad. But without exception, they are all enthusiastic young people who are eager to develop industry in China and change the status quo. So over the course of three days, John had an in-depth conversation with everyone.

On average, he has deep conversations with more than a dozen people every day!

John was not stingy with these Chinese elites who he brought to the United States and cultivated. As you can imagine, they have the knowledge, the culture, the technology, the money provided by the Huntelaar Bank, and even the investment of patents, machinery and more if necessary, who would dare to say that they could not set off a great tide in China at the beginning of the 20th century?

Even Han Yeping Company, isn't John calculating?

Nothing is impossible, maybe Dong Pengcheng and their chances of success are extremely small, after all, Han Yeping is too important, and the Japanese have long been eyeing them. But how do you know the result if you don't try it? John can come up with a lot of money, can provide the best equipment and technology, and these young people who have been rigorously trained at American Steel and more excellent talents in the future, if they can really hold Han Yeping up......

Why can't you give it a try? What if it succeeds?

John didn't know how much money he needed to take down or control Han Yeping, and he didn't even know if it would be possible for him to do so in this particular era. But for the sake of the hope of China's steel industry, he doesn't mind taking out a huge sum of money in the eyes of others to give it a try!

Don't say anything else, Money John has it!

The financial crisis that has not yet fully passed has made John a lot of money, and the steady development of various industries has also brought him a very stable cash flow. Although most of this money was invested by him, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Great Depression of 1908 to expand wildly, there was still no problem with spending 10 million dollars!

That's a lot of money for any steel company.

So John promised to give up to $5 million to the five young men led by Dong Pengcheng, and at the same time asked for another $5 million from the Far East branch of the Huntelaar Bank...... Of course, it is not a one-time provision, but it will be provided one after another when necessary, and the capital will be injected into Hanyeping Company. At the same time, Dong Pengcheng and others will also join Han Yeping, with the assistance of engineers and workers sent by John, to help them improve the production process and increase production.

Next, just wait quietly for the harvest.

As long as Han Yeping did not deliberately fall to the Japanese, then he would probably accept the shares of Dong Pengcheng and others. On the one hand, they are Chinese, and they are the best technicians, on the other hand, Huntelaar Bank will also bring them a condition that people cannot refuse: in the next ten years, no matter how much steel Hanyeping produces, the Huntelaar consortium will eat it all!

The reasons for Han Yeping's failure are not independent.

In addition to its own management, production efficiency and financial reasons, the lack of industries to accommodate sufficient steel production capacity in China is also an important point in this era. Costs cannot be reduced without increasing capacity, but the steel produced by increasing capacity has nowhere to go – even a few hundred thousand tons of steel, and China has not absorbed its market.

So after thinking about it, John couldn't find a reason for the other party's refusal.

With abundant funds, Dong Pengcheng and more technical elites in the follow-up, and the strong support of the Huntelaar consortium, John can't help but imagine the day when Han Yeping is controlled by himself and develops wildly!

And if this possibility is proven, Han Yeping is just the beginning......

……

No one can accurately estimate the impact of these three days on the future of Chinese industry.

Some people may say that a few dozen international students and millions of dollars of investment are simply not going to change the Chinese industry of this era. But let's not forget that this is just the first people and the first money. This number can at least double next year and at least quadruple the year after......

John's financial and technical support will never be cut off.

It can be said that as long as the Huntelaar consortium's industry continues to expand and generate enough profits, John will be able to continue to hold on to these supports. What's more, the international students who return to China are not just spending money, they bring the world's most advanced technology, management experience and machinery, and have the support of the giant Huntelaar Bank, who else is the opponent in China? It is conceivable that in two or three years at most, they will also provide a steady stream of impetus for this project.

The more people who returned home, the more resources John had at his disposal, and the more people he could send abroad.

John is now investing a little more, in addition to supporting a large number of international students, he also has to provide them with funds and technology to return to China to start their own businesses. But once the previous groups of people really mature, a virtuous circle can naturally be formed, and then he will be able to completely relax...... (To be continued.) )