After half a month of repeated thinking, scrutiny, surveying, consulting, and calculation, Weiss's first "big battle plan" after his retirement basically took shape, but all the plans relied on one necessary factor: funds. Without financial support, all projects are empty talk. During this period, he sought advice from his old friends, seniors and professionals in the capital industry to understand the current prevailing financing conditions and interest rates, not only to calculate the comprehensive cost of relevant project implementation, but also to do his homework for the advancement of financing business.

The day after the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of the Clumber-Heisen plant, Weiss left Somsonas and went to Austria to seek "generosity" from banks, financial institutions and business consortiums. On this trip, he did not take a horse-drawn carriage and then transfer to a train like he did for the first time in Aocheng, but set off by boat from Somsonas, first sailed more than 100 miles south along the Somsonas River, and then turned into the Mason River from the fork of the three rivers, and went down the river to Mason, the capital of Lorraine, and revisited the river transportation along the way. After arriving in Mason, he stayed for a few days, had in-depth communication with several old acquaintances of the Provisional Government of Lorraine on the conditions and procedures for the construction of the project and the use of land, and took the time to hold talks with Lorraine's local financial institution, the Western Mining Bank, which has a history of more than 600 years, on the financing conditions, scale and interest rate of the Clumber-Haisen plant as the main body, and reached a preliminary cooperation intention.

After that, he took the train from Mason to Aocheng.

The city of Austria is the birthplace of the Grumman Group and the location of the Basen Military Academy, because of its proximity to the two major mining areas of Lorraine and Neuchâtel, as well as the convenience of developed transportation, flat terrain and large population, even if it was severely damaged by the war, it is still an ideal place for the development of heavy industry. After the end of the war, many of the relocated enterprises moved back one after another, and the whole city became a large construction site, full of cranes and factories and buildings under construction.

When he came to Aocheng, Weiss first visited the branch of the Federal Free Bank here, learned from them about the policies and conditions of the First Federal Bank, chatted with them, and learned that the current CEO of the Grumman Consortium was actually one of his old friends, the obese middle-aged man who had been ostracized and suppressed in the Grumman family, and who seemed to be honest but was actually old and cunning.

Prior to this, Weiss had only heard about the changes in the Grumman Group in recent years: the second son, Ruov, defected to the enemy during the war, the old president was ousted by the directors, and the Grumman family experienced a bloody storm in the struggle for power and profit. Now after careful inquiry, I learned that although Rudolph Grumman, the fat vice president of the city government, failed to "compete for the post", he successfully became the CEO of the Grumman consortium by virtue of his good relationship with the military and stable operation during the war. This consortium is the second largest industry under the Grumman family after the Grumman Group, but in the Ulster Free Federation, the vast majority of people have a shallow and biased understanding of capital operation, and the people are known as "money lenders = vampires", and most of the business owners and operators in all walks of life are also inclined to natural development and continuous accumulation, so although the major banks and consortia have an astonishing amount of capital, the scale and efficiency of capital operation are not high, except for the purchase of treasury bonds from the federal government, the regular business is direct investment, mergers and acquisitions, and entrusted operation management. For these reasons, as the CEO of the Grumman Foundation, his popularity and influence in the society are far less than that of the President of the Grumman Group.

Favors are favors, business is business, and he has dealt with that shrewd fat man many times, Weiss knows this very well, so he does not expect the other party to take the initiative to give generous cooperation conditions, but spent two days collecting relevant information and being prepared. Later, he went to the Grumman consortium's office building for a visit, but unfortunately the CEO was out on official business and was not expected to return to the city in a few days. Weiss left the address and room number of the hotel where he stayed in Aocheng, and continued to visit other financial institutions and consortia without hurrying, studying the current market and the operating characteristics of different banks and consortia, and quickly accumulating his vision and knowledge in the field of capital.

The reunion with Fat Vice President Rudolph Grumman was on the next drizzly afternoon at the Grumman Foundation's temporary office building in downtown Ocheng. It was a three-story house with a sturdy stone façade and boxy silhouette that evoked Weiss's memories of the ruins of the Battle of Austria, where he and his comrades fought in the ruined city, sometimes hiding in the dark, damp sewers, sometimes returning to the surface in search of supplies, and perhaps staying in the building. Of course, the ruined Aocheng has become a memory, and it will not be long before the city will be full of high-rise buildings......

"Hello, nephew dragon! It's been a long time, but I've heard that you've done a great job in Lorraine, and lo and behold, I'm so proud of you! "The fat vice president, now the CEO of the Grumman Consortium, is smiling as before, showing Weiss with an amiable face.

"I'm out of the army now." Weiss said to him, "Kind of follow in your footsteps." ”

"Hah! I was eliminated by the army, and you left on your own initiative, two different things! The middle-aged uncle, who was getting richer, responded in a nonchalant tone. After shaking Weiss's hand, he returned to the large leather chair behind his desk, while Weiss sat down in the wooden chair in front of his desk. Across this desk, it feels like you're talking about things, and your feelings are just a little bit over.

"Tell me, what are your plans after leaving the army?" Rudolph had just returned from out of town, and he heard from his secretary that he seemed to be attending some high-level party. With his current identity and status, it is obvious that he does not have to try to win over and use a "little person" like Weiss as before, so this question sounds a little polite.

Weiss looked at each other calmly, and the smile on Rudolph's face seemed to come more from the pride and confidence in his heart than from the previous hypocrisy and snake posture.

"I'm back in Lorraine, and I'm mainly taking care of the business affairs of the Clumber-Haysen family, and I'm working with some old comrades-in-arms in the hope that Lorraine can develop better."

"Yes, yes, members of your family, what I admire the most is this - everyone has great ambitions." At this point, Rudolph's tone changed and he took the initiative: "You came to me today, I should have hoped to get help with funds, right?" ”

Weiss replied without humility or arrogance: "Because of the needs of business development, we are ready to raise funds from various banks and consortia, and now we have almost talked about it. The banks and consortia that we have negotiated these days have been very positive about our conditions, and in the process, I have heard a lot of praise about you. Everyone says that the Grumman Consortium is one of the most influential consortia in the Federation today. I think this kind of business, if you don't come to ask you for advice, it will inevitably be a little unreliable. ”

Rudolph paused for a moment, then laughed. He opened a delicate wooden box from the table, which contained a row of brown "fine cigars". There is no such plant as tobacco on the planet Orens, and it is a soothing and calming leaf of grass that is rare because it cannot be completely artificially cultivated. Weiss first knew about this thing because of Nikolai, when she was in the contradiction between ideals and reality, and behaved like those rebellious rich children, but fortunately it was not a terrible dependence like drugs on earth, but a tool for high society to show off her wealth.

Rudolph asked Weiss to have one, Weiss smiled and refused, so he lit one for himself, and said as he smoked: "Dragon nephew, you can always surprise me, and this time is no exception." If things are exactly what you say they are, then you're running a good project. You know, the shrewd guys are very picky about the project. ”

"My business has three advantages that they can't refuse. First, the federal government will pay the Clumber-Haysen plant an annual arrears for wartime weapons and equipment purchases, with interest, which is expected to last for 10 years. Second, the Clumber-Haysen family has a very long and good reputation in Lorraine and even in the western part of the Federation. Third, I guarantee the loan project in my own name. ”

After talking about these three advantages, Weiss then introduced: "The project I run has good development prospects and considerable potential value, if you are interested, I can tell you about it." In the offices I've visited, no one has a negative opinion of my plan. ”

Rudolph shook his hand: "Do we still need to listen to this in our relationship?" Say, nephew Long, how much are you going to borrow this time? ”

Weiss is no longer a newcomer to the mall, and he knows that the other party is saying this, which is nothing more than putting himself in a position with a psychological advantage, so as to grasp the initiative in negotiations. If it had been a direct number, this guy might have jumped out of his chair.

"Well, I always think that the risk should be spread out and not concentrated in one place, which is the same as putting all the eggs in one basket. If I could, I would like to be able to obtain a loan from you that can be withdrawn under the appropriate conditions, so that I will compare the conditions of various banks and consortia at different times, and then decide where to withdraw and where to repay it first after obtaining operating benefits. ”

Hearing Weiss say this, Rudolph finally became serious, he stared at this young junior who he hadn't seen for a long time, and nodded: "You have indeed matured, nephew Long." What you said is actually a very objective and calm operation in financing. However, what I want to say is that in business cooperation, it is not only about rules, but more often about friendship and mutual benefit. You let me make money, I help you make money, so that the cooperation can last for a long time, and it is possible to surpass some secular terms, you know? ”

Weiss laughed, and said to Rudolph, "In that case, let's talk about this big plan I have in mind while drinking tea." After listening to this, you decide how much to give me the loan. If you can get a loan that covers the entire project, I can consider doing it with you first, and then talk to someone else about cooperation when I need it in the future. ”

"Good!" Rudolph immediately replied, "Listen up! ”

On this drizzling afternoon, Weiss spent about a quarter of an hour presenting Rudolph with his full plan, in a well-detailed, layered manner. The bigwig in the capital world closed his eyes and thought about it for a while, then asked, "I have two questions about this plan...... First, how can you be sure that the kind of mineral resources you are talking about represent the future? Second, how do you be sure that the machinery you're going to invest heavily in has such a sizable market demand, and it's a combination of military and civilian, and it will never go out of style? ”

A great veteran, always able to see the crux of the problem. Weiss's plan has great potential because it is based on historical judgment and on the basis of what is realistic. Aluminum has been discovered and used on the planet Orens, but it has not yet reached the level of popularization and commercialization. So far, it is only a relatively rare experiment, and as for the mechanical power that represents the development of future wars, it is a trend that conforms to the logic of war, and will not change because of the new Rough Stones and flying warships. This logic has been very well verified in the war that has just ended. With the development of flight technology, dozens of fighters can ruthlessly repair a powerful flying warship, and the cost of dozens of fighters may be less than one percent of a week's flying battleship, which is the comparison between technology and technology. As for the fighting on the ground, there is no doubt that when the two sides are fighting in the air, the ground fighting still has to be resolved by the ground forces. Therefore, tanks, self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery, self-propelled artillery, and motorized units all have practical value and also represent the trend of future military development.

In front of Rudolph, of course, Weiss didn't need to make all his old mistakes, he smiled and said: "Any business is risky, just like combat operations in war." How the commander on the battlefield judges the enemy's movements and the enemy's deployment, then in the mall, we also need to use our own judgment to make some choices. The two questions you mentioned are my personal judgments based on various information and development trends, and I believe they are correct, so I dare to bet all my net worth. If you agree, you can leave this business to me, and if you feel that there are doubts or objections, then I suggest that you share the risk with other banking institutions and consortiums. ”

Weiss said very reasonably, Rudolph was not as ashamed as he was just now, he lowered his head and pondered for a long time, and asked: "Do you have a written plan for this plan that I can study carefully, and I will give you an answer in a few days." ”

Weiss took a clip from the briefcase he was carrying, pulled out a piece of paper from it, and placed it in front of Rudolph. The fat middle-aged man was a little surprised, he picked up the paper and looked at it, and the content on it was even simpler than what he had just said.

"I do have a detailed plan for what you said, but this is my battle plan and an absolute trade secret, what do you say?" Weiss laughed.

Rudolph laughed a few times in embarrassment, and nodded: "Okay, nephew dragon! I have to admit that although your rationality makes me a little unpleasant, you are indeed a credible partner in the mall. So be it! I won't give you an exact answer today, but I can be sure that I will definitely participate in at least one of this business, and, if nothing else, it should be the largest one. As my support to you, we will give you the best conditions. ”

Weiss stood up and took the initiative to reach out his hand: "I hope we have a good cooperation...... As always! ”

Rudolph stood up and shook hands with him: "That's right, as always! ”