Gu Hegao belonged to a rare bachelor of engineering in the Republic of China, who had been a bureaucrat during the Northern Expedition, and went to business after being completely disappointed in the political situation.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the country and the people mourned, but Gu Hegao was very prosperous. Because a large number of refugees poured into Sichuan, he took the opportunity to build a factory to produce ink, paint, paper, leather and other goods, and within a few years he became a big capitalist.

But at this moment, Gu Hegao is at the lowest point in his life.

A few years ago, Gu Hegao joined his classmates Yang Yueran, Ba County Magistrate Feng Junyi, Taxation Bureau Chief He Zhaoqing, Fan Ha'er's Quartermaster Fan Zhongqu and others to establish Feifeng Paint Factory. This is the first modern paint factory in Sichuan, because of the national industrial signboard, Feifeng brand paint has been widely praised as soon as it came out.

So Japanese businessmen took action, and several major Japanese paint brands joined forces in Sichuan to reduce prices, forcing Gu Hegao to turn to the production of ink. The Japanese believed that Gu Hegao was a scourge, hindering the monopoly position of Japanese goods in Sichuan, so they united with ink manufacturers to reduce prices.

Today, Gu Hegao's ink and paint factory has stopped production, several major shareholders have withdrawn their shares, and the factory is on the verge of closure.

This was a very common phenomenon during the Republic of China, when the national industry was short of funds and weak in technology, and it was impossible to compete with foreign businessmen in the face of encirclement and suppression. In particular, the silver crisis in the past two years led to the rupture of the capital chain of major factories, and the Japanese took the opportunity to invade the market on a large scale, and now more than half of the Chinese enterprises on the southeast coast have died.

The enamel factory opened by Zhou Hexuan in Chongqing is different, using international advanced technology, the cost is extremely low, and there is no fear of foreign investors lowering prices.

"Mr. Gu is going to transfer the factory?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Gu Hegao smiled bitterly: "If possible, I hope Mr. Zhou can become a shareholder." ”

"Can you tell us about the factory?" Zhou Hexuan said.

Gu Hegao said in detail: "Now the major shareholders of the factory have withdrawn their investments, and only Yang Yueran and I are still insisting. The factory has a complete ink and paint production line, and the plant and machinery are worth about 100,000 oceans. But now the factory has been shut down, and there is a backlog of about 10,000 yuan in inventory, and the price of Japanese goods is too low for our products to sell. ”

Hearing Gu Hegao say this, Zhou Hexuan was interested.

When the all-out Anti-Japanese War broke out and Sichuan became a strategic rear, paints and inks would inevitably not worry about sales. At that time, countless government agencies and cultural scholars moved to Sichuan, and the consumption of ink was very huge. Not to mention painting, it will be used to build houses, make furniture, and even be used to produce weapons and equipment, which is a good business that makes money every day.

After the war began, the sales of Japanese goods were inevitably blocked, and Gu Hegao's company was the only ink and paint factory in Sichuan, and fools knew what this meant.

Zhou Hexuan didn't bother to look at the plant and machinery, and asked directly: "If I invest 100,000 yuan, how many shares can I get?" ”

"If you invest 100,000 yuan, Mr. Zhou can monopolize 45% of the shares and become the largest shareholder of the factory," Gu Hegao said cautiously, "Do you think it is feasible?" ”

"Let's go see the factory first." Zhou Hexuan did not immediately agree.

Gu Hegao finally breathed a sigh of relief, he was all over Sichuan to attract people to invest, and so far Zhou Hexuan was willing to take a look at the factory first. If Zhou Hexuan didn't inject capital, he could only leave the machine factory there and idle it until the outbreak of the full-scale Anti-Japanese War, as in history, and resume production until the outbreak of the full-scale Anti-Japanese War.

In the afternoon of the same day, Gu Hegao couldn't wait and took Zhou Hexuan to the factory.

The location of the factory is very good, it is located in Daxigou by the river, and the products and raw materials can be solved by water transportation. But the factory was in terrible condition, with only an old janitor guarding it, and it was empty and unworked, and the machinery and equipment were covered with dust-proof tarpaulins.

"Isn't there another shareholder?" Zhou Hexuan walked in the silent factory and asked.

Gu Hegao smiled bitterly: "He is still looking for investors in Chengdu. ”

Zhou Hexuan lifted the corner of the dustproof tarpaulin, dipped his fingers in the dust, and asked, "Has the machine been regularly maintained?" ”

"Clean it up once every half a month, and you can start work at any time." Gu Hegao said.

Zhou Hexuan covered the tarpaulin and asked: "If I am willing to invest, how can you solve the problem of product sales." ”

Gu Hegao's expression was a little embarrassed, and he said stubbornly: "The Japanese killed me in order to lower the price, and there is almost no profit at all, so it is impossible for them not to make money all the time." I believe that as long as we hold on for another half a year or so, the Japanese will definitely return to the original price. ”

Zhou Hexuan picked a thorn and said: "But the cost of Japanese goods is still lower than yours." They don't have to revert to the original price at all, as long as they keep the price relatively low, then your product has no competitive advantage. ”

was debunked by Zhou Hexuan, Gu Hegao said with difficulty: "Since the late Qing Dynasty, domestic products have been like this. But we can't waste food because of choking, only by continuous efforts can we catch up with foreign goods in terms of quality and cost. Many Chinese people also support us, as long as the price of domestic products is not much higher than that of foreign goods, national products can still have a place. ”

"But I'm a capitalist, I can't just invest and not make money," Zhou Hexuan said, pointing to the empty factory, "Your factory has stopped production, and there is still a lot of inventory in the warehouse, and I find it hard to believe that I will be able to turn a profit after resuming work." ”

Gu Hegao thought that Zhou Hexuan was unwilling to invest, and suddenly became extremely lost, he wanted to say something, but he stopped talking. Because in the face of the cruel reality, all words seem pale and powerless - he has no bottom in his own heart, how can he fool Zhou Hexuan?

After being silent for a long time, Gu Hegao let out a long sigh: "Alas, my skills are not as good as others, so I can only admit defeat." Since Mr. Zhou is unwilling to invest, then I can't force it, thank you for taking the time to inspect the factory. ”

Zhou Hexuan suddenly smiled and said: "100,000 oceans, I want 51% of the shares." After the start of construction, the paint will be produced first, and I will give you a big order. ”

Gu Hegao was already desperate, but now that he suddenly turned around, he thought he had heard it wrong, and asked in surprise: "Mr. Zhou, what did you just say?" ”

Zhou Hexuan had to repeat it again.

"No problem, 51% will be 51%, and we will sign the contract when Lao Yang comes back." Gu Hegao is no longer entangled in the issue of shares, he only hopes that there will be a receiver to make this factory continue to exist.

Zhou Hexuan is about to build a large number of buildings, and the consumption of paint is huge. It can even open up the barren mountains and wilderness of Chongqing, build dozens or hundreds of garden villas, and wait for Chongqing to become a wartime capital, and these villas will not worry about no buyers at all.

It is very disgraceful to say, but when the national disaster is at hand, it brings unlimited business opportunities to Zhou Hexuan. He took the lead in building factories and real estate in Sichuan, and estimated that by the time the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was won, the domestic industry alone would be worth tens of millions, or even more than 100 million.

Of course, it is estimated that there will be a lot of trouble at that time, such as the children of the powerful and the big capitalists competing for interests. The best solution is to win over the bureaucrats and elites to make money together, and the interests are so intertwined that even Lao Jiang does not dare to do it easily.