"Mr. Chen, what is your party going to do? Obviously, these things you are doing are not for the sake of making money, but only for the necessary means for you to do things. But we're different, we just want to make money. So, let's take a step. We earn the money, but we will donate some of it for charity, or give it directly to you, so that you can do what you want to do, anyway, your purpose is not to make money, but to do things. Wouldn't it be nice to have the best of both worlds? ”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone sitting next to Jian Chen laughed. It's the funniest joke they've ever heard now, but if it had been seven years ago, they might have been tempted.

Chen Jian smiled back and forth, waited for a while until the laughter here stopped, shook his head and said: "It's not that we haven't done this before, to be precise, we were still very naïve in the period before the old Mo Party became a loose progressive alliance, and we did think so and did it." However...... When the time came, didn't a few members of the Progressive League go to the capital to petition with ideals? The result? Hanged several. Such a big mouth is pumped in our faces, if we don't wake up, then we won't grow forever? ”

The man hurriedly said: "That's the person they are looking for is wrong, but Min County has its own special circumstances, and this place is different." ”

"It's no different, let's not talk about eating people with short mouths and short hands, let's just say that today we are sitting on the left, and you are consciously sitting on the right, why? Do you really think it's because of our reputation? Or is it the prestige of I, Jian Chen, who is famous in the school palace and sails around the world? In fact, as you all know, it is not at all, because we have enough capital, big workshops and big industries belonging to our party, and our organization. You see, the last time the miners' movement organized and raised a large number of strike funds, I relied on a few monopoly big workshops to support me, isn't this it? And if I don't, I'm afraid the grass will grow on my grave. It is true that money is the means we need, but we have to keep it in our own hands. ”

The workshop owners and small factory owners on the opposite side were a little embarrassed, since the miners' incident, they knew that the group of people in the Mexican Party was the most hateful, but because of various inextricable relationships, it was impossible to completely turn their faces, so they could only temporarily hide this disgust in the bottom of their hearts - the coal mine owners who made concessions at the beginning have now become the largest coal mining industry in the coastal counties, and those who did not give in at all and were ready to carry it to the end are now either bankrupt or change careers. Some of the more awkward positions are simply the fact that the Moxican Party instigated strikes and forced these die-hard coal mines to work, so they could only be merged into the established coal mining groups.

In order to strengthen the determination of these people to be convinced that they could not make concessions, Chen Jian added: "As you know, the Progressive League has officially dissolved, and people who used to talk and laugh together are now scolding each other in the street newspapers at every turn. Indeed, there are still people who think like you, and all they have to do is to change their morals. When charity becomes the right thing to do, and when not doing charity is spurned by everyone, their path is clear. But in the end, it's just telling some people: treat these cats and dogs as individuals, and pity them. Because they tacitly do not need to make any political changes, all they need is to morally determine what is right. ”

Slightly spread his hands and shrugged, "Obviously, you know that we never shy away from saying that we want to make political changes and ownership changes. Why do you have to treat cats and dogs as individuals? Why can't they be human? You must like those who have parted ways with us, because they are not touching your roots, but are only helping you to smear and whitewash. Some of our thoughts sound like we're trying to move your roots, so we're terrible. You see, now that we haven't touched your roots, we've just planted a big tree next to you, and you're scared to choose what they've proposed. ”

The other side smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to answer, and after a long time, there was a humane: "Mr. Chen, it's like this now, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp." Compared to the guilds that eat secretly, we still liked this situation. Because we have climbed up more easily than before, we shout hello at your criticism of the guild system, and at the free competition that some of the original Progressive League have proposed. ”

"But now you suddenly come out, such a big behemoth, such a big fish, we want to eat shrimp, but we don't want to be eaten by big fish, what should we do?"

Jian Chen sighed and said: "The matter is immortal, you let the big fish eat it, turn it into the meat of the big fish, and become a part of the big fish, this is a solution." This is the best of both worlds, isn't it beautiful? ”

The workshop owners who came understood what Jian Chen meant, but they didn't know what expression to use to face this statement.

"I'm afraid the pond is too small to accommodate such a big fish."

"The sea is wide and jumps out of the pool to the sea, can't it be tolerated?"

"Mr. Chen, the iron smelting industry is different from others. Iron is iron, unlike the glass that came before. Glass can improve the technique, resulting in larger pools. But what about iron? Iron is not steel, I think Mr. Chen can naturally distinguish this, because the steel ingots in Minjun are all monopolized by you. If Mr. Chen came up with a steel-making method that was more suitable for large workshops and large factories, it would not be our turn to come in and mix it, and the profits in it would not need the help of others at all with the current capital and industry of your party and Mr. Chen. ”

The person who spoke glanced at Jian Chen, and seeing that Jian Chen did not refute, he mustered up the courage to say: "But iron is not steel, iron is iron, no matter how it is smelted, it is still iron." In some places in the north, the production and technology of iron are not worse than here, especially near the old capital, where iron has been smelted since the beginning of the country, where the families are intertwined, and we simply cannot afford to get iron elsewhere. ”

Jian Chen nodded and said, "You're right. If there's something new, we're not going to be able to get you to work with you. The smelting industry is indeed special, but the sea you think of is still 36 counties, and the sea wide I am talking about is really beyond the sea. Of course, it is better for us to unite the domestic iron-smelting industry, and you have also seen the affairs of Nanyang Company, which small maritime businessman can compete with Nanyang Company overseas? ”

Mr. Chen said with a smile, where else can there be overseas maritime companies to compete with Nanyang Company? The relationship with marine insurance and banks is inseparable, and to put it mildly, now that Mr. Chen has withdrawn his shares, even if Mr. Chen and his party want to get involved in overseas trade, I am afraid that they will not be the opponents of this behemoth now. But Nanyang was reluctant to export large quantities of iron, and the profit margin of iron was too low compared to the rest......"

"Yes, that's true. When I say Nanyang, I don't mean that we expect them to help export, but that we can also use this method, and that overseas money may not be the only way to make money from trade. Iron is not very profitable by ship, they will definitely not choose, but what if this iron is not far from a place where there is a great demand? Isn't that a way to make a lot of money? ”

If you jump out of the small space of Minjun or China, the workshop owners present are excited, and the previous successful business activities have endorsed Chen Jian's reputation, and everyone has rekindled hope.

"You all know about my withdrawal from Nanyang. In addition to the fact that I disagree with investments such as slavery and occupation collecting ground rent, there is another reason. Nowadays a lot of money is pouring overseas, on islands, on plantations, and for things that are much more profitable for short-term exports. But some industries that are not very profitable have a hard time raising enough money. ”

"When I left Minjun, I thought that there might be a second commercial canal, after all, I had proven that it was profitable. But I didn't expect that I would circle the earth and still be the same. The people who need it are scattered and it is difficult to scrape together enough money; A large amount of money accumulated from land rent is not willing to invest in this profitable but not the most profitable industry. ”

"Just like those iron mining areas in Min County, you make a living by smelting iron, don't you want to build some infrastructure and reduce your own costs?"

After questioning, many workshop owners were a little embarrassed and said, "No one is leading this matter." Now everyone's eyes are on those industries with high rates of return, and we are still responsible for each other, and things like building canals are not one or two that can raise liquidity. Besides, the workshops are scattered, and this canal may have something to do with me, and it may not have anything to do with the rest of the workshops that are not nearby, so this matter has been delayed. ”

Chen Jian said again: "That's right, so many things can't be done in the scattered small workshops. In China, you have always known that we support large workshops and large factories, and we have the basis for cooperation. Overseas, the capital that everyone gathers together may not be able to accommodate so much copper and iron, but there are still many profitable investment directions overseas, and it is your bank. A person is weak, but it is okay for people to spread their risks more. Since Nanyang Trading Company can monopolize trade so that no one can compete with it while still trading, why don't we bypass trade and invest in industries that do not compete with Nanyang Company. ”

The workshop owners finally breathed a sigh of relief and secretly thought about it.

Not to mention the fact that overseas investment is led by Chen Jian, a man who does not seem to have lost money so far, even if the smelting industry in Minjun is integrated and a canal connecting the iron ore area and the coal mining area is a huge cost reduction.

I was worried that the pond in Minjun was too small, and the profit after being eaten was too small. But Chen Jian swore that he had said something about overseas investment, which kindled a different hope in their hearts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, overseas, in Europe, to be exact, where the trade with the Nanyang Trading Company is most closely related, there is a small country, in the Far North. But this small country has high-grade iron ore that is the envy of our industry, as well as a large amount of copper ore. Nowadays, copper coins are being minted in Spain, and war clouds are also gathering in Europe, whether it is copper or iron, it is a lucrative industry. ”