"Last week, in San Francisco, someone jumped from the top floor of the hotel where I was staying, and he didn't die, but the doctor said he had a broken spine. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 InfoFour days ago, in Los Angeles, someone put a 'python' in my mouth in front of me and blew off half of his head. And today, someone ran onto the tracks as the train I was on came in, and I think the police are still collecting his bones and muscles......"

"What do you want to say, Rachel?"

"The manager of Khomel Foods reported to me that he had lost four major distributors and that nine more distributors had not been able to repay their arrears in a timely manner. He wants a small team of mercenaries to help the company get the money back, but all I can tell him is that Umbrella can't even send a single person right now......"

"In fact, we can send two companies of mercenaries."

"That's not the point, Qin! All of these issues are secondary, and there is no doubt that your railroad plan has turned into a serious crisis, a disaster, and thousands of people are dying, and are or will die, but the most important question right now is, "The melancholy-looking Rachel. Mcbride. Ms. Yi paused, took a sip of her wine, and then asked, "How much did we earn?" ”

Qin Lang felt that her tone and way of speaking were extremely familiar to him, and there had been a few times when he had imitated it himself—so he laughed, crossed his fingers, and began to rub them habitually, but did not speak.

Rachel didn't rush him, just sat quietly, calmly watching her target. Although she was anxious to know the number that would make her happy—the only reason she had been so hasty to end other work, cancel all meetings, and return to San Diego—she could wait.

Because Qin Lang will finally tell her that number, even today, he will not hide it or delay, and he will not even be silent for too long. Qin Lang had just achieved a brilliant achievement, and he needed to share it with others and feel his glory and brilliance together. Even though he had exchanged congratulatory messages with his partner, he still needed someone by his side to celebrate with him - something Elizabeth could not do, only she could.

And O'Connor, Duncan, and Yi Shui, but now, none of them are here.

Actually, they should be here. Rachel thought. In this way, it is possible to hold a small meeting by the way to work on the next plan.

She doesn't care about the unlucky shareholders who have been cheated out of all their wealth, and she doesn't care what will happen to them at all - because she is as ruthless as Qin Lang, mercenary, and doesn't care about other people's lives; Because things like this keep happening.

Buying shares in railroad companies has always been dangerous, and even the stock market itself is fraught with danger. In fact, according to Rachel's knowledge, nearly 75 percent of the stock markets in London, New York, and Paris are issued by railroads, yet at least a few thousand of them, like the Four Nations Railways, exist for the sole purpose of carrying out fraudulent activities, sweeping away investors' funds and leaving them with a high, unpayable debt.

The reason for this is simple: the railroads are almost all unlimited liability companies, which means that every shareholder of the shares is liable for all of the company's debts - or in other words, the fool who buys the shares of the railroads will not only lose all their money and all their investments, but will also owe the bank a large sum of money enough to make them lose every dollar they have in their home.

Therefore, there are always people who become destitute overnight, and there are always people who commit suicide, so Qin Lang once half-jokingly said, "Cherish life and stay away from the stock market" - but the same thing has never ended, not in the past, not now, and will not end in the future.

Because there are always people who want to be the new nouveau riche, risking their entire fortune for a thrilling gamble – the lessons learned from history are none – railroad stocks have always been hot and popular investments. Because only the shares of the railway companies are blue chips. Other companies are not only more likely to fail than real railroad companies, but they also pay very little dividends, and for this reason, they are basically limited liability companies in order to attract investors to buy their shares.

A limited liability company is safer, safer, and more secure, and will not bankrupt the stockholders because of the company's failure, but there are still very few people willing to buy this type of stock.

The vast majority of people are dreaming of a night of tyranny, and even in the face of countless bloody and tragic examples, they still won't change their choice. Therefore, Rachel thinks that these people are not worth her time to waste sympathy, and their tragedies are all self-inflicted.

It was they themselves who sent themselves to hell.

Deserve......

"Nineteen million." The voice suddenly drifted into her ears, "Nineteen million, after deducting all necessary expenses." ”

Nineteen million? She thought for a moment, then commented: "The expenses seem a bit too much. ”

"It costs money to get the government to deal with the problem for us, after all, what we got out of is a bit serious." Qin Lang smiled, "Besides, we did build railways in China, two, adding up to about five hundred miles. ”

"Oh." Rachel nodded, slowly turning the wine glass with his right hand, and thought for a few more minutes, "What are your plans for this money?" ”

Qin Lang continued to smile. "I remember I said that Morgan was going to give a loan to Japan, and I gave him some ideas and offered to participate."

"Yes." She continued to turn the cup, "So ......"

"Nineteen million, according to the results of my discussion with Morgan, I will use them all for this plan."

Silent. The glass stopped spinning and was placed on the table. "It's crazy!" She said dissatisfiedly, "Nineteen million! Qin, you should discuss this decision with us beforehand. ”

"We discussed, and you agreed." Qin Lang said calmly.

"I don't remember such a thing."

"That's what you forgot about, Rachel." He went on to say, "You agreed to put in all of our revenue from the first phase of the railroad program, because you know that if we're going to get enough out of Morgan's plan, we're going to have to invest a huge amount of money -- not much, but certainly as much as everybody else." ”

There was silence again. Rachel tried to explore her brain, trying to find the fragments of Qin Lang's claimed memories - but she couldn't, couldn't find a trace. Rachel began to wonder if Qin Lang was playing tricks on him, and according to his character, it was quite possible - but he was not wrong about one thing, if they wanted to get the expected return on Morgan's plan, they would indeed need to invest as much money as the other partners.

The question is, how much others put in.

"You mean, the other people who participated in the program also put in nineteen million?"

"The average number is eighteen million." Qin Lang affirmed that "the total amount is 100 million US dollars, and it is planned to be divided into two batches." ”

Revised plan. He smug it in his stomach. Because Morgan's co-opted partners had raised so much money, he had to revise the original plan as quickly as possible to expand the scope of his goals.

Now, Formosa is just one of the benefits that the program is poised to reap.

There is another benefit, of course, it will be up to the Japanese themselves to come up with it. Qin Lang began to tap his fingers. Don't worry, the Japanese will definitely take the initiative to jump into that trap.

There is no way they can refuse a hundred million dollars.

Too much.

"My God!" Rachel exclaimed, and in surprise and disbelief, she used Chinese that she wasn't proficient enough — and then switched back to English. "What do you want to do? I don't think the Japanese economy is in a position to repay so many loans, unless you plan to let the Japanese pay off their debts in 30 years or more. ”

"No one is ready to let the Japanese pay off their debts for decades, but we did expect it, and that's exactly what we need," Qin Lang nodded, and said in a tone that was not joking, "We just hope that the Japanese can't repay the loan." ”

Rachel's reaction was what he expected—she took a breath and said, "If it's a joke, it's not funny at all." ”

"No, it's not a joke." Qin Lang turned around and stared out the window—the Pacific Ocean was a few hundred yards away, but what he wanted to see was on the other side of it. "The plan has already begun, and you'll see the results soon, Rachel."

He was as sure as ever, because Tokyo had already received Morgan's suggestion, which was proposed by Morgan's son himself.

A crazy suggestion that left all the cabinet ministers in Japan stunned and anxious.

At a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers......

"Formosa as collateral in exchange for a $35 million loan?" War Minister Katsura Taro used a hard slap on the table to express his objection, "It's too bastard, the Army won't agree to such a request." ”

Everyone knew what he meant, and even if Japan's need for colonization of Formosa was not taken into account, since the landing of the army on that island in Meiji 28, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers had been killed or wounded in the battle to eliminate the resistance, and after five years of hard fighting, the situation in Formosa had finally improved. At such a time, it is impossible for the army to agree to give it as collateral to the people of the United States.

However, the Cabinet Ministers also know that if there is something that the Army clearly opposes, then the Navy has a good chance of supporting it.

All eyes were on Navy Minister Gonbei Yamamoto. He didn't let them down.

"The sacrifice of the army is obvious to all, but the future and long-term development of the empire requires loans from the people of the United States." Gonbei Yamamoto said loudly, "And you know that the navy is the main force to safeguard the interests of the empire, and for the future of the empire, the navy needs to build more warships, which is expected to be eight battleships and eight armored cruisers, so I think the empire should accept the conditions of the people......"

"Your Excellency, Lord of the Admiralty, do you know what you're talking about?" Katsura Taro shouted. Actually, he didn't want to do that, and even, in fact, he didn't really oppose that proposal at first, but now, it looks like the Navy intends to spend all of its $35 million on warships, and in that case, the Army must take a firm stand.

The Army must not allow its enemies to grow, and in the form of selling out the territory of the Empire.

"Once again, I reiterate the Army's attitude," said Katsura Taro, "and the Army firmly disagrees with the use of Formosa as collateral to the Americans." This is a traitorous act! ”

Regardless of the era or country, betrayal was always a serious accusation, and Yamamoto certainly could not accept it - he returned the hat presented by Katsura Taro in its original form. "The Army's disregard for the facts and the fate of the empire is the real traitor."

"National thief" was also not a title that Katsura Taro liked, but he did not fight back - because before he could speak, Foreign Minister Takaaki Kato and Minister of Finance Watanabe Kunitake had jointly eliminated all possibility of quarrel - and they demanded that discussions about betrayal be suspended, and Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito agreed.

After all, no one now wants to sit on the sidelines of an almost childish quarrel between the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Admiralty.

The right to speak was passed on to the next minister.

"Attention, everyone, the Empire needs a loan. To develop industry and commerce, it is not enough to rely solely on the exploitation of the peasants. Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Lin Youzao said in a low voice. Although the most important ministers in the Cabinet are the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Army and Navy, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Finance, this does not mean that he cannot stand up for his views in Cabinet meetings. However, Lin Youzao did not intend to fully support Yamamoto Gonbei, the navy needed military funds to build new warships, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce also needed funds to develop the industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce needs funds to revive the Japanese economy, which has been battered by United Textile Technology - but the Navy will certainly ask the Minister of Finance to give priority to the Navy. Lin Youzao just hopes that when the navy eats meat, the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce can gnaw some bones.

Of course, the premise is that the proposal of the people of the United States is approved, but it is not easy to do this.

"We should pay attention to the sentiment of the people." Justice Minister Kentaro Kaneko has calmly but firmly stated that he will unswervingly side with the Minister of War. "You should remember that in the 28th year of the Showa era, when the Empire and the Qing State were engaged in armistice negotiations, the Qing Minister Li Hongzhang was assassinated by the radical citizens of our country who opposed the peace talks. If we accept the advice of the rice people, I am afraid that the rice people in Japan will also be in danger. And I don't want the people to raise the banner of crusading against national thieves. ”

Two-on-two, but the score didn't last long.

"That's just a minor issue. The police can protect the safety of the people of the United States. The Foreign Secretary frowned. Questions? If the people of the United States are assassinated, the government of the United States will definitely demand that the imperial government hand over the murderer, and then create a larger anti-rice movement in the empire. Only now, what else can he do? Japan's economy has many problems, industry and commerce are either shrinking or developing slowly, and the navy is still demanding the construction of warships, and of course the army wants to increase the number of divisions in active service...... In short, money is a serious problem, and the advice of the people of the United States is the straw that saves lives.

Takaaki Kato thinks that Hirobumi Ito will not let go of this straw, and even if he had this idea, someone would make him change his mind.

"I just want to remind you of one thing, if we fail to alleviate the economic crisis of the Empire, then the current Cabinet will be as short as the second Yama County Cabinet."

The second Yama Prefecture Cabinet did not solve Japan's economic problems...... To be precise, it failed to solve the cotton problem, and after taking office for less than a year, he was forced to announce the resignation of the general party in the face of strong pressure—stepping down earlier than in another time period, and a year earlier[note]—the voice of the Minister of the Interior, Kensumi Suematsu, was lower than that of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, but no one ignored it.

Because no one, including Katsura Taro and Kentaro Kaneko, was willing to collapse so quickly as the second Yama Prefecture Cabinet.

But they also can't make a decision right away. The sale of Formosa, as the Chancellor of Justice had warned, would have serious consequences, perhaps, would lead to the collapse of the Cabinet.

The problem is very complex.

The ministers fell into silence en masse. (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )