In the face of threats and provocations from the Morgan consortium, Wang Chenhao decisively chose to cooperate with the Rockefeller consortium, the opponent of the Morgan consortium. The Rockefeller consortium, with the Mobil Oil Trust Company as the main body, is mainly engaged in oil production, refining, and sales, and if it wants to form an alliance with the Rockefeller Consortium, it has to make a fuss about oil.

The United States is an oil-rich country, with Texas, Louisiana, California, Wyoming, New Mexico and other states full of oil, which has contributed to the rise of the United States. Since the world's first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859 and until the end of the 19th century, there were hundreds of oil companies and more than a dozen oil refineries in the United States, but there was not a single decent large-scale oil field. Until 1901, after the discovery of a large oil field with reserves of 1 billion tons (7.5 billion barrels) in the Houston area of southeast Texas, 25 major oil companies such as "Mobil Oil", "Gulf", "Shell" and "Texaco" were headquartered here, and Texas gradually became the largest oil refining center in the United States, where most of the petrochemical products of the United States were produced, and opened the prelude to the new energy of oil on the historical stage.

There are five other mega oil fields like Houston in Texas, which were discovered in the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century. Wang Chenhao will not develop these oil fields at once, because he knows the truth that scarcity is expensive, and no one will rob him anyway, and those oil fields will be his, and he is not in a hurry.

The Houston oil field will be discovered by the Mobil oil exploration team in 1901, so Wang Chenhao is going to intercept it now, he will first buy this land, and then resell it to Rockefeller, to be a super scalper, and make a lot of money.

Of course, Wang Chenhao's purpose in making money this time is only secondary, mainly planning to unite with the Rockefeller consortium to find a backing for the Bank of America consortium in the United States, and at the same time strive to cooperate with the Republican Party in the United States, because Wang Chenhao knows that after the Republican Party comes to power, it will actively expand to the outside world, and the Spanish-American War will start. And Wang Chenhao also hopes to take advantage of the Spanish-American War.

In short, Wang Chenhao's every step is of great strategic significance, and he is a person who never suffers.

In accordance with Wang Chenhao's order, Godale sent a team of 50 people headed by Deputy Manager Carnegie to quickly go south to Houston, Texas by American Railroad.

Four days later, Carnegie and his entourage arrived in Austin, the capital of Texas, and met with Texas Governor Perry and Texas Senate Speaker Gradek about Bank of America's large-scale investment in Texas.

At this time, Texas had just adapted to the life of the United States, but there was no pillar industry in the state, all of which were dominated by animal husbandry and agriculture, and with the end of the American Civil War, the large southern plantation economy was destroyed, resulting in Texans living far less than other northern Americans.

Under these circumstances, Bank of America's intention to invest in Texas on a large scale was immediately warmly welcomed by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives, and Texas Governor Perry said at a meeting with Carnegie that he would strongly support Bank of America's investment in Texas.

In accordance with the instructions of Wang Chenhao and Godener, Carnegie first invested $1 million to build a university in Austin, the capital of Texas, and named it the University of Texas, in order to gain the favor of the Texas political axe. Carnegie then offered to build Texas' largest farming and livestock district between southeast Houston and Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, saying he would invest $20 million.

Texas Axe welcomed this and immediately instructed Houston County Axe officials to negotiate with Carnegie and his party. In line with Bank of America's investment intentions, Houston County Axe has carved out an area of 2,500 square kilometers in the east and south, with Galveston Bay in the east and the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The political axe in the middle sells all the land for $1,200 per square kilometer, but does not include private farms and ranches already owned by Texas herders. There are about 63 farms and ranches that need to be negotiated separately by the Bank of America, but the Texas political axe has expressed a willingness to coordinate its position from the middle.

Because Wang Chenhao demanded that the "enclosure campaign" in Houston be completed within a week, and gave Carnegie high bargaining authority, 63 farmers would receive a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $330,000 in compensation, and the Texas political axe said it could help the farmers reopen their farms elsewhere in the state.

The Bank of America was willing to pay a high price, and the Texas government was willing to arrange a new place for them, so that the whole enclosure operation went very smoothly. In the end, Carnegie spent only $9.2 million to complete the task.

At the same time as the matter of the enclosure was resolved, Tang Shaoyi also visited Rockefeller's headquarters in the Mobil Oil Building in New York in accordance with Wang Chenhao's wishes, and made an appointment to meet with John Rockefeller as Wang Chenhao's special envoy.

Tang Shaoyi met with John, mainly to release some rumors about oil and probe his bottom. The other is to arrange a formal meeting time between Wang Chenhao and him.

John was a little surprised by Mr. Tang's visit, as his family business had not yet expanded into China, and he had no history of dealing with Chinese officials. However, this does not mean that John knew nothing. The news of Carnegie Steel's acquisition shocked the United States, and the sudden rise of the Bank of America naturally attracted John's attention, apparently John knew that the owner behind the Bank of America was Wang Chenhao. As the head of the number one consortium in the United States, John naturally has to investigate Wang Chenhao's background.

Like J.P Morgan, John has no clue about Wang Chenhao's mysterious identity, just as the mystery of Orientals in the hearts of Westerners.

"Mr. Rockefeller, you must already know what my family means, right?"

"Mr. Tang, please forgive me, I wonder how Mr. Wang knows that there are hundreds of millions of tons of oil under Houston?"

"I guess that's beyond my purview, isn't it?"

"That's a real disappointment!"

John smiled, knowing that the question had been asked a bit of a failure.

Tang Shaoyi said: "If Mr. Rockefeller doesn't believe it, you can send someone to check, your oil exploration team seems to be in Texas!" ”

"It looks like you know a lot about the Rockefeller consortium, but why should I buy your land? Even if there are a billion tons of oil down there, I'm not uncommon! The United States is so big, there are so many places with oil! ”

John looked at Tang Shaoyi and answered the question.

Tang Shaoyi knew that when John said this, it meant that he already wanted to buy it in his heart, and this answer was only because he was still planning to bargain.

"The U.S. is really big, and I believe there may be large oil fields elsewhere. It's just that the discovery of a large oil field is a few years or more than a few decades, and the opportunity is not always available. While your Mobil Oil Trust has a monopoly on the vast majority of oil companies, there will always be some oil companies that are willing to do this business with us. If there is really no partner, our family said that our Bank of America is fully capable of extracting oil and refining oil by itself, but in that case, I am afraid that we will not be able to become friends. ”

John's eyes tightened, and he sneered: "You also said that peers are enemies." My Mobil Oil Company has a monopoly on 80% of oil production and refining in the United States, and no one can compete with us, so whether Mr. Tang transfers it to other oil companies or exploits it yourself, I believe you will soon go bankrupt. ”

Tang Shaoyi smiled, John's threat was not unreasonable, and if there was no special force, Tang Shaoyi also believed that no one in the United States could compete with the Rockefeller consortium in terms of oil. It's just that Tang Shaoyi got Wang Chenhao's guidance and brought a killer weapon.

"Mr. Rockefeller, I think we would have considered your words five years ago. But now, your country's antitrust law seems to be aimed at your Mobil Oil Trust, and if we file an antitrust lawsuit, I believe the U.S. political axe will be more than happy to step in. ”

John looked at Tang Shaoyi in surprise, knowing that the other party was prepared. The anti-monopoly law in Tang Shaoyi's mouth is exactly where John Rockefeller hurts the most. The Ming Cook Party knew that Rockefeller supported the Republican Party, so at the instigation of the Morgan consortium, passed the antitrust law, which was actually tailor-made for the Mobil Oil Trust of the Rockefeller consortium. In 1892 the court ruled that the Mobil Oil Trust was an unlawful monopoly, and John was forced to transfer his property to the various branches, although it was still centrally run by the original board of directors, but it was clear that this incident had hit John hard, and the idea of early retirement had now been in his mind.

John's mind raced about the pros and cons. Obviously, Tang Shaoyi's words are seven points of cooperation and three points of threat. If Houston oil were to be transferred to any oil company, it would have an indelible impact on the Mobil Oil Trust. If John uses the trust group to suppress it, as Tang Shaoyi said, once an antitrust lawsuit is filed, the US political axe will definitely intervene in it, which will be even more unfavorable to the Rockefeller consortium.

Damn it!

John cursed the Morgan consortium and his lackeys Benjamin MPs, but he had to face the facts.

"Just kidding, Mr. Tang don't mind! In fact, I would love to work with the Bank of America consortium. ”

Tang Shaoyi's heart is also up and down, bringing out the US anti-monopoly law is the last trick Wang Chenhao taught him, if it doesn't work, then Tang Shaoyi will have to go back to the mess with a disgrace. Now seeing John's attitude turn 180 degrees, Tang Shaoyi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's the happiest thing I've ever heard!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, and both understood that the two sides could start to discuss cooperation.

John took the lead and said, "I don't know how Lord Wang plans to cooperate?" ”

Tang Shaoyi replied: "My family is willing to transfer the land in Houston to the Mobil Oil Trust, and in order to show our sincerity, you only need $200 million to obtain the mining rights of the land." ”

John shook his head and said with a smile: "200 million US dollars, or is it just mining rights?" I think that the maximum amount of land that Mr. Wang bought was not more than 20 million US dollars, and it was 200 million US dollars when it changed hands, and then it was sold to the next company with a zero, and you can really do business! ”

Tang Shaoyi said with a smile: "You must know that there are one billion tons of crude oil below, which is the sum of the proven oil reserves in the United States, and the oil in Texas only needs to drill 800 meters to produce oil, in contrast, the oil well reserves in Pennsylvania are small, and the well needs to be drilled more than 1,500 meters, and the profit difference must be very clear Mr. ”

"How do I know there's a billion tons of crude oil down there? Million! ”

"But don't worry, you can send someone to verify before we trade. 190 million! ”

"Mr. Tang, don't do business like this, since we are cooperating, we must show sincerity. Your piece of land will cost no more than 20 million, and I will give you 50 million. But you've only dropped 10 million, which is unreasonable. ”

"Well, 170 million."

Tang Shaoyi was very simple and dropped 30 million, but John rolled his eyes, and he still couldn't afford this price.

"It's too expensive! You have no sincerity at all! Sixty million, I can only give so much! ”

"Then I'll drop 10 million, 160 million, what do you think?"

...... "No, it's too expensive!" You are still not sincere, so how can I cooperate with you? Seventy million, I've already taken a big risk! ”

"Believe in our sincerity, the oil there is definitely worth it. 150 million, that's acceptable, right? ”

…… The two bargained, and the stalemate lasted for nearly five hours, and finally Tang Shaoyi handed over the real bottom to John, and $100 million was the bottom line set by Wang Chenhao for him.

John certainly understands what it means to have a billion tons of easily recoverable megalometers, in fact, are in the absolute worth of hundreds of millions of dollars. He just saw that Tang Shaoyi was not a businessman, so in business, he would definitely lower the price. Seeing that Tang Shaoyi showed the bottom line given to him by Wang Chenhao, and refused to give in, John also knew that this was the price, so he nodded in agreement.

"I'll have to verify before I can trade with you!"

"We understand your concerns! But my lord has a request, we don't need you to pay us cash, 100 million US dollars will be used to hold the shares of the Rockefeller consortium, which is also our sincere expression of cooperation with you! ”

John didn't expect the result to be like this, he thought that he had made a lot of money by buying this piece of land, but he didn't expect Wang Chenhao to use the 100 million dollars to buy his shares. The Rockefeller consortium has a total stock value of $500 million, and $100 million can buy 20% of the shares, which will become the majority shareholder of the company. In order to deal with the anti-monopoly law of the United States, John constantly transferred his shares to the branch, and Wang Chenhao was very happy to buy his shares. This is tantamount to giving a billion tons of crude oil to the Rockefeller consortium, and if it is sincere cooperation, John thinks this is too sincere.

"I can't believe it's true? You must have something else in mind, right? ”

Tang Shaoyi didn't intend to hide it from him, and said: "Don't hide it, if our family marries the third lady of the Zelingen family, it is equivalent to standing on the opposite side of the Morgan consortium. Add to that the acquisition of Carnegie Steel, and I think Morgan must have held a grudge. Our family is willing to cooperate with your Rockefeller consortium and the Republican Party in the United States, both economically and politically, and we will form an alliance against Morgan and the Morgan Party. ”

Only then did John suddenly realize that this Wang Chenhao had higher strategic considerations, no wonder he was willing to give up profits to the Rockefeller consortium so much.

"Morgan is Rockefeller's sworn enemy, the Ming Cook Party is the Republican Party's sworn enemy, and the sworn enemy is a friend, I think I can trust your sincerity, just ask Mr. Tang to arrange time, I want to meet Lord Wang!"

Tang Shaoyi suddenly rejoiced: "This is very good! ”

Half a month later, as the oil exploration team of the Rockefeller consortium conducted a field survey of the Houston oil field, the results showed that the area contained at least 500 million tons of crude oil. Because their detection technology is limited, the results are a little different from what Wang Chenhao said, but John is doing this, and he understands that there must be errors in this. And 500 million tons of crude oil is still a huge profit for the Rockefeller consortium.

On October 22, Wang Chenhao and John D. Rockefeller had a formal meeting, and the two were like old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

"Lord Wang, this is my son John Davis Rockefeller Jr., I will retire after today, and the Rockefeller Consortium will be handed over to John Jr. to take care of in the future, I hope Lord Wang can take care of him more, and I hope you can cooperate sincerely."

Little John hurriedly stepped forward and shook hands with Wang Chenhao politely, and said, "I have admired the prestige of Lord Wang for a long time, and now I see that it is indeed worthy of its reputation." You can call me John! ”

Wang Chenhao didn't expect him to be able to speak Chinese, so he couldn't help but look at Little John and said with a smile: "Tiger father has no dog, you and I are the same age, then you can call me Chenhao!" ”

Old John laughed a few times, and hurriedly ordered the waiter to bring three glasses of wine, and the three of them drank together, which was considered to be acquainted.

Because Wang Chenhao was anxious to return to China, the two of them signed the contract for the transfer of land in the Houston oil area at the meeting that day, and Wang Chenhao sold the land to Rockefeller at a price of 100 million US dollars, and at the same time, John was also very generous, he knew that Wang Chenhao was a senior official of the Qing Empire, and the Chinese market in the future would have to cooperate with Wang Chenhao, so he gave Wang Chenhao 25% of the shares of the Rockefeller consortium, which was equivalent to giving Wang Chenhao an additional $25 million.

Wang Chenhao naturally laughed at this big gift, because he knew that the market value of the Mobil Oil Trust had doubled by the time it dissolved. In other words, Wang Chenhao's $125 million will double to $250 million. Wang Chenhao made a lot of money invisibly, but he also understood that John Ken generously sent money to him, proving that the two sides were already allies. Wang Chenhao wants this alliance, he hopes to use Rockefeller to resist the threat of the Morgan consortium, protect the Bank of America consortium, and at the same time use Rockefeller's relationship with the Republican Party to indirectly influence the Republican Party's China policy.

This kind of long-term strategic layout, except for Wang Chenhao, I am afraid that no one in the world can match it.

(To be continued)