. The Mellon family's estate looks like a hunting house for European royalty, nestled in a dense forest. About two hours by car from New York City, it's surrounded by desolate almond trees and snow-covered green pines. At the intersection of the road leading from the highway is a wooden sign that reads "Private Territory, No Entry". Obviously, everything here belongs to the Mellon family, one of the richest families in the United States right now. This family and the Morgan family should be the two richest families in the United States and even in the world. The Mellon family currently controls hundreds of large enterprises in industries such as banking, steel, petroleum, aluminum, coal mining, shipbuilding, and locomotives. At the heart of these big companies are the Mellon Banking Corporation and the United Trust Company.

The current head of the Mellon family, Andrew . William. Mellon has served as U.S. Treasury Secretary under two successive U.S. presidents, and he will also serve as President Hoover's Treasury Secretary in history. Today, Luo Yaoguo, Song Ziwen, and Kong Xiangxi, three high-ranking Chinese government officials, will meet with the real masters of American capitalism here and discuss a series of "unequal treaties" with him.

The car drove into the territory of the Mellon family, and after about twenty minutes of driving, Luo Yaoguo caught a glimpse of a magnificent wooden and stone structure, which was a real palace. Compared with it, the Krupp family's Hugel villa is as small as a shack in a slum, and Luo Yaoguo's "Beilu" is simply a small pigeon cage, the only thing that can be compared with this place is probably the palace and royal garden of the Manchu emperor, right? At this time, Luo Yaoguo had a faint feeling that what he wanted to see today seemed to be the king of the United States.

"Text, this Andrew. William. Mellon is the de facto controller of Bethlehem Steel. It was Song Ziwen who spoke, he looked at the "palace" not far away, and helped his glasses: "His steel company and shipbuilding company have always wanted to squeeze into our Chinese market. In particular, Bethlehem Steel, the current output is almost 10 million tons, which is more than twice that of Germany's Krupp Steel, is there really no problem for such predators to enter our Chinese market? Will it crush our China Iron and Steel Company? ”

Luo Yaoguo smiled and waved his hand indifferently: "Mr. Ziwen has been overly concerned, our China Iron and Steel has developed very well in recent years, and the pace of expansion is also very fast. After going public in the United States next year, the second phase of Daye Steel Plant will be expanded, plus the Maanshan Krupp ...... currently under construction The total output is estimated to be more than 2.5 million tons, and Bethlehem Steel's steel mill in Nanjing will survive by only one million tons. ”

Of course, this explanation is really far-fetched, but there are some words that Luo Yaoguo can't pick out, so he doesn't have to be reported to Sun Yat-sen by Uncle Song Guo as a madman...... The Mellon family wants to invest in a steel mill in Nanjing, an aluminum mine and an aluminum factory in Guangxi, a shipyard in Shanghai, and it seems that they want to open a locomotive factory. This is not a problem, try to open it, take advantage of the current international economic boom, when there is a lot of money and no land to invest, hurry up to China to invest. And the Ministry of Armaments has to do everything possible to hoard cash, and when the legendary Great Depression comes, the companies that Grandpa Mellon has worked so hard to set up in China may have to be sold for cash...... These predators may know that the crisis is coming, but they may lack understanding of how serious this crisis is.

The vaulted ballroom was crowded with well-dressed gentlemen and women in all sorts of evening dresses. Among them are the female companions brought by Luo Yaoguo and Song Ziwen. Luo Yaoguo brought Natalie. Lesinskaya, she may not be the most beautiful woman here, but she is definitely the most attractive. Song Ziwen brought his girlfriend Zhang Leyi, a very beautiful girl of about twenty years old, tall, dignified facial features, delicate skin, and black lustrous hair, exuding youthful vitality everywhere. Not tall, a somewhat thin Andrew. Mellon was also in the crowd, chatting with Luo Yaoguo, Song Ziwen, and Kong Xiangxi with relish. An orchestra plays Mozart's music softly in a corner of the wide, marble-covered hall. Thick firewood burned inside the fireplace, crackling from time to time. The large carved table of the length of the room was filled with sumptuous delicacies that had not yet been used. There are all kinds of strong smells floating in the air: the smell of burnt wood, the smell of cigar smoke, the smell of roasted meat, the smell of precious French perfumes. The members of the Mellon family and the guests invited by the Mellon family were all in high spirits, some laughing loudly, some whispering, and each of them had all the expressions on their faces that could only be found in the era of economic prosperity.

"Tell me about the big railway that runs through China, and it looks like it's about 2,000 to 2,500 miles on the map, right?"

It was Andrew who spoke. Mellon, who seemed withdrawn and aloof, had no expression on his face when he spoke, but he seemed attentive. He had a lighted Cuban cigar in his hand, and he took a puff from time to time, but there was nothing else to do.

Luo Yaoguo smiled and nodded: "It's more than 2,300 miles, or 3,700 kilometers." It is a large railway that stretches from the sea in eastern China to Xinjiang, the westernmost province. Its role in China's economy and the development of the western region cannot be overemphasized. However, the difficulty and investment in the construction of this railway are very staggering, especially since the entry into Xinjiang Province. ”

Andrew. Mellon just listened quietly, nodding from time to time, until Luo Yaoguo finished speaking, and after a while, he spoke: "How long will it take for this railway to be built?" And what will it be used to transport? ”

"It could take ten years, right?" Luo Yaoguo said: "After the completion of the construction, there will be a lot of things to transport, the most important thing should be oil, Xinjiang Province should have oil." ”

"What do you mean there should be?" Andrew. Mellon furrowed her eyebrows, clearly unhappy with the ambiguous answer.

Luo Yaoguo smiled a little awkwardly: "In the north of Xinjiang Province, there is a place called 'Karamay'. 'Karamay' means 'black oil' in the language of the indigenous people of Xinjiang Province. The local government of Xinjiang Province has found a natural asphalt mountain there, Mr. Mellon, you should know what that means, right? ”

Andrew. Only then did Mellon show a hint of a smile and nodded: "I know that among the companies I control is the Gulf Oil Company." Natural bitumen is formed by the evaporation of oil from the earth's crust. Looks like there should be a nice big oil field there, and the value of the fires should be quite high, can I ask the Gulf Oil Company to send someone to explore there and see if it can be extracted? If you can......"

Luo Yaoguo waved his hand indifferently: "No problem, I can make the decision to give the right to exploit this potential oil field to the Gulf Oil Company." At the moment, the leader of Xinjiang Province is my student, and I can do it with a single word. It's just that...... Now that the railroad has not been built, you can't transport oil even if you extract it? So now it's time to build the railroad first, can your bank lend money on that? ”

Andrew. Mellon smoked his cigar for a while, thought carefully in his heart, and nodded in agreement: "As long as you use the shares of the railway company as collateral, I can provide a loan, isn't this what the bank does?" Furthermore...... I heard that you have a railroad operator called China Railway Co., Ltd. that is going to go public in the United States, does its assets include this big railway? ”

"Not included." Luo Yaoguo shook his head: "This big railway is composed of two parts: the original 'Longhai Railway' and the newly built 'Xinlong Railway'. However, the 'Longhai Railway' has not been completed at present, but only partially completed. The Longhai Railway was built with a loan from Belgium and the Netherlands, and we now plan to repay their loans, and merge the Longhai Railway and the Xinlong Railway to form the Xinhai Railway Company, which will be responsible for the construction and operation of the 2,300-mile railway. Of course, we also welcome strong investors like the Mellon consortium to join. ”

"Oh, that looks like a good opportunity." Andrew. Mellon's mustache moved, revealing a smile. He lifted his cigar arm and pointed in the direction of the stairs: "This is not the place to talk about business, let's go to my study and talk." ”

……

Luo Yaoguo and others followed Andrew. Mellon walked up the stairs. Before heading to the study, they had the pleasure of sightseeing in this luxurious palace. The palatial corridors and rooms decorated seem endless. On both sides of the corridor, a dozen glass cabinets display some of the Mellon family's collections, including solid gold ornaments encrusted with precious stones, vases and bronzes that seem to have come from the Chinese court, Western-style swords, scepters, busts and ancient books. The walls are covered with paintings by Italian, Dutch, French and other masters from the 13th and 17th centuries, as well as works by famous modern painters such as Picasso. The entire Mellon family's palace seemed to be a museum, like Rockefeller Jr.'s office. Looking at this room full of collections, Luo Yaoguo was also wondering in his heart to see if he should also pile up antiques and artworks in his home?

After passing through some rooms and corridors, Andrew . Mellon finally stopped in front of the two light black wooden gates. He pushed open the door, and inside was a room that was also luxuriously decorated, piled high with all sorts of seemingly precious works of art. But the rows of shelves piled high with books on both sides of the walls, and a large desk, undoubtedly tell the guest that this is Andrew. The heart of the Mellon Empire.

After Mellon and the three Chinese sat down, they gently pressed a few times on something that seemed to be a button. After a while, a cute-looking American girl dressed in a maid costume brought a few cups of steaming and fragrant coffee. Then it disappeared behind a gate that led to nowhere. When he saw this American girl, Luo Yaoguo somehow suddenly remembered that he seemed to have a cute little maid, and he could eat her...... Uh, so you forgot about it?

"Let's talk about pegging your fiat currency to the U.S. dollar." Andrew. Mellon took a few sips of coffee and decided to start with business: "If you can peg your fiat currency to the US dollar, it should be very beneficial to China's imports and exports and attract foreign investment." After all, the value of silver is very volatile and very easy to be indulged. And the U.S. government will also provide you with a ten-year low-interest loan of up to $500 million to help you stabilize the value of the fiat currency. In the future, the fiat currency will be pegged to the US dollar, and a fixed exchange rate of 3.5 to 1 will be implemented, do you think it is acceptable? If you can, wait until this weekend and go to Washington to sign the treaty. ”

Andrew. What Mellon said is actually quite reasonable, at a time when China's economy is growing rapidly, and it is becoming more and more closely connected to the world. The flow of funds brought about by trade and investment is also increasing, and the settlement of foreign countries depends on the price of silverSome people in China, such as Zhang Junzi, feel that being linked to silver is to maintain monetary sovereignty, and if it is linked to the US dollar, it is equivalent to letting the United States manipulate China's exchange rate In fact, the pricing power of silver is more unreliable than the US dollar, and it is completely manipulated by the financial predators of the London Stock Exchange...... Moreover, in this era, the trading volume of silver is very small, and it is easy to be manipulated by financial predators. In fact, after the Great Depression, the price volatility of silver will increase, and the resulting losses to the Chinese economy will also be quite heavy. However, with the current status of the US economy and the US dollar in the international arena, it is still relatively reliable to do so. Not to mention the fact that Americans are willing to provide a large amount of low-interest loans? This impact on China's future survival through the Great Depression is particularly important.

Of course, Song Ziwen and Kong Xiangxi, who are financial experts, also know these truths, and the two of them quickly agreed with Andrew . Mellon's program. A "traitorous treaty" called the U.S.-China Monetary Agreement will soon be signed in Washington, with some unintended consequences.

"Oh, there's also a requirement to open up the markets of China's three northwestern provinces, and of course, this doesn't require a restrictive agreement, just a commitment." Mellon touched Bazi and laughed: "Your China seems to be a 'federal' country now, and it is General Wang Zizheng who rules there, right?" Will he listen to your counsel? ”

"Of course." Luo Yaoguo nodded without hesitation: "His army is maintained by our financial subsidies, and their weapons and ammunition are all supplied by us. In fact, he was our agent in the Northwest, and he was fostered in order to avoid a direct conflict with the Soviet Union. ”

"The Soviet Union?" Andrew. Mellon shook his head, looking puzzled: "Speaking of the Soviet Union, I would like to ask, why did you approve the battleship deal?" This annoyed the people at the Admiralty, you know? The two 'Karl. Marx's class battleships are better than all our battleships"

Luo Yaoguo shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "The Soviet Union has to pay 75 million US dollars for this, and there is intelligence that they also ordered a battlecruiser, a battleship, two aircraft carriers and 200 carrier-based aircraft from Japan, which will cost at least 100 million US dollars." As you may also know, the Soviet Union was not rich in foreign exchange reserves on hand. If they spend all their money on the navy, then the investment in other areas will be reduced, which is good for our national defense. And...... The battleships of the Navy of the USSR actually did not play much of a role, didn't this guy from the US Admiralty mention it to you? ”

"How?" Andrew. Mellon looked at Luo Yaoguo.

"Mr. Mellon, you should know the terrain of the Soviet Union very well, right?" Luo Yaoguo smiled and explained: "Although this country is a maritime power, the oceans they have are very trivial and far away from each other. There are the Baltic Sea, the Northern Sea, the Pacific coast, the Black Sea. If the Soviet Union had four battleships, and could only put one in one sea area, how useful would it really be to fight? Can the Baltic fleet travel thousands of miles to the Pacific for reinforcements? If that were the case, wouldn't it be the same as the Battle of Tsushima, where a navy that had been adrift at sea for half a year was exhausted and attacked by an opponent who had been recuperating for a long time? Therefore, Stalin's blind development of the navy stimulated by the Second Russo-Japanese War was definitely a bad move, and maybe he was already regretting it at this time, but the deposit on the battleship would not be returned. ”

Andrew. Mellon nodded thoughtfully: "I won't mention this matter for the time being." Let's talk about the Bethlehem Steel deal. We want to open a steel mill with an annual production capacity of about one million tons of steel near Nanjing, China, and a large shipyard near Shanghai to produce civilian or military vessels. I guess we can enter the Chinese military ship market, right? ”

"In fact, that's exactly what we expected." Luo Yaoguo smiled and nodded: "Right now, we have placed some orders for warships to the British businessman Yesong Shipyard in Shanghai, so there is no reason to turn away American companies, right?" ”

"Well, that's good." Andrew. Mellon took another sip of coffee: "We don't want to have a joint venture with someone else at this Bethlehem steel plant in Nanjing. As for the iron ore, we want to be able to buy it. Can it be done? ”

"Yes." Luo Yaoguo replied.

"Okay, let's talk about bauxite in China's Guangxi province. I know you've already started construction of a large aluminium smelter there. There is also a large hydropower station, and a large thermal power station is also underway, right? "Andrew. Mellon is also the de facto controller of Alcoa, so it is natural to hope to control this infant competitor and then continue to maintain a monopoly on the electrolytic aluminum industry.