On the third day after Scrooge, Morgan, and Rockefeller plotted at Fort Duck, a letter from Joshua 61 Rothschild arrived. In this letter, Joshua 61 Rothschild politely greeted Scrooge, then recalled his past friendship with Scrooge, and finally proposed that he had just returned to North America, hoping to visit Scrooge at his convenience, so that we could share friendship.

"Hmph, what kind of friendship? Isn't it just trying to rob us of our money? Dorothea took the letter, pouted, and said, "It's, well, it's really the Scrooge phrase you said, 'Sluts are hypocritical!'" ”

"The pursuit of profit is our common nature." "They want to rob us of our money, so why don't we want to rob them." Well, you arrange the work at hand, and the day after tomorrow will make a day for us to receive this guest together. Oh, and come with me to Montana next week. ”

"Are you going to the inauguration of the Pacific Railroad?" Dorothea asked.

"Not bad. After the completion of this railway, there will definitely be a large number of railways attached to this railway. It's like an aorta that sticks out of capillaries in all directions. It's sure to bring about a railroad frenzy. Scrooge said.

"Then let that Joshua or some kind of Jew build those railroads. We can also provide him with steel, communications. Well, that real-time vehicle information dispatch system that we have can also be sold to them. Dorothea said, "When the frenzy builds up, we can even sell them a portion of the Pacific Railroad." Anyway, the most valuable land rights and mineral development rights are already in our hands. Besides, after the fanaticism, it will definitely collapse and collapse, and then you can get it back. ”

"Don't be too simplistic, those Jews are not fuel-efficient lamps, they may have the same idea as us, first raise the price, and then wait for it to collapse." Scrooge said.

……

Adhering to the family's punctuality rules, Joshua arrived at Fort Duck at nine o'clock in the morning. Scrooge noticed that Joshua, whom he hadn't seen in years, seemed to be getting a lot older, and his hair was a little gray. Joshua's age is only four or five years older than Rockefeller, and he should be in his prime now, but he already shows some old age.

"Ah, Scrooge was so jealous to see your beautiful fairytale castle." As soon as he saw Scrooge, Joshua began to compliment the architecture of Duck Castle.

"Hehe, it's just a modern pseudo-castle with no history. Your family should have quite a few authentic castles in Europe. Scrooge said with a smile.

"Ah, that kind of castle is dark and damp, and it is a sin to live in it. In fact, in the Middle Ages, the great nobles would not have lived there unless the situation was not safe. Not to mention anything else, just that kind of lighting, it's as dark as a cave, and walking in it, for no reason, it will remind people of all kinds of ghosts and nonsense. Well, let's not talk about that, Scrooge, won't you introduce me to this beautiful lady? ”

"Ah, this is my wife, Dorothea. Well, Dorothea, this is Mr. Joshua, and I had a lot of help from Mr. Joshua when my business was getting started. Scrooge gave them an introduction.

"Mr. Rothschild, Scrooge often mentioned you to me, and he said that you had helped him a lot."

It was in the midst of such mutual compliments that several people came out into the garden. In the garden, there is a wisteria, which holds up a green shade in the early summer sun, and the clusters of dark or light purple flowers are blooming brightly, and the dense green leaves filter the sunlight into a golden green, divided into patches of light and shadow.

"Let's go down there and sit down and talk." Scrooge said.

So a few people walked under the wisteria shelf, where there was a rattan coffee table and a few rattan chairs. When he saw a few people sitting down, a servant came up and set up tea sets and poured tea for them.

"Mr. Rothschild, you don't look better than you did a few years ago." Scrooge picked up his teacup and looked very concerned.

"You were sick last year, and you almost didn't see me." Joshua replied, "I survived with your sulfonamides and heroin." ”

"Well, heroin." "It's going to expire in a few years," Scrooge said. I know that your family is now investing in pharmaceuticals as well. Well, do you have any intention of producing heroin after the patent expires? ”

"That was a few years later. Who can tell what happened at that time? Moreover, I am not in charge of this aspect of the family business. So, it's hard for me to give you an answer. Joshua said with a smile.

"You're going to produce it." Scrooge smiled, "I have a big project right now, and I guess I'll need some money by then." If you are interested in 'heroin', I can sell you all of its production techniques, including the 'heroin' trademark. Even some of the sales channels in Europe, we can sell to you. ”

A few years later, the heroin patent expired. If there is any pharmaceutical company that is not interested in producing heroin, it is absolutely deceiving. However, it is the drug that expires and not the trademark "heroin", and over the years, the "heroin" brand of McDonald Chemical and Pharmaceutical Company has also been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and in the civilized world, everyone knows, what to do if you are sick and unwell? "Heroin" to help you. Customers' identification with the "heroin" brand will undoubtedly give McDonald Chemical & Pharmaceutical Company an upper hand in competition with other companies after the expiration of its drug patents. Moreover, in addition to the patents of the product itself, there are also a series of patents on production technology. These patents are often deliberately delayed for a period of time when they are applied, so that even if the patent of the drug itself has expired, some key production technologies and technological processes will still become obstacles. Of course, such obstacles and patent barriers cannot be bypassed, but it takes more time and effort to do so. Moreover, the process of bypassing the patent is often not the best process, which will also lead to an increase in production costs, putting later producers at a disadvantage in the competition. Now, Scrooge has said he is willing to sell something, which is undoubtedly a big attraction for the Rothschild family, who have also invested in medicine.

"Mr. MacDonald, are you telling the truth?" Joshua's eyes widened. It's definitely a big deal. Since the family's decision to retreat from North America, Joshua's position in the family has declined dramatically. Nowadays, business in Europe is not very good, so some people in the family think of the United States again. Now, looking at the development of the United States, although those guys in the family did not say it explicitly, they also realized that it was probably a mistake to give up North America back then. That's why Joshua's action came about. It's just that when the Rothschilds began to face up to North America from scratch, the capital of North America had already grown, and it was impossible to call for wind and rain as before. However, it is the instinct of any capitalist not to let go of possible profits. So, in order to get a piece of the development of North America, Joshua, who had been put on the sidelines, returned. Well, not to mention how much profit is shared in North America, the deal mentioned by Scrooge now, once it is really completed, will definitely be of great significance to the family, and of course, it will also greatly improve Joshua's status in the family.

"Of course it's true." "I'm not going to joke about something as big," Scrooge said. ”

"So can you tell me, what kind of big project is it?" Joshua had calmed down, and although he knew that Scrooge would probably not say it, he still asked.

"Oh, that's still a trade secret for the time being." Just as Joshua had in mind, Scrooge said.

"I'm sorry, I was presumptuous." Joshua apologized, "The deal you mentioned is too big for me to decide." I have to report it to the family ......"

"I understand, isn't there still a few years left? We're not in a hurry. Scrooge said, "Mr. Rothschild, you have come to me today to discuss some business with me?" ”

"Ah, we know that the railroads in the U.S. have been doing a lot lately. Moreover, the miracle in the history of human railways, the Pacific Railway, will soon be completed in its entirety. I think it's going to be a clarion call for a big development. The railroad will connect the east and west of the United States into a single unit, but a single aorta will not be enough. The U.S. also needs more capillaries attached to this aorta. We hope to work with you to build more capillaries for this aorta of yours. ”

"It's a good deal. Mr. Rothschild, you still have a very keen sense of wealth. But what do you want me to do for you? Scrooge asked.

"For the capillaries attached to the aorta to develop well, they must be closely connected to the aorta." "In addition, the railway involves a series of things like land acquisition, and it is almost impossible to build it without the support of the local government." We lack that kind of influence, so we want to work with you and borrow your influence in the United States. In addition, in order to show our sincerity in cooperating with you, we can also take the form of cross-shareholding to jointly operate these new railways and integrate the existing old railways in these regions. I don't know if you're interested in this? Joshua asked.

"Sounds good. But do you have a more specific plan? Scrooge asked.