1850 American Gold Tycoon

Vanderbilt was rough-spoken but not rough-minded.

Those old aristocrats who took off at the forefront of the times when the country was founded could not find any reason to refute Vanderbilt.

"Can you two take a moment to speak?"

After issuing the imperial edict to Liang Yao, James already had a goblet in his hand.

"Of course, please, Sir James."

Vanderbilt, who was in a good mood, enthusiastically invited James to a quieter place aside.

"I came to New York this time to attend Sir Liang's wedding and bring His Majesty's blessings to the two of you from Paris to New York." James said, shaking the wine in the goblet.

"Secondly, His Majesty wants me to bring something from New York back to Paris. However, the things I want to take away from New York are more difficult, and I hope you can help me."

Having said this, Liang Yao and Vanderbilt had already guessed what James wanted to take away: US dollars.

After the fall of the First Empire, France experienced a long period of trough.

When Napoleon III came to the throne, France had not yet completed the Industrial Revolution, and the country's economy was still dominated by agriculture.

As a country that has not yet completed industrialization, the French government's financial situation cannot be said to be very sufficient.

As soon as Napoleon III came to power, he used troops abroad. His finances were exhausted and military expenditures were insufficient. However, if he wanted to win the Crimean War and consolidate his domestic political status, Napoleon III could only choose to increase his chips on the war gambling table. May reduce military spending.

"You want to sell war bonds in New York?" Liang Yao and James clinked their glasses and immediately took a sip of red wine.

"Sir Liang is really sharp-eyed. My emperor is kind and can't bear to raise taxes on the people, so he asked me to come to New York this time to issue war bonds and raise military expenses." James smiled and nodded.

"I hope you two can subscribe to some of our war bonds by then. If you two take the lead in subscribing, I think my task will not be difficult to complete.

I think Sir Liang is still clear about the war situation in the Near East. From a business perspective, buying our war bonds is a good investment. "

James' words are both true and false. It was not that Napoleon III could not bear to raise taxes on the people, but that he did not dare. The French people who had been baptized by the Great Revolution were much less tolerant of their rulers than the people of the Qing Dynasty.

However, there is one thing to say. Compared with those dim-witted rulers of the Bourbon dynasty who were so extravagant and lustful that they said why the people did not eat cream cakes because they could not afford bread, Napoleon III was indeed a model of French benevolence and love for the people.

That Napoleon III could have a good death after abdicating the throne is the best recognition of him by the French people.

As for buying French war bonds as a good financial investment, James really did not fool Liang Yao on this point.

Vanderbilt glanced at Liang Yao, he wanted to hear Liang Yao's opinion.

He specializes in business, but in terms of military affairs, he is not even clumsy, but ignorant. He himself was not interested in the military.

The biggest intersection between Vanderbilt and the military in his life was sending his favorite youngest son Edward to the front line. This was also the decision he regretted most in his life, bar none.

Liang Yao nodded to Vanderbilt, and then consulted James: "Since it is an investment, everything is easy to talk about. I also have to thank you for giving me such a good financial product. I really want it. By the way, how many wars does your Majesty plan to issue in New York?" Bonds? How many years of war bonds? What’s the interest rate?”

"Five-year war bonds totaling ten million US dollars, with a fixed annual interest rate of 6%, and a one-time payment of principal and interest upon maturity."

Judging from the attitudes shown by the two, James felt that this matter was a sure thing, and he did not forget to add a sentence at the end to enhance their confidence in the French war bonds.

"But now there is only US$8.5 million, and our Rothschild family has subscribed for US$1.5 million of it."

Vanderbilt is a representative figure of the New York consortium and has a high reputation in the New York business community.

Liang Yao is the representative figure of the California Consortium, and his reputation in the California Consortium is at its peak.

These two consortiums are both financially strong in the United States. If Vanderbilt and Liang Yao take the lead in subscribing to France's war bonds, James believes that the remaining US$8.5 million in war bonds will be sold out soon.

The annual interest rate of 6% can only be said to be quite satisfactory, but buying French war bonds is more like selling a favor to Napoleon III than making money, as long as you don't lose money.

"I have no reason to miss such a good investment." Liang Yao quickly expressed his willingness to take the lead in purchasing French war bonds.

"How much does Sir Liang want to subscribe? Can you pay a lower price first?" James asked.

"It's not less than 850,000 US dollars. I still need to go back and think about how much I can subscribe for. As you know, not long after the war in Borneo ended, my life was not easy." Liang Yao said.

It is true that Liang Yaofu is the best in the United States, but many of his properties are fixed assets, shares and liabilities. It takes time to realize these assets, and the cash flow he can use is not sufficient.

Especially now that he is considering building the Garde Railway. Once this project is started, it will eat up a large part of his cash flow.

The ongoing Pacific Railway project requires seven to eight million US dollars every month. If the petrochemical industry in Los Angeles were not too profitable, kerosene and Vaseline would not have to worry about selling. If he spreads the stall as big as he does, the funds The chain has long been broken.

"With your words, I feel relieved." James said with great satisfaction.

With that said, James found a seat and sat down. Next, he wanted to talk to Liang Yao about their private business cooperation.

"California's kerosene and petroleum jelly are selling well in Europe. I sent people to inspect it. My inspection team was very optimistic about the future oil production in Los Angeles, but they were not optimistic about the capacity of the Nicaragua route. I personally also think that the Nicaragua route is Shipping capacity will become a trade bottleneck between California and Europe."

As the Nicaragua route with the highest sales volume between the east and west of the United States, it has been overwhelmed by the economic rise of California.

Although Liang Yao and Vanderbilt have tried their best to increase the potential of the Nicaragua route by dredging and widening the Nicaragua Canal, expanding the ports on the route, and even building railways on some sections, in order to earn more profits from this route.

However, there is a mountain that cannot be drilled through the Nicaragua route after all, and the potential of the Nicaragua route is also tightly locked by this mountain. It may be difficult to increase the capacity of the Nicaragua route in the future.

Furthermore, from an economic point of view, this is not cost-effective.

"I think this situation will improve after the Pacific Railway is completed and opened to traffic." Liang Yao said.

James waved his hand and said: "But it cannot be fundamentally improved. The transportation efficiency of railways is very high. But in this world where the ocean area is much larger than the land area, sea transportation still has unparalleled advantages over railways in terms of transportation capacity and transportation costs. .”

"Sea transportation?" Liang Yao smiled and said, "I can't possibly dig a canal in Panama, right?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" James clapped his hands excitedly. "If a canal can be dug in Panama, the sailing distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be shortened by a full 8,000 nautical miles! Sir Liang, I think you know what this means to California and the world. What are you wearing?"

James seems to have found a close friend. Liang Yao's Global Shipping Company is one of the top shipping companies in the United States, and its predecessor was Vanderbilt's shipping empire.

James was not surprised when Liang Yao made arrogant remarks about digging a canal in Panama.

Similarly, Liang Yao also expressed his understanding of James's shocking idea.

It’s not surprising that the Rothschilds have such crazy ideas.

In 1875, it was the Rothschild family that provided the British government with a huge loan of 4 million pounds and bought 70,000 shares of Suez Canal stock from the King of Egypt. The British government thus controlled this important shipping channel. .

The Rothschild family also gained fame and fortune and became British heroes.

However, it was not James who made this wise decision in the family at that time, but James' brother Lionel in London.

Liang Yao had also interacted with Lionel before. It was Lionel who brought the prototype gun and drawings of the Sacramento gun from England.

In order to take the three prototype guns and technical drawings out of the UK without anyone noticing, Lionel actually burned down Armstrong's factory.

Capital knows no borders, and Jewish capital has a lower threshold than ordinary capital.

They can become British heroes for the greater good, and naturally they can also become British traitors for the greater good.

Of course Liang Yao knew what the opening of the Panama Canal meant.

In later generations, this canal across the Isthmus of Panama almost fed a country.

But Liang Yao also knew how difficult it would be to dig an 82-kilometer-long canal through the Isthmus of Panama with the technological level of the mid-19th century.

Unlike the Suez Canal, the water level of Panama in later generations was 26 meters higher than the two oceans. It relied on 6 ship locks to operate and was a lock-type canal.

In this era when even the Suez Canal has not yet been opened and mankind has not yet entered the electrical age, it is undoubtedly a fantasy to complete this engineering miracle, and the capital required is also incalculable.

However, in building the Panama Canal, technology and capital are not the biggest problems, politics is.

The British Empire is now in its heyday during the Victorian Era. Assuming that this canal is repaired and Liang Yao cannot control it, the final outcome will be similar to the Suez Canal in history.

Historically, the Suez Canal was built with France's investment and technology and Egypt's model. After the canal was opened to navigation, France held 52% of the shares of the Suez Canal.

But in the end it was eaten by the British.

In the Victorian era, the British would never be vague about any matter involving sea power.

Liang Yao now even doubts whether James is here to fool him.

"The current technical conditions are not yet mature. Although your proposal is very tempting, it is not feasible at the moment." Liang Yao politely rejected James' proposal.

"This area of ​​the Isthmus of Panama is too sensitive and involves the interests of too many countries. Moreover, it is a smoky place. Have you considered how many people will die if you build a canal in this place?"

"Human civilization is built on piles of corpses. If this canal can be built, these people's deaths will be worth it." James' tone gradually became excited.

"At least they are more valuable than dying on the battlefield. I heard that there is a civil war going on in the Qing Dynasty, where hundreds of people die in the war every day. With your relationship, it is not difficult to recruit cheap labor from the Qing Dynasty. Then Then you and I will contribute the funds, and our family will open up the relationship between the European countries, and this project can be started."

Damn, this is a lunatic.

Liang Yao looked at the well-dressed gentleman in front of him, listened quietly to his crazy plan, and finally shook his head decisively and said.

"Sir James, your plan seems good, but the time is not yet ripe."