Greece to roman road

Andros rode a carriage and hurried to Kawarsha Street, a cafe where he had made an appointment with a friend.

After walking into the cafe, he saw a few friends already waiting for him.

Seeing Andros come in, Angelis and others gathered around him enthusiastically and asked eagerly: "How about Andros, does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince agree?"

Andros hung his black coat on the backrest, sat down, picked up a cup of coffee and took a big sip. After swallowing it, his voice was filled with joy and said: "Yes, the crown prince approved my tractor factory to enter the motorcycle industry." and automotive market advice”

After that, he looked at several potential investors who looked at him with bright eyes and said, "Now, we can talk about the capital injection."

Andros glanced at several pre-selected investors, Angelis, a Greek businessman doing business in Constantinople; Avilov, the manager of a securities company; Dimitrios, a car enthusiast.

"Angelis, I heard that you have been making a lot of money recently in the flour business. Why did you think of investing in the machinery industry?" Andros asked curiously.

Although Andros needs funds to allow his tractor factory to enter new fields, he still has requirements for his partners. A layman shareholder who is not familiar with machinery is of no value to the development of the factory. He wants to understand More information about Angelis to help you decide whether to invest in him.

"Yes, flour is not a strange thing. Why do the powerful people in Constantinople like your flour so much? Doesn't Constantinople produce flour?" Demetrio Si is interested in learning about Angelis.

After Greece began to promote electricity, Angelis quickly invested in a flour mill in Greece. The flour produced was transported directly to Constantinople by cargo ship, and five to six thousand tons were exported every year. In recent years, Angelis With this business, he can earn hundreds of thousands of drachmas every year.

Moreover, Angelis' flour was especially loved by the upper class in Constantinople. dignitaries, wealthy businessmen, and ambassadors from various countries in Constantinople would order flour from him on weekdays.

The price of flour in Angelis is two to three times the price of ordinary flour on the market in Constantinople.

After hearing several people asking about his most successful business, Angelis looked happy and said, "If you all knew the secret here, it wouldn't be my turn to make this money."

"There is also a difference between flour and wheat flour. Most of the flour produced locally in Constantinople is ground by animal power. The bread made with this flour has a dark yellow color and the wheat bran has not been screened out. Or maybe it’s pebbles, which occasionally make your throat feel scratchy when you eat them, making it difficult to swallow and giving you a bad taste.”

"Some farmers are very cunning and will mix stones or other impurities into the wheat to increase the weight. If these foreign matter are not screened out, they will affect the taste of the flour."

Seeing that everyone's attention was attracted to his business, Angelis felt a sense of accomplishment and continued: "The flour mills I invested in and established in Greece all use high-quality wheat produced in the Thessaly plain as raw materials. , after layers of screening, only those with full grains are left.”

“The electric flour production line I ordered from Germany can screen out wheat bran and other impurities. Due to the high speed, the flour ground is white and delicate. The white bread made with this flour has no trace of color, is soft, delicious and natural. It was so popular that it was natural for the dignitaries and priests of Constantinople to eat the best food."

Avilov realized: "I didn't expect that there are so many things to pay attention to when it comes to flour."

After listening to Angelis' story, Andros continued to ask: "Your flour business is so prosperous, how could you think of investing in the machinery industry?"

"The reason why my flour business has become popular among the upper class of Constantinople is that I have thought carefully about it. It mainly relies on the electric flour production line purchased from Germany. Not only is the cost low, but the quality is far better than those with low efficiency. I am very optimistic about the use of artificial or animal-powered flour, which is a means of transportation that does not require horses. It feels like my electric flour production line, which gives me an advantage in the competition."

Angelis stared at Andros eagerly and said: "I am very optimistic about the automobile industry. I hope to invest in your factory. I have a strong feeling that this investment will be as successful as my previous investment in the flour mill."

In fact, Angelis did not disclose another point, which is the relationship between Andros and Crown Prince Constantine.

In previous contacts, Constantine decisively took the lead in developing the alternating current system in Greece. The widespread use of electricity in Greece now proves Constantine’s wisdom. Greece’s rapid economic development in recent years has largely benefited from Constantine. The foresight of Crown Prince Constantine.

His own electric flour mill is one example.

Dimitrios eagerly took over the conversation: "When I traveled to the United States before, I personally visited Ford's new factory, which left a deep impression on me. Did you know that Ford uses assembly lines in the factory? The method of assembling a car shortened the original car assembly time from 12 hours and 28 minutes to 10 seconds.”

Dimitrios said incredulously: "Before this, I always thought that cars were just toys for the rich. But after visiting Ford's new factory, I feel that cars can be popularized."

Andros asked dumbfounded: "What is the assembly line you are talking about? How can the efficiency be so high?"

Although tractors and cars have different structures, it takes more than 10 hours for his tractor factory with more than 700 workers to assemble a tractor. The gap is probably too big.

Dimitrios explained: "In fact, it is very simple. It means workers divide labor and cooperate. Everyone only needs to repeat their own process, and the quality and output of the product can be greatly improved."

"I personally bought a Model T car and brought it back to Greece. The performance is amazing. The 9-liter four-cylinder engine gives the car a speed of 72 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the car is also equipped with a windshield, lights, and integrated "High-end configurations" such as front axles, steel wheels and suspension systems greatly reduce the failure rate and driving risks. Such a "high-end" car sold for only $825, which was roughly equivalent to a year for the middle class in the United States at that time. half personal income”

Having said this, Dimitrios said in disbelief: "I heard in the newspaper that Ford's production has increased significantly recently. It is estimated that the price of the Model T will soon drop to around US$300. , Ford boasted in the newspaper that he wanted every American to be able to afford a car."

"So, I think cars have great potential in Greece, so I decided to take a gamble and take out all my property, 2.1 million drachmas, to invest in your factory and enter the automobile industry, because your factory is the only one in Greece that has the strength to produce A factory for cars,” Dimitrios said, looking at Andros.

Andros muttered to himself: "300 US dollars is about 1,500 drachmas. In Greece, this price is about two years' salary of the middle class. How can it be so low?"