1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 197 Because I Pay Kony

After the news spread that the Herald was publicly displayed and offered to all New Yorkers for free, there was an endless stream of people queuing up to ride the Herald every day.

The New Yorkers who were lucky enough to ride the Pioneer couldn't believe that America's own railway company was able to manufacture such advanced and avant-garde locomotives with such a comfortable riding experience.

After a short experience, when they reluctantly stepped off the comfortable train carriage, the faces of these New Yorkers were full of joy and pride.

Some people are happy, and naturally some are sad and disappointed.

Those colleagues who came to ride the experience first with a picky mentality were extremely disappointed.

They were not disappointed with the ride experience of the Herald, but disappointed that they could not find the shortcomings of the Herald.

Throughout the United States, there is no other railroad company that has a more comfortable ride experience than the Pioneer.

The performance of the Herald is excellent and impeccable.

As for the speed they calculated with their pocket watches, it was around 40 miles per hour, which far exceeded the 35 miles per hour that Liang Yao advertised.

If it is fully loaded with 35 tons of goods, it will definitely be able to run at a speed of [-] miles per hour. Liang Yao is not suspected of exaggerating or false propaganda.

The parameters of the Pioneer announced by Liang Yao are true.

"Aren't you afraid of leaking the Herald's secrets when you're so bold in showing your locomotive so publicly?" teased Vanderbilt.

"The railroad companies in the United States have no other skills, but their copying skills are first-rate. They don't care if you have applied for a patent with the patent office."

"Based on the current situation of the major railways, do you think they still have the energy and budget to imitate the Pioneer? I think the first thing they need to consider now is how to survive this great change in the railway industry."

Liang Yao said very confidently.

"The Pioneer will not be just the Pioneer forever. The improvement of the Pioneer is already in progress. After they successfully imitate it, a more advanced locomotive may have already been put into use."

The cruel law of natural selection and survival of the fittest is also applicable to the business field.

The deformed environment in the United States has created the false prosperity of the railway industry in the past two decades. The bubble in the American railway industry has burst, and a large number of uncompetitive and enterprising railway companies will go bankrupt next.

I don't know how many railway companies among the more than 100 railway companies listed on Wall Street will be able to withstand this storm and survive in the end?
"I am very fortunate that when the entire industry is against me, I still have such a reliable and powerful partner."

Vanderbilt smiled with mock ease.

"I offended a lot of people, and I will be in a lawsuit for a long time, but fortunately, I have enough experience to deal with the upcoming lawsuit.

Before I became a ship king, I was a frequent visitor to the major courts in New York. Those annoying guys brought lawsuits against me over and over again.

At its worst, the law firm letters I get each month are enough to keep me from worrying about my ass wipe for the month. "

Vanderbilt was not born in a powerful family in New York. He was born and raised in an ordinary Dutch farming family, and his parents were ordinary small farmers.

If there is anything special about him, it is that he has inherited the business gene deeply rooted in the Dutchman, and has shown amazing business talent and courage since he was a child.

When Vanderbilt was 8 years old, he secretly took the money his mother hid in the big pendulum clock, but he didn't use the money to buy toys and snacks for pleasure like other children.

Instead, he used the money to lend usury. He would be able to find a suitable lender and get the money back in time. Many years later, Vanderbilt thought of this and said triumphantly:
My mother never found out that I moved the money in the pendulum clock, because every time she checked the money, the silver coins would always appear in the pendulum clock.

After one semester, I was the richest kid in my class, saving a whopping $1 through loan sharking.

But in the end this matter was brought to light. My math teacher discovered the fact that I had huge assets, suspected the source of my huge money and told my mother about it.

After my mother learned about this, she didn't beat or scold me, and she seemed to be delighted to discover my business talent. She just told me seriously that if you want to use the family's money, you must tell him to ask for her consent. Use the money.

In 1812, when the Second Revolutionary War broke out, no one wanted to transport supplies for the six military forts around New York City.

After the outbreak of the war, the British fleet blocked the waters near the port of New York, and it was a very risky thing to transport the necessary items for the US military in the military fortress.

Vanderbilt, who was only 19 years old at the time, took on the arduous and risky task that his colleagues were unwilling to take on. He broke through the blockade of the British army and provided military supplies to the American troops in the fortress in a timely manner.

After the war, he not only made a huge sum of more than 9000 US dollars, but also met some powerful people in New York, which was very helpful for his subsequent rise.

"You reminded me that in California, I don't have to worry about competitors getting in the way, and I don't have to worry about being sued." Liang Yao said.

"There are many people in the east, and there are many disputes. I think I will encounter more and more lawsuits in the future. I must prepare early and establish a strong legal department for my railway company."

As the largest oligarch in California, Liang Yao is the leading oligarch both politically and economically. The entire judicial system in California is just a tool in his hands.

No one would not want to go against him, but the situation is different in the New York area. Maybe it is difficult to find people richer than him in New York, but people with more power and influence than him abound.

It was difficult for him to get cheap deals in New York, and it was inevitable that his railroad company would be maliciously sued by competitors in the future.

Liang Yao called for Kony, who soon appeared in front of Liang Yao.

"Sir, are you telling me to buy the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad?" Kearney asked.

Shares of the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad have plummeted from $31 a share to $20 a share, wiping out more than $100 million in assets in just a few days.

"Don't worry, your father is not in a hurry, why should I be in a hurry?" Liang Yao said, "The stock price of the Baltimore-Ohio Railway Company still has a lot of room to fall, so let them fall for a while."

Liang Yao said very calmly.

The stocks of those railroad companies on Wall Street are plummeting. Except for the two culprits who caused this tragedy, no one is willing to pay for the railroad companies that everyone is calling for at this time.

"Then what are your orders?"

Coney asked puzzled.

"Issuing a recruitment notice, the Stonington Railway Company under the American Group is recruiting experienced lawyers, and the specific treatment"

Speaking of the specific treatment of New York lawyers in this era, Liang Yao's knowledge blind spot was touched, and he didn't know how much salary to offer.

He only knows that lawyers in New York are also elites and high-income groups in society in this era, and he has no in-depth understanding of how they are treated.

Whether in 1850 or 2022, in New York, and arguably in the United States, the cost of being a lawyer is very high, and it takes a lot of money.

The choice of occupation is also a high-risk investment. Occupations with high barriers to entry naturally mean high income.

"Mr. Vanderbilt, I would like to know how much the law firm that works for you is paid?"

Liang Yao asked Vanderbilt.

"It's hard to say, it depends on the number of times I have been sued." Vanderbilt thought for a while and said.

"The annual consulting fee of the law firm that serves me is $3600, but the consulting fee is only a small part of the expenditure. The income limit of the law firm is very high. Their income depends on how much they won for me that year. A commission from a lawsuit.

Since 1829, I have been the most prosecuted person in the entire New York area, a record that no one has ever broken. "

Liang Yao probably knew in his heart that the law firm that can serve the top richest people in America like Vanderbilt must be the top law firm of this era.

"The specific treatment will refer to the law firm serving your father." Liang Yao said to Kony.

"Okay, I see, sir."

Kony nodded, and at the same time he did not forget to say something to Liang Yao.

"This is all in the past. Since Clark became the son-in-law of our family, Clark has been in charge of the Vanderbilt family's lawsuits. Clark doesn't charge for his father's lawsuit."

After speaking, Kony smiled and walked away.

"You save this money too?"

Liang Yao looked at Vanderbilt in surprise.

Now he even wondered if this guy took Clark, the son-in-law who was born as a lawyer, in order to save the annual legal fees.

Vanderbilt had told him that Clark was his right-hand man, and now maybe he could add one more: unpaid right-hand man.

"Clark's professional ability is very strong, and he is a rare and good lawyer." Vanderbilt laughed,

"Kony has undergone earth-shaking changes with you. He was never so diligent when he was doing things for me before."

"Because I pay Kony."

Liang Yao said without thinking.

"After buying the railway company, I intend to put William in exercise."

Vanderbilt looked at Kony going away and said.

"I think this will be a very wise choice." Liang Yao commented.

With William's ability, it is enough to take care of the railway company. Of course, the premise is that the father and son can let go of the estrangement between them.

At this moment, Liang Yao noticed several well-dressed people boarding the train that had just stopped.

One of them seems to be the former New York State Governor Fish and the current New York State Governor Hunter who I met on the port.

Both Fish and Hunter are descendants of famous families in New York State, and the identity of those who can be with Fish and Hunter is naturally not simple.

"Do you know the people around Fish and Governor Hunter? Their identities don't seem to be simple."

Liang Yao pointed to Fish and his party and asked Vanderbilt.

(End of this chapter)