The sun never sets in America

Chapter 92 National Debt and Borrowing

"Currently our national debt is still at a healthy level." Minister Jiang confidently told Liu Peng and other officials present.

"What was the loan amount that your Imperial Bank agreed with those foreign banks last time?" After Minister Jiang sat down, Liu Peng asked Mu Qingyang next to him. Originally, there was a rough loan figure at the beginning. But because of the negotiations and modifications in the middle, even Liu Peng himself didn't know how much he would borrow, so he asked Mu Qingyang a seemingly well-known question...

"Your Highness the Crown Prince..." After Mu Qingyang heard Liu Peng calling him, he first clasped his fists at Liu Peng and then stood up, "In the first discussion with those foreign banks, the first loan amount was one 500 million Chinese dollars, the interest is 400%, the second time is 1000 million Chinese dollars, the interest is also [-]%, and in the latest and latest negotiation, the other party is only willing to give [-] million The interest on Huayuan's loan will also be increased to [-]%..." The more Mu Qingyang read the numbers, the less confident he became. In fact, these numbers got lower as the numbers went up, and the interest rate got higher.

If Liu Peng hadn't already issued an order for external borrowing, he would have stopped wanting to do it.

"What else do they want?" Liu Peng's expression quickly became complicated after hearing this. "What else do they want?" Liu Peng frowned and asked Mu Qingyang.

"They also asked us to take out part of the gold mine as a mortgage and did not accept our financial mortgage." Mu Qingyang replied to Liu Peng with an ugly face. In his opinion, this was a complete humiliation to their Han country. Not only They made things difficult for them when it came to borrowing money, and even when it came to mortgages, they showed naked distrust, as if they didn't believe that Han's finances could fully repay them.

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone present changed, with angry expressions on their faces.

"Your Highness, we won't borrow this money. At worst, I won't believe it if we issue national bonds again, and the country won't be able to borrow money!!" Minister Jiang was the first to stand up and suggested to Liu Peng, "With this time we Judging from the sale of treasury bonds, we still have a lot of funds that can be used for investment in the country. Besides, with millions of people in Han, is it possible that we can’t even spend more than 1000 million yuan?" Minister Jiang asked Liu anxiously Peng continued.

In his view, borrowing from those Western bankers this time was just an attempt. If he really couldn't borrow it, the worst case scenario would be to continue to issue domestic treasury bonds. If he couldn't sell 1000 million Chinese yuan, he could still sell another 500 million yuan. No big deal. The rest should be saved from the administrative funds of various departments. No matter what, we must ensure victory in this war that is related to the fate of the Han Dynasty...

"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"Minister Jiang is right. Borrowing money from these foreigners is a complete punishment. Not only did you not borrow much money, but you were humiliated over and over again, just like me in Han Dynasty, who couldn't repay the money..." One person The Imperial Bank official stood up and said that he was one of the people who negotiated with the Western bankers at that time. He knew how difficult these guys were...

They are just a bunch of swindlers. What they say today may not count tomorrow. Anyway, you don’t want to hear any truth from this bunch of profit-seeking bankers. Even if there is, he tells you deliberately.

In the eyes of these vampires, only money is real, and everything else is fake.

"That's right, we can't borrow money from those vampires anymore. We'll get slapped in the face if we borrow money. What a big deal!"

"His Royal Highness..."

"His Royal Highness..."

As Minister Jiang took the lead, there was a burst of noise in the conference room regarding the decision not to borrow from foreign banks. Among them, officials from the Ministry of Finance were the loudest, because for them, if they did not borrow from foreign banks, it would definitely restart domestic debt. Then this is their contribution...

The Imperial Bank wants to borrow money but does not want to be wronged by foreigners. It can be said to be very complicated.

In short, both groups had their own petty calculations. Only the people from the tax department watched the arguments on the field as if they didn't exist.

Because today they are indeed a foil. They only stand up when necessary to show that the power of Han is its tax collection ability.

"Everyone, be quiet..." When Liu Peng and the others below were noisy, he suddenly raised his tone to stop them.

Not long after Liu Peng's order was given, the entire conference room was so silent that there was no sound at all. This shows how much prestige Liu Peng has in the Han Kingdom. Maybe there is no other person except Liu Yan, the King of Han.

"Do you know why I want to borrow external loans?" Liu Peng didn't say anything, but asked everyone a question, "As Minister Jiang just said, our current national bond issuance is very smooth. If we issue another one at this time, it will be big." The probability will still pass. It seems that we do not need to borrow money from abroad to meet the current military needs of the Republic of Mexico..." Liu Peng glanced at Minister Jiang sitting next to him, and then said to everyone present.

Yes, if the national debt can be solved, why should we borrow money from abroad? ?

This is the only thought that came to everyone present after listening to what Liu Peng just said. After all, as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said just now, if the current financial problems can be solved by internally discovering national debt, why should it be like this? What about those foreign bank loans that are so greedy that they look like vampire devils? ?

What Liu Peng just said left all the officials present puzzled! !

"You are my first-class financial genius and financial master." Liu Peng praised the officials present. "But you are not military strategists or politicians." Liu Peng then continued to say to everyone.

This sentence made the officials present a little confused. What does this loan have to do with military affairs and politics? ?
"Do you think we are just fighting a simple war between countries with the Republic of Mexico?" Liu Peng asked again, "Wrong, we are fighting the Western bankers behind the Mexicans..." Liu Peng said The words awaken the dreamer.

The officials present looked at Liu Peng with some clarity, and a hint of admiration flashed in their eyes. After all, if they were in Liu Peng's position, they might not have thought of so much.

"The Republic of Mexico mortgaged California, our land in Han, to those foreign banks..." Liu Peng talked about Mexico's mortgage of California to obtain military loans, "But do you know what those foreign banks have? Let me tell you, the people who are coming to us now to lend us money to fight with the Republic of Mexico... are also those bankers." Liu Peng said to everyone present with sarcasm in his mouth.

In his opinion, this is completely like being a prostitute and trying to build a memorial arch! !
Just treat them like fools! !
But now, the funniest thing is that he, Liu Peng, and Han Guo have to be this fool.

Once their loan fails, or after the Mexican Republic loses the war, they will definitely jump out and increase their aid to the Mexican Republic. After all, it is their property! !

It sounds ironic, but in the eyes of these Western bankers, the Mexican Republic itself has become their property, but their control over the country's finances is not yet so secure.

Since it is their own finances, especially if it involves another piece of property, they must ensure the safety of the property... and property is the most afraid of war.

In this case, it is better to embrace the war, embrace everyone in the war, and ensure that they will never suffer losses in the war.

After listening to what Liu Peng just said, Minister Jiang and Mu Qingyang looked at each other, and they could see the shock in each other's eyes.

They thought that they who were engaged in finance and banking were already shameless enough, but they did not expect that these foreign colleagues were even more shameless...

If their shamelessness is based on the bottom line of national policy, then those foreign counterparts have no bottom line at all.

From his point of view, the word "bottom line" may be worse than paper to wipe your butt, it's so easy to use! !
"So, this is why I agreed to borrow money from abroad." Liu Peng said again, looking at the officials present.

"Not just because of the war, but because we have no choice." Liu Peng said with a somewhat lonely expression, "Gentlemen... let us work hard to build this country into what we want, a true A big country, a big country that you don’t have to look at at all!!” Liu Peng told the officials present with a serious expression, his tone revealing firmness and indomitable belief.

.............................................

"Mr. Bernard, Mr. Saka, please come inside..." Mu Qingyang led two middle-aged men in black dresses and tall hats into the Imperial Bank, "Please come inside, His Royal Highness is here. Waiting for you two." Mu Qingyang took the two of them to the door of a living room, and then continued to speak to them.

"Thank you..." Bernard, an Englishman, said thank you and walked in. The Frenchman Saka nodded politely to Mu Qingyang and followed him in.

"Hello, gentlemen."

As soon as they walked in, a young man greeted them. The people around him were very respectful to him and seemed to have a high status.

"Hello, Your Royal Highness... I am Bernard, President of the Americas of the Bank of England." Bernard was the first to react and shook hands with Liu Peng, his face full of smiles.

"Hello, His Royal Highness, I am the general manager of BNP Paribas in New York, Saka..." Saka also shook hands with Liu Peng, but because of the French character, he was not as enthusiastic as the British Bernard. Liu Peng pursed his lips and smiled, expressing his good impression.

"Have you two eaten?" Liu Peng asked a very common thing after he took the two of them to sit down. "We haven't eaten yet. It would be great if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could treat us to dinner." Before the Frenchman Sacca could speak, the Englishman Bernard first smiled at Liu Peng and replied.

Jean Saka glanced at Bernard with some confusion, but soon understood what the other party meant.

"Of course, if it is delicious Chinese food, I will be more happy." Bernard continued to Liu Peng with a smile, "Mr. Saka will also be very happy, after all, he likes to eat dumplings from your country very much." Bernard Then he pointed to Saka and said to Liu Peng.

"Your Highness, there are so many delicacies in your country. I feel that there are more delicacies than in Paris." Saka understood and complimented Liu Peng.

"If you two are willing to have dinner with me, then after this negotiation is over, I will personally treat you two to dishes made by the best chefs in the entire Han Dynasty." Liu Peng also answered in standard scene language. With two people.

"You two, I heard that you have been hoping to increase the interest rate by [-]%." After being polite, Liu Peng suddenly mentioned the interest issue to the two of them, "You two really think that our financial situation in Han is so bad. You don't trust us that much?" Liu Peng said to Bernard and Saka in a teasing tone, without any anger on his expression.

"Your Highness, your country's finances are indeed not very good. As far as we know, your country's financial expenditures are heavily used on military affairs, and you maintain a large regular army..." Bernard, an Englishman, and Sacca, a Frenchman After looking at each other, both sides could see a trace of fear, and then Bernard took the initiative to stand up and answer Liu Peng.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he targeted the most sensitive military.

"If I remember correctly, your country also spent a lot of money on infrastructure, and even local governments issued varying amounts of local debt, but the total amount is huge..." Bernard continued to tell Liu Peng. They expressed their views on Han's local construction and the debts generated by construction, "In my opinion, your country's finances are very unhealthy... It can even be said that it is even more unhealthy than the Republic of Mexico." Bernard told Liu with open eyes and lies. Peng said.

"Yes, what Mr. Bernard just said is all the economic data about your country that we have investigated during this period." Saka followed up and said to Liu Peng, even using the word "investigation". to show their strength.

"Two gentlemen, you really know our country well..." Liu Peng sighed to the two of them with a smile after hearing this. There was no angry expression on his face, which surprised both Sack and Bernard.

After all, any country would be angry after hearing what they just said, but Liu Peng was not only not angry, but also talked to them with a smile.

"I admit that what you two just said is right!" Liu Peng expressed his approval of the data that the two of them just produced, "but they also underestimated the strength of Han State. It is true that our economy currently has various There are difficulties, but judging from our actual growth, it is not a problem at all." Liu Peng answered confidently to Bernard and Saka.

"Do you two know how many people there are in Xijing City, which is the city of Los Angeles that used to be in the hands of the Mexicans?" Liu Peng asked the two of them with a smile, "Let me tell you, it turns out that the entire city of Los Angeles has less than 5 people. Ten thousand people, the population is only a little over 4, but do you two know how much it is now... 15, a full 15." Liu Peng confidently continued to introduce the population of Xijing City to Bernard and Saka.

Sure enough, as soon as this number came out, Sacca and Bernard's eyes suddenly shrank. They really didn't conduct a thorough investigation on the population. They always thought that Xijing was like this before the Mexicans were driven away.

Unexpectedly, the population increased so much in a few months.

"Both of you are bankers, and you must also be economists. You two should know what will happen if so many people enter the city, right?" Liu Peng continued to say to Bernard and Saka.

Saka and Bernard certainly knew what would happen, especially now that the Han Dynasty was engaged in construction and literacy across the country. Once these people stabilized in the city, they would become the new urban population, that is, the industrial population.

The wealth created by the industrial population cannot be compared with that of the agricultural population. This fact is very clear to Bernard and Saka, who come from the two largest colonial countries of Britain and France.

They also understood the subtext of Liu Peng's words to them, that is, do not underestimate the potential of the Han country and do not treat them as a soft persimmon.

"I can guess the identities of the two people playing between Mexico and my country..." Liu Peng revealed everything without hesitation, "The way you bankers usually do it is not to put eggs in one Inside the basket...am I right, there are two gentlemen from England and France." Liu Peng continued to the two of them with a smile, looking like a wily fox.

Bernard and Saka looked at each other and could see a hint of shock. They did not expect that Liu Peng could see the current situation so clearly.

This made their plan of blackmail come to nothing.

"We will consider your interests, but you must also consider our interests...because this is the bottom line of our country!!" Liu Peng said to the two with firm eyes.

"But can your country win this war?" Saka, who had been silent, suddenly asked Liu Peng at this time.

Bernard also looked at Liu Peng with a scrutinizing look, which made Liu Peng very unhappy.

"We will win, just like the previous two times." Liu Peng replied to the two men with a serious expression, "If you two think that our Han country is going to lose, then why do you still come here and collect so much? Data about our country's economy...I think it took a lot of time and energy to collect these, right??" Liu Peng continued to answer the two people with a smile on his face, but Liu Peng's smile looked so strange to them. It's so scary, as if you don't know the next second, or when, it will be like a tiger opening its huge mouth and swallowing them whole.

"Sign him, and I will give you two the rewards you want." Liu Peng pushed a document to the two of them, as if he didn't believe that they would sign it.

"This..." After Bernard and Saka finished reading, they looked at Liu Peng in shock. He did not expect such a crazy plan.

Even after watching it, both of them felt that the other was the real vampire and the real madman! !

"Now let's talk about the Republic of Mexico..." Liu Peng raised his tea cup and said to the two of them with a smile, but in the eyes of Bernard and Sacca, there was a devil under the relaxed appearance. A shameless yet charismatic devil! !

This was Saka's private evaluation of Liu Peng after the game ended.

Soon, a loan agreement was signed and approved by Liu Peng and Sack Bernard.

The agreement stipulates that the Bank of England and the Bank of Paris will lend Han a total of 500 million Chinese dollars, with a total value of 250 million pounds.

The annual interest rate is 5.00%, which is one point lower than the original one.

The Han State used its finances as collateral. If its finances went bankrupt, it would use its domestic gold mines to offset the losses.

Part of this amount was used to pay the salaries of Han soldiers and officials, as well as arrears for infrastructure.

There is also a need to purchase military weapons, including ammunition, from Britain and France. Of course, they are mainly naval weapons and army weapons, mainly ammunition.

The last part is about the introduction of Western technical talents, as well as Western machines, and even some production lines (of course, all are allowed).

This loan treaty, called the Xijing Loan Memorandum, caused great controversy in later generations, because in the eyes of some people, the war could be completed without relying on this loan.

But paying so much interest to borrow a dispensable amount of money is completely incomprehensible to many people in later generations from a historical perspective.

However, Han historian Wen Junyue said: "Only stupid people will not understand the significance of this loan. It means that we have officially opened the door to the world. Since this loan, we have An agreement was reached to establish diplomatic relations with Britain and France, although the agreement was announced after the war..."

"But in my opinion, this is a new era and the door is opening to us. From now on, a vigorous and enterprising Han Dynasty will stand on the west coast of North America..."

"The giant dragon is about to take off, like a newly grown tiger, it will stand proudly on the top of the mountain and roar into the forest!!"

Wen Junyue was published in Hanguo Daily in the tenth year of the twentieth century...

Behind this agreement called the Xijing Loan, Liu Peng also signed a secret agreement with the Bank of England and the Bank of Paris on behalf of the Han government, a secret agreement that cannot be made public...

(End of this chapter)