African Nationhood

Chapter 190 British Southeast Asia Oil Company
  When Shi Jintang returned to Europe from the United States, it was already November and Kelly was pregnant.

When he married Kelly, Kelly asked him to give her a child so that she could comfort herself and not go crazy during the long wait.

What else could Shi Jintang say, he could only cooperate without any reason, and after working hard every day, he finally retired.

After Mrs. Smith learned that Kelly was pregnant, she couldn't care less about being angry.

He rushed to New York to take Kelly back to his home in Springfield to take care of her.

Before leaving, he warned Shi Jintang not to forget his wife and children here, and to remember to always come to take care of them.

In addition, when he succeeds in his career, he must bring Kelly and his son back to him, and he cannot treat them as outside lovers.

Shi Jintang naturally agreed and officially changed his name to mother. This excited Mrs. Smith.

Since Europe has entered winter, Alice and her daughter Shi Xi have moved to Cannes to spend the winter.

At the same time, Prince Leopold and his family also moved there together. Shi Jintang met Prince Leopold and his family in Cannes.

Then Shi Jintang and Prince Leopold talked about the oil fields on Sumatra Island.

Prince Leopold had long heard about Mercedes-Benz cars and was also interested in gasoline-powered machinery.

He also recognized that oil would be an important energy mineral that would determine the future.

So Prince Leopold decided to invest 80 pounds, plus Shi Jintang's Nanhua Company to invest 120 million pounds, to establish a joint venture company - British Southeast Asia Petroleum Company.

The company's primary target is the first mine opened on the island of Sumatra by Dutchman Zilke Van Heike, Well Telaga-Tangol No. 1.

The British Southeast Asia Petroleum Company plans to let the Dutch invest in the mines and give them 20% of the equity, so as to jointly develop the oil resources in Sumatra.

Prince Leopold was in poor health, so His Royal Highness's butler Bucherit arranged for the Nanhua Company to handle specific matters.

The headquarters of British Southeast Asia Petroleum Company is in Singapore, which is the base camp of British-owned companies.

The general manager of the company is Ye Shilong of Nanhua Company, and the deputy general manager is Edward Brown, Buchlett's nephew.

This Edward Brown is a top student at Oxford University and a financial expert in Prince Leopold's butler team.

As for the Dutchman Zilke Van Heike, Shi Jintang plans to arrange for him to serve as chief engineer and be responsible for the hard work of finding oil fields.

Zilke Van Heike was once a poor gardener.

In 1883, while investigating plant species in northeastern Sumatra, he discovered oil seepage on the ground.

After inspection, he determined that there must be an oil field nearby, so he quit his job and concentrated on searching for oil deposits.

In 1884, he dug the first mine in the northeastern part of Sumatra, but unfortunately he found nothing.

In May of this year, his last-ditch gamble succeeded.

But the oil he mined was not suitable for use as kerosene because of its high sulfur content.

Therefore, the value of this mine was not high. The Dutch were very distressed and eager to sell the oil well in exchange for cash.

People at that time did not understand the relationship between gasoline and oil, and did not favor an oil well with low value.

In the original time and space, the popularity of automobiles saved this Dutch gardener.

People gradually realized that high-sulfur oil could be distilled into higher-quality gasoline, and Dutch gardeners were able to make a huge difference.

In 1890, he obtained permission from the Dutch royal family to name the company "Royal Dutch Petroleum Company" and continued to engage in oil exploration and extraction business.

In 1898, Marcus, an Englishman, established the "Shell Trading and Freight Company" in Kalimantan and exploited oil in Kalimantan.

Then in 1907, the two companies merged, and the later giant oil company "Royal Dutch Shell" finally took shape.

Now with the emergence of Shi Jintang and British Southeast Asia Petroleum Company, Royal Shell is unlikely.

The British Southeast Asia Oil Company came with the aura of the British royal family and huge sums of money. The Dutch were overjoyed and immediately agreed happily.     This was already a great success for him, and it also greatly improved his social status.

……

Ye Shilong did not expect that in just a few months, he would change from the general manager of a tropical agriculture company to the general manager of an oil company.

After being appointed, he had no time to sigh. After leaving all the affairs of Tropical Agriculture Company to Wang Zhongyi, he took Zheng Ming to Singapore to take up the post.

……

Singapore has been occupied by the British since 1819 and officially became a British territory in 1824.

In 1867, Singapore, together with neighboring Penang and several islands, was officially renamed "Straits Settlements" and became a direct colony of the British Empire.

Since the opening of the Suez Canal, the city has become more important and has gradually developed into a large commercial hub city dominated by Chinese and supplemented by Malays, Indians, and Javanese.

Ye Shilong felt very cordial after arriving here, while Zheng Ming next to him had a look of admiration on his face.

It’s so busy here!

Although Southwest Africa is also prosperous, it is far less than here.

There are too many merchants here, and the streets are full of signs of trading companies.

"Mr. Ye, should we find a hotel to stay in first, or should we report to the company location first?"

Ye Shilong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "The company's headquarters is just an empty house, what can we do there?
  Find a place to settle down first, don't rush. "

Ye Shilong was looking for a place to live and relax here. In the British Southeast Asia Petroleum Company's residence, Edward Brown, the company's deputy general manager, was standing in the office, instructing the clerks to decorate the office with a serious face.

When Ye Shilong and his follower Zheng Ming arrived at the company's premises the next day, they saw the office with bright windows and clean windows. It was impossible not to be surprised.

When they saw the neatly dressed, serious and old-school Edward Brown, Ye Shilong's right eye couldn't help but twitch.

He thought to himself, how did this British man come so quickly?
  No wonder he was confused. Edward Brown was already on a business trip in Singapore, so he changed positions very quickly after receiving the telegram.

He decided on the location of the company in advance, he was the one who contacted the Dutchman Zilke Van Heike, and he also recruited the company personnel.

……

As soon as he arrived at the company, Ye Shilong felt a strong smell of gunpowder. This British man would not come to compete with him for power.

Everyone in the company is from the other party, so I only brought Zheng Ming here, which was a bit of a miscalculation. I should have let that boy Wang Zhongyi come with me.

But Ye Shilong was passing through the scene after all. He smiled and extended his hand to the British man, "Hello Edward, I am Ye Shilong."

Most of the company's clerks are proficient in English and Dutch, so there is no need to say hello, and they just lean in and help translate.

Edward Brown strongly disagreed with Ye Shilong's laid-back work attitude and style.

He shook hands slightly with Ye Shilong, and then said calmly: "Hello, General Manager Ye."

Ye Shilong chuckled, "Let's go in and sit down. Let's talk about work first."

Edward Brown said "Huh", then turned around and left.

Zheng Ming watched anxiously from the sidelines, then approached Ye Shilong and whispered: "General Manager Ye, this British man is not easy to deal with."

Ye Shilong chuckled, "Don't worry, let's play with him."

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  (End of this chapter)