A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 181 The Enemy's Conspiracy

The first batch of 100 taxis ordered by Changjiang Taxi has arrived at the port of Shanghai. Chen Guangliang personally came to the scene to watch the unloading.

Recently, he has not been idle in the taxi business. He has established the "Chinese Automobile Business Association" and is doing three things.

Two of these things have already been accomplished - the first is to unite with peers to uniformly register oil usage, prompting oil companies to implement a 10% preferential price reduction for Chinese businessmen's automotive oil; the second is to set up a research institute to study the service conditions and competitive strategies of foreign companies.

Now there is only one last thing left, which is still under negotiation - opposing the discrimination against Chinese car dealerships by the concession authorities. When drivers violate the rules, they will deal strictly with Chinese cars but be very lenient with foreign cars.

The last matter was a little troublesome, that is, the concession authorities were somewhat coping in the first negotiation, and we had to continue to put pressure on the rental authorities afterwards.

Chen Guangliang seemed in a good mood as he watched the Chevrolets being unloaded from the freighter and then placed at the port.

The king's ambitions are discussed and laughed at.
Just ask if foreign investors are afraid!
"Hurry up and check the vehicle, then start the exterior renovation. We will try to put it into operation in the second half of the month!" Chen Guangliang said to Liang Mengqi and others.

Today, Changjiang Taxi has a team of 350 people, with 250 drivers alone.

In the past month, we have also been focusing on employee quality training.

Liang Mengqi was just excited by the scene before him. When he heard his boss's words, he quickly said, "It's no problem. We have been preparing for nearly three months. All the steps have been arranged to ensure that it will be put into operation as soon as possible."

Since December of last year, Changjiang Taxi has been studying how to defeat the two taxi giants, Tailai and Yunfei. Simply having 12 cars is obviously not enough; more "big moves" are needed.

Marketing is the real "big move".

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "We need to encourage everyone. We want to be the largest taxi company in Shanghai, so we must provide the best service. We will study the 'incentive system' in a while and reward the taxi drivers who provide the best long-term service."

If there are complaints, money will be deducted, and good service should naturally be rewarded.

"Okay, after it's put into operation, we'll formally study this incentive system."

After confirming that the cargo was safe at sea, Chen Guangliang hurriedly left the scene, leaving it to professionals for further inspection. Once the cargo was cleared, Yangtze River Taxi would pay the balance and the down payment for the next batch (20% of the total, or $4).

The next batch of down payments will be withdrawn from Changjiang Real Estate.

This means that in addition to the first loan of 50 oceans (22 US dollars), without considering new loans, Changjiang Real Estate still needs to withdraw 60 US dollars from Changjiang Taxi.

Chen Guangliang also does not plan to take out any new loans. After all, the repayments from Changjiang Real Estate are almost enough, and they even have to pay off a lot of debts this year.

In this way, Chen Guangliang can also exchange US dollars for foreign exchange in order to achieve the effect of "value-added".

As soon as the Yangtze River Taxi cars arrived at the port, they immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Among them were the Tailai and Yunfei companies. Through investigation, they discovered that these vehicles belonged to Changjiang Taxi. They were shocked and immediately held a private meeting to discuss countermeasures.

At that time, the largest taxi company in Shanghai was Yunfei, an American-owned company. Yunfei was the most powerful taxi company in Shanghai, with a fleet of 220 cars and over 600 employees. More than 200 of Yunfei's cars were brand new Fords.

Its general manager, Galt, was an American with a knack for business management, keeping the company well-organized. At the time, taxis were reserved by phone, and Yunfei's phone number, 30189, which sounded like "year after year" (meaning "a glass of wine"), was easy to remember and, for a time, dominated the Shanghai taxi industry.

Foreign companies are very good at promoting and shaping their corporate image. Yunfei Automobile has the Chinese characters "Yunfei" painted prominently on its roofs. Slogans like "Yunfei Automobile, Soaring into the Clouds" and "Yunfei Drivers, Well-Trained, Steady Drivers" are commonplace.

In addition, the British Taylor Motors Company is also very strong, with a fleet of 200 cars, mainly made in the UK. Its general manager, Mr. Shlain, also pays great attention to management, with a particular emphasis on the "gentleman service" model.

The sudden purchase of 100 vehicles by Yangtze River Taxi caught Yunfei and Tailai off guard.

Immediately, the top executives of the two companies gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

The American Galt said, "I also found out that Changjiang Taxi has ordered more than 100 cars!"

Everyone was shocked, and the Englishman Shlain immediately asked, "How many cars are there exactly?"

Galt shook his head and said, "The people at General Motors refused to tell us. They said they signed a confidentiality agreement. It seems this Yangtze River Taxi is very special!"

Shi Lane said in front of everyone, "You're right. Changjiang Taxi is very impressive because its owner, Chen Guangliang, is also very impressive. Chen Guangliang is a Shanghai newspaper tycoon, real estate tycoon, and gold tycoon with abundant capital. So if he wants to fully develop the taxi industry, then it won't be difficult for him to have the same strength as us!"

As British people, we are obviously more informed about public rent issues.

After thinking for a while, Galt began to speak:
"Yangtze River Taxi has only been established for two years. As far as I know, Chen Guangliang started out in the rickshaw business, so I think there are certain flaws in the business and management of Yangtze River Taxi. This is one of them."

"Although Changjiang Taxi has ordered enough vehicles, the combined fleet of our two companies, which totals over 400, still gives us an advantage. Furthermore, our vehicle maintenance, parts, and gasoline costs are lower than those of Huazi. This is the second reason."

"In terms of management, the Chinese only know traditional management and have no understanding of modern management. In contrast, Western-run companies are first-rate in both business and service. This is the third point."

"Advertising and marketing are also something Chinese people are not good at. This is the fourth."

"We have four advantages, so there's no need to worry. Now, we can take advantage of the fact that Changjiang Taxi's new vehicles haven't even started operating yet and launch a price war to completely destroy the future of Chinese-owned taxis."

The last time they asked Chinese-owned taxis to raise prices, it was because "the advantage lies with me" and Chinese-owned taxis could not be competitive.

But now, after Changjiang Taxi arrived in Shanghai with 100 vehicles, they immediately "reverse the operation" and suppress their competitors.

Galt is a very experienced person.

When Shlain from Tailai heard this, he asked, "How do you think we can lower the price?"

Galt immediately said, "If we only lower the price a little, the effect won't be significant. I think we should just lower the price to 3.5 yuan per hour (the speed is generally 15-20 miles per hour, and 1 mile equals 1.6 kilometers)."

Everyone was surprised!

目前来说，沪市出租车的收费在1小时4.5~6元。在之前，华资一般就收4.5元一小时，外资基本在5~6元。

If we follow the Galt price, it is equivalent to a 30% to 40% discount on foreign-funded taxis.

Shlain said, "This will greatly reduce our profits and cause us to suffer huge losses in the future!"

Galt said confidently, "This price war is only temporary, aimed at suppressing Chinese taxi companies. Furthermore, we're currently experiencing a Great Depression in the West, and gasoline prices are falling, which is beneficial to us. If we work together, we can significantly reduce costs on gasoline, parts, and repairs. The benefits will be immense. Even if Yangtze River Taxi's 100 vehicles aren't even operational yet, we'll have a more stable customer base, making it even harder for them to operate."

Shlain thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and agreed, "It's a deal. We'll both charge 3.5 yuan per hour. On the other hand, I heard the Chinese Taxi Association is lobbying the Municipal Council to oppose discrimination. We'll go there and try to build some connections, and get more support for our taxis."

"makes sense"

Soon, the two sides agreed to a two-pronged approach - reducing prices and taking action against Chinese taxi drivers who violated regulations.

On March 3 (Saturday), Chen Guangliang, Yan Zhiduo and Fang Jiaobo once again came to the sales office of Changjiang Real Estate because today would be the day when "New Town Garden" would be sold out.

After eight days, all 590 floors were finally sold (the other 10 floors were shops on the first and second floors, which were reserved for the partnership company to rent out. In addition, Changjiang Real Estate also purchased two houses and also had to pay for the settlement).

"Boss, Boss Yan, Boss Fang, the contracts for all 590 floors have been signed, and Xincheng Garden is sold out!" Before 11 o'clock in the morning, Guo Deming happily came to the three shareholders and reported.

It was a bit bumpy, as the advertisement lasted for 20 days, but it was finally taken down two days in advance!
Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Okay, hurry up and deposit the 50% down payment into the bank before this afternoon. Fund security is very important!"

The company that manages this project is registered as "Dahua Management Company", but the managers and employees are definitely part-time employees of Changjiang Real Estate, and of course they have to collect some management fees.

"No problem. Lately, we've been saving for the down payment and exchanging it for gold and US dollars."

Recently, all of Chen Guangliang's companies have been notified that the company's funds should be exchanged for gold and US dollars as much as possible, and that payments can also be made in gold and US dollars.

This part of the "income" alone is estimated to be quite a lot in the future. After all, Chen Guangliang borrowed silver dollars, and naturally he would pay them back in the future.

Afterwards, Guo Deming took his people to get busy. After Changjiang Real Estate was on the right track, Chen Guangliang was relieved to leave the matter of saving the money to his subordinates; because even if Guo Deming "absconded with the money", he couldn't do it. He didn't take the money directly. There were finance department and accounting department, as well as bodyguards to escort him.

Fang Jiaobo asked, "Will gold prices continue to rise? I heard that the Gold Exchange has been making a big move recently, and gold prices have risen sharply. Will gold prices fall later, while silver prices will rise instead?"

In recent days, short sellers led by Cheng Linsheng and long sellers led by the Ningbo Gang have been frantically speculating in the gold market, sending the price of gold oscillating wildly between 480 and 490. Of course, Cheng Linsheng and the Ningbo Gang are merely institutional investors, and there are other institutions and retail investors involved, given the sheer volume of trading.

Chen Guangliang jokingly said: "Then let's just say I made the shareholders lose some money!"

Fang Jiaobo responded after hearing this: "That makes sense! You can make money and lose money, but I think it's hard for you to do a business that loses money!"

"Haha" all three of them laughed.

In fact, Chen Guangliang quite likes Fang Jiaobo. Of course, it's not for any other reason, but because he values ​​his "ability to get things done" rather than Fang Jiaobo's background or wealth.

To be honest, Fang Jiaobo had no background or wealth. He used to be under the command of Fu Xiaoan, the "representative of the Beiyang warlords". Later, Fu Xiaoan was wanted by the Nanjing government, and Fang Jiaobo became low-key.

But Fang Jiaobo has a great skill, that is, his strong "organizational and management" ability. Although he was only the vice president of the "Shanghai Chamber of Commerce" before, he actually managed it for a long time.

Chen Guangliang always needs some "social activities", such as "donating to schools" and "helping refugees" and other public welfare activities. At this time, Fang Jiaobo can come in handy because he understands the operations in this area.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang simply let Fang Jiaobo serve as the chairman of "Dahua Management Company" to borrow his reputation.

Then the three of them found a restaurant and had a small gathering!
The next day, two pieces of news attracted considerable attention.

One piece of news is: The 600-story villa in "New Town Garden" has been sold out, and Changjiang Real Estate has achieved another success.

The second piece of news is: the concession government and the Chinese area government simultaneously made regulations on "installment and layered" sales - the land for sale must be a project under construction, and can only be delivered "in installments and layers" within the first 8 months of completion and delivery to ensure that there will be no breach of contract.

As soon as the news came out, it caused a lot of public opinion.

Originally, some real estate developers thought that they could "take out a loan to buy a piece of land" and then quickly obtain funds to start construction through "installment and layering". Now, it has become a bit difficult. After buying a piece of land, they have to put up the first construction funds after starting construction.

It happened to be the weekend when Chen Guangliang came to Oriental Daily. It is normal for him to work seven days a week now.

He approached Zhang Jinglu, the editor-in-chief of the Oriental Daily, and said, "Editor Zhang, find an editor well-versed in real estate and business to write a news article expressing support for the current restrictions on real estate imposed by the Concession and Chinese Concession governments. The article should highlight the key point: real estate investment is becoming increasingly aggressive, and these government measures will maximize the protection of buyers' rights and interests, avoiding the dire consequences of failed speculation by real estate developers."

He originally wanted to write it, but he was worried that he would become the "target of criticism" of other real estate developers. People would say that you have made enough money, but now you want to restrict us!
People are all like this!
Chen Guangliang was not stopping others from getting rich. He was worried that there would be too many unfinished buildings in the future and people would blame him.

Therefore, he used the name of the editor of Oriental Daily to support the government and the Chinese community, and at the same time issued a warning to other real estate developers.

Zhang Jinglu took a piece of paper and pen, quickly wrote down the key points, and then asked, "In whose name?"

It’s all so clear, it’s justifiable to do it in the boss’s name; secondly, doesn’t the boss also publish articles frequently!

"Of course you can't use my name. I'm a real estate developer. Saying that would offend people!"

"Understood"

After Zhang Jinglu left, Chen Guangliang strolled around the newspaper office again, just to make his presence known.

Today, Oriental Newspapers can be described as "terribly strong". The sales of Oriental Daily have been growing steadily, reaching a little over 9; the key is the addition of a magazine, with sales of more than 18000 copies.

It has both great influence and good profits.

So Chen Guangliang was thinking whether he should set up a football team in the future. After all, there was such an atmosphere in Shanghai in the 1930s.

(End of this chapter)