A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 202 Guangdong Province Inspection
On a weekend at the end of September, Chen Guangliang drove to pick up Yan Renmei from Yan's house and went out for a trip together.

Recently, the two have been meeting once a week, and their relationship is on the rise. Chen Guangliang has also rediscovered some of the fun of being young - falling in love, without having to focus on work every day.

After watching "Dream of Spring in the Ancient Capital" at the Peking Grand Theatre, Chen Guangliang couldn't help but say, "What kind of movie is this? It's meaningless!"

A country school teacher went to the city to make a living and met a prostitute, whom he took as his concubine. Although the concubine was beautiful, she was unfaithful to her husband and harmed the school teacher's family.

That’s the story!

Yan Renmei said with a smile: "Could it be that Brother Liang is not satisfied and is planning to invest in making his own movie?"

What she said was not groundless, because she recently heard her father say something - how come Guangliang knows everything, and she also agreed with it.

Chen Guangliang opened the car door for Yan Renmei and said casually, "If I have the chance, I will definitely make some good movies for everyone!"

If you have time, do it; if you don’t have time, forget it.

Then, as soon as he got in the car, Yan Renmei deliberately said, "Yeah, making a movie is so much fun, and you can even meet female stars!"

Chen Guangliang was stunned. This little girl actually learned to be jealous. It seemed that she really liked him.

"If I really wanted to make a movie, I would naturally ask Oriental Daily to invest in it, and I would make a movie that would enlighten the people and inspire national spirit, not a melodrama. Also, I've known Ruan Lingyu for years, so why would I need a movie to get to know her?"

When Yan Renmei heard this, she immediately asked, "Do you really know Ruan Lingyu?"

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "I know her. She even had a lawsuit with her ex-husband!"

Listening to the gossip told by Chen Guangliang, Yan Renmei was no longer jealous, but found it very interesting instead.

"So, Ruan Lingyu should be thanking you. Did she treat you to a meal?"

"Yes, but I refused. My heart is with you!"

Yan Renmei blushed immediately. She suddenly realized that her hands tightened and her heartbeat accelerated.

Chen Guangliang held Yan Renmei's delicate hand and felt her skin was delicate and smooth, and it felt great.

First love, the first love that a man longs for!
"Renmei, I'm going to Guangdong Province in a few days, and it may take half a month before I can go to Shanghai."

Seeing that Yan Renmei was about to break free, Chen Guangliang brought up a topic.

She was indeed attracted by this topic and immediately asked, "Is it about the sugar factory?"

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Yes, that's the matter. Otherwise, I usually won't leave Shanghai and leave it to my subordinates to handle. However, this sugar production matter is related to our country's trade deficit. I have to go and investigate it and come up with a proposal for Guangdong Province."

At this moment, Yan Renmei finally felt this man's talent and patriotism. She looked up and said, "I'll wait for you to come back!"

Of all the words, this sentence is enough.

Chen Guangliang nodded seriously and said, "Well, don't worry!"

On the way to the restaurant, Yan Renmei simply leaned her head on Chen Guangliang's shoulder, showing that the little girl had fallen in love.

Chen Guangliang was also enjoying the preciousness of his first love and couldn't bear to break this tranquility.

The Shanghai to Guangzhou route was served by passenger ships such as the American Flagship Line, the British Jardine Matheson, and the Chinese-owned China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

The ticket prices of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company were 10-20% cheaper than those of foreign-funded companies, but Chen Guangliang was the first to reject China Merchants Steam Navigation Company's ships. The reason was not for anything else, but because the management of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company was chaotic. Some time ago, there was even an assassination attempt among senior executives. Li Hongzhang's eldest grandson Li Guojie asked the leader of the Axe Gang, Wang Yaqiao, to assassinate Zhao Tiecheng, the general manager of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

Chen Guangliang would not dare to board the ship of such an enterprise.

So this time Chen Guangliang chose the passenger ship of the American Flagship Steamship Company and bought 9 first-class tickets, each costing 50 yuan (China Merchants Steam Navigation Company only cost 40 yuan).

Passenger ships are generally divided into four classes, with special class being the most expensive, followed by first class, second class, and third class. Taking this route as an example, the special class ticket price is 50 yuan, first class is 25 yuan, second class is 12 yuan, and third class is 10 yuan.

this day.

Chen Guangliang and Fang Jiaobo boarded Qichang's ship with four technical backbones from the sugar factory and three bodyguards.

After boarding the ship, it was obvious why the premium fare was so expensive. Not only did it provide comfortable "sleeping berths", but it also provided an exclusive restaurant where you could dine.

There were four people in one cabin, with bunk beds. Chen Guangliang and Fang Jiaobo were in one cabin, and there were two other bodyguards.

After putting down the luggage, Fang Jiaobo took Chen Guangliang to the restaurant to drink tea and pass the time.

The two sat in the restaurant, ordered a pot of tea, and started chatting.

Fang Jiaobo's career was not big, or even not very big at all, but he had rich organizational experience and social reputation.

He said, "We are going to Guangdong Province for an inspection this time. Kong Xiangxi has also heard about it. He might intervene when the time comes."

After the National Sugar Factory went bankrupt, Kong Xiangxi bought the machines for 150 million yuan, and then used them as capital to cooperate with the Nanjing government to establish a government-run sugar-making enterprise.

Chen Guangliang said frankly, "This investment is in Chen Jitang's territory. Kong Xiangxi may not dare to invest; even if he dares, he won't be greedy for too much."

Fang Jiaobo was a little surprised. Although Chen Guangliang was very young, he always looked confident of success when doing things.

Little did people know that Chen Guangliang did not care about the gains and losses of "one city or one pond". He had already "not put all his careers in one basket", so his mood was very cheerful.

For example, his original intention for this investment was to solve the country's sugar industry problems, and only then to make some money.

"That's true"

After chatting for a while, Fang Jiaobo felt like playing mahjong and took out some mahjong to pass the time.

Chen Guangliang asked Zhou Xinggao to beat the opponent for him while he read a book. This is called refusing unnecessary social engagements.

The journey was almost 48 hours (including preparation time), which seemed very long to Chen Guangliang, who was used to domestic travel within two or three hours.

Fortunately, there were books to read, which helped him adapt.

The group finally arrived at the Guangdong port. Upon arrival, Deng Yanhua, the Minister of Construction of Guangdong Province, personally led people to greet them to show his importance.

"I'm finally looking forward to seeing you here!" Deng Yanhua said, extending his hand enthusiastically.

Recently, Guangdong Province has been very passionate about the sugar industry. After all, this is the most important part of Guangdong's economic development, without a doubt.

Chen Guangliang extended his hand and responded, "I don't deserve such respect. Director Deng, you're too polite!" "Haha," Deng Yanhua said cheerfully, "Mr. Chen's article has excited us in Guangdong for months. It's certainly worthy of our attention. If the sugar industry succeeds, then Mr. Chen will be a benefactor to us in Guangdong."

As expected of a soldier, he spoke without much evasion.

"Don't bother us, don't bother us. Guangdong Province is a land of talented people and beautiful scenery. Even if I don't bring it up, someone else will."

Afterwards, everyone took a car to the Guangdong Provincial Government, where Chen Mingshu was already there to receive them.

Chen Guangliang and others on this trip represented the "Jiangsu and Zhejiang Consortium" and the "sponsors of the sugar industry", so it is natural that they were taken seriously.

Through the car, Chen Guangliang first saw the customs and culture of Guangdong Province - the Cantonese-style arcades were very distinctive; the Pearl River, the mother river of Guangdong Province, was extremely busy; the Cantonese people were very open-minded and very traditional.

When they arrived at the provincial government, Chen Mingshu had already hosted a banquet for everyone. Chen Jitang and many other bigwigs of the Tongmenghui were also present.

It’s already a very high standard!

Of course, you have to be careful when speaking in such situations.

During the dinner, Chen Mingshu said, "Mr. Chen, we all share the surname Chen. We were one family five hundred years ago. Your coming all the way from Shanghai this time is not only an investment, but also a panacea for solving the economic problems of our Guangdong Province."

Chen Guangliang then said, "Chairman Chen, Commander-in-Chief Chen, our visit to Guangdong this time is most important for inspection. I will then write a report to the Guangdong Provincial Construction Department. The rest of the matters will be handled primarily by the Guangdong Provincial Department."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that when Chen Guangliang spoke to Chen Mingshu, he always brought up Chen Jitang, which showed that he regarded military and political affairs as equally important.

Chen Mingshu was also a little distressed. Logically, he also had the 8000th Route Army, but it was now dispatched. He had recently been frantically recruiting troops, recruiting new soldiers in the name of the provincial government, but it seemed that he was still at a disadvantage.

Throughout the entire banquet, Chen Guangliang and others only talked about economics and not politics, and everyone had experienced Chen Guangliang's cunning.

Fang Jiaobo would talk about some social issues, but Chen Guangliang chose to keep silent.

From the next day, Chen Guangliang began his official work, mainly investigating the site selection of the factory, sugarcane planting in Guangdong Province, ports and other aspects.

The factory's location will undoubtedly be near a river. The factory will then sign purchase contracts directly with farmers, haul the sugarcane by boat to the factory's dock, and begin juicing. This step requires consideration of convenient transportation and the elimination of middlemen, allowing farmers to maximize profits and increase their motivation.

As for sugarcane, Chen Guangliang, having seen sugarcane grown in later generations, immediately recognized that the current sugarcane in Guangdong Province had small stems, light juice, low sugar content, and fragile fibers that were not wind-resistant, making it unsuitable for sugar production. Therefore, it was necessary to import talent from overseas to specialize in the introduction of sugarcane varieties.

On this day, after Chen Guangliang finished his inspection, he sent away the accompanying personnel on the pretext of strolling around Guangdong Province.

He took Fang Jiaobo to visit the "Southern Heavenly King" Chen Jitang.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Fang, please take a seat. You have come from afar and are honored guests." Chen Jitang already knew Chen Guangliang's intentions, and personally greeted him with his wife Mo Xiuying and staff officer Chen Weiyi.

After Chen Guangliang sat down, he took out a draft and handed it to Chen Jitang, saying, "General, this is what I've learned in recent days. I brought it to you specially. I heard that your father was a scholar in the past. I think you must be a scholar as well. Why not give me some advice first?"

It’s almost like saying it clearly: if you don’t speak up, we won’t dare to invest.

Chen Jitang was immediately impressed. He took the draft and said, "Mr. Chen, you're flattering me. I'm just a rough guy, so how could I know anything about economics? But after all, I'm from Guangdong, so I definitely have some local advantages."

After saying that, he began to read carefully.

"Hey, is the sugarcane in our Guangdong Province really that bad?"

"Very poor. The biggest key to a sugar mill's profitability is the variety of sugarcane, which is also the most critical issue."

Chen Jitang nodded and said, "I understand the logic. This plan is the best. We, the Guangdong Construction Department, will invite agricultural experts from Southeast Asia to select varieties. I'd also like to add that once the investment is finalized, a large amount of sugarcane will definitely be needed. We in Guangdong Province will designate sugarcane cultivation zones throughout the province to completely solve the raw material problem."

Of course Chen Guangliang had thought of this, but since this matter required the government to intervene, he deliberately left it out and let Chen Jitang express his opinion.

"I'll add this suggestion, Marshal, to the plan immediately and submit it to the Construction Department."

Chen Jitang said happily, "Okay. By the way, getting farmers to switch crops is a big deal, and we need guarantees. Have you finalized the investment yet?"

Chen Guangliang then said, "After the investment is finalized, we will sign the planting contracts directly with the farmers, without any middlemen. Of course, the Guangdong Provincial Construction Department and Lingnan Agricultural College will serve as technical guidance. Ultimately, these matters are primarily the responsibility of the Guangdong Provincial Government."

Chen Jitang nodded, then added, "Six factories with a daily output of 1,000 tons—that's a huge undertaking!"

After saying that, he looked at Chen Guangliang and Fang Jiaobo with interest.

Chen Guangliang said directly: "We will only invest in the first factory and set an example for Guangdong Province. The proposal of six factories is just to let machinery and equipment manufacturers compete. Only those with the best conditions will get our cooperation."

"Are you so sure they'll lower the price and improve the terms?"

"It's natural. During the global economic depression, many sugar mills stopped expanding, and even stopped production after they were built. As long as we set up tariff barriers again, that will be our biggest opportunity."

"Okay, after listening to your words, I now understand the opportunities in the sugar industry!"

Afterwards, Chen Jitang hosted a banquet and everyone had a great time chatting.

Chen Jitang was in a good mood at the time. Although the Jiangsu and Zhejiang consortiums had proposed six factories, they said they would only invest in one factory as a prototype. The remaining five factories would naturally be decided by the Guangdong side.

If he could squeeze out Chen Mingshu, these sugar factories would become his military expenses!
A week later, Chen Guangliang's inspection was completed, and he immediately wrote the "Guangdong Sugar Industry Opinion Letter" and sent a copy to the Construction Department, the Provincial Government, and Chen Jitang.

The main contents of the opinion letter are:
Guangdong's climate and soil are very suitable for the development of the sugar industry. As long as we switch to planting high-yield Indonesian sugarcane varieties and use new sugar-making machines, it will become an industry with "low investment, high profits, and quick returns."

A plan can be made to build six sugar factories with a daily output of 1,000 tons, which can be carried out in batches to take the initiative in negotiations on the introduction of machinery and equipment.

Before leaving, he left the technical team of the original "National Sugar Factory" in Guangdong Province to prepare for the construction of the factory and set up a project department first.

In other words, the plan for the first factory may be implemented this year. After returning to Shanghai, Chen Guangliang and others also plan to formally "raise funds through IPO".

Time waits for no one!

The timing would be best if the first factory could be put into production within two years.

Chen Guangliang did not leave Guangdong Province immediately, but went to Guangzhou Bay (Zhanjiang) to inspect the port, where he planned to set up a shipping office.

After two days of inspection, he returned to Guangdong Province and took a ship back to Shanghai.

He tried his best to avoid unnecessary complications on this trip. After all, it was his first time away from Shanghai, and he was a little concerned about his family business in Shanghai.

What was rare was that Fang Jiaobo accompanied him throughout the inspection, and the two of them had a lot of topics to talk about along the way.

After all, Fang Jiaobo was a very early figure, and Chen Guangliang was also very interested in things that happened in the 1910s and 1920s. When he heard the key points, he would even write them down and compile them into a book when there was a chance.

(End of this chapter)