A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 207: Lack of Money and Generosity

Pros, the Far East representative of the Norwegian firm Warren & Co., once again came to promote their ship "Ursula Rickmers".

This time, Prologis' sincerity seemed very great, because now all the shipping bosses in China know that European and American shipping is experiencing a great depression, ships are beginning to fill up the ports, and the prices of new and second-hand ships are plummeting.

According to information sources from Oriental Daily and Capital magazine, it is unknown how much cost this will save for China Shipping.

Information sources were relatively limited in this era. Even though the Xinwen Bao and Shenbao had overseas sources, they wouldn't investigate shipping-related market trends. On the other hand, the Oriental Daily News not only had overseas sources but also conducted targeted business and economic research.

"Mr. Chen, you can buy the Ursula Rickmers for only $6.5. This price is already very low. After all, it is the largest ship in your Chinese Shipping fleet and is very powerful. I know you need a ship now!"

Wow, you’re really working hard on your sales pitch.

Chen Guangliang didn't insist this time and said with a smile: "If you were so straightforward last time, we might have already boarded this ship."

The price was slightly higher than expected, but still reasonable, amounting to 26 yuan. Even other Chinese investors might not be able to buy it at this price.

Pros thought to himself, if you hadn't spread the news about overseas shipping in China, all those Chinese investors wouldn't have become so smart.

Of course, he said, "Actually, you know more about overseas shipping than we Europeans do. As you said, shipping has indeed become difficult. However, China's economy doesn't seem to have been greatly affected, so you can invest in this industry without worry."

Although Chen Guangliang had his own plans in mind, he still said, "Of course. By the way, we also need to hire Norwegian captains, first and second mates, and other key positions on board. I hope your company can help."

Pros said happily: "No problem, we Norwegians are the best sailors on the sea. We are professional and brave."

Coming from a pirate background, of course.

Of course, Pross's words also made Chen Guangliang decide to establish his own "maritime school" to train maritime talents. When the Anti-Japanese War ended in the 1940s, he wanted to hire Chinese captains.

Finally, Chen Guangliang asked an irrelevant question: "Does Warren & Co. have any business in North America?"

Pross said: "Yes, of course. Our business is all over the world. If you have further cooperation with Mr. Chen, please feel free to contact me."

"it is good"

It must be bragging. The Warren Company disappeared in later generations. It may have changed its name or went bankrupt.

But at this time, it was a shipping company with a large business. After all, Norwegian shipping was very powerful.

Recently, Chen Guangliang has strengthened information channels in Canada through the overseas connections of Oriental Daily.

Once a Canadian national railway company auctions a ship, he will be the first to know the news because he has a targeted layout, and the overseas information sources of the Oriental Daily are basically from government officials and local Chinese.

The reason for such arrangement is that Chen Guangliang hopes to obtain the batch of ships obtained by the "Greek Shipping King" in his previous life. First, the price may be cheap, and second, the quality must be good, because in his previous life, Onassis made a fortune in World War II with this batch of ships.

Therefore, even though the price has risen to US$8 per vessel in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, it is still absolutely worth the money.

After seeing off Prologis, Chen Guangliang immediately convened a meeting of all the management of Global Shipping and Global Trade.

At this time, the two companies already had more than 20 professionals, most of whom were recruited from Shanghai through newspaper advertisements; and Chen Guangliang's reputation was very effective, and many people wanted to work for him.

"The Ministry of Trade will immediately set up offices and agencies in the four northern ports. Our ships can reach the north in as little as a month. We must pay special attention to the conditions at each port."

Wu Hao, who was in charge of trade affairs, nodded immediately and said, "Okay, I'll take someone over to make arrangements right away."

He had just returned to Shanghai. Before that, Chen Guangliang asked him to take a group of people to the north for an investigation and submit it to him in the form of a report.

This super-large cargo ship with a draft of more than 6000 tons currently transports soybeans and coal, and is also required to undertake other businesses in various ports.

There are not many advantages, but Chen Guangliang mainly maintains people and ships, so the biggest advantage is that it is cheap.

Of course, once the ship is in hand, training and management work will begin immediately, and it will surely gradually become famous.

Then, Chen Guangliang said to Zhao Tieyi, "We must speed up the training of seafarers and strictly implement the rules and regulations we have established. Later, I also plan to establish a maritime training school to cultivate more talents. We can't always let foreigners serve as senior shipbuilders."

Zhao Tieyi said excitedly: "Okay, I will definitely strengthen management."

Subsequently.

Zhao Tieyi took the initiative to suggest, "Boss, there's a view in the shipping industry right now that whether a shipping company is considered a large-scale enterprise must have its own machinery factory (repair shop). I think Global Shipping should set up its own machinery factory right away."

Even the wisest man can make mistakes, and Chen Guangliang did not think of this problem at the first time.

Fortunately, these subordinates all understand Chen Guangliang's style of doing things - pursuing development and looking forward to the future, so they will definitely remind him.

Chen Guangliang immediately adopted the idea and said, "Okay, you organize this right away, but don't choose to build a machinery factory in Zhabei or Hongkou. Choose one in Shanghai South."

Zhao Tieyi didn't know why, but he didn't think much about it and said, "Okay, no problem."

Finally, Chen Guangliang added, "I want to emphasize again that I prefer to work for a major company in the industry, not sit in the back seat. So, to develop shipping and trade, I've directly invested one million yuan to prepare for the next two to three years of development. As I'm sure you all know, this is a very large sum. However, I don't want my own company to be as chaotically managed as the China Merchants Group. In my company, employees must have aspirations and ideals; those who want to be idle are not welcome here. Of course, I will ask for what I should ask for, and I won't be stingy with employee benefits."

"clear"

Everyone filed out of the conference room and headed to their respective work stations.

In fact, Chen Guangliang was also learning shipping knowledge bit by bit. In addition to consulting Yu Qiaqing, Chen Shuntong, Hong Yanbin and others, he also bought relevant books.

Maybe Global Shipping had various shortcomings at the beginning, but Chen Guangliang’s working style is vigorous and decisive. Once a problem is discovered, it will be solved immediately.

Therefore, Global Shipping will surely grow into an excellent shipping company.

Chen Guangliang quickly came to the conclusion that the money was really not worth spending.

He probably earned more than 1250 million in "cash flow" from this wave of real estate and finance (finance also includes government bonds and US dollar foreign exchange).

But he has quickly invested the money, including:

Real estate: An investment of 150 million yuan in 200 high-end villas on Xiafei Road (if not sold, it will be considered an investment), Shangri-La Hotel worth 55 million yuan (300% stake), and scattered rental properties, with a total asset of approximately million yuan.

Taxis: There are a total of 270 vehicles (only vehicles retained for self-operation), with a total investment of 270 million (the appreciation part is calculated as US dollar foreign exchange gains).

Government bonds: Subscribed to 110 million government bonds.

Sugar factory: 100 million investment.

Shipping and trade: An investment of 100 million, but it will be invested in batches.

Movies and theaters: Let’s assume it’s an investment of 40.

10 yuan was spent on building the "Chen Mansion," 10 yuan was spent on penicillin research and development, and 15 yuan was spent on sports, totaling 35 yuan. After all these investments, Chen Guangliang's cash flow was down to about 300 million yuan (of course, he still had to pay for the house, but that was included).

The other is industry and newspapers:
Tongchang Bicycle Manufacturing Plant is producing 450 bicycles and 500 tricycles per month this year, with an estimated annual profit of yuan. Chen Guangliang holds a % stake, and this year's dividend has yet to be determined.

Jierui Coal Briquette Factory, in which Chen Guangliang holds a 50% stake, is in an investment state and will not distribute dividends this year;
Vitasoy, which is in an investment state, has instead added a lot of debt to expand its scale;
Oriental Newspaper will not distribute dividends in the next two years.

From the looks of it, Chen Guangliang didn't come with some "nervousness".

Is it because there is not enough money?

He does not "value money as his life". If it is beneficial to the country or for charity, he will donate money now.

For example, most of the profits from the Changjiang Car Dealership in the past year were donated by him in small amounts. Some were donated to his hometown to build bridges and roads, and some were donated to help the poor in Shanghai. These were all donated to charitable organizations, including the Ningbo Shanghai Association.

of course.

Chen Guangliang also knows that history cannot be changed, and what he has done is just what he can do, and the donation is within his acceptable range.

Vitasoy's conference room.

Chen Guangliang was in a meeting with the management team, including General Manager Chen Shiyuan, Chief Technical Engineer Wu Guangsheng, and Marketing Manager Wang Tongzhao. A total of 11 senior executives.

Today, Vitasoy has become a company with more than 1,000 employees. Its products include bottled Vitasoy, soy milk powder, and it is involved in the trade of soybeans.

"Soy milk powder is very popular in the market, with an average daily sales volume of 500 cans. It has become the best choice for gifts." Wang Tongzhao reported his work seriously and looked very energetic.

As soon as soy milk powder was launched on the market, it was heavily promoted under the banners of "the best gift" and "caring for the health of the elderly and children", and the market response was extremely enthusiastic.

The main reason is that in this era of "material scarcity", as long as it is a new thing, it is easy to open up the market, the only question is how big the market is.

"What about government procurement?"

"We've contacted some quartermasters and sent quite a few samples, but there's been no response. Perhaps they're trying to bribe us. We'll follow your instructions and at most send some extra soy milk powder in the form of samples."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "That's it, don't worry about him."

The military supply business is a new procurement item, so it is normal that it is difficult to break into.

As for monetary bribes, Chen Guangliang strictly prohibits them, even if it means not doing this business.

To put it bluntly, Chen Guangliang's original intention was not to make money from the army, but to improve the physical fitness of Chinese soldiers so that they could fight bravely in the future.

Thinking of this, Chen Guangliang immediately asked, "How many trucks do we have?"

Chen Shiyuan immediately replied, "We have a total of six trucks as delivery vehicles. We mainly rely on tricycles to deliver goods in the urban area. The trucks are mainly used for transportation to surrounding cities and for transporting raw materials such as soybeans."

Using tricycles to deliver goods in Shanghai will invisibly create many jobs, which is also what Chen Guangliang meant.

"Well, I see!"

Didn't go on.

Chen Guangliang still planned to purchase 20 large trucks under the name of Yangtze River Taxi and set up a transport team. Of course, the main purpose in the later stage was to donate them to the 19th Route Army, which he had always kept in mind.

He couldn't kill the enemy, after all, his death wouldn't change anything!
But he can always donate money and supplies.

In the second half of the month, the Guangdong Provincial Government officially put forward the plan of "establishing seven sugar factories", which basically adopted the proposal provided by Chen Guangliang.

At the same time, Chen Guangliang also completed the IPO in the Shanghai Stock Exchange. After transferring the funds to Huaxia Bank, he and Fang Jiaobo set out for Guangdong Province again to sign a formal cooperation agreement.

Chen Guangliang's frequent trips to Guangdong Province were also a helpless move, after all, it was related to the development of "Huaxia Sugar Industry".

However, Chen Guangliang made up his mind that after signing the agreement, he would hand over the work to his subordinates, and some activities could also be handed over to Fang Jiaobo, after all, he was better at this kind of activities.

The construction of the factory was overseen by the talents of the original "National Sugar Factory".

Matters concerning mechanical equipment are naturally mainly under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Construction.

The introduction of sugarcane varieties is also mainly carried out in Guangdong Province.

In fact, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial groups were just auxiliary in these three matters, and the main role was played by the Guangdong Provincial Government.

But it is precisely this assistance that will enable the Jiangsu and Zhejiang consortium to gain valuable experience and prepare for the establishment of a sugar factory in Shanghai.

After signing the contract with the Guangdong Provincial Government, Chen Guangliang and Fang Jiaobo gathered the technical team from the former National Sugar Factory—Cao Mingxian, Chen Qi, Wu Xinbing, and others—at the hotel. This time, they brought another talented person from Guangdong: agronomist Xu Caijin.

These people are representatives of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial groups, and will work with the Guangdong Provincial Construction Department to prepare for the sugar factory.

"Everyone, you will have to work hard here for the next one to two years. After that, Shanghai is also interested in establishing a sugar refinery. By then, you will be the absolute backbone."

Everyone was pleasantly surprised. Originally, they were on a business trip, and thought that after learning about Guangdong's experience, their future might be uncertain. Unexpectedly, Shanghai also had plans for a sugar factory.

Wu Xinbing, a mechanical and electrical expert, quickly asked, "Why doesn't Shanghai build a factory at the same time as Guangdong Province?"

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Everything must be done in a gradual and cyclical manner. Furthermore, the proposal for six factories in Guangdong Province will undoubtedly attract competition from American machinery manufacturers. We in Shanghai will also benefit from this and directly enjoy the already low prices. Furthermore, when selecting sugarcane varieties, we will also need the help of the Construction Department and the Agricultural College here. In short, there is definitely only one long-term construction in Shanghai, after all, the geographical advantages are not as significant as here."

Everyone then realized that they were going to use the experience of Guangdong Province to open another one in Shanghai.

In fact, when it comes to the selection of sugarcane, Chen Guangliang's suggestion to the Guangdong Provincial Construction Department this time is to hire an American expert from the Philippines with a monthly salary of about 1800 yuan.

This money is paid by the joint venture, but it is definitely worth it.

Why is it necessary to hire American experts from the Philippines?

It's very simple. The United States invested in sugar mills in the Philippines, and the sugarcane in the Philippines was selected from Indonesia, Malaysia and other places.

Absolutely professional!
Finally, Fang Jiaobo said, "Everyone, you are related to the foundation of our Jiangnan Sugar Industry. Please learn from our experience seriously."

"Yes, Mr. Chen, Mr. Fang."

Everyone agreed, and the person they were most grateful to was of course Chen Guangliang, who personally invested 5 yuan to become a shareholder in this technical team. In fact, it was his portion of the 100 million yuan.

In other words, Chen Guangliang did not even take 25%, and gave away yuan in one go.

(End of this chapter)