A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 259 Officials and Businessmen
On this day, Yu Qiaqing found Chen Guangliang to discuss and said that the Ministry of Finance wanted him to serve as the general manager of China Merchants Bank and reorganize the China Merchants Group.

When Chen Guangliang heard this, he immediately refused.

Not to mention that he was the head of multiple companies, the complex internal structure of the China Merchants Group, which involved a network of bureaucrats and gangsters, was also a headache for him.

Yu Qiaqing didn't say much and just got up and left.

Three days later, Yu Qiaqing came again.

This time, Yu Qiaqing spoke up, "The failure of China Merchants Group is well known both at home and abroad. Its management is in disarray and needs a thorough overhaul. TV (Song Tsai-wen's English name) has considered it, and you, Guangliang, are the most suitable person."

Chen Guangliang said in a humming voice: "Mr. Ade, how come you become a lobbyist!"

People call him Brother Ade, but Chen Guangliang is one or two generations younger than him, so naturally he cannot call him Brother Ade directly.

Yu Qiaqing's eyes widened, and he said unhappily, "I was forced into this situation. I can't afford to offend TV. Do I have to drink the wine instead of the toast?"

There is a hidden meaning in this sentence. How could Song Zaiwen threaten the "Commander-in-Chief's God of Wealth"? I'm afraid he is threatening Chen Guangliang.

As his capital grew, Chen Guangliang began to have more concerns.

It’s not easy to keep oneself out of trouble!
Seeing Chen Guangliang still silent, Yu Qiaqing said, "This time the Nationalist government is determined to nationalize the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. The next chairman of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company will be Mr. Du, and Mr. Du himself recommended you for the position of general manager. With Mr. Du and TV backing you up, the internal and external forces of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company will be more wary."

If Chen Guangliang believed this, he would have died long ago, but it is indeed not easy to offend Song Zaiwen in this matter.

"Okay, I'll go meet Minister Song later and discuss a condition, otherwise I really can't do this job."

"Okay, it's normal if the conditions are right. The China Merchants Bank is so corrupt, even a good cook can't cook without rice."

Afterwards, Yu Qiaqing turned around and said goodbye.

Looking at Yu Qiaqing's back, Chen Guangliang muttered, "I'll be the first one to deal with you later. Don't think I don't know!"

At the end of the month, Chen Guangliang came to the Ministry of Finance of Nanjing and met with Song Zaiwen.

Straight to the point, Chen Guangliang said, "Minister Song, I'd like to ask how China Merchants Group is handling its current financial situation."

Song Tsaiwen said truthfully, "I've already ordered Hua Xia Bank, China Construction Bank, and other central banks to provide loans, and Citibank's loan has been canceled. After you take office, just focus on rectifying the China Merchants Group and getting it back on track as quickly as possible."

This time, he forcefully requested Chen Guangliang to be appointed as the general manager of China Merchants Group, which made China Merchants Group a laughing stock for many powerful countries. Moreover, the group had huge assets. If irreparable losses really occurred, the Nanjing government would lose not only money but also reputation.

Although Chen Guangliang is young, he has run so many successful businesses and has made achievements in China's sugar industry and shipping industry, which made him finally choose Chen Guangliang.

In fact, Song Zaiwen had two candidates - Chen Guangliang and Liu Hongsheng.

If Chen Guangliang wasn't there, Liu Hongsheng would definitely be the choice. But with Chen Guangliang, he would be the choice without hesitation, with Liu Hongsheng merely a backup candidate in case Chen Guangliang refused to take office.

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Can I not take out loans from Huaxia Bank and Bank of Communications, but instead take out a US$400 million loan from Citibank, with the docks still as collateral, but with normal collateral?"

Song Zaiwen was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Why do you want to borrow US dollars? Do you think the US dollar will depreciate?"

Last time he suggested that the central bank import silver, he has instructed several government-run banks to import 1 million taels of silver in the next year, either using gold or foreign exchange.

Now that Chen Guangliang has behaved abnormally again, Song Zaiwen has become alert.

Chen Guangliang also said directly: "The United States can't sustain the gold standard. The dollar will definitely depreciate. I bet on this. As long as we borrow dollars and then use them to repay debts, no matter what the outcome, we will not suffer any loss."

Of course, the interest rate will definitely be higher.

Song Zaiwen was also a decisive person. He said, "Okay, after you take office, immediately renegotiate the loan with Citibank. China Merchants' creditors will not demand repayment until early November. Do you have any other requests?"

Chen Guangliang said, "Not yet, but the work of the Merchants Group is very complicated, and we will naturally need your support in the future."

Song Zaiwen said, "Of course. If there is anything, just report it to me directly."

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang had nothing to say. After all, he had not yet taken office, so how could he have so many tricks? Everything had to be investigated first.

Seeing that Chen Guangliang had nothing to report, Song Ziwen suddenly asked, "Are you doing business with Miss Sheng Qi?"

Why do you still care about your ex-lover?

Chen Guangliang said: "Miss Sheng Qi is my wife's godmother, so we are partners in investing in Times Pictures."

Song Zaiwen nodded and said, "Can this business make money?"

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Of course, they have made a lot of money. The stock price of Times Pictures has increased from 100 to over 250. The 100 yuan invested by Miss Sheng Qi has theoretically increased in value to million yuan."

Song Zaiwen said: "It's okay, I just want to ask about the old friend's situation."

Early July.

南鲸中泱会议第331次会议议决：将招商局收归国营。以每套招商局股票(航业股2股产业股l股为l套)现银50两由政府收买。继承本局一切权利及合法债务。取消监督处，另设理事会、监事会及总经理。公布招商局暂行组织章程、理事会及监事会暂行章程。简派叶琢堂、陈光良、杜月笙等7人为招商局理事会常务理事。钱永铭等8人为理事。芦学溥等9人为监事会监事。陈光良为招商局总经理。

When the news came out, public opinion was shocked.

It was quite exaggerated that Chen Guangliang was appointed as the general manager of a giant like China Merchants Group at the age of only twenty-something.

The first thing Chen Guangliang did was to set up a secretariat in the China Merchants Group. He transferred elite talents from his companies, such as Guo Deming from the Yangtze River Money House, Zhang Shunian from Ping An Bank, and Huang Guangshu from Global Shipping, to facilitate his work.

Shortly afterwards.

The first major meeting of China Merchants Group was held first. In addition to the seven permanent directors including Ye Zhuotang, Chen Guangliang, and Du Yuesheng, it also included management at the deputy general manager level of China Merchants Group and people from the secretariat.

At the beginning of the meeting, Chen Guangliang said:

"We will be re-arranging the positions of managers for each branch, warehouse, and vessel. This time, we require those with extensive shipping experience or who have made contributions to China Merchants. We will not consider connections, favors, or requests; we will appoint based on ability."

"As for the specific plan, for each of these important positions, we'll first select two or three most suitable candidates. Then, each of them will write a letter of self-recommendation and submit it to the board of directors. After a final interview, we'll select the best candidates. With these three levels of screening, we ensure that the most capable people are qualified for these important positions."

When everyone heard this, they immediately nodded in agreement.

Ye Zhuotang smiled and said, "It's equivalent to a preliminary test, a written test, and an interview. The person selected in this way is bound to be the most suitable candidate. But this preliminary test requires fairness and impartiality from all colleagues present!"

Du Yuesheng immediately said, "This initial test is also simple. We need to sort out the past information of suitable candidates and send it to the headquarters. We can't fake it!"

Seeing everyone speaking enthusiastically, Chen Guangliang was very happy. After all, he was also a "part-time worker" and hoped to get everyone's help.

"Okay, the Secretariat will take note of this and issue the document as soon as possible."

"Yes"

The meeting content is required to be recorded in full and supervised by someone to avoid Chen Guangliang from getting into trouble in the future.

It’s not easy to be an official or a businessman!
The first meeting was just about one thing, and of course we also had to discuss the loan with Citibank.

However, for such a big matter, Chen Guangliang would not go to discuss it alone. He would definitely obtain official permission from Nanjing first and then bring others to discuss it together.

His investigation revealed that the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company's total debt was over 1700 million taels of silver, equivalent to approximately US$350 million. He planned to borrow US$400 million, leaving the remaining US$50 for development. Furthermore, the company's current total tonnage of ships was 26.5 tons, with the value of the ships alone being approximately US$1100 million. Of course, the company also had related assets such as docks, warehouses, and real estate, whose value far exceeded the price of the ships.

This is a huge thing, and it is not easy to develop it well.

But as long as it had this dollar loan, China Merchants Group would have been able to get out of its financial difficulties within two years.

After the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company incident, Chen Guangliang's original plan to visit Guangdong Province and Hong Kong was also cancelled.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was a little early to buy real estate in Hong Kong now. By 1934, Hong Kong real estate would inevitably fall due to the outflow of silver. After all, there were also a lot of dollars and silver there.

Therefore, in Chen Guangliang's new real estate plan, he would wait until after 1934 to take the opportunity to buy up the real estate in Hong Kong; in 1935, he would consider investing in real estate in Chongqing.

Before that, I’d better stay in Shanghai and wait for the birth of my first child!

In the morning, Chen Guangliang woke up first and teased Yan Renmei in his arms.

"Little lazy guy, do you want to ask for leave?"

Yan Renmei opened her beautiful eyes, a hint of panic flashed in them as she asked, "What time is it?"

Chen Guangliang then smiled and said, "It's only half past six, there's still time."

Only then did Yan Renmei realize that she had been fooled.

In fact, many students at Zhongxi Girls' Middle School live on campus, but Yan Renmei has not lived on campus since the second half of last year, and it is even more impossible for her to live on campus now.

"Brother Liang, I thought I was late! There's only half a month left, and I don't want to give up." Yan Renmei acted coquettishly, but with a hint of strength.

Chen Guangliang felt a little ashamed. In fact, he could have waited until 1935 to have a child, so that Yan Renmei would not have to suffer so much.

"Have you ever encountered anything unhappy at school, such as teachers or classmates making fun of you?"

Yan Renmei said confidently, "No, I have a good relationship with my classmates and teachers."

In reality, there would be some strange looks, but she was also quite popular, and her group of sisters were not to be trifled with. However, she naturally did not want to bring up such a small problem and make her husband worry.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Then hold on for another half a month."

He calculated that it was really possible that Yan Renmei was pregnant in one shot, that is, she became pregnant at the end of April and her due date should be in February next year.

Therefore, I won’t be able to go in the first half of next year. I can only review at home and take the exam when the time comes.

Fortunately, he had found two female teachers willing to tutor Yan Renmei, and he tutored her English personally, so there was no big problem.

After breakfast, some go to work, some go to school, and only Yang Hui stays at home, but she may also be asked to play mahjong.

Chen Guangliang himself is against gambling, but he will not control his mother too strictly. As long as the game is not too big, it is fine. What's more, it is just a group of acquaintances playing together, and the wins and losses are relatively small.

Guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance, China Merchants Steam Navigation Company used the docks and warehouses in Shanghai as collateral and finally persuaded Citibank to lend it US$400 million for two years at an annual interest rate of 7.5%.

This interest rate was higher than the 6% loan from the Central Bank, the Commercial Bank, etc., so some people thought that Chen Guangliang had also taken kickbacks; but soon everyone realized that if Chen Guangliang had taken kickbacks, then the Ministry of Finance would not have provided a guarantee, and the Transportation Bureau would not have participated in the loan.

The specific reason is unknown!

That day, Chen Guangliang came to China Wharf to visit his shipping business.

Zhao Tieyi accompanied them and introduced them, "That's our Jin'an. This time, it's hauling 5000 tons of coal, and we can make a profit of 5000 yuan per trip. The price is a bit low, but if we can get a stable transportation business from the Kailuan Coal Mine, we can make back the profit of the entire ship in two and a half years."

The cost of shipping a meal by sea is 1.5 oceans. Excluding the expenses for coal and employees, it is quite good.

The cost of mining Kailuan coal should be less than 4 yuan, plus the freight of 2 yuan (some railways), it is really dumping now, that is, dumping at cost price.

It is already a huge profit for two old ships to be able to pay back the investment in two and a half years; but it is obvious that if the transportation volume decreases during this period, the order may be cancelled, so it may not be so smooth.

The most profitable business was transporting sugarcane to Guangdong Province, with one ship paying back its investment in a year; of course, there was also the fact that those six ships were just getting a bargain.

As for the first and second fixed routes, they are currently relatively stable and make much more money than transporting coal.

"Dumping won't last forever. We might not have such good business next year! By the way, if China Merchants Group joins the first and second routes, what do you think will happen to us?"

Now that he is the general manager of China Merchants Group, he can certainly stop it, but Chen Guangliang will not always be the general manager of China Merchants Group. The new general manager will also propose to add these two routes.

Zhao Tieyi pondered for a moment and said, "That means four shipping companies are competing. The British companies Jardine Matheson and Swire are naturally anxious, but competition never stops. Fortunately, our business is already on the right track. In fact, the advantage in these two routes does not belong to British capital."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "It's impossible for a short time. Let's run it well first, but we can't avoid competition."

"it is good"

As of now, Chen Guangliang has no intention of purchasing new ships, so Global Shipping currently owns 9 ships, six of which are "cheap and high-quality ships" purchased from the Canadian National Railway, and the other three have a carrying capacity of 950 tons, more than 3000 tons, and 5050 tons respectively. Among them, the 950-ton cargo ship has a fixed route with direct flights between Hong Kong and Zhanjiang.

If there is a need to block the river to fight the war in the future, Chen Guangliang will definitely only prepare two large ships, namely the two large ships purchased this year, and the six best ships. He will make arrangements in advance - register them in Hong Kong.

"Boss, Times Films over there rented a warehouse and is filming a movie!"

"Let's go and have a look"

Chen Guangliang happened to have some free time and was also quite curious, so he rented a warehouse to shoot a movie, which must be the scene where Thirteenth Aunt was kidnapped and used to "trafficking Chinese people", after all, it was a movie he wrote.

Soon, Chen Guangliang and Zhao Tieyi arrived outside the warehouse and heard some frightened sounds inside.

"What's going on?" Chen Guangliang asked as he walked into the warehouse.

When Ren Pengnian saw the big boss coming, he quickly said, "The actress was slightly injured."

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang saw Jiang Meiying covering her face, obviously frightened.

She has been feeling very uncomfortable recently. Before she joined Times Pictures, she didn't know that making a movie was so hard. In fact, it was the movies made for Times Pictures that were hard, because Times Pictures made hard-core and real kung fu movies.

But she is also a very persevering girl. She feels that since she has agreed to the filming, she certainly cannot back out.

"Disinfect first, use alcohol to disinfect, it won't leave scars!" Chen Guangliang gave the order when he saw that no one came forward to help with the disinfection.

"it is good"

After a flurry of activity, disinfection was finally done, but Jiang Meiying gritted her teeth in pain.

Chen Guangliang was watching from the side. He confirmed that the scratches on her face were a bit deep, so he said, "I'm afraid we need to go to the hospital for treatment. Director, how about we stop here today? I'll have the driver take Miss Jiang to the hospital for treatment. After all, it's not good for a girl to have a wound on her face."

Upon hearing this, Ren Pengnian immediately said, "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Chen. It was our fault for not checking the actors' nails!"

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang asked Jiang Meiying to follow him and leave the scene.

(End of this chapter)