Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 295 Li Jiazhi is in charge

Keeping Zheng Yi under house arrest in a hotel under FBI control for a period of time is actually a punishment for Zheng Yi and a control over the vicious gang incidents.

After all, he is not here and cannot personally take action. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has not yet taken root in the United States. As the vice president, Rockefeller is actually not interested in fighting for the rights of ethnic minorities. No matter what Zheng Yi wants to do, there is no one outside to do the work for him, and it will always be much easier for the government to suppress those confused blacks.

To take a step back, even if it is not suppression, even if it is division, enlistment, and bribery, those black people will be at a loss and it will be easier to achieve their goals, and then the FBI's job will naturally be accomplished.

In fact, this was not difficult for Zheng Yi to accept. As he said before, the main purpose of his visit to the United States this time was to try his best to keep the House of Representatives if Dewey really could not be saved in next year's general election.

To ensure that the United States will not follow the evil path of McCarthyism as it did in the past and affect the internationalization of SAARC, let alone be suspected and restricted for no reason just because he is Chinese.

Everything else is just incidental.

Because of the accidental connection with Hoover, he was able to exceed the task and even turned a bad thing into a good thing.

After all, the reason why Zheng Yi was somewhat afraid of McCarthyism in the United States was not only because it pushed the Cold War to a climax and affected his promotion of globalization, but also because he was mainly afraid that the CIA would cause trouble for him in Southeast Asia.

But now that he has been connected with the FBI, the deterrent effect of the CIA and the like on him has been reduced by several orders of magnitude.

Objectively speaking, most of the middle and lower-level CIA personnel during this period were transferred directly from the FBI. After all, it was a newly established agency, and President Du was not a strong leader, at least not to Hoover.

Hoover even dared to investigate him directly and find out his dirty laundry.

Therefore, in any matter where the two have overlapping powers, the CIA will inevitably suffer.

Hoover had no burden at all when it came to selling out the CIA people. Before he even left the hotel, he had already figured out everything the CIA was going to do in Southeast Asia. Even the spies who were sent in knew about it, so it was naturally not so easy for them to cause trouble.

Even further, Zheng Yi will definitely enter the European market in the future. If European cities can also join SAARC and give Hoover a reason to intervene, Hoover will not even mind revealing the CIA's personnel arrangements in Europe to himself.

If I remember correctly, the first thing the CIA did after it was officially established was to cause trouble in Italy.

SAARC has currently chosen Tunisia as its springboard to Europe. Just across the Mediterranean Sea from Tunisia is Venice, Italy.

The Mediterranean Economic Zone is still very meaningful and possible for SAARC to conquer.

Moreover, for Zheng Yi, the CIA was almost completely transparent, at least before Hoover's death, and could not cause any big waves.

For Hoover, SAARC was a good springboard for his struggle for power with the CIA. Originally, what the outside world was like had little to do with the FBI. What was important was to take advantage of the special nature of SAARC and let the FBI reach out.

If Zheng Yi cooperates in the future, it will be very easy for the FBI to check and balance the CIA in areas related to the SAARC. Not only the areas under SAARC's actual control, but as a non-state actor, each city of SAARC can radiate to a large surrounding area, and it may be possible to reach out to the Middle East and even India.

In the future, if the CIA wants to achieve any results in these areas, it is very likely that it will have to ask the FBI to do things according to Hoover's wishes.

Win-win.

What surprised Zheng Yi was that although he was temporarily under house arrest by the FBI, it did not delay his work outside.

new York.

Times Square, October 1947, 10.

Li Jiazhi put on a slim-fitting women's suit, slightly unbuttoned the first button of her shirt, and looked up at her diamond-studded Nissin watch.

"It's twelve o'clock."

Bang, bang, bang, bang, countless fireworks and ribbons were shot into the sky and turned into countless colorful strips. The dragon and lion dance team specially invited from Chinatown jumped up lively to the accompaniment of firecrackers and gongs and drums.

Hongmen Burger is now officially open.

The one in Times Square is considered the head office. Li Jiazhi looked up at the gold-plated hamburger model hanging above the flagship store. The sunlight reflected on the metal bun to form a cross star. She knew that this was just one of the hundred stores in New York, and New York was very likely the first stop of this fast food restaurant in the United States. She couldn't help but take a deep breath and let it out.

This is our first stop in the US. Now that that bastard is gone, I'm the only one left to take his place. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.

One could even faintly see a hint of excitement and eagerness on Li Jiazhi's face.

[In Nanyang, usually Qian Qiwen would do this kind of thing, as if I couldn't do it. Today I want to try and see if I am really capable.]

"Madam, everything is ready, just waiting for you to cut it." Ying Xingjiu handed over the scissors with a smile on his face.

"it is good."

Although the store officially opened at noon, the central kitchen had actually started working as early as yesterday morning. Before dawn, forty Dodge trucks delivered frozen meat patties, bread dough and other semi-finished raw materials to each store.

Li Jiazhi flipped through the Hongmen Burger operation manual and saw that it was written in great detail. She asked, "I know these stores employ a large number of black employees. Can they understand these operation manuals?"

"It's not a problem. Black people in New York are relatively well-educated and have received professional training. There's nothing wrong with that. Plus, some food delivery services require scooters and skateboards, so only black people are suitable for that."

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the flagship store, you can see employees in white uniforms working together like precision gears: meat patties sizzling on the iron plate on the left, a siphon device automatically filling up with cola on the right, and a conveyor belt in the middle delivering packaged meals to be picked up. The whole process is as orderly as a factory, like a precisely designed assembly line.

"I really don't understand that guy. He eats Chinese and French food, but he knows so much about German fast food. The operating procedures he designed are quite impressive."

As she spoke, Li Jiazhi took the scissors from Ying Xingjiu's hand, asked several beautiful female employees to bring the red silk over, and cut the red silk neatly.

Glancing at the guests who came to congratulate him, and listening to Yamamoto Fujiko behind him introducing them to her one by one, Li Jianqiao arrived late after all, and didn't know who Zheng Yi had met in New York.

"That's Mayor William, and that's Governor Dewey. I didn't expect them both to be here. This is a bit troublesome. Don't be fooled by the fact that they seem to be chatting and laughing. In fact, they have a bad relationship. One is a Democrat and the other is a Republican."

"Those over there are Lawrence, the third son of the Rockefeller family, and David, the fourth son. They are both Mr. Zheng's most important business partners. Mr. Zheng... seems to be planning to co-found a bank with Lawrence."

"That woman over there is the spokesperson for our Hongmen Burger. She's... well, her name is Audrey Hepburn, a woman who dances on Broadway."

Li Jiazhi frowned slightly: "Zheng Yi is having an affair with her?"

"Ah, ah... you, what are you..."

"She looked at me with a bit of hostility."

"Ah, yes...yes, it seems like...there is an affair."

"Ah."

Li Jiazhi nodded, indicating that she understood, but she was not willing to argue with such a person.

"Over there are the two young Mr. Morgans, over there is Mr. Dupont, and over there... I don't know who they are."

Li Jianqiao: "It's Mr. Kohler. Uncle has always wanted to chat with Mr. Kohler. Mr. Kohler is here as a guest today, and I think he has the intention of currying favor with us. Unfortunately... Uncle can't come."

Li Jiazhi: "It doesn't matter. It's the same even if I'm here."

After saying that, Li Jiazhi walked towards DuPont with a smile and began to entertain these distinguished guests.

"Mr. Dupont, Mr. William, you two are both very busy with your official duties, yet you have come to our little shop in person to show your support. It is truly an honor and a great relief to us."

Dupont: "Ma'am, we were just passing by and came to take a look. This burger shop is quite innovative, hahahaha."

William: “I heard that your food delivery speed is faster than the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge?”

Li Jiazhi: "It's not a good thing, but it's definitely clean, cheap, and the food comes out quickly. If you two don't mind, I'll get some burgers for you two to try."

"Okay."

So the three of them stood together on the street and started eating burgers.

Li Jiazhi went on to entertain other guests, and the way of entertaining them was the same, eating hamburgers on the street.

These photos have already been taken by reporters. It is estimated that they will generate another wave of popularity and save advertising costs.

"Mr. Dewey, are you satisfied with this fast food restaurant? We're just testing the waters right now, but we've already created over 1000 jobs, especially for Black people. This is just a small test. If business is good, we plan to invest in about more stores in New York."

"Our goal is to enable New York's workers, including white-collar workers, to eat better and healthier food and redefine modern life."

Dewey and William both nodded in satisfaction. The Hongmen Burger was originally created by Zheng Yi to give Dewey an explanation as compensation for using foreign workers. The goal was to solve employment problems and create a public opinion basis for the import of foreign workers.

Now it seems that it was quite an unexpected gain. Even they felt that the hamburgers were delicious. At least they were better than the work meals of most working people, and the price of 15 cents each was really not expensive.

Of course, Zheng Yi did not create an industrial population, but it now seems that Zheng Yi has clearly fallen out with those big unions. For the Republican Party, those big unions that are too large are not worth having votes from.

Zheng Yi even provided a completely new idea: as long as the number of people working in the tertiary industry is large enough, these can all become the Republican Party's voting base, and they can even create conflicts between industrial and commercial workers to win votes.

This is New York anyway.

To be honest, New York really doesn't need so much industry. The place has been becoming increasingly commercialized since before World War II.

As for William, he is now thinking about what would happen if he switched to the Republican Party.

As they were talking, Lawrence suddenly came over and said, "Mr. Zheng is truly a business genius. Next time you have such good business, please be sure to invite us." Li Jiazhi smiled and said, "No need to wait for next time. My husband said before in Arlington that he hopes to have further in-depth cooperation with you. If he hadn't had some problems and was cooperating with the investigation..."

Lawrence: "Madam, don't worry. Mr. Zheng will be fine in at most half a month, and those FBI people won't dare to do anything to him."

Li Jiazhuang nodded. "I know. What I mean is, even though it's not very convenient for him, it's still possible for Mr. Lawrence and I to talk."

"Um... Madam?"

"What, can't it?"

"Oh, of course, of course, it's my pleasure."

The Rockefeller family was naturally aware of the situation in Nanyang and knew that Zheng Yi's relationship with his wife was somewhat complicated. However, as the eldest wife, Li Jiazhi had a very powerful family behind her, so there was no problem for her to make decisions on behalf of Zheng Yi.

It is even possible that it will be better, and it will be a good opportunity for them to penetrate deeper into the Southern Alliance.

"Madam, do you want me to invest money and open more Hongmen burger restaurants? If so, I'm really interested."

Li Jiazhi smiled and said, "Hongmen Burger is a small sample that my husband left for Morgan Stanley to invest in. If Mr. Lawrence is interested, he can join in through Morgan Stanley's investment channels."

"My husband once told me that when it comes to investing, you don't like to invest in mature companies. Instead, you prefer to invest in relatively new companies and support them to grow bigger and stronger."

Lawrence nodded: "Yes."

Li Jiazhi smiled and said, "My husband said that he really admires Mr. Lawrence's spirit and investment strategy. If Mr. Lawrence doesn't mind, our Li family can invest in a joint venture with Mr. Lawrence to establish an investment bank specializing in investing in start-ups."

"Oh?" Lawrence was very interested when he heard that. So far, his venture capital model is still very controversial in the United States. Although he has invested in successful companies such as China Eastern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines at that time was far from being a giant, and it did not have the brilliant record of investing in unicorns such as Intel and Apple in later generations.

In general, although his investment was profitable because of China Eastern Airlines, the investment community generally believes that the risk is too high and the returns do not seem to cover such a large risk.

With so much money, buying stocks of real estate companies, stocks of petrochemical giants, or directly buying and hoarding land and waiting for it to appreciate in value would not seem to be much less than what he earns.

"Madam just mentioned the Li family? Not the Southern Alliance?"

"Mr. Lawrence, don't you know the situation of our Li family? We certainly can't compare with the Rockefeller family, but if we just compare it to you personally, I think we can come up with more money."

"Of course, of course, that's not what I meant. It's my honor to be able to cooperate with the Li family. Is this... really what Mr. Zheng meant?"

"of course."

"Well, we can chat if we have time. What would you like to invest in, ma'am?"

Li Jiazhi: "I heard from my husband that there are two brothers in San Diego, California who also specialize in selling hamburgers and French fries. Their store is called McDonald's, and their food style is very similar to our Hongmen Burger."

Lawrence: "Oh, cool."

After hearing this, Lawrence probably had an idea in his mind. He knew that the format of Hongmen Burger must have been plagiarized, or at least borrowed from McDonald's. Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand why Zheng Yi, a Chinese, had such a deep understanding of this German fast food.

But this is normal. Capital does not require innovation in everything. Vision is the most important thing. Lawrence himself is an absolute supporter of the vision theory. Otherwise, he would not have become the father of venture capital in the world.

"Mr. Lawrence, how about we invest in this McDonald's?"

"what?"

Lawrence was shocked: "You mean, fighting yourself?"

I thought, this couldn’t be some fucking family conflict between you two.

If there are any family conflicts, don't drag me into it. This is a matter between you and your wife.

Li Jiazhi smiled and said, "Mr. Lawrence misunderstood. This is indeed what my husband meant. He wants to compete with himself."

"My husband believes that competition is inevitable. If we don't invest ourselves, sooner or later others will invest in our similar business and compete with us. So, why not get involved right from the start?"

"The best thing about competing with yourself is that no matter who wins or loses, we will all be the real winners, right?"

"Moreover, only through competition can growth be achieved. Conversely, without competition, any enterprise will inevitably become corrupt and degenerate."

"We invest the same amount of money in Hongmen Burger as we do in McDonald's. McDonald's and Hongmen Burger have the same amount of capital, and we work together. With two CEOs, whoever does a better job will get a bigger bonus. It's very reasonable."

Lawrence found it quite interesting, and after thinking about it carefully, he found that it seemed to make some sense.

"I think this is very interesting, ma'am. When you are done, we can discuss it in detail."

"Of course, I'll find you then."

Having said that, Li Jiazhi went to shake hands with someone else.

It's not just the flagship store in Times Square. More than 12 chain stores across the United States opened simultaneously at o'clock. The previous billboards themselves had already whetted the appetite of citizens. This wave of simultaneous openings directly turned Hongmen Burger into a social phenomenon.

Countless people began to line up, especially the housewives, who could not help but stand on tiptoe to look at the frying spatulas flying in the transparent kitchen. The rich aroma spread from the beginning to the end of the street. Whether they were dock workers who had just finished heavy physical work or well-dressed Wall Street employees, they all swallowed their saliva at the sign of "15 cent hamburger".

Even the members of the Steelworkers' Union, knowing clearly that Hongmen Burger employed a large number of black people, explicitly required all union members not to make any purchases at Hongmen Burger, and even considered organizing people to blow up the burger shop.

But in that long queue, there were actually still quite a few union members who were queuing secretly, and when they recognized each other, they would smile at each other.

Especially around Lime, it seemed normal for black people to line up for hamburgers alongside steelworkers.

"Hey, uh... Honestly, I don't understand why we have to fight like this. Uh... Honestly, the steel industry in New York is finished. We just received news that Mr. Rockefeller sold the steel mill. Actually... Hey~, I can sympathize with Mr. Rockefeller. Actually, 20% of Zhang's salary... is already very good."

No one is a fool, and the same goes for these employees of the Steel Workers' Union. In fact, the more front-line workers in the steel mills are, the more they know about the current recession in the steel industry. After the Second World War, there was so much scrap iron on the market that it was hard to pick up. Who would make new iron?

Inflation and rising prices are indeed objective facts, but the price of steel is indeed falling. People have already agreed to give you a 20% salary under such circumstances. What are you still making a fuss about?

Objectively speaking, although the Taft-Hartley Act was the trigger for this strike, the various restrictions of this act itself were actually more targeted at the top management, or at least the middle and top management, of the union.

They were not originally targeting these ordinary workers.

Now, the fight has started and the furnaces in the factory have all been blown up. Mr. Rockefeller has simply run away. Even if they wanted to stop him, they couldn't. Moreover, if you put yourself in his shoes, things have developed to this point. Up to now, the steel public households and the black Hongmen are still fighting. The police can't persuade them, and the prisons are already full and they can't even try all the people.

To put it bluntly, even if people want to start work now, they can't.

So they just closed the factory.

Now that’s all right, forget it.

By this time, many people within the Steelworkers' Union had actually figured it out. It seemed that the black people were not to blame for this incident. It seemed that these workers were being used as cannon fodder by the union's top management.

To put it bluntly, black people just want to go to work and do the same work as them. Besides, all the factories and steel mills are gone now, so why do we still need to keep the Steelworks Union?

Let’s buy hamburgers together.

This thing really doesn't seem to be expensive.

"Hey, how do you think this restaurant makes each burger and fries so quickly? And the quality is so good." The steel worker asked the black guy next to him.

"All the fries are cut in the factory, frozen, and then delivered to each store. They are fried in the same pan. As long as the time is controlled at the same time, the taste will naturally be the same and delicious."

"Oh, so they make frozen French fries in a factory? That's new. I've never heard of that. How did you know?"

"I went for an interview and also participated in training, but unfortunately I failed the assessment and was eliminated."

"Oh, by the way, Hongmen Burger specially hired a lot of black people. Ha, now you have jobs, but we don't."

"If you don't have it, look for it again. I don't have it either."

"Looking for a job? I've worked in a steel mill for over twenty years. I'm the best steel worker there is. I... I don't know anything except steel. There are no steel mills operating in New York anymore. They're all moving away. What else can I do? A dockworker? Oh, I'm already over fifty. I can't do dockwork."

"I should be envious of you. You have so much experience, unlike us, who are illiterate and have no experience at all. If you really have good skills, you can go to Southeast Asia. After all, all these steel mills are moving to Southeast Asia. Maybe you can even become a leader there. Aren't the salaries in Penang much lower than in New York?"

"Hmm? Going to Southeast Asia? Oh, maybe, that's a good idea. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

One is black and the other is white. The two of them seemed quite harmonious when they were chatting. There was no sign at all that they had been fighting or even warring every night recently. Not far away, there were even media reporters who captured the scene of the two of them laughing and took photos.

Whether black or white.

They are just a group of ordinary people who just want to have a better meal at noon.

(End of this chapter)