1850 American Gold Baron

Chapter 201 Feeling proud (5k)

Liang Yao felt a lot more at ease after buying 50% of the shares of the Nicaragua Shipping Company.

With this 50% stake in hand, he no longer has to worry about accidental bottlenecks on this major transportation artery from the East to California.

As for the betting agreement on the post-merger railway company, he was absolutely certain of winning the betting agreement.

The economy of the United States has begun to pick up. Before the Kansas Incident broke out in 1854, the economy of the United States would usher in retaliatory growth. The railway industry was a sunrise industry. The demand for railway transportation during the development of the western region continued unabated.

In such a general environment, if a railway company with a first-mover advantage and control of lucrative railway routes cannot turn a profit in four years, he may as well withdraw from the railway industry as soon as possible.

When the civil war officially breaks out in ten years, a huge war fortune will be made.

James, the president of the Erie Railroad Company, and fish and hunter, members of the board of directors, came to see Liang Yao after meeting Vanderbilt.

James and Fish knew in their hearts that every decision they made now would determine the life or death of the Erie Railroad Company.

If they want the Yili Railway Company to survive, they must obtain Liang Yao's patent authorization, otherwise the final result waiting for the Yili Railway Company will be bankruptcy.

"Gone are the days when it was easy to make money monopolizing the line between New York and the Great Lakes."

On the way to visit Liang Yao, James said very seriously.

"If we want to survive, we must make changes."

"In this severe storm, many railway companies will be ruthlessly eliminated. As long as the Yili Railway is willing to make changes, I believe that with the huge understanding and resources at its disposal, the Yili Railway will not only survive, but also

Continue to grow bigger and stronger.”

Fish agreed with James.

"Liang Yao's performance in California last year was obvious to all, both in the business and in politics.

Although some of Vanderbilt's personal habits are terrible, I have to admit that Vanderbilt has a very good vision, and if Liang Yao can become Vanderbilt's partner, Liang Yao must have something special about him."

"Just put down your dignity and negotiate with Vanderbilt. After all, Vanderbilt is a New Yorker and a white man.

Now you still have to condescend to visit a Western barbarian, a Chinese boy with the same skin color as an Indian savage? I'm going to go to you, our Hunter family can't stand this humiliation!"

Hunter, who was stubborn and had a high self-esteem, left angrily.

Hunter believes that with their energy, they are fully capable of handling this crisis on their own without resorting to external forces or cooperating with outsiders. His views differ from those of James and Fish.

"Hunter is used to living a comfortable life, and he still can't recognize the current situation."

Fish sighed.

"The leader of the Hunter family is so short-sighted and his thinking is still stuck in more than 30 years ago. The influence of the Hunter family in New York will not last long."

"Hunter is more suitable to continue to be a big landowner. The emerging industry of railways is not suitable for Hunter."

James looked at Hunter walking away and said.

"He is better suited to the company of a stubborn man like Backhouse."

After seeing off Thomas and August, Liang Yao met with Fish and James.

Fish has a head of thick black hair that makes him proud, plus a thick beard on his face, a big mouth and thick lips, the whole person looks like a grouper.

Thanks to his distinguished family background and his own abilities, Fish, who was born in 1808, was a leader among the younger generation of New York State aristocrats.

In 1848, Fish, who had just turned 40, became the lieutenant governor of New York State and won the governorship of New York State that year.

Although Fish resigned as governor of New York State at the end of last year, Fish still serves in the House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party and is a representative of the New York State Whig Party.

The two-party system in the United States was relatively mature by 1851, but the two parties at this time were the Whig Party and the Democratic Party.

The Republican Party, as it later became known, was still a small local party.

The period from 1841 to 1853 was the golden age of the Whig Party, since William Henry Harrison, a member of the Whig Party, took office and successfully ran for the ninth president of the United States.

During these 12 years, except for the twelfth president, who was a Democrat, all the other presidents were Whigs.

Fillmore was also a member of the Whig Party.

Like the situation in Congress, the current majority party in New York State, a large voting base, is also the Whig Party, and three consecutive governors have been members of the Whig Party.

"You two, please take a seat."

Liang Yao asked Coney to serve tea and entertain James and Fish.

"Mr. Liang's Pioneer has opened our eyes. Even the British are full of praise for the performance of the Pioneer. The outstanding performance of the Pioneer has made the United States feel proud."

After Fish sat down, he put aside the civilization stick in his hand and said.

"Only high-quality orbits that meet standards can the Pioneer's capabilities be unleashed."

Liang Yao had already guessed the purpose of Fish and James' visit.

It's nothing more than trying to get permission to use Pioneer.

Not all the old aristocrats in New York State are stubborn and stubborn people, at least not the two people in front of him.

But there are still only a few people who keep their minds clear and are willing to keep up with the times.

Liang Yao has been in New York for a few days, but there are very few New York nobles willing to take the initiative to visit Liang Yao.

James and Fish were undoubtedly the two most prominent New York dignitaries who took the initiative to visit him.

"We also carefully observed the new rails used by Mr. Guoliang, and the technical staff of the Yili Railway Company reported to us.

Your new railway track is not only of excellent quality, but also has a longer service life and greater development potential.

The purpose of our visit to you this time is to obtain authorization for the use of the Pioneer and the new railway track."

James said in a very sincere tone.

“It’s time for the Erie Railway’s old tracks from more than 20 years ago to be phased out.”

"As for the patent authorization period and price, we can negotiate, and I think we will come up with a quote that satisfies Mr. Liang," Fish said.

The Erie Railroad Company is currently the largest railroad company in the United States.

Exporting the Pioneer and new rails to the eastern railway companies is not so much about selling the patented technology of the Pioneer and the new rails, but rather exporting industry standards, which belong to Liang Yao's industry standards.

It's not that James and Fish don't understand this, it's that they have no choice.

Yili Railway Company has missed too many opportunities in more than 20 years of inactivity. They currently cannot come up with a corresponding solution and can only turn to Liang Yao for help.

“Can shares of the Erie Railroad Company and authorized rail routes also be discussed?”

Liang Yao squinted his eyes and looked at James and Fish.

General offers cannot attract Liang Yao. Liang Yao currently has abundant cash flow and holds a large amount of hard currency.

The only things the Erie Railroad Company could impress him with were stock shares and authorized railroad routes.

The Yili Railway Company is willing to take the initiative to request cooperation, which is a very positive signal.

"As long as it is within our scope of authority, we can discuss it."

James gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"All locomotives used by the Yili Railway Company in the future must be purchased from the America Group. Correspondingly, the America Group will be responsible for the locomotives sold and provide after-sales maintenance services for ten years. Of course, these services require the Yili Railway Company to spend money to purchase them.

"Liang Yao made his first request.

"Can."

James agreed to this without hesitation.

The technology used by the Pioneer locomotive was too advanced and avant-garde, and the railway company's technical staff had clearly told him that the current level of the Erie Railway Company could not be copied.

He had no choice but to buy it from Liang Yao.

"Twenty percent interest in the Erie Railroad Company, and authorization to transfer the Chicago to Cleveland line."

Liang Yao made his second request.

Compared with the Erie Railway Company's equity, Liang Yao values ​​​​more the authorization of the railway line between Chicago and Cleveland.

Chicago is currently the largest city in Illinois and the city with the greatest development potential in Illinois. Later, Chicago was also the third largest city in the United States.

With the rise of the Great Lakes Industrial Area, Chicago will become the central city of the Great Lakes Industrial Area.

Liang Yao was very optimistic about Chicago's future, so he couldn't let go of this piece of fat.

After the acquisition of the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad Company, rail routes from Baltimore to major cities in Ohio will be opened.

If the Ohio railway line can be connected to Chicago, Illinois, the railway line resources in Liang Yao's hands will be no worse than those of the Erie Railway Company.

The problem is that Liang Yao doesn't have many connections in the states bordering the Great Lakes.

Except for some of Gervin's relatives and friends in Ohio, Liang Yao had no political friends in the other states on the Great Lakes, including Illinois and Indiana, which the Cleveland-Chicago railway line needed to pass through.

To obtain authorization for railway routes, the competition is based on who has a deeper background and greater energy.

States in the United States are beggar-thy-neighbors, and it is very difficult for people from out-of-state to obtain authorization for railway routes in their states.

It is less troublesome and easier to directly obtain authorized railway routes than to apply for authorization from state governments.

James frowned, Liang Yao's appetite was greater than he imagined.

After some discussions with Fish, James said to Liang Yao.

"20% of the shares of Yili Railway Company is beyond my authority. I can only grant you 10% of the shares at most. For this 10% of shares, I still need to fight for it on the board of directors."

James said with an embarrassed look on his face.

"As for the transfer of the railroad line from Chicago to Cleveland, I can agree to it now."

Although the value of Yili Railway Company's shares is shrinking, many shareholders have already thought of selling their shares, but 20% of the shares is simply too much.

James may not be able to convince shareholders to give up so many shares.

Even James himself holds only 11% of the shares of the Erie Railroad Company, while Fish holds 8%.

Neither James nor Fish held a combined 20% stake in the Erie Railroad.

The railroad route from Chicago to Cleveland, given that the authorized railroad routes of Liang Yao's Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company are currently limited to several coastal states, does not have a direct competitive relationship with the routes controlled by the Erie Railroad Company.

After thinking about it, James and Fish agreed happily.

With their connections, it would not be difficult to apply for another rail line between Chicago and Cleveland.

Of course, the reason why James and Fish were so happy was that neither of them knew that Liang Yao had plans to acquire the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad Company.

If they knew about Liang Yao's acquisition plan, they would never agree to Liang Yao's conditions and transfer the railway line between Chicago and Cleveland to Liang Yao, creating a strong competitor for themselves.

James and Fish agreed to transfer the railway line between Chicago and Cleveland, which made Liang Yao ecstatic.

However, he still doesn't want to make too big concessions in terms of shares.

"10% of the shares is far from my expectations. My bottom line is 15%. If it is lower than this ratio, the negotiation between us will stop here." Liang Yao's attitude is very tough.

James and Fish wanted to continue fighting for it, but Liang Yao still insisted and refused to let go, so they had no choice but to agree to Liang Yao's request.

"Okay, after we go back, we will convince the shareholders of the Yili Railway Company to get 15% of the shares for you." The two said.

"I have one more thing to ask for your help." Liang Yao stood up from his seat, "Bank of America wants to open a branch in New York, and opening a branch requires authorization from the local state government. I hope you can help me get it.

Get this permission."

The market in California is limited. If Bank of America is limited to a corner of California, the upper limit will not be high in the future.

If Bank of America wants to grow bigger, it must expand its business to the broader eastern market, and New York is the largest financial market in the United States and the most suitable city for opening branches and expanding business.

"No problem, it's easy."

Fish agreed. With his connections and influence, it was very easy to obtain a bank authorization in New York State.

Ideological issues are not unique to the establishment of the first socialist country in the 20th century.

There were also ideological issues in the 19th century, but the ideological issue in this period was the ideological issue between monarchy and republic.

Americans are proud that their country is a powerful modern republic in the world and believe that this system is advanced and unparalleled.

The republic is the most perfect system among the existing political systems in human society.

In the middle of the 19th century, republicanism was not yet mainstream. There were not many countries that adopted republicanism, and even fewer big and powerful countries.

The monarchy prevalent in most countries in Europe and Asia was the mainstream in the 19th century. Even in France, President Louis Bonaparte declared himself Napoleon III, the French Emperor.

Next year, the president of the Second French Republic will abolish the republic and restore the monarchy, becoming the first emperor of the Second French Empire.

The Polaris was launched from the Simonson Shipyard and towed by tugboats to the pier of the Allaire factory for assembly of two huge engines.

The entire process attracted onlookers and cheers from the American people, who were excited and proud of this behemoth that was about to be launched into the water.

Because this is the pride of the United States, and the level of American shipbuilding has reached a whole new level!

The United States, which was only founded 75 years ago, is now able to independently manufacture large steamships that are comparable to those of Britain and France!

The upcoming completion of the Polaris and the display of the Pioneer have become the hottest topics in the United States.

The prestige of Vanderbilt and Liang Yao, the two super rich Americans, has also increased in the minds of the American people.

In order to cater to public sentiment, the "New York Evening Post" launched America's most popular billionaire voting event at the right time.

In this event, Vanderbilt topped the list, followed closely by Liang Yao, who ranked second.

Liang Yao is not interested in the rankings of the New York Evening Post. This is not because he is number one on the list or because he thinks the list is not authoritative.

On the contrary, he agrees with this list.

Steamships were the largest, most complex, and most expensive industrial products of our era.

If the Polar Star can be successfully tested, the United States will become the third country after the United Kingdom and France to independently manufacture steamships with a displacement of more than 2,500 tons.

All of this is the result of decades of hard work and accumulation in the shipbuilding industry by outstanding American entrepreneurs like Vanderbilt.

For this reason alone, Vanderbilt deserves the title of America's most popular billionaire.

Although Vanderbilt built the Polaris for the purpose of showing off his wealth and comparing with others, objectively, it was also because of his efforts that the American shipbuilding industry slowly caught up with the pace of the British and French.

As a soul from China in the 21st century, Liang Yao can understand the mood of these Americans at this moment.

Everyone has been through this, and in the end they have become what they hated the most at the beginning.

The United States hates the British Empire in the Victorian era not because it hates it, but because it is not the global hegemon that makes the whole world tremble.

Liang Yao held a copy of the New York Herald Tribune in his hand. The comments in this newspaper made him particularly interesting.

The European monarchies are both surprised and panicked by our growing strength, surprised by our progress, but also terrified that these experiences will quietly penetrate into their own countries and be learned by the oppressed people in their own countries.

Polaris and Pioneer will allow them to directly see the superiority of American democratic politics.

"Scientific American" even bluntly said: An ordinary citizen in New York can frustrate the pride of Queen Victoria, Russian Tsar Nicholas and Napoleon III.

Seeing this, Liang Yao smiled knowingly. It turns out that ideological infiltration is also a traditional American art.

It's just that the United States was still too weak at this period, and it was just for its own entertainment. Neither England nor France would take these remarks of the United States seriously.

For ideology to successfully penetrate and export, it requires a country with very strong national power and influence.

Obviously, the current United States cannot meet this standard, and its influence in Central America is not even as good as that of Britain and France.

These inflammatory words can only make the people of this country self-aggrandizement.

The progress of the United States is only compared to their own. When compared horizontally with Britain and France, there is still a big gap between the industrial level and manufacturing level of the United States.

(End of chapter)