1928: The rise of giant merchants

Huo Mansion.

Huo Tianhong, Lu Yusheng, and Zhang Wanlin were talking while cutting steaks.

"Second brother, how much money have you lost this year?" Huo Tianhong picked up a piece of beef that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. He put it into his mouth and chewed it carefully. After eating, he didn't forget to wipe his mouth with the napkin in front of his neck. .

In fact, he is not used to this way of eating, but if he wants to deal with foreigners, he must learn these messy Western table manners. It just so happens that Yongxing Company has cooperated with many foreign companies this year, so he can only follow Lu Yusheng and work with various companies. kind of foreign communication.

Hearing these words, Zhang Wanlin, who was still eating steak, froze slightly. He waited for a long time before saying sadly: "Almost three million oceans."

"Then the real loss must be more than five million." Huo Tianhong looked at him silently, his face was calm, but there seemed to be a murderous look on his face.

Zhang Wanlin shrank his neck in fright and nodded in admission.

Huo Tianhong looked at Lu Yusheng again.

Lu Yusheng put down his knife and fork and sighed: "Brother, I lost almost 10 million yuan."

"Hiss——" Zhang Wanlin couldn't help but take a breath of air.

Although he had long known that Paramount had caused Lu Yusheng to almost go bankrupt, he was still extremely shocked to hear him say this figure in person.

"Smoking, real estate, casinos, brothels, racetracks, and membership fees paid by Chinese businessmen, these six are the biggest businesses of our Yongxing company. This year we are making more money than in previous years. After deducting it for the foreigners in Jinling, The money, so far, has earned us almost 10 million yuan."

Huo Tianhong took a sip of red wine and forked another piece of steak.

"But this year, in order to support the Second Northern Expedition, to run for the position of Chinese director of the French Concession Public Board, as well as the various management fees needed by Zhang Dingyao after Lu Yongxiang left, plus bits and pieces of assistance fees, etc., I have here Just spend nearly 6 million oceans."

In other words, the three brothers have lost a total of more than 10 million oceans so far!

This is no small sum of money.

If the three of them hadn't come from a wealthy family and had plenty of liquidity, perhaps these successive business failures would have been enough to make them fall into the dust.

The three brothers were silent again.

After a while, Huo Tianhong looked at Zhang Wanlin and asked in a low voice: "How's the cigarette business going between you and that ghost guy?"

"It's great!" Zhang Wanlin immediately became excited when he mentioned his old profession. He put down his knife and fork and laughed, "Brother, you also know that the ghost guy's father started his career in the cigarette business. They My family has large tobacco business in India, Africa and the Americas, but due to the reputation of the customs and Jinling, I have not been able to expand the business. Now with the help of our Qinggang, their family's best quality tobacco can be I entered Shanghai Beach smoothly, and I have wiped out all the other colleagues a while ago. Hehe, our family is the only one in this thing!"

"Well, you have to remember to give more benefits to the Eight-Party Party Party. Shen Qingshan only recognizes money and not people. If you don't give him enough money, if he swallows the goods, it will be troublesome." Huo Tianhong said slightly. Nodding, he added, "By the way, you also wiped out Ye Chen's new labor union?"

"Of course! Why are you still keeping that trash? He got so many people and goods from Ye Luo Xiaochi, but he didn't accomplish anything. He was taken care of by the independent group last time, and he has no use for it. It’s valuable.”

Zhang Wanlin spread his hands and said with a smile,

"He doesn't understand what it means to be a hero if he knows the current affairs. If he comes to work for us like Yu Likui, I can still accept him as a small hall leader. But it's a pity that this waste only wants to go it alone and become a tycoon. Then We can only wipe him out."

"Second brother, if you cut the grass without removing the root, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows." Lu Yusheng suddenly said something.

Zhang Wanlin glanced at him dissatisfied: "Third brother, it's not that the second brother is talking about you. A scholar like you doesn't know all the details in this kind of black job. No matter how useless Ye Chen is, he still has some reputation, so you can do whatever you want. I just beat him to death casually, and if my friends on the road find out, what will they think of me?"

"I" Lu Yusheng has no morality or credibility in his eyes. He is a pure businessman and a refined egoist.

In his opinion, Ye Chen had worked for Ye Yuqiao for more than ten years after all, and if he was left alive without killing him, it would be very troublesome if he was defeated and turned to Ye Luo.

However, since the end of Paramount, his image in front of Huo Tianhong and Zhang Wanlin has been greatly reduced, and he can no longer point fingers at Zhang Wanlin, his second brother, as before.

"Okay, Third Brother, please don't worry about this matter." Huo Tianhong interrupted him, "If we can completely capture the whole cigarette business in Shanghai, these losses will be nothing. Ye Luo will make money again, Is there any business more profitable than smoking?”

"Brother is right!" Zhang Wanlin took a bite of the steak and smiled while chewing, "No matter how many bells and whistles he has, in less than two months of working with Gui Lao, the new cigarette business has already made a small profit of five million. Dayang, what could be more profitable than this?"

After hearing this profit and benefit, Huo Tianhong's face finally improved.

Lu Yusheng, who was silent all the time, his eyes flickered, and he didn't know what he was thinking. After a while, he also raised his glass and said with a smile: "Brother is right, I was too conceited before, I will punish myself with a drink."

"Haha, why are my brothers talking about this? It's just that the little red guy is coming to collect debts in a while, and you have to deal with it, the third brother." Zhang Wanlin didn't pick up any pot, and poked Lu Yusheng's sore spot.

A few days ago, Lu Yusheng published an apology in the newspaper and lost all face. He also held a banquet for three days and three nights at the Licha Hotel, but Ye Luo didn't come even once, clearly showing his power over him.

After finally waiting for the matter to subside, Zhang Wanlin "accidentally" mentioned it every time.

Lu Yusheng's eyes looked at him calmer and calmer.

"Well, the matter of Paramount, please hand it over completely to Ye Luo later, third brother, and we will ignore this muddy water." Huo Tianhong finished the last bite and ended the small meeting between brothers, "Also, , sort out all the bits and pieces of small businesses you have that don’t make much money and give them to me, and I’ll make other plans.”

"Yes, brother." The two responded in unison.

Those small businesses did not bring in money, but they consumed a lot of manpower and material resources. The two of them had long wanted to get rid of them. Now that Huo Tianhong came to clean up the mess, they were naturally happy to take over.

After finishing the Western meal, Huo Tianhong called Lu Lanchun to go back to the room to do some exercise.

For some reason, he felt more and more recently that Lu Lanchun was being perfunctory to him. Thinking of this, Huo Tianhong secretly took out a box of Dragon-Tiger Pills from his pocket, opened it, and poured dozens of pills in.

It seems that there is a sense of regaining its glory.

"This little red guy's stuff is not bad." He thought as he walked into the bedroom with a big belly.

The doorbell rings.

Zhang Wanlin smiled at Lu Yusheng again, wiped his mouth, stood up and patted his shoulder: "Third brother, I won't accompany you anymore."

As soon as he left, Ye Luo and Xiao Aqiao entered Huo Mansion and came to the hall.

"Hey, Boss Lu, are you eating steak?" Ye Luo looked at him with a smile, "He is indeed one of the most famous tycoons in Shanghai. He lost 10 million yuan, but he can still have the leisure to eat steak. Baby, let me tell you. Ah, if it were me, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to eat."