1928: The rise of giant merchants

Although the major shareholder of Tianjin Tramway Company is a Belgian consortium, the company's office is located in the Italian Concession, which is also the only concession of Italy overseas.

The board of directors of the tram company consists of six people, half of them are foreigners and half are Chinese. In the pre-Qing Dynasty, Chinese directors were all Qing officials. In the Beiyang period and the Nationalist government period, they were appointed by local officials.

The three Chinese directors now are actually appointed by Zhou Longguang.

But these people only have the right to make suggestions. To put it bluntly, they are just beautiful vases placed there. The real power is in the hands of the three foreign directors.

Ye Luo boycotted the Belgians in May and most of June, and took various measures to play a money-burning war with the tram company, which gradually made the tram company a little bit unable to hold on.

These three Chinese directors shamelessly came to the door to seek peace, but after being kicked out, they also completely lost their power in the tram company.

Early in the morning of June 13.

General Manager Fan Benke took a car to Sanma Road in the Italian Concession, but found that the students who came to the march were earlier than him.

The marchers held high banners and slogans, shouting and roaring: "Down with imperialism, resist the tram price increase!"

The huge momentum made him tremble with fear.

Fan Benk had to ask the driver to take a detour and go to the tram company building from the back road. Unexpectedly, after a circle, he found that the outside of the company was covered with feces and smelled everywhere.

This time he couldn't bear it anymore. He cursed and got off the car with his nose pinched. He went straight to the general manager's office when he entered the company, and asked the secretary while running: "Has the European headquarters not replied yet?"

The headquarters of Tianjin City Tram Company is located in Brussels, Europe. Some domestic chaebols and politicians are the real vampires who control the company.

"We have replied to the letter at midnight yesterday. The headquarters asked us to solve this matter within three days, otherwise..." The female secretary lowered her head and dared not say anything.

"Otherwise what?" Fan Benk asked.

The female secretary whispered, "Otherwise I'll fire you."

"Damn it! It's all that damn Lu Beya's fault. He's the consul general, he doesn't have to worry about business matters, he just has to sit in his seat and talk, but the pressure is all on me!"

Fan Benk has been doing business in China for more than ten years, so he knows Ye Luo's financial resources and strength better than most people.

He has never heard of such a business genius who can run a company with a cost of tens of thousands of dollars to a total market value of more than 4 billion dollars in four years!

The most terrifying thing is that the Ye family is not a super wealthy family that has prospered for generations in the Republic of China, nor is it a new powerful family that has risen up through the alternation of regimes and warlord melee like the four major families.

When the Ye family was at its peak, it was just one of the ordinary wealthy families in Shanghai, controlling a bunch of grassroots workers and then following Lu Yongxiang's ass to do things.

When Lu Yongxiang was at his most powerful, he was called the "King of Shanghai", but he was also one level lower than Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan and others, and was considered a big warlord at the end of the first echelon.

Now Ye's Investment has a market value of 4 billion oceans, and there are inestimable overseas industries, which may add up to more than 5 billion oceans of capital.

What is this concept?

The principal spent all his money on the Second Northern Expedition, which established his current position. The total investment was about 300 million oceans.

If Ye's Investment was dismantled to finance the war, it could at least support 10 such national wars!

These people are so crazy that they want to compete with such a god of wealth. Fan Benke is speechless.

Unfortunately, his words are not influential and cannot affect Lu Beya.

"Damn it, I urgently called the European headquarters and said that if I continue to compete with Ye's Investment like this, I am willing to resign on the spot and I will not do this job!"

Fan Benke did not want to wait for the final failure to take the blame himself.

He has made a lot of money in the tram company over the years. Although it is a pity to leave now, it is better than dying with them!

The female secretary did not expect the boss to be so decisive. She was stunned for a moment and immediately ran to the phone room to make a call.

But she did not go out for a while and ran back in a hurry.

This time, the female secretary looked very flustered: "General Manager, no, it's not good! Tianjin City Hall announced today that it will publicly auction the operating rights of some tram sections that our company has stopped operating!"

"What? Are they crazy?" Van Benk was also furious.

Tianjin City Tramway Company started operating in 1906. Although the ownership of the tram sections was in the hands of the Chinese, from the Qing government to the Beiyang government to the National Government, it has actually been controlled by them.

It only belongs to Tianjin City Hall in name.

Now they dare to auction the ownership in person, which means that those who get the operating rights in the auction can also legally open a tram company and compete with them in the tram business!

This makes sense logically, but for so many years, no one would think that Tianjin City Hall dared to do this.

This is equivalent to stealing the Belgians' jobs!

How dare they?

And at this time, it is self-evident who the biggest competitor among the participants is.

Van Benk realized that Ye's Investment did not just want to play a money-burning war with them to force them to lower the ticket price.

His goal, from the beginning, was the entire company!

"Prepare the car, prepare the car, prepare the car! I need to go to Ye's Automobile Company." Fan Benke could no longer sit still. "You, hurry up and inform Lu Beya and Wang Zhulin. They are crazy, crazy, completely crazy. Are they going to go to war with us?"

"Okay, General Manager!" The female secretary ran away in a hurry.

During the process of getting in the car, Van Benk calmed down a little. Thinking back to Ye Luo's attitude at the previous dinner, he decided not to go to him first, but instead went to the French Consulate General in Tianjin.

France and Belgium were military allies, and the French Concession had been collecting tolls from the tram companies.

If anyone can stop Ye Luo now, it is probably the French Consul General.

Van Benk ran all the way to the Consulate General, without even having time to breathe, and went straight to the Consul General's office.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the door opened, people were stunned.

"Mr. Consul General, when Consul General Verdy left last year, I was not able to see him off. It was a pity. I wonder how he and his wife are doing in Paris?" Ye Luo was sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee while chatting with French Consul General Dusselin. Negotiate.

"Ah, Verdi passed away in Paris last year. I heard that his wife is planning to return to China this year." Du Shilan sighed, "Verdi and I were college classmates. He was a very good person. What a pity."

Ye Luo also nodded in agreement. In fact, he knew very well about Fan Erdi's death and Fan Juli's return. Ye Luo's United Joint Venture Bank had their shares.

By saying this, I am trying to improve my relationship with Du Shilan and enhance my relationship.

Van Benk, who broke in, was stunned.

A lot of words that were about to come out of his mouth were stuffed in his throat, and he swallowed them back forcefully.

What is this?

He came here to complain and ask for help, but now the other party is sitting here arrogantly, chatting happily with his backer.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Van Benk, the general manager of the tram company?" Ye Luo looked at him with a smile. (End of chapter)