America's Road to Wealth

San Gabriel, as a noun, is also the common name of a valley area and city northeast of Los Angeles, namely the San Gabriel Valley and the city of San Gabriel.

In terms of the San Gabriel Valley, it is a very broad area with 30 cities and unincorporated communities covering an area of ​​400 square miles, including Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, etc.

Different from other areas in Los Angeles, this place has been unknowingly "occupied" by Chinese and some Asians in the past ten years.

The "Los Angeles Times" published a special article not long ago, saying that the development of the San Gabriel Chinese business district has overshadowed the style of the "China City" in Los Angeles, and has become a new and larger "China City", which covers Several cities such as San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Alhambra, and Rosa Honey have even extended their tentacles to Temple City, which is farther away.

Let's put it this way, San Gabriel can be simply understood as the "Flushing" of Los Angeles, but the difference is that there are more Chinese in San Gabriel, covering a larger and wider area.

But when Abel came here, he didn't come here to find the most Chinese people.

It's just the people he was looking for, and they just happened to live here before this Fed regular meeting.

San Gabriel Valley, No. 560 West Orange Grove Avenue, Arcadia, in a Spanish-style villa.

Abel met the people he wanted to see, four middle-aged and old white men covering the age range of 40-70.

In the beautiful and comfortable living room of the villa, the lights are very bright, and everything is like daytime.

"Hey, Mr. Mather, Mr. Hannah, Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Eaton... Good evening, everyone. Nice to see you again. Compared to the time in Washington, you look better. "

Leading people into the living room, after a glance, looking at these people, Abel smiled and greeted them proactively.

The expressions of the middle-aged and elderly white men in the living room are not as relaxed and relaxed as Abel's.

The youngest among them, a white man about 40 years old, spoke with a cold face first:

"At this time, Mr. Smith, you came to us in person and said these things to us. Isn't it ironic? You must know that in two days, you want to take away our most valuable and most important things from us. thing."

"It hasn't happened yet. Isn't it? As long as it hasn't happened, then it's nothing." Abel shrugged at them, "If it can be achieved by just thinking about it and not doing it. Then I still want to start a war and become King of the world."

Facing his response, the middle-aged white man muttered: "The madman from Texas..."

At this time, Cooper Eaton of the Eaton family, who seemed to be the oldest among the four white men, said softly:

"Mr. Smith, you know we should already know. After all, this kind of thing can't be hidden from people, and many people are willing to tell us. So now I am curious, why did you come to us in person in this case. You must know that we But very angry, even though here in Los Angeles may be one of your turf, but we are still very angry."

"Mr. Eaton, you are right, but I want you to listen to me first, and then decide how you treat me?"

After Abel finished speaking, before these people could speak again, he read some of the company's financial report data by himself.

"Amco Steel Company, the 53rd largest steel company in the world in 2002, produced 5.88 million tons in 2002, reported revenue of US$15.55 billion that year, and net profit attributable to the parent company of US$1.856 billion."

"Lex-Youngston steel plate steel pipe company, the output in 2002 was 6.35 million tons, the revenue of that year was about 17.5 billion U.S. dollars, and the net profit attributable to the mother was 356 million U.S. dollars. Ha, its investment in the Maoxiberia region has fallen sharply A fall that dragged down the net profit."

"National Iron and Steel Company, the third largest steel company in the United States, had an annual output of only 10.11 million tons last year, an annual revenue of just 20 billion U.S. dollars, and a net profit of 1.95 billion U.S. dollars attributable to the parent company. It is your most profitable steel company company."

"There is also a Republic Steel Company. Its annual revenue last year was terrible. I won't talk about the specific data."

"The only one of yours that is not bad is the Goodyear Tire Company. It is the world's largest tire company, with an operating income of US$23.3 billion in 2002 and a net profit attributable to the parent company of "as high as" US$2.5 billion."

When talking about "Gundam", Abel obviously emphasized his tone, as if he was afraid that these people would not understand that he was actually mocking.

"Unfortunately, including Firestone Tire \u0026 Rubber Company, which is not bad, Goodyear Tires and Firestone, you only have a part of their control. Even Armcor Steel and National Steel companies, you all share with everyone else, too."

"My think tank did the math for you, including the companies mentioned above. You guys made a total of about US$9.869 billion last year! Tsk tsk, that's really good. They all exceeded Microsoft's net profit attributable to the parent company by more than US$2 billion last year. Already!"

Abel's long speech obviously made the faces of these Cleveland people in the living room very ugly.

Yes, the data Abel read just now is the net profit and revenue of several important companies under the Cleveland Consortium, one of the most famous American conglomerates, for the whole of last year.

These income and data, because they are all listed companies, must be announced to the public.

It is not very difficult to organize and collect these data.

But when these data are presented and placed in front of the dialogue between the lord of the chaebol and the lord of the chaebol, they inevitably make these people in the Cleveland consortium feel ashamed.

Earning 9.8 billion US dollars a year does not seem to be a small amount. But... this is the net profit of a consortium for a whole year!

What's even more outrageous is that for a technology company like Microsoft, after the Internet bubble burst, its revenue last year was 28.5 billion U.S. dollars, and its profit was as high as 7.837 billion U.S. dollars...

7.837 billion US dollars, which means that the annual profit of a Microsoft company is only about 2 billion US dollars less than the annual net profit of the Cleveland consortium.

Of course, the influence of the two parties is still different. Microsoft is a software company, and the total number of employees in the entire company is currently about 48,000.

The Cleveland Consortium is only one of the four steel companies under its name, and the smallest one has more employees than Microsoft.

Naturally, the two sides are completely different in terms of influence and control over the region.

But, the Cleveland consortium does earn very little, and it can be said that it is pitifully small among the few consortia.

"What do you want to express, Mr. Smith? Or do you think we are weak and have to hand over what we have to you? Is that what you mean?" At this time, another of the four people, the Hannah family Box Hannah spoke.

"In our country, even on our planet, being weak is a sin. Just like the Indians who once lived in our land, because they were weak, their land was usurped by our ancestors. "

Abel's tone was somewhat condescending, and he looked at the four people in front of him: "If you are really strong enough, then the 38% shares of Guomin Iron and Steel Company will not be owned by Mellon Bank. And Amco Steel Company, neither It will be owned by Mellon, Rockefeller and you. Not to mention Firestone Tire \u0026 Rubber Company, which has been acquired by Bridgestone, and you only have 20% of the shares, or Goodyear Tire Company.”

"Enough!" Eaton, the oldest among the four, couldn't help saying loudly:

"Mr. Smith, you come here. If you imagine us saying these things, then you can leave after you finish speaking. The Cleveland consortium may not make money, or it may be relatively weak. But we are not afraid of anyone! Whether you are Rockefeller or Morgan or Mellon, or you Smith, we are not afraid of any kind of battle!"

"Of course!" Abel also raised his voice, refusing to budge an inch. It looked like he was arguing and scolding Cooper Eaton, but what he said later surprised the people of Cleveland.

"...No. Of course I didn't come to talk to you about this, I came to offer you an olive branch—well, that's not quite right. It should be said that I came here, like Noah, who invited all creatures in the world to ascend As if taking refuge on Noah's Ark, I invite you to board the powerful and invincible warship called the United Consortium!"

"The difference is that Noah's Ark can only take refuge. But the Battleship Smith can make you more brilliant. The similarity between the two sides is that the number of places is limited, and the number of people who can board the ship will not be too many."

"Eh..." Cooper Eaton, who was originally imposing and looked like a warrior who was not afraid of fighting, was startled, looked at Abel for a moment, and then said uncertainly: "Eh, what are you talking about? Mr. Smith, your meaning is?"

"My meaning is very clear." Abel spread his hands to several other Cleveland people who were also shocked by what he just said, "I want to invite you to join the United Texas Consortium, just like Richardson and Parker Lang them the same."

After finishing speaking, he didn't wait for the other people who opened their mouths to speak first, and continued to add:

"In addition, I would like to disclose a piece of data to you. As of May this year, Smith Capital has earned a total of about 39.4 billion US dollars in profits for the joint consortium. Well... it is exactly 4 times your last year, and this year is still left 7 months. I think by then, this figure should reach more than 80 billion U.S. dollars. At that time, it was about 9 times that of Cleveland last year. And what I want to say is that other companies in the consortium will also make money."

"How much? How much did you just say?"

"39.4 billion in half a year? No, five months?!"

"Fakxet! As I said a long time ago, finance is the most profitable! Steel and rubber, no matter how good they are!"

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, you Wall Street guys!"

"..."

After hearing the profit data of Smith Capital, people in Cleveland obviously reacted greatly, but no one doubted Abel's data.

The reason is very simple. The statistics of Smith Capital itself in the past few years have always been superior to those in the same industry around the world.

Its financial reports and annual reports are clearly available and have always been released to the public.

Of course, the people of Cleveland can also see it. Compared with the data of previous years, they naturally believed more than half of what Abel said.

Seeing them reacting greatly, Abel shrugged, looked at David and Allen next to him, and gestured with his eyes.

The second generals, Smith and Ha, stepped forward skillfully with their elite looks, and took out several documents from the document bags they carried with them. Mather, Hannah, Humphrey, and Eaton each got a copy.

Abel spoke softly from behind: "Everyone, let's see what the conditions are first? I believe you will not be disappointed, because I have always been generous in this regard. That's why I have so many friends, and that's why I can be here New York and California, got so many people to like me. I'm sure after seeing these things, Ohio should be happy to be my friend too."

Mather, Hannah, Humphrey, and Eaton did not reply. They silently took the documents handed over by David and Allen, and silently checked them one by one.

Abel didn't bother, and found a place to sit in the living room on his own, and looked at the layout around the living room.

The large and beautiful living room is filled with luxurious European-style furniture, and two bronze sculptures of biblical angels are placed at both ends of the exquisite fabric sofa.

There are some oil paintings hanging on the walls around. As a professional art student, Abel, who is extremely talented, can see that these are some valuable authentic works.

Anyway, the Cleveland Consortium has a history of 100 years, so it still has some foundations.

The luxurious crystal chandeliers are all golden in European court style, but they don't look vulgar and rich. Perhaps this is also a classic decoration that will not change due to the changing times.

After he was bored watching the decoration of a random house here in California by the Cleveland Foundation, those people also roughly read the conditions that Abel gave them.

Compared with Abel's angry appearance when he first arrived, the attitudes of Mather, Hannah, Humphrey, and Eaton are obviously much calmer now, (all thinking.

A few minutes had passed, and this time Abel didn't wait any longer.

He smiled and said: "How? Everyone, believe that I am not a harsh person, right? I will tell you another news, that is...except for you, I gave DuPont the same conditions. Because I think that to some extent , Cleveland, like DuPont, is suffering from outsiders. I can't see this, so I want to help you."

Hearing what he said, Cooper Eaton opened his mouth and couldn't help but want to refute, [You can't see others invading us, so why don't you just do it yourself? 】

But when the words came to his lips, he didn't say anything after all, but turned into another sentence, "We need to think about it, after all, it's not just about the four of us. Cleveland is made up of many, many people. "

Abel understands this, just like other consortiums. After so many years of development, the Cleveland Consortium has long been deeply intertwined, and the number of related families and stakeholders is unknown.

The four families of Mather, Hanna, Humphrey, and Eaton are just the largest four giants of the Cleveland consortium, the four representatives of their consortium.

If it really involves life and death, or a particularly important moment and decision, you really need to discuss it with most people.

After Cooper spoke like this, the other three also nodded and looked at Abel with complicated expressions.

Obviously, Abel's proposal and slightly looser conditions are indeed very attractive to the Cleveland consortium that has gone through decades of embarrassment.

Since the 1960s, due to the regional restrictions of the consortium, the strength of the Cleveland consortium has been declining.

Their financial capital is weak. Although they have five financial institutions including the Cleveland Trust Company, their strength is limited, and they have always had to rely on the eastern consortium for financing, especially the financial institutions of Morgan, Rockefeller, Mellon and other consortiums.

It is somewhat similar to the original Texas consortium, the difference is only because the Texas consortium has too much control over Texas, and Texas's own resources and talents far exceed those of other states outside California. This gave the people of the Texas consortium a lot of confidence.

Coupled with the rebellious genes of the Lone Star State, this has prevented the Texas consortium from being attacked by outsiders because of its poor financial strength, like the Cleveland consortium and the DuPont consortium, leading to unstoppable weakening.

"Huh... alright. It seems that the matter has been resolved for the time being." Abel shrugged with a smile, and stood up from the big American sofa he was sitting on. "In this case, it's getting late. Then I'll go first .”

Mather, Hannah, Humphrey, Eaton and others did not stay, but it was different from the black faces of the whole audience when Abel came.

The four giants of the Cleveland consortium all stood up at the same time, then silently sent Abel out, and watched his team leave.

Then the four returned to the living room in a strange atmosphere.

After a long time, Yorksh of the Humphrey family spoke softly, and the old man's voice was slightly hoarse:

"What do you think, do you want to promise the Texans?"

The middle-aged man who was the first to speak to Abel just now, the new head of the Mather family, immediately replied: "If you agree! We are likely to lose our autonomy very soon. That is the same as losing Firestone, Goodyear , Armco Steel is no different!"

Mather's words silenced everyone for a while.

At this moment, someone suddenly walked in quickly from the outside and whispered a few words beside Cooper Eaton.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Cooper, who had a surprised expression on his face, said directly and softly, "John Chris Morgan and David Rockefeller are here."

"ha!"

Hearing what the old man said, Box Hannah laughed angrily.

"It seems that everyone regards us as fat meat. Everyone wants to take a bite of us! First Smith, then Morgan and the others!"

At this time, Humphrey said leisurely: "So in fact, what Smith said just now is not wrong. In this world, weakness is the original sin. Our ancestors could snatch America from the Yin Indians. Of course, other people can also win We take what's ours from our hands. This has been the case in the past, and it will be no different in the future."

His words silenced the remaining three.

Survival of the fittest, this natural rule, is also in effect even if it is placed among financial groups.

Weak consortiums are inherently more attractive to large consortia than independent companies.

Naturally, it is easy to attract the coveted eyes of those powerful financial groups.

Don't talk about the consortium.

Even if it rises to the country, the survival of the fittest is also an iron law.

To fall behind is to be beaten, and to be weak is the original sin. On this planet, that's the rule.

It is even possible to put it outside the earth, and it is the same situation in the vast universe.

Faced with this situation, even if you want to avoid it, it is useless.