Feast of villains

Chapter 89 89. Social problems reflected in the decline of the Li family

Author: Yuyu Kuaidong

Chapter 89 89. Social problems reflected in the decline of the Li family

The location is by the window, and right outside the window is the skating rink.

Du Xiuxian was ordering food, and Nance was looking out the window as the adjutant lady spun and jumped gracefully on the ice.

From time to time, skaters would catch up with her and want to talk to her, but she would pay no attention to them. She would only occasionally return to Sister Lena and gently pull her mother to skate with her, and in the process she even tried to get rid of her.

The scarf around mom's neck.

Fortunately, Lena's mother is not hopelessly stupid and is determined not to expose the secret on her neck.

"What would you like to drink? Would you like some wine?" Du Xiuxian raised his head and asked.

Nance nodded: "Okay."

"Is there any fresh seafood?" Du Xiuxian asked the waiter.

The waiter replied: "There are fresh oysters and flounder."

“Are oysters good?

"It's a high-end product made from purified Marne River water."

"Then, let's have some oysters too." Du Xiuxian pointed at the menu, "Then halibut with thick soy sauce, roast beef; fresh vegetable soup salad, you can help us choose some desserts, and the fruits must be freshly cut, not canned...

…”

"Okay, sir."

"Go ahead." Du Xiuxian handed the menu to the waiter, "Bring our wine and oysters together first."

"Please wait."

The waiter ran to the kitchen with his tailcoat fluttering, and returned in less than five minutes with a dining cart, which contained a large pile of shucked oysters and a bottle of reddish-brown wine.

He respectfully removed the cork from the wine bottle and poured it into the guest's glass.

"Director Adel, you're welcome, let's start eating. The oysters from the Marne River can be called the queen of oysters." Du Xiuxian rubbed the napkin, stuffed the corner of it into his vest, and then used a silver fork to remove the oysters from the

Peel it out of the shell and swallow it whole.

The Marne is a tributary of the Seine.

Hundreds of years ago, it was also the origin of the famous Ginado oysters.

Nance followed his lead and ate one.

The oysters are really fresh, as if they were just fished from the seabed, with the smell of the sea that they depend on for survival.

The waiter poured the wine into the exquisite wine glass, glanced at the two guests respectively, showed an obviously business-like smile, straightened his white tie, and said: "I will help the guests to order other dishes."

After the attendant left, Du Xiuxian picked up the wine glass and drank a drink with Nance.

Putting down the wine glass, he shucked the oysters from the shell with a fork and said, "Originally, I didn't plan to see you so soon, but last night I was really surprised that the eldest lady of the Sasse family would actually meet you.

You go to the dance together."

"How big is the impact?" Nance wiped the oyster juice from his mouth with a napkin.

"A lot of people have a headache, including the royal family." As he spoke, Du Xiuxian poked his head with his fingertips, "I don't know whether to praise you for being charming or scold you for being reckless."

Nance turned his gaze out of the window and looked at the pair of blond beauties on the skating rink.

"Do you have any problem with this?" he asked.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no objection." Du Xiuxian laughed cheerfully. After seeing Nance turn his eyes back, he said softly: "I came to New Yokohama and I have three things to do, one of which is related to your first

The ninth lesson has something to do with it and I need your help."

"Please say."

Nance smiled slightly.

"Before I say this, I want to show you some information first." Du Xiuxian picked up a tablet-like screen from the chair next to him and handed it over from across the table. "After reading it, maybe you will know what I want to say."

Things can be viewed from multiple perspectives.”

Nance took the screen and looked at it.

This is a comprehensive research report on California's Gross National Product in the New Era 268.

Data listed in the report show that last year California's gross national product was 368.1 billion pounds, and its per capita GDP was just 10,000 pounds. Both in total and per capita, it topped any provincial economy in the world, even if it were counted as a country.

It has squeezed into the fifth position in the world. The total GDP is 368.1 billion pounds, of which the tertiary industry accounts for 85%, the secondary industry 11%, and the primary industry only 4%.

The data is very beautiful!

However, the core of the report points to the issue of California's dying secondary industry. It bluntly states that the manufacturing output is sluggish and cannot provide enough jobs, resulting in Californians having low incomes and generally unable to obtain stable job opportunities. In addition to employment issues, the report

He also criticized social contradictions such as the exaggerated gap between rich and poor, unaffordable housing prices, and the difficulty for young people in obtaining opportunities for upward mobility.

At the end of the report, the gun was directly pointed at California's highly developed financial industry.

In a sharp paragraph, he criticized this vampire industry that "accounts for 40% of the gross national product but only creates 12% of jobs" and bluntly stated that California's future will be destroyed in the hands of the financial industry.

The more Nance looked at it, the more familiar it became.

High housing prices, the gap between the rich and the poor, and few avenues for advancement are social problems that will be difficult to solve after hundreds of years...

While he was reading the report, the food was served, and Du Xiuxian said to him slowly while eating: "More than a hundred years ago, California was a truly prosperous place, and half of the workers in California at that time were workers.

But now, finance, shipping, trade logistics, service industry, etc. are the main industries, and only one worker can be found for every ten people. The financial industry makes the most money, and everyone wants to squeeze in and get a piece of the pie..."

Nance put down the screen and took a sip of wine.

"The development of science and technology and economy has failed to bring sustained real prosperity to California, but has made people's living standards lower and lower." Du Xiuxian sighed slightly and continued: "The financial industry has an amazing ability to create wealth, but only a few

The elites have enjoyed wealth. Ordinary people are either engaged in low-end service industries, running boats and mooring away, or are unemployed..."

"Why is the physical manufacturing industry running out of money?" Nance asked.

"Oh, it's very complicated..." Du Xiuxian smiled and looked at him, "Do you know the paradox of capital accumulation?"

"The growth of capital mainly increases the rate of labor exploitation by suppressing the overall growth of wages related to productivity. Exploitation for the growth of capital will eventually restrict the expansion of capital itself. This is the 'accumulation paradox'."

"You really understand, aren't you a Fa student?"

"...I saw it while reading a book."

"I'm still a person who likes to read, haha." Du Xiuxian held the wine glass and squinted his eyes slightly as if he wanted to test him, "I'm a fool and know nothing about economics. Could you please give me the simplest words, Section Chief Adel?"

How about I explain it and accumulate the paradoxes?"

The mouth of a capitalist is a liar.

Nance ate an oyster that probably cost a few pounds, drank a bottle of wine that cost more than fifty pounds, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said slowly: "Suppose a capital economy is engaged in production activities.

The total annual output value is unit 1. Capital needs to accumulate and expand, and the wages received by workers must be less than the total output value. If the total wages of workers are 0.7, then the remaining production value of 0.3 will become the funds for capital expansion."

"Well, this is easy to understand." Du Xiuxian smiled and sipped the wine.

"Capital uses this 0.3 output value to invest in production equipment or production technology. More advanced production equipment and technology means larger-scale production activities and more jobs. Therefore, in the early value-added and expansion of capital, it can provide

Society brings a steady stream of development momentum.”

"That sounds perfect." Du Xiuxian agreed like an old fox.

Nance internally complained about his shameless behavior of pretending to be stupid, while explaining: "But in this process, a huge loophole will be created."

"oh?"

Du Xiuxian's face was full of surprise.

"The total value of the product is equal to 1, but the money received by the workers is only 0.7. Even if all 0.7 is used for consumption, it is impossible to consume all the products, and there will inevitably be overcapacity."

"Extra products or excess productivity is indeed a big problem. California also encountered it shortly after the founding of the Empire." Du Xiuxian crossed his fingers on the table and whispered: "But at that time, California was still the most competitive and vital.

During the period, different manufacturers reduced the selling prices of goods through price competition, which made up for the overcapacity to a certain extent... But that is not a long-term solution after all, does Section Chief Adel know why?"

Nance glanced at the report on the screen, then thought about the most well-known oligarchs in California, and replied: "With the expansion of capital, the originally loose funds began to come together to form a capital oligarch. Controlling various

The capital oligarchs who are the lifeblood of the economy seek to collude for common interests, price competition is prohibited, and the loopholes of overcapacity begin to emerge.”

"What will overcapacity bring?" Du Xiuxian asked with a smile.

Look at his innocent expression, as if he has forgotten that he is a capitalist oligarch.

"Do you still remember the 0.3 I just mentioned?"

"Remember."

"With the advancement of science and technology, the means of production can bring more and more productivity, and overproduction will accumulate over time. At this time, investing in the means of production can no longer bring greater returns. Originally used for

The 0.3 that continues to be invested in the means of production becomes idle, changing from one 0.3 to countless 0.3. When funds no longer flow, the economy will be in a sluggish state, and growth will stagnate or even become negative. At this time, if there is no major technological innovation or war stimulation, the depressed economy will

The situation will continue..."

The more Nansi said, the tighter his brows became.

He thought of the Great Depression in the United States more than five hundred years ago.

——Overproduction, insufficient demand, and idle productivity lead to massive unemployment.

But in the world at that time, World War II indirectly stimulated the continued sluggish global economy, followed by the rise of the third industrial revolution, which in the following decades brought a steady stream of power to the world's economic growth.

What now?

The current social situation seems to be similar to that of the 21st century.

A model has reached its end, and there has been no creative technological innovation, resulting in an increasingly sluggish economic environment and increasingly prominent social conflicts.

The dinner table suddenly fell silent. Du Xiuxian bit his pipe and smoked for a while, returning to his appearance as a capitalist oligarch.

"After a relatively long period of economic downturn in California, the funds originally used to invest in the means of production, after being idle for a period of time, entered the financial market to seek new ways of adding value."

After hearing what he said, Nance smiled helplessly: "The problem is even bigger now."

"Compared with the funds that entered the physical manufacturing industry, the funds that entered the financial market neither brought new means of production nor created a large number of jobs. Not only did they not provide impetus for social development, but they also occupied the resources that should have entered the entity.

The investment share of the industry." Du Xiuxian said while smoking a cigarette.

Nance nodded silently.

Unlike physical capital that can create actual production value, the so-called value-added of financial capital is just a process of transferring the surplus value of production from small capital to large capital. During this period, there is no new production activity, and it also leads to another large capital.

Problem: By obtaining high profits through speculation in the financial market, financial capital becomes more and more powerful, and in the end it can dominate the entire real industry with its abundant funds.

But what does this have to do with his precarious position as a small section chief?

If he had time to talk about this, he might as well go and do some pair figure skating with the adjutant lady.

"Mr. Du, are you here just to talk to me about economics?" Nance picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth and looked like he was ready to leave.

"Young people today are really impatient." Du Xiuxian puffed out his smoke and put his pipe aside. "If you pick up the information and open the next document, that's why I'm looking for you."

Nance picked up the screen again.

The second document attracted his interest. It was the whole process of the rise and decline of Li Qinglian's family.

The Li family's company is a large-scale seed company, dedicated to the research of improved grain varieties. In the world at this time, due to frequent global natural disasters and serious land nutrient loss, most of the past varieties cannot survive.

For a long time after the Chaos Era, the biggest challenge faced by mankind was food shortage.

With an improved sweet potato that could adapt to the magic-ravaged land, Lee's company began to rise in the 56th year of the New Era. Since then, it has rapidly expanded its scale and successively launched improved rice, corn, cabbage and other products related to people's livelihood.

Improved fruits and vegetables, and gradually expanded the research field to livestock products.

Two hundred years later, the food shortage situation has been greatly improved.

However, such a century-old enterprise that had benefited the country and the people and was flourishing collapsed in just five years from New Era 260 to New Era 265.

——The main culprit is the financial industry.

During that period, Li's company was conducting research in multiple directions at the same time, resulting in a shortage of operating funds. Li Qinglian's father, Li Ting, had to go to major banks to seek loans.

However, the bank managers who originally treated him as a guest turned him away.

Li Ting didn't understand, but there was nothing he could do.

The company had to continue operating, so he thought about listing the company to raise funds, but was rejected by the New Yokohama Exchange for various reasons. It was too late to list the company on other exchanges. In the end, he found a company

Under the advice of investment institutions, part of the company's assets were sold and the money was invested in the stock market.

The financial industry, which was originally supposed to serve entities, has instead hijacked the real industry.

Forced by the coercion and inducement of the financial market, the real industry can only seek changes and begin to invest more funds in the financial industry.

Li's company officially took over.

In the New Yokohama stock market, there is a very hidden "old stock".

Generally speaking, normal stocks are speculated to attract investment, while scammer stocks are waiting for a fool to take advantage, and then the big dealers start selling the stocks regardless of the cost. This kind of scammer stocks never pay dividends. Is the performance good?

It's important, as long as the stock price keeps falling anyway.

Li Ting bought this kind of old stock.

As the stock price fell, he was constantly tricked by the manager into taking over the offer. In the process of taking over the offer... the major shareholder of Lao Qiangu initiated the process of issuing additional shares to persons acting in concert.

Additional stock issuance is not so easy to initiate in other places, but New Yokohama is a very free market...the major shareholders have absolute say, and can issue additional shares as long as they issue an official letter.

The entire issuance process can be completed quietly within a few days.

Li Ting, who was immersed in research, didn't know the opportunistic ways of the financial market. He watched helplessly as major shareholders used the money from selling stocks to re-own the additional shares at a lower price through the additional issuance process, and then started a new round of selling. The stock price

fell again.

Li Ting's equity was diluted.

The stock price kept falling. In order to get out of the trap, he continued to sell off the company's assets and continue to add positions on the advice of his manager... This process lasted for more than three years. Under the calculations of a circle of financial bosses, he owned

The Lee Company, which has a history of two hundred years and has a good reputation, was unsurprisingly unable to maintain operations. The remaining assets were constantly misappropriated, and it barely survived for two years before disappearing completely.

Is this the end?

not yet.

Don’t forget that lending is also part of the financial industry.

Daochuan Hui, one of the driving forces behind the conspiracy against Li's company, directly extended his claws to the Li family. What they were interested in were several grain seedlings that Li Ting had personally reserved and was currently researching.

Li Ting owed a lot of loan sharks, but refused to hand over the data in his hands. Finally, due to the pressure of survival, he moved out of Shin-Yokohama.

Li Qinglian also accidentally fell into the hands of the Daochuan Society during this process.

Looking at Nance's solemn face, Du Xiuxian cut into the roast beef, chewed it slowly and took a sip of wine from time to time. After seeing Nance put down the screen, he said: "California local government and finance

The collusion of capital has disrupted the capital flow of the entire society and is the biggest reason why the physical manufacturing industry has fled California. And my primary purpose of coming to California is to take the lead in raising the banner of revitalizing California's manufacturing industry."

"No wonder you didn't come alone, but brought an entire business group with you." Nance said politely.

"Oh, that's strange." Du Xiuxian put down his knife and fork and teased with a smile: "The conversation has been going on for so long, and I finally heard you use honorifics to me."

"Whether you can succeed or not, having this idea already deserves my respect."

Hearing his words, Du Xiuxian pressed his temples gently with his index finger, smiled and cursed: "If it weren't for the fact that my younger brother, who is aiming to be the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, was about to enter the cabinet, and in order to add some political achievements to him, I wouldn't want to come here.

Local investment and establishment of factories.”

"..."

Nance could only drink in silence.

He actually thinks that capital will find out, but he is still a bit naive.

Du Xiuxian took his reaction into consideration, couldn't help laughing a few times, and said in a relaxed tone: "California is a world owned by Tokyoites. We imperial forces are having a hard time here. It's only human nature not to want to come. But it's better now.

Point, Eveleth Group has won the 50-year operating rights of Kwai Chung Port, which is a landmark event for us. We can build a port-facing industrial zone around Kwai Chung Port, and each has its own backend, so we don’t have to worry about financing.

The problem has been harvested by California’s local financial capital. With us taking the lead, more and more physical manufacturing industries will definitely return to California in the future. If you, the ninth class leader, can no longer be a section chief, it will be easier to join the assembly line in the future, right?

"

"I hope so." Nance shrugged and filled his glass.

Du Xiuxian picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and said, "The second thing I did when I came to California was to find Li Ting and cooperate with him."

Nance leaned back in his chair and motioned for him to continue.

"I also have an animal genetic research company, whose main business is the production and sales of livestock meat and edible poultry. Li's company leads the world in breeding research in this area, and of course I want to cooperate with him." Du Xiuxian looked into his eyes.

He said, lowering his tone, "You are currently handling Li Qinglian's case, so I hope you can find Li Ting as soon as possible and protect him. This is related to the second and third things I want to do, and it is also related to the entire people's livelihood.

big event."

Before I knew it, there were no guests in front of or behind this dining table.

All the hustle and bustle disappeared unconsciously, and the surroundings were surrounded by bronze utensils, mirrors, and crystal lamps.

Du Xiuxian's eyes sparkled with meaning. He scratched the rough oyster shell with his fork, covering up his words with noise, and said in a low voice:

"The third thing I came to California for is that I was entrusted by the cabinet ministers to come to understand the disaster situation in California and the illegal activities of the major grain merchants behind the disaster. I will report all the information I obtained to the cabinet.

Provide clear ideas for handling the case for the joint investigation team arriving soon."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Nance was surprised.

Du Xiuxian said nothing, but looked at him with a strange smile that all men understood.

——Strange and wretched smile.

Nance fell into thought.

Although he did have the idea of ​​​​knowing the intentions of the empire's high-level officials, he took the initiative to ask about such confidential matters and the other party took the initiative to tell them, which were two different concepts... Du Xiuxian could not know what he was thinking, so he should not tell the secrets. After all,

He only had the idea last night, and it was only with Marlene...

etc!

——Marlene, how many important people do you, a bad woman, know?

(End of chapter)