Mediterranean hegemon

"Sir, everything has been discussed. Here is the specific contract text." Antonio, the old butler of the Ciano family who was specially transferred from his hometown in Livorna to Rome to obey orders, respectfully handed over a pile of documents.

Old Ciano waved his hand: "I won't read the specific details. I trust your ability to do things. Just tell me the general terms."

“First, the German Frankfurt Bank provided 9 billion paper marks (equivalent to 2 million U.S. dollars, the exchange rate of the mark to the U.S. dollar has floated to 4,500:1) credit support to the Ministry of Transport, requiring us to use all of it to purchase buses and trams from Germany. Vehicles, equipment and related accessories; of which, when the vehicle factory delivers products equivalent to 30% of the contract value at the end of November, 10% will be returned in cash, and the other 20% will be offset by the compensation owed by Germany to Italy this year; on December 31, Germany will deliver the second batch of products, which is equivalent to 25% of the contract value, we shall pay the corresponding price after receiving the product and inspecting it, and the period is 7 working days; if the German side delivers the remaining products before April 30 next year, we shall pay the price within 10 working days;

Second, the loan interest rate of 9 billion paper marks is 5% per month, and the settlement is monthly. We can pay in paper marks, gold marks, US dollars, pounds or gold, but lira is not accepted;

Third, I agree that you will use the family property as collateral for a loan of 3 billion paper marks (a little more than 13 million lire), with a term of one year and an annual interest rate of 50%;

Fourth, a total of 4 consortiums were contacted and agreed to establish a new bus company and a tram company in Rome, and a new bus company in Milan and Naples. The Ministry of Transport will invest in vehicles and municipal land, accounting for a proportion of 34%, and the remaining 66% of the shares are funded by them, mainly construction costs and operating funds, but only account for 61% of the shares. These companies have separate boards of directors, with 7 board members. The Ministry of Transport can appoint 3 people and Select a chairman and appoint 2-3 government representatives in each company, but the general manager responsible for specific operations cannot be a government representative..."

After Contini suggested taking advantage of the chaos in Germany, Ciano Sr. acted very quickly. In just five days, that is, on November 24, he sent someone to finalize the general details, which reflected an unprecedented high speed. Even the always efficient Germans were very surprised - why did the Italians suddenly change their gender? Is Fascist really magical?

Antonio's report was very cryptic, but old Ciano understood some of the details at once: As the Minister of Transport, he is responsible for controlling contracts and loan matters. Frankfurt Bank always wants to express its intention, but it is a bit embarrassing to disclose its intention, so it is about the loan interest rate. There was an article on the Internet - the monthly interest rate of the German Bank's loan to the Italian Ministry of Transport, which had better credit and more repayment ability, was 5%, and the annual interest rate was more than 60%, while the interest rate of the private loan to the old Ciano was only 50%. The 10-point difference in the middle is the kickback and commission given to old Ciano. On the surface, it looks very upright, and there is no thorn in it.

Judging from this figure, Frankfurt Bank’s estimate of the depreciation of the mark in the next year is about 50%. Bankers also have great hopes for the current coordination and diplomatic mediation between the United Kingdom and the United States, and believe that France and Belgium will not ignore the international community. Oppose taking desperate risks.

(Digression: Interested readers may also wish to learn about the personal mortgage interest rates of certain units, especially the CEOs and financial directors of state-owned enterprises and public institutions with relatively large amounts of funds, to see if they can afford it when the market generally has a benchmark interest rate of 1.1 times. I can get a 30% discount interest rate from some banks - the lower limit of mortgage loans clearly stipulated by the state. Everything is in compliance and operates perfectly!

As for the other 5% of the shares in the public transportation company, they are obviously dry stocks prepared by domestic consortiums for the bosses of the Ministry of Transport. Your Excellency, the Minister, has tossed around credit, public-private partnership, and agreed to private holdings. How can you do so hard without getting any reward?

Old Ciano nodded slightly and added lightly: "1% is given to Tarodale, and the other 4% is given to the leader. It is said that the consortium repays the party's service..."

It is understandable to give 1% to the Deputy Minister of Transport, and it is understandable to share a little profit with Mussolini, but it is puzzling that the old Ciano himself does not take anything. Antonio reminded: "Wouldn't they be too uncomfortable? Practical?"

The old Ciano shook his head: "The days ahead are still long, don't be anxious, there are plenty of opportunities for cooperation. As long as I am in my position, I will take care of them, but only when the leader is in my position, can we all work together to better serve the Italian people." Serve."

Antonio nodded to show that he understood, and then said: "I have also arranged for someone to investigate the young master's matter. What should I say..."

"But it doesn't matter, he is my son, there is nothing I can't say, and I won't harm him."

"More than a month ago, that is, on October 19th, the young master was involved in a car accident and suffered some injuries. The injury on his hand was minor, but the injury on his head was a bit big. It is said that he was in a coma for 2 hours after arriving at the hospital. He woke up after a while. He was talking nonsense, like, 'No way, no way, it's 1922? '... At that time, the hospital thought he was suffering from mania caused by concussion, and made an emergency call to his family... However, when the wife came to visit the next day, the young master recovered and was very calm. The doctor also confirmed that there was nothing wrong. Due to the tense situation in Rome, my wife only made a phone call and did not come. There were no other special circumstances.

This Young Italian League was actually an organization that was formed only a month ago. After the young master was discharged from the hospital, he gave a campus speech on impulse, and then said that he would form an alliance to welcome the leader. Many of these directors are friends of the school and members of the student union. They formed a team in a short time. Rather than being a mature political group or student group, it is more like a product of impulse.

The young master has leadership qualities. He not only won over the team and connected various middle and high schools, but also successfully persuaded Grandini...

During this period, the young master has also taken a different approach to running a newspaper. He..."

If Contini heard these words here, he would be scared to death. Antonio actually sent people to find out everything about him in the past month, and even dug out many secrets - the so-called mania is not the discomfort when he just crossed over?

But old Ziano didn't think much about it. He only grasped two key points in the report: First, Contini did speculate in public bonds and foreign exchange and made a lot of money! Second, Contini used various means in this political speculation. Although it seems insignificant in hindsight, considering his student status and tight time constraints, his organizational ability and coping skills are quite superb!

Old Ziano smiled and nodded: "That's good, I'm relieved. Galle is still very capable, worthy of being my son! ”

Although he is his own son, now that he has decided to mortgage most of his family property for speculation, old Ziano has to consider safety more - some things are not only hurtful to ask his son in person, but also may not get anything out of him, so it is appropriate to find someone to ask indirectly.

"Is there any flaw? Don't let Galley misunderstand that I am following him."

"No, it was the lady who asked about the hospital. She was afraid that the young master would have sequelae, so she went to the hospital as soon as she arrived in Rome. Then the attending doctor recounted what happened that day. The other party wanted to curry favor with the lady and talked a lot about the young master's situation. In the end, it was confirmed that there would be no sequelae, and the lady was relieved - I heard these words by myself."

"Call Galley and ask him to go home for dinner tonight. I have prepared the money for him." Old Ziano explained, "You arrange someone to do the capital market speculation in Germany, just follow the instructions of the young master. Unless there is a major change, you don't have to report to me. To put it bluntly, this matter is still a private matter, and he is the main person. My focus is on implementing these projects for the Public Transport Corporation. The leader publicly praised me and the Ministry of Transport at the Cabinet meeting, and I cannot let him down! "