In the summer and May of the thirty-eighth year of Chengshun, Jinshan Mansion in North America.
Its capital, Jinshan City, is currently the largest and most prosperous city in North America. It is not only a commercial center, but also a transportation center.
This is also the western beginning of the East-West Railway in North America. The East-West Railway extends eastward from Jinshan Port and can currently reach the hinterland of central North America. Although it has not yet reached the Mississippi River, according to the current construction progress, it is estimated that there will be two more The year is almost gone.
Compared to being an important city for railway transportation on land, Jinshan City is more important as the largest maritime and even river transport port on the west coast of America.
Ships coming across the Pacific from the mainland will basically use this place as their destination.
Therefore, Jinshan Port is currently the largest port in the Americas and an important port for loading and unloading passengers for many luxury ocean liners.
At this time, Pacific Ocean Shipping Company's latest generation luxury flagship liner, the Su Song, was moored at the pier. Thousands of staff on board were busy making final preparations for passengers to board the ship.
Su Song is a new generation of luxury ocean liner built by Pacific Shipping Company at a huge cost to challenge Jiangnan Shipping Company's high-end passenger transportation business and to enhance the company's image.
Since Jiangnan Shipping Company has built four Jiangnan-class luxury passenger ships of 10,000 tons and put them into operation, the competition in the maritime passenger transport market has become increasingly fierce, and major shipping companies have invested in the construction of 10,000-ton luxury passenger ships.
Among this series of latecomers, Pacific Shipping is a more successful challenger and the biggest threat to Jiangnan Shipping Company, the industry leader.
In order to compete for the high-end passenger transport market, the competition between the two parties is all-round.
Jiangnan Shipping Company watched other companies develop luxury passenger ships of 10,000 tons, and directly designed and built the Empire with a full load displacement of 14,000 tons and the sister ship King. The Empire successfully made its maiden voyage last year and performed flights between the mainland and North America. The maiden voyage caused a huge sensation.
However, its main competitor is the Pacific Shipping Company. After learning that Jiangnan Shipping Company invested in the construction of the Empire three years ago, it also invested in the construction of the larger Susong half a year later.
Moreover, it has larger tonnage, faster speed, and more luxurious decoration. It strives to surpass the Empire in all aspects and strive to become the leader in the high-end shipping market.
The ship's full load displacement can reach an astonishing 16,000 tons. It is truly the number one ship in the contemporary Chu Empire. Even the battleships of the navy are inferior to it in terms of tonnage.
The ship is not only big, but also runs extremely fast. It is equipped with a large-scale and the most advanced triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine. It also uses the latest small water tube boiler. Such a powerful power unit also allows the ship to run on Maximum speed of eighteen knots.
At this time, it also exceeded the speed of most warships!
Because the new generation of naval battleships generally have a cruising speed of no more than twelve knots and a maximum speed of only about fourteen knots.
As for cruisers, the maximum speed of the previous generation cruiser can reach 18 knots, but the Navy dislikes it as too expensive, so in order to save costs, the maximum speed of the latest generation cruiser has been reduced to 16 knots...
Of course, the reason why the Su Song can run so fast with such a huge tonnage is not because the power unit of this class of ship is more advanced than that of the naval battleship... In fact, the navy's battleship, especially the new battleship, has The power unit has always been the most technologically advanced, because naval battleships all use combined steam engines. This combined steam engine is actually a combination of all the advanced technologies of the three major steam manufacturers.
However, civilian ships cannot use Union Steam Engines. Union Steam Engines, one of the three major steam engine manufacturers, was forced to target the Navy under pressure from high-ranking officials in the Empire and the Navy... This thing can only be used by the Navy, while civilian ships Only products from one of the three major steam engine manufacturers can be used, and it is impossible to use a combined steam engine that combines the respective advantages of the three major steam engine manufacturers.
Therefore, in terms of technical performance, the steam units carried on civilian ships are actually not as good as the navy's warships!
So why do civilian ships run faster than warships?
That's because warships have a relatively small length-to-width ratio for protection purposes. Warships appear thicker and shorter. When the length-to-width ratio is small, the speed will naturally decrease.
At the same time, armor for protection, artillery and ammunition for attacking enemies, coal to ensure endurance, etc. all need to occupy a large amount of ship tonnage and space, which leaves less space for the power unit.
However, a private luxury passenger ship like the Su Song does not need to consider protection and firepower, so it has no armor and no ammunition for the main gun. At the same time, the length-to-width ratio of the ship can be higher and the navigation resistance is smaller.
The combination means that more power units can be packed in, which is more suitable for high-speed hulls, thereby obtaining faster speeds.
This is also the reason why private luxury passenger ships during the same period were generally faster than battleships.
On the Su Song, a luxury ocean liner, designers frantically piled on more than 80 coal furnaces; 16 boilers; two main and one auxiliary, a total of three sets of steam units... The coal consumption alone for daily sailing is two More than one hundred tons.
Only in this way can this luxury ocean liner, which has a displacement of more than 16,000 tons when fully loaded with passengers, run up to 18 knots.
The huge hull, high speed, and luxurious decoration everywhere made the Susong's maiden voyage in April this year. Its maiden voyage from Songjiang to Jinshan Port became the biggest news in this year's sailing world and attracted many dignitaries. a topic they are keen to discuss.
This makes the Jiangnan Shipping Company next door very unhappy...
Because a one-way first-class scenic ticket on the Susong from Jinshan Port to Songjiang Port costs 1,800 yuan without discount... Just looking at the price of this top-class first-class suite, you know that you are going directly to the Empire. Yes, because the top-level suite on the Empire is also priced at 1,800 yuan.
But relatively speaking, the Susong ship is larger, faster, and more luxuriously decorated. Its first-class top-level view suites are larger in area and more luxuriously decorated.
What Pacific Shipping Company wants is to use its late-mover advantage to suppress Jiangnan Shipping Company's new generation flagship Empire in all aspects.
But it doesn’t matter, the competition between the two parties will not end for a while, and Jiangnan Shipping Company is not idle either. Its new generation of luxury liner is already under construction and is expected to be put into operation next year!
The fully loaded displacement of that thing exceeds 20,000 tons, and the maximum speed reaches 18 knots. This ship is almost challenging the limits of the current shipbuilding technology of the Dachu Empire.
As for luxurious decoration and the like, let alone that... Compared to the expensive cost of the ship itself, which is built using extremely advanced technology, the cost of the so-called luxurious decoration is just a fraction of the cost...
Besides, the cost of getting some gold-plated and silver-plated stair railings, door handles, faucets, expensive wood furniture, carpets, lamps, etc. is nothing compared to the expensive cost of the entire ship.
However, the new generation flagship will not be put into operation until next winter at the earliest. Until then, Jiangnan Shipping Company can only watch its old rival Pacific Shipping Company seize the title of the number one luxury passenger ship.
As Erniu, a newly-emerged clothing tycoon in Jinshan City and a newly wealthy man from the Song Dynasty, it was natural for him to go back to his home country for the first time... or to show off his wealth.
I directly bought a first-class top-class suite on the Susong's return flight. In addition, I also bought second-class tickets for more than a dozen of my entourage.
What stands out is the joy of spending money!
He, Song Erniu... is no longer the penniless poor man who could only travel across the ocean in a third-class cabin.
Instead, he has a net worth of millions, and the clothing company under his name Song's is prospering. The canvas work clothes he produces are sold throughout the Americas and even back home.
He, Song Erniu, is also a decent person now!
After the crew of the Su Song was ready, they began to welcome passengers on board. As a first-class passenger, Song Erniu was naturally the first batch to board the ship. He walked through the exclusive VIP channel and was specially guided.
He led his entourage all the way to the first-class cabin, and after arriving in the room below him, to be honest, even though it had been several years since he became suddenly rich, Song Erniu did not spend less to enjoy the world, whether it was for the sake of seeing the world or for self-esteem. I have experienced all kinds of first-class enjoyment, but I was still a little shocked by the luxury of this top-level suite.
After all, he is also a member of the upper class in Jinshan City... Although many people in the upper class regard him as a newly rich man with little quality or culture, or even as a scapegoat.
But it doesn't matter to Song Erniu... He knows very well that he is a newly rich person with no education. He doesn't really go to the upper class to make friends... he just wants to expand his connections.
Doing business is indispensable for personal connections and favor exchanges. If you don't get involved in the top local circles, you won't know about many businesses, let alone get involved.
As long as it's good for business, it's nothing to be a scapegoat and invite those so-called upper-class people who only have empty pockets of respectability to be cool and casual, and occasionally be talked about behind their backs.
If he wasn't thick-skinned enough, his clothing business wouldn't have grown so big in just a few years!
Moreover, although some people in the upper class think that Song Erniu became rich suddenly without any education, he is still a victim.
But Song Erniu also felt that many people had no real background but no practical embroidered pillows in mind. Just spend a small amount of money to find an oiran to let him enjoy it. If he flatters him a few words, he can make his father sleep there tonight. Everything about the outer chamber was revealed... not to mention some of the trends in the family business.
Therefore, for Song Erniu, the so-called upper-class society in Jinshan City is about everyone getting what they need... He has money, and they have connections and backgrounds. They pay for themselves and they have connections and backgrounds, and then they get a moment of chicness, and they have great connections. Making money... is pretty good.
As for some really capable core people in the upper class, even if they dislike Song Erniu in their hearts for being a newly rich man with little education, they will not dislike Song Erniu's money, let alone reject Song Erniu in business. .
Make money, don’t be shabby!
The first class cabin on the Su Song is obviously the epitome of a small upper class society.
Passengers who can afford to fly first class are those who are not short of money...either they are truly powerful or wealthy businessmen.
After boarding the ship, while there were still a large number of second-class and third-class passengers boarding the ship, and a large number of passengers' luggage were also being loaded, Song Erniu asked his two personal maids to stay in the suite to clean up, while he himself The secretary general, who had graduated from a local college and was invited at a high price, left the room and went to the first-class exclusive tea room.
The ticket of 1,800 yuan was spent, so of course he had to get the fare back. Song Erniu took the first-class cabin not just for enjoyment, but also to find a place to make more connections. Otherwise, this trip would not be complete. I won’t bring my own secretary-general with me.
This secretary is not the kind that people in later generations stubbornly say. He is a secretary when he has something to do, and he is a secretary when he has nothing to do.
The word secretary was still very serious in the Chu Empire, with a strong official or commercial nature.
Because the word secretary comes from the imperial secretary of the Hanlin Academy Secretariat. For many years in the early and middle period of the empire, the word secretary specifically referred to the imperial secretary, which was an important position in the Imperial Academy among the imperial civil servants.
Later, this word did not gain much popularity in the officialdom. After all, most officials would avoid suspicion and dare not follow Luo Zhi's example... they still use the traditional term "staff".
However, in shopping malls, especially in private enterprises, the job title of secretary has appeared one after another... At first, only a few stupid people took it, but after others found that there was no response from the official, more and more people followed suit. So called.
Song Erniu was not immune. In order to take charge of his Song Clothing Company, he established a secretarial office and specially hired a college student to be the head and chief secretary of the secretarial office at a high price.
After waiting at the door of the tea room, Song Erniu glanced inside and saw that there were already about twenty people inside, both men and women, but they were all first-class passengers.
Song Erniu knew some of them, but Song Erniu didn't recognize some of them. At this time, Chief Secretary Mo, the chief secretary behind him, began to whisper in his ear: "The fourth person on the right is Zhao Qianli, the third largest shareholder of Luohe United Mining, did not expect that he would also take this ship back to China."
When Song Erniu heard about Luohe United Mining, his eyes immediately lit up. Contact United Mining is a mining company in Luohe Prefecture in North America. It is very large and is involved in gold, silver and copper mines. They even do iron ore... Basically they dig all minerals... The business is not limited to Luohe Prefecture. There are mines in several prefectures in America. For example, there is a gold mine in Jinshan Prefecture.
At the same time, there is also news on the market that the company is seeking a large number of minerals in Mexico that were previously controlled by Spain.
The composition of its shares is relatively complex, with officials and peers, investment funds and private shareholders. The first largest shareholder is the Luohe Prefecture Finance Office, the second largest shareholder is the North American Mining Investment Fund, and the third largest shareholder is Zhao Qianli. There are also several other important shareholders.
According to public information from the outside world, Zhao Qianli's shares in Luohe United Mining Company are about 7%. Don't think it is small. This is already the largest individual shareholder in Luohe Mining.
Moreover, Zhao Qianli, as one of the first self-funded immigrants to immigrate to North America, had a small amount of capital when he first arrived in North America. After working for more than ten years, his assets are very rich, and he is involved in real estate, inland shipping, docks, and minerals. His net worth is conservatively estimated. You have to go all the way up.
Ten Song Erniu combined together would probably be able to compare this person's assets.
More importantly, Luohe United Mining Company has always been a major customer that Song Erniu strives for... After all, such a large mining company employs many miners, and the miners need wear-resistant work clothes.
The flagship product of Song Erniu's Song Clothing Company is the wear-resistant canvas work clothes worn by miners. It was mainly targeted at the retail market before, and later it was targeted at corporate customers... However, the competition in canvas clothes has not been small in the past two years. .
After all, Song Erniu is not the only one who can make wear-resistant clothes from canvas. Although Song Erniu has applied for a patent for the design of his own canvas clothes and also created a brand of denim clothing, others have used other designs. it is also fine.
After all, you can't stop others from using canvas to make clothes, right...
As long as the appearance design, mainly the detailed design, is different, it does not constitute infringement.
Therefore, the competition in canvas clothing is also very high now. Although Song Erniu's denim clothing is the earliest one and the most famous one, it is impossible to swallow up all the market.
At least Luohe United Mining has not been able to win the order because they have another supplier of work clothes...
Now that he has the opportunity to catch up with their company's third largest shareholder and the largest private shareholder, Song Erniu will naturally not let go of the opportunity.
"Come on, let's go up and say hello, let's get familiar with each other first!"
"I heard that this man likes romance, poetry, and articles. He will have to work hard later. Chief Mo, you have to deal with it a little more!"
Mo Wenchang smiled and nodded: "This is my job, the general office is being polite!"
Song Erniu then walked over with Chief Mo to greet Zhao Qianli.
A few minutes later, Song Erniu turned around and left with a smile on his face, but there was already a card of Zhao Qianli's name in his hand. Although it was clear at a glance that it was a business card issued casually, and it was not as valuable as a personal name, it was still a good match. Once you have a good relationship, if you go back and look for opportunities to improve the relationship, you might be able to pry open the door of Luohe United Mining. .
(End of chapter)
