Chapter 1637 Fatal Temptation (Second update, please subscribe)

A white train sped past on the railway.

From the white bullet train to the current high-speed rail with a speed of nearly 600 kilometers per hour, the Empire's high-speed rail technology has always led the development of the world. From the American continent to the African continent, and then to Europe and Asia, high-speed rail connects the world together.

Even in this era when supersonic aircraft are flying all over the world, high-speed railways still occupy the majority of the medium and short-distance travel market. Among the numerous railway companies, the Imperial Railway Company has the most abundant capital and the most advanced technology.

This company not only owns a large number of railway lines on various continents, but also commercial real estate centered on stations. As the world's largest railway company, it can earn billions of yuan in profits every year simply by renting out commercial buildings near stations.

Like all train stations, there is also a train building near Zhongdu Central Railway Station. It is a 72-story building. Although it is not outstanding among the high-rise buildings in Zhongdu, it can be ranked in the top ten. This building is the headquarters of the Imperial Railway Company, a corporate empire large enough for anyone to look up to.

Even though it is a small restaurant, you can still see the building. Xu Zili put a lot of thought into the location of today's meal. Not only can you see the building, you can also see the high-speed trains running on the railway next to it.

The reason for choosing this place is that Xu Zili knew very well what the Si family desired most.

"Last year, the Empire Railway Company made a profit of more than 51 billion yuan. However, if we deduct the income from the operation of railway land, in fact, the Empire Railway Company has been in a loss-making state since 30 years ago. The operating losses of the railway company in recent years have accumulated to more than 150 billion yuan..."

Xu Zili's voice was not loud, just loud enough for Si Xingde to hear, but Si Xingde did not take over the conversation because it was a well-known matter.

"Of course, many people will say that we can't just see that the Empire Railway Company's line operations are loss-making. After all, most subway companies are also loss-making. Their profits are maintained by comprehensive operations. Comprehensive operations are the prerequisite for companies to maintain profitability. What do you think about this?"

In response to Xu Zili's question, Si Xingde just spoke casually.

"President, you should know that my family has not been involved in railway affairs for decades. I have no interest in railway affairs at all."

In response to Si Xingde's answer, Xu Zili just smiled indifferently.

"The Si family has always owned 0.5% of the shares of the Imperial Railway Company and even has voting rights in the railway company. Why haven't you given up your shares in the Imperial Railway Company until now?"

Why did the Scottish family own stock in the Imperial Railroad?

To put it bluntly, it was because after Stanford defected to the Ming Dynasty, he kept his property in return. Later, the Imperial Railway Company acquired the railway company under his name, and Stanford became the major shareholder of the Imperial Railway Company.

Until now, although the Smith family has rarely been involved in the affairs of the railway company, this has not prevented them from being the largest individual shareholder of the Imperial Railway Company.

"Give up? Why should we give up? You know, the annual dividends of the Imperial Railway Company are still very considerable."

"Indeed, the dividends paid by the Imperial Railway Company are very considerable indeed."

It's not just the Imperial Railway Company that has considerable dividends. In fact, many state-owned enterprises in the Ming Empire have very considerable dividends. Over the past hundred years, investing in state-owned enterprises has always been the most popular investment for the private sector, because the dividends are much higher than bank interest.

Of course, this is also closely related to the official supervision of state-owned enterprises by the empire. In fact, in the early days of the empire, there were many corruption incidents in the empire's state-owned enterprises. What followed was the continuous strengthening of supervision, and eventually a complete set of supervision and management operation mechanisms were established, thus ensuring that state-owned enterprises would not be wasted due to the corruption of certain officials.

With a smile, Xu Zili said.

"The dividends are considerable, but dividends are always dividends. If..." Putting down the teacup in his hand, Xu Zili directly took out his trump card.

"If the Imperial Railways were privatized, perhaps..."

Without waiting for him to finish, Si Xinde spoke directly.

"This is impossible. No one will agree to the privatization of the Imperial Railway. Even if you are sure to push this forward, it will not be approved when it reaches the palace. Don't forget that the largest shareholder of the Imperial Railway is the Empire, but the largest private shareholder is the Royal Family!"

Si Xingde even looked at Xu Zili with a somewhat sarcastic look and emphasized again.

"The Royal Family may not intervene at the beginning. He only needs to exercise his veto power in the company's board of directors. Privatization... Dean Xu, you are really daydreaming!"

Whimsical!

In response to Si Xingde's sarcasm, Xu Zili said.

"Yes, it is risky to say all this, but it is well known that the Imperial Railway is just one of many state-owned enterprises. Perhaps those enterprises are in good operating condition, but this is a highly commercialized era. It is difficult for an enterprise with a rigid management style to develop in real competition. The times have changed. The economy of the Empire needs to be injected with more vitality. Only in this way can we firmly occupy the world's leading position in future competition. Enterprises full of bureaucracy are not adapted to this era, so..."

Xu Zili stared at Si Xingde and said.

"My next term will be to fully promote privatization, and the first step is to split the Imperial Railway line. The main purpose of privatization is to improve the business of the Imperial Railway Company through privatization, sell the national railway assets, repay the huge debt, and reduce the financial burden on the country."

When he said this, Shi Xingde could hardly believe what he heard. Before coming to Zhongdu, he only thought that the message the other party conveyed was that they would promote the privatization of certain enterprises and help him obtain controlling rights in certain enterprises in exchange for his financial support.

But now, Xu Zili is not playing by the rules!

The first move is an unimaginable bait.

Why is it called bait rather than a benefit?

Because in this business, there is never any benefit. There is only bait to hook the other party. Everyone is a fisherman. Everyone will throw the bait and then wait for the fish to take the bait. Once the fish is hooked, it can be used by them.

However, facing the bait thrown by Xu Zili, Si Xingde did not take the bait immediately, because he knew that there was a hook behind the bait, and it was not just a hook, but a deadly temptation!

(End of this chapter)