Chapter 288 The Eve of the Merger
After the election, Sheffield had to comfort William Bryan, after all, he had lost twice. Sheffield swallowed his words several times when they came to his lips, and if it really didn't work out, he should not run. But considering the other party's enthusiasm, it was not good to say it so bluntly.
"Give me a few years, and I believe the next election may be different." Sheffield asked the Democratic leader to relax. After William Bryan stayed in Oak Manor for a few days, he left New Orleans. As for the changes that had occurred in New Orleans due to the reconstruction during this period, Sheffield, who had been praised for several days for nothing, had to pay attention to the profitability of various departments in the past few months.
By the way, he called the leader of the Chinese workers over to discuss the problems after the New Orleans project. First, as a conscientious boss, Sheffield expressed his appreciation for the overall efficiency of the Chinese workers. Then he checked the accounts to show that he did not owe wages. Then he changed the subject and asked, "Please tell me that there are some strangers in the Chinese workers' group. Where are they from? What is their purpose?"
"Boss, they are just some ordinary workers. They don't have any goals and they are all pitiful people." Zhang Deqing's heart skipped a beat when he heard this question, but he answered without changing his expression.
"Oh? That's what happened!" Sheffield scratched his head and crossed his legs. "I am an American citizen. Logically, I should not interfere in your country's affairs, but I still want to remind you that the fate of the country should be decided by the majority of people still in the country. The role played by you overseas immigrants should not exceed that of the domestic people. Don't think of yourselves as saviors."
Just as Zhang Deqing was about to explain, Sheffield extended his hand and said, "Now let me, a citizen of the United States of America, tell you something else. I will explain it to you from the enemy's perspective. Just listen."
After a moment, Sheffield brought a piece of white paper and roughly drew a sketch. It was the map of the Qing Dynasty at that time. Zhang Deqing could certainly understand it because it was clearly written on it. It was divided into five blocks. In addition to the 18 provinces of Han, it was also divided into Northwest, Qinghai-Tibet, Mongolia and Northeast by different dotted lines.
"If the Qing Dynasty collapses, then these places that are not yours will not be needed. Don't say that they have been yours since ancient times. If that's the case, the northwest should be returned to the Persians immediately. The Persians occupied the northwest during the Zhou Dynasty." Sheffield asked sarcastically, "Have those who want to rebel ever thought about how to ensure that the current territory can be passed on? What reason can they use to take over legally? Don't just rely on population to fight. There are no Han people in many places. To put it another way, Imperial Russia is better at fighting than you. If there is no reason to rob, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, and even the United States can reach out and rob."
"Some people who have mixed into the Chinese labor group should understand what it means to maximize benefits. If I were your Chinese enemy, I would definitely think about the Manchuria-Mongolia issue. I think about this issue because I am a foreigner and I don't want to see a China that is too big, because after being knocked down, it may stand up again." Sheffield glanced at Zhang Deqing's face, "If some Chinese people think so, then congratulations, I can consider helping you obtain citizenship of the United States. How you think about this matter depends on whether you hope your country can be good. Don't let a few words instill wrong concepts in you."
"Boss, you are actually a good person!" Zhang Deqing was silent for a long time, and said with a sincere look, "You are different from ordinary Americans."
"Thank you for the compliment. Actually, it's the same. It's just that ordinary people don't look at problems in the long term, but I can see farther." Sheffield pointed to his eyes, and finally pointed to the direction of Mongolia with some sincerity, "The most unstable here is Mongolia. Judging from the process of the establishment of your Qing Dynasty, you didn't spend much time inside the Great Wall. To put it bluntly, you Han people accepted the reality after being defeated. The long-term enemies of your Qing Dynasty were all Mongolians. They fought for nearly two hundred years, and it was not until the Qianlong period that it ended. In the end, the Mongolians obeyed the Qing Dynasty, not you. Think carefully about how to keep these areas where the Han people are not the mainstream. It's not too late to think about rebellion after you figure it out."
To be honest, if the Industrial Revolution had not taken place, the Qing Dynasty in 1840 was actually far from extinction. Just three years before the war with Britain broke out, Emperor Daoguang had put down the rebellion of Zhang Geer. A dynasty that had been established for 200 years had been expanding its territory until the reign of Emperor Daoguang.
If the Industrial Revolution was still a long way off until the Qing dynasty collapsed, and with the filter of the times, people in later generations might have felt that the Qing dynasty was so powerful. In fact, some ministers in the late Qing dynasty were really at a loss for what to do with the drastic changes. Their court had almost solved all the problems that had arisen in history, but they encountered the technological explosion in Europe.
Everyone knows what happened afterwards. After the elite soldiers who had finally extorted money from the stingy Emperor Daoguang tortured Zhang Geer to death and fed him to dogs, only three years later they were defeated by the British army and even fighting back was a luxury.
But losing is losing. The Qing Dynasty had already struggled and had no way to deal with these problems, so it naturally had to leave this problem to someone who was better able to solve it.
This was Sheffield's last bit of goodwill towards his homeland in his previous life. He still believed that it would be best for the Qing Dynasty to collapse closer to the world war. As for the rest, he, a citizen of the United States, could not worry about it.
"Oh, by the way, when the project is completed, I will erect a statue for you Chinese workers to honor your contribution to the construction of New Orleans. Then you can go to Panama to work. The power of the United Company there is greater, and the environment is much more relaxed than in the United States." Sheffield gave his final instructions to Zhang Deqing who was about to leave. "People who are not of our race must have different hearts, and there will be different times. Isn't it because of this sentence that you Chinese workers are excluded in a country that is not your own?"
Remembering the contribution of Chinese workers to New Orleans, Sheffield still had to send them away because the Chinese Exclusion Act would not end. He was able to leave a way out for the Chinese workers from beginning to end, which was the limit of what he could do at present, and this limit was not to delay the payment of wages and not to threaten the lives of these Chinese workers.
In order to prevent the Chinese workers in the hands of the United Company from being fooled, Sheffield continued to clear its accounts. Even private enterprises also have corruption, which is inevitable. This is also the unspoken rule of the industry. If an industry elite creates huge wealth for Sheffield, then this person takes some bribes, and the boss will turn a blind eye.
This is the same as many elite managers in later generations who receive kickbacks. As long as the profits created far exceed the benefits requested by this person, there is no problem. But if it is the other way around, the case will be brought to court regardless of whether it is a private or state-owned enterprise.
The elites within the United Company knew very well the character of their boss, a boss who made his fortune from the slave trade, so they were somewhat restrained in such matters and there were no obvious major problems.
You have to know that when Sheffield came back, he had received a telegram from Rockefeller Jr., asking about the progress of the takeover of the steel industry. When the boss needed cash so much, if there was corruption, the slave owner would be in trouble.
After checking the accounts, Sheffield began to send people to negotiate with the tobacco companies. He had figured out this problem in Puerto Rico. The tobacco industry must intervene, and the first target of negotiation was Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Reynolds Tobacco Company has long been the second largest tobacco manufacturer in the United States. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Reynolds Tobacco Company is now in Sheffield's sight and he is preparing to enter the tobacco industry from this company.
Camel cigarettes were later launched by Reynolds Tobacco Company. They were made by mixing several different types of tobacco, which was later called "American blend" cigarettes. With the careful cultivation and strong advertising promotion of Reynolds, "Camel" first became popular in the United States and then gradually became popular around the world. The brand reputation has been prosperous and has maintained long-term competitiveness. It is the third largest brand in the world.
In fact, Sheffield himself wanted to visit in person to show his sincerity, but Rockefeller Jr. urged him again and again, and finally gave up the decision to visit in person.
After all, Rockefeller Jr. had been negotiating with Carnegie Steel for nearly a year. If he continued to drag it out, Carnegie Steel would likely doubt his sincerity, and that would be disastrous.
He immediately called Rockefeller Jr. back, and Sheffield set off north after only a few days of rest. After each vacation, he felt that it would be better if he had not taken a vacation at all, as he had to face more things than before the vacation. It turned out that the effort and reward were proportional.
"From your John's anxious attitude, I thought the British Navy was bombarding New York!" Sheffield, who arrived in Chicago, let out a long sigh and said in Edith Rockefeller's villa.
"You've done this yourself. You always find excuses to go on vacation during election years. The same trick doesn't work after a few times. You know that?" Edith Rockefeller said sarcastically, "You've done this yourself."
"Okay, I get it. I will definitely stay in the country during the next election." Sheffield said tiredly, "I'll just wait for John to arrive so we can discuss the preparations for taking over Carnegie Steel. John is in charge of this matter, and I need to ask him something clearly."
There are only two chapters today. I was not at home during the day because I had something to do.
(End of this chapter)
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