Chapter 350: Slave Owners Collaborating with Foreign Countries
Public opinion is currently in a mess, making it a good time to release fake news. So when insider information was reported that United wanted to sell the Panama Canal project, it did not attract much attention.
After all, compared with the local reports in Panama, the authenticity of the project for sale is not eye-catching. So even if someone saw similar reports, they didn't take it seriously.
This report did not attract the attention of the public, because the public itself did not care about this matter, but it attracted the attention of Washington, especially President Roosevelt. If it was limited to the news of the sale, this matter would not be worthy of attention. After all, it was a normal business behavior and it was not convenient for the White House to interfere.
However, Sheffield's first target was not a domestic company, but the Thyssen Group of the German Empire. When the news came that Sheffield was having a party with German guests at the Rockefeller estate, the nature of the matter changed.
Since William II implemented the world policy, German capital has been very enthusiastic about going overseas, and investment in various parts of the world has been increasing, which naturally includes the American continent. Let’s not talk about other things for now, but if the Panama Canal project falls into the hands of the German Empire, it will not be as easy for the United States to deal with it as it is to deal with the French.
"William, you are not serious, are you?" Even after learning about this, Rockefeller Jr. was worried about it. "The United Company is already under public attention. If you sell everything about the canal to the Germans, what will the citizens think?"
"Stand aside and watch carefully. Who recognizes them as citizens? In my eyes, they are just like black people, slaves with different skin colors." Sheffield snorted. "So-called citizens, their opinions have never mattered. No one cares and no one will care. Their opinions on the sale of the canal to Germany are equivalent to no opinions. The ones who really have opinions are not these so-called citizens whose words are as good as nothing, but our federal government. The opinions of the federal government are worth considering. I am very clear about this."
"Why are you still doing this?" Rockefeller Jr. didn't understand. Why did they have to go against the federal government? Now everyone knows that the Germans' influence in the world is growing. The federal government is also vigilant and will definitely find a way to prevent this from succeeding.
"If the federal government doesn't want the rights of the Panama Canal to be handed over to the Germans, as a patriotic rich man, I will naturally sell the canal to the country, but it depends on the price." Sheffield opened his arms nonchalantly, "Thanks to the great United States, I really wouldn't dare to do this if it were any other country."
At least if it were the East, no matter which dynasty or generation, Sheffield should have ended up with all its property confiscated and its clan exterminated, with no exceptions. A strategic project of great national significance was actually going to be sold to another powerful country, and the outcome was completely predictable.
But who says that capitalism can't do this? This is a normal business move. Since the ownership is in the hands of the United Company, Sheffield can make its own arrangements for the Panama Canal.
The sale of the Panama Canal did not cause any public shock, but it did cause a huge shock to Washington.
Before Roosevelt's staff arrived in New York, Sheffield's favorite way to pass the time was to read newspapers and admire how stupid the citizens could be. He had admired a lot in his previous life, such as Western medicine is poison, and Chinese medicine is elixir. The doctors in the hospital are all unscrupulous quacks who only know how to take red envelopes, and the old Chinese medicine doctors on the small advertisements on the wall are all reincarnated Hua Tuo who saves the world.
Official scientists are all idiots who only know how to study hard. They don't know how to innovate. Their research is all garbage. They can't compare with civilian scientists at all. Look, gravitational waves were proposed by someone a long time ago. The Egyptian pyramids were forged by the British. A civilization does not exist without historical records, although the Xia Dynasty did not have any.
In this life, the slave owner would be just as happy to read the American version. Rockefeller Jr. originally thought Sheffield was a person with good reading habits, but when he got closer, he couldn't help but grin, "You're just reading this?"
"If there were too many smart people in this world, wouldn't my intelligence not stand out? Fortunately, God is fair and there are more fools!" Sheffield waved his hands and sighed. This was just the beginning. The slave owner took Anne to visit the prosperous prostitution industry in Paris, took Natalia to visit the homeless gathering place in New York, and took your sister to look at the slums in Brazil. Every time he felt very happy.
What kind of happiness is not derived from comparison? As a mature slave owner, Sheffield is at least honest enough. He likes to find the areas where others are not as good as himself to improve his happiness. He is the same as the richest man in India who built a mansion in the largest slum in Asia.
"Roosevelt's staff has come to New York. I just received the news!" Rockefeller Jr. also knew that Sheffield's character should not be overestimated, so he turned to business. "I guess they are here to discuss the sale of the canal with you. They want me to keep you here for now and ask if we can sell it to other large companies instead of the Germans."
"Who to sell it to? Morgan, besides you, it seems that Morgan is the only one who can afford it. Do you think I will sell it to him?" Sheffield said with a mocking face, "I would rather sell it to the Germans at a low price than to him, no matter how much money they offer."
The best candidate for the slave owners to take over is of course the federal government. In the past life, there has always been a saying among the people to describe a person's ability. What is a capable person? A capable person is one who can take advantage of the country. If you take advantage of yourself and the country suffers, that is the real ability.
This understanding is a summary of some chaos that occurred in the Republic when it was just opened up. However, Sheffield believes that there is nothing wrong with this summary from a businessman's perspective. It is a fact that really happened, so why should we not talk about it?
Now Sheffield thinks that he should cash out from the Panama Canal, so he naturally wants the state to take over first. After all, the Panama Canal only has commercial benefits in private hands, and political benefits don't mean much to a private enterprise like the United Company.
But even if he wanted the country to take over, Sheffield could not take the initiative to propose it. The slave owner wanted to pay more, and taking the initiative to propose it would only result in being bargained down.
But there is a way out. Germany has rich coal and iron resources, which are the guarantee of Germany's industrial development. Germany's rich coal and iron resources can fully support Germany's long-term continuous warfare. Germany's only weakness is oil production, but the industry is less dependent on oil. Germany's oil shortage is not serious, and the oil from the Austro-Hungarian Empire is enough for Germany.
German industry is undoubtedly the second largest in the world, and the United States is the largest. However, although the industrial output value of the United States exceeds that of Germany, a large part of American industry is actually under the control of European capital. The real share of the United States is actually not as high as that of Germany. The Germans' industries are all their own, while the United States owes billions of foreign debts.
The scale of German industry is entirely determined by the Germans themselves, while many industries in the United States are dominated by European capital. This is why the Germans seem more eye-catching than the United States, starting almost at the same time. Germany's industrial level and technological innovation capabilities are higher than those of the United States, ranking first in the world.
So if you want to find an object of hatred, there is no better choice in the world than Germany. Germany also has the ability to take over the Panama Canal, which is why Sheffield released the news of selling the canal to Germany.
As for the external environment, the Germans also had an interest in the Panama Canal, so after the meeting with German companies, it caused tension in Washington.
The senior staff sent by Roosevelt came to the Rockefeller estate in a hurry, eager to know whether Sheffield was serious about selling the Panama Canal.
"Mr. William, you should know the importance of the Panama Canal to the national interest!" Rosen reminded very seriously, "This is not just a matter for the United Company. I understand that the collapse of the Panama Dam has caused great trouble to the United Company, but many people, including the federal government, are looking for solutions to help your company. It is very irrational to sell the Panama Canal at this time."
"I personally think that the judgment I made now is very rational!" Sheffield let the other party talk nonsense, but it would not change his original intention of cashing out. This staff member is so annoying. He keeps talking about national interests. Isn't this something that only the evil Soviet Union can say? This is the beacon of capitalism. Don't talk about money but about interests? Is the United Company going to sacrifice for the country in vain?
"The fact is that about 50,000 workers were drowned. If we want to give these workers an explanation, we need compensation. I don't think the Panamanian government has the money to pay. Isn't it up to the United Company to pay for it? Do you know how much money this is, dear Mr. Rosen?" Sheffield glanced at the aide and said indifferently, "The only country that is willing and has the funds to take over is Germany. I made this decision after a lot of consideration and don't think there is anything wrong with it."
The slave owner despised Rosen for talking about national interests but not about money. If he was not qualified to talk about money, everyone was busy. Could he go back and ask Roosevelt for instructions? What were he doing here? What about the American dream?
(End of this chapter)
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