Chapter 1116 The Gilded Age of the Empire (Second update, please subscribe)
If you can't win, then curse him. Maybe that's why they gave those people this "Napoleon" thing.
Which Napoleon is this in Bolivia?
The Napoleon of Paraguay directly ruined the men of the entire country.
This one in Bolivia...
All right!
Maybe, this is fate.
Wellington, the winner, was not a good person, but liked the loser. Now, misfortune has once again befallen another "Napoleon".
People, sometimes you have to believe in fate!
Therefore, the Chinese always pay attention to auspiciousness in everything they do. There will definitely not be a general in China who would be proud to call himself "Zhao Kuo".
No matter what you do, you should always seek auspiciousness.
Just like Montevideo, once the capital of the Republic of Uruguay and the capital of the Uruguay Province in Brazil, after being incorporated into the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed Daxing and became the capital of Hebei Province.
Daxing is located north of the river.
Look at what a lucky name.
White people in suits, cars running on the streets, and old European-style buildings everywhere, it doesn't look much different from European cities.
However, this scene only occurs in the main urban area, especially in the southeastern district, where the largest number of European immigrants live. However, the most prosperous area in Daxing is the West District New Town.
It was a newly developed area built after the empire occupied Daxing. There were high-rise buildings lined up one after another, brightly lit billboards, and all kinds of cars running on the wide avenues. Nearly 100,000 Chinese immigrants lived in those scenic residential areas and villas.
Although this city is only separated from Yingtian Prefecture by a river... it is far less prosperous than Yingtian, and even has a population of only a few hundred thousand. However, it is far more prosperous than some small cities in the mainland.
Daxing Commercial Bank is a European-style palace building. It once belonged to a shipping company and was acquired by this local bank a few years ago and became its headquarters. The building looks quite solemn and majestic.
In the manager's office of the Daxing branch, Li Pingcai looked at the bank manager Du, who was currently looking through the plan documents.
"Why do you use the Bessemer converter? If I remember correctly, most of the Imperial Steel companies are based on open-hearth furnaces."
Du Bokang asked curiously.
"That's true. The open-hearth furnace is currently widely used in the empire. After all, it was invented by our Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the open-hearth furnace is suitable for all kinds of pig iron, and there are many varieties of steel grades and advantages. Naturally, it is more valued."
Li Pingcai explained.
"However, considering various factors such as production cost and product, we chose the Bessemer converter with higher production efficiency and lower production cost. A 6-ton Bessemer converter can produce 30,000 tons of steel per year. The new plant has two 10-ton converters, which can produce 100,000 tons of steel. Its cost per ton of steel is 25% lower than that of an open-hearth furnace."
"25%?"
Du Bokang was surprised.
"This is indeed a very impressive number. If it is so efficient and impressive, why do other steel companies rarely use it?"
"This is because compared to the open-hearth furnace, which is not picky about raw materials, the converter is limited to blowing pig iron with low phosphorus content, so its use is limited. However, a few years ago, Europe introduced the basic converter, which can produce converters with high phosphorus content."
Li Pingcai thought about it and then said.
"Compared to the open-hearth furnace, the Bessemer converter has higher technical requirements. For example, the forward use of the Bessemer converter requires more precise coordination with upstream and downstream processes and rich chemical knowledge. The large amount of material processing of the Bessemer converter leads to more demand for products from other production processes. Therefore, the use of the converter requires very high requirements for engineers, while the open-hearth furnace has relatively low requirements for engineers. Of course, its biggest problem is that it can only produce a few steel grades, such as ordinary carbon steel or manganese-containing steel, but even so, it is enough."
His answer made Manager Du nod in agreement.
"It is indeed enough. After all, ordinary steel is used to build buildings, and manganese steel is used to build railways. These two types of steel are the most widely used. So, the converter should be enough."
Although he is a banker, Du Bokang has some knowledge about steel.
"Yes, Manager Du, so from an investment perspective, the converter requires less investment, has higher efficiency, and naturally has a higher rate of return."
Looking at Manager Du who seemed to be in deep thought, Li Pingcai continued.
"Besides, there is no steel company in the entire Hebei Province. Once Daxing Steel is completed, it will become the only steel company in the local area. The local market alone will be able to absorb all of Daxing Steel's production capacity. In addition, with the Empire's occupation of the Peru-Bolivia Federation, the Empire will inevitably build a large number of railways in the local area. Railways also require a large amount of steel. Coupled with urban infrastructure, now is the time to invest in the steel industry!"
"Second Master Li."
After thinking about it, Du Bokang said.
"You are right. This is indeed an opportunity. If we seize this opportunity, we will definitely make huge profits in the future."
As he finished speaking, Du Bokang glanced out the window. This city really needed a steel company of his own. A steel company is never a simple steel company. It will also drive related downstream and affiliated industries. Whether from the perspective of local development or the development of the bank, investing in a steel company is indeed a good option.
"Daxing Commercial Bank Daxing Branch can subscribe to 30% of your shares! In addition, it will provide a loan of no less than 400,000 yuan!"
For banks, the most profitable thing is not loans but investments. By investing in industrial companies, banks can obtain extremely generous returns. Now, after 20 years of development, Daming's commercial banks have already formed a mature banking investment system. When encountering such a good project, the bank will certainly not miss it.
Besides, the Li family's ironworks is also a well-known local enterprise, so there is no need to worry about providing them with loans. Moreover, it can be seen at a glance that the return on investment is very high.
"20% equity plus 600,000 yuan loan, Manager Du, you know that you are not the only ones willing to invest in the steel company. There are many people willing to invest in Daxing. If you give the bank 30% equity, many people will be disappointed."
"Indeed, I was negligent."
Du Bokang thought for a moment, then said to the young man in front of him,
"I'll have my lawyer prepare a full contract, and we'll sign it in the next two days."
After leaving Manager Du's office, Li Pingcai walked through the lobby of the second-floor office. As he went downstairs, he grinned all the way.
"What a cunning fellow."
Li Pingcai muttered to himself as he went downstairs.
However, no matter what, the investment has been negotiated. With the bank's investment and loan, the construction of the steel company will no longer have any funding problems.
"Well, from now on our Li family will have our own steel company."
He believed that as long as they seized this opportunity, the Li family would be able to rise to become a wealthy family. In fact, this was also the most distinctive feature of this era. As long as they seized the opportunity, everyone could succeed. Even those who were in it did not know what kind of era they were in.
This era is the "Gilded Age" of the Ming Empire. It came quietly and unnoticed...
(End of this chapter)
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