Chapter 1343 Investors in the British Empire (Second update, please subscribe)
In the evening, the sunset glowed the sky red and the setting sun dyed the distant sea red. On the red sea, a cruise ship was sailing rapidly and many people were standing on the deck of the cruise ship.
Many of them are immigrants from southern Europe, such as Italy. Restricted by the immigration regulations of the Ming Empire, many European immigrants can only go to Colombia, Venezuela, Central America and other places, and of course Mexico.
These immigrants from the Old World were eager to start their lives in the New World, but when they arrived in Colombia, they found that all the land here belonged to the big landlords. For them, there were only two choices: either to live in the slums of the city, after all, the backward industry and commerce in Colombia could not provide enough jobs for the new immigrants. Otherwise, they could only be tenants of the big landlords and work like slaves.
Of course, the immigrants were unaware of all this. Just as they were looking forward to a bright future and full of imagination about the future, the cruise ship's whistle sounded.
"Here we are, here we are..."
As the immigrants pointed at the approaching cemetery and shouted excitedly, John Smith, a millionaire who was very famous in London for investing in Persian oil and made his fortune, was standing on the top deck, and was gazing at the land with his eyes.
What he saw was not the Port of Santa Marta, but the whole of Colombia. Looking at the land in front of him, John Smith had a faint smile on his face.
Now...it's time to buy this country!
John Smith came to Columbia to buy the country - to be more precise, to buy its railroads.
On the railway leading to Bogota, a train was moving slowly on the track. As the train swayed and scraped around a curved section on the track, it even seemed like it was about to overturn. It was not until it passed the curve that it straightened its body again, speeding up under people's feet, and the iron wheels on the track squeaked regularly.
"Boss, I doubt whether this railway will be of any benefit."
Once again, Thomas, a senior employee of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, offered his opinion.
"This railway looks dilapidated and the annual transportation volume is very limited. Why should we invest in such a dilapidated railway? If we have this money, we can invest in railways in India. India has a large population and various resources. Investing in railways in India will have a higher return rate."
In fact, there are also disagreements within the company about investing in the railway in Colombia. They have been investigating the railway market in Colombia for a week, and the conclusion they have drawn is not very optimistic. But this cannot stop the boss's decision. At present, they are about to arrive in Bogota and will soon negotiate with the Colombians.
Faced with the reality of possible losses, some of them were smoking silently, while others were looking through documents in order to lower the price in the next negotiations.
"This investment is more of a speculation than an investment."
John Smith puffed on his corn pipe, which was filled with Turkish tobacco—the only trace of the Turks left. Then he said.
“Do you really think this railway will lose money?”
"Right now, there is no prospect of making a profit."
Dr. Charlie looked up from the page in his hands and replied.
"I really don't know, sir, how this railway could possibly be profitable? If it could make money, the Colombians would have recovered their investment long ago, instead of being in a situation like this with absolutely no hope at all."
When he expressed this view, he tried hard to recall, but still could not think of where the speculative opportunity was.
"That's why I said we can buy the railway with a very low offer."
Taking another drag on his cigarette, John Smith said.
“Do you know the Pan-American Railway?”
"What? The Pan-American Railway? Didn't the Colombians reject the Ming Empire's request?"
"Reject? They will refuse now, but what about in the future? It's not certain. After all, in front of a big country, the refusal of a small country is not worth mentioning. Do you think it will be more cost-effective for Colombians to build a new railway line or to expand the existing railway line if they agree to build the Pan-American Railway?"
"Boss, you mean we buy this railway and then build it to the north and south ends, right?"
Thomas' eyes lit up and he said a little excitedly.
"We can start by building a railway northwards, all the way to Panama."
"Boss, if we build the railway to Panama, then since it was the Colombians who agreed to build the Pan-American Railway, they can't bypass our railway."
Dr. Charlie said.
"Right of way. According to the regulations on right of way, it is not allowed to build parallel lines within 100 kilometers on both sides of the railway line. In this way, if their railway wants to pass through Panama, they can only buy our railway..."
When the right of way was mentioned, Dr. Charlie's eyes lit up and he looked at the boss who was smoking a pipe, his eyes full of admiration.
"Boss, this is a great idea. No matter how much we offer, they will accept it. As long as they want this railway."
"Doctor, we are businessmen. We will look for opportunities for speculation, but if we ask for an exorbitant price, it is very likely that they will be driven away. However, it is still possible to double or triple the price."
Two or three times, that would be a return of tens of millions of pounds!
At this moment, everyone in the car understood the difference between ordinary people and rich people. As ordinary people, they saw the opportunity to lose money, but as a millionaire boss, what about it?
He saw an investment opportunity.
It is not just an investment opportunity, but speculation. For ordinary people, as long as they seize this opportunity, they can... Ordinary people certainly cannot seize this opportunity. After all, such speculation requires a lot of money and strong connections.
And this is also the boss's biggest advantage - he is not only rich, but also has strong connections. You have to know that the shareholders of Anglo-Persian Oil Company are all powerful people in London.
"But, boss, will President Rafael Núñez of Colombia agree to sell the railway to us?"
The old group is gone, so I created a new book club group: 739209015. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
