Chapter 140: Big Bargain Hunting (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Who is the ultimate winner on this land?
The answer is still unknown, but what is certain is that if you want to be a winner, you must seize the time and seize the opportunity to develop yourself, only then can you become the final winner.
The loser will lose everything, and the winner will gain the right to survive!
Once again, when Buffett was about to leave South China and head to New York and London to start his journey to make money,
Zhu Xianhai asked Elizabeth to prepare a sumptuous dinner for him, Field and others!
As a guest, Buffett was of course the protagonist of the banquet. When the wine was drunk, he once again mentioned the interesting things that happened in his last trip.
"...I arrived in Liverpool. The Great Eastern will set sail for New York Harbor in a few days, so I took that ship on purpose. You know, it is the largest ship in the world. It can be said to be a masterpiece in the history of shipbuilding. It is not only a huge ship, but also a floating city..."
Zhu Xianhai had no interest at all in Buffett's description!
What he was concerned about was the Great Eastern!
It's the Great Eastern!
Zhu Xianhai's knowledge of the Great Eastern came entirely from a documentary that listed the Great Eastern as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Industrial World." This is not an exaggeration at all.
The Great Eastern is 211 meters long, 36 meters wide, has a maximum draft of 9.2 meters, a displacement of 27,700 tons, can carry 15,000 tons of coal, 6,000 tons of cargo and 4,000 passengers, and has an operating speed of 14 knots.
Such a huge ship was launched as early as 1857. Although the launching process was full of twists and turns, it had already made its first voyage from London to New York in 1860. It was not until half a century later that a cruise ship surpassed it in tonnage. From the perspective of the times, this huge ship built entirely of steel can definitely be called an "industrial miracle."
"When you were on the Dadong, what was the situation of the passengers on it?"
Zhu Xianhai asked with concern.
"Well, can you imagine that such a floating city on the sea has less than a thousand passengers? You don't know, the Great Eastern may be huge, but in the shipping industry, it is a joke, a disaster. When it was first built, it was intended to fly directly to Australia, but because the company was in deficit and could not afford the cost of flying directly to Australia, the company decided to take the American route instead. But it has never been full, and sometimes, the crew even has more passengers..."
It’s exactly as what was said in the documentary!
Zhu Xianhai secretly clenched his fist. The Great Eastern might be huge, but its subsequent operation was definitely a disaster. Its huge carrying capacity was never fully utilized. Except for its maiden voyage, its highest passenger record was 1,500 people.
Not only did its efficiency fail to meet expectations, but accidents also occurred frequently during its voyage: an explosion occurred on its maiden voyage, killing five crew members and one crew member jumping into the sea and missing. In the end, it even directly dragged down the Great Eastern Steamship Company, which was established to build it. Due to heavy losses on each voyage and repeated shipwrecks, the shipowner had to stop it from sailing. In the end, the Great Eastern was repaired and changed hands several times, and was shamefully transformed into a cable-laying ship - used to lay Atlantic cables.
"The Great Eastern..."
Looking at Zhu Xianhai talking to himself, a strange thought popped up in Buffett's mind.
"Um...you don't want to buy that ship!"
Buffett was even a little worried when he said this.
"why not?"
Zhu Xianhai smiled.
“You have to know that the British had an extremely ambitious goal when they built the Great Eastern: to connect the tentacles of the British Empire to Asia further away in order to consolidate its dominance in the world. This required the Great Eastern to be able to sail directly from London to Sydney and back again – without the need to add fuel in between. Perhaps it’s not playing a role on the London to New York route now, but what if we buy it and use it to transport immigrants?”
"The Great Eastern" is simply an immigration ship prepared for Nanhua!
"If we remove its luxurious first-class cabins, restaurants, ballrooms and other public spaces, and install multi-layer beds in all cabins like we do with cargo ships, I dare say it can carry at least tens of thousands of immigrants at a time. 20,000? Maybe 30,000, or even more. Who knows?"
Zhu Xianhai couldn't help but look forward to the speed of immigration after purchasing the "Great Eastern".
"Its steamships are faster. Perhaps it only takes a hundred days to travel between China and South China. In a year, it can make at least three round trips. In a year, it can transport..."
Zhu Xianhai swallowed his saliva and said excitedly.
"Buffett, when you go to London this time, you must buy it! Buy the Great Eastern!"
"What? Buy the Great Eastern?"
Unlike Zhu Xianhai's enthusiasm, Buffett said excitedly.
"Good heavens! my friend, do you know how much a Great Eastern costs?"
"How much?"
Zhu Xianhai said.
"Don't worry, we will never buy it at the price. Don't forget that the Great Eastern Steamship Company is losing money every day because of it. To them, the Great Eastern is not a high-quality asset at all, but a burden, a negative asset that will drag them down. They will definitely be willing to sell it at a lower price."
Because it is a "negative asset", there is a chance to buy at the bottom!
This is simply a godsend!
Buy the "Great Eastern" at a low price and then put it into use to attract Chinese immigrants. In just ten years, the "Great Eastern" alone could bring millions of Chinese immigrants to South China.
With a population of one million, South China would not be enough even if there were two more Argentinas!
What is the population of Argentina?
Just over one million!
Four years later, in the Paraguayan War, Paraguay lost 300,000 people under the siege of the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Almost all the men in the country died in the war, and the country was almost extinct. The outcome of the war was doomed from the beginning - Brazil had a population of 10 million, Argentina 1.5 million, Uruguay 250,000 to 300,000, and Paraguay had only 400,000.
During the Civil War, the Northern Union controlled a population of more than 22 million, and the Southern Union controlled a population of 9.1 million, of which 3.5 million were black slaves. During the four-year Civil War, the Northern Army deployed a total of 2.1 million troops and the Southern Army deployed 1.06 million troops.
In the South China War in the simulator, the population of South China was only a few hundred thousand.
Human resources not only determine the future of a country's industrial development, but also determine the outcome of a war. Once human resources are exhausted during a war, defeat is only a matter of time.
people!
It is the foundation of everything!
A giant ship can bring at least one million people to Nanhua!
Why not do such a good deal?
This is simply the best investment in the world!
“Steven!”
Faced with this huge investment, Buffett seemed a little excited.
"You have to know that a Great Eastern costs at least several hundred thousand pounds. Even if our plan succeeds, we can't spend all the funds, or most of the funds, on one ship. This is a complete waste!"
Facing the somewhat excited Buffett, Zhu Xianhai said calmly.
"Believe me, this is a very worthwhile investment! What do you think, Mr. Field?"
Cyrus Field said in response to his boss's question.
"Sir, if you can make the right judgment on an investment like the Atlantic Telegraph Company, I think you must have your reasons for insisting on this matter."
(End of this chapter)
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