Chapter 311: Snatching Food From the Tiger’s Mouth

As the most populous and economically powerful traditional state in the United States, it is the undisputed largest voting base in the United States at this time, with 35 electoral votes. Winning the votes of New York State is equivalent to winning five or six southern states.

New York State is bound to become the focus of competition between the two presidential candidates.

Vanderbilt is an entrepreneur. If he is asked to choose one person between Fillmore and Pierce as president, he is inclined to choose Fillmore.

Although Fillmore governs with the attitude of not offending both the North and the South, and has no obvious intention to favor the North, Fillmore does not favor the South either, which is obvious to all.

It is indeed more in line with Vanderbilt's interests to choose Fillmore than to choose Pierce, who sympathizes with the southern slave owners.

Supporting Fillmore's re-election is not only Liang Yao's business, but also Vanderbilt's business.

He also does not want to think that a sympathizer of the southern slave owners will ascend to the presidency.

As for the funding issue of the huge Pacific Railway project, if the initial start-up funds can be raised on Wall Street and the federal government is requested to provide certain assistance, the project can be started.

The construction of the Innisfree Canal in 1817 is essentially the same as the westward movement advocated by the federal government today. Both are to ease the contradiction of too many people and too little land in the east by opening up the west.

It's just that the place to go west was the Great Lakes region not far from the eastern coastal areas, while the areas to be opened up by the westward movement today are the vast central Great Plains and the distant west coast. These places are the real western regions of the United States today.

Although the contradiction of too many people and too little land in the United States is somewhat Versailles compared with the contradiction between people and land in the Qing Dynasty. If it were in the Qing Dynasty, the palm-sized area of ​​New York State could more than accommodate the entire population of the United States.

However, it is an indisputable fact that the per capita land of the thirteen states in the east, especially the northern states, has been decreasing with the increase of population.

When it comes to the United States before and after the Civil War in the mid-19th century, many people always have the stereotype that the southern United States has developed agriculture and the northern industry.

In fact, it is true that the southern industry is backward and there are not many factories. When the Civil War broke out, 81% of the factories in the United States were in the North, and they were all in a wide range of categories. 19% of the factories in the South were basically textile mills and cotton ginning mills built around the cotton textile industry.

But the situation in the North was not entirely the same. 67% of the farms in the United States were in the North, and the farms in the South accounted for only 33% of the total. In other words, even in agriculture, the North had a huge advantage over the South.

"Five Dynasties Rivers and Mountains"

Old states like New York have to develop both agriculture and industry, and both agricultural and industrial land must be taken into account. It is inevitable that land resources are becoming increasingly tight.

This is also the driving force for the westward movement of America. The main force that first joined the westward movement was not factory owners and businessmen, but farmers and farm owners who had an urgent need for land.

"If you are willing to join this big project, I think I can start to build momentum in the newspaper tomorrow to prepare for raising funds on Wall Street." Liang Yao said with a very firm attitude.

"Of course, if you don't want to take risks, I will also start this project, even if I am the only railroad company in the United States willing to undertake this project."

"Adventure is the fun of life. This is a good opportunity to be recorded in the history of American industry." Vanderbilt put his hands in his pockets and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the familiar Hudson River, which flows quietly under the setting sun. He looked at the ships coming and going on the Hudson River and said: "When I first started my business, I only had one ship. At that time, the entire New York water route was monopolized by the Livingston family. I was worried all day long driving my broken boat and being chased by the New York police to steal passengers and run transportation everywhere."

"Snatching food from the tiger's mouth." Liang Yao commented.

"But my ship is always full of passengers. Many passengers know that they will be chased by the police if they take my ship, but they still like to take my ship. Do you know why?" Vanderbilt asked.

"Exciting?" Liang Yao thought for a while and said.

"Yes, it's exciting. In the whole of New York, they can only have such an experience by riding on my ship. I also like the feeling of excitement." Vanderbilt said, "A big project worth hundreds of millions of dollars is exciting just to think about it. I haven't experienced the feeling of excitement for a long time."

Now in the American railway industry, the only company that can compete with Vanderbilt is Yinli Railway Company, in addition to Liang Yao's California Railway Company and Atlantic Railway Company.

In the railway industry, it is indeed difficult for Vanderbilt to find the excitement he had when he first entered the shipping industry.

"Then I will assume that you agree." Liang Yao said.

"Going west is the national policy of the United States. The future of the United States lies in the West. I am very interested in the Pacific Railway. However, whether this national policy can be well implemented in the next four years depends on the results of this election. Let's make a decision after this election. There is no rush." ​​Vanderbilt turned his head and said.

"I will also find an opportunity to contact Mr. Pierce and test his opinion."

After the conversation, Liang Yao and the Vanderbilt family had dinner together.

After dinner, Vandaze couldn't wait to find Liang Yao.

"The department store on 42nd Street in the West Side of Manhattan has been completed and is currently under renovation. Shouldn't you take some time to go there and take a look?" Fan Daze said, "According to your original request, this commercial building is seven stories high, one story higher than Stuart's Marble Palace! I have to say that the aesthetics of London designers are much better than those old-fashioned people in New York."

"That's the designer of the Crystal Palace. Are the surrounding supporting facilities built?" Liang Yao asked.

The department store on 42nd Street in the West Side of Manhattan was designed by Paxton, the designer of the Crystal Palace, who was hired at a high price. Paxton's design for the venue of the first World Expo stood out among 246 architectural design plans. His aesthetics must have its own outstanding features.

However, the reason why Liang Yao hired Paxton as the designer of the shopping mall was not because of his online aesthetics.

Instead, he saw that the construction period required for the use of cast iron prefabricated components and glass buildings was much shorter than that of traditional buildings.

The main reason why Paxton's Crystal Palace plan was adopted was that cast iron prefabricated components and glass buildings not only met the demanding requirement of completion within one year (in fact, the Crystal Palace took less than six months from the start of construction to completion), but also had lower costs than traditional masonry buildings.

A huge building of 74,000 square meters was built in less than six months, which was unimaginable in an agricultural society. This was an efficiency that only existed in the industrial age.

The London World Expo held in 1851 was not long over, and many people were still immersed in the shock brought to them by the Crystal Palace.

This gimmick can also be used, and free advertising should not be wasted.

"Not yet, the main building has been completed." Van Daze said, "The land at the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway in the West Side of Manhattan is very expensive. In such a place, not only commercial buildings are built, but also a piece of land is vacated to build a park. Only you dare to sit like this in the whole of America."

"It's not a park, it's an entertainment and leisure center. Since it's a palace, it should give consumers an emperor-like experience, not just a name." Liang Yao shook his head and said.

He was not the first to build a shopping mall in New York, and he had already lost the opportunity.

The marble palace built by Stewart next to New York City Hall in 1848 has become a new favorite of American consumers and even a city card of New York.

In order to seize the consumer market that Stewart, a retail giant, has already occupied despite a bad start, he must be meticulous in details.

Shopping malls are long-term businesses. As long as they are well managed and recognized by 500,000 New Yorkers, this shopping mall will be his money printing factory in the future.