Chapter 452: Madman
Vanderbilt's words were rough but his point was true.
The old nobles who took off at the forefront of the times at the beginning of the founding of the country could not find any reason to refute Vanderbilt.
"Can you two have a word with me?"
After sending the imperial edict to Liang Yao, James had already held up a goblet in his hand.
"Of course, Sir James, please."
Vanderbilt, who was in a good mood, enthusiastically invited James to a quieter place aside.
"I came to New York this time to attend Sir Liang's wedding and bring His Majesty's blessings to you from Paris to New York." James said, shaking the wine in the goblet.
"Secondly, His Majesty wants me to bring something back to Paris from New York, but what I want to take away from New York is more difficult, and I hope you can help me."
Having said that, Liang Yao and Vanderbilt have guessed what James wants to take away: US dollars.
After the fall of the First Empire, France experienced a long period of lows.
When Napoleon III ascended the throne, France had not yet completed the industrial revolution, and the national economy was still dominated by agriculture.
As a country that has not yet completed industrialization, the financial situation of the French government cannot be said to be very abundant.
Napoleon III used foreign troops as soon as he came to power. The financial situation was exhausted and the military expenditure was insufficient. However, in order to win the Crimean War and consolidate his political position at home, Napoleon III could only choose to increase the chips on the war gambling table, and it was impossible to reduce military expenditure.
"Do you want to sell war bonds in New York?" Liang Yao and James clinked their glasses and immediately sipped the red wine.
"Sir Liang is really sharp-eyed. My emperor is kind and can't bear to increase taxes on the people, so this time I came to New York to issue war bonds and raise military expenses." James smiled and nodded.
"I hope you two can subscribe to some of our war bonds at that time. With you two taking the lead in subscribing, I think my task will not be difficult to complete.
I think Sir Liang is still clear about the war situation in the Near East. From a business perspective, buying our war bonds is a good investment."
James' words are half true and half false. Napoleon III is not reluctant to increase taxes on the people, but he dares not. After the baptism of the Great Revolution, the French people's tolerance for rulers is much lower than that of the Qing Dynasty.
But to be honest, compared with the Bourbon dynasty's extravagant rulers who asked why ordinary people couldn't afford bread and didn't eat cream cakes, Napoleon III was indeed a model of benevolent rule and love for the people in France.
The fact that Napoleon III was able to have a good end after his abdication was the best affirmation of him by the French people.
As for buying French war bonds, it was a good financial investment. James really didn't fool Liang Yao.
Vanderbilt glanced at Liang Yao, he wanted to hear Liang Yao's opinion.
He was good at business, but in terms of military affairs, he was not even clumsy, but knew nothing. He himself was not interested in the military.
Vanderbilt's biggest intersection with the military in his life was sending his favorite youngest son Edward to the front line, which was also the decision he regretted most in his life, no one else.
Liang Yao nodded to Vanderbilt, and then consulted James: "Since it is an investment, everything is easy to say. I have to thank you for giving me such a good financial product. I couldn't ask for more. How many war bonds does your majesty plan to issue in New York? How many years of war bonds? What is the interest rate?"
"A total of 10 million US dollars of five-year war bonds, 6% fixed annual interest rate, a one-time principal and interest payment upon maturity."
From the attitudes shown by the two, James felt that this matter was a sure thing, and he did not forget to add a sentence at the end to strengthen the two's confidence in the French war bonds.
"But now there are only 8.5 million US dollars, and our Rothschild family has subscribed to 1.5 million US dollars of it."
Vanderbilt is a representative of the New York consortium and has a high reputation in the New York business community.
Liang Yao is a representative of the California consortium, and his reputation in the California consortium is even more prosperous.
Both of these consortiums are American consortiums with strong financial resources. If Vanderbilt and Liang Yao take the lead in subscribing to French war bonds, James believes that the remaining 8.5 million US dollars of war bonds will be sold out soon.
The annual interest rate of 6% can only be said to be mediocre, but buying French war bonds is more about selling a favor to Napoleon III. Making money is secondary, as long as you don't lose money.
"There is no reason for me to miss such a good investment." Liang Yao quickly expressed his willingness to take the lead in purchasing French war bonds.
"How much will Sir Liang subscribe? Can you pay a low price first?" James asked.
"No less than 850,000 US dollars. I still need to go back and consider how much I can subscribe. You know that the war in Borneo has just ended not long ago, and my life is not easy." Liang Yao said.
It is true that Liang Yao is the richest man in America, but many of his assets are fixed assets, shares and liabilities. It takes time to realize these assets, and the cash flow he can mobilize is not sufficient.
Especially now he is considering building the Gard Railway. Once this project is launched, it will consume a large part of his cash flow.
The ongoing Pacific Railway project costs 700,000 to 800,000 US dollars every month. If it weren't for the excessive profits of the petrochemical industry in Los Angeles, kerosene and vaseline would have no worries about sales. If he had expanded his business so much, his capital chain would have been broken long ago.
"With your words, I feel relieved." James said with great satisfaction.
As he spoke, James found a seat and sat down. Next, he wanted to talk to Liang Yao about their private business cooperation.
"California's kerosene and vaseline are selling well in Europe. I sent people to investigate. My investigation team is very optimistic about the future oil production in Los Angeles, but they are not optimistic about the capacity of the Nicaragua route. I personally think that the capacity of the Nicaragua route will become a bottleneck for trade between California and the European continent."
As the Nicaragua route with the highest sales volume between the east and west of the United States, it has been overwhelmed with the economic rise of California.
Although Liang Yao and Vanderbilt have tried their best to increase the potential of the Nicaragua route by dredging and widening the Nicaragua Canal, expanding the ports on the route, and even building railways on some sections of the route, in order to make more profits from this route.
However, there is a mountain on the Nicaragua route that cannot be penetrated by the current technological strength, and the potential of the Nicaragua route is also locked by this mountain. It will be difficult to increase the capacity of the Nicaragua route in the future.
Furthermore, from an economic point of view, it is not cost-effective to do so.
"I think this situation will improve after the completion and opening of the Pacific Railway." Liang Yao said.
James waved his hand and said, "But it cannot be fundamentally improved. The transportation efficiency of the railway is very high, but in this world where the ocean area is much larger than the land area, in terms of transportation capacity and transportation costs, sea transportation still has incomparable advantages over railways."
"Sea transportation?" Liang Yao smiled and said, "I can't dig a canal in Panama, right?"
"That's what I mean!" James clapped his hands excitedly, "If a canal can be dug in the Panama region, the sailing distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be shortened by a full 8,000 nautical miles! Sir Liang, I think you know what this means to California and the world."
James seems to have found a soulmate. Liang Yao's Global Shipping Company is one of the top shipping companies in the United States. Its predecessor is Vanderbilt's shipping empire.
James was not surprised that Liang Yao said arrogantly about digging a canal in Panama.
Similarly, Liang Yao also expressed his understanding of James's shocking idea.
It is not surprising that the children of the Rothschild family have such crazy ideas.
In 1875, it was the Rothschild family that provided the British government with a huge loan of 4 million pounds and bought 70,000 shares of the Suez Canal from the King of Egypt. The British government then controlled this important shipping route.
The Rothschild family also gained fame and fortune and became heroes of Britain.
However, it was not James who made this wise decision in the family at that time, but James' brother Lionel in London.
Liang Yao had also had an intersection with Lionel before. The prototype gun and drawings of the Sacramento gun were brought out of Britain by Lionel.
In order to take the three prototype guns and technical drawings out of Britain without anyone noticing, Lionel actually burned down Armstrong's factory.
Capital has no borders, and Jewish capital has a lower bottom line than ordinary capital.
They can become heroes of Britain for greater interests, and naturally they can also become traitors of Britain for greater interests.
Liang Yao certainly knew what the opening of the Panama Canal meant.
This canal across the Isthmus of Panama in later generations almost fed an entire country.
But Liang Yao also knew how difficult it was to dig an 82-kilometer-long canal in the Isthmus of Panama with the technological level of the mid-19th century.
Unlike the Suez Canal, the water level of the Panama Canal in later generations was 26 meters higher than the two oceans, and it relied on 6 ship locks to operate, which was a sluice-type canal.
In this era when even the Suez Canal has not been opened and mankind has not yet entered the electrical age, it is undoubtedly a fantasy to complete this engineering miracle, and the capital required is also inestimable.
However, in building the Panama Canal, technology and capital are not the biggest problems, but politics.
The British Empire is now in the heyday of the Victorian era. If this canal is built, Liang Yao cannot control it, and the final outcome will be similar to the Suez Canal in history.
The Suez Canal in history was dug by the model of France providing funds and technology and Egypt providing people. After the canal was opened to navigation, France held 52% of the shares of the Suez Canal.
But in the end, it was swallowed by the British.
In the Victorian era, the British would never be vague about any matter involving sea power.
Liang Yao now even doubted whether James was here to fool him.
"The current technical conditions are not yet mature. Although your proposal is very tempting, it is not feasible now." Liang Yao tactfully rejected James' proposal.
"The Isthmus of Panama is too sensitive and involves the interests of too many countries. Moreover, it is a smoky place. How many people will die in this place to dig a canal? Have you considered it?"
"Human civilization is built on corpses. If this canal can be built, these people will die." James' tone of voice gradually became excited.
"At least they are more valuable than dying on the battlefield. I heard that the Qing Dynasty is in a civil war, and hundreds of people die in the war every day. With your relationship, it is not difficult to recruit cheap labor from the Qing Dynasty. Then you and I will contribute funds, and our family will open up the relationship between the European countries, and this project can start."
Damn, this is a madman.
Liang Yao looked at the well-dressed gentleman in front of him, listened quietly to his crazy plan, and finally shook his head decisively and said.
"Sir James, your plan seems good, but the timing is not yet ripe."