Chapter 2382: Financing (Part 17)

Zhou Wei had actually been quite confused about this question recently. He had only met with Liu Xiang twice but couldn't discuss things in depth. The main problems, as Zhou Wei saw them, were first the tax issue, and second, this question of "main business." If you said mining and plantations all over the world, did these things have to be done through the Nanyang Company? At least Australia-Song currently didn't mandate that external development must go through the Nanyang Company! So you want Guangzhou's resources, but in the end, the headquarters isn't even here, let alone paying taxes. Why must Guangzhou's resources flow outside through you?

Yesterday's telegram had helped Zhou Wei break through his mental shackles. He had carefully studied Liu Xiang's recent public statements and found he cared about just three things: promoting employment, paper currency value preservation, and food security.

Among these, food security was very implicit. After the epidemic ended, Liu Xiang had personally supervised spring plowing preparations. He repeatedly held spring plowing mobilization meetings for the big households, requiring them to ensure their fields' water facilities were operational and to start spring plowing activities as soon as possible. For official fields, unclaimed lands, and reclaimable wastelands actually controlled by the Senate, he had mobilized and hired large amounts of labor for preparation and was ready to advance spring plowing and sowing according to the Heaven and Earth Society's suggestions. Without knowing the "major drought for two years" information, one would only think this was Liu Xiang being "diligent in agricultural matters" and "emphasizing agricultural production," or even consider it a show or nonsense—switching to new untested rice varieties and sowing early, wasn't this nonsense? But Zhou Wei now knew this was to harvest a wave of early rice before the major drought!

Had I known earlier he was so anxious about food security, why did I talk about steel industry and chemical industry the previous two times! Only yesterday did I learn that during the few days I went to Foshan for inspection, Old Liu had actually talked the industry people wanting to do massive steel-making into leaving, asking them to "consider places with potential like Foshan or Sanshui"! My Nanyang Company was also preparing to fire the first shot in southern Vietnam. I could have just started talking directly!

Now hearing Liu Xiang's question, Zhou Wei responded confidently. "Old Liu, you surely know that the East India Companies in history—their most powerful aspect was operating colonial territories as assets. I won't talk about the long-term goal first. Let me just talk about the near term!"

"We're preparing to integrate resources..." Saying this, Zhou Wei poked his finger on the table toward Liu Xiang and said meaningfully, "Using Ping Qiusheng's original Cam Ranh Bay foothold as a base, we'll directly take southern Vietnam's Cochinchina—what you often call the Linyi Kingdom!" Zhou Wei knew that Liu Xiang, as someone with an engineering background, had special research and interest in Han Dynasty history—probably because of his surname Liu—so he catered to his interests, deliberately using an ancient Han Dynasty place name.

Sure enough, Liu Xiang's eyes lit up when he heard this ancient name!

"Oh?" Liu Xiang asked with great interest. "Wasn't this annexed by Vietnam? Then how are you planning to deal with Vietnam? Also, I remember Cambodia also has a history of ruling this area. Their claim rights should be considered too!"

Pah! Paradox Interactive dogs should all be shot! Zhou Wei cursed silently in his heart, but warmly responded, "Mm, our Nanyang Company indeed doesn't have military and diplomatic powers. But once we've established colonies, we have reason to organize 'militia' for self-defense. Once armed conflict occurs, we immediately ask the central government for support..."

Then Zhou Wei began selling his colonial plan.

Cochinchina, after centuries of struggle between Cambodia and Vietnam, had already lost a large population. The southern Vietnamese regime had only swallowed this land less than twenty years ago, but the continuous "orthodox dispute" with the northern regime meant they simply didn't have much energy to integrate this newly incorporated territory. According to the Southeast Asia Company's work summary, the nail Ping Qiusheng had driven into Cam Ranh Bay was already very stable, with no threatening forces around. They could certainly execute a wave of forced migration, following the template of that certain chosen nation's settlement plan in a certain holy land, to start the colony first.

In the entire plan, Guangzhou needed to provide colonists—without this, don't even talk about colonies—and colonists couldn't all be refugees. They best had some core of cohesion, just as the white people's establishment of the Thirteen Colonies was based on their common religious faith. And the current Grand Prefect Liu often advocated the Han Dynasty's "Decree on Relocating to Tomb Towns," occasionally using this to threaten disobedient Guangzhou gentry in informal settings. His colony, honestly, really wouldn't mind having entire clans exiled... In fact, clan organizations that represented backward production relations in the Senate's core territories would be considered representatives of advanced production relations and productivity in colonial scope.

Then came demobilized soldiers. Because the expansionary military operations around Guangdong and Guangxi were officially declared over, according to plan, a large number of soldiers would soon be demobilized, but these demobilized soldiers wouldn't all be placed into the cadre ranks—that would cause the proportion of military-to-civilian transferred cadres to be too high, threatening the health of the cadre member structure. Military-to-civilian transferred cadres would be selected from the best, and for others, while trying to arrange employment back home, Zhou Wei thought a separate security company or colonization company militia could be established—Blackwater, Whitewater, Yellow River water would all work—to absorb those who had adapted to the life of fighting and wouldn't peacefully farm. This would be good for everyone.

"Additionally, we have some ideas about Bassein in Myanmar, but I'm afraid the Nanyang Company's strength alone can't achieve it. It needs the cooperation of various departments—of course, also the army."

Finally, there was the money and supplies to maintain this colonial system's early operation. Before, he hadn't figured this out and had revealed ideas about financial tricks, making people feel he came with malicious intent. Now, having understood Liu Xiang's needs, he knew how to open his mouth.

Zhou Wei got into the zone. "Based on different fundraising timeframes, we've designed different fundraising expectations. The most urgent is a plan to raise 200,000 silver yuan within 30 days..."

Actually, Zhou Wei's own partners—the two fundraising-related pieces among the five "visiting cards" he had read, plus Chu He's proposal he had briefly reviewed once—were all pretty similar. The differences between them were merely whether bonds or shares were primary, which to promote first, and different timeframes, costs, and targets for the fundraising activities. As for specific techniques, they were nothing more than "pawn pawn pawn" and "coax coax coax"—of course, there were also "cheat cheat cheat" proposals that wanted to turn into pyramid schemes, but Zhou Wei wouldn't even mention such things that would inevitably be rejected.

The proposal Zhou Wei now presented to Liu Xiang came from his supporting partners. Of course, he wouldn't say so now. The official wording was "based on Chu He's proposal, revised with additions and deletions according to the Nanyang Company's operational needs and actual conditions."

"Regarding the fundraising proposal, since it's mainly based on Chu He's proposal, he's much clearer than me on the specific considerations. I suggest inviting him to explain it to you, which would be more appropriate."

Since Chu He was the protagonist of this incident, he was naturally also Zhou Wei's key "appeasement" target. After all, Chu He had been "neglected," so commercially hyping him up a bit could at least cool his temper somewhat.

"That's fine." Liu Xiang of course understood his thoughts. Since they would continue to cooperate in the future, this favor could be done—and he personally quite appreciated some of Chu He's ideas.

Chu He had just eaten and was wandering around the municipal government "garden" burping and digesting. Honestly speaking, he wasn't satisfied with his performance in this "roadshow"—it had been too rushed!

As for the content of the joint proposal, honestly, he was a bit embarrassed about it too.

Although many things that couldn't be shown in public weren't mentioned during the roadshow, the content was actually there in the draft. He simply couldn't imagine Liu Xiang and the others' expressions after reading it.

"Some things, honestly, were too much," Chu He thought.

While he was pondering, a naturalized citizen clerk quietly approached his side.

"Chief Chu, Mayor Liu invites you to the small conference room for a talk."

"Oh? Inviting me?"

"Yes, and General Manager Zhou is also there."

Liu Xiang inviting him separately wasn't too surprising—after all, he was the initiator of the "Seven Gentlemen." But what did it mean that Zhou Wei was also there? Could it be that Liu Xiang wanted to be a peacemaker?

Should he go? Chu He couldn't help hesitating. But then thinking again, Liu Xiang was there anyway. It wasn't him meeting alone with Zhou Wei.

"I'll go right over."

As soon as he walked into the conference room, Zhou Wei stood up and proactively grasped Chu He's hand, saying, "You must be Senator Chu He. I've long admired your name! I read your proposal last night. It's truly like timely rain after a long drought. I couldn't wait to discuss it with you immediately but never found a suitable opportunity. Mayor Liu said you have some time now, so I came right over! Is it convenient?"

Chu He saw he didn't mention the secretary matter at all. Understanding tacitly, he went along with it and courteously said:

"Not at all, not at all. I'm the one who has long admired Senator Zhou Wei's great name. With the establishment of the Nanyang Company, Brother Zhou has contributed greatly. Meeting today, I truly regret not meeting sooner."

"Hahaha, brother, you flatter me. I read the summary of your proposal. I see you say you can raise 300,000 yuan in one month, with financing costs below 4%. If this can really be achieved, it would truly solve my urgent problem. I personally very much agree with this proposal. However, the fundraising is mainly conducted in Guangzhou, and Mayor Liu happens to be here. Why don't you trouble yourself to explain in detail?"

The two of them went back and forth, mentally thinking MMP, while verbally finishing their commercial mutual flattery.

Neither of them noticed Liu Xiang's rapid eye roll—this annual yield rate was really too low compared to the current lending rates in Guangzhou's market. Although Guangzhou's market currently wasn't thriving and interest rates were low, even for ordinary private lending, calculated by the commonly used "nine out thirteen back" interest method, the interest rate was 44%—and this was still under the premise that the creditor honestly only took interest without playing tricks.

(End of Chapter)