America 1881: They Call Me Legend

Chapter 534 Integration of the Western Railway Company
Chen Jianqiu did not stay long in New York.

He has to go to San Francisco.

Camilla and Xiao Pengkun stayed in New York.

Little Pengkun needs to go to school, but Little Astor insists on being Xiaopengkun's godfather because he loves his house or some other reason.

This is actually a very nonsense thing.

Chen Jianqiu is not a Catholic or an Orthodox Christian, and his son has not been baptized, not to mention that Astor Jr. was a surety at the baptism ceremony.

However, Chen Jianqiu did not express his dissent.

After all, the world is too dangerous. Since the Astor family is willing to get involved with their son, he doesn't mind at all.

What's more, little Astor kept hinting to him that he wanted to make a baby kiss.

At the headquarters of the San Francisco Pacific Railroad Company, the management of the company held a grand welcome ceremony for Chen Jianqiu.

Those who come here today are not only the former management members of the Pacific Railway Company, but also people from the Santa Fe Railway Company, the Northern Pacific Railway Company and other companies.

The entire building was decorated with lights and red banners pulled up to celebrate the new life of their company.

These people lined up in two rows on the first floor, craning their necks and staring at the intersection.

They are all waiting for Chen Jianqiu to return to his western railway empire.

During this period of the financial crisis, everything sucked, there were massive layoffs, and even those who were spared suffered massive pay cuts because of the poor economics of the companies.

They hope that Chen Jianqiu's return will bring them more investment, at least the salary can be raised back.

Also waiting there were reporters from many media outlets in San Francisco.

As soon as these people got the news that Chen Jianqiu was coming, they gathered around early to see if they could get some useful information.

"I'm coming."

A sharp-eyed person in the crowd suddenly shouted.

A carriage turned the corner from the end of the street.

Behind him, there are several carriages.

These carriages come from the station.

When Chen Jianqiu was still in control of the Pacific Railway Company before the crisis, his itinerary in San Francisco had never been arranged by the railway company.

Usually Hanif and the Border Detective Agency are in charge.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the building, and Chen Jianqiu got off the carriage.

Immediately afterwards, a group of formally dressed and serious-faced people stepped out from the carriage behind, all carrying briefcases in their hands, and followed behind Chen Jianqiu.

Cox, the general manager of the Pacific Railway Company, and Yule, the deputy general manager, greeted him.

Both of them were "former important ministers" in the Hopkins Jr. period, and they were very disturbed at this time.

But Chen Jianqiu didn't seem to care about them.

He just glanced at the welcome banner and didn't even stop on his feet.

"Everyone gather in the meeting room, don't stick around here!" Li Sifu waved his hand at the crowd and greeted, "Brothers from the media, come too."

Cox and Yule deflated.

They glanced at each other and followed up the stairs resentfully.

The conference room has already been prepared in advance.

On the table were paper, pens, and a solid brass trinket from the Pacific Railroad Company.

Chen Jianqiu sat down.

He waved his hands to those who followed behind him, signaling them to sit down on his left and right.

This turned out to be Cox and Yule's spot.

The expressions of the two of them were very awkward at this time, and they were a little at a loss.

"Uh, Mr. Chen, where should we sit?" Cox hesitated and asked.

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the two positions in the back row:
"You guys sit there."

At this time, the conference room was full of people, and everyone was looking for their own seats. When they heard Chen Jianqiu's words, they all cast their gazes over.

Cox flushed.

This is a great humiliation.

He exploded.

"You can't treat me like this! Chen Jianqiu! The Pacific Railway Company survived the crisis and did not go bankrupt with the support of me and Yule! You are going too far! It will chill everyone! I want to resign!"

"I'll resign too!" Yule echoed after him.

There was a sudden silence in the conference room.

Especially those friends in the media, they dare not speak, but they are extremely excited, and the light of gossip is shining in their small eyes.

Is this just giving Mawei when you come up?

They were looking forward to how Chen Jianqiu would handle this matter.

Chen Jianqiu leaned back on the chair with a smile on his lips.

He looked sideways at the blushing and thick-necked Cox, and said slowly:
"Okay, double happiness, you have to keep your word."

Both Cox and Yule froze.

In fact, they didn't plan to resign, they just wanted the boss to give them the respect they deserved, but Chen Jianqiu didn't follow the routine and directly agreed to their resignation.

You should keep it anyway!

Before Cox could react, Yule spoke first:

"Um, Boss Chen, what Cox meant just now."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Jianqiu waved his hand to tell him to shut up.

He now has a headache seeing these two crouching dragon and phoenix chicks.

Although he left the Pacific Railway Company at the beginning, he has maintained his attention to the company through Hanif in recent years.

Little Hopkins' bad idea was at least half related to these two people.

"Since you are no longer members of the Pacific Railway Company or friends of the media, it would be inappropriate to stay in this conference room." Chen Jianqiu pointed to the door behind him with his thumb, "Both of you Take it easy, and settle the rest of your salary with your finances yourself."

Yule was ashamed and planned to go out, but Cox had no intention of leaving.

He gave up his upbringing and manners as a gentleman, and began to spoil:
"I'm not going anywhere, just stay in this conference room, I want to hear what you have new."

Cox perched on the edge of the table, making no attempt to move.

Chen Jianqiu hooked his fingers to Li Sifu:

"Get out!"

Li Sifu winked at the people outside the door.

Two tall detectives dressed in black walked into the conference room quickly.

They came to Cox's side, stood on the left and right sides, one on each side, and put the former general manager in the air.

Cox's tiny short legs dangled and stomped the air.

Two detectives quickly carried the cursing former general manager out.

The door to the conference room was closed.

The management and middle-level personnel of several railway companies in the meeting room did not dare to show their atmosphere.

They wondered if it would be their turn next.

But what Chen Jianqiu said next reassured them.

"Except for the two people just now, the positions and salaries of the others remain unchanged for the time being. Subsequent salary adjustments will depend on the specific situation of reorganization and integration."

Reorganization?integration?What's the meaning?
Everyone present, including the reporters, was stunned.

Chen Jianqiu looked around and continued:

"From now on, companies such as the Pacific Railroad, the Santa Fe Railroad, and the Northern Pacific Railroad will cease to exist, and will be replaced by the Western Railroad."

The people in the conference room began to whisper to each other, and everyone was discussing.

This move is risky.

Although in the 19s, monopoly capitalism was the mainstream and the general trend.

Before there was Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company, and later there were trusts such as Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company.

But the federal government and state governments in every state are watching for such behemoths to emerge.

They are all worried about this.

"We need uniform operating standards, including uniform operating hours, uniform track width, uniform freight rates, and even uniform service standards."

Chen Jianqiu knocked on the table and said.

He is too aware of how much internal friction these chaotic operations have brought to the railway industry before the financial crisis.

And the integration with the Santa Fe Railroad when he first took over the Pacific Railroad was also the key to his profitability.

The preferential treatment and huge profits in the early stage of railway development concealed many problems.

And these can't last forever.

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the people sitting on both sides of him who followed him: "These things will be handled by the team led by Mr. Fratz. He is a very experienced manager."

A thin old man with a goatee sitting on Chen Jianqiu's left stood up and bowed to everyone.

This old man is not amazing in appearance, but he is actually the Taishan Beidou of the American railroad industry.

He once served as the general manager of the famous railway tycoon Vanderbilt's company, and then worked in many famous railway companies in the east with outstanding achievements.

If Chen Jianqiu hadn't spent a lot of money to hire him back, he should have been staying at home and entertaining his grandchildren by now
"What about us?" A manager and major shareholder of a small railway company asked eagerly.

His doubts represent many small railway companies like him.

They were invited over, thinking that Chen Jianqiu would buy them all together.

As a result, they were not included in the company name Boss Chen mentioned just now.

Chen Jianqiu looked at the questioner and smiled:
"It's the same for you, but you also need to use the same standards as us."

This sentence caused a stir among the bosses of those small railway companies.

You are a scumbag who wants to get involved but is unwilling to take responsibility.

"Uh, Mr. Chen, please forgive me for asking. Are you planning to acquire our company, but are you asking us to implement your request?" the small company owner just now asked.

Chen Jianqiu tapped the table rhythmically again:

"If the business performance is outstanding, I will consider participating in a part of the stock."

"Then don't you think this is too domineering?" The little boss was a little annoyed, "After all, we have been operating in the original way for many years."

The others followed suit.

Chen Jianqiu looked around, his expression still as calm as water:

"Because I don't want you to continue to compete in such a disorderly manner."

"For companies that are willing to accept what I said, Sanjiang Bank will provide them with better financing services. At the same time, Western Railway Company will share customers and business with you."

Chen Jianqiu snapped his fingers.

The old man with the goatee named Fratz took out a piece of paper folded several times from his bag.

After the old man unfolded it, everyone discovered that it was actually a map.

"Hang up." Chen Jianqiu directed.

The map was soon hung on the wall behind him.

"I have also divided my own business scope for everyone. I hope that everyone can stay in the same place. If there are lines in each other's territory, they can trade and replace them."

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the map on the wall.

He paused, then continued:

"However, if you are unwilling to accept this and choose to operate alone, I will not stop it, but the previous discounts will not be available at all."

"Everyone, please consider carefully."

After Chen Jianqiu finished speaking the last sentence, he stopped talking and leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed.

The managers and bosses of the small railway companies glanced at each other.

In this era, capital means competitiveness.

No one says no to money.

They seemed to have no choice but to agree to Chen Jianqiu's request.

"Let me make a statement. I am willing to do this. It will be good for everyone's development." Another small boss spoke first, "Only by following Boss Chen can we make money."

His speech resonated, and others followed suit.

"I'm fine."

"There's nothing wrong with the Seattle Railroad."

Chen Jianqiu closed his eyes.

This scene was what he expected.

There are still some objective reasons for him to integrate those small railway companies in this way.

Part of his working capital was exchanged for gold bonds into the treasury, and it was thanks to Belmont that he was able to control several of the largest railway companies in the west.

The remaining small companies and lines are indeed temporarily ignored.

What's more, these small railway companies are not good or bad, and if you enter rashly, you may lose a lot of money.

Therefore, Chen Jianqiu decided to let them play according to the rules he made.

If the business is doing well, keep them in business.

After all, if you eat meat yourself, you can't stop others from drinking soup.

If the business situation is not good, let a professional team come in to reorganize after you have more money.

At that time, these companies have been operating according to standardized procedures for a period of time, and they can merge in at any time.

The overall situation at the scene has been determined.

"Go ahead and talk about the details."

Chen Jianqiu opened his eyes and said to Fratz.

Just as he took out a comic book from his clothes, he was about to start flipping through it.

The door of the meeting room was opened a little, and a detective squeezed in sideways.

He walked quickly to Chen Jianqiu's side, bent down and leaned into the latter's ear, and whispered something.

Chen Jianqiu's expression was still calm, but he frowned slightly, which was rare.

He put away the comic book that hadn't been opened yet.

"Mr. Fratz, I will leave this to you first. If there is any doubt, please contact Mr. Silas in New York, and he will make a judgment."

Chen Jianqiu stood up and said to the old man with the goatee who was about to speak.

Fratz looked at Chen Jianqiu in astonishment.

Does this boss trust him so much?Come here to make a statement and you're ready to go?

"Are you leaving San Francisco?" he asked.

"Yes, I have a very important matter to deal with. With your experience and ability, there should be no problem in handling this matter." Chen Jianqiu said.

Then, under the gaze of the whole room, he stood up and hurriedly left the meeting room.

As soon as he walked out of the meeting room, Chen Jianqiu's expression changed.

Very serious.

As he walked towards the door, he told Li Sifu who followed him:
"Call or send a telegram to Roswell, let Asuka take the militia to Juarez Valley, and we will meet there!"

The Juarez Valley is located on the border between Mexico and the United States, near Ciudad Juárez.

Since Chen Jianqiu took Juarez, he opened up a piece of land there for Geronimo and his people to live in.

There are not only Geronimo's tribe, but also other surviving Apache tribes.

It's on Mexican soil, which protects them from harassment by U.S. troops.

Corn and cotton can be grown, and some hunting can also be carried out. Chen Jianqiu even provides some employment opportunities in Juárez for young Indians who are willing to work.

Therefore, these Indians have been doing pretty well in recent years.

Still, something went wrong there.

The detective from the Border Detective Agency who broke in just now brought a piece of news to Chen Jianqiu:
Geronimo is dead.

(End of this chapter)