1928: The Rise of Giants

In the original history, the final result of the Tianjin tram fare increase in 1932 was that the City Hall made a compromise.

In the end, the Chinese side still agreed to the tram company's fare increase, and the tram company symbolically gave out tens of thousands of yuan, did some charity, and got the matter over with.

The funniest thing is that in order to fight against the pickets assembled by the city hall, they used wage increase as bait to lure a large number of Chinese workers into fighting with the pickets, which resulted in casualties. After the incident, the Belgians and the Chamber of Commerce turned against each other and refused to mention the issue of wage increase again.

Then these troubled workers were fed up and went on strike, demanding that the tram company fulfill its promise.

The tram company is used to being arrogant and domineering and simply ignored their demands.

The tram workers went to Zhou Longguang again and said they would not work unless their wages were raised. As a result, the tram fares were raised, but only a few trams were still running.

This matter went on for half a year until the end of the year. The Northern authorities were afraid that this matter would ferment and cause an international dispute. In the end, it was the Northern government that stepped forward to raise funds and fulfill the obligations that the tram company had not fulfilled.

It is sad and outrageous that a small European country the size of a palm could actually make the mayor of the second largest city in the Republic of China and the northern government surrender on the territory of the Republic of China.

It would have been fine if Ye Luo hadn't encountered this matter, but since he did, he, as a dragon crossing the river, really had to take care of it.

The next day.

Ye Luo first went to the Young Marshal's Mansion, but did not rush to meet Zhang Hanqing. Instead, he talked with Yu Fengzhi and Zhao Yidi for a long time and learned about Zhang Hanqing's current situation from them.

Since the fall of the North, he has been trapped in endless self-blame and entanglement. On the one hand, he wanted to preserve his strength and not confront the Japanese invaders head-on. On the other hand, he was deeply annoyed that he did not resist and caused millions of people to suffer from the war.

As time went by, Zhang Hanqing no longer presided over government affairs or held meetings. He just stayed in his house all day smoking opium, listening to the radio and reading newspapers.

The two women were at their wits' end, so Ye Luo agreed to wait until the tram fare increase issue was resolved before he personally went to talk to Zhang Hanqing.

After lunch, the Ye family convoy led by Chen Zhen and others drove into Tianjin City in a mighty manner. The all-black cars were the latest models of General Motors, neatly arranged in 200 cars, and this was only the first batch.

The headlines of all newspapers today were dominated by the news that Ye’s Automobile was going to open a branch in Tianjin City.

As everyone knows, the second young master started his business in the automobile business. In the past four years, Ye Automobile has developed into the largest automobile company in the Republic of China. It has flourished in the south and can be seen everywhere.

Ye’s Automobile also deals in bicycles, motorcycles and other businesses. In this area, it has raised the overall level of transportation in the Republic of China to a higher level.

However, due to the war in the north, Ye Luo never allowed Ye's Automobile to expand northward, but he often sent fleets to do the work.

This time Ye’s Automobile suddenly wants to open a branch. Even a fool would know that the second young master wants to target the Belgians.

Cars were still coming into the city one after another, and Ye Luo took his men to visit all the celebrities they could in the urban area and concession of Tianjin.

The Tianjin City Chamber of Commerce, under the control of Wang Zhulin, was dependent on foreigners, and its members were basically compradors. The other "Federation of Trade Unions" was a genuine Chinese business organization, and its vice president was still Chen Youde.

Business celebrities were all eager to have a relationship with Ye Luo. When they saw him coming to visit them, they all smiled and did their best to entertain him.

Ye Luo did not hide anything and told them directly that he came here to resolve the tram fare increase issue and hoped that they could make a decision today on which side to stand on.

After a tour of the business world, he went to the military and political circles and various consulates, and finally even went to gangs such as the Qing Gang and the Hongmen to meet with gangsters.

Wherever he went, celebrities from all walks of life in Tianjin treated him with great courtesy and regarded him as an honored guest. Many of them even stated directly that they were willing to stand by Ye Luo's side in this dispute.

Ye Luo's purpose was very clear, which was to make the matter bigger and kill the Belgians with one blow, making it impossible for them to recover.

In just a few hours, all the celebrities in Tianjin were informed, and then they asked the northern newspapers to report the incident in a long series of articles. Those who were unwilling to do so would be against me and Ye's Newspapers. This year, Xiao Tongzi officially took over as the president of the Central News Agency. He started a large-scale reform of the Central News Agency, introducing talents, updating equipment, and reforming the content and methods of news reporting, and formed a strategic alliance with Ye's Newspapers.

Now the Central News Agency is sweeping the northern newspaper industry in the name of the president. If anyone dares to disobey, a group of spies will rush in the next day and arrest you all.

Seeing that Ye Luo was going to engage in a business war with the Belgians, Xiao Tongzi, who had received favors from him, immediately vacated all the major sections, severely criticized the tram company, and strongly supported Ye Luo.

These things did not happen slowly, but were suddenly detonated by Ye Luo today.

Lu Beya had some fun with some Russian girls last night and they are still lying in bed. When he received the urgent call in a daze, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was already underway at the Ye's Auto Dealership store.

He was stunned for a moment.

He had seen Chinese businessmen who spoke rudely and threatened to make themselves look bad, but this was the first time he had seen someone with such terrifying action ability and who did what he said.

Lu Beya got up in a hurry, without bothering to put on her clothes, and pulled open the curtains, and saw a black convoy slowly passing by on the street, with the Ye Automobile logo printed on it, which was very eye-catching.

There was also a loud speaker nearby that shouted: "Ye's Auto Shop is open for business today. For all city residents, the first order is free!"

"Take a taxi five times and get one free!"

"Recharge over 100 Yuan and receive a 10 Yuan discount coupon!"

Various marketing campaigns are overwhelming.

Lu Beya was stunned, her head was a mess, and she only heard "first order free".

free?

Is he crazy?
Does he know how many people there are in the entire city of Tianjin?

"Consul General, the shareholders of the domestic tram company have sent a telegram asking you to resolve the price increase issue as soon as possible." The secretary rushed in hurriedly, not caring about the sexy half-naked Russian beauty lying on the bed.

"Asshole! Prepare the car, prepare the car quickly, I'm going to the Japanese Consulate General." Lu Beiya felt a rush of blood to his forehead. He gritted his teeth, and his first reaction was to find an ally to teach that Chinese guy a lesson!

at the same time.

The old town of Tianjin.

A tram passed by slowly, and when it stopped at a station, seven or eight big men in security uniforms suddenly rushed out.

Wearing white armbands, they held large metal loudspeakers and shouted: "We hereby inform the citizens of Tianjin that the tram fare increase is an illegal act that has not been approved by the city hall and seriously affects people's livelihood. We advise everyone not to buy tickets and resist the fare increase!"

"If you need to, you can go to Ye's Auto Shop to take a taxi."

"Auto dealers also provide free rickshaws. Please do not take the trams and resist the fare increase!"

There were actually police officers standing guard near every station, but when they saw those ferocious-looking security guards who dared to fight against the Japanese plainclothes team, they all lowered their heads and kept silent, allowing them to persuade citizens not to buy tickets to ride the tram.

When they heard that Ye’s Automobile Company provided free transportation, the citizens immediately rushed out of the tram and left without looking back.

Ye's Investment is already a household name in Tianjin, especially Ye's Shipping, which has made such a big splash in the port of Tianjin. Everyone knows that the second young master is wealthy and kind-hearted!
They were not happy to ride the tram with the increased fare in the first place, but now someone has stepped forward and they all jumped out happily, responding to the boycott slogans. (End of this chapter)