Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 446 The Dupont Family
When Yuan Shikai and Duan Zhigui came to the living room, they found four people sitting there. A servant had already made tea for them. The four sat there quietly and quietly, paying attention to the staff passing by the door intentionally or unintentionally. .

Yuan Shikai paid attention to the tall man in his 30s in the middle. This man was slender and slim. He was wearing a long black suit and tie. His face was pale, his eyes were deep and cold, and his slightly curly black hair was combed meticulously. A golden watch chain hung on his chest, and he held a delicate pipe in his hand. When the pipe was lit, the green smoke curled up, and a scent of tobacco came out.

As soon as Yuan Shikai came in, the three people on both sides of this person stood up, looking polite and respectful, only this person just bowed slightly and didn't intend to get up.

Duan Zhigui was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly smiled: "I kept everyone waiting, let me introduce you. This is Yuan Shikai, Governor of Singapore."

At this time, the man tidied his clothes, got up and came to Yuan Shikai, and elegantly extended his right hand to shake Yuan Shikai's hand.

Duan Zhigui said to Yuan Shikai: "This is Mr. Eugene Dupont, the current head of the DuPont consortium."

Eugene Dupont said: "I have long heard that there is a famous Yuan Shikai in China. I am very honored to meet you today."

Yuan Shikai saw that this person was the head of DuPont, the largest financial consortium in the United States, so he naturally did not dare to neglect. After some courteous greetings, Duan Zhigui introduced to Yuan Shikai: "This is Hurd DuPont, and he is DuPont Chemical Co., Ltd. The technical director of the factory is also the leader of the younger generation in the DuPont family, but because he has been in charge of technical matters, he has always been little known. The other two people, one of them is a barrister appointed by DuPont, and the other is Hurd's assistant."

Yuan Shikai is a person who is thick on the outside and thin on the inside. He noticed that when he walked to the door just now, although Eugene Dupont didn't get up, his eyes were the first to glance at him, and those two slightly gray eyes radiated The sharp eyes that came out made the weather-beaten Yuan Shikai feel tight, it was a chilling cold feeling!

"You are very welcome, Mr. Dupont!"

Eugene Dupont leaned his slender upper body forward slightly in greeting, nodded and replied: "Hello! Mr. Yuan Shikai, it is very presumptuous to come here without an appointment in advance, I hope you don't mind."

Yuan Shikai stroked his bald head and nodded his greetings to the other three people, saying, "Why would I mind? You are a rare guest who can't even be invited! I don't think there is anyone in this world who can refuse DuPont's favor. , it’s too late to welcome. Haha, everyone, please sit down.”

After the guests and hosts were seated, Yuan Shikai looked back and forth at the four people with a smile, laughing but was not in a hurry to get into the subject, but Eugene showed his arrogance and toughness as a core member of DuPont, and said bluntly: "Your Excellency, you must not Needless to say, your qualifications and your achievements are very surprising, and many Americans admire you very much."

Yuan Shikai laughed and said, "Really? I didn't expect that although my old Yuan has never been to the United States, his name has already been passed there first."

The next few minutes were basically spent in the flattery of both sides. Eugene touted how legendary Yuan Shikai's life experience was and how prominent his political status in China was.Yuan Shikai said how powerful the DuPont family was and how strong the DuPont Company was.

While flattering his opponents so boringly, Yuan Shikai's mind was spinning rapidly, thinking about how to win over the largest consortium in the United States today.On the way over, Duan Zhigui introduced the DuPont family and the DuPont Company to Yuan Shikai. In addition to what he had heard before, Yuan Shikai now has a general understanding of DuPont.Before doing anything, first understand everything about the other party. This is the basic principle of Yuan Shikai's life and work.

Theodore, the 26th President of the United States, who promoted the "big stick" policy?Roosevelt once said: "Speak kindly, but have a big stick in your hand." This can be said to be a true portrayal of the actual policy of the United States. Although the United States has not been directly attacked by an enemy country for nearly 200 years, the arms tentacles of the United States are still there. Every corner of the world is constantly expanding.

The Statue of Liberty holds a torch high in one hand, and hides a sharp weapon in the other.

In history, there are countless American companies that have made a fortune under the protection of the "big stick" policy, and the arms dealers are the casters of the "big stick". It is a typical example, and almost every step of its development and growth is inseparable from the internal or external wars of the United States.

The most believed sentence of the DuPont family is: Only by marrying with a man can he develop to the greatest extent. More than 100 years have passed, and the DuPont family has proved the correctness of this sentence with countless facts. The DuPont family was originally a family of watchmakers in France. Turgot, the treasurer of Louis XVI, hooked up and was recommended to enter the Louis XVI dynasty.At the end of the American Revolutionary War, Pierre, as a member of the French delegation, participated in the mediation of the conflict between the United States and Britain, met Jefferson, Franklin and others, and established personal connections for the family's entrepreneurship in the United States.After the signing of the "Paris Peace Treaty" between the United States and Britain, Pierre was made a nobleman by Louis XVI for his meritorious mediation.But the bourgeois revolution that broke out shortly afterwards made the Dupont family fall into a trough. They were expelled from the country by the Governor in 1799 and forced to go into exile in the United States.Elder Dupont's son, Aile Dupont, loved reading by nature. He was deeply influenced by Lavoisier, a famous chemist and director of the French Royal Gunpowder Factory at that time. He became familiar with gunpowder production technology through visiting and learning.

After coming to the United States, Aile found that the American gunpowder manufacturing factory was far behind France, and the gunpowder used by the army had to be purchased from Britain at a high price, which made Aile determined to join this industry. In June 1802, DuPont Gunpowder Factory started construction on a farm on the banks of the Brandy River in Delaware. It was basically completed in February of the following year, and the first batch of black powder was produced in the spring of 6.At that time, there were more than 2 gunpowder factories in the United States, but they were all small family workshops, and their technology could not be compared with DuPont, which purchased advanced equipment from France.At this time, the old DuPont also contributed to the negotiations between the United States for the purchase of Louisiana and Napoleon, enabling the United States to buy a vast land of 1804 million square kilometers at a price of 200 cents per hectare, and the territory expanded by more than two times.In Jefferson's own letter to DuPont Sr., he called it a "deal for the benefit of millions of unborn people."

Seizing this opportunity, Aile immediately wrote a letter to Jefferson: "I ask you, Mr. President, to take care of my DuPont company located in Delaware." It was increased to 1804 US dollars because in order to repel pirates, the hastily formed US Navy destroyer placed an order for 1 pounds of black powder at one time; on July 1805 of this year, Jefferson’s chief of operations even announced: DuPont will All gunpowder contracted. Sales were $3.3 in 2.2 and $7 in 4, and soon became the largest gunpowder factory in the United States.

In 1820, Aller's brother Victor DuPont was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives, and later entered the Senate. This was the beginning of the DuPont family's involvement in politics.Victor's son, Francis DuPont, has been promoted from midshipman to admiral. His fleet uses all the gunpowder of the DuPont family. He even persuaded the entire navy to use DuPont products. In 1857, Samuel, who was still a colonel, commanded the most advanced USS "Minnesota" to come to China on the occasion of the Second Opium War launched by the British and French allied forces, in order to protect the overseas trade of the United States and prevent the oppressed Chinese in Macau from rioting and damaging The United States entered the waters of Macau for the reason of investment. He has been entrenched in this port for more than a year, and secretly carried out pirate-like plunder. In March 1858, Samuel led his fleet into the inland rivers of China, swaggered on the Yangtze River, and made a rampage, leaving a disgraceful mark in the history of American invasion of China.

By 1890, the Gunpowder Trust controlled by the DuPont family had monopolized 90 percent of the production of dynamite and 95 percent of gunpowder in the United States.At this time, DuPont planned to form a new type of large company with franchises including many industries, but it was prohibited by the Delaware Constitution.Under the proposal of the DuPont family, the state legislature began to formulate a new constitution, which fully realized the wishes of the DuPont family.

Theodore?Roosevelt accepted a bribe of 7 US dollars from DuPont during the presidential election. Of course, rewards are indispensable after the election is successful.Within a year of Roosevelt's successful campaign, the U.S. War Department ordered 70 pounds of smokeless gunpowder from DuPont at 594.782 cents a pound, at a cost of 32 cents. The company earned more than $220 million.DuPont also donated US$2 in campaign funds for Secretary of the Army Tafto, and won another large number of lucrative military contracts, earning immeasurable profits.

One thing is clear, if a person supported by the DuPont family ascends to the throne of the White House or enters the ranks of military and political officials, the DuPont family will have more opportunities to make money.

The DuPont family's ability to monopolize the explosives market for a long time is inseparable from its inextricable connection with the political world.He has publicly stated for many times: "DuPont's maintenance of a monopoly on smokeless gunpowder is absolutely necessary for national security" and "If the arms business is divided among several competing companies, it will damage DuPont close cooperation between China and the United States, thereby endangering national security."

From being a disgraced arms dealer to stepping into the upper class of American society in one fell swoop, the DuPont family has completed a shocking and magnificent turn around by relying on their marriage with Mr.

(End of this chapter)