European Financial Emperor

095 The launch of comprehensive finance (1)

As of December 1927, according to the statistics of the East Stellar Motor Company, the sales of passenger cars in Europe were estimated to be about 6,000.

This is a survey of the cumulative sales of cars for pure riding purposes, excluding diesel tow trucks, and considering the population around the 19th century, most of the aristocrats in each country chose a car one by one.

In addition, the sales of automobiles were increasing, and as this exploded synergy with the opening of the highway, there was a trend of disappearing carriages on the streets.

In short, the paradigm of transportation was changing.

Now, a much more advanced passenger car was being developed based on it, and a truck with a diesel tow truck as a motif was also being studied.

If a truck with a load capacity of 1 ton or more was developed and started running on highways, it was clear that even the history of trade would change.

Early in the morning, Lee Hwan visited an automobile factory for car maintenance.

Since the parts produced here are perfectly compatible with automobiles, anyone with knowledge of the structure could maintain it.

When Lee Hwan went out to get auto parts, a group of men came to him.

“President, these are the new researchers. Some will remain here and most will move to the United States.”

“Are you a researcher?”

“I want to learn how to drive a car. I studied mechanics in Sweden and I have been working in a workshop in Germany for over 20 years.”

“Aha, that’s right.”

Hwan Lee shook hands with the new researcher candidates.

They all looked haggard, and their hands and feet were full of dust, and they were speechless.

With them shaking hands once in a while, Lee Hwan decided to have a conversation while having a cup of tea.

Lee Hwan, who came to a place where the noise of the factory could not be heard, served coffee from Africa.

“It must have taken a lot of hard work to come here from Germany.”

“These days, the war is in full swing, so everyone is busy evacuating. Fortunately, it is relatively safe for anyone to leave the city annexed by Austria to leave. They say that the northern cities that have not yet been taken over by Austria catch and kill any escapees.”

“… … Are you killing people?”

“There are not enough people to work in the workshop, and they are forcing them to stay because they keep leaving. Already, since the workshop only allows simple labor, inventors and craftsmen like us can’t even show their skills, and they just rot in factories.”

“It’s an inefficient economic environment.”

“Because of the war these days, I don’t make things that require a lot of work. Items that can be printed as many as possible in the shortest time sell well. However, they did not invest so much in research, so all the products are of poor quality. They make boots for munitions, and the soles fall off after just one hour of walking.”

Engineers who fled Germany because of the threat of war were fortunate.

Those who could not even do that became slaves in the factory and worked until they died.

Because he was so crazy about making money day and night without research and development, there was no way for the country to fully return.

Lee Hwan felt an instinctive intuition that the war would be over soon.

‘It wasn’t far. Soon Austria will eat the German Confederation. If that happens, what will be the future situation?’

If Austria unifies Germany, they will naturally emerge as one of the three major powers in Europe along with Britain and the Netherlands.

The question was what kind of gesture Britain would take after Austria became one of the three great powers.

Hwan Lee decided to send researcher candidates to North America after going through a certain verification process.

Then I asked a few more questions.

“They say that they married a princess from Prussia to Russia, but what about the Russian Empire?”

“Once the troops were put in, and the military funds for wartime were also provided, he seemed to think that he had done everything he could do as an in-law.”

“Is there no further movement?”

“Well, what do small citizens like us know?”

“Hmm… … .”

“However, I could feel how quickly the quantity ordered from Russia was decreasing.”

“Russian orders have decreased?”

“Yeah, that’s been reduced by a lot. Almost 90% or more.”

If Russia and Prussia are considering stop-loss, it makes sense to take more than 90% of orders.

Perhaps Russia did not know that Austria was already taking the fact that it would occupy northern Germany as a fact.

But that wasn’t the end.

“It seems that there are rumors that the Austrian side is sending some wagons to Russia, but because of these rumors, it is now considered a fact in northern Germany that Russia and Austria have made a deal of some kind.”

“… … Sending wagons?”

During wartime, there was no such thing as the movement of goods to enemy countries.

It is only natural that the borders are closed, and as in naval battles, merchants in the army’s advance are often looted.

The current war has only implicit rules, and it was like a hell of a road where moral harm or acquiescence of looting was the norm.

It was impossible even to send a wagon to an enemy country on the battlefields of Europe, where human lives were treated like flies, to the extent that it was customary to annihilate their predators.

‘There is something. It is clear that Austria and the Russian Empire are in communication. then… … ?’

This is Lee Hwan’s conjecture, but Austria and Russia may have already been holding hands before the war started.

Prussia was a very experienced country in warfare, and it was not an easy powerhouse with an army of over 100,000.

It was a little strange that such a powerful Prussia was pushed back so helplessly, but it was not unreasonable if Russia deliberately controlled the victory or defeat of the war.

“You don’t know what you are sending to Russia?”

“Honestly, we also only heard rumors, so we don’t know the exact details.”

“Hmm… … .”

“Anyway, it seemed almost certain that the wagons went both ways. Of course, everyone is in a position to take a break despite knowing it.”

Information that Russia and Austria communicated was an important event that could change the course of the war.

Nevertheless, it was a nuance to hide this fact in the northern part of Germany.

Lee Hwan tilted his head.

“No, why the hell… … .”

“Austria doesn’t loot, and they send engineers to other countries. So, they told me that the annexed territory is normalizing quickly. Frankly, more people want Austria to win. Does your quality of life improve?”

“So the northern Germans are secretly pushing Austria.”

“It’s like that.”

It was as if the war had already ended.

Didn’t Southern Germany win the people’s hearts?

‘From now on, I will have to strategize on the assumption that Austria will win and unite with Russia.’

If you want to survive as a chaebol in this bloody Germany, you must read the international situation carefully.

From now on, Lee Hwan thought that he should organize an information group to read the international situation.

***

A large amount of gold was invested in East Stellar’s North American branch and flowed into the United States.

Robin Rose, chief investment officer, transported funds to New York ready to invest in American startups and build railroads.

The US government was showing great interest in the railroad track project under construction from East Stellar to the Canadian border.

The U.S. was well aware that transportation innovation was taking place as the railroad business, which had recently started in the Netherlands, hit all of Europe.

So, the United States government has sent requests over and over again, saying it wants to connect Vancouver to the eastern part of the United States by a transverse railroad.

However, Eaststellar has declined the request due to tight schedules due to the war with the Ottomans and the establishment of an inviolable zone in central North America.

This was a job that gave moderate tension to the relationship with the United States, but it was also a process of taking a breather, giving the company a period of solidarity.

As time passed, a safe transportation network was needed to transport gold and silver produced in the north, west, and central regions, and East Stellar slowly started to expand the railroad.

As winter was in full swing, Robin Rose visited Virginia.

The gold had already entered New York’s bank district and was waiting in warehouses, and now it was up to Robin Rose to decide where the gold would go.

US Senator George Lipton welcomes Robin Rose.

The two met at a small pub in Richmond and chatted over a lukewarm beer.

“Leading the railroad business in East Stellar… … .”

“Most of the construction cost is financed by East Stellar, and we also invest the operating cost. The U.S. government just needs to invest in it and make a profit every year.”

“Hmm… … .”

“Most importantly, the land on which the railroad is built will be owned by the US government.”

“Put railroads on land owned by the US government? Wouldn’t it be a bit vague to own a railroad then?”

“This is not a concept of ownership. It is a kind of communal institutional facility in which social overhead capital is invested.”

George Lipton came up with a very radical proposal for the time.

It was a permanent lease.

Eaststellar agreed to build the railroad and, in exchange for running the train, give the United States the right to take a portion of its operating profits.

However, in taking this right, the United States gave East Stellar a permanent lease of the track and station site free of charge.

In this way, Eaststellar could be exempted from taxes because it owns the land, and it would also have the exclusive right to use the railroad.

In a nutshell, he chose to live in Debbu, which is mutually beneficial with the United States.

This choice was somewhat of a puzzle for George Lipton.

“From your point of view, you are building a railroad on a land that is floating in the air. How do you run such a precarious business?”

“Are you anxious? It’s just investing in America. Just as the British financiers have invested in the future by investing their money in consoles, we want to invest in the future by building railroads on American land.”

“Even so, why are you making such an unconventional condition? To be honest, I was a little surprised.”

“Our company’s motto is ‘Bet money on a business that can be done’. We bet our money because we thought America was a good country.”

“Ugh! If so!”

“In that sense, we, East Stellar, are trying to lead the revival of the industry by injecting a large amount of investment into the United States. We are trying to grow the board even more while we are investing in the governor’s office.”

From the US point of view, East Stellar, which brought in enough money to invest in an emerging country, was indescribably delightful.

George Lipton readily accepted the offer.

“good. I will take it to the Senate and have it approved by the National Assembly.”

“thank you!”

“By the way, if you are making an investment, you will have to set up a company.”

“I was just going to ask you a favor about that.”

“What kind of request?”

“I would like to establish a general financial company.”

“Comprehensive Finance?”