Mediterranean hegemon

Time slowly passed through July, and the Genoa was sailing slowly in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Contini finally had the opportunity to calm down and think about the future development of the United Group.

Life on the cruise ship was unusually peaceful. After the initial novelty wore off, the days became a bit monotonous - this was a transatlantic cruise ship controlled by a domineering president, with guards everywhere and checkpoints everywhere. Guests who were not first-class could not even get through, so how could there be so many inconspicuous hooligans coming to stir up trouble?

At the beginning, there were several other first-class guests who came to chat and greet every day, hoping to get close to the United Group - a business group defeated the old party such as the Social Democratic Party, which was a feat that had never happened in Italian history, and it was actually done by a 21-year-old young man. In addition to having incredible luck, his ability should certainly not be underestimated.

Contini had no time to receive these people, but Antonio was idle and could talk to these elderly guests, and even reached several preferred stock transactions: although the largest was only 20 million lire, the smallest was only 5 million, the dividend was 5%, and the total was less than 50 million lire, but wasn’t it a good start?

So, when Contini received a telegram from Leo on July 9, saying that a 20 million lire loan had encountered some troubles, and the other bank said that the money supply was tight recently, and the money might need to be recovered and could not be loaned, Contini did not take it to heart, and comforted him that it was okay. If the funds were tight, the 6 million US dollars originally scheduled to be paid to the German consortium in October could be used in advance.

Antonio also didn't think 20 million lira was a big number because he had just negotiated a few preferred shares. He had handled more money after following Contini, and he seemed a little worried about tens of millions of lira. He was more concerned about the three-year development plan Contini had drawn up on the ship.

"Master, are you going to mine oil?" Antonio frowned, "Where to?"

"Libya."

"There are oil fields there?" Antonio said in a daze, "Why haven't I heard of it?"

"Of course you haven't heard of it... If you heard of it, it would become a well-known fact." Contini lowered his voice and said, "In fact, Libya not only has oil, but also a not-small iron ore."

"Really? Where is it?"

Contini took out a map of Libya and pointed to the Siirt Basin in the north and said, "There is oil here! The conservative reserves are more than 2 billion barrels."

In fact, Contini's number was greatly reduced. Libya's oil reserves are more than 2 billion barrels, and even more than 20 times, but saying that would scare Antonio.

"Master, I'm curious, where did you get the information from..."

"Strictly speaking, it's not intelligence, but a little trace left by the French..." When asked about the source of the information, Contini immediately changed the subject and pointed to the mountainous area in the middle and east of the map. "There is an iron mine here, but I'm hesitant. I think mining may not make much sense - at least not now."

Antonio understood Contini's idea: mining resources is not just about finding them, but also about considering a variety of factors, including transportation, population, and social security. If you don't understand, just look at the map - the Siirt Basin is at least very close to the Siirt Bay and Benghazi. As long as a short railway is built and the port of Benghazi is used, it can be transported north. If the iron ore is to be transported out, it cannot be completed without the construction of 800 kilometers of railway. This road alone can drag the mine to death.

"I don't think there's a rush for iron ore. Italy only produces 1.2 million tons of steel in total. Even if it doubles in the next five years, it will only be 2.5 million tons. Importing from Germany or Sweden is more than enough, and the price is definitely cheaper than mining from Libya. But the status of oil is different. Germany, France, and Italy all lack oil resources. Now they rely on Romanian oil fields on the one hand and Iranian or American crude oil in the Middle East on the other. It's easy to be cut off. We must find a stable supply location. In addition to Romania, Libya is the closest supply base to us." Contini smiled, "You Think about it, in the future, wars will require a large number of tanks and planes, all of which are oil-consuming monsters, not to mention the navy. Coal-fired warships will never come back. Once Italy is cut off from oil supply, the navy's expensive toys can only stay at home. "

Antonio nodded solemnly: "Are we really going to fight?"

"Maybe there will be no war in 5 or 10 years, but it's hard to say after 15 years. Do you think the Germans can accept the current situation in Germany?"

After being reminded of this, Antonio suddenly remembered Hitler in prison: "Are you talking about Adolf?"

"A politician like Adolf might have had a poor social status in the first place, but once the Ruhr incident happened, the Weimar regime lost a lot of points..." Contini smiled, "Hitler, an Austrian, can't stand it at all. He is not a mainstream political figure in Germany, but now he and the National Socialist Party have become heroes in the hearts of Germans by virtue of their armed uprising and declaration of the establishment of the government. If there is an open election next time, as long as he shows his sign - please vote for the people of Munich A vote for a hero. Do you think the Germans will go crazy over this? At least you can see it from the Germans working in the United Group. Regardless of their beliefs, education, and family background, they always hate the Weimar government with gnashing of teeth. If a government is hated by so many people, how long do you think it will last? I don’t think it will last even 10 years!”

"You think very highly of your friend Adolf..."

"I have great confidence in him. He is writing a book now. This book will become an epoch-making work when it comes out. It cannot be mentioned as a literary accomplishment, but it is no less than a guide for the German people groping in the dark. Lu Mingdeng, of course, may not be Adolf who comes to power in the end, but what does it matter? We only need to know that the international coordination system of Britain and France will not last long, because even the United States is secretly trying to undermine it, relying solely on two outdated empires. , how can it be possible to control the world?”

The two talked about the international situation, and finally focused their attention on Libya again. Antonio had three main concerns: First, is the scale of this oil field as large as the legend says? It must be at least 2 million tons, right? Otherwise, there is no point in mining; secondly, Libya is still in war. Italy nominally owns Libya, but it can only control a few big cities on the coast, including Tripoli and Benghazi, and cannot reach inland areas; thirdly, how much investment is needed? Funds are needed to exploit this oil field.

"As for the scale, it's very simple. Just send an exploration team. I think 2-3 million tons is definitely no problem. The preliminary economic value is there. The second question must be reported to the leader. In fact, he is also concerned about the chaos in Libya. The elephant is dissatisfied and hopes to stabilize as soon as possible. If there is good news about the oil field to stimulate him, I am convinced that it will make him make up his mind. I think Uncle Balbo can show off his skills; the third problem is actually a question of money. I want the oil field to Connect it with the railway at the port, and at the same time build a railway that is almost parallel to the coastal road, connecting Tripoli and Benghazi. In addition, the ports in Tripoli and Benghazi must be dredged and expanded to be able to berth at least 80,000-ton ships. Ship…”

"So big?" Antonio was shocked. "Nowadays, freighters generally only have 10,000-20,000 tons..."

"The need is so big." Contini smiled, "Do you think that once we settle in Libya, Britain and France will remain indifferent during the war? They will definitely come to destroy them. These two ports were dredged and expanded to prepare for the Italian Navy. In addition to ports, a large number of airports must be built in the inland areas - to control the sea with land and control the sea with air. When Malta is pushed away, will the British Mediterranean fleet be able to keep track of each other? "

Antonio shook his head helplessly: The young master has never been to military school or even served as a soldier for a day. His mind is full of war, military, and strategy. I don’t know how this brain has grown. He can even propose a theory of air supremacy and be accepted by people like Douhet. , simply incredible.

"This is a big expense. I estimate that it will cost at least 200-300 million US dollars. Fortunately, we don't have to invest it all at once. We still have time... A lot of the German junk that the French gave us can be used in this Contini smiled, "The infrastructure construction of the United Group has just begun. In the future, it will be advanced at a speed that will stun 40 million Italians. There will be as much steel, cement, glass, and bricks as possible."

"Where can we get 200-300 million US dollars?" Antonio asked worriedly. "It is impossible for Italy to invest such a huge amount of money for us, and the government cannot count on it. The current fiscal deficit is still there, and the leader even expects you to share it. Let’s give him some.”

"Depend on the Americans!"

"American? Stock?"

"Yes, stocks!" Contini laughed, "Uncle Antonio, how many days have you not paid attention to the stock market?"

"It's been a while..." Antonio found the latest telex file of U.S. stock market quotes, read it and exclaimed, "Americans are crazy!"

The stock price of Radio Corporation of America, the big bull stock in 1924, has soared in the past three months. At the end of 1923, the company's stock was still struggling at $2.50 per share. However, in just half a year, it exceeded $25 by July. mark.

Antonio's heart was pounding. He knew that among United Group's 80 million stock positions, American Radio had a total of 4 million shares, and the average investment cost was only US$2.34 - this amount alone could earn US$100 million. In addition to American Radio, other companies such as General Motors have also performed very well, and their positions of US$80 million have expanded to more than US$200 million.

"I can make a bet with you... When we get to New York, this stock will at least exceed 30 US dollars. By Christmas this year, it will at least exceed 60 US dollars." Contini said like a magician, "The United States is really A place full of gold..."