1850 American Gold Tycoon

As the most populous and economically powerful traditional state in the United States, it is the undisputed largest vote bank in the United States at this time, with 35 electoral votes. Winning the votes of New York State was equivalent to winning five or six southern states.

New York State is bound to become the focus of the two presidential candidates.

Vanderbilt was an entrepreneur. If he had to choose between Fillmore and Pierce to be president, he himself was inclined to choose Fillmore.

Although Fillmore governed with the attitude that neither the North nor the South would be offended, and had no obvious intention of favoring the North, Fillmore did not favor the South either, which is obvious to all.

It was indeed in Vanderbilt's interests to choose Fillmore rather than Pierce, who was sympathetic to Southern slave owners.

Supporting Fillmore's re-election is not only Liang Yao's business, but also his Vanderbilt business.

Nor did he want to assume that a sympathizer of Southern slave owners would ascend to the presidency.

As for the funding issue for the huge project of the Pacific Railway, if the initial start-up funds can be raised from Wall Street and the federal government is requested for certain assistance, the project can be started.

The construction of the Yinli Canal in 1817 was essentially the same as the westward movement advocated by today's federal government. They both used the means of opening up the west to alleviate the contradiction between more people and less land in the east.

It’s just that the original place of westward expansion was the Great Lakes region, which was not far from the eastern coastal areas. Today, the areas to be developed by the westward movement are the vast central plains and the distant west coast. These places are the true western regions of the United States today.

Although America’s contradiction of more people and less land is a bit Versailles compared to the contradiction between people and land in the Qing Dynasty. If it were placed in the Qing Dynasty, New York State, a palm-sized place, could more than accommodate the entire population of the United States.

However, it is an indisputable fact that as the population of the thirteen eastern states, especially the northern states, continues to decrease, per capita land continues to decrease.

When it comes to the United States before and after the Civil War in the mid-19th century, many people always have the stereotype that the south of the United States has developed agriculture and the north has developed industry.

It is actually true that the South was industrially backward and did not have many factories. When the Civil War broke out, 81% of the factories in the United States were in the North, and they had a full range of categories. 19% of the factories in the South were basically textile mills and cotton gins built around the cotton textile industry.

But the situation in the North is not always the same. 67% of the farms in the United States are in the North, while farmers in the South account for only 33% of the United States. In other words, even in agriculture, the north has huge advantages over the south.

"Five Dynasties Rivers, Mountains and Winds"

Old states like New York State need to develop both agriculture and industry, and both agricultural and industrial land must be taken into consideration. It is inevitable that land resources will become increasingly scarce.

This was also the driving force behind America's westward expansion. The first major force involved in the westward expansion movement were not factory owners and businessmen, but farmers and ranchers who had an urgent need for land.

"If you are willing to join this big project, I think I can start building momentum in newspapers tomorrow to prepare for raising funds on Wall Street." Liang Yao said with a very firm attitude.

"Of course, if you don't want to take risks, I will start this project, even if I am the only one among all the American railway companies willing to undertake this project."

"Adventure is the joy of life. This is a good opportunity to be recorded in the history of American industry." Vanderbilt put his hands in his pockets and walked to the window.

Outside the window was the Hudson River he was familiar with, flowing quietly under the setting sun. He looked at the ships coming and going on the Hudson River and said: "When I first started my business, there was only one ship. At that time, the entire The routes on the water in New York are monopolized by the Livingston family, so I drive my broken boat in fear all day long and am chased by the New York police to snatch passengers and transport goods.”

"The tiger's mouth snatches food." Liang Yao commented.

"But my boat is full of passengers every time. Many passengers know that they will be chased by the police if they take my boat, but they still like to take my boat. Do you know why?" Vanderbilt asked.

"Exciting?" Liang Yao thought for a while and said.

"Yes, it's exciting. In the whole of New York, they can only have this experience on my boat. I also like the exciting feeling." Vanderbilt said, "Big projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars are exciting just thinking about it. I It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the excitement.”

In the current American railroad industry, apart from Liang Yao's California Railroad Company and Atlantic Railroad Company, the only company that could compete with Vanderbilt was the Yinli Railway Company.

In the railroad industry, it is indeed difficult for Vanderbilt to find the excitement he felt when he first entered the shipping industry.

"Then I'll take it as your consent." Liang Yao said.

"Westward expansion is the national policy of the United States. The future of the United States lies in the west. I am very interested in the Pacific Railway. But whether this national policy can be well implemented in the next four years depends on the results of this election. After this election is over, Make your decision again, don't rush it." Vanderbilt turned his head and said.

"I will also look for opportunities to contact Mr. Pierce and explore his tone."

After the conversation, Liang Yao had dinner with the Vanderbilt family.

After dinner, Fan Daze couldn't wait to find Liang Yao.

"The department store building on 42nd Street in Manhattan's West End has been completed and is currently under renovation. Should you take the time to go there and take a look?" Van Daze said, "According to your original request, this commercial building is seven stories high. It’s a step up from Stewart’s marble palace! I have to say that the designer aesthetic in London is much better than these old hats in New York.”

"That's the designer of the Crystal Palace. Have the surrounding supporting facilities been built?" Liang Yao asked.

They spent a lot of money to hire Paxton, the designer of the Crystal Palace, to design the department store on 42nd Street in Manhattan's West Side. Paxton designed the venue for the first World's Fair. He was able to stand out among 246 architectural design proposals. His aesthetic must be unique. Outstanding.

However, the reason why Liang Yao hired Paxton as the mall designer was not because of his online aesthetic.

Instead, they took a fancy to the fact that the construction period of buildings using cast iron prefabricated components and glass is much shorter than that of traditional buildings.

One of the main reasons why Paxton's Crystal Palace plan was adopted was that the cast-iron prefabricated components and glass building not only met the demanding requirement of completion within one year (in fact, the Crystal Palace took less than six months from the start of construction to completion ), and the cost is lower than traditional masonry buildings.

The huge building of 74,000 square meters was built in less than six months, which was unimaginable in an agricultural society. This is an efficiency only available in the industrial age.

The London World Expo held in 1851 has not been long gone, and many people are still immersed in the shock that the Crystal Palace brought to them.

This gimmick can also be used, and the free advertising is not wasted.

"Not yet, the main building has been completed." Van Daze said, "The area at the junction of 42nd Street and Broadway in Manhattan's West Side is very expensive. There are not many commercial buildings in such a place, and a piece of land must be freed up to build a park. , you are the only one in the entire United States who dares to sit like this."

"It's not a park, it's an entertainment and leisure center. Since it's a palace, it should give consumers an emperor-like experience, not just a name." Liang Yao shook his head and said.

He was not the one to build New York's first shopping mall, and he had lost his head start.

Stewart's marble palace built next to New York City Hall in 1848 has become a new favorite among American consumers and even New York's city card.

If he wants to seize the consumer market that Stewart, the retail giant, has occupied despite a bad start, he must strive for excellence in details.

A shopping mall is a long-term business. As long as it is managed properly and is recognized by half a million New Yorkers, this shopping mall will become his money printing factory.