Rise From Eight Hundred

Office of the President of Citibank in Tianjin Concession.

"Mr. Lan Ke, I reiterate that if your bank does not deliver cash, I will expose your bank's ugly behavior through your country's newspapers and entrust lawyers to sue your bank. Although my motherland is still in the flames of war, I still believe that justice may be late, but it will never be absent!

Capital can be greedy, but it must not put its ugly face under the spotlight." Tang Dao's voice, which was obviously filled with anger, echoed in the spacious and luxurious office.

"Dear Tang, I also want to reiterate that my name is Frank Depp. According to our country's customs, you can call me Mr. Depp, even Frank?

In addition, please don't be so emotional. Regarding your request to withdraw all the cash, our bank has never said that it is not allowed, right? I just ask you to give me some time. After all, this involves 30 million US dollars in cash." A middle-aged man in a suit and two mustaches said with a wry smile.

For a professional manager, Frank Depp has encountered many unexpected situations in his career, but with many years of work experience and a flexible mind, he can basically resolve them. Otherwise, he would not have served as the general manager of Citibank Huaxia Branch at the age of 45.

Although the position is not very high, this important position far away from the head office and overseas, which can almost independently decide the direction of all funds of the branch, is basically occupied by the insiders of the controlling family. Frank Depp is one of the few exceptions.

But today's situation is so tricky that Frank Depp is a little overwhelmed.

Not only is the Chinese young man in front of him holding the largest single deposit certificate issued by Citibank since the establishment of Citibank's branch in Huaxia five years ago, and he has to withdraw the full amount in cash within three days, but what's more terrible is that this young man is not an ordinary person.

Because he has the endorsement of Brigadier General Tian, ​​the commander of the Roman Empire's concession in Tianjin City, what he just said about using domestic media to expose Citibank's inability to withdraw deposits and resorting to law will definitely not be just talk.

Although this may not cause a devastating blow to Citibank, it is absolutely fatal to him personally.

Yes, this is the fifth day since Tang Dao arrived at the Tianjin Concession on Krupp's coal train.

On the first day, he was warmly received by Rostav Krupp, who had returned to Tianjin. On the second day, Tang Dao went alone to several major European banks that had joined forces to swallow the 29th Army's silver deposits.

There were not only the deposit receipts of General Song of the 29th Army, but also the password keys that were signed and sealed. Originally, several major banks wanted to do something when they saw that Tang Dao was just an ordinary Chinese young man, but Tang Dao was well prepared. He smiled and gently slapped the banking law clauses of several major empires that had been specially printed by Krupp in front of these vampires. After all, these banks were still scared.

They can bully the "ugly" Chinese who don't have much knowledge, but if a Chinese who is well versed in banking law and has extraordinary conversation spreads this matter, especially to major newspapers and media in China who are racking their brains to find news angles.

‘The sorrow of Chinese depositors in the war!’, ‘The shame of the Imperial Bank!’ These news headlines, spoken by Tang Dao with a smile and pure Wudu accent, made people’s eyelids jump.

They all believed that any ‘vicious’ headline dictated by the young Chinese man would be adopted by those unscrupulous newspapers and deserve a front-page headline, and the loss at that time would definitely not be compensated by a few million.

So, this huge amount of money that was once embezzled by several major European banks was forcibly taken back by Tang Dao.

However, General Song still had some reservations and saved the fluke that his 29th Army, which had been completely divided, could make a comeback. Tang Dao could withdraw 30 million silver dollars.

However, according to Tang Dao’s request, all of them were exchanged into US dollars. It took several major banks about 2 days to exchange them all and transport them to the hotel designated by Tang Dao.

Of course, this huge amount of money, which can almost fill up half a room, was quietly transported to the headquarters of Krupp's branch in Tianjin at night.

No one knows the relationship between Tang Dao and Krupp, which also facilitates the secret transactions between the two parties in the future.

Part of the 7.5 million US dollars is used to pay the final payment for the equipment of the German-equipped reorganized division, and the rest is naturally the cost of investing in the steel plant and the underground arsenal.

According to the agreement signed and approved by Tang Dao and Rostav, Tang Dao will invest a total of 8 million US dollars and obtain 40% of the shares of the steel plant. Krupp will be responsible for purchasing various equipment and investing in technical workers and factory land, and occupy 60% of the shares to become the largest controlling shareholder.

On the surface, a steel plant with an annual output of more than one million tons, without spending much money on land, according to the current international market price, the total investment will never exceed 10 million US dollars. Tang Dao invested 80% of it but only accounted for 40% of the shares, which is a loss-making deal.

But money alone is of no use. Now the Japanese fleet has blockaded China's entire southeastern coast and completely blocked China's transportation routes from the Pacific Ocean. That means that the entire China has almost lost the channel to obtain Western aid from the sea. Now the only way to obtain external supplies is by land, from the fighting nation bordering the western border.

But what good intentions do the fighting people have? Their goal is to encroach on the vast prairie. The more you want now, the higher the possibility of losing your ancestral foundation in the future. Although he knew that it was a poison to quench thirst, facing the current situation, the principal could only drink it with a pinch of his nose.

To put it bluntly, even if you have money, you can't buy the machinery and equipment you want. Krupp can not only buy it, but also transport it to the north in its entirety and produce it openly, which is also an intangible asset.

If Rostav didn't want to have a good relationship with Tang Dao, he could have asked Tang Dao to invest in full, and he didn't have to pay a penny, and he could still be their major shareholder. Tang Dao could only accept it with a pinch of his nose.

But this is Rostav's life wisdom. He made a balance, which not only made Tang Dao feel his sincerity and goodwill, but also maximized the company's profits, laying a solid foundation for his return to the top level of Krupp in the future.

With the rigor engraved in the genes of the Germans, if you want to be in charge of Krupp in the future, you can't just rely on blood, but also have enough ability.

Moreover, for Tang Dao, what he values ​​most is certainly not the shares of the steel plant, but the "Laboratory No. 1" under the protection of the steel plant.

In the final signing of the agreement, because of Tang Dao's argument, not only did Grunoff successfully leave Krupp, but Tang Dao also obtained the actual control of "Laboratory No. 1".

The agreement stipulates that the "Laboratory No. 1" inside the steel plant named "Deke" will operate independently, and its highest executor is the representative stationed in the laboratory by Tang Dao, and the second executor is Dr. Grunoff. Krupp has the right to copy the weapons designed by the laboratory, but needs to pay the patent fee for the laboratory design.

After careful consideration, Tang Dao turned his attention to Gong Shaoxun who was with him. Although he was a good chief of staff and an excellent cavalry commander, the laboratory was of great importance, even as important as the front-line operations.

Gong Shaoxun was still a little hesitant at first, but when Tang Dao brought the Brand 60 mortar produced in the French Empire from the Krupp warehouse and told him that the laboratory would produce a more advanced 60 mortar in the future and make it the most important supporting firepower at the platoon level; and the cavalry units would also abandon the heavy 82 mortars and carry this light mortar with a range of 1,500 meters, Gong Shaoxun, with bright eyes, "surrendered".

As a chief of staff of an infantry regiment, he knew too well the role of this small-caliber mortar for an infantry platoon. That meant that even if a small-scale platoon-level unit encountered the Japanese army in a field battle, it would no longer rely on human lives to survive. Even if they were surrounded by a Japanese infantry battalion, with this kind of artillery, they could quickly establish a blocking position to hold on and wait for help, and would never be eaten in a short time.

This also means that the Four-Line Regiment no longer needs to rely on the strength of the entire regiment to compete with the Japanese army. It can also attack everywhere with battalion, company and platoon-level troops like the 80th Army, and strike the Japanese army in a larger area. The combat mode will be completely changed.

As an old cavalry, he has long accepted the dragoon combat mode. In such a hot weapon era, pure cavalry tactics that rely solely on the speed of war horses and swordsmanship are no longer suitable.

Modern cavalry must not only have the high-speed assault capability of traditional cavalry, but also have the ground field combat capability of infantry.

It can be said that cavalry has changed from a traditional assault force to a "small, fast and strong" support-level force.

But this also means that the cavalry has to consume horsepower to carry mortars and heavy machine guns weighing tens of kilograms, and also have to sacrifice a certain amount of mobility to carry a large number of shells and bullets to support a battle.

If this kind of small-caliber mortar and cavalry are equipped, it means that the cavalry can carry more artillery and more shells with the same horse. With such firepower support, the cavalry may be able to completely get rid of the infantry and become an independent combat sequence.

On horseback, he could move as fast as thunder, and Japanese heads would roll down under the sharp blade of his saber; on dismount, he could stand still like a mountain, and the saber combined with artillery and machine guns would make the invading enemy feel the burning flames.

Not to mention the "super machine gun" that Tang Dao said was better than the MG34. There were only two MG34s in the Four-line Regiment, but they were regarded as treasures by the reconnaissance company. Other ordinary infantrymen had to get Tang Dao's personal approval to use them, let alone observe them.

If the "super machine gun" with an even higher firing rate could be equipped in the troops, his cavalry battalion would be able to completely abandon the "bulky" Maxim heavy machine gun, and with a small-caliber mortar with a range of up to 1,500 meters, a six-man cavalry squad could carry two machine guns and a small cannon as well as the required ammunition, and could provide ground fire support for a cavalry platoon.

If there were three such cavalry squads, a cavalry company of less than 100 people could even engage in ground field battles with the Japanese army that was several times larger than itself.

Tang Dao's tempting description finally made Gong Shaoxun agree to become the first military representative of "Laboratory No. 1" and be responsible for the operation of the underground military factory planned by Tang Dao.

Of course, he also served as the chief of staff of the Four-line Regiment, but he temporarily resigned from the position of cavalry battalion commander. Tang Dao had promised Gong Shaoxun that the candidate for cavalry battalion commander would still be promoted from one of his three old subordinates.

This is also Tang Dao's wisdom. Since factionalism has existed since ancient times, its existence has its rationality. This is a kind of balance within the team. If his old subordinates Lei Xiong, Leng Feng, Cheng Tieshou, Li Jiujin and others are the only ones in power, then the Four Lines Group will completely develop around Tang Dao. Over time, his eyes will inevitably be blinded. With the Sichuan Army represented by Zhao Daqiang and Qian Dazhu, the Songjiang Security Group represented by Zhuang Shisan, the Northeast Army represented by Gong Shaoxun, and even the Eighty Group Army represented by Ye Chenghuan, no matter how convinced everyone is, there will be different opinions and voices, which is also a supervision and reminder for himself.

'Absolute power leads to absolute corruption! ' Although Tang Dao is not interested in money, he is also a human being, and human beings have human nature. Tang Dao's wish is to save his nation, but he dare not guarantee that he will not lose himself in absolute power.

Because, the shadow of Tang Dao in the previous life has become increasingly faint in the continuous wars, and the little butterfly who came to this era has become more and more integrated with this era. He smiled at the brilliant smile of his fiancee, cried at the cold bodies of his brothers, and faced the suffering of his compatriots and clansmen, his heart was broken and clenched his fists.

Tang Dao tried his best to change the suffering in the past, even if the stubborn river of history still rushed forward along the inherent trajectory.

He finally changed something. The Battle of Guangde crippled the Kunisaki Detachment, the Battle of Bihe hurt Tu Feiyuan, and the Battle of Southeast Shanxi even directly killed Yamamoto Wen, but this was still not enough.

Therefore, Tang Dao wanted to develop weapons that did not originally belong to this era, equip his soldiers and even all Chinese soldiers, and he wanted to make the Japanese bleed on this fertile land, much more than before.

But Tang Dao knew very well that his ambition was expanding, and he had to put himself in a strong enough cage in addition to his ambition. It was not that he worshipped blindly, but that the years he had experienced in the future told him that a country that had been destroyed by war and a nation that had been scarred by a century of suffering needed a group of leaders with ideals.

Perhaps, that was not the so-called optimal solution, but history has proved that although they also made mistakes, they still gave this country and nation a full stomach and a peaceful green blue sky.

Therefore, Tang Dao allowed the existence of many forces in the Four Lines Group to the maximum extent. Even if a soldier like Gong Shaoxun with the old warlord ideology served as a senior official, some stubborn thinking could be changed as long as his original intention to fight against the Japanese invaders remained unchanged.

Gong Shaoxun's next task was not easy. He would only bring an elite infantry platoon assigned to him to protect this important "laboratory" in the Japanese control area, and coordinate various relationships with the senior executives stationed in the steel plant of Krupp Company to put the "laboratory" into production as soon as possible.

Military protection and production coordination were originally two unrelated businesses. On the surface, Gong Shaoxun, who was the Chinese production manager of the steel plant, had to do both and do it well.

Because not only the thousands of officers and soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment needed the weapons here, but also the Eighty Army, Sichuan Army, Northwest Army and other units. The Japanese army might start to invade the last line of defense in North China on a large scale at any time.

The Japanese East China Front Army, which was about to arrive in Central China, had already started the Jiangxia Campaign in full swing.

Then, after signing all the agreements with Krupp and making internal division of labor adjustments, Tang Dao came to Citibank on the fifth day after arriving in Tianjin to withdraw 800,000 taels of gold on Gong Shaoxun's deposit certificate.

Gold reserves are very important for any country. Citibank may not have so much gold spot, and Tang Dao can understand that he can fully accept cash such as US dollars or even silver dollars and legal tender.

In order to get the money smoothly, Tang Dao even privately visited Brigadier General Tian, ​​the commander of the Western Concession, who had been to Linfen and had some friendship with him, and gave him 10,000 US dollars as a thank you gift. Brigadier General Tian, ​​who was shocked by Tang Dao's sudden arrival in Tianjin, naturally did not know that Rostav had already "hooked up" with Tang, but this did not affect his smile after seeing 10,000 colorful US dollars.

At that moment, he personally called Frank Depp, the president of Citibank, to tell him that Tang Dao was his very close friend, the closest one.

The Chinese with a slight Western accent made the words "closest" seem extremely strange, but this kind of thing may not be accepted by the outside world in the Western world, but it has long been common in the circle of dignitaries and elites.

Tang Dao, who had changed his real name to Tang Tao, could only arrive at Citibank with a tingling scalp and carry the deposit certificate to accept the strange eyes of a golden-haired blue-eyed man.

Then, when Tang Dao took out the huge deposit certificate, Mr. Depp, who was high and mighty, had lost his arrogance and turned into shock and shock, especially after Tang Dao asked to withdraw all the cash within three days.

After an emergency consultation meeting with his senior executives, poor Mr. Depp almost begged Tang Dao not to withdraw all the cash. His authority could only give Tang Dao nearly 10 million US dollars within three days.

Damn it, not to mention the five-year interest promised before, now he can only pay less than one-third of the cash, even if the rest is accepted, how can Tang Dao suffer this loss?

So, in this spacious and luxurious office of the president, the above conversation took place.

Tang Dao really doesn't just settle things with verbal threats. Just like dealing with major European banks, Tang Dao has long decided that as long as there is anyone who dares to default on his debt, he would rather spend a million US dollars to make himself The two connections used all their connections to ruin Lao Lai's reputation. Otherwise, if there was the first one, there would be the second one, and he wouldn't be able to get a dime.

Therefore, facing the somewhat humble request of this American, Tang Dao still responded coldly: "You are the bank and I am the depositor. It is natural for depositors to withdraw their own money from the bank. How long does it take for you to have any necessary contact with the depositors?

If the contractual spirit described in your Western Bible is so worthless in the eyes of your bank managers, then we can sit down and have a serious discussion. "

Cold sweat broke out on the middle-aged American's forehead involuntarily.

The Chinese young man in front of him was much more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. Perhaps at this time, he finally understood what the three words 'most intimate' that Brigadier General Tian said on the phone meant.

That's not the most intimate thing, maybe it's the most difficult thing to deal with.

"Justice may be late, but it will never be absent! Oh, my God! What you say is so wonderful. This may be such a philosophical statement that I have not heard in a long time."

A door in the office opened by itself, and a crisp female voice came from inside.

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ps: Yesterday, a classmate’s father passed away due to illness. Fengyue went to help, but didn’t come home until 11 o’clock in the evening. There was no time to ask for leave. I will explain it to you when updating today. I’m sorry.