A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

This factory visit greatly shocked Chen Guangliang. He hadn't realized that he was already the "industrial overlord" of the rear area. Not to mention private enterprises, even state-owned enterprises (non-military) could only look up to his textile factories, sugar factories, alcohol factories, and food factories.

Kong Xiangxi and Song Ziwen were probably envious long ago, but Chen Guangliang's influence prevented them from having any ideas.

Now that Chen Guangliang has voluntarily donated the profits from these factories, it is even less likely that he will be targeted by bureaucratic capital.

In fact, Chen Guangliang did this out of necessity. He knew that his factory was very profitable and that many people were envious. In order to ensure the safety of his family in the rear and to leave a good reputation, he simply donated it all.

At this time, in the eyes of the media and even the authorities, Chen Guangliang was entirely a "generous and patriotic" industrialist who had donated almost all of his earnings. (Chen Guangliang's wealth mainly came from speculation, so his privacy was extremely high.)

In fact, Chen Guangliang had two other funds in the rear:
The first transaction involved the $100 million worth of gold that Ping An Bank had initially exchanged. Now, $70 worth of gold remains, which is $70 divided by $35 per ounce, or 2 ounces of gold.

The second source of income was rental income from Cheung Kong Property over three years. As soon as the rental income was received, it was converted into gold, so there was approximately US$20 worth of gold.

The batch of mid-to-high-end villas owned by Yangtze River Real Estate in Chongqing has no shortage of tenants, and they are not worried about the devaluation of the currency, because the rent for these houses is determined according to the market price of gold and silver.

简单来说，1938年重庆三间瓦房的租金是年租金是500法币；但现在1940年11月，三间瓦房的年租金已经是6000一年，涨了12倍。

This is not only due to the devaluation of the fiat currency, but also to the factor of supply falling short of demand.

Therefore, the rent for residential properties owned by Cheung Kong Property has always been very expensive, and rents will increase when the currency depreciates or when the market is tight.

In this way, when the war ended, Chen Guangliang would be able to take a batch of gold and silver from the rear.

this day.

Chen Guangliang held a meeting in the Ping An Bank Building on Duyou Street in Chongqing. Among those attending the meeting were Zhang Shounian, who had been transferred from Shanghai to serve as the general manager of Ping An Bank in Chongqing, and Guo Deming from his secretariat, among others.

The meeting was kept relatively confidential.

He spoke first:
"Ping An Bank still controls eight factories. This is a core strategy. After all, I only promised to donate the profits of the eight factories to the Ning'an Foundation during the next period of the war. After the war, we will formally develop our business. This is one point."

"Ping An Bank Group remains a commercial group with profit as its primary objective; this is its core principle and its second key characteristic."

Upon hearing Chen Guangliang's words, several key subordinates nodded in agreement. They understood their boss's actions; the war of resistance was at a difficult time, and setting such an example was not considered unorthodox.

"Next, the welfare of all employees in these factories will be improved to a higher level, and this improvement will continue to be maintained in accordance with the inflation. That is the third point."

"Furthermore, we need to retain about half of our factories in Shanghai and Hong Kong next year (1941) and use the rest to purchase land and properties in Hong Kong, buying a little bit every month. The main reason is that we can't let people know that we are making a lot of money. That's the fourth point."

Subsequently.

Zhang Shounian said, "The profit base of factories in Shanghai has also decreased somewhat, mainly because there are more and more factories in the concessions. Of course, spending half of each month to buy real estate and properties in Hong Kong is indeed a good approach."

Everyone understood the boss's intention: to prevent the true extent of how much money the factories in the concessions and Hong Kong had made over the years from being exposed. On the other hand, the profits from the factories in the rear areas, even if donated, were already quite staggering.

In reality, it wasn't that Chen Guangliang went back on his word, but rather that there was always room for manipulation. It's similar to the charitable foundations of wealthy individuals in later generations; there are often shady dealings within them, such as their children holding high-ranking positions and receiving high salaries. As long as the foundation doesn't collapse, their descendants can continue to receive salaries—a form of inheritance.

In contrast, Chen Guangliang's "Ning An Foundation" will definitely be established in Hong Kong as soon as possible after the war ends. At that time, it will carry out charity work in both places, but will mainly carry out resettlement charity work in Hong Kong.

"Alright, please relay today's meeting information and oversee its implementation!"

"Yes, boss"

Today's attendees include senior executives from Ping An Bank and members of Chen Guangliang's secretariat. Many of them will receive instructions soon.

That evening, Chen Guangliang returned to the villa, where all five members of his family were present.

The villa is divided into two parts. Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei live in one part, and the children live in the other part. They do not live on the second floor, but temporarily live on the first floor. The basement has a very powerful air-raid shelter function.

This year, Japan carried out the "101" bombing of Chongqing, which was extremely serious.

Chen Guangliang had a premonition that there would be another major bombing in the first half of next year. By the time the Pacific War broke out, Japan had basically lost its ability to bomb Chongqing on a large scale, since the planes and ammunition would have to be moved away.

Fortunately, his villas were all made of reinforced concrete, so living on the ground floor posed little risk. Moreover, their villas were located halfway up a mountain, providing excellent concealment, so the Japanese wouldn't throw bombs at such a place.

"Are you two settling in well at the new school?"

At the dinner table, Chen Guangliang showed concern for the two brothers, Chen Wenjie and Chen Wenming.

Although worried about the air raids causing harm to his family, Chen Guangliang couldn't let his two children be harmed by such a threat, so he sent them to two different schools, both of which were relatively expensive and of high quality.

Chen Wenjie said, "It's a habit, and I've already made some friends!"

Chen Wenming also said, "The new school is great, and I have friends now."

The couple looked at each other and smiled. Their child's strong adaptability was a good thing. After all, both of them had things to do after arriving in Chongqing; even Yan Renmei was now involved in charity work.

As for their youngest son, he's only two years old and not old enough to go to school. That evening, Yan Renmei lay in Chen Guangliang's arms and said, "Are you really going to Yangon to start that transportation company? I think we can leave these things to our subordinates; after all, we don't lack this business. Besides, regarding the war effort, we have the money to contribute; there's no need to put ourselves in danger. Finally, don't forget that Yu Feipeng is also the director of the Southwest Transportation Bureau; he'll definitely give you a hard time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangliang also frowned.

The Southwest Transportation Bureau was already in a state of chaos after Song Ziliang left, with checkpoints set up everywhere. It was questionable whether the Commander-in-Chief's order would be effective. In addition, Yu Feipeng was still the Minister of Transportation and Director of the Southwest Transportation Bureau, which would likely cause trouble for Chen Guangliang's convoy.

In reality, Chen Guangliang had no intention of making this money; he imported these Dodge trucks with the idea of ​​"contributing to the war effort."

“You’re right. I’ll discuss it with Lu Zuofu later and see if we can get Minsheng Company involved as well. He’s the Vice Minister of Transportation, so that’s some kind of guarantee.”

Lu Zuofu is the Vice Minister of Transportation and also the Chairman of Minsheng Company. If he were to invest in this batch of cars, the Ministry of Transportation should not target him.

In fact, Chen Guangliang's idea was very simple: if the Nationalist government wanted to requisition the weapons for the war, then so be it, and he wouldn't have any objections.

But the fact that Yu Feipeng was trying to sow discord between him and others, or that the checkpoints and inspections along the way were rife with bribery, has made him feel a little disheartened.

No wonder Tan Kah Kee, the leader of the overseas Chinese community in Southeast Asia, returned to China this year for an inspection and was quite disappointed with the Nationalist government.

"Well, since you've already lost faith in the Nationalist government and decided to develop your career in Hong Kong and overseas after the war, there's no need to take any more risks."

"Okay, I'll listen."

He used to want to kill a few Japanese soldiers with his own hands, but now he thinks that bullets have no eyes. Although his body is strong, it is not enough to dodge bullets. If he were to die for his country, it would be a loss to the nation and an irresponsible act towards his family.

Today, Chen Guangliang has a fortune of 30 million US dollars in the United States and owns substantial properties in Hong Kong. He is just waiting for the war to end so that he can realize his grand ambitions.

Even if it were in mainland China, he could still take away a large amount of gold and foreign exchange after the war, since he currently has about 100 million US dollars worth of gold.

Meanwhile, Chen Guangliang wanted to invite Lu Zuofu to partner with him in running the 'Southwest Transportation Company,' but Lu Zuofu instead introduced him to a partner.

"Mr. Chen, this is Mr. Miao Yuntai from Yunnan. He happens to be in Chongqing on business. I know you need a suitable partner, and I think he is the perfect fit!"

Chen Guangliang looked at Miao Yuntai and immediately recognized him. This man was equivalent to Lu Zuofu of Yunnan, and he also had the trust of Lu Han, the warlord of Yunnan, just like Liu Xiang trusted Lu Zuofu back then.

Miao Yuntai was a tycoon in Yunnan's tin industry and later founded a bank. He was both an official and a businessman, and once served as the Minister of Industry of Yunnan. His greatest contribution was participating in the negotiations for the construction of the Burma Road. Now, Yunnan Province has become a major rear area, providing material support to the Nationalist government. Miao's achievements in this regard are also significant.

Getting on board with Miao Yuntai was tantamount to having the support of the Yunnan warlords. In addition, Chen Guangliang had the Commander-in-Chief's order, making this transportation company very promising.

"I have long admired Mr. Miao for his many contributions to Yunnan and to the nation's War of Resistance against Japan!"

Miao Yuntai immediately cupped his hands in response, saying, "I dare not mention contributions in front of Mr. Chen, for I have long admired Mr. Chen!"

Lu Zuofu smiled and said, "You all don't need to be modest. You are all industrialists, and it's only natural for you to contribute to the country and the nation. Today, we are here to discuss cooperation, so please don't be too polite."

In fact, in this era, no businessman could claim to have contributed more to the country than Chen Guangliang. In this life's War of Resistance, countless more Japanese soldiers were eliminated—take the Guangdong army for example, its firepower was many times stronger. Its support for the resistance in Wuhan and its defense of Guangdong certainly resulted in the elimination of more enemies than in the previous life, even extending Guangzhou's holdout by several days. All of this was equivalent to three more years of growth for Guangdong's sugar industry, earning hundreds of millions of silver dollars.

Or, back then, Chen Guangliang suggested that Song Ziwen import silver, which added another 100 million taels of silver to the country. These funds later became military expenses for the War of Resistance against Japan, though they did indeed make things more difficult for our own people.

The same was true for shipping. On the eve of the War of Resistance against Japan, the China Merchants Group had become a shipping mega-group, opening routes to the United States and Europe. Even on inland waterways, there were many more ships.

Of course, Chen Guangliang also funded Tang Feifan's success in obtaining penicillin. This invention received American assistance in 1938 and could be mass-produced. Tang Feifan used this success as a condition to obtain American pharmaceutical aid. At the same time, penicillin could not be sold to Japan, but allied countries such as Britain obtained a lot of penicillin starting in 1939, and the United States naturally made a lot of money as well.

This is why the Commander-in-Chief mentioned last time that without Chen Guangliang's initial funding, Tang Feifan would not have been able to achieve experimental success with penicillin, nor would he have been able to obtain medical assistance from the United States.

Chen Guangliang then readily replied, "When I returned to Chongqing, I learned that a large amount of goods had been stockpiled in Yangon, but due to transportation issues, they couldn't be transported to the rear for the time being. So, I bought 120 American Dodge trucks. But to be honest, the management there is rather chaotic right now. I'm willing to do something, but I feel unfamiliar with the situation. If I can cooperate with Mr. Miao, I'd like to save some of my energy."

He has drivers; he's already arranged for drivers from Shanghai to go to Yangon. After all, Chen Guangliang has experience operating Yangtze River Taxi, so he has plenty of drivers. In this era, everyone wants to do something for the country, so this job is very honorable. Not to mention, Chen Guangliang offers high salaries and helps everyone take care of their families.

With management and close associates, Chen Guangliang basically lacked nothing.

However, local connections are still needed!

Miao Yuntai readily agreed, saying, "Mr. Chen is willing to do something for the country, and I happen to be very familiar with that area, so it would be great to cooperate."

"Okay, with Mr. Miao joining us, this matter is no longer a problem."

Miao Yuntai also belongs to the "Yunnan financial clique". He is neither a member of the Communist Party nor a member of the Communist Party, and he is relatively distant from both. This is similar to Chen Guangliang's political consciousness.

Dealing with smart people is a win-win situation.

The cooperation between the two parties actually involves Chen Guangliang holding 80% of the shares and Miao Yuntai holding 20%. In terms of investment, Chen Guangliang contributed 120 trucks, while Miao Yuntai symbolically provided a sum of money as start-up capital.

More importantly, Miao Yuntai needs to leverage his local connections to support the transportation company. It's not exactly a phantom stock, since Miao Yuntai did contribute $2 as seed funding.

Chen Guangliang's side was being handled by Liang Mengqi, who was essentially taking the original Yangtze River Taxi staff to Yangon to await orders. (End of Chapter)