Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 278: The old king is gone, New York welcomes its new king

Within a day, Zheng Yi's actions were deliberately spread throughout the streets and alleys of New York.

If nothing unexpected happens, it won’t be long before most of the United States knows about it.

The practice of specifically requesting the use of black maids was still very new in the United States.

The boss was a very quick person. In addition to the job market, almost all local newspapers and radio stations in New York reported the news in the form of news. He even turned his own company into a recruitment site, and even stopped all ongoing real estate projects.

He is also very good at packaging himself, and he even managed to brag about himself as "the American man valued by Mr. Zheng Yi". Zheng Yi let him do it. To some extent, he was not bragging. Zheng Yi really valued him and really planned to train him to be one of his spokespersons in the United States.

On the streets, in taverns, cafes, and even in the slum communities in the far corners of the city, almost everyone is talking about Mr. Zheng and his black maid.

"Hey, Wendy, this is such a great opportunity! I think you should give it a try no matter what. That's Mr. Zheng. I heard he's a good man who's helping other suffering people in the world fight their war. And you can speak Chinese, so that's an advantage too."

"I don't care if he's a good person or not, but with such a high salary, maybe he's already been offered the job. How can I get that position? I know a little Chinese, but that alone isn't enough."

"Besides, who is he? He's a world-class figure, a guest that governors and presidents would fight for. He was the commander of the Allied forces during World War II. It's said that he's very likely the richest man in the world. How could he possibly be interested in me?"

As she spoke, Wendy couldn't help but lower her head and glanced at her slightly bloated figure and rough skin, feeling even less confident.

He was originally a maid for a white family. One time, he couldn't help it and it was raining heavily outside and he couldn't go out, so he secretly went to the toilet in the flush toilet of the hostess's house and was fired.

Even more tragically, she also has a seven-year-old child whose father ran away shortly after the child was born, leaving her to raise the child alone.

Because she has a child, as a maid, she cannot be a full-time maid who lives in her employer's home 24 hours a day, or spends a lot of time working in her employer's home. She has to take a certain amount of time every day to go home and take care of the child.

Besides, she was not pretty, at most she was just pleasing to the eye. After all, for a profession like a maid, being good-looking was a big plus. If a character like this hired a maid, then they should be the best. It was even possible that some illegitimate daughters of noble families would apply for the job. She was really far from that.

However, his companions advised, "How can we know if we don't try? Since Mr. Zheng specifically requested a black woman, I think he has a political purpose. If it's for political purposes, wouldn't it be better to find someone more ordinary, who can better represent black women and better establish his own image?"

Chinese and blacks both belong to ethnic minority groups, which is probably why he wants to speak up for blacks. Since he wants to do this, he will never just find a maid and be done with it. There must be a backup plan. If you can be his maid, maybe there will be some good things waiting for you.

After all, he's looking for a maid, not a lover. You work quickly and well, and you have some connections in Chinatown, so why are you not qualified? How can you know if you can't do it without trying?"

Wendy couldn't help but feel a little tempted when she heard this. She said, "Then I... should go to that crappy bed company and try to sign up?"

"Of course you have to register, but aren't you familiar with a lot of people in Chinatown? If I were you, I'd go to Chinatown after registering and wait. With your connections, maybe you can even meet Mr. Zheng there. I don't know why Mr. Zheng didn't go to Chinatown, but he's definitely going to go there. If you can get him to notice you, maybe it will work out."

Wendy: "Oh~, you're right, Collins. Why don't you come with me? If you accompany me, I'll have the courage. And your analysis is so reasonable. You're the smartest person I know. Please help me. Why don't you sign up with me and be his maid together?"

"I?"

The woman called Collins hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said with feigned disdain, "I don't want to be a maid. Besides, you know my brother, he's a real worry. Who would want someone like me? Do you think someone like that would look for a maid without doing a basic family background check?"

"Hey~, seriously, it would be great if you could really become a maid for such a big shot. Maybe, people would look up to you and help my brother find a proper job? Hey~"

As he spoke, Collins couldn't help revealing a very lonely expression, but he muttered softly, "Actually, my brother isn't stupid, nor is he born a jerk. It's just this damn American society that we blame. My sister and I want to take the right path, but where is the path for us to take?"

Beside her, a woman named Wendy held her hand and felt the same way.

Collins is also a miserable person. He has been without a father since childhood. His mother went crazy when he was young. He has been dependent on his younger brother. He moved from Boston to New York a few years ago. His younger brother is engaged in drug trafficking, gambling, fraud, robbery, pimping and everything else. He is a typical gangster and a gang member. His sister will have super-friendly relationships with different men for money.

This kind of person is really impossible...
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be how her life will be. However, I heard that her younger brother also went to college and majored in law. It's a pity that because of his black identity, there are no black lawyers in society, and there are not even any positions related to law such as paralegals left for him.

It was hell, because his younger brother was a college student who studied law. He had no place in the right path, but seemed to be doing quite well in the underworld, and was very familiar with almost all the underground black gangs in New York.

Similar scenes were happening almost everywhere in New York, but Zheng Yi was completely unaware of it and was not even interested in it.

That night, Zheng Yi didn't have time to go to Broadway to watch the white-legged woman dancing, which he had been longing for. Instead, he took the initiative to invite some bosses from the banking and financial industries to the hotel to attend the dinner he hosted, with the introduction of the Rockefeller family.

Afterwards, Zheng Yi took the initiative to find Henry Morgan, the chairman of Morgan Stanley Bank, and several other Morgan Stanley shareholders, and invited them to the conference room in his room upstairs.

In fact, they are acquaintances. Morgan Stanley provided half of the first 20 million loan for the construction of Penang. Most of SAARC's US business was also handled by Morgan Stanley. Even Zheng Yi himself had his stock trading in the United States handled by Morgan Stanley.

He and Henry Morgan were relatively familiar friends, even more so than Little John. Therefore, after sitting down, Henry asked directly:

"Mr. Zheng, do you want us at Morgan Stanley to represent you in your US business?"

Zheng Yi: "No, I'm here to invite you to join the Southern Alliance. As you all know, I'm currently planning the establishment of the Southern Alliance's New York branch with Mr. Dewey, Mr. Rockefeller, and others. Such a grand event would be incomplete without the Morgan family's participation."

Henry: "The SAARC's mission is globalization, which we greatly appreciate. In fact, we at Morgan Stanley have always been committed to global expansion and development, and we hope to share in this wave of development."

As he spoke, he revealed inside information that Zheng Yi had already known, "The Federal Reserve has already passed the decision to allocate a loan of $20 billion to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The proposal will be packaged into the Marshall Plan. Although the specific loan details are still under discussion, the bill itself is basically certain to pass both houses of Congress. It all depends on whether President Du can agree to the passing number."

"With such a grand event, we at Morgan Stanley certainly hope to participate deeply. I just wonder how, Mr. Zheng, you plan to participate?"

Zheng Yi: "I can make the decision on your behalf and merge our existing Nanyang Bank in the Southern Alliance with your bank. In other words, I can let Morgan Stanley acquire the entire Nanyang Bank. What do you think? You know, Nanyang Bank already has shares in Citibank and your bank."

Henry was visibly stunned when he heard this, and it took him a long time to react. "What? You want to merge with me? Nanyang Bank is the foundation of the Southern Alliance. Will you allow it to be swallowed up by me... No, Mr. Zheng, are you going to swallow me up?"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Mr. Henry, why do you say that? Morgan Stanley is a large and powerful company. Although Nanyang Bank is the foundation of the Southern Alliance, there is absolutely no reason for it to be annexed. No matter how we settle this account, your bank is the main one, and we are the auxiliary one."

Henry snorted coldly, "Mr. Zheng is right, but Morgan Stanley isn't necessarily named Morgan. I'd like to hazard a guess as to how Mr. Zheng plans to handle Citibank. I truly don't believe you'll let them off."

Zheng Yi smiled upon hearing this and did not comment on it.

To be honest, neither Morgan Stanley nor JPMorgan Chase actually belong to the Morgan family. What many people don't know is that the Morgan family, or rather J.P. Morgan himself, was arguably the most powerful individual during America's Golden Age. During its heyday, even the president was probably more powerful than him.

But at the same time, he left the least money to his descendants.

When he died, his family inheritance totaled only $8400 million. It is said that after hearing this number, both Carnegie and the Rockefeller family were shocked. Carnegie even sighed from the bottom of his heart: It is unbelievable that the guy was actually a poor man.

JP Morgan, the only true god that ever existed in the American financial industry and who will never be seen again in history, indeed held tens of billions, possibly even close to a hundred billion U.S. dollars in his heyday. The printing presses of the entire U.S. obeyed his orders to start or stop, as did all the banks, state governments, and even all the money in the U.S. treasury. He was the true uncrowned king of the world.

But he really has been using other people's money all his life. Almost all the profits earned by the bank were distributed to the bank's investors. He himself did not even take any commission, let alone use this opportunity to abuse his power for personal gain.

It was not until his death that people discovered that this financial emperor was just a professional investor who managed accounts for all the wealthy people in the United States, and his assets did not even reach 100 million.

Of course, 8400 million in assets is a lot, but compared to the Morgan family's great reputation, it is a sharp contrast.

Of course, it was also because of this that the respect for Mr. Morgan in the financial and wealthy circles across the United States reached its peak, and the reputation of the Morgan family also reached its peak.

But the problem is that Morgan is dead after all.

Reputation is not like wealth. Wealth is passed on to sons without any discount, but as for reputation, who knows how much discount it will get?

The Morgan family's pure share of shares in Morgan Bank has never been high.

Especially during Ronaldinho's time, Morgan Bank attracted attention due to its size and was forcibly split into two, namely JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. Naturally, its prestige was also divided into two.

Any personal wealth or family wealth is basically a drizzle or a sprinkle of water for a bank of the size of Morgan Stanley. This is originally a thing that gathers the collective strength of the richest people in the United States.

In theory, although Henry Morgan did not make any remarkable financial achievements, he still had the final say in this bank that still bears his father's name, relying on the reputation left by his father. After all, there is no JP Morgan in the United States today. The old king has fallen, and no new king who can command the support of the public in the financial industry has been born.

Even if the old king's son relied on inertia, he could still barely continue to steer the ship.

But if Zheng Yi brings in the banks of the Southern Alliance, then things will naturally be different.

The size of SAARC Bank is large enough. Although SAARC Bank is not owned by Zheng Yi personally, and Zheng Yi's personal shareholding in the banking industry is even very small, and he is not the largest shareholder, but with his prestige, there is no doubt that all Chinese will follow his lead, and his personal shareholding ratio is no longer important.

Just like his father, JP Morgan.

This is a legend. It is said that he was born a poor boy, but now he has become the richest man in the world, and will even become one of the most powerful people in the world in the near future.

Apart from not being an American, he seems to be no less famous than his father.

This is to become the new king of the American financial world!
For Zheng Yi, although there were certain risks involved, Nanyang Bank and OCBC Bank were indeed the foundation of the current SAARC, and they even held the right to issue SAARC currency.

But he thought that the problem was not that big. After all, Morgan and Citibank were shareholders of Nanyang Bank. Merging with them would mean that they would be interdependent. The most important thing was that the Nanyang Currency was a brand new currency that had only been issued for two years.

Even if we consider the worst-case scenario, the worst that cannot be worse, and the Southern Alliance currency is completely destroyed, then it is destroyed. At most, he will issue a new Southern Alliance currency or something like that. Although currency is anchored to the US dollar, the real credit endorsement for this thing is still Zheng Yi's own prestige.

Originally, SAARC's monetary system was also shaky when faced with the temptation of a huge sum of 20 billion US dollars.

What we get in return for this absolute autonomy of the SAARC currency is the opportunity to truly covet the sacred weapon: the Federal Reserve.

As I said, there is no new king in the American financial world. The throne is actually vacant now, and the Federal Reserve has actually been lacking a real owner.

Ultimately, time travelers have greater advantages in the field of financial investment.

He remained noncommittal about the first question, but explained the second, "I do intend to merge the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Bank and Japan's Yasuda Bank into Citibank, but I haven't contacted them yet. I plan to contact them after I finish talking to you.

Since the SAIC branch is being established in New York, I wonder why we have to separate from each other. We are all one family, aren't we? Mr. Henry, I'm handing over the right to issue SAIC currency to you. This is a pie in the sky, don't you want to take advantage of it, Mr. Henry?

Henry Morgan: "Mr. Zheng, that's a good point. But if you join the board of directors of Morgan Stanley, who will take the chairmanship, you or me?"

Zheng Yi: "Mr. Henry, are you not welcoming me?"

Henry Morgan: "Mr. Zheng, you want to be like my father and become the financial king of New York, or even the entire United States. With all due respect to you, as an outsider, this ambition is too big."

"Mr. Henry, that's wrong. As far as I know, wasn't your father also British? America is a country of immigrants. Counting back three generations, I wonder how many of them came from foreign countries. Even if you count your ancestors for eighteen generations, this place is still dominated by Indians."

"Of course, I have absolutely no intention of challenging your position. I'm just a shareholder. The chairman's position still belongs to you. You know, I don't have much time to personally manage the bank's affairs."

"You and I joining forces is a mutually beneficial matter. It should only benefit you, not harm you. We are friends and partners. What's the matter, Mr. Henry? Are you going to refuse me? Or should we hold a board meeting?"

"Of course, it's not impossible for me not to cooperate with you Morgan Stanley. You know, I have a very good relationship with Chase Manhattan. Whether the Southern Alliance joins New York, or New York joins the Southern Alliance, no matter who is the main and who is the auxiliary, it is the general trend.
"I'm willing to give up my power and fully integrate with the US, so why is Mr. Henry so wary of me? It's the same if I merge with another bank. But Mr. Henry, if I really merge with another bank, would it really be a good thing for Morgan Stanley?"

Henry: “…………”

Being stubborn will only lead to being blocked in both ends.

Henry: "Will you really support me to continue to serve as chairman?"

Zheng Yi: "What else? Do I have the time? Or do I have the talent? For me, as long as I can represent the shareholders and express my opinions on major investment issues, that's all I need."

Henry: "In that case, then, welcome to join us, Mr. Zheng. The throne of New York's financial world has been vacant for far too long. To be honest, my brother and I are far from being as capable as our father. We know we can never take that position. After all, we are old friends. If you were to take that position in the future, I think I would be convinced."

(End of this chapter)