What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 490 The Great White Fleet
After successfully imparting some classical financial knowledge to Zhao Hande and getting him on the plane, Tang Wen began planning his second trip to the United States.

The reason, of course, wasn't some far-fetched excuse about pursuing a doctorate. His nominal supervisor was apparently a well-known economist and a think tank scholar. When the semester started, Tang Wen directly presented him with a certificate of shareholding in the First Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

The real reason is still to spend money:
He had previously made a fortune from the financial crisis through Hughes, but the IRS and the Imperial Financial Regulatory Agency, who were envious, took 60% of it, leaving him with a billion dollars.

This money sitting in the account is a ticking time bomb; if we don't spend it soon, it'll be confiscated.

Besides that, there was the IAA's request for a meeting, the purpose of which is unknown, but it seems to be somewhat motivated by a desire to exploit Geigin.

After Tang Wen expressed his desire to go abroad, Robert immediately contacted him:
"Tang, I've prepared an MD.11 for you. It will serve as your private jet during your trips abroad, which will also help strengthen our friendship."

"..."

Tang Wen opened his mouth, but for a moment he was at a loss for words.

It doesn't seem right not to take the ride, but if we really do take it... what if the plane crashes and everyone on board is wiped out except for him and the ship girl?

Although he also believed that the MD.11 was much better than the Tu-154, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.

In a flash, Tang Wen had a sudden inspiration:

"Actually, I'm planning to take a boat to the US this time to promote my tourist attraction. Have you heard of recreating Pearl Harbor?"

Robert, on the other end, was taken aback, but it seemed that he had indeed heard Levi mention that Tang Wen was a passionate naval enthusiast who had run many warship museums.

Robert's first reaction upon learning about the plan to rebuild Pearl Harbor was that it was a great gimmick.

What kind of era was the 90s? It was an era of economic overheating, where the mainstream social thought was very willing to spend money on culture; simply put, it was an era of "spending money recklessly."

If the replica Pearl Harbor actually had a bunch of battleships, there would probably be a lot of American tourists traveling from afar just to experience the atmosphere of their grandfathers' generation.

Whether Tang Wenban's replica of Pearl Harbor can make money is unknown, but the concept itself is certainly worth hyping up.

He immediately forgot about promoting the MD.11 passenger plane and began earnestly trying to seduce Tang Wen:
"Tang, have you ever considered taking your travel company public? Perhaps your idea could achieve unexpected success in the United States!"

"Don't you have a lot of 'warships'? Why not form a fleet and come to the United States? Before departure, sell tickets in advance, and when we dock, cooperate with the local authorities to let them bid for the best deal. Whoever bids the highest can dock there. Then, we can hold some events in conjunction with veterans' associations... I will promote the concept of experiencing real World War II and operate the shipping route, and then promote the idea that the Asian economy is sluggish and consumption is low to entice tourists."

"As long as we can attract a large initial customer base, we can go public this year. Trust me, we'll make a fortune!"

Robert was very businesslike when it came to technical issues, but he immediately got excited when talking about stocks. Tang Wen could imagine Robert's animated expression even over the phone.

In just a few words, he devised a complete plan for packaging, marketing, and raising funds through an IPO, which made Tang Wen... somewhat tempted.

……

Upon returning to Da Wan, Tang Wen immediately began to take stock of the warships that could be openly displayed immediately:

First, there were the two low-grade ironclad battleships, the USS New York and USS New Moscow, built by the Grand Bay Shipyard, and their origins were exceptionally clean:

After launching the Amazon air defense tower project, Tang Wen prioritized using the steel from the sunken ship to supply the air defense towers. Mainland shipyards began to use the steel to offset the debts owed for warships, which was then used to build ships.

Domestically, there's no objection to Tang Wen using these steel-built battleships like the Kongo and New York; the only concern is that some feel sorry for him for wasting money. Besides, the Civilization-class destroyers, derived from the Empire's Benson-class destroyers, have already become incredibly popular and could be brought back and remodeled into warships to add more atmosphere.

Furthermore, some Japanese warships were stockpiled in preparation for a Pearl Harbor replica. The Minekaze-class can completely replace the Benson-class and continue patrolling in the Spratly Islands without affecting oil production.

Therefore, the force deployed consisted of two battleships and four destroyers...

The new Moscow, as the successor to the Pennsylvania-class battleships, still carried four triple 356mm guns. From a distance, one could cosplay the unfortunate USS Arizona.

Although the six warships in total were not a deterrent force and could not compare with the Pepsi Fleet of yesteryear, they certainly outclassed the opponent in terms of tonnage and controversy, with just the two battleships having a displacement of 5 tons.

Furthermore, Tang Wen is also preparing to cosplay the Great White Fleet from back then:
An empire that once possessed nascent industrial capabilities wanted to flex its muscles, so it built a large but outdated fleet, painting the superstructures gold and the lower hulls white, and set it on a world voyage in hopes of boosting its national prestige.

Although the paint scheme was incredibly tacky and the style of operation was immature, it marked the beginning of the Imperial Navy's path to invincibility, and it was sure to win over the patriotic hearts of the Americans.

(The Great White Fleet:)

Making money and raising funds through the replica of the "Great White Fleet" is only one aspect; more importantly, it is to continue to cultivate Tang Wen's image as "a good friend of the Empire" and use the depreciating currency to take over the Empire's technology transfer.

However, a little publicity is needed before that.

……

When Tang Wen found Han Meiling, the latter was still aware of the original artwork design for "Full-band Jamming".

Because computer-aided design was used, after overcoming the initial difficulties, the progress was no slower than with traditional design, and even exceeded expectations by many more versions.

"Filming a promotional video for a military scenic area?"

Han Meiling had just finished revising an original painting depicting the Allied forces landing on the northern coast when she heard Tang Wen's request and asked a question.

"Yes, I'd like you to be the art director."

"Oh, this is the same style as full-band jamming, perfect for practice, I'll take it."

"No, no, no, the promotional video is not animation, it's a realistic documentary."

Tang Wen corrected, "I have prepared 14 ships, 1000 actors, 32 pilots, and 80 propeller planes. I also plan to use real objects to film the explosion effects, and the General Staff of the Navy will be involved to assist and guide the explosion site."

Because the ships are quite diverse, the plot can't be a direct historical record. Instead, a fictional historical storyline will be created, with a runtime of 40 minutes.

Han Meiling was stunned for a while before she came to her senses. Such a strong lineup would be enough for a real fight, right?
However, he immediately became somewhat alarmed:
"This promotional video is way too expensive. Who's going to direct it? Maybe I should try finding someone from the August First Film Studio?"

"Hmm... I'd rather have Goose City TV station film it."

It's not that Tang Wen thinks Goose City TV Station is particularly high-level, but its biggest advantage is that it listens to instructions and doesn't make arbitrary changes. If it were a well-known director, they would definitely have their own little ideas, and might end up causing a lot of trouble.

He only planned to finish filming the short film within 20 days, then quickly release it overseas for screening and set sail with the "Great White Fleet".

(End of this chapter)