North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 290 Financial Nuclear Bomb
Edgar Allan Poe pondered for a moment before finally realizing: "Boss, I understand! You're using this agreement to sow the seeds of war for the future conquest of the Russian Far East and Lake Baikal!"

Azu smiled noncommittally: "The seed has been planted. Whether it will sprout in the future depends on the timing."

……

After seeing off the Russian envoy, it was immediately time for the Spring Festival of 1855.

But just before the Spring Festival, Carnegie came to the office excitedly again.

"Boss, the task you asked me to do last time is basically complete!"

As he spoke, Carnegie, who was already twenty years old, took out a thin stack of papers from his briefcase.

Ah Zu took the stack of papers, examined them closely for a moment in the sunlight streaming in from the window, and then crumpled and tugged at them a few times.

"Well done! You used special paper, color-changing ink, and added the watermark I requested...!"

Azu put down the papers in his hand and laughed, "Little Carnegie, well done! The banknotes printed by East West Bank are already quite qualified!"

“But…!” Azu pointed to the portrait on the paper: “Little Carnegie, can you tell me why my portrait is printed on this?”

When I last summoned Wu Qingfeng and Carnegie, besides explaining the war investigation team, I also assigned Carnegie the task of printing "gold dollars".

A month or two later, as requested by Azu, the brand-new gold coins, still smelling of ink, were placed in front of him.

This stack of gold dollar banknotes ranges from one cent, two cents, five cents, up to ten dollars.

The text is mainly in Chinese and English, but also includes major world languages ​​such as French, Spanish, and Arabic.

This was Azu's special request; from the very beginning, he had planned to make the gold coins he issued a world currency.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the largest denomination is only ten yuan; because one yuan can be exchanged for one gram of gold, its purchasing power is quite strong.

In this era, the gold coins used special cotton paper, color-changing ink and watermarks, and added anti-counterfeiting marks in many places, indicating that the printing technology was far ahead of the times.

Both in terms of texture and printing technology, these newly printed gold coins are already quite excellent banknotes.

This special paper is not only wear-resistant and durable, but also minimizes the possibility of counterfeit banknotes.

Azu was very satisfied with the quality of the gold coins, but his only complaint was that his large portrait on the coins was too conspicuous.

Carnegie scratched his head: "Boss, no matter what kind of banknote it is, it will always have the ruler's portrait printed on it. The pound sterling has the Queen on it, the dollar has Washington and Franklin on it...!"

"I believe that only by printing your portrait on gold coins can we truly reflect the unique characteristics of our future nation and demonstrate your supreme status!"

"Hehe!" Azu laughed, "I never expected that our little Carnegie would learn to flatter so much!"

Carnegie looked embarrassed: "Boss, I'm already twenty years old, could you... please not add 'little' before my name...?"

"Hahaha!" Azu laughed heartily: "Yes, yes, our little Carnegie has grown up and reached the age of settling down and starting a family. He's not young anymore!"

"Have you taken a fancy to any girls? Would you like me to act as your matchmaker?"

"Boss, please don't joke with me. I... I have no plans to get married yet."

"Okay! If you ever take a fancy to any girl in the future, just tell me, and I'll definitely help you marry her."

……

After a few jokes, Ah Zu continued, "I'm quite satisfied with the gold dollars printed by East West Bank. Aside from some minor tweaks to make them as perfect as possible."

"As for my profile picture... well, since it's already printed, let's leave it at that!"

Azu continued, "In the first half of the year, East West Bank needs to print enough banknotes first, and then gradually replace the US dollar, British pound, Mexican peso, Qing Dynasty copper coins and other miscellaneous currencies."

"Our gold dollars will also be gradually introduced into Guangdong, and we will strive to make them the only circulating currency in the market within one or two years."

"Once our gold dollar becomes the primary currency, whether in California, Guangdong, Alaska, or Panama, legislation must be passed to establish the gold dollar as the sole circulating currency."

East West Bank has, to some extent, acquired the status of central banks in various countries. Therefore, Azu must explain these basic financial requirements to Carnegie in detail.

Through five or six years of study and experience, Carnegie had acquired all the qualities of an excellent banker and financier.

Both in terms of his knowledge base and personal character, Carnegie was fully qualified to be a central bank governor.

Azu continued, "We also need to establish a special printing plant to print currency, stamps, and other national credit instruments."

"This printing plant must be kept highly secret and under strict security. We can choose an island in the bay area and build the national printing plant there on its own."

Carnegie was afraid of forgetting even a single word his boss had told him, so he dutifully took out a pen and paper and wrote it all down.

Azu added, “In addition to the national printing plant, we should also establish our own stock exchange, futures exchange, and other modern financial systems.”

"I have been planning this for several years. The talent that needs to be trained and the knowledge that needs to be learned should all be in place."

"Carnegie, I want to see the financial system, including stock exchanges and futures exchanges, established and perfected within this year."

Carnegie nodded solemnly: "Boss, actually, we've already prepared the stock exchange and futures exchange. We're just waiting for your order, and they'll be officially open soon."

"That's good!" Azu said seriously, "It's already 1855, and the investment in various engineering projects in California, Guangdong and other places, including the Panama Canal, is becoming increasingly large."

"The model of relying solely on Huamei Company for investment will become increasingly unsustainable in the future. Therefore, we must make good use of the stock exchange to attract investment from all parties for projects with huge capital needs."

"For example, the Panama Canal could be developed by establishing a Panama Canal Development Company, which would attract external investment by selling shares."

“There are also the California-Wyoming Railway, the California North-South Railway, and the planned railways in Guangdong, all of which can be developed by separate companies.”

"There are also developments in Alaska, Guangdong, and Brazil's iron ore mines, which can all be packaged into a development company."

"For these development companies, Huamei Company only needs to hold a controlling stake; the remaining nearly half of the shares can be traded through the stock exchange."

"In this way, the amount of money that Huamei Company itself needs to invest will be greatly reduced."

Carnegie said with genuine admiration, "Boss, you are truly visionary! This method of financing is brilliant!"

Azu just smiled dismissively.

In later generations, this method of financing was considered basic common sense, nothing more than child's play.

It's just that in this era, this method of financing engineering projects is slightly ahead of its time.

……

After explaining these financial arrangements to Carnegie, Azu paused for a moment before continuing, "Carnegie, I have another top-secret mission for you."

Upon hearing this, Carnegie immediately stopped smiling: "Boss, what top-secret mission?"

Azu stared at him and said in a deep voice, "The fewer people who know about this mission, the better, and the people who participate must be absolutely reliable members of our own team."

Upon hearing this, Carnegie felt a chill run down his spine.

Before this, no matter how important the matter was, my boss had never used this tone or this expression.

No matter how big the problem was, Carnegie felt that in front of his boss, everything was a piece of cake, something he could handle with ease and solve without a care in the world.

Carnegie was surprised to see his boss being so serious upon first meeting him, so he quickly became more attentive and listened intently.

Ah Zu continued, "I will arrange for people from the 18th Division to monitor everyone involved, including you, to eliminate any possibility of leaks!"

As he spoke, Azu stared at Carnegie and said, "Are you sure you want to get involved? It's not too late to back out now!"

Carnegie nodded emphatically without hesitation: "Boss, in my eyes, you are both my brother and my...father!"

"Without your full support and trust, I would not be where I am today."

"So, Boss, just tell me what to do. No matter how difficult it is, I will do my best and I will absolutely keep it a secret!"

After a moment's thought, Azu said, "Alright then...!"

"This is what I need to tell you to do...!"

As he spoke, Azu took out a few banknotes from the drawer of his desk.

Carnegie looked closely and saw that among the banknotes were pounds, francs, and dollars.

Upon seeing these colorful banknotes, Carnegie's eyes narrowed, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

"Boss, you...you mean...?"

Azu nodded calmly: "You guessed right! The task I assigned you was to counterfeit the paper money of these foreign powers...!"

Carnegie's young face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Boss, this...this is something you can actually do?"

Azu said, "Carnegie, select a few absolutely trustworthy and capable people to be in charge of counterfeiting the banknotes of these great powers."

"With our current printing technology, we are actually ahead of countries like Britain, France, and the United States."

"Therefore, it is not difficult to counterfeit these banknotes. But to counterfeit them to be exactly the same, even more realistic than the real ones, is not so simple."

"My requirements, besides absolute secrecy, are that the banknotes of these foreign powers be completely replicated to be exactly the same, even more real than the real ones."

"How about it?" A smile appeared on Azu's lips. "Carnegie, are you confident you can do it?" Carnegie's forehead was slightly sweaty, and he nodded. "Technically speaking, replicating it to be exactly the same, even more realistic than the real thing, shouldn't be too difficult."

"But... Boss, do we really have to do this?"

Carnegie asked curiously, "After all, both California and Huamei Corporation are incredibly wealthy and don't lack money... so why would they do something like this?"

Counterfeiting other countries' banknotes is far beyond Carnegie's moral bottom line.

If it were him, he would never do such a despicable thing, even if you beat him to death.

However, given his boss's arrangements, Carnegie had no choice but to see it through, even if it meant gritting his teeth.

But he still needed to get to the bottom of it; otherwise, it would be an insurmountable obstacle in his mind.

Ah Zu calmly laughed and said, "I counterfeit these foreign powers' banknotes not for money, but for the future, just in case...!"

"What if?"

"In the event that we become enemies with great powers such as Britain, the United States, and France, or even that war breaks out... these counterfeit banknotes will be one of our important financial tools for striking the enemy outside the battlefield!"

Azu continued to explain: "For example, if we were to engage in a direct war with England, given our current strength, we would probably find it difficult to win in a direct confrontation."

"Even if we win, it will come at the cost of extremely heavy casualties and huge losses in all aspects."

"Therefore, outside of the battlefield, we also need to master some special financial weapons...!"

As he spoke, Azu lightly tapped the pounds, francs, and dollars on the table and said in a deep voice, "And the counterfeit money we produce is this very practical financial weapon that can cause enormous damage!"

"Imagine what would happen if war broke out, and we suddenly released hundreds of millions of counterfeit banknotes, more realistic than real ones, into the English market through various channels. How much turmoil and panic would that cause? How much damage would it inflict on England?"

"It could even lead to the direct collapse of the British Empire's financial system!"

At this point, Azu smiled and said, "Carnegie, after studying finance for so many years, you should be very clear about how much damage a financial collapse would cause to the entire country, right?!"

"Gulp...!" Carnegie swallowed hard.

He was well aware of the immense damage that a massive influx of counterfeit currency, indistinguishable from genuine currency, would cause to the financial market and even the entire country!
That's why Carnegie felt so apprehensive.

“BOSS… BOSS! This… isn’t this too ruthless?” Carnegie said with difficulty.

Azu smiled and shook his head: "Carnegie, remember this: mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself!"

"If financial means can be used to defeat the enemy and help win the war, why should I sacrifice thousands of precious lives?"

"Besides, this is just a last resort, a precautionary measure prepared in case of emergency!"

"I will not use such a powerful weapon unless absolutely necessary!"

"But it's always better to be prepared for anything than to have these financial weapons ready as early as possible, right?"

After hearing his boss's explanation, Carnegie couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hoo...!" Carnegie's pale face gradually regained color. He finally understood his boss's intention and the importance of this task.

“Boss… I understand!” Carnegie nodded emphatically. “Don’t worry, I will handle this well. I will personally select the personnel, personally supervise the progress, and prevent any accidents…!”

Azu nodded: "Very good!"

"The personnel you personally select need to be properly arranged and closely monitored, both during and after the mission."

“Those involved in this matter must not be allowed to get out of control, and even less must they fall into the hands of potential enemies, otherwise... the same methods may be used against us.”

"Carnegie, you must remember that financial weapons are a double-edged sword. They should not be used lightly, otherwise, they are very likely to hurt others and yourself!"

Carnegie felt his knowledge of cunning had grown again, so he nodded once more: "Don't worry, BOSS, leave this task to me, there will absolutely be no mistakes!"

"Hehe!" Azu smiled and patted Carnegie on the shoulder: "Of course I trust you completely, which is why I entrusted you with such a top secret and important task."

Azu entrusted this task to Carnegie not only because of his absolute trust in the boy who had grown up beside him.

Moreover, this incident should be used to completely bind Carnegie to the company, both now and in the future, eliminating any thought he might have of leaving the Huamei Group and starting his own business.

It's important to understand that the idea of ​​starting one's own business was ingrained in the genes of future business giants like Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Edison.

Once they've grown strong enough, they might fly away at any time.

But once Carnegie personally engaged in the deadly business of counterfeiting the paper money of the great powers, there would be nowhere for him to hide except in the China-America Group.

This method completely bound the future giants together; although it was unethical, it was extremely effective.

Ah Zu does this kind of thing, killing two birds with one stone, without any psychological pressure!
Moreover, Azu did not believe that once he had pounds, francs, and dollars that were more real than real banknotes, they could only be used as financial weapons in war.

……

After Carnegie, who was burdened with a series of heavy responsibilities, left, Victoria slowly pushed open the hidden door on the bookshelf and emerged.

At this time, Victoria was four months pregnant, and her belly was already starting to show.

"You...!" Victoria pointed a finger at Ah Zu's forehead, "You've been doing nothing but wicked things lately. Don't you know you should be doing something good for our unborn child!"

Azu grinned and pulled her into his arms: "Aren't all the things I've done accumulating capital for our children?"

"Our generation does a lot of unethical things. In the future, when they grow up, maybe the things they need to do will be much cleaner, right?"

Victoria tilted her head and thought about it, and surprisingly found it to make a lot of sense.

“Alright, you have a point!” Victoria said. “Then should my eighteenth bureau strictly control those involved in this matter?”

“Yes!” Azu nodded. “Including Carnegie Jr., although I absolutely trust him, people can change. We can’t let personal feelings influence our judgment.”

"Alright, I'll arrange it right away!"

Azu continued, "Once those pounds, francs, and dollars that are even more realistic than real banknotes are printed, we will arrange for secret agents from the 18th Bureau to use various covert channels to gradually and secretly convert these banknotes into our funds..."

Victoria scolded, "You...you're so full of mischief! All you ever do is think about how to trick those powerful nations...!"

"Sigh!" Azu sighed softly, "There's nothing we can do! Although our development has been rapid, we started too late, our starting point was too low, our time was too short, and our foundation is insufficient!"

"We must use any means necessary to seize as much funding as possible...!"

"You have no idea how big China really is, how many people it has...!"

"If we want to traverse the path that the great powers have taken over hundreds of years in the shortest possible time, and make our country strong and rich as soon as possible, then no amount of money is too much."

Azu's gaze was profound: "Especially the British Empire, which has made countless amounts of real money from us through opium. I'm using this method to make England bleed a little and pay a price."

"Compared to the British's 'crowning,' my methods are quite civilized and polite, aren't they?"

“Yes, yes, yes!” Victoria poked Ah Zu’s forehead hard again: “You’re right about everything, and everything you did was justified…!”

Ah Zu said, "In order for more of my countrymen to be able to bask in the light, I am willing to face the deepest darkness...!"

The Buddha said: "If I don't go to hell, who will?"

"This moment perfectly describes me...!"

Victoria unconsciously fiddled with the short hair at Ah Zu's sideburns, staring blankly at the man so close to her, and suddenly felt that he was so attractive, so charming...!
"My man, if you go to hell, I will definitely be with you... forever and ever...!"

Victoria, her heart fluttering, didn't hesitate and slowly kissed him...!
A few days later, the Spring Festival of 1855 arrived.

Not only is California immersed in the festive joy, but also Guangdong, far across the ocean, is celebrating its first Spring Festival since the new government took office.

Guangzhou, Foshan, Chaozhou, Shantou, Huizhou, Dongguan... almost every prefecture and county in Guangdong is filled with the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival.

In Guangzhou, along the Huangpu River, the new government even held a public fireworks display.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!"

Fireworks filled the night sky, illuminating the joyful faces of countless people.

In the short six months since the new government came to power, the lives of the people of Guangdong have visibly improved day by day.

The new government not only exempted all taxes for a year, but also launched a major infrastructure project, ensuring that everyone had work and extra income.

Most of the children in the city went to free modern schools to learn all sorts of new and unheard-of knowledge.

Many children in rural areas have also entered modern schools... and even more primary and secondary schools are being built every day!

In addition, new-style hospitals combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine were gradually built up in major towns.

The government regularly provides money and food to the lowest strata of society, those who have lost their ability to work and have no one to support them. Although the amount is not much, it is enough to prevent them from going hungry and cold.

Tens of thousands of Guangdong youths who joined the Restoration Army received a fairly good military salary, which, in addition to their own expenses, could also greatly support their families.

There are also various factories under construction, which, although not yet fully completed, have already begun publicly recruiting and training workers.

Shortly after the New Year, once these factories are initially completed, tens of thousands of trained workers will be able to enter the factories and earn a salary sufficient to support their families.

Not to mention the government-issued trial fertilizers that can at least double crop yields;
The roads are getting wider and cleaner every day;
Those rare newspapers report all sorts of interesting things from around the world every day.

The tap water in my house flows out with a "whoosh" as soon as I turn on the faucet;
A new type of toilet that can be cleaned up with a simple flush of water in every household...!
(End of this chapter)