New York was perhaps the city with the highest concentration of Jews in the United States. The president of some banks, such as the president of the bank where the China special staff arrived, was a Jew.
There was no discussion of the war or victory. The Jewish president discussed the current flow of funds in the US stock market. "The French investors in Europe are still watching, the British are also hesitating, and the Germans and Austrians have begun to sell US stocks. The significance of your money now is very limited. "
"Is there no way to exchange this money for precious metals?" the special staff asked. "Even if you can't exchange it for gold, silver is fine. Or pounds, francs, or marks. Is there really no way to spend these US dollars? "
The purpose of traveling all the way to New York was to see if China could hit the Americans as hard as possible. At this stage, weakening the hard currency of the United States was a good way. The Jewish president shook his head like a rattle. "The federal government has ordered full control. Needless to say, there is no gold, and there is no silver. Investors who feel that the United States can't handle it have already run to Europe. "
The two sides communicated for a while. The special staff collected as much as possible recent developments before leaving the bank. The team was scattered when they worked. The group of people regrouped in a house in New York. As soon as the blackboard was hung, a lot of information began to be summarized on it.
"The British have begun to sell some stocks …"
"European countries have not continued to buy US stocks …"
"Many banks have encountered major problems with their money …"
"All stocks related to the West Coast have become scrap paper …"
"Railroad bonds have plummeted …"
"Arms company bonds have skyrocketed …"
At first, these pieces of information were messy, and there were even completely opposite contents at the same time. After summarizing and discussing, the contradictory information was eliminated, and the current situation of the United States was outlined by this intelligence. After the special operations team finished reading these iconic words, they didn't feel that there was anything puzzling. As one side of the war, the United States suffered a major defeat in the early battle, and there was no possibility of a comeback in the current process of the war. Of course, investors wouldn't have high hopes for the United States, and smart investors wouldn't inject funds into the US stock market.
Before the group of people came, they had already received instructions. When they personally saw that the development of the situation was similar to the information they received, these people began to discuss the next step in a low voice. After coming to a conclusion, the special operations team left the house.
Kevin? Ryan was the fifth to leave the house. After blending into the crowd on the streets of New York, even though he didn't see any danger, Ryan couldn't help but sigh in relief. These people in the Special Operations Team were once "not China people," but a considerable number of them had not obtained valid identification documents from other countries for more than a decade. Being Irish, Kevin? If Ryan was arrested, he probably wouldn't be able to get the British government to immediately provide his identity.
However, the special operations team was not ordered to complete too dangerous tasks. Compared to the operation orders given by the higher-ups, it was probably more dangerous for the Americans to randomly arrest people.
The streets of New York looked as lively as ever, perhaps even livelier than before the war broke out. Ever since the construction of the Erie Canal, New York had become a hub for goods. Ships loaded with industrial products and agricultural products passed by here in an endless stream. The former export cities for European goods were Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington. Now, when Europe mentioned the United States, the first thing that came to mind was New York.
Looking at the trucks coming and going, Ryan thought of something else. If it weren't for the fact that China wasn't fully prepared, the beating up of China's ambassador by the New York police a few years ago would probably have triggered a war. If the war broke out a few years ago, would it have entered the final stage by now? What would be the outcome of the war at that time?
His mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. Kevin? Ryan didn't stop walking. Finally, he stopped in front of a building that looked nice. The bronze sign at the door was engraved with a line of words, "Hendry and Sons Business Company." As he walked into the door of the company, the concierge immediately came over and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"My name is Kevin? Ryan, I have an appointment with the boss of the company, "Ryan replied calmly. The appearance of the people of China and the United States was so different, China didn't plan to start a spy war in the United States. Since there was such a choice, the United States, under the liberal capitalist system, gave China a lot of space to operate.
The concierge heard Kevin? The moment he heard Ryan's name, he immediately brought Ryan inside. They went up to the second floor and pushed open the manager's office. The wife of Hendry and Sons Business Company was waiting inside. After a round of introductions and verification, the two of them sat facing each other after an hour, eating snacks and sipping wine as they began to talk.
"Mr. Hendry, can I start my activities in New York as your company's representative?" Ryan was most concerned about this. In China, he had a household register and an ID card, but in the United States, he could only rely on his business or neighbors to prove his identity.
The boss, Hendry, was the second generation of Hendry and Sons. Because of poor management, he had to contact some forces. This kind of contact forced him to get involved in some areas that he didn't want to but couldn't refuse. Even so, Hendry still hoped that he could be an ordinary businessman. Facing the tall Irish man in front of him, Mr. Hendry asked, "Are you really just going to buy and sell real estate?"
"Yes. All my work in New York is acquiring real estate. I heard that your father is engaged in real estate transactions in New York. Is it very dangerous to do real estate here? "Ryan said with a smile. His words were naturally to appease Hendry. A businessman who operated real estate, even if he couldn't be called the upper class, was at least in the middle class. And this industry could indeed provide a good identity cover for Ryan, making it easy for him to move around. If you wanted to do real estate business in New York, you had to go back and forth many times.
Hendry didn't immediately answer Ryan's words. After a while, Hendry said, "This is New York!"
Ryan didn't know how to answer such meaningful words. This was indeed New York, a rapidly developing city, a city that created and accumulated huge wealth in a very short period of time. However, Ryan had heard a saying in politics class, "Behind great wealth must be hidden evil." Could it be that New York, which wasn't very safe, was so chaotic that it was almost impossible to maintain a minimum level of security?
Not only Ryan, but other members of the task force were also settled in New York. They each had their own backing. China had gradually established its own sphere of influence in the European financial industry over the years. With financial strength, a lot of things became very easy. Many companies might not really have any bad feelings towards the United States, but for their own interests, they could only choose to cooperate with the Chinese.
The New York stock exchange allowed short buying and selling. After Ryan became a special commissioner of Hendry and Sons, he went straight to the New York stock market. There were a few names that Ryan personally received, one of which was the stock of Smith Railroad Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. Like other railroad companies, Smith & Co. also listed its own shares. Ryan, of course, knew very well that St. Paul had been occupied by China, and there was no chance for this company to make a comeback in any case. He came to the stock market to see if he could sell short at the last moment.
In this era, there were no electronic screens in the New York stock market, nor would there be things like marquee lights. In this era, everything in the stock market depended on people, so buying and selling short was a very technical job. There were financial companies that specialized in this kind of business that provided such services.
With the help of Hendry, Ryan had opened an account in the New York stock market and had a bank account. This was the case in the United States. These business relationships could be very effective in helping Ryan establish the foundation of his existence in New York.
With these foundations in place, Ryan began to look for opportunities to empty the Smith Railroad Company. However, Ryan was disappointed. Before he made a move, someone had already dared to do so. The staff of the financial companies that specialized in this kind of business looked at Ryan as if he was an "old hat." However, based on basic business etiquette, these people's tone was considered polite. "Mr. Ryan, all the shares of the listed companies in St. Paul and Minneapolis have been sold. If you could have come a month earlier, you would probably still have a great chance to make money. "
Ryan didn't care about this. This was originally a matter of cutting grass and hunting rabbits. His goal was to make friends here rather than to make money here. At this moment, another person who looked like a clerk of a stock company rushed in. He chatted with the clerk of the stock company who was talking to Ryan, and heard the clerk say in surprise, "Someone is buying the shares of Smith Railroad Company?!"
This news was indeed shocking. The clerk of the stock company was surprised, and so was Ryan. No matter what other people thought about China's purpose in the war, at least from the information Ryan received, China was very ambitious towards the United States. Unless that sh * t Smith Company really had a powerful background, the fate of this company was already over.
"He's buying at a price of one cent per share?" The tone of the clerk's tone changed from shock to surprise. The difference between one cent per share and worthless was probably the difference between waste newspaper and toilet paper. In this case, the clerk was not so anxious. The person who bought the shares at this price naturally knew the fate of Smith Railroad Company. The stock market was treacherous and unpredictable, only God knew what the person who did this was thinking. Since this transaction was not profitable at all, what was wrong with watching the fun?
Ryan was also very surprised by this news. Who exactly was promoting such an action for what purpose? To make such an absolutely market-defying decision, it was definitely not a simple matter. Of course, Ryan didn't say anything immediately. He chatted with the clerk for a while about the stock market before leaving the stock company.
In the next few days, Ryan continued to complete his work. All kinds of news spread wildly in the stock market, and the news, without exception, was bad news for the United States. Ryan was very confused. Did the Americans have so much confidence in China and so little confidence in their country?
Time flew by quickly. On May 10th, the New York stock market continued to plummet. On May 12th, new news came. The Chinese Army annihilated 90,000 federal soldiers in the encirclement west of Duluth. Since then, there was not a single soldier of the federal army in the entire northern part of Minnesota. After the Chinese Army controlled the north shore of Lake Superior, they now controlled the south shore of Lake Superior and the channel of the Mississippi River. More importantly, not only could the United States not threaten China's troops in Lake Superior, but China could smoothly transport troops through Lake Superior, putting the United States in an even more disadvantageous situation.
The entire stock market centered on the Midwest suffered a new round of selling. The stock price plummeted, and the New York Stock Exchange almost ordered a halt to trading.
However, Ryan found that his own view was wrong. Under such a situation, not only did the real estate in the United States not plummet, but it even showed a slight upward trend.
"Mr. Ryan, what are you buying so many houses for?" These days, the trader from the securities company had become more and more familiar with Ryan. The two were chatting over dinner in a small restaurant in New York.
Ryan replied, "My boss thinks that we can buy a large number of real estate at a very low price now. When the war is over, these real estate prices will soar, and we can also make a lot of money."
The trader grinned after hearing this. "Mr. Ryan, I admit that this idea is very good and very reasonable. So I want to ask you, if your boss can think of this, can other people not think of this? Now many people are looking forward to buying real estate at a low price. When the bad news comes, it will give them a chance. "
"Oh? What kind of chance? "Ryan asked quickly. Real estate prices rose against the market. Although the price increase was not particularly large, the foundation of this rise was the sharp fall in the stock market. With this sharp fall as a contrast, the rise in real estate was particularly eye-catching.
"Mr. Ryan, when do you think these people will sell real estate at a price that they can sell at any price?" The trader kept Ryan in suspense.
Ryan did not answer immediately. He asked the waiter to bring another bottle of wine, and then said, "They should be forced to the point where they have nowhere to go, right?"
The wine was good. The trader was satisfied and poured himself a glass. Then he said, "It's not right to say that they have nowhere to go. Those who have nowhere to go, on the contrary, are not willing to sell anything. They would rather hold on to their last bit of money than to seize the last opportunity. So the people who sell real estate are people who have no interest in staying here. Only these people will choose to sell real estate at any price. Those who still have some nostalgia for the SLR won't sell casually. "
"Yes, yes!" Ryan immediately nodded vigorously. Just now, he felt that this bottle of wine might be a bit of a loss, but now he felt that this bottle of wine was really worth it.
"So this is not a good time to buy sporadic real estate." The trader sipped the wine and said in a very bewitching voice.
"Then when is a good time to buy real estate?" Ryan asked quickly.
"I mean, this is not a good time to buy sporadic real estate!" The trader repeated what he said just now.
"Oh … Are you saying that I should acquire large real estate?" Ryan finally understood.
"That's right! It's not easy to buy a house in New York, so those sporadic real estate will be bought as long as someone is willing to sell it. But it's not easy to sell large amounts of real estate. Those who want to sell don't want to sell these real estate parts, and buying these real estate all at once requires a lot of money. Now that the situation is so bad, who would really be willing to buy a large amount of real estate? "The trader used a considerate tone to express his opinion.
"Anyway, my boss is paying. I just need to contact them." Ryan's tone was very forthright. This was also the truth. Ryan was supported by the China government. Real estate transactions that were huge to ordinary people were nothing in the eyes of the China government. "If I can't even contact them, then my boss will think that I'm not capable!"
Hearing Ryan say this, the trader had a basic idea in his heart. He asked, "What kind of real estate do you want to buy?"
"Land, farmland, manors. Anyway, if I can buy as much land as possible with the least amount of money, that means I'm very capable. As for what my wife will do with the real estate, that's not my problem, "Ryan answered seriously.
"Where does your boss get so much money?" The trader was puzzled.
"My boss has European funds behind him. You know that the situation is not stable now, and it's too risky to hold on to cash. No amount of cash can compare to land and real estate. "Ryan continued to express his opinion.
The trader thought for a while and finally said, "I want five percent."
"Once it's done, two percent." Ryan didn't hesitate.
"Four percent!"
"Three percent!"
"Three-point-five percent!"
"Deal!"
After the two sides negotiated, the trader invited Ryan to have lunch with someone the next day.
The seller was a middle-aged man. He had a large farm in New York State, and he sold the farm at a very low price. Seeing the middle-aged man frowning and depressed, Ryan asked, "Why do you want to sell this?"
"I owe a lot of money. If I don't sell it, and the tax police come to confiscate it, I'll get even less." The middle-aged man frowned.
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