When Wang Mingshan woke up from his sleep, he did not immediately realize where he was. It was not until he saw the long dark blonde hair of the beauty next to him that he remembered that he had stayed at Marchioness Madame G's house for one night.
Sometimes, human feelings were very subtle. Four years ago, the two met at a meeting to divide up Africa. At that time, the newly widowed Madame G was just a woman who was very confident in her financial knowledge. In other words, she was a woman who took the money from her husband's will and cut off all ties with her husband's family.
Wang Mingshan did not hate such an ambitious woman. Later, the two got to know each other for a long time. When both men and women realized that they had their own thoughts, Wang Mingshan gave up. However, when they parted ways, Madame G told Wang Mingshan frankly, "I like what Dumas said in 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. Even if a woman of the Italian upper class is not loyal to her husband, she will at least be loyal to her own infidelity. It's not only about feelings, but also about benefits. No matter how you look at it, I will never forget you, and I will wait for you here. "
The European woman's frankness moved Wang Mingshan like an Italian work of art. When Vézé ordered someone to take charge of Europe and Africa, Wang Mingshan volunteered to come here. There was a political reason for this choice. If he could not get involved in the war between China and the United States, Wang Mingshan would be leaving the future. And from another perspective, staying in Nanjing at this time would mean that he was too far away from some variables. Gently stroking the girl's shoulder, Wang Mingshan felt relaxed and a little uneasy at the same time.
Marchioness Madame G woke up under Wang Mingshan's touch. With a sleepy look, she gave Wang Mingshan a sweet smile. "Do you want to meet the shareholders in the morning?"
Wang Mingshan smiled back at the Marchioness. "I'd like to know how strong Florence's banking industry is in the Balkans and Eastern Europe."
There were a total of eleven representatives at the meeting, led by Wang Mingshan, the representative of the China investor who owned 17% of the shares. Marchioness G owned 9% of the shares, ranking fourth among the representatives. However, everyone knew Mrs. G's actual ability, so they were very respectful to her. When they saw Mrs. G leading the China official, Wang Mingshan, into the venue with elegant and calm steps, everyone stood up to pay their respects to Wang Mingshan.
Wang Mingshan sat down calmly and looked at everyone's choice. "Our bank has developed very quickly in the past few years through wireless telegraphy and cable telegraphy. Also, I think you all know that we have accumulated considerable profits through the trade of alfalfa and meat. Now, these profits have been converted into gold. In addition to the 50 tons of gold that China took from the UK bank as collateral, there are more than 200 tons of gold here. And the bank that you have invested your efforts in will be authorized to undertake banking projects guaranteed by paper gold. "
"200 tons?" Mr. Alberti, the second-ranking banker among the shareholders, did not seem too excited. After several years of hard work, their bank, which was established with the help of China, already had 20 tons of gold in its vault from various Italian banks and families. The 200 tons of gold that Wang Mingshan mentioned belonged to the Min dynasty, but the 20 tons of gold did not belong to the bank. They were just the "deposits" of the depositors in the bank.
More than half of the ten people were bankers like Mr. Alberti. Only two of them showed a certain degree of surprise. The other eight people, including Marchioness G, did not lose their composure at all. Wang Mingshan was satisfied with this. The banking industry in Florence had a deep foundation, so it was not surprising that these people had such qualities.
Just as Wang Mingshan was making judgments about the possible partners, Mr. Alberti asked, "What will the British think of such an operation?"
Wang Mingshan smiled slightly. If these shareholders did not ask this question at all, he would probably feel very disappointed. As the political commissar of the North American Theater of Operations, Shen Xin was Wang Mingshan's old brother and also an important minister of the country. Wang Mingshan, who was assigned to Europe, was not some grass on the side of the road that could be trampled by others. Before this trip, Vézé and Wang Mingshan talked about one thing. Europe was not a monolithic piece of iron, so the only country that could really jump out to deal with China was probably the United Kingdom. Therefore, one of Wang Mingshan's jobs was to reduce the dependence of the European countries on the United Kingdom.
"The United Kingdom has been riding on the heads of the European countries for a hundred years. After the Kingdom of Italy was unified, the United Kingdom regarded the Kingdom of Italy as its biggest opponent in the Mediterranean. Let's not talk about the patriotic spirit of sacrificing your lives. I just want to talk to you about how many projects the British do not want to do themselves, and they do not want other banking groups to do. " Wang Mingshan spoke calmly. This was also the current situation of the British in Europe. Wang Mingshan did not need to use intimidation or rumors at all.
"China is going to war with the United Kingdom?" Mr. Alberti asked.
Wang Mingshan was not satisfied with the question. He leaned back in his chair and asked, "According to what you just said, shouldn't the United Kingdom be going to war with China?"
Hearing this, the male shareholders either sighed or inhaled. It was not that they wanted to do this on purpose, but the result of hundreds of years of British shit-stirring power in Europe.
The British regarded Italy as their vacation place and the Mediterranean as Britain's back garden. The Italians had to gradually adapt and accept this fact for hundreds of years. However, for Wang Mingshan, this was never a fixed circuit in his brain. Seeing these guys, who were usually quite shrewd, lose their basic calmness, he was disappointed and had to encourage them. "Everyone, for decades, the British have never been able to win any victory against the Min dynasty. The British have lost every war. So the British will still lose the next war against China. But we do not underestimate the British. The British will still choose to challenge China for their own interests. And all of you are smart people. I really want to know if you are willing to stand on the side of the victors or the losers in the upcoming war. Or you know that the British will lose, but you are afraid of temporary losses, so you are not willing to choose a side immediately. Please believe me, I have the ability to distinguish these actions, and I will make a judgment based on these actions after the victory. "
Faced with Wang Mingshan's blatant threat, the faces of the male investors did not look good. Only Marchioness G looked at Wang Mingshan with trust and expectation, as if she was looking at her lover. Obviously, this tough speech made Marchioness G's evaluation of Wang Mingshan rise sharply.
"Sir, do you want us to participate in the war between China and the United Kingdom?" Mr. Alberti asked tentatively.
"No!" Wang Mingshan shook his head. He could not help but show a regretful expression at the failing answer. "The change now is that the United Kingdom will soon be unable to maintain their dominant position in the financial industry in the Mediterranean region. China and China's partners will have a greater say in the financial industry in the Mediterranean region. For people like you, are you really willing to participate in such a change? Are you really willing to establish your interests for the next hundred years in this general trend? We Chinese have a saying, 'a melon that is forcibly picked is not sweet'. If you are willing, we will naturally welcome you. If you are not willing, I will not force you. "
Wang Mingshan made it so clear that the meeting ended quickly. Mr. Fisher, who had the lowest shares, went back to his office and thought for a while. Finally, he gritted his teeth and picked up the phone. Thirty minutes later, there were several stock sales in the London market. Fisher's bank began to sell his shares in British banks and other industries.
Over the next three days, some Italian banks sold their shares in the United Kingdom and exchanged their pounds for gold. The gold was then handed over to China banks in the United Kingdom and entrusted to them to transport the gold to Florence, Italy.
The United Kingdom was rich. If these orders were distributed within a month, the British banks and the Treasury would not feel anything at all. However, these exchanges were concentrated, and they were all entrusted to China to transport. In particular, China once placed 50 tons of gold in the British banks as a deposit for China to borrow pounds. The Italian banks publicly entrusted China to transport their gold, and the meaning behind it could not be more obvious.
"Should we detain these people's gold?" At the emergency meeting of the British cabinet, the Minister of Finance made such a suggestion. He was asking the Minister of the Navy, not the Prime Minister.
The Minister of the Navy frowned. He thought about it and turned to look at the Minister of Colonial Affairs. "Your Excellency, what do you think?"
The Minister of Colonial Affairs cursed in his heart. What the f * ck does this have to do with me? However, although he cursed in his heart, he could not say it directly. The Chinese were very, very vicious. They had never made a move on India. For the United Kingdom, India, a large market of hundreds of millions of people, was so important that it could not be interrupted for even a day.
The United Kingdom could not use naval guns to forcibly break into the markets of France, Germany, Italy, and other countries. However, the United Kingdom could dump as much as it wanted in the Indian market and obtain cheap raw materials and primary industrial products. However, the sea passage between the United Kingdom and India was not in the hands of the British. After the Chinese blocked the Red Sea estuary and Madagascar, any British ships that wanted to reach India depended on whether the Chinese agreed or not.
The Minister of Colonial Affairs sorted out his thoughts and asked the Prime Minister, "Your Excellency, do you think that China is deliberately drawing our attention to the Mediterranean?"
At this time, the war between China and the United States was in full swing. Of course, the United Kingdom would put all its attention in that direction. All European countries were expecting the Chinese to suffer a big setback in the United States, especially the British. However, at this time, China made such a move in the Mediterranean, no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like they were trying to drag the United Kingdom's attention away from the United States.
The British Prime Minister was a smart man. He had already considered this possibility. Hearing the Minister of Colonial Affairs say this, he looked at the Minister of the Navy and said, "Your Excellency, if we go to war with China, what are the chances of us winning?"
The Minister of the Navy did not want to talk about this decisive battle. He looked at the Minister of Colonial Affairs and said, "The Navy can definitely cover our military operations in Southern Africa."
In recent years, China had been digging gold in the Transvaal Republic of Southern Africa, which had greatly threatened the United Kingdom's position in the international gold market. The West Coast of the United States had always been a famous gold producer, and there had been a huge gold rush. A China that dominated the world's gold mines was a huge threat. The British cabinet members had discussed this in depth.
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