On the first day of arriving in Florence, Wei Kun visited museums and galleries. On the second day of arriving in Florence, Wei Kun visited the art market, including handicrafts. On the third day of arriving in Florence, Wei Kun had a cordial meeting with the government representatives and business groups of the Kingdom of Italy, fully exchanging views on the Italian citizens working in the East African administrative region. They also reached some agreements of intent.
On the fourth day of arriving in Florence, Wei Kun visited the headquarters of the Florence International Bank, which was actually controlled by China. There, he met the bank's important shareholder, Marquess Grace, for the first time. Unlike the women who wore skirts, Marquess Grace wore a women's suit, showing off her slim figure. Her beautiful dark blonde hair was coiled up in an elegant hairstyle, looking very dignified and elegant. Her attire was elegant and generous, and Marquess Grace's appearance was radiant and full of vitality. Although this beauty was not Wei Kun's type, Wei Kun's first impression of this Mediterranean beauty was very good.
The content of the discussion was the problem of Cyprus. The Min dynasty was preparing to establish its own financial base in Europe in Cyprus, which naturally had a great impact on the previous financial layout. The Italian side once hoped that China could place its European financial headquarters, at least the financial core of the Mediterranean region, in Italy. Now it seemed that Italy was unlikely to compete for this position. Moreover, Cyprus was not far from Italy. Many forces in Italy that were close to China had begun to worry about whether their existing status would be affected.
When Wei Kun heard these questions, he was very unhappy with Wang Mingshan. He never thought that Wang Mingshan would stay at home to take care of the children and throw this mess to Wei Kun to deal with. The reason why Southern Africa was fighting was because the Min dynasty was determined to get the Rand gold mine, and the British had a strong desire to covet the Rand gold mine. After a war, the British spent more than 100 million pounds. Although the Min dynasty did not have any special expenditure, the East African administrative region had spent a considerable amount of manpower and material resources. Finance was a national strategic issue of the Min dynasty. It was not the East African Administrative Region's turn to intervene.
The people on the other side demanded an answer from the 'prince' Wei Kun. Wei Kun's heart was filled with waves of guilt. Perhaps it was because when things reached an extreme, Wei Kun suddenly had a rebellious spirit after feeling weak. He smiled and said, "Everyone, I'm not responsible for diplomatic duties against Italy and the financial industry this time. Therefore, I will record down your questions. You can also organize your questions on paper and hand them to me before I go back. I will hand them over to our country's financial institutions. "
When the bankers heard Wei Kun publicly admit that he had no say in financial matters, their faces didn't look good. However, what Wei Kun said was reasonable, and they couldn't force Wei Kun, the 'prince', too much. In the end, the talks returned to the first part, which was about Italy providing human resources to the East African Administrative Region and investing in the East African Administrative Region.
"Everyone, we, the Min dynasty and the East African Administrative Region, believe in Marx, which is what you call communism. I have never concealed this. Therefore, we will adopt two modes of investment in the East African Administrative Region. The first is for the relatively stable production, such as the production of alfalfa. We have a very clear division of the entire production process. Opening up land, seeds, irrigation, soil improvement, harvesting, and marketing. The entire process will be clearly divided in each link, and the return on your investment will be very stable. It will be guaranteed by our East African Administrative Region government, very much like government bonds. Because of our relationship with Italy, we are willing to share with Italy. In addition to financial cooperation, Italy can also provide labor to East Africa to earn other benefits. "
When Wei Kun finished, an Italian banker immediately asked, "How much is the return on investment?"
"6%." Wei Kun replied.
This ratio was not high, nor was it low. The fixed interest rate of French banks in this era was about 4%. Although the profits of various speculative businesses were far higher than this, Wei Kun just defined it as a "national debt," so the credibility of this was much higher than that of commercial banks.
Just as the group of financiers whispered to each other, a fat old banker looked at the chubby old man and asked, "So what is the proportion of the labor you mentioned?"
"10% to 13%." Wei Kun replied. As soon as this was said, all the negotiators shut up. They stared at Wei Kun, and their eyeballs almost rolled out of their sockets. The proportion of labor in the entire profit chain exceeded that of investors. This kind of thing was not uncommon in reality, but in Europe, it was already in the category of horror stories.
In this atmosphere, Wei Kun said frankly, "Everyone, I just said that we're in cahoots. We believe that the promotion of social development depends on productivity. Productivity is not thought of by the brain, productivity is achieved by human labor. Therefore, we adopt this clear interest division standard in the more mature industries. This kind of product like alfalfa has a small investment but a large output. It is still a seller's market. As long as the price is low enough, any amount of alfalfa can be sold. Even if the alfalfa can't be sold to Europe, it can still be used for livestock production. Leather, bones, meat, these are all very important products. Leather and bone powder can also be transported over long distances. Our Min dynasty has a population of 800 million. I assure you, that is an extremely terrifying market. "
"Your Highness, what does this have to do with the high wages of the workers?" A banker broke the silence of the audience.
"This is the view of us Marxists. We believe that only when the workers get more compensation, will they have more purchasing power. If the workers have no purchasing power, who will we sell the products we produce? "Wei Kun replied confidently.
The audience fell into another round of discussion. Wei Kun's clear-cut attitude of standing on the side of the workers made the bankers very uncomfortable. Generally speaking, shouldn't the owners of the assets assure the bankers that they will exhaust all means to squeeze the maximum profit from the industry, so that the investors can get the maximum compensation? Now, the second son of the Min dynasty emperor, this prince who might become the future king of the East African Kingdom, unexpectedly stood on the side of the workers. In addition to proving that socialism and socialism were unreasonable, this group of bankers couldn't think of anything else for the time being.
But behind this prince was China's powerful army of tens of millions, with huge battleships and cannons as his backing. Even if they made such a strange statement, the bankers didn't plan to openly oppose it. They got rid of this topic and moved on to the next one. "Your Highness, you said there are two models. We already understand the first one. What about the second one? "
Wei Kun calmly replied: "The second one is that you have your own clear investment direction, which is the most advanced technology direction. When we don't have these contents, we are willing to let you invest in us. We will give you a certain amount of support, and your profits can fall into your own pockets. "
"For example, what industry?" The bankers were very puzzled by the general description.
"For example, the large-scale shipbuilding industry. Forget about the one or two hundred tons. At least it has to be four or five thousand tons, or even more than ten thousand tons. We don't have this kind of industry in East Africa right now. If you are willing to invest in the East African administrative region, we will very much welcome. "Wei Kun relayed the content he got from his father, Vézé. Regarding the investment, Vézé gave Wei Kun some suggestions, which at least sounded very attractive. Because of the war, the shipyards in Asia were almost operating at full capacity. Even if the output was greatly reduced after the war, Wei Kun believed that East Africa should have its own shipbuilding industry, or at least a large ship maintenance industry.
The bankers didn't make any comments on this. After talking for a while, the meeting was adjourned. Wei Kun was very happy that the enthusiasm of these bankers to make various requests was completely dispelled, which made him a lot more peaceful.
When Marquise Grace returned home, she saw her son lying on the small bed, sleeping soundly. On the other hand, Wang Mingshan was also lying next to the child, sleeping soundly. From a mother's point of view, Wang Mingshan's careless sleeping posture really didn't look like he was taking care of the child. But looking at the father and son, Grace felt very at ease. But a moment later, she remembered that in the morning of the day after tomorrow, Wang Mingshan would board a cruise to the distant East Africa to continue his job as the regional commander of the East African administrative region.
Now, this father who was sleeping soundly didn't seem to care for the child very much, but in the morning of the day after tomorrow, even his care was gone. Grace suddenly had the urge to cry. She used to think that with status, wealth, position, and a child who could inherit all of it, she had nothing else to ask for. But Grace found that the family that was once neglected had suddenly become her desire. This desire was so strong that she even suddenly felt that she could bring the child to the wilderness of East Africa. Being able to maintain a complete family, Grace felt that her life had a complete meaning.
But Grace was Grace after all. This impulse only lasted for a short few minutes before it was expelled from her mind. Of course, after the complete thought was expelled, it turned into various emotions running through her neurons. Grace was familiar with this change. During the years when she was poor, she had to face this feeling every day. Other than deliberate self-discipline, there was no other way to solve it. Thus, at the dinner table, Grace told Wang Mingshan about Wei Kun's performance. First, she wanted Wang Mingshan to help her clear up her doubts. Second, she could also divert her unhappy mood.
Wang Mingshan didn't know what his child's mother was thinking, so he explained it to Grace in a serious manner. "Our country's economic policy is like this. Based on the principle of historical materialism, we respect labor. Besides, you've read the principle of the currency multiplier, right … "
Seeing Grace shake her head in denial, Wang Mingshan had no choice but to briefly sweep through her ignorance. Currency was not a simple process of A to B and B back to A. Marx had a clearer explanation of this, and Vézé had a more profound application of it. From the perspective of the country's macroeconomic policy, the driving effect of the industrial chain wasn't simply a process of investing some money into a certain enterprise or research institution and then receiving a return. This was a process of improving the labor force as a whole.
As Grace listened to Wang Mingshan's explanation, she did not show any special reaction. She was passionate about application and had no interest in theoretical research. Therefore, Marquise Grace didn't know that in today's world, Wang Mingshan's understanding of the currency multiplier was definitely in the top five.
By the time Wang Mingshan finished speaking, Grace had already finished her soup. Calmly wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, Grace said, "You're going to implement this great economic policy in the wilderness of Africa?"
Wang Mingshan picked up a spoon. "That's why we need a large number of immigrants to Africa. I think it will take at least 30 years to count on the local black people. "After saying that, he also used a spoon to drink his soup.
Grace was a smart person. What Wang Mingshan said was easy to understand from a practical point of view. China had always been unwilling to come to Africa, this was easy to understand. Not to mention China, which was thousands of miles away, even the nearby Europeans weren't willing to go to Africa. It could be said that other than the Romans who built a series of cities in North Africa, the Europeans who went to Africa were basically adventurers and other similar vicious people. Slave traders were also one of the main Europeans who went to Africa. If China wanted to develop its economy in Africa, it had to rely on those reliable workers. If they didn't pay the Italian workers a high price, they probably wouldn't be willing to go to Africa.
Understanding this point, the banker Grace considered her own choice along this line of thought. Those complex economic theories and governance concepts were never something Grace could understand. She only considered cooperating with a group of powerful men. She didn't want to dominate the entire system, but to become a part of it.
After the table fell into silence, Wang Mingshan put down his spoon and broke the silence. "Grace. After a few years, when Wei Kun takes over my job, I will probably work in Cyprus. I originally worked in the banking industry, so when I go to Cyprus, I might take on the job there. When that time comes, you should also move to Cyprus. "
Grace was eating dessert after the meal. When she heard this, her hand holding the dessert stopped in mid-air. Staring at Wang Mingshan and carefully thinking about Wang Mingshan's words, Marquise Grace's eyes welled up with tears. A few years ago, when Wang Mingshan was still on the other side of the world, China, when the sun rose on Wang Mingshan's side, Grace's side entered the night. Now, although the two of them were in very close time zones, Grace was in the northern hemisphere and Wang Mingshan was in the southern hemisphere. Could it be that after a few years, the two of them would really be able to meet again?
Wang Mingshan still couldn't understand Grace's excitement. In his mind, how to cultivate Wei Kun into a qualified secretary of the East Africa Administrative Region was not an easy matter. Grace was only considering whether it was a matter of two or three people. However, Wang Mingshan's mind was able to think of a total of 23,300 people. The East Africa Administrative Region was related to the present and future of tens of millions of people. Faced with such a situation, Wang Mingshan didn't think of himself at all.
Time passed by, and the early morning light shone on the dock. Wang Mingshan and Wei Kun boarded the cruise ship in the port. Two warships were already waiting in the open sea. When the whistle sounded, Wei Kun saw Marquise Grace standing on the dock with the child in her arms. She elegantly raised her arms and bid farewell to Wang Mingshan.
"Hey! Secretary Wang … "Wei Kun couldn't help but speak.
"What is it?" Wang Mingshan replied.
Wei Kun was actually quite touched, so he couldn't help but speak due to his agitated emotions. In fact, he also knew that he was not suitable to talk about Wang Mingshan's personal affairs. Seeing Wang Mingshan's response, Wei Kun thought for a moment and forcefully found a topic. "Will Italy really help us make money?"
Wang Mingshan was also young, so he naturally knew Wei Kun's impulsiveness. Wang Mingshan didn't want to expose Wei Kun's wrong choice of words. "Europe is so big, and Italy is just one of the countries. There are many countries where we can get labor. Even if we can't count on Europe, we can still use the Japanese. "
"But it seems the Boers won't be of use." Wei Kun also returned to normal.
When the issue of East Africa was brought up, Wang Mingshan's tone was especially relaxed. "After signing the treaty with the British, we can have a clear attitude towards the Boers. Although the Zulus are weak, their population is larger than the Boers. We have no need for the Boers now, and they can probably be clearly classified as non-friends. "
The Min dynasty was a country that clearly distinguished between friend and foe. Vézé's phrase "who are our friends, who are our enemies, this is the primary issue of revolution" was not only well-known in the Min dynasty, but it was also the standard way of doing things for those who had some ability. And "My Motherland" was sung all over the country, inside and outside of the Great Wall. The lyrics "If friends come, there will be good wine. If wolves come, there will only be shotguns waiting for them." were even more direct expressions of everyone's attitude.
The Min dynasty was a very, very powerful country, and it was also a large country with a vast territory. Just the Min dynasty alone was enough to form a world, a complete civilization. Such a country itself had a very strong sense of unilateralism. Whether the Boers were the Min dynasty's enemy or friend, it had nothing to do with the Boers. It was up to the Min dynasty to make their own judgment. The Boers could fight for the Min dynasty's judgment on them, but they could not determine the judgment of the Min dynasty.
"Do you think the Zulus can keep the Boers out of the Rand gold mine?" Wang Mingshan asked Wei Kun.
Wei Kun thought about this for a long time, and immediately gave the answer. "That depends on whether the Zulus can form a new army, and more importantly, whether the Zulus are willing to change their social model. If they can enter the agricultural model, it is possible. "
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