Volume 1: The Other Shore Chapter 15: Tyler

  "Hurry! Hurry up!"

  Zhang Yintang, sitting in the carriage, occasionally urged the driver, and occasionally he would take a look at the newspaper. For Zhang Yintang, who had arrived in New York from Washington three days ago, this was the most annoying thing he had just seen in the newspaper.

  Morgan Buys New Type of Blast Furnace Patent for $76 Million!

  When did Chinese people have this ability!

  Although he was muttering to himself, Zhang Yintang still instructed the driver to go to Li Zichen's residence in the Upper East District as soon as he saw the newspaper. However, it turned out that they had just missed each other by a hair's breadth. When they arrived at Li's mansion in the Upper East District, the family had already left for the train station, reportedly heading to San Francisco and then returning to China from there.

  "76 million dollars!"

  Muttering to himself, Zhang Yunpeng couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "After the Kuren incident, when the Republic was first established, the country's attention turned outward, and although national development focused on external affairs, internal governance still had to be maintained, especially now with the most severe financial problems. From 10 days ago, after Yuan Shikai became the President, domestic finances could be said to have been exhausted, and it would be impossible to sustain without borrowing.

  Domestically, the financial difficulties have reached an unbearable point, and separate telegrams were sent to overseas representatives to seek loan channels. For a time, all personnel stationed abroad took finding loan channels as their main work objective, and Zhang Yunting was no exception. This trip to New York is also for the purpose of borrowing from Chinatown communities.

  Seeing the Chinese man selling patents for $76 million in the newspaper, Zhang Yintang naturally followed suit, but still fell short by a little, and the other had already gone to the train station.

  "Old man, we've arrived at the train station!"

  Listening to his subordinate's words, Zhang Yintang immediately got down from the horse-drawn carriage.

  "Quick..."

  He only said one word, and then swallowed the next word back, looking at the crowded scene inside New York's train station, Zhang Yintang suddenly stopped in his tracks.

  What does Li Zicheng look like?

  "What a pity!"

  With a deep sigh, Zhang Yingtang shook his head and walked towards the carriage. Just as he was about to get on the carriage, he saw the telegraph office across from the train station, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind.

  Morgan Buys New Type of Blast Furnace Patent for $76 Million!

  Almost all the newspapers are reporting this news, and Li Zichen can't help but laugh secretly when he sees his name mentioned in the newspaper. The introduction of the new iron smelting furnace patent has caused a small rise in the stock price of the American Steel Company, although it is a small increase, but also close to the cash paid by Morgan, this is the real big shark!

  But what those reporters and Americans didn't know was that the real winner wasn't Morgan, but himself. Six years later, just with the rise in steel prices alone, Morgan had given away a free American Steel Company to himself!

  "Master, shall I turn on the light?"

  Sitting on the sofa in the bedroom compartment, Ah Si asked excitedly, and his gaze at Young Master also changed. It wasn't because Young Master had made a lot of money, but because of something he said when he went to sign the contract that day.

  "A Si, pack up, we're going back home, you go and book the boat and train tickets!"

  Back in China! No more living in America and having to put up with those foreigners' faces! And I get to go back with my young master too.

  "Don't open it!"

  Li Zichen shook his head and looked at Ah Si who was holding a book.

  "I don't need it. Are you sleepy, Ah Si?"

  "It seems so."

  "Get some good rest! We've still got things to do tomorrow!"

  After finishing speaking, Li Zichen walked towards the "bedroom" inside the luxurious suite.

  I'm back in my home country!

  In a few more days, I will set foot on the homeward-bound liner in San Francisco. The reason for choosing to return home in San Francisco is not because of the speed of the train, but the fundamental reason is the fear of "Bermuda", in case I have to go through another "crossing", that's not a good thing.

  The Nazi treasure is just this one, and similarly, a big fool like Morgan can only be deceived once.

  "Young master, many people say you've given us Chinese people a boost in prestige!"

  "Long face?"

  Li Zichen, who had walked to the door, was stunned. His long face perhaps showed that all this talk about Chinese pride and being the richest inventor in the world was nonsense. The tens of tons of drawings and development data he had sold, if truly completed by himself alone, would have taken at least a decade or more to finish. Only an idiot would believe it.

  What is a sudden rise to fame, perhaps it's about oneself. Now the whole of America knows that a Chinese person sold to Morgan a new type of blast furnace invented by himself, the most advanced and efficient in the world, and at a high price of $76 million.

  The reason it was $76 million, on the one hand, was to get cash for himself, and on the other hand, it was to avoid paying individual taxes to the US Internal Revenue Service. As a result, according to Roosevelt's statement, he spent less than 183 days in the United States this year, so he didn't need to pay individual taxes. As for the "purchase of $76 million worth of steel materials over seven years with no limit on annual tonnage", it also avoided taxation.

  Maybe now the one who hates himself the most is the US Internal Revenue Service. If he stays a little longer, the Americans will be able to collect 40% of his personal income tax!

  "That's right, they all say you're back in the country this time for..."

  When Ah Si was speaking, Li Zichen interrupted Ah Si's words.

  "When can we get to Lehigh Valley?"

  "Master, I've asked, tomorrow morning at that place!"

  Tomorrow morning?

  Upon hearing this answer, Li Zichen couldn't help but glance outside at Lihai Valley... Bethlehem! That was another steel city in America. Tomorrow, would he be on the train tomorrow?

  Sighing, he had casually closed the door.

  After entering the compartment, I lay down in my berth, covered myself with a thick blanket, and it was pitch black all around. The outside scenery was also pitch black. It was really unique. The lower part of the window was open, with a screen blocking the way, and the wind that came in had a chill to it. The green bed curtain was tightly closed, although the train was swaying, I felt very stable, and it was moving very fast, occasionally I could still hear the sound of the whistle.

  "Return home, return home..."

  Thinking of this word, Li Zichen slowly fell asleep.

  Midnight Bethlehem, the distant sky was completely reflected in red and yellow by the blast furnace, looking at the light outside the window that seemed to tear the sky apart, Taylor's heart surged with all sorts of complex emotions, the past few months, his own experience could be said to be colorful.

  Last year, with the support of Secretary of War Crozier, he conducted scientific management experiments at Watertown Arsenal in Massachusetts and Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. Merrick, who implemented scientific management at Watertown Arsenal, fired union members who refused to cooperate, leading to a major strike. In the face of the arsenal's big strike and public criticism of scientific management, Congress formed a special committee to investigate.

  In the past four months, Congress has held hearings on the Taylor system and other shop management systems, where I have had to testify in person. Scientific management from the start met with opposition from the management as well as Bethlehem citizens. At the Congressional hearing, where I had to defend my views against mostly hostile congressmen.

  Although he gave brilliant testimony before the House committee, publicizing the principles and methods of scientific management, which became his best explanation of it, the hearings created a big stir throughout America, but the stir caused him to lose his job, and in the press he was made out to be the villain who "squeezed the last drop of blood" from the workers.

  Looking out at the twinkling lights outside the window, Tyler couldn't help but let out a long sigh. It was already 1912!

  In 1912 in the United States, although his scientific management was quite popular among American entrepreneurs, there were not many people willing to come forward and testify that Taylor's system helped improve work efficiency. Almost everyone only saw "how scientific management squeezed out the last drop of blood from workers", but they ignored the fact that the promotion of Taylorism increased workers' wages, and what he advocated was to ensure that the interests of labor and capital were consistent while improving work efficiency.

  "Any science may encounter some problems when promoting it!"

  What kind of problem did you encounter? Almost everyone is blaming themselves, even those entrepreneurs who use scientific management are also blaming themselves in order to shirk their responsibilities.

  Maybe it's really time to leave America!

  After this thought arose in his mind, a figure of an oriental man named "Mu" immediately emerged in his brain.

  That Mr. Mu, who had discussed "Scientific Management" with himself in letters, had long won his favor, and his research on scientific management far exceeded his imagination.

  It was for this reason that the two men, after their first meeting in New York, invited him to Bethlehem so they could further discuss some scientific management issues and more importantly, someone from Asia had a good impression of his scientific management which exceeded Taylor's expectations and filled his heart with delight.

  But what would surprise him even more was yet to come, and it happened on the train that brought the two men to Bethlehem, in those words he had spoken to himself.

  "Mr. Taylor, if America doesn't accept your theory, have you ever thought of leaving this place?"

  Taylor, standing by the window, fell silent as he thought of what Mu Xiangyu, a Chinese person, had once said to him. At this moment, he really felt like leaving America, leaving this country that was full of doubts and accusations towards his theories.

  "Perhaps..."

  Just then, a knock at the door suddenly rang out. The knocking was not loud, but it had a strong sense of rhythm, suggesting that the person on the other side should be very polite. From the window to the door, Tyler opened the door and warmly invited the person standing outside to enter the house.

  "Come in, come in!"