Chapter 3 London

  At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with the rapid development of the automobile industry, the demand for rubber increased sharply. At the same time, rubber also became a new material for many industrial products. Cars, tricycles, and rickshaws all used rubber tires, Shanghai people wore rubber shoes outside their cloth shoes or leather shoes, which were called "套鞋" (booties), and then put on raincoats made of rubber, so even in heavy rain, they could go out as usual. In addition to these, other rubber products were countless, making rubber a hot product.

  Of course, the fall of the Qing dynasty can also be said to have a certain relationship with rubber. In 1908, since there was no synthetic rubber at that time, all the rubber used by people was naturally produced. Considering the constraints of growth cycle, climate, soil and other factors, the production scale of rubber cannot be expanded in a short period of time, which also determines the continuous rise of rubber prices for a period of time.

  The rubber shares that indirectly led to the premature demise of the Qing dynasty started in 1908, when it can be said that the price of rubber on the London market was rising exponentially, leading more people to engage in frenzied speculation.

  It was at this time that foreign rubber companies began to set up operations in Southeast Asia, which is suitable for rubber production, and their headquarters were all located in Shanghai, the financial center of the Far East, in order to facilitate financing here. These companies advertised in Shanghai newspapers, saying "buying rubber stocks is buying the future." As a result, many foreigners and locals in China bought rubber stocks, and some old-brand companies manipulated stock prices, making it normal for them to rise tenfold or even twenty-seven or eight times at their peak.

  Of course, when the bonfire is burned out, only a piece of ash will be left. When the London stock market plummeted, there were as many corpses floating in the Huangpu River as in the Ganges.

  At this time, due to the Qing court's incompetence, the Shanghai Road rescue action failed, which led to the rubber stock craze at the end of the Qing dynasty. At that time, the entire China lost tens of millions of silver taels, forcing the Qing court to nationalize the railways and then mortgage them out, which also led to the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement.

  In order to suppress the Railway Protection Movement in Sichuan, the New Army of Hubei was dispatched to Sichuan for suppression, resulting in the emptiness of Wuchang, which also led to the Wuchang Uprising and plunged the entire southern China into a wave of uprisings.

  Stock craze —— Railway Protection Movement —— Wuchang Uprising —— Xinhai Revolution

  It can be said that if there was no stock market craze, the Qing dynasty could have lasted for at least a few more years. Here we must thank Comrade Chen Bangrui, the Minister of Revenue, and his student, Comrade Cheng Dequan, who was then the Governor of Jiangsu Province. If it weren't for Chen Bangrui's feud with Cai Naihuang, the Shanghai Daotai at the time, and his joining forces with his student Cheng Dequan to impeach Cai Naihuang, thus causing Cai Naihuang's nearly successful rescue efforts to fail, we might have had to wait a few more years for news of the revolution's success.

  Of course, those who jumped into rivers and lakes and buildings should thank Chen Bangrui's eighteen ancestors...

  Now, Yan Guang is going to London to increase his wealth tenfold or eightfold. Then he will return home with a huge fortune and contribute to Comrade Chen Bangrui's great cause of restoring the Ming Dynasty.

  ——————

  "It's indeed the Fog City..." Standing at the bow of the ship, looking at the distant city shrouded in clouds and fog, as the ship was about to make contact with the fog, Yan Guang pulled out a mask from his pocket and put it on his face, which surprised several nearby tourists who were preparing to take a deep breath.

  At that time, London was still the financial center of the world. As the capital of the most powerful country in the world, London's fog was quite famous. Many people who came to London for the first time would even take a deep breath of the lingering fog.

  But there will definitely be no Sheng Guang in it...

  London's nickname "Fog City" is still very famous in the 21st century, especially the London Smog Event that killed more than 10,000 people at one time, which is even more impressive.

  In the early 20th century, most people in London used coal as fuel, and the resulting smoke combined with the fog that often shrouded London was a deadly combination. Although the Great Smog of London was still decades away, Yan Guang did not dare to underestimate the toxic substances present in the smog. If it weren't for the fact that he could make a lot of money in London at this time, Yan Guang would have absolutely no desire to come to this place that shortened people's lives.

  Of course, Yan Guang's way of thinking about his own body is considered impolite by others, but how can they imagine the amount of toxic substances hidden in the fog that pervades London at this time?

  After getting off the passenger ship, Yan Guang soon found a hotel that looked pretty good near the port.

  "Chinese? Japanese?" The innkeeper asked with a hint of surprise as he saw Yan Guang walk in.

  "Chinese." In the several months in America, and even on the steamer coming to London, Yan Guang had already encountered such situations many times, a few times he even got into fights with the other party, so he was no longer surprised by the current situation.

  The innkeeper nodded. "Accommodation is two shillings a day, not including meals. If you include meals, it's an extra five pence per day." As long as the guests had money in their pockets, he didn't care about anything else.

  "No problem, by the way, do you have juice here?" Yan Guang asked after taking out a week's worth of food and lodging fees.

  "No, but you can go to the store next door to buy it." After collecting the money, the hotel owner handed the key to Yan Guang. "The seventh room on the left corridor, if there's anything else, come find me."

  "Alright..." Yan Guang walked a few steps down the corridor to the left, but soon turned back. "By the way, where is the London Stock Exchange?"

  "Which family are you asking about?"

  Before 1973, what was called the London Stock Exchange was not a single exchange but rather a collective term for dozens of exchanges. Upon hearing this news, Yan Guang was shocked. He had thought that all he needed to do was run to the exchange and buy the stocks, then he could return to America with a clear conscience. Now it seemed that he would have to visit every one of these dozens of exchanges before he could do so.

  Over $900,000, equivalent to over ￡100,000, was a huge sum in this era. Although the money might not even make a ripple in the international financial system, he did not think that any stock exchange could have withstood it at a time when rubber stocks were just beginning to rise.

  But on the second day, in London's largest stock exchange, Yan Guang admitted that he had miscalculated...