Chapter 50: The Fire-Breathing Girl

  After entering the Xiangjiang River from the Yangtze River, the scenery on both banks gradually became more delicate, and people would also become somewhat melancholic. Now, Shazhou had such a feeling.

  He didn't have a good impression of the Chinese, because most of the Chinese people he came into contact with didn't have a good impression of him. His ancestors had made their fortune by sucking the marrow out of the Chinese during the Opium Wars; who would have a good impression of him once they understood that? However, his long-term business in Shanghai gave him a certain familiarity with this ancient land and its people, even surpassing London or New Delhi.

  To better appreciate the scenery along the coast, Sassoon had his private yacht steered closer to shore, and thus the Chinese people who were busy making a living became the main characters of his landscape. They were poor and ignorant, bullied by almost all foreigners... But they still had something to be envied: they would not be discriminated against in their ordinary lives! Now, Sassoon's compatriots are being discriminated against, in Germany, they cannot become civil servants, judges, lawyers, doctors... Even, they are restricted from entering public entertainment venues; German citizens also do not buy goods from their stores. Ever since that Nazi Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, this nightmare began.

  Elias Victor Sassoon, 1st Baronet, possessed a personal and family fortune that could rival those of nations, as well as Jewish heritage! Although he was British, he still cared about his compatriots far away in Germany - just like the Chinese who were slaughtered and looted in Indonesia would move the hearts of their mainland compatriots. Sassoon was indeed a very passionate person, during the last European war, as the heir to a billion-dollar family fortune, he became a member of the British Royal Air Force, and thus his left foot was injured in battle and became disabled, in Shanghai people called him "Lame Sassoon". Because he learned that his old comrades-in-arms had arrived in Guilin, so he came too.

  He is the one Rong Hui mentioned, who can make Song Kong's financial advantage disappear once he joins Tan Xiao's alliance.

  Now, the top six tallest buildings in Shanghai, including Sassoon House, are all his properties; His real estate portfolio includes the most high-end buildings and villas of this era, such as Xianleisi Estate, Verdun Apartments, Rober Garden, and Yifu Poetry Country Villa. His firm spans international trade, finance, real estate, grain, munitions, narcotics... In short, there is no economic field in Shanghai that he does not involve. If Du Yuesheng is the Emperor of Shanghai, then he is the one who can blow down the emperor with a sneeze!

  Of course, Sassoon also had a more mysterious identity: the Far Eastern head of the British anti-German organization "Moore"! He came to Lingling with two important tasks given by "M": one was to establish contact with Rong Hui, the new Far Eastern head of France's "Vigilante", and assist her in completing the bank loan procedures for a new port being built in Qinzhou Bay that would be exempt from taxes for both Britain and France; two was to use his perspective to judge "M"'s newly selected British representative in China - General Tan Xiaoshang.

  For Tan Xiao, "M"'s evaluation is: This is a very dangerous guy, an astonishingly ambitious military strongman who will be difficult to control after being empowered... However, he is the best candidate with the ability and courage to confront the Nanjing government and create a de facto divided China.

  Sha Zong held the antique telescope that had been used by the British fleet commander to observe the Qing army's artillery during the First Opium War, carefully looking at the crowd on the dock, and found the young Chinese man wearing a general's uniform.

  Contact with the British was always difficult at first, that's Tan Xiao's feeling, including Xie Te who just started, Owen, a military officer stationed in India, and those British aircraft experts; of course, except for old Toby. I hope this old comrade-in-arms of Old Toby is also easy to get along with. Tan Xiao already knew about Sassoon's identity and his influence on the Shanghai Bund. Yes, there was such an ally, if they couldn't beat Song Kong in Shanghai, then don't think about cleaning them up elsewhere. Now, Tan Xiao is full of expectations for allying with this tycoon. Not only because of the struggle with Song Kong, but also because he needs money in too many places!

  After last night's dinner party, Tan Xiao seized the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with Mr. Hawker, achieving a relatively satisfactory outcome. When Tan Xiao proposed investing over 10 million yuan into his aircraft factory, Mr. Hawker's interest began to grow stronger. However, since Hawker's planes use Rolls-Royce engines, he couldn't make decisions on behalf of everyone - what Tan Xiao wanted was a factory that could produce the entire plane! To be precise, it should be an aircraft production and research base!

  There's another thing that gives British people a headache. If Harvey had such a big project in China, he would have to come to China himself. Is it worth it?

  When Harvey was being haunted by the big pile of question marks left to him and couldn't sleep for half a night, Tan Xiao prepared to return to his bedroom to spend his first time in life, but he bumped into Mitchell.

  Mitchell knew that Tan Xiao had gone to Harland's room, so he waited in the corridor - Dr. Harland and Supermarine were still competitors.

  So, Tan Xiao spent the first half of last night in a room with two men.

  "Is this the 224 fighter you designed that was held back by the engine?" Tan Xiao saw a large stack of drawings on Mitchell's desk - Mitchell had never given up his design, he was still perfecting it.

  "Yes, I think it's just a matter of the engine, and I'm still perfecting its design. It will be the best fighter plane in the British Empire, I have no doubt!" Mitchell was getting excited: "I'll show those short-sighted Air Ministry people what a real fighter looks like! Not those toys from Hawker!... They actually gave it a decent name, 'Hurricane'! But their 'Hurricane' is just a toy compared to my 224... when it has a decent engine, that is..." Mitchell picked up his drawings, gazing at them with the look of a proud father looking at his unmarried daughter - she was the most beautiful...

  That aircraft with curved lines on its wings gave Tan Xiao a very familiar feeling...

  "You know, I want an aircraft factory that can produce a whole plane by itself..." Tan Xiao was thinking of something and he needed at least one truly top-notch person to manage this aircraft factory - Dr. Haviland himself was the boss, he might not come over, but the current one was the chief designer of a large company! He said: "If I support you in perfecting the design of this plane and making it, will you come to China to work?"

  "This guy really wants to build an airplane factory! He actually wants to poach me!" Mitchell was somewhat surprised: "Isn't General Tan planning to cooperate with Mr. Hawker to build a factory?"

  "Yes, his design, those wooden planes, are more suitable for us Chinese." Tan smiled and said: "But this doesn't mean I will reject metal planes, especially such a beautiful plane... By the way, if your air force has already phased her out, buying her patent shouldn't be expensive, right? Or, I'll buy all the patents of this plane model, with one condition being that you continue to perfect it. Will your company agree?" If he could get back a veteran chief designer from a British fighter plane company at a very low price - just like a transfer fee - why not?

  This is a good idea! Mitchell thought. Because his body was getting worse and worse, the doctor even warned him not to do those mindless design work; so the company also intended to let him rest better, and had already been looking for a new chief designer. Maybe I can escape from those annoying doctors by doing design in China...

  "This, I can consider...” Mitchell said sincerely to Tan Xiao: “Not just being polite, it's really worth considering.”

  Finally ended the conversation with Mitchell, Tan Xiao returned to the bedroom with an inexplicable excitement.

  Wrapped in a thin gauze as light as cicada wings, his Sleeping Beauty slept on... or was it just a false sleep? The quilt with the golden embroidery had slipped down halfway over her fragrant shoulders, and the breathtaking curves rose and fell vaguely with each gentle breath.

  Tan Xiao had a feeling of wanting to touch his nose again... Spitfire! The word appeared in Tan Xiao's mind... Wait! When the word "Spitfire" appeared in Tan Xiao's mind, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed through his brain: 224 type, no! It should be called "Spitfire"! Earlier, Tan Xiao saw that plane in Mitchell's room, with its distinctive wings. Tan Xiao remembered where he had seen it before! Still the Aviation Museum of the future, but only pictures! Absolutely right, those were the same wings! That fighter designed by Mitchell, the sickly guy, was indeed the later "Spitfire"! The one that defeated the German Eagle Bf109 in the skies above London and kept control of the sky over London in British hands!

  His eyes were still fixed on that enchanting curve, which he must get at all costs! It was his! His "Fireball"!! Tan Xiao suddenly became so excited that he completely lost control...

  If someone had told Tan Xiao that some things were hurtful, he would not have believed it. Standing in the crowd welcoming Victor Saushun, Tan Xiao did not have dark circles under his eyes and was radiant; just last night, he and she pleased each other, teased each other... In the intoxicating sweat, in the scorching flames that consumed their souls, they continued until dawn!

  Tan Xiao now looks spirited and confident, with a more masculine air of self-assurance about him - he's become a real man!

  Just as Mitchell was on his way to meet Shaw, he brought some good news: after receiving his telegram, the company agreed to his request to give this hardworking and cancer-stricken chief designer a more relaxed working environment. Supermarine would transfer all technical data and patents of the Type 224 fighter to Tang for ￡5,000; Mitchell would retain his original salary and benefits package to become the general manager of Tang's new aircraft factory in China. The only condition was that the new aircraft factory would allow Supermarine to hold no more than a 20% stake!

  The butterfly's wings will bring wind, and Tan Xiao believes that de Havilland will make a statement after learning about the cooperation with Tan Xiao. The DH98, this multi-purpose fighter made of wood, is Tan Xiao's main goal; but now it's great to be able to bring in the "Spitfire" at the same time! With the addition of the "Stuka" provided by the German aircraft factory, the Chinese Air Force has already equipped itself with the basic models needed for a war, except for long-range high-altitude strategic bombers.

  Of course, time is the most important thing, and the factory must reach maturity before the war starts; to do this, the fastest way is to directly clone factories from various countries, including production personnel and training personnel, which requires more capital investment. It's clear that Victor Sasha is a big money bag.

  Victor Sason's multiple identities made him a man in demand as soon as he arrived: the old comrades-at-arms, the aviation bigwigs... It wasn't until after lunch that they finally found time to talk business.

  There were two topics for discussion: one was about the Qinzhou Bay plan, and the other was about ambushing the Song Kong Group in Shanghai's grain market. The second topic was not originally part of the plan, but Rong Hui brought it up, hoping to get Sha Xun on board. A lucrative opportunity had a strong appeal to everyone - especially the Jews.

  "The recent grain market has been a bit unusual. Earlier, when the newspaper reported General Tan's grain procurement news, the grain price rose for a while and then fell... "Shasong said: "However, I also noticed that the contract holdings did not decrease, but instead increased sharply! So, Miss Rong's judgment is correct, Song Kong Group is going to manipulate the grain market!"

  As for the futures market, Tan Xiao could only occasionally use a shrug to indicate his presence - he didn't even understand what holding a position meant! So everything was left to Rong Hui to discuss and decide.

  "How much money do you think they have now to manipulate this market?" asked Rong Hui.

  "If we want to control the market with a two-way disc, drain those 'grab hat' guys, I estimate it will be around 300 million. If we want to reverse the operation, it will be over 500 million... This year everyone thinks is a good harvest year, so they must come once again with a vicious forced liquidation, their funds will not be less than 600 million!" Sha Shang shrugged: "This is a very scary number, considering their background, in case of emergency financing... They have no less than 2 billion chips! ... If we and they engage in a showdown, it will be the largest grain war in Shanghai's history!"

  "We also have enough chips, don't we, Mr. Shasson?" Rong Hui asked: "I'd like to know, Mr. Shasson, from an objective point of view, are you confident that you can win this battle?"

  "Oh, little angel, it's not that simple, we need to analyze it carefully." Sasha continued, pouring out almost all the banks like a treasure trove: "First, let's take a look at the financial situation of both parties. On my side, of course, only the part I can use. My total assets in Shanghai exceed 1 billion..."

  This one sentence alone made Tan Xiao gasp for breath and die, 100 billion! What a concept in this era! The total fiscal revenue of the whole China for eight years! How much money did his mother's dead opium trafficker rob in China!?

  "There are eight banks that can provide me with quick funding, namely HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Bank of China from the UK; Citibank and JPMorgan Chase from the US; ABN AMRO and Rabobank from the Netherlands; and Fortis Bank from Belgium..."

  "I think it should be ten banks." Rong Hui said: "You can add the Banque de l'Orient in France and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank in Germany... Even, if necessary, I think we can get help from the three major national banks of England, France, and Germany!"

  "Right, right! And the US Federal Reserve can too..." Shahson said: "But those national banks won't move unless they have to, it's too big a deal..." He shrugged his shoulders: "Banks are vampires!"

  "As for the Song and Kong side, the supporting banks behind them are far inferior. Except for the Central Bank, Bank of Communications, Bank of China, Salt Industry Bank, Siming Bank, Industrial Bank, and Continental Bank, it's uncertain which side other banks will stand on...". Rong Hui was also very familiar with Shanghai's banking circle: "I estimate that even if they go bankrupt, they can't come up with 500 million. So what does Mr. Sha have to worry about?"

  "In terms of money, we are definitely more than them." Shahson said: "However, don't forget that it's a Chinese exchange, and when they issued bonds before, the central government used the excuse of short-selling to disrupt the market and forcibly intervened... So, we need to guard against these tactics, this is their winning trick."

  This is indeed a difficult problem, Rong Hui thought for a moment: "What if we have enough stock?"

  "Firstly, they can delay the registration of spot goods into warehouse receipts through Yu Qiaqing or restrict entry into the warehouse." Sha Xun said: "Moreover, they have another trick, burning warehouses... It's not that they haven't tried it in the cotton yarn market..."

  It seems that the big battle in the futures market is not so simple, and Tan Xiao, who was listening on the side, didn't quite understand, but he could still sense the general tone: "Excuse me, if Chairman Chiang lets us sell grain over there... will the exchange stop it?" Tan Xiao suddenly remembered the large batch of rice and miscellaneous grains he had confiscated: "I seized a lot of grain in my crackdown on unscrupulous merchants in Hunan, maybe I can sell it to them..." He suddenly saw Sha Xun and Rong Hui staring at him with shining eyes!

  "Right! You can tell the Chairman that this time we've collected too much grain, and it's not possible to use it all at once. We should think about dumping some on the futures market... But don't mention the quantity. If we can get a permit from the Chairman without any quantity limit, that would be great! Nanyang is a huge granary!" Rong Hui said, seeing Tan Xiao still didn't understand, he continued: "We can use the Chairman's permit to brutally dump the grain from Nanyang on them, dump it until they can't take it!"

  "But we shouldn't bring in the goods just yet, let's wait until they start to force us into a corner!" Shahson added: "We can't let them know that we have enough stock on hand! Or else they'll retreat!"

  "As for Du Yuesheng and those thugs... I think they shouldn't be a match for the special forces of Ye Yi's army, right?" Rong Hui looked at Tan Xiao: "I want to bring the entire special warfare battalion over... along with their new equipment!"

  Wow! How did the financial war also get on the special forces team?! Tan Xiao really thinks that all business in this era is done with guns. However, there's nothing wrong with that, I have the most guns; oh, right, and not a few cannons either... "Excuse me, besides the special forces team, do you need anything else? My meaning is, I have many cannons, uh, and also tanks and planes..."

  This time it's Rong Hui's turn to faint...

  "Hahaha, General Tan is too humorous... I was thinking, what if we can't get the Chairman's approval? How can we use the Ministry of Works and the Public Works Bureau to exert pressure... But your planes and cannons reminded me that if we can't get the approval, we can come at it horizontally!" Sha Xun was absolutely not a good man, he was a big arms dealer in Shanghai, and he was used to using some special means to attack his opponents. It's just that this time, his opponent was Song Ziwen and Kong Xiangxi, so he didn't think about it at first. But wouldn't taking down Du Yuesheng be cutting off the arm of Song and Kong?

  If we win this battle, how much money can we make? Tens of billions? How much will I get? Tan Xiao dare not think about it, but he knows that if they win this battle, the anti-Japanese war funds will be plentiful...Damn, it turns out that the government was the one who lacked money in the history of the War of Resistance, and these corrupt officials were so fat!Tan Xiao thought of Kong Lingjie, who was afraid of atomic bomb attacks and spent $180 million building an underground palace in the United States that could withstand nuclear bombs!This time, let you lose until you can't even afford a tile-roofed house!

  "This time it's best if I don't show up in person." Shasong said: "I hope they will come to me when they need financing... the money they owe me, they dare not not repay..." The old opium dealer revealed a greedy and ferocious look.

  "It's not good for me to come out either. What if they ask the chairman when they arrive..." Rong Hui smiled and looked at Tan Xiao: "Someone will not be able to hold on..."

  Tan Xiao looked at them: "Do I have to intervene? ... This won't work either?"

  "In this way, we can organize a group of foreigners, with unknown backgrounds... hmm, I can put some of my lawyers, accountants... even servants from Europe on top. People, you know, French, German, Hungarian... anyone will do."

  As they were about to conclude the topic and start discussing the Qinzhou Bay plan, Tan Xiao suddenly remembered something and asked: "This war, won't it affect those banks you mentioned? The Central Bank, China Bank, and what's more, Industrial Bank, Transportation Bank... If a large number of Chinese banks are affected, the impact on Chinese society will not be less than the violent grain speculation planned by Song Kong et al. This is not what Tan Xiao wants to see, especially with a group of foreign-funded banks defeating Chinese banks in the end.

  "Most likely, is there a problem?" Rong Hui's sly smile filled her dimples again: "At that time, we'll just take control of all of them!"

  (I wrote this chapter based on suggestions from book friends, simplifying the protagonist's coming-of-age ceremony to avoid... These days I've been thinking about the futures trading war in Shanghai, but I couldn't find any information on the trading rules at that time, so I had to process it according to modern futures market patterns, which is a bit regrettable... But now I'm still far from writing those parts, if you can find them, please let me know? For example, how many tons were traded per hand at that time? If you can provide this information, I would be extremely grateful...)