Chapter 41

When Sheng Huai-xuan spoke so straightforwardly, Yang Shi-xun was taken aback. He turned to exchange glances with Yang Yuan-zhao. Neither of them had expected that Sheng Huai-xuan had this intention. Earlier, Yang Shi-xun had particularly mentioned to Yang Yuan-zhao about the fundraising work for the Hanyang Iron Works, but at the time, Yang Yuan-zhao had little interest, and Yang Shi-xun had even less. The Yang family was involved in commerce, traveling north and south, and rarely truly intervened in industry. Besides, after being in Hanyang for so long, how could he not know what the Hanyang Iron Works was like? Even if he had the authority to make decisions, he wouldn't invest money here.

After Sheng Huai-xuan finished speaking, he stared intently at Yang Shi-xun. Yang Shi-xun felt uneasy but still said, "Our Yang family, for the time being..."

"Uncle Shi, I'm interested!" Yang Yuan-zhao suddenly said. Just as they entered Sheng Huai-xuan's villa, he had thought about the Hanyang Iron Works. As a large government-supervised and merchant-operated enterprise, the Hanyang Iron Works, though not great, was still decently managed by Sheng Huai-xuan. The profits after privatization were also good. What he valued more was the workforce of the Hanyang Iron Works. Perhaps, becoming a shareholder would make many things easier and could have a significant effect.

"What, Young Master Yang!" Yang Shi-xun was taken aback, turning to look at Yang Yuan-zhao with disbelief. He knew some of Yang Yuan-zhao's situation. In Baotou, he had already invested tens of thousands, and in the afternoon, he had agreed to the Blackstone business, which was another 100,000. How could a young man like Yang Yuan-zhao have so much money? The iron works was no small amount.

Yang Shi-xun was extremely anxious, but with Sheng Huai-xuan beside him, he couldn't speak so openly. He was in a hurry, but he couldn't show it on the surface. Sheng Huai-xuan was a third-rank official with great power in Hanyang.

The atmosphere in the guest room was very strange. To be honest, Sheng Huai-xuan was very disappointed. He had thought the Yang family was just probing, but it turned out that the elder Yang Shi-xun was not interested, while the younger Yang Yuan-zhao was. As an experienced person, he knew that the funds a young master of a large family could use were limited. A newly returned student could have at most a few thousand, which, for ordinary people, was a lot, but for the Hanyang Iron Works, which had a fundraising scale of 20 million, it was like a drop in the bucket.

It seemed that the Jin merchants, like the Huizhou and Zhejiang merchants, were not easily swayed. He might have to offer more benefits.

"Mr. Sheng, I have heard a lot about the Hanyang Iron Works, but hearing is not the same as seeing. Today, I saw that the Hanyang Iron Works is indeed a massive enterprise. However, my funds are limited. If the Hanyang Iron Works holds a shareholders' meeting, I will subscribe to 100,000."

Yang Shi-xun was shocked. He knew that for the Blackstone business, Yang Yuan-zhao had already taken out 100,000. Now, another 100,000 for the Hanyang Iron Works, which Yang Yuan-zhao had previously clearly stated he would not get involved in. What did this mean? Was it because of Sheng Huai-xuan? He looked at Sheng Huai-xuan and then at Yang Yuan-zhao, his mind racing with thoughts.

Sheng Huai-xuan had only intended to test them, but he didn't expect to get a subscription of 100,000. Although the total fundraising amount was 20 million, he knew that 20 million was almost impossible. Through his connections, he had only managed to secure 2 million. 100,000 was not a small amount. After achieving his goal, his attitude towards Yang Yuan-zhao improved significantly.

Yang Yuan-zhao didn't rush to say more. Matters like hiring technicians and engineers could be handled internally. There was no need to bring them to Sheng Huai-xuan, and even if he did, problems might arise. With Sheng Huai-xuan's sharp eyes, he could see through his intentions to some extent.

Fortunately, the northwest was only preparing to build a cement factory and a brick factory. The workers would only be doing physical labor. The issue of workers could be addressed later, after a large number of factories were established.

In Wuhan, meeting Sheng Huai-xuan was like meeting another influential figure in the history of the Republic of China, after Feng Yuxiang. Compared to now, Sheng Huai-xuan had almost reached the peak of his life. After the Republic of China, his influence was reduced, but he was still a formidable figure with broad horizons. In just a few moments, he had subtly asked many questions about Yang Yuan-zhao, making him a difficult person to deal with.

In addition, Yang Yuan-zhao discovered that he had a strong sense of purpose and a certain amount of power behind him. Otherwise, a fundraising of 20 million taels, which was a huge investment in the late Qing dynasty, would be impossible. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, for example, only required six to seven million taels.

These were things Yang Yuan-zhao didn't care about. Investing 100,000 taels was painful, but if it could secure hundreds or even thousands of trained workers, it would be worth it.

"Mr. Sheng, I studied industry, and applying what I learned is the way to go. Today, I visited the Hanyang Iron Works and gained a lot. May I see the factory's historical records?"

Yang Yuan-zhao's commitment of 100,000 taels was not a small amount in the late Qing dynasty. Even Sheng Huai-xuan was moved. Hearing Yang Yuan-zhao's request, he hesitated for a moment and then took out a card, saying, "Here is my card. Go to Wang Huai tomorrow."

Wang Huai was the assistant who had previously questioned them, one of Sheng Huai-xuan's subordinates. Unexpectedly receiving Sheng Huai-xuan's card, and with Sheng Huai-xuan signaling the end of the meeting, Yang Yuan-zhao didn't linger and left.

"Master Yang, didn't you say you weren't interested in the Hanyang Iron Works?" Yang Shi-xun asked anxiously.

"Fifth Uncle, do you think Sheng Huai-xuan went to such great lengths to let us in just to chat casually?"

Yang Shi-xun was taken aback by Yang Yuan-zhao's words. He recalled everything about meeting Sheng Huai-xuan and said, "You mean?"

"Sheng Huai-xuan is not someone I know well, but to achieve such a high position as a merchant, he must be no simple person. We might have stumbled into something."

"If we've stumbled into something, what should we do?" Yang Shi-xun was greatly alarmed. The Jin merchants had once operated at the highest levels, but after several dynasties, they were far from their former glory. The rise of provincial governors further reduced the influence of merchants. Having a powerful figure from the Beiyang government notice them was not a good thing.

"Alright, since we're here, we'll deal with it step by step. The reform of the Hanyang Iron Works will take at least three to five years. We'll take it one step at a time."

"But what about after three to five years?"

Yang Yuan-zhao smiled mysteriously but said nothing. After three to five years, it would be the Xinhai Revolution, and the Qing dynasty would be gone, let alone Sheng Huai-xuan, who had even had a falling out with Yuan Shikai and was now in a worse position.

The mysterious Yang Yuan-zhao's status in Yang Shi-xun's mind rose significantly. He couldn't help but recall what Yang Shi-tang had said about Yang Yuan-zhao: "This boy is not an ordinary person." He, a seasoned businessman, felt insignificant in front of him.

Just as he was about to follow, Yang Yuan-zhao suddenly turned and said, "Fifth Uncle, if I stay in Wuhan for another day, will there be any problems?"

"No problem at all!"

"What about the ship ticket?"

"The ship ticket can be rescheduled!"

Yang Yuan-zhao suddenly realized that in this era, there were many inequalities, but the transportation industry was relatively convenient. Rescheduling the ticket, he could leave the next day or the day after.