Chapter 98 Holding Taikoo Yanghang

Swire is a well-established British-funded bank founded by John Swire in Liverpool in 1816. In 1866, RS Butterfield became a senior partner of Swire, and the company's business began to be fully transferred to the Asia-Pacific region.

In 1870, Taikoo began to operate in Hong Kong. In 1874, RS Butterfield became the second largest shareholder of Taikoo and the chairman of the board of directors of Taikoo.

RS Butterfield is an insignificant person in the whole economic history, but it is he who created the glorious period of Taikoo Yanghang, which makes Taikoo Yanghang occupy a large share in the silk industry, tea industry, industry, port industry and shipping industry in the Asia-Pacific region, and continues to enter the mining and Ceylon tea industry.

This is an Irishman. He is of medium height and looks relatively young. He is only about 30 years old. He has black curly hair, thin cheeks, and deep and quiet eyes. He seems to be a person who is very good at self-restraint and silence. He is also very mysterious, but also has special spiritual power.

Thirteen years ago, when he was launched in Fuzhou Ship Administration, he was only a general manager in charge of raw silk and tea trade in Yingzitai and Yanghang. Now he is already one of the most famous powerful figures in the Shanghai Ocean Industry. The rapid development of Taigu Yanghang in the raw silk and shipping industry in the past few years also depends on him personally. Talent and hard work.

It was not beyond Hu Chuyuan's expectation. After using the courtesy banquet, RS Butterfield politely proposed to have a separate meeting with Hu Chuyuan.

Hu Chuyuan agreed.

Back to the study, Hu Chuyuan asked directly, "Mr. Butterfield, are you worried about shipping?"

RS Butterfield quietly raised his eyes and replied without taboo: "Yes, in fact, my initial plan to find Mr. Delano III was to contact you through him and sell the cargo ships and docks of Sikoo Shipping Company to the Jiangnan Shipping Bureau, only to keep the ocean-going trade routes from Hong Kong to India and the United Kingdom. "

Hu Chuyuan replied without thinking, "It's a pity that although I'm very interested, I won't buy it. For some reasons that should not be said directly, I hope that Taikoo will continue to participate in the shipping competition on the Yangtze River route.

RS Butterfield said, "Well, I want to tell you that the Shanghai Shipping Merchants Bureau has sent someone to negotiate the acquisition with me. Even if the acquisition cannot be reached, they are willing to set a new unified price with me and stop the current low price competition."

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "We still need to consider greater cooperation. At least in my heart, the shipping business of Taikoo Yanghang has a very special role. I hope you will continue to maintain the existing low price competition. If there is a loss, I can personally pay to make up for your loss.

"So...!!?" RS Butterfield couldn't understand. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Taikoo Yanghang is a company listed in London. We can't hold a loss-making subsidiary for a long time."

Hu Chuyuan said, "Then please buy a small ocean bank and transfer the Yangtze River route business to the small ocean bank. I will invest in advance all the losses and continue to contribute to support the development of this shipping company. When the time is right, I will turn my debt into shares and completely acquire the company.

RS Butterfield is still a little suspicious.

Hu Chuyuan smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't worry, I won't set you up. This is entirely for political reasons. If Sigu Shipping Company withdraws from the shipping market, Jiangnan Shipping Bureau will lose the reason for low-cost competition, and I can't continue to squeeze Shanghai Shipping Investment Bureau.

RS Butterfield then understood that Hu Chuyuan's Jiangnan Shipping Bureau only implemented a low-price strategy under the pretext of Singkoo Shipping Company. The actual target of the run was the Shanghai Shipping Merchants Bureau.

He said, "Well, I will be happy to help. I think you should be the most famous businessman and capitalist in the Qing Empire, and this is one of the reasons why I came to you from Hong Kong. I really want to maintain a friendship and cooperative relationship with you. I believe that if you work with smart people, you will become smart. If you work with stupid people, you will also become stupid.

Hu Chuyuan said, "This statement is very interesting."

RS Butterfield said: "In fact, I can completely persuade the Swire family to transfer more shares to you, and in the London stock market, as long as you are willing to pay for shares, you can also absorb more shares of Swire. At least at this stage, the London stock market has not recovered from the global financial turmoil of 1866 and 1873, and the stock price of Taikoo is pitifully low.

Hu Chuyuan thought for a few questions and asked, "How much can I hold?"

RS Butterfield thought carefully for a moment and deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Please allow me to be honest with you that the current Swire market is a very bad low-priced stock, and the Swire family itself has no intention of continuing to operate. The circulating shares of foreign banks in the London stock market account for 32% of the total number of shares, a total of 1.2 million shares. At present, the price per share is less than 4 shillings, and the total price is less than 240,000 pounds, which is about 987,000 taels of silver. At present, we have 15.6% of the shares that can be sold to you immediately, and I am the second largest shareholder of Taikoo Yanghang, holding 17.4% of the shares, the Swire family holding 32%, and Mo Shiyang, the general buyer of Taikoo Yanghang, holds 3%.

Listening to RS Butterfield's words, Hu Chuyuan can't help but feel that as long as you have enough money, speculation opportunities are ubiquitous, and as long as you have enough money, cooperation opportunities are everywhere.

Among the many foreign banks in Shanghai, Taikoo is not even in the top ten, with a total market value of only 750,000 pounds. Because of the lack of capital, they have not developed well in the silk industry, which requires large-scale capital scheduling.

This is one of Hu Chuyuan's opportunities.

Before seeing the accounts of Taikoo Yanghang, it is impossible for Hu Chuyuan to blindly buy Taikoo Yanghang at a high price, but in terms of the current market value, he can take action.

He thought for a moment and said to RS Butterfield, "I will buy those outstanding stocks through the London stock market."

RS Butterfield said: "If you are willing to buy these stocks, I am very happy. In fact, I am now facing a difficult problem, that is, how to bring Taikoo Yangxing out of the current quagmire. The shipping industry was the direction I really wanted to make a breakthrough, but now I feel confused. Although I don't think the future of Shanghai Shipping Merchants Bureau will be bright, I am deeply afraid of the Jiangnan Shipping Bureau under your jurisdiction.

Hu Chuyuan said, "I have already said that your bank only needs to focus on ocean shipping and rely on the shipping business to operate minerals and other industries in the British colonies, which is the most stable way. If you really want to continue to ask, I hope your bank will enter the oil exploration industry and the iron mining industry in Australia.

RS Butterfield sighed: "Of course, this is very safe, but whether it is international shipping or the raw materials industry, this requires a large-scale capital injection. We can't raise enough funds in the stock market, and it is difficult for us to expand."

Hu Chuyuan said, "As long as I get enough shares, I will solve the problem of funds. You don't have to worry about this."

"So...!"

RS Butterfield finally opened up all the precautions and told Hu Chuyuan about his plan. The two cooperated together. RS Butterfield wanted to further increase his holdings, and Hu Chuyuan could also get more than 40% of the shares, or even more... Of course, this means that the Swire family has to Out of the game.

Hu Chuyuan agreed to cooperate.

He needed to control a British foreign-funded bank to do something, but he also had the conditions. He asked RS Butterfield to return to England early to pave the way for his purchase of warships in Europe.

They have a lot to talk about, not only the cooperation and acquisition with Taigu Yanghang, but also the cooperation between individuals.

With such a foundation, RS Butterfield left Fuzhou with great ambition the next day.

After sending him away, Hu Chuyuan returned to the ship's government, and Wu Shuzhen gave him a letter from Shanghai's Garden. The person who wrote the letter was Zhang Lingpu.

Zhang Lingpu has returned to Shanghai and brought back an arms purchase list with a total price of only 60,000 taels of silver. If Hu Chuyuan agrees to pay, he wants to purchase in Shanghai immediately and escort it to Guangxi in person.

When Hu Chuyuan finished reading the letter, Wu Shuzhen said, "I read the person who wrote the letter. It seems to be your cronies!"

Hu Chuyuan smiled and decided not to hide it from Wu Shuzhen. He said, "It is indeed my cronies. I sent him to Vietnam to contact a civilian general who was fighting with the French Expeditionary Force. You can also say that it was a mercenary force to fight for the Vietnamese court."

Wu Shuzhen was a little surprised and asked puzzledly, "Is it because the Qing court is sending you to do this?"

Hu Chuyuan said, "No, it's purely my personal behavior. I want to support this general to do a big career. You can also understand it as a special investment. I pay and he contributes."

Wu Shuzhen smiled faintly, clearly understood Hu Chuyuan's meaning, and reminded him, "Then you have to be more careful. This kind of thing can either make a lot of money or lose a lot.

Hu Chuyuan hummed and said, "Don't worry, this person can be invested."

Wu Shuzhen sighed, "You are really a very confident person."

Hu Chuyuan didn't say anything more. He wrote a letter to Zhang Lingpu, telling him that he had prepared a batch of arms in Wanqiyang, Hong Kong, and asked Zhang Lingpu to pick up the goods directly in Hong Kong. In the future, he would only need to deliver the goods in Hong Kong for the time being, and he did not have to set foot in the hinterland of Vietnam for the time being.

After writing the letter, he asked Hu Rong to come in, and Hu Rong personally sent it back to the garden and handed it to Zhang Lingpu. The facts were kept secret, and no one had to ask.

After dealing with these things, Hu Chu Yuancai and Wu Shuzhen said, "The general I want to invest in is actually a member of the army. After more than ten years of east and west, he has been chased by the court several times, and he can still live to this day, which is enough to prove this person's ability to use troops."

Wu Shuzhen couldn't help but be a little curious and said, "Such a person is really a strange person and worth investing in. Since Fist Delano is also here, it's better to discuss with him that Wanqi Yangxing will be responsible for supplying arms in the future. Even if it is known by the court, it will not be blamed on you.

Hu Chuyuan thought about it carefully and thought it was okay.

The key is to make Liu Yongfu bigger and stronger, to pose enough threats and production to the French, and he is responsible for paying.

Before the full-scale launch of the Sino-French War, if he could give Liu Yongfu 300,000 taels of silver a year, or even 1 million taels of silver a year, it would be a headache for the French.

He invited Fist Delano III over and discussed it together. He donated privately, while Wanqi Yanghang was responsible for trafficking arms, delivering arms in Hong Kong, Macao, or Guangxi, and Liu Yongfu himself was responsible for shipping them back to Vietnam.

Fister Delano III is a little scrupulous, but Hu Chuyuan and Wu Shuzhen agree with it. At present, Wanqi Yangxing is actually a joint decision between the three of them, and he can only agree.

This made Hu Chuyuan find that Wu Shuzhen was really not a very ordinary woman, and there was a special idea hidden in her heart, but she would not say it easily.

At this point, Hu Chuyuan can understand that she actually has hatred for the Qing court.