novelAbuy Chapter 86 London Textile Company 2)
Chapter 86 London Textile Company 2)
good good!
As expected of the British, this old tradition of banditry has never changed!
Mr. Chen almost laughed out of anger!
Although he knew that the British leadership could not ignore the interests of the cotton textile industry, the fact that they were paying so much attention to it now was indeed somewhat unexpected.
Do not!
The key should be the sewing machine!
A few days ago, when he went to St. James's Palace to see George III, he not only gave him and the Queen a spring-loaded carriage, but also five sewing machines, and mentioned the matter of sewing machine patent rights.
These people must have obtained a sample of the sewing machine from the king, discovered its efficiency improvement in clothing production, and realized what the combined Jenna spinning machine and sewing machine really meant!
It's important to know that in Europe today, ready-to-wear clothing is still made by skilled tailors who sew it by hand, bit by bit. This is incomparable to the efficiency of sewing machines. In the high-end ready-to-wear market, French tailors have always been the undisputed number one!
Britain has been eyeing France's luxury goods manufacturing industry for quite some time, and his sewing machine simply provided the perfect opportunity...
Of course, he was not afraid of being noticed when he decided to make a sewing machine, but the behavior of these guys made him very unhappy!
The idea of retaining 13% of the shares is something that might fool a child.
This time they plan to kick out the wealthy families in North America, so why can't they find a way to kick themselves out too?
He absolutely did not believe that he could retain so many shares in the London textile company for long. He was not a true nobleman, and he would be lucky to keep even one percent in the end!
Since he couldn't keep the company's shares in the long run, what else was there to say? He might as well find a way to cash out in advance, and then recruit as many talents as possible from Britain, and buy ships... Anyway, that was his main purpose in coming to Britain.
Furthermore, the foundation for developing the cotton textile industry is a sufficient supply of cotton, and within the scope of British control, only North America and India are suitable for large-scale cotton cultivation... The Southern Development Company is the key focus I should be paying attention to next!
In just a few breaths, Chen Wenbin understood the implications. He looked up at the three old men waiting for his response and smiled.
"...Sir Joseph! Sir Colbrook, Mr. Clement."
He read out the names of the three men, looked at them one by one, and then slowly shook his head and said, "Of course I understand that the interests of the country should come first, and I am willing to hand over the patent rights of the Diana sewing machine to the London Textile Company."
However, personal interests and national interests should not be in conflict!
Individuals who create value should receive sufficient rewards; otherwise, no one would be foolish enough to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the nation, right?
Old Joseph, seeing that he neither impulsively jumped up in opposition, nor weakly yielded, nor lost his temper to blame himself, couldn't help but admire him even more. He thought for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Robin, you're right, so we've decided to let you retain your shares..."
"Joseph!"
Chen Wenbin was too lazy to play along and interrupted him directly, saying, "We all know that shares that don't pay dividends are just wealth on paper!"
PUIC is the first company I founded, and it is the result of the hard work of me and many friends. We need to get real returns!
I don't think I need to remind you who the company's North American shareholders are, right? They're protesting in London over the 1763 Land Announcement!
If at this point they find out that their investment has been arbitrarily seized by London…
Chen Wenbin looked serious and didn't continue speaking, but his meaning was self-evident.
Old Joseph frowned upon hearing this. He looked at Colbrook, who remained silent, smoking his pipe while intently watching Chen Wenbin, seemingly assessing the veracity of his threat.
Chen Wenbin was naturally full of confidence and met his gaze without caring at all... He had practically tied all the top clubs in New England to his scheme, precisely to guard against this.
Do you think the British don't know that the powerful families in North America are all local tyrants and petty rulers?
Chen Wenbin did not believe that Colbrook and his group would escalate the conflict between Britain and North America at this time for some economic interests. Even if they insisted on their own way, the cabinet would not be able to ignore it.
London's taxation of North America might at most cause discontent in North America, but depriving North American businessmen and wealthy families of their private property would be a complete breach of the bottom line.
"...What do you want?"
After a moment of silence, Colebrook finally spoke.
It was his subordinate Warren Hastings' idea to transfer the sewing machine patent to the London Textile Company, but his plan was to find a way to get rid of the shares held by the North American shareholders and focus all his efforts on developing cotton textiles and garment manufacturing.
He had even planned that once he controlled the company, he would immediately start large-scale cotton planting in Bangladesh, India, and control the entire upstream and downstream of the industry.
However, Chen Wenbin's words just now made him have to consider the political risks involved... If the nouveau riche in the North American colonies reacted strongly, and the Prime Minister chose to compromise, he might lose his position and become a sacrifice!
He didn't dare gamble on that possibility, nor did he want to. He still wanted to enter the cabinet in the future, so there was no need to take the risk...
Seeing this reaction from the big boss, Chen Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had temporarily won.
But this is only temporary. Once London continues to tighten its tax policies on North America in the coming years and the conflict between the two sides intensifies, a greedy predator like Colbrook will certainly not hesitate to devour this piece of fat!
So he made the choice of maximizing short-term profits and left them with a promise...
……
Half an hour later, Chen Wenbin said goodbye and left.
Henry Coates saw him downstairs with a bitter expression, but when they reached the carriage, he hesitated to speak.
He knew that his father's choice had pushed this friend away... but he had no right to choose, and neither did his father.
"Robin..."
"Henry!" Chen Wenbin understood what he wanted to say and smiled honestly at him: "Business is business, and friendship is friendship!"
You are one of the few friends I've made in the New World, and I hope you can attend my wedding with Diana next month!
For a wedding gift, how about a case of Cuban cigars? You know, Robert's been into them lately!
"...No problem! No problem!"
Henry Coates breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, patting his chest and assuring him, "My father has many more in his collection. I'll give you three boxes, no! Five boxes!"
"Then it's settled!" Chen Wenbin nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and then boarded the carriage.
Once the carriage had driven westward and disappeared from sight, Henry Coates turned his gaze to a window of the London Guildhall building and sighed.