5 Charm
"So have you considered buying it?" Zhu Wencong didn't want to beat around the bush any longer.
"How about one thousand British Pounds?" James said with a slight smile. Earning 400 Pounds profit a month, where else could you find such a deal!
Zhu Wencong was stunned for a moment, thinking that the chatter earlier was worthwhile, earning a direct profit of a thousand Pounds.
It was a pity that he only had one boss; if he had several more, ascending through class wouldn't be a problem.
"Then I should make it clear, a 10% profit sharing per week, adding up to 40% profit sharing in a month.
The number of shares issued to the public is limited, available only for seven days. Within a month, you can sell or buy them.
At the end of the month, we will repurchase them at market value. Perhaps I need not say much; you probably understand these things better than I do."
"The risks of the market cannot be avoided, especially during times of war when market volatility is significant." Zhu Wencong spoke knowingly.
James acknowledged he understood, confident that he would cash out at the peak and smartly make his exit, definitely not end up as the sucker.
After all, his counterparts are all inexperienced Easterners, who will undoubtedly pay tuition for their first investment in life.
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, as Zhu Wencong just said. The market carries risks, and there are many unforeseen factors.
Those who recommend stocks are no different from swindlers. James himself had been duped several times—the key was whether you dared to gamble.
"I now have a problem that I'm not sure how to solve. Could you give me some advice?" James brought the topic back on track.
"No problem!" Zhu Wencong readily agreed.
James sat beside Zhu Wencong, gave serious thought for a while, and organized his somewhat chaotic thoughts.
"Isn't there a constant war over there? Both the North and the South are actually broke, unable to even pay their soldiers.
Our side has become their creditor, but I feel like it's going to be tough to collect the money.
The South has the backing of England, but we know what kind of people the English are; they offer no practical help.
The North keeps retreating, and those bone-crushing capitalists are too greedy. I'm afraid they might overplay their hand and self-destruct."
"The debt from the North might not be recoverable, and the South, they'll undoubtedly keep owing without paying it back." James was in anguish.
"Your boss is anxious?" Zhu Wencong indicated he understood.
James was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't mentioned a thing, so how did Zhu Wencong know he had a boss behind him?
War profiteering indeed offers huge profits, but without certain capabilities and methods, one cannot profit from it.
Many consider it a prime opportunity, but in reality, it's just supplying military funds or giving warmth to others.
The risk and return on investment are directly proportional. James's boss was somewhat eager to exit and not get involved in this mess.
"He is a bit anxious, mainly because we simply can't see a promising future; the present is all chaos.
The South might seem powerful, but in reality, we don't like them; they're obstructing the development of finance.
Strictly speaking, we are with the Northern Faction, but we're far from capable of competing for profit against those capitalists.
I heard that the Northern Faction is planning to issue bond currencies to resolve the big problem of military expenses." James shared what he knew.
"Greenbacks?" Zhu Wencong was a bit surprised; the precursor to greenbacks was bond currency!
When the North ran out of money, they could only issue IOUs: if they won, it became currency; if they lost, it was just paper.
Through the operations of a group of bankers, bond currency was rapidly snapped up, gaining monetary value.
Zhu Wencong was ready to grab a piece of the action. The world was unclear on bond currency; this was a perfect opportunity.
As long as he secured a certain quota, he could acquire the right to issue currency, and a lifetime of glory and wealth was assured.
"Do you think it's better to exit or to continue siding with the Southern Faction?" James was somewhat lost.
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"Why not consider switching to a different team? You were originally with the Northern Faction, so why insist on squeezing into the Southern Faction?
Although the Southern Faction is currently in power, the factions will instantly change after this war is over.
I can tell you with certainty that the Northern Faction will be able to achieve ultimate victory!
Why? The leader decides everything!" Zhu Wencong explained thoroughly.
"That person you're talking about? Yes! I think so too! He's very bold, capable, and resourceful!
The problem is! He can't change the current situation, and the winners are the South, not the Union Army!" James emphasized.
Once you choose the Northern Faction and the war ends in failure, all investments will go down the drain.
James thought that the boss's idea to pull out was great, it's better not to get involved at all—the risk coefficient is too high.
Zhu Wencong fell silent, he couldn't possibly reveal that next year's declaration would directly reverse the situation.
The current situation was that Prince Li had already reached the gates of the capital, and Chongzhen was about to hang himself on the Crooked Neck Tree.
"James! Have you ever heard the phrase: 'Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful'?
Pulling out is indeed a very good idea, but don't you want to have even more?
If the Northern Faction loses, those who will suffer most aren't you, but the capitalists!
Those capitalists will make the right choice at the brink of life and death, the greater their wealth, the greater their power." Zhu Wencong made it clear it was a war fueled by money.
With that declaration and some bonds and currency, the Northern Faction has the people and the money; taking down Richmond would be a simple matter.
"'Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful'? I really like that phrase!
I will pass your suggestion on to the boss, but I think he won't listen.
Zhu, are you going to stand with the Northern Faction? There's a banquet tonight, would you like to attend?" James invited.
"Of course, no problem! But I don't have a suit right now!" Zhu Wencong pointed to his own plain clothes.
James gave his secretary a look; he still had clothes from his younger days, all hanging in the closet.
Having Zhu Wencong as his assistant might enable him to find many useful business opportunities at the banquet.
"This banquet will have people from both the Southern and Northern Factions, their purpose here is to attract investment.
The boss may not approve of your idea, but I believe you, and as a private individual, I will stand with the Northern Faction.
People from the Southern Faction are easy to coax; they're a bunch of simple-minded Farm Owners with little financial knowledge.
Those from the Northern Faction are too shrewd, but I think you'll have no problem dealing with them!" James said bluntly.
Zhu Wencong put down his coffee cup; dealing with the capitalists of the Northern Faction was out of his league for now.
At most, he could dig a big hole for them to jump into; they were fools with more money than sense in his eyes.
The course of history decided the direction of the economy, and they didn't have Zhu Wencong's prescient 'cheat' ability.
"Are you from the aristocracy?" Zhu Wencong suddenly asked.
"What? Me... I'm not! My grandfather was an Englishman of Dutch heritage, I'm an American!" James didn't know how to introduce his family background.
"To be honest, I am actually royalty!" Zhu Wencong sat up straight, his face beaming with confidence.
At this point, James's mouth was so wide open it could fit an egg; he didn't know much about the East but had heard that they had many royal families.
Zhu Wencong saw the look of admiration in James's eyes and couldn't help but smile knowingly; those foreigners indeed judged a book by its cover.
Without a distinguished family background, no matter how rich you are, you are looked down upon and cannot blend into the circles of high society.
Over here in Europe and America, they emphasize the ranking of titles, and many Americans, once they get rich, go to the West to get a baronetcy to elevate their status.
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