13 Ambition
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The Wealth Code Sharing Banquet was initially set at James's house, but his clout wasn't as extensive as Lawrent's.
Thus, the venue was urgently changed, and everyone moved to Lawrent's estate to once again visit the reclusive tycoon.
Zhu Wencong formally colluded with Lawrent, reaping profits together through various schemes and manipulations.
As for why Lawrent didn't go it alone, it's because Zhu Wencong worked for the officials—if the officials got screwed, then Lawrent would be in the line of fire.
As a result, other people losing money or going bankrupt didn't affect the fortune-making of Zhu Wencong and Lawrent.
Zhu Wencong and James stood at the entrance greeting guests; there was no helping it, their status was the lowest at the event.
Fiore went to Los Angeles to drum up investments, with Ibair attending this dinner in his stead, providing support for Zhu Wencong.
Upon seeing Ibair, Zhu Wencong understood they supported his partnership with Lawrent, though he didn't bother pondering their intentions.
Ibair shook hands with Zhu Wencong and left quickly, the intimacy of their relationship needing to be shown publicly.
"Mr. Nakata!" Zhu Wencong immediately approached Nakata Kouichi with enthusiasm as he appeared, giving him a meaningful look.
"Wencong! Thank you for your help!" Nakata Kouichi and Zhu Wencong hugged warmly.
"Let me introduce you, he is the great young master from the Japanese Islands, Nakata Kouichi.
This is my good friend James, the General Manager of a local mint," Zhu Wencong introduced them to each other.
James examined Nakata Kouichi carefully, himself being the first time witnessing a person from Japan in high society.
Easterners with their pigtails and the Japanese with their short stature—it was very easy to tell people from these two nations apart.
Nakata Kouichi introduced himself fluently in English, indeed a scholar!
James was amazed, realizing Nakata Kouichi didn't have any translators with him.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome Mr. Nakata Kouichi, who brings us wealth!" Zhu Wencong shouted from the stage.
"Clap clap clap!" The audience's eyes focused on Nakata Kouichi beneath the stage.
Nakata Kouichi felt nervous at this moment, unaccustomed to such grand occasions, afraid he'd give himself away on stage.
Nakata Kouichi, feeling Zhu Wencong's intense gaze, immediately remembered his advice: If you're at a loss, play the fool.
"Hahaha! Hahaha! America, our father, brings us industry!
That's why people in our country long to study in America, hoping that one day we can build up our industrial infrastructure.
Developing industry requires massive capital, but we lack a financing market and financial systems.
What we have are domestic resources, and by leveraging these, we hope to gain access to financing opportunities and establish a financial system," Nakata Kouichi paused.
"Thankfully, my friend Zhu is in America, and he has good relationships with officials and banks.
I hope with help from his friends, we can open the doors to finance and usher in the era of industry.
Currently, the outside world is unaware of this silver mine; only our family knows about it and guards it heavily.
Once we gather enough funds, we can complete the mining operation and give everyone a handsome return on their investment!" Nakata Kouichi exclaimed.
Zhu Wencong was stunned backstage; it turned out Nakata Kouichi was playing dumb to catch the wise, and he had underestimated him.
Looking vulnerable, but his ability to bluff was no less than Zhu Wencong's, especially in dramatization!
This is the story of a small country's rise, initially learning from the East and advancing to an agrarian civilization.
Eventually, all pride was shattered by America's mighty ships and cannons, and at this moment, they were acutely aware.
Not only had they signed various treaties, but their country had also become a colony, any resistance being futile.
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Nakata Kouichi knew that to break the shackles on him, he must advance to industrial civilization and become an industrial player!
"Clap clap clap!" Nakata Kouichi's impassioned speech won everyone's applause; everyone liked to hear the stories of underdogs struggling to succeed.
"Daring to play a game of pig eating a tiger with me!" Zhu Wencong knew that Nakata Kouichi also wanted a share of the pie.
Indeed, the Japanese were not to be underestimated; they were very good at disguising themselves and were extremely ruthless in their actions.
Zhu Wencong was grateful that he had pulled Lawrent into this, so that together they could take down this minor player when the time came.
"These are our officially authorized silver mine certificates, this is our official top-secret document!
If it were not for everyone's high status, I would have wanted to call our officials here.
We really do not have the capability to develop a silver mine with vast reserves, we dare not hold a jade and invite trouble.
America is our father, and together with our father, we want to develop this huge silver mine!" Nakata Kouichi presented a stack of documents.
Zhu Wencong stepped off the stage, not needing to make an appearance himself as Nakata Kouichi alone was sufficient.
Nakata Kouichi's thorough preparations were obviously communicated and authorized by the officials.
Zhu Wencong represented the federation wanting to make money to buy bonds, while Nakata Kouichi represented Japan's desire to make money for industrial development.
Japan would definitely support Nakata Kouichi's actions one hundred percent, and take the opportunity to teach America a lesson.
"Hahaha! Suddenly, things have become interesting!" Lawrent said beside Zhu Wencong.
"Ambitious wolves often do not end well!" Zhu Wencong said viciously.
Zhu Wencong had originally fabricated a silver mine to harvest the leeks, but to his surprise, Nakata Kouichi actually brought a real silver mine.
One couldn't help but admire the Japanese for their audacity; they started running before they had even learned to walk.
Finance has existed since the birth of America, while Japan is just beginning to learn about finance.
Nakata Kouichi was actually preparing to use finance to defeat America, a bold gamble reminiscent of their attack on the naval harbor.
"The Japanese are actually quite interesting! They are very weak, but they always like to challenge behemoths.
You probably don't know that they often form pirate groups to attack coastal cities in the East," Zhu Wencong recounted the history of Japan.
"Playing David against Goliath? Their ambitions are indeed great, but their abilities do not match their ambitions.
Don't worry! If he dares to interfere, I will let him understand the love from a father!" Lawrent laughed.
Zhu Wencong and Lawrent clinked glasses: "A father's profound affection!"
America has a serious problem with discrimination, and Lawrent would not allow outsiders to bully America, let alone let monkeys sit on their heads.
The end would certainly be very tragic for anyone who threatened America's interests.
Therefore, there was no need for Zhu Wencong to take action personally; all he needed was to lure Nakata Kouichi into crossing America's red lines.
"Mr. Wencong! I am extremely grateful!" Nakata Kouichi came off the stage, bowing to Zhu Wencong in thanks.
"No no no! I originally thought you would mess everything up, but I never expected you to be so outstanding!
Your country needs talents like you the most! One day you will surely surpass America!" Zhu Wencong encouraged Nakata Kouichi.
"Certainly! Surpassing America is just a matter of time!" Nakata Kouichi did not notice the old man beside Zhu Wencong.
If America had not turned towards industrialization 65 years ago, Japan really could have surpassed them, as the value of agriculture is far inferior to that of industry.
Just like the stagnant Manchu Qing, while the neighbors had started industrializing, there was not a stir on this side.