"At the time of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Your ancestor Nathan. Rothschild planted messengers on the battlefield in advance, and when he knew in advance that France was defeated, without saying a word, he went straight to the exchange, and his first move was to sell all the public bonds in his hands. The words 'Britain lost' instantly flooded the entire exchange, and everyone panicked to sell, panicking that a hundred pounds of public debt could fall to five pounds in an instant, but at this time, Nathan. Rothschild, on the contrary, ate all the public debt, and by the time the news of Britain's victory came, the price had risen to the sky. Rothschild alone made a profit of 230 million pounds, equivalent to $50 billion now. Warren Buffett has invested for more than 50 years, and as of 2003, before the Iraq War, his net worth was only $50 billion. Cases like this are not uncommon in the history of the Rothschilds. Some people asked, why is it always the Rothschilds who can catch up with such a profit? Some people analyze that this Rothschild is a genius who seizes opportunities, but some people say that every investment you make has a black hand behind it. In fact, whether it is Napoleon's Waterloo or Rothschild's triumphal arch, we still see it in the classic cases of Harvard Business School. Everyone has to see and learn. I think this story should be very familiar to you, right? ”

Chen Feng's words were even more direct.

Obviously David. Rothschild still didn't mind Chen Feng's question, stretched out two fingers and said: "I want to evaluate two points, in fact, even now, no one really knows how much profit was at that time, the second point I want to say is that every time the story is wonderful, all are talking about how much money someone made, but no one pays attention, once we fail to invest at that time, we will lose nothing." ”

This evasive answer naturally made Chen Feng feel not very satisfied, and then asked: "Let's look back at this history today, will you be proud of your ancestor Nathan's approach back then, or do you think that there are some things you don't agree with in his approach?" If it were you, you were waiting at this dock at the time, you were the one who heard the news, and you were the one who made the decision, would you use the same way, or would there be another solution? ”

David. Rothschild shook his head with a smile and said: "That's the case, this question is difficult to answer, it's hard for me to put myself in my shoes, if it was what I would have done at that time, but the charm of history is also this, that is, it can't be imagined, and it can't be reproduced." ”

Chen Feng saw that he had avoided this topic again, so he had to continue: "How many times have your family seized opportunities in their own development history. Probably no one has done a special statistic. As far as I know, in 1802, your family seized the opportunity of the Danish royal family's financial constraints to obtain a loan to the royal family, and from then on entered the palace of doing business with governments. Between 1798 and 1813, Tong Guò financed the British army from £20,000 to £50 million. In 1898, he bought a stake in the Suez Canal and received an annual income of 56%. I think any opportunity will make us excited, but we often ask, why is it always your family that seizes the opportunity? ”

David. Rothschild took a sip of coffee and said leisurely: "You were able to seize the opportunity because the times make heroes, let me give you a new example, in 1982, when our bank in France was nationalized, we had to move from the bank founded by my predecessor James 200 years ago to a very small office, at that time there were only me, my father and our two secretaries, a total of four people. Now, after 26 years in business, we are one of the most successful investment banks in France, with more than 650 employees, and we are now a market leader. ”

Actually, the Rothschilds, in terms of risk aversion. It's also a genius. When the Titanic went to sea in 1911, almost all insurance companies were vying to insure the ship. But Rothschild's Royal Sun Insurance Company was unmoved. After the sinking of the Titanic, someone asked Rothschild, how could you be prescient? His reply was an understatement: "I think the ship is too big for it to float." ”

As early as more than 100 years ago, they came to China. He also had an extraordinary friendship with Li Hongzhang, an important minister, and in their family's Beijing office, a letter written by Li Hongzhang to their family at that time is still posted. After the reform and development, they returned to China. The people who have business dealings with them are well-known companies such as Sinopec, PetroChina, Haier, and Alibaba.

In the 20th century, when the world saw the boom in financial derivatives, many investment banks made a fortune as a result, but the family never did it. To this, the family's answer was: "As a separate family, it would be too stupid to invest in financial derivatives." ”

"You mentioned that in 1981, President François Mitterrand nationalized all the French banks at that time, so a lot of private banks actually exited this market. No one else can see the opportunity, why do you think you can enter this market again at this time and continue to be a private banker? Chen Feng asked with some curiosity.

David. Rothschild replied: "Actually, when the French private banks were nationalized, it was not because of economic and market reasons, and the nationalized banks were completely different from the private banks that I was going to set up next, and they were also very different from the British private banks, so the nationalization at that time gave us such an opportunity to integrate the advantages of British and French banks."

But in 1982, we were still limited to not being able to open a bank under our Rothschild name for a few years, and at that time, the Rothschild brand had been passed down for five generations and the reputation was admired by everyone, but we could not use the Rothschild name to set up a bank. We all thought it was unfair, and it was so unfair. On the contrary, it gives us more motivation for development. ”

"I remember the first generation of Rothschild who used to say something like 'I squat, I kneel, to jump higher'. It is precisely such a sentence as a subtext that we see that after 33 years of hard work, your Rothschilds have won the first opportunity to manage the royal family. The following sentence is the words of the fifth generation of Rothschild: "The era will never stop moving forward because there is no Rothschild, only Rothschild will follow the times." There is also a saying that one of the Rothschilds said, 'We must walk with the king.' Is this really one of our ancestral teachings? ”

"I guess so." David. Rothschild nodded slightly, then added, "But now it will be a little different." Where are these changes? There is an ancestral precept that has not been officially written, but it is basically our subtext, that is, women in the family are not allowed to do business, but this is no longer the case today. You look at my daughter, I'm glad she's a banker. So that is to say, we should change with the times, and when the times change, then Rothschild must also change, so that you can be more accurate about your family's positioning, your own positioning. ”

"So what do you think is the secret of your family's success?" Chen Feng directly asked the core question.

"What do you think is the secret to success?" David. After a pause, Rothschild said, "Of course, the field in which our family is engaged requires you to have good judgment, but only if you have a lot of information and intelligence, because if you close yourself off and then work behind closed doors, you will definitely not succeed." So for us as a family, we have a tradition that we will keep, and that is that we are very close to the government. So we know what the government thinks, we know what the public thinks, what the public fears, and we're very close to the big companies, so we know their strategies very well, and we're also a family with a long history, and although we've become more conservative, we've accumulated a lot of wealth and other things, and we've worked hard over generations, so your judgment is definitely sharper. ”

"So can you tell me how you seized the opportunity?" Chen Feng picked up the coffee pot. Fill his cup with coffee.

David. Rothschild thanked him softly and said: "In my opinion, there are too many opportunities for business investment in this world, there are too many opportunities for investment, but if you think about making money all day long, or if you always care too much, you will often make mistakes, but if you are willing to sit down, think about it, and calm down, you will identify good investment opportunities." Now that the financial crisis is coming to an end, there are already many investment opportunities. I think the smartest investment is not to invest too often, but to seize the key opportunities and do what you really know and what you can do well. We should be a calm bystander, not an active actor. ”

"In the financial crisis that broke out in Iraq, many large companies suffered heavy losses, do you think these companies have caused this result because they have invested too much?"

David. Rothschild nodded slightly: "Everyone wants to be in control of their own destiny, but if you want to control your destiny, there is actually a limit to what you can do." There is a saying in our French that says that no matter how big your appetite is, you can't eat everything, because you can't digest it if you eat too much, and I think this applies to any business. You can grow your business as much as you can, you can grow by 10%, 15% a year, and make your business bigger and more prosperous, but if you do it too much, you may lose your soul. ”

"There are media reports that the Rothschilds have nothing to lose in this financial crisis, is that true?"

David. Rothschild said with a smile: "If we say that we are smart because we have nothing to lose, I think it is unfair to other financial institutions." We avoided losses, but that doesn't mean we're the smartest, only that we're probably the most conservative. Because we are in the sixth generation. So we're more cautious. A lot of the world's wealth is now in the hands of very talented people, who invest a lot, they have a lot of debt, they have a lot of leverage. Because of this, they may have made a lot of money and created a lot of wealth. But when the crisis comes, their debts will not decrease, while their income will decrease. In fact, I appreciate your Huateng International Holding Investment Group's performance in this financial crisis. You are completely against the trend, prescient, and only today's financial predator Messer can match you. ”

"Isn't it understandable that because you are conservative, you have not been affected in this financial crisis that has swept the world?" Chen Feng looked at him with a smile.

David. Rothschild laughed: "Yes, I think it makes sense. If your wealth has been passed down for six generations, then you will obviously be more conservative than the first generation, because we want to last longer. And we provide financial services, not capital operations, so we have less risk. ”

Chen Feng further asked: "In the words just now, are there two words that are very obvious: conservative? Is there a contradiction between conservatism and innovation? ”

"I like your assessment, but I don't think there's a contradiction between the two. I'll say something personal, I've been in business for 40 years and I'm 68 years old. I've made mistakes, I've had successes, and I feel that dedication is very valuable. If your family member is sick and you can't sleep, it's understandable. If you can't sleep at night because of business, it's not necessary. I've met a lot of people who always want to get richer, but you have to know that there needs to be a limit to this kind of thing. You have to have your own ambitions, and I have ambitions, but that doesn't mean you don't need to be conservative, ambition and conservatism don't contradict each other.

I want our family business to be passed on, and I want us to become more global, more influential, and more professional. But that doesn't mean I'm always thinking about how to get richer. One of my ancestors said that a person can only sit in a chair, drive a car, and sleep in a bed. Wealth is a process of accumulation, and if you want to get rich all the time, it can backfire. One more important point is this. Being conservative does not mean going backwards, but moving forward cautiously. ”

"A lot of people are probably investing too much, so they've been hurt a little bit by this financial crisis. But your family also has a lot of investments, such as De Beers, a diamond company in South Africa, which owns 70% of the world's diamond production; For example, the three major iron ore giants Vale, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, their iron ore production also occupies 70% of the global market share, these companies actually have the Rothschild family behind them, you invested in them, right? Chen Feng stared at him.

David. Rothschild smiled: "If someone asks me this question, I will definitely deny that we have a stake in these large enterprises, and in fact our family does not directly participate in these large enterprises, but for you, I can be honest with you." Yes, our family has indirect equity participation in these major mining companies. ”

"The Grand Hôtel Saint-Jacques in France, which is the hotel that many leaders want to stay in when they visit France, and Lafite, which is also invested by your family, right?" Chen Feng asked with some envy. He is also very fond of Lafite wines. If he could, Chen Feng really wanted to spend money to buy it.

"We quit this hotel many years ago. But winemaking is very important to us. We have a Château Lafite, which was founded in 1868 by our ancestor James, and we still have the investment in the winery, and we sell Lafite all over the world. ”

"Previously, I only knew that your family was a financial empire, but now we know that your investment has entered the industry from the financial industry, which is very different from what I originally imagined. But now we see that many people are merging and restructuring, making themselves bigger and bigger in an industry; And what are the reasons for the fact that you are constantly diversifying into different industries? This is a question that Chen Feng wants to ask very much, because others are trying to strengthen themselves, but the Rothschilds seem to be deliberately "cutting off" themselves.

"We're diversifying, and in a sense, it's a family line. Banking, art and wine are three of our family's favourite industries. Our family never puts all of our assets in one basket, and we have always insisted on diversification. Our family believes that infrastructure construction is very important, so the family has made a lot of investments in this area since then, even including railways in China, India and other places, and our family has invested in the early days. We are also investing in railways in France. In addition, we are very fond of natural resources, so we have acquired a lot of mines. But that doesn't mean we don't invest in new areas, just that these are traditional areas that our family has always invested in. For our family, our wealth is constantly accumulating. It turns out that each time we enter a new field, this new field later becomes a very important area for the world economy. ”

Obviously David. Rothschild's answer made Chen Feng not very satisfied, and continued to ask: "You just talked about diversification, and many people have noticed the diversification of your investment. Some people say that the Rothschild family may have been more like an aircraft carrier in the past, but today you have a different way, so that everyone thinks that you are a bit like a potential underwater submarine, and even sometimes you can't see the Rothschild family in the investment. ”

David. Rothschild frowned slightly and said: "I don't think this impression is correct. We didn't deliberately hide ourselves, nor did we deliberately keep a sense of mystery and a low profile. I don't think there's any point in talking about oneself all the time. Of course, if you are able to maintain a certain sense of mystery, then you should live a little longer. Because people who are often exposed by the media can become very arrogant, and people will always see you and find it annoying, and I don't want to be such a person. ”

Chen Feng said with a smile: "If I consulted you before the outbreak of the financial crisis, and now there are financial derivatives everywhere, it seems very tempting, should I buy financial derivatives?" What kind of advice would you give me? ”

David. Rothschild couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "You should ask this question to your subordinate of the 'financial czaress', not me." However, if you ask me, this is not an easy question to answer. Do you know what the characteristics of this financial crisis are? It is characterized by 'almost all assets are diving', and if all assets are diving, this is not normal, because some good assets and good companies will be killed by mistake. If you have a long-term vision, it's time to pick a good business that has been wrongly killed and buy it. Once the market bottoms out, you should go to the bottom, and everyone should have this bottom-buying mentality, but few people know when the bottom will be reached. If you're a cautious person with a medium- to long-term perspective, I'd advise you like this. If you're a person who is in a hurry to make a quick buck, I guess that's all you have to ask yourself, hehe. I think you should have your own opinion on financial investment. ”

David. Rothschild's last sentence made Chen Feng feel a little surprised, as if he really knew something about himself. However, Chen Feng didn't pay much attention to it, and then asked: "Financial derivatives have made many people make a lot of money, and when you see others engaged in financial derivatives, don't you have an impulse in your heart?" I know that you don't seem to have any interest in these derivatives. ”

David. Rothschild replied: "Financial derivatives, this is too easy to answer. Financial derivatives is a very complex business, so if you have a strong strength, very expensive IT equipment, and a very mature ability to control risks, then you can succeed. But even so, it wasn't that long ago that you knew that a lot of investment banks were losing a lot of money in derivatives. That's why I said that only those big financial institutions can afford to do this kind of financial derivatives, but for a single family, it would be stupid for you to also do financial derivatives. Of course, I know that in the past 20 years, these financial derivatives have created a lot of wealth, but many people say that financial derivatives have made many people make money, but they don't say that there have been many people who have been disappointed in the past 20 years. ”

"I've noticed that you're not only going to abandon these high-reward but high-risk products, but you're also deliberately staying away from high-speed development. Why is that? ”

David. Rothschild shook his head and said, "We don't really want to avoid this kind of high growth, I'll give you an example to illustrate this problem, for example, our office in London is more than 200 years old, and in the middle of the financial crisis we removed it, and then we had to rebuild a very expensive office building with 14 floors." Do you think it's conservative or cautious? I don't think so. So you should be conservative when you are conservative, but you should still do it when you feel that things should be done. ”

Chen Feng nodded and said: "In many books describing the Rothschild family, there is often a sentence mentioned, 'When others are pessimistic, it is often when the family sees hope'. I'm curious to know, in this financial crisis, do you see the opportunity, where is the opportunity? ”

"That's an interesting question." David. Rothschild took a sip of coffee before he continued, "The impact of this economic crisis is very far-reaching, both in terms of breadth and depth. Our entire financial order has been strongly impacted, and the financial system is seriously ill. Asset prices are now falling sharply around the world, even those of better quality. So from an investment point of view, now that the financial crisis is nearing its end, investment opportunities will soon come. There are many business opportunities and many areas to invest in. If you think about making money every day, or care a lot about how much money you make, you will often make mistakes. If you're willing to sit down and think about it, you'll be able to identify a lot of good investment opportunities. I think the smartest investment is not to invest too often, but to take advantage of the key opportunities. So I think a lot of times, we should be a calm bystander, not be an active actor. ”

"I looked up a lot of information and found that most of the descriptions of your family are from before the 20th century, and there is very little information about you after World War II. Is this a deliberate gesture made by the family to the public? ”

"No, it's not." David. Rothschild shook his head and said, "In the 19th century, our family was very powerful, we had a lot of money, we could participate in some very important affairs, and we could even lend money to a country, a government, and we had businesses all over the world. But now even the richest people can't afford to lend to a country, a government. Because the world has changed. Of course, our family has changed with the times, and our wealth is divided among our children and grandchildren. We have also encountered challenges, and our biggest challenge is how to take control of our own destiny? At the same time, we must not forget some of the family roots: we have to have our own influence, and we still have to keep in touch with those who have influence; But we no longer play the role of 'financing', we are more of a 'public' role. As far as our family is concerned, we don't care how much money we have. In the past, the Rothschilds have always maintained good relations with some dignitaries or elites, and our ability lies in providing them with funds or being their think tank. We often come across interesting investment projects, many of which involve the government, and some very interesting people. I've seen a lot of rich people, but they don't have any influence; They may have a lot of wealth, but they can't influence others. What we inherit from our ancestors is not only family business, but also influence. ”

"Judging from the more than 200 years of history of your family, what should we do and what should we not do?" Chen Feng looked at him with an expression of humility seeking advice.

David. Rothschild said with admiration: "This question is difficult to answer, I believe everyone has a different opinion. Some people are born to be a top trader, a top trader, and are able to sniff out business opportunities. I think these people are special people. In the first generation of Rothschild, there may have been a little bit of this talent for business. But in the generations that come after us, we may not have that talent. For those who do not have talent, it is necessary to be like a farmer, to observe the situation diligently, and then make the best decision. ”

"Thank you, I have benefited a lot from talking to you." Chen Feng sincerely thanked.

David. Rothschild smiled and said: "I am very happy to be able to talk to you, an outstanding young hero. In fact, if you really want to talk about it, we have already dealt with your Huateng Group, and a few months ago, you Huateng bought the shares of two major Hollywood film companies, which is the mediation work we did. ”

Chen Feng didn't know about this, and couldn't help nodding at the moment: "I see, I really thank you last time." ”

"That's what we do, and there's no thanks." David. Rothschild said with a smile.

Immediately afterward, the two chatted for nearly half an hour before ending the conversation.

After the conversation between the two, Chen Feng came out of the room and returned to his bedroom, to see that the time was already more than nine o'clock in the evening, and it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon when the time difference was calculated, Chen Feng called Hongye and told him that he would fly back to China tomorrow.

The two chatted for nearly an hour before hanging up the phone with each other, and Chen Feng was about to call Karina, but unexpectedly received an unfamiliar phone number. Look at the number shown should be British.

After hesitating for a while, Chen Feng answered.

"Hello, are you long, Chinese name Chen Feng?" On the other end of the line was a female voice speaking English.

Although Chen Feng was a little surprised, the other party actually knew his phone number, but he immediately replied affirmatively: "Yes, I am Chen Feng, who are you?" What's the matter with me? ”

"Hello Long, I'm Ruth, senior assistant to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Turner, I have been commissioned by the Prime Minister to invite you to the Prime Minister's House in Downing Street tomorrow. ”

Chen Feng couldn't help but be stunned when he heard the news, Blair actually invited him to Downing Street as a guest? It was a bit of a surprise for him.

After hesitating for a while, Chen Feng still said honestly: "I'm sorry, I have already planned to leave the UK by plane early tomorrow morning, so I can only say sorry for Prime Minister Blair's invitation." He still remembered rushing back to celebrate his eldest son's first birthday. Of course, there is not much time to delay in the UK. What's more, he didn't have much affection for Blair in the first place.

"Long, Prime Minister Tony Blair is very sincere in inviting you to Downing Street. So, please don't say no. "Ruth. "If you think so, it's very rude, and I ask you to think about it." ”

Hearing her say this, Chen Feng hesitated a little, in the original history, this Blair was re-elected as British Prime Minister for three consecutive terms, and it is obviously not good to offend him now. After all, he is the head of the old empire of Great Britain.

After pondering for a while, Chen Feng said very reluctantly: "Okay then." Can you try to schedule it for tomorrow morning, though? ”

"Yes, the Prime Minister told me a long time ago to let me listen to you as much as possible." Speaking of this, she paused deliberately, "Then, the time will be scheduled for nine o'clock tomorrow morning." ”

Of course, Chen Feng hopes that the sooner the better, although nine o'clock is a little late, but after all, he is the prime minister, and Chen Feng acquiesces.

After a night without a word, Chen Feng got up the next day, with the mentality of a quick decision, and set off towards Downing Street with his accompanying bodyguards as soon as possible.

Downing Street is located in Whitehall in central London, on the corner of the Horse Guards Parade Ground and St James's Park, just minutes from Westminster Palace. Downing Street by George. Sir Downing, the first generation of the Baron, named after him. Downing himself was a soldier and diplomat, who served as a former military officer for Oliver. Cromwell and King Charles II played. Later, Charles II gave Downing a piece of land close to St. James's Park, which is known today as Downing Street. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Party Whip all moved to the side of the street, and according to the official Downing Street website, the last person to live in Downing Street as a private person was Mr. Chicken, but there is little information about him, except that he moved out of Downing Street in the 1730s. The other side of the street was occupied by the buildings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the 19th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were plans to demolish the Foreign Office building along with the rest of Downing Street to make way for something "more contemporary", but the plan was shelved and has not yet been implemented.

Downing Street as it is now known came from the mastermind of one man, and he was George. Downing. He was a bold "10 Downing Street Closed Door Scoundrel" – a spy and traitor – who saw that building a house in a prime part of London was a good way to make a fortune quickly. In Cromwell's inner circle, he was appointed British ambassador to The Hague in the Netherlands, where he fought against the British royal family in exile. But after Cromwell's death in 1658, Richard took his place. Downing recognized the imminent decline of the Commonwealth, and he began to fight for his place in the new regime. He completely betrayed his former allies in favor of allegiance to the king. To this end, the diary writer Samuel. Peppis described him as a "perfidious scoundrel". Fortunately, the King of England recognized the value of the information Downing had obtained. Although he spent two months in the Tower of London, he still received many honors and rewards after the restoration of the dynasty.

The period of the thirties of the eighteenth century changed dramatically. Powerful monarchs were replaced by parliament, and the placement of the chief minister in a building befitting their status became a high priority. King George II of England gifted the house on Downing Street and the house overlooking the British Royal Guard to Robert. Sir Warber. His title at the time was First Chancellor of the Exchequer and effectively played the role of First Prime Minister. Warber was reluctant to take the Downing Street estate as a personal gift. Instead, he asked the King to allow him and his successors to use it within their purview. To this day, 10 Downing Street is the official residence of British Prime Ministers. The mailbox next to the door still has the words "First Chancellor of the Exchequer" engraved at that time.

Lord North was made First Lord in 1770 and he became the next Prime Minister to move into Downing Street. During his administration, 10 Downing Street added some of its most distinctive features – a black-and-white checkerboard floor to the portico and the famous lion's head knocker to the door.

At the turn of the 1877-1937th century, 10 Downing Street was transformed into a modern and magnificent residence. At the outbreak of World War I, the Cabinet Room became the center of state control. On November 11, 1918, when the war was finally declared over, citizens gathered in Downing Street. George proved the news to them through the window.

Pitt, Britain's youngest prime minister, who lived at 10 Downing Street from 1783 to 1801 and from 1804 to 1806, made 10 Downing Street a gathering place for political activity. Here he developed some of the most influential programs, including parliamentary reform and free trade programs, among others. Pitt was hospitable and fond of drinking Bordeaux red wines, and he invited guests to the residence, including William. Wilberforce (who worked on the abolition of serfdom) and George. Canning (later as Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister). Pitt died in 1806 at the age of 46. He lived at 10 Downing Street for 20 years, making him the longest-serving British prime minister.

Downing Street has been inhabited by different officials. In some cases (e.g. coalition government formation), 11 Downing Street is not the Chancellor's official residence, but will be resided by the Deputy Prime Minister or a person with the status of Deputy Prime Minister. Sometimes officials living in Downing Street do not actually make Downing Street their residence, but only appear in formal settings. British Prime Minister William. Gladstone occupied 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street from 1881. The reason for this is that he was also the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time. Since the British Labour Party won the general election in 1997, the allocation of housing in Downing Street has changed again. As Blair was married and had three children when he became prime minister, he initially moved to the more spacious 11 Downing Street. Brown, who was still unmarried when he took office, moved to the smaller 10 Downing Street. Nominally, 10 Downing Street is still nominally the Prime Minister's official residence, and the related offices have not been moved. However, later, due to the birth of a fourth child during Blair's tenure, Gordon. Brown got married again, and both families needed more space, so Bellia went on to occupy 10 Downing Street, Gordon. The Brown family had no choice but to move to a nearby private apartment.