Liuhe Road, Yuchen Gauze Factory.

Yu Chen's word "morning" has long been difficult to read clearly because of the wind and rain.

When you have a beautiful factory, buying the most advanced machinery from Hong Kong, the bosses and shareholders have rolled up their sleeves and are ready to do a big job.

But it didn't take long for Yuchen to finally lose it under the impact of foreign goods with better quality and cheaper prices, and finally closed down.

There is no way, this is the sadness of China's national industry.

There was a group of ambitious Chinese businessmen who wanted to save the country through their own efforts, and they opened new factories and purchased a large number of machines to recruit workers, and they were very ambitious.

Unfortunately, in the end, they were defeated.

It's not that they don't work hard enough, it's that the environment in which they survive is too difficult.

Foreigners who set up factories and companies in Shanghai are protected and treated favorably everywhere, all of which are not enjoyed by Chinese businessmen.

Even those ruffians dared to go to the factories of Chinese businessmen twice in three days to make trouble and extort money.

Not to mention patrols, green gang leaders, and so on.

And the heavy taxes also overwhelmed them.

There is a flour mill, and through its own efforts, it is thriving.

But at this time, foreign flour from the United States arrived.

One produces locally, with cheap labor and no transportation costs.

A family was shipped from the United States and sailed across the ocean, which cost a lot of money.

Originally, it was clear who won and who lost.

But the reality is not like this.

A bag of flour, this Chinese factory, from production to factory to sale, should pay all kinds of taxes fifty-three.

That's right, just more, no less.

This was the result of the Nationalist Government's vigorous rectification of all kinds of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in 1934.

Before 1934, ordinary people had to pay taxes to the government when they used scales, rulers, and buckets; If the boat does not open, you have to pay taxes, and the springboard used to get on and off the ship must also pay special taxes; Straw mats and cloth bags are subject to taxes; There is a tax to tie a pig, a tax to tie a pig rope, and even a chicken to kill.

After the rectification, the situation has improved somewhat, but it is not much better.

Taxes, which are divided into regular taxes and miscellaneous taxes.

Positive taxes, collected by the government. Miscellaneous taxes, which are set by local governments themselves.

In terms of miscellaneous taxes, there are deed tax registration fee, deed paper surcharge, deed tuition, deed paper surcharge construction fee, deed paper donation, deed paper foundation, public welfare donation by the supervisor, stove class surcharge, stove class surplus, and certificate donation......

Those who can recite the names of the dishes and say cross talk may not be able to recite all these tax names.

Killing a pig and slaughtering a cow is the same as selling bags of flour, and there are fifty-three kinds of taxes.

Among them, there are "pork donations, fat pig pot donations, and cooked meat donations".

This means that if I kill a pig, I must first pay taxes on pork, on the pot for roasting pork, and on the meat when it is cooked.

So in this case, the cost of a bag of flour at the local Chinese flour mill far exceeded that of foreign flour.

Under the impact of the roaring and low-priced foreign flour, the flour mill collapsed and declared bankruptcy after less than half a year of resistance.

The same is true for Yuchen gauze factory.

Meng Shaoyuan could even imagine how sad and helpless the owners and shareholders of this gauze factory were when they declared bankruptcy.

"Hey, this is the factory, private, please leave!"

A foreigner appeared behind the iron gate of the gauze factory and shouted loudly in stiff Chinese.

Meng Shaoyuan smiled.

In Shanghai, the janitors used in various factories are all Chinese, when have you ever seen foreigners come to see the door?

"Go away, go away." The foreigner kept waving his hand.

"Shut up!"

Meng Shaoyuan's voice was not loud, but this foreigner really shut up.

Of course, what he was afraid of was not Meng Shaoyuan, what he was afraid of was the gun in Meng Shaoyuan's hand!

"Go tell Hawes that his friend Charles Meng is here!"

"Okay, okay."

The foreigner hurriedly ran in.

It's fucking cheap.

Meng Shaoyuan scolded and put away the gun.

After waiting for a short time, I saw Hoyce Beckett hurriedly walking out of the factory: "Hey, Meng, why are you so angry and use a gun?" ”

Meng Shaoyuan smiled: "Because your people won't let me in." ”

"It was a little bit of a misunderstanding." Hoyce asked people to open the iron door, and said with a smile: "It's great that you're here, let's go for coffee, and find the best café." ”

"No need." Meng Shaoyuan pointed behind him: "It's right here." ”

"Here?" Hoyce hesitated: "I have not long taken over this factory, it is very messy and dirty, so let's find a clean place, my dear friend." ”

"I've been to dirtier and messier places." Meng Shaoyuan looked particularly stubborn: "Right here, Yuchen Factory, in your office." ”

Hawes shrugged: "Well, since you must be so insistent." ”

The moment he turned around, Meng Shaoyuan clearly saw that he gave the janitor a look......

Hawes's office was not as shabby as he had imagined, but rather neat, even the sofa looked new, and on one side of the place that had been a bookcase was a bottles of wine.

"This was originally the general manager's office, but I took over and renovated it." Hawes explained: "What to drink? ”

"Anything goes." Meng Shaoyuan smiled: "I'm in a good mood today, and I just want to drink some." ”

"Ah, looks like you made it." Hoyce took out a bottle of wine, poured two glasses, and handed one to Meng Shaoyuan: "I think, Qin Fuyu must have been successfully rescued by you?" ”

"Yes, that's a pretty good deal for you, Mr. Beckett."

Hoyce shrugged: "That's nothing, Qin is my friend, for the sake of his friend, no matter how much money he spends, thank God, he doesn't have to be tortured by those Japanese anymore." Congratulations on your success, Meng. ”

Meng Shaoyuan raised his cup and took a sip: "Don't you ask where Qin Fuyu is now?" ”

"Anyway, if you rescue him, he'll be safe." Hawes was confident: "He's definitely been traumatized, both physically and mentally, and he's going to get some adjustment, and then he'll come to me." ”

"He's not coming to you."

"Why?"

"Have you forgotten that I'm an agent? He was taken into custody by me. ”

"What do you mean?"

Hawes was visibly stunned.

Meng Shaoyuan said unhurriedly: "In this matter, I have taken a great risk, I am very hard, I think, Mr. Beckett, aren't you going to express it?" ”

Ah, this Chinese is here to ask himself for money.

In that case, it will be easy to do.

Hawes was relieved: "Of course, without you, Qin would still be suffering now, Meng, please rest assured, we are friends or allies, I will give you a sum of money." ”

"How much?" Meng Shaoyuan asked.

"How much do you want?"

"My appetite is big, big."

"Don't worry, within my ability, I will try to satisfy you."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Meng Shaoyuan thought for a moment: "100 million!" ”

"What?" Hawes, who was sitting there calmly, stood up suddenly: "Is there something wrong with my ears, how much do you want?" ”

"100 million, dollars!"

"You're crazy, Meng, you're really crazy." Hoyce was not angry, but laughed instead: "Meng, do you understand the value of money? Do you do the most basic math? One hundred million? Dollars? Last year, your national government budget was 1.2 billion legal currency, and Japan, which is at war with the national government, last year's national budget was 2.28 billion yen, 100 million US dollars? That's more than 350 million yen, so who do you think is worth it? ”

Meng Shaoyuan was still smiling there: "Qin Fuyu! ”

"Qin Fuyu? He's worth $100 million? Hoyce was really sure that Meng Shaoyuan was crazy: "Even the president of the United States is not worth 100 million dollars!" ”

"Well, that makes sense." Meng Shaoyuan nodded seriously: "Maybe you really can't take out 100 million US dollars, but you can give me the equivalent of fiat currency or yen." ”

"Meng, you are hopeless." Hawes didn't even know what to say.

"Oh, fiat currency is depreciating, should I take it?" Meng Shaoyuan seemed to fall into deep thought: "No way, Mr. Beckett, when will you give me money?" ”

Not only Meng Shaoyuan was crazy, but Hoyce was also about to be driven crazy by him: "I told you for the last time, I didn't!" I don't have 100 million dollars, and I don't have the equivalent of fiat currency or yen! ”

"You have, Mr. Beckett." Meng Shaoyuan said slowly: "You have it as soon as the machine is turned on!" ”

Hoyce froze there, unable to utter a word.

"Some people's machines are turned on to make flour, and some people's machines are calico." Meng Shaoyuan shook the wine glass in his hand: "Mr. Beckett, your machine is different from others, what you print is banknotes!" ”

Hawes's face turned ugly: "I don't understand what you're talking about, Meng. ”

"I consider you a friend, Mr. Beckett, we are still from the Shanghai Public Mutual Aid Society, we are allies, have you forgotten so quickly? It's chilling to treat an ally like this. Meng Shaoyuan sighed:

"Do I have to make it clear? Well, then, I can tell you very clearly, you, Mr. Hoyce Beckett, are printing counterfeit money in the public concession, in the Yuchen gauze factory! ”

"A bunch of nonsense, a bunch of nonsense!" Hawes calmed down, put down his glass, and sat down again: "You're really joking, Meng, I'm a decent person, I can't do such a thing." ”

Suddenly, he violently opened the drawer, took out a pistol from it, and pointed the muzzle at Meng Shaoyuan: "Say, Mr. Meng, how do you know?" I'm sorry to inform you that you won't be able to make it alive today. ”

"The Knights Hospitaller, president of the Leonette Charity Relief Organization, is amazing." Meng Shaoyuan didn't seem to be panicked at all: "Mr. Beckett, you dare to point a gun at me?" You actually dare to point a gun at me Meng Shaoyuan? ”