Chapter 1113 Blue-blood Nobility
The huge profits from the opium trade created the prosperity of Boston in the 19th century. The descendants of opium dealers all became blue-blood nobility, and they are still enjoying the legacy of their ancestors two hundred years later.
At that time, the United States had just become independent and was extremely poor. Although China in the 19th century was already in decline, it still had a profound foundation accumulated over hundreds of years.
During the Civil War, the Americans, who lost all their wealth, used opium to earn a lot of profits from China to develop their own economy.
Behind the Gilded Age of America, where milk and honey flowed, were countless Chinese people whose families were destroyed by opium.
Trampling on the bones of Chinese people, in addition to being general leaders, the descendants of these opium dealers also have many colleges and dormitories in universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton named after the surnames of opium dealers.
Two hundred years ago, they donated the profits from the opium trade to these prestigious schools, and their descendants went to study in these prestigious schools. The class was solidified just like the wealthy families of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
In addition, these opium profits were also invested in the construction of hospitals, railways, and factories, helping the United States to rapidly grow its national power. The First World War directly attracted the attention of the world.
Mai Jincheng continued:
“The ancestor of the Forbes family, John Murray Forbes, went to China to pan for gold in his early years and became the main partner of Qichang Foreign Company.
At that time, he also received help from Wu Bingjian, a merchant from the Thirteenth Industry. In the mid-19th century, he returned to the United States to invest in railways and real estate, becoming a railway tycoon, and also brought Wu Bingjian's funds to the United States for investment.
Go to the Forbes Museum another day. There is also a portrait of Wu Bingjian in it. "
Xu Liang smiled, just a comprador, nothing to admire.
"The cooperation between the United States and China has a history of hundreds of years, almost throughout the history of the United States.
The Xu family and the Montes family should also strengthen their cooperation in the future. This will not only be beneficial to our two families, but will also be a praiseworthy masterpiece in history in the future. ”
Blankfein next to him also smiled and agreed.
“Forbes, Kennedy, and Adams have all cooperated with China for hundreds of years and are still active at the top. Cooperation between the two countries breeds unlimited business opportunities.”
“It’s time to cooperate more. "
Xu Liang looked at the two people with a smile, he had already made up his mind.
The Xu family will also build a family museum in the future.
We also need to hang the portraits of the CEOs of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Tell future generations how the CEOs of the two major investment banks helped your ancestors short subprime mortgages and plunder the American people's wealth.
Two hundred years comes around again, and retribution is unpleasant.
If he thought that shorting subprime mortgages was not so benevolent before, he now has no psychological burden. The Chinese people are still too kind and are always restricted by the rules of benevolence, righteousness, morality and so on that have been passed down for thousands of years.
Being short on subprime mortgages only indirectly makes American people homeless. The main culprit is the United States itself, and it does not cost human lives.
The opium trade has damaged so many people's lives and caused so many families to be destroyed.
Decades later, it doesn’t matter that his reputation has become a mess in the United States. The reputation of those opium dealers is also very bad in China, and there are still Internet writers who are editing them.
But in the United States, they are great benefactors, donors to famous universities, and have descendants for generations...
Reading history makes people wise, and it seems that he should also learn from opium dealers like Forbes. , make some friends with powerful people in the United States, share some profits, and then hollow out the American economy to develop China's new technology.
The more Xu Liang thought about it, the more he felt that there was something wrong with this matter.
Mack continued with a smile:
“These early wealthy merchant elites engaged in trade with China formed Boston’s business aristocracy.
Their family members went to the same university to study in the same building. People worship in churches, intermarry with each other, and are closely intertwined through blood, marriage, religion, business, etc. , has profoundly affected American history. "
"Today, the members of these large families include scientific and cultural elites, industrial and commercial plutocrats, many American leaders, a large number of congressmen, judges, governors, etc. "< br>
Xu Liang nodded, this is the origin of "Boston Brahmin".
Below these people are the white middle class and white trash.
The white middle class is divided into high, middle and low-end groups. Grassroots civil servants, company employees, and teachers are considered to be middle- and low-end groups. The high-end group mainly refers to doctors and lawyers, as well as various financial elites, prestigious university tenured professors, etc.
White trash is divided into several levels, the lowest level is homeless, and the slightly better ones are working in relatively low-end jobs, many of which are not full-time, or deliberately do not find full-time jobs to meet the standards for receiving government subsidies.
“Let me tell you another tidbit. John Forbes Kerry’s paternal line is actually the descendant of German immigrants. His original surname was “Cohen”, which has a strong Jewish flavor.
Later, in order to better integrate into mainstream American society, Kerry's grandfather changed "Cohen" to "Kerry"
Look at Kerry's long face, he looks very Jewish.
Later, Grandpa Kerry, who made a fortune in the gold rush in the United States, paid special attention to Dad Kerry’s education.
Dad Kerry, who is not a blue-blooded elite, is a successful diplomat, but he went through great trouble to marry a girl from a "Boston blue-blooded family".
So after marriage, Kerry’s mother was not willing to give up her noble surname of Forbes. Instead, she used it in parallel with her husband’s surname, and seriously passed it on to her son, John Forbes Kerry. "
Xu Liang asked with a smile: "Does the surname Forbes bring any benefit to Kerry? ”
Mai Jinheng laughed.
"Benefit? It helped him successfully join the Skull and Bones Society at Yale University when he was in college in the 1990s, and he accumulated a lot of contacts for his future career in politics. Is this a benefit?"
Xu Liang nodded slightly, this is democratic America.
Since the implementation of the prefecture and county system in Shang Yang's reform, China has had a system of recruiting virtuous people, which later developed into an imperial examination system, and it got rid of the feudal system of royal families and nobles very early.
The constitutional monarchy system and royal privileges retained by European countries are the remnants of feudalism.
America’s blue-blood aristocracy is also a remnant of feudalism, where property and marriage power collude.
From the perspective of political civilization, China's political system is much more advanced than the Western political system.
Blancfein grew up in a low-rent housing area in New York. His father was a mail sorter, and he had no good impression of the blue-blood aristocrats who showed their sense of superiority from time to time.
Mai Jinheng is a second-generation Lebanese immigrant who has suffered discrimination since he was a child.
So, the two of them complained about the blue-blood nobles without any pressure.
Xu Liang also enjoyed listening to some gossip from the upper echelons of the United States.
"Xu, your father-in-law is here." Mai Jincheng smiled.
Without his reminder, Xu Liang also saw Reed Montes walking out of the car.
Behind him are his brother-in-law Chris Montes and his second brother-in-law Peter Montes.
"You two go in first, I will be there in a moment."
Blankfein and Mack nodded.
With the head of the Montes family, who is also a blue-blood noble, of course the rest do not need their introduction.
"Dear Reed, long time no see."
Xu Liang opened his arms and greeted him.
Reed Montes also gave him a warm hug.
"Xu, I heard that you have developed a very good mobile phone. Remember to leave some more for me. Don't worry, I will pay for it." Peter Montes smiled.
"Xu, don't worry. If Steve Jobs, the villain who abandoned his wife and daughter, dares to cause trouble for you in the United States, I will definitely be on your side."
Chris Monteith He patted his chest and vowed.
But Xu Liang always felt that he contained himself.
“Thank you.”
"Xu, how many people did you invite to today's banquet?" Old Montes asked. "I sent out 97 invitations, and most of them have arrived today."
Old Montes was a little surprised.
There are only so many blue-blood nobles in Boston and New York, and more than half of them have arrived today.
The influence of this son-in-law also impressed him a little.
"You should leave the organization of the banquet to me. With the influence of the Montes family, I can help you summon all the blue-blood nobles in the United States."
"I originally planned to do this, but Helen said You are busy acquiring Indian Bank recently, and if you can't spare time, I asked JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to cooperate."
Of course, this is an excuse.
Xu Liang does not intend to rely too much on the Montes family.
Otherwise, it is highly likely that the Xu family of the United States will be annexed by it in the future.
Old Montes looked pleased.
“The scale of Oppenheimer Investment Bank is a bit smaller after all. After acquiring Indian Bank, the merged Indian Financial Corporation is already the twenty-largest financial institution in the United States.”
Followed last year Xu Liang also became interested in the financial industry after he gained money from the Montes family, which had made a fortune from cooperating on subprime debt.
Continuously expand its financial business through acquisitions.
Indian Bank is the third financial company they have acquired.
"Under your leadership, the Montes family will become a superstar in politics and business at the same time."
"Hahaha..." the old Montes, who laughed proudly, continued, "Xu, the Montes family We are the closest partners to the Xu family.
Don’t worry, the Montes family will always be your strongest support in the United States.”
Xu Liang echoed a few words, but in his heart. He kept sneering.
The kindness of the Montes family is based on interests, which is essentially the same as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, the gluttons who eat people without spitting out their bones.
If he believed the other party's lies, he would probably be tricked to death.
Lead the Montes family to the hall.
Everyone drank, chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was lively.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Xu Liang walked onto the central stage.
A huge display screen was hung on the stage, hundreds of chairs were placed under the stage, and there were lights all around, making it as bright as day.
"Everyone, my name is Xu Liang. Welcome to today's reception.
In addition, the reason why today's reception is not arranged in a hotel but at a manor in Changdao is to protect everyone's privacy... …”
The audience looked at the cheerful Golden Caesar on the stage with smiles. They were all quite satisfied with the arrangement of today’s cocktail party. It was very private, and all the people present were from the same circle, and there were no other people waiting. .
Because most of them have family members working in the White House or in various states.
Although politics and business are not separated, after all, they still have to show off and fool the bottom.
"Everyone's time is precious, let's get straight to the topic."
Xu Liang pressed the remote control in his hand.
The big screen at the back quickly lit up.
A histogram appeared on the screen, with a short mound and a tall column.
The dwarf is marked with a number, 30 billion U.S. dollars;
The tall pillar is also marked with a number, 151.868 billion U.S. dollars;
The height of the two pillars seems to be five times different, but it is actually correct because there is also a detailed number next to it - 515.3%.
Everyone in the audience started whispering to each other.
“Please keep quiet!”
Xu Liang shouted, and the crowd gradually quieted down.
Someone in the audience asked with a skeptical tone: "Xu, are you sure your statistics are correct? This number is too exaggerated and hard to be convinced."
Many people nodded in agreement, not quite believing that it could be done. achieve this rate of return.
If this is true, Buffett will be a younger brother to you.
“I can prove that all this is true.”
Mai Jinheng walked onto the stage with a smile on his face. He looked at the people in the audience and said:
"During the investment process of Pacific Phase I Fund, we had many cooperations with JP Morgan and used financial leverage many times. We have detailed internal records and the data cannot be faked."
Xu Liangxiao He said: "Many of you here are investors in the first phase of Hanhua. With the money you received after the fund was unblocked last year, and including the short-term capital gains tax in the United States, it is easy to get the true rate of return. "
An old man wearing gold-rimmed glasses smiled.
“I didn’t think so before, but now that I think about it, it’s really the case.”
Everyone knows this person.
The head of the Roosevelt family is quite prestigious among many blue-blood nobles. He agreed, and the audience finally believed it.
I immediately felt terrible, and then I couldn’t help but feel a deep envy of Pacific Fund’s LPs.
In two years, a return rate of more than five times means that after investing one million US dollars, after deducting the profit sharing and management fees, you can get as much as three million US dollars.
There are several private equity funds around the world that can achieve this kind of return rate.
Especially rare.
The other party is based on a huge capital of 30 billion US dollars.
A well-known rule in financial investment is that the larger the amount of funds, the more difficult it is to obtain excess returns.
Don’t say five times in two years.
That’s 20% every year, and there are a lot of super rich people rushing to invest.
Everyone who understood this took a look at Xu Liang, who was standing on the stage with a smile, as if his whole body was shining, and he looked like a god of wealth walking in the world.
Mack returned to the audience and glanced at Blankfein, feeling a little proud.
Blancfein ignored his old rival. He was seriously thinking about how the Pacific Fund achieved its terrifying rate of return.
After thinking about it for a while, I can only marvel at Xu Liang’s financial talent.
CDO is nothing new.
The rating standards of rating agencies have also been known for a long time.
But he can accurately dig out the loopholes of the rating agencies and turn junk 3B-rated CDO bonds into 3A-rated bonds, pocketing hundreds of times the profit in one fell swoop.
This powerful insight is simply amazing.
Especially because the other party is a Chinese and not from a professional background in the financial industry.
Other than talent, he couldn't think of any other explanation.
(End of this chapter)