Chapter 1857 Interest Group
In the current era, Cai Jinmei's status as a female official inevitably limits her overseas activities. On many occasions, colleagues or subordinates have to come forward to negotiate and communicate with bank customers, while she sits behind the scenes and takes charge of planning, and rarely works in the field. Showing up in public. However, this style of conduct has also created a sense of mystery for her. The outside world often only knows that the head of the extremely wealthy Haihan Bank is a female senior official, but little is known about her personal situation.
Even with the opening of the Seoul branch this time, she has not made any public appearances since arriving in Seoul, and does not plan to attend the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony - with two celebrities, Tom Wang and Qian Tiandun, coming forward, there is no need to destroy the people she already has. Set up.
In addition, Cai Jinmei had another selfish motive. She chose not to attend the opening event, so that the guests and customers would focus more attention on Mei Baiji, the person in charge. Let Mei Baiji take this opportunity to increase his presence so that he can work locally in the future.
High-level negotiations between North Korea and Haehan were suspended for one day so that the two Haehan generals involved in the negotiations could attend the opening ceremony of the Seoul branch of Haehan Bank. In order to maintain order, North Korea also dispatched 200 urban defense troops and set up checkpoints in the neighborhoods near the bank in advance to prohibit civilians from entering.
Wang Tom and Qian Tiandun gave Cai Jinmei face and rushed over in a carriage early in the morning. They also brought good news to Cai Jinmei. Kim Sangxian and Cui Mingji, two opinion leaders in North Korean official circles, would come today. Attend the opening ceremony, and the arrival of these two is expected to bring a large number of North Korean officials to attend the ceremony. After all, these two are the bellwethers in North Korea's official circles, and there is a large group of people behind them who will catch wind of the situation and follow them to join in the fun. The cold show issue that Cai Jinmei is most worried about will probably not happen anymore.
Cai Jinmei was not very clear about why these two people chose to attend the event in the end, but she was sensitive to the fact that it must be related to the ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Although she did not directly participate in this negotiation, the industrial cooperation plan proposed by Haihan did contain some of the content she participated in formulating.
Although this plan generally tends to protect Haihan's interests, she believes that knowledgeable people in North Korea's political arena will also realize that this plan will indeed help them develop and strengthen their national power, and the sooner they participate in it, the greater their future benefits will be. It will also be bigger. We must know that the large number of new wealthy and powerful people who have emerged in the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty in recent years have almost all benefited from the trade model brought by Haihan, and these people without exception have official backers, either overt or covert.
Cai Jinmei believes that ordinary North Koreans may not be able to understand these situations due to restrictions on information dissemination channels, but figures at the level of Kim Sang-heon and Choi Ming-gil must have long been aware of the huge business opportunities contained in the industrial cooperation plan between the two countries. No one will take the initiative to give up this opportunity to strengthen their own strength. Even if they do not personally participate in business activities, there will definitely be corresponding arrangements.
Therefore, Cai Jinmei also warned Mei Baiji in advance, asking him to pay attention to the guests who would come to visit the hotel in the first few days after the opening. Maybe there would be a representative sent by a big official among them.
In the business system Haihan has built overseas, Haihan Bank is a very important institution. In addition to its financial functions under normal circumstances, it is also responsible for secretly transferring benefits to foreign political figures and certain specific objects. . After establishing this special interest relationship, Haihan's influence on the country or region will gradually increase, and even gradually cultivate an interest group that favors Haihan's side - such as Fujian represented by Xu Xinsu The Xu family of the character is such a group, and its strength has even grown to the point of separatist power in the Ming Dynasty.
Up to now, in addition to the overseas colonies owned by Haihan itself, almost all countries or regions that have good relations with Haihan have established branches of Haihan Bank. Especially in the commercial ports in the South China Sea that are covered by Haihan trade routes, maritime merchants from various countries have become accustomed to the existence of Haihan banks in these places, so that they do not need to carry large amounts of gold and silver in cross-border trade. Some areas have even begun to transfer Haihan banks to commercial ports in the South China Sea. Paper money and bank-issued checks were used as hard currency.
The bustle in the world is all for the sake of coming, and the hustle and bustle of the world is all for the sake of going away. With an existence like the God of Wealth like Haihan Bank, few people can resist the temptation to associate with it. Especially for some people with privileges, the emergence of Haihan Bank gives them the possibility of stable economic gains. As long as big figures such as Kim Sang-heon and Cui Ming-gil show their attitudes, naturally some people will be bold. Come to Haihan Bank to cooperate.
"Banking is still a new thing for most North Korean officials, and it may take some time to slowly understand and adapt. If the initial performance is not ideal, don't be too anxious." Wang Tom said to Cai Jinmei: " There are many businessmen from Ming Dynasty and my country in Seoul. We can arrange for them to come to support us first, and then slowly bring Koreans to open accounts.”
Cai Jinmei smiled and said: "You have moved those two giant Buddhas here, and the business situation should be better than expected. I am very optimistic about the business prospects here. After the war, a lot of wealth gathered in Seoul, so Having too much money and no suitable investment direction has caused local prices to rise rapidly. Some people have so much money that they have no use for it, and some people urgently need money to tide over the post-war difficulties. At this time, banks are needed. Appear.”
Cai Jinmei is still very confident about the financial institution she established with her own hands. The operation method of Haihan Bank comes from hundreds of years later. Its complexity is far better than that of traditional banks, but it also has the competition of the same era. The profitability that its rivals do not possess is the main reason why Haihan Bank dared to invest heavily in the preparatory stage of the Seoul branch - Cai Jinmei was convinced that the branch would have better profit prospects after its opening.
The news that North Korean senior officials attended the opening ceremony has further strengthened Cai Jinmei's confidence. Therefore, she does not need any words of comfort from Wang Tom. In fact, she already has a relatively firm premonition about the business situation after the opening.
At this time, businessmen from Ming Dynasty and Haihan had already arrived one after another. These businessmen knew that there were three big leaders at Haihan Bank today, so they naturally rushed over to support them. It’s okay to be two military generals. After all, they don’t usually have the opportunity to interact with each other, but Cai Jinmei and Governor Cai are the God of Wealth to these businessmen, and they are like a dragon that sees its beginning but never ends. More or less, a part of their wealth is placed on them. In a bank account, it is a rare opportunity to exchange a few words of friendship in person, so of course you should not miss the opportunity.
Of course, these businessmen were not alone when they came. Most of them were accompanied by a few subordinates to bring congratulatory gifts. Some even chose to come by sedan or car. Although there was a checkpoint set up by the North Korean city defense army in the distance, after these businessmen revealed their identities, the city defense army did not dare to stop their carriages and horses, so they had to let them go.
However, the city defense army received an order to only stop the carriages and horses but not the onlookers, so local people who wanted to watch the excitement could still go nearby to watch. Of course, the so-called close area is still some distance from the bank gate, because Hai Hanjun also set up another smaller martial law area outside the bank, and only invited guests can enter after verifying their identity.
The person who received these guests at the gate was Mei Baiji. He had visited almost all of these businessmen before, so they were familiar with them. After the guests met, they talked and laughed happily, and then asked his men to bring the guests in. in. He knew very well that the main purpose of these people coming to the ceremony was not to see him, but to meet the three leaders inside.
The first North Korean official to arrive was Kim Sang-joo. Although his official position was not high, he was recently appointed by the king to participate in the political consultations between the two countries because he knew Haihan well. He also became a celebrity in Seoul official circles for a while. people.
"Lord Zuo Yizheng will be here soon." Jin Sangjiu and Mei Baiji did not go in immediately after the greeting, but stood at the door waiting for Jin Sangxian's arrival. However, what is slightly embarrassing is that the first person to arrive was not Kim Sang-heon, but his political rival Choi Ming-gil. Although Jin Sangjiu was from Jin Sangxian's faction, he did not dare to offend the official Cao Yanshu, so he could only obediently come forward to greet him. If any of the onlookers recognized Cui Mingji, the news would spread.
Cui Mingji did not go to the meeting alone. Seven or eight officials from his faction came one after another. Cui Mingji did not show any airs and stood at the door and introduced these officials one by one to Mei Baiji. This meaning is also very clear, which is to let Haihan's side know clearly who are the people of his faction.
After Cui Mingji introduced everyone, he entered the inner courtyard accompanied by Mei Baiji. As officials, their treatment is naturally higher than that of businessmen. After entering, they can meet Wang Tom and others first, while businessmen need to wait before they can be received collectively. If they want to talk to Tom Wang and others, they probably have to wait until the banquet after the opening ceremony.
Kim Sang-hyun was actually already nearby, but when he heard that officials from Cui Mingji's group were entering the venue, he didn't rush to join in the fun. Instead, he waited patiently until it was over before he came out with officials from his own group.
Kim Sang-hyun didn't know beforehand that Choi Ming-gil would also come. He came with the intention of being a guest at the finale. Although there were some unexpected situations in the middle, in the end, his plan was not disrupted and he successfully appeared in the finale.
Kim Sang-hyun made such an arrangement, not because he believed that his status was nobler than others, but because he had other reasons. After meeting Wang Tom and others, Jin Sangxian ordered people to present congratulatory gifts - not only his, but also a share from King Li Zhu.
Although Li Zhu didn't come, he still asked Kim Sang-hyun to bring a gift to show his support for the opening of Haihan Bank. The opening of a branch of Haihan Bank in Seoul was a condition that the two countries had agreed on before the war. However, Li Zhu's identity was relatively sensitive and he was unable to express his position publicly. Being able to do so was considered worthy of Haihan.
"His Majesty the King is interested!" Wang Tom accepted the gift and asked Mei Baiji to prepare for the opening ceremony. Now that the guests have arrived, the ceremony should be completed as soon as possible to save everyone's time.
The opening ceremony prepared by Haihan Bank was also a standard Haihan model. The guests of honor went outside the gate together, the representative gave a speech, set off firecrackers and then cut the ribbon. However, both Cui Mingji and Kim Sang-heon relied on their status, and it was the best to be able to attend this event. They did not want to publicly express their support for Haehan on such an occasion, so only Haehan could complete the speech unilaterally.
Naturally, the two generals of the military would not interfere, and Cai Jinmei would never show her presence in such activities, so the task of speaking was left to Mei Baiji.
It was actually the first time for Mei Baiji to give a speech in such a public place, and he felt a little uneasy. However, he also understood that the quality of his speech was probably the first impression of Haihan Bank by the outside world. At this time, he must not let it go because of it. Be nervous and make mistakes.
"Everyone, the auspicious time has come. Let's go to the door to salute together!" When Wang Tom saw his subordinates reporting that they were ready, he stood up and invited everyone to set off. However, North Korean officials did not participate in this link due to their sensitive status, so all the people who came to the gate to pay respects with Wang Tom Qian Tiandun were businessmen.
Due to limited conditions, electric speakers could not be installed here, so Mei Baiji had no choice but to use tin speakers to amplify the sound. While he was delivering a speech, there were staff distributing printed leaflets to nearby onlookers, which briefly explained the main business projects of Haihan Bank.
Compared with Mei Baiji's speech, these paper leaflets may have a greater propaganda effect. Later, North Korean dignitaries who are interested in Haihan Bank will receive leaflets one after another, and they will have more time to slowly study the contents of the leaflets.
Mei Baiji's speech was very brief, which was also a requirement of North Korean officials, but it also reduced Mei Baiji's ideological burden. He finished the scheduled content in three words, and the businessmen who were watching the ceremony applauded vigorously, and then two Haihan generals stepped forward to complete the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The North Korean people were very interested in these two generals Haihan, whom they had only heard of by name but never met in person, and they were even more interested in them than the celebration itself. If it weren't for the Haihan soldiers with live ammunition standing at a distance nearby, the curious people would have crowded in close by to see if the two Haihan generals had three heads and six arms as in the legend.
However, the two Haihan generals, who were already well-known in Seoul, did not speak. After completing the ribbon-cutting ceremony that the onlookers could not understand, they just waved around and returned to the bank yard. .
Then came the rather lively firecrackers session. The crackling firecrackers lasted as long as a stick of incense before it was over. The air within a mile or two was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
(End of chapter)