lovenovelstory Chapter 143 Who is the richest man in North America?
Chapter 143 Who is the richest man in North America?
Chapter 143 Who is the richest man in North America?
"—First of all, I did not promise that investing in PUIC would definitely yield several times the return. I only said that the market has great potential and there is a good chance of earning that much."
Chen Wenbin's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at John Hancock and the other seven people and said calmly, "In fact, if you are able to keep your shares, you will definitely be able to earn several times or even more than ten times the return in the future, because the assets of London Textile Company have now exceeded £300,000, and it has already earned at least £100,000 this year!"
You yourselves couldn't protect your shares, and now you're blaming me for not helping you make money, feeling that I betrayed you—in my opinion, this is cowardly behavior!
I don't like dealing with cowards. Leave your share transfer agreements here, I'll buy them all at a 10% premium, and then get out!
Get out of here John Hancock, the current richest man in North America with a net worth of hundreds of thousands of pounds!
Several people who were secretly watching the commotion gasped in astonishment—this Governor Robin is truly a formidable man!
Did he really want to duel with Molineux just now?
To their surprise, John Hancock, the richest man in the world, did not fly into a rage. He was not even angry. Instead, he stared at Governor Chen quietly for more than ten seconds, then suddenly shook his head and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
"You truly are a man fit to be governor! Your Excellency Robin—I would like to speak with you privately, is that alright?"
Most people were stunned by his stark contrast in demeanor, especially Molineux, who gaped, completely bewildered. Only a few, including Henry Hopkins and Samuel Adams, suddenly realized what Hancock was up to.
Chen Wenbin, of course, had already seen through his trick, and nodded slightly, saying, "Of course, it's hard for me to refuse an invitation from the richest man in North America!"
John Hancock smiled wryly and said, "Mr. Robin, are you mocking me?"
Now that you're back in North America, you'll naturally be the richest man in North America!
I'm not one of those ignorant fools who thinks your net worth is only a few tens of thousands of pounds—want me to help you calculate it?
Before Chen Wenbin could refuse, he immediately started listing on his fingers: "First is your Robin Pharmaceutical Company, worth between £200,000 and £350,000, with royal and aristocratic backgrounds."
Robin Construction Company, valued at £200,000 to £300,000, also had the King's investment.
Robin Metals sells the most popular spring-loaded carriages in European high society, costing a thousand pounds each!
Also, there are shares in London Textiles, Providence Shipping, and Southern Development Company—rumors in London say your net worth exceeds £600,000!
How could I possibly compete with you for the title of the richest person?
Six hundred thousand pounds?
Six hundred thousand — British!
This astronomical sum of money caused most people in the hall to widen their eyes, hold their breath, and stare blankly at Lord Chen.
Can one person really be that rich?
William Molyneux, who was about to duel with Chen Wenbin, wished he could faint right now!
With so much money—he no longer dared to have any thoughts of revenge, and he didn't even feel that the other party had just humiliated him!
Seeing everyone's reaction, Chen Wenbin frowned slightly and glared at John Hancock, who simply shrugged and said, "Sir, they'll find out eventually, won't they? Even if I don't say anything, won't Governor Bernard say something? Won't Deputy Governor Hutchinson say something? Won't the others who came to North America from England say something?"
And you also need this title of the richest person; it will make your work in North America much smoother.
What a clever little devil!
No wonder he was the first to openly rebel against Great Britain and managed to escape unscathed, even becoming one of the founding fathers of the United States. His shrewdness is something only an ordinary person possesses!
Chen Wenbin sighed inwardly, and out of mutual respect between the future founding fathers, he nodded and smiled, "John, it seems your uncle Thomas has chosen a very excellent successor—let's go! Let's go upstairs and talk."
John Hancock was delighted and immediately gestured for him to go upstairs with Governor Chen.
The two talked alone for over an hour, the content of which remains unknown, but soon after, news spread throughout New England.
John Hancock and a group of former PUIC shareholders in Boston exchanged all their shares for those of Robin Chen's Southern Development Company, and each of them purchased thousands of acres of western wasteland to support the Southern Development Company's westward expansion—but that's another story.
At 11:00 a.m. on November 20, 1764, after a year, Chen Wenbin finally returned to Robin City.
The new town named after him is now more than three times the size of its urban area and port industrial zone since he left.
The streets are lined with two-story red brick buildings, which were public housing that Pastor Jason had instructed Chen Wenbin to build for workers and new immigrants before he left.
-
The air was filled with a faint smell of coal smoke, which came from the blast furnace ironworks and machine processing plant in the industrial area on the east side of the dock.
David Jones, Kenny Stevenson, and others were somewhat surprised to smell this familiar "London scent," as they had expected it to be a world of wilderness and countryside.
Chen Wenbin, however, didn't have so many thoughts. After returning to Robin Manor, he immediately had the manor's butler, Benjamin, call all the old staff he had left behind for a meeting.
Because he had sent a messenger ahead of time while in Boston the day before yesterday, all the management teams of Robintown arrived in less than half an hour.
Including Chen Wenbin's old friend and Robin Town councilor, Reverend Jason, chairman of the New England Development Foundation, Andrew, manager of the industrial area and textile company, David Klein, acting director of Robin Hospital and acting principal of Robin College, James Merlin, manager of the steel mill, William Marcus, manager of the machine shop, Henry Vicsolley, manager of the shipyard, Ethan Randall, manager of the chemical plant, Henry Stryker, sheriff of Robin Town, Martin Jackson, treasurer, William Franklin (Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son), tax collector, George Craig (Reverend George Whitefield's illegitimate son), legal advisor, Martin Walter, head of intelligence, Black, head of the warehouse department—plus Benjamin, the manor's butler, a total of fourteen people.
The others either didn't have enough positions or weren't in Robintown or Providence.
Chen Wenbin sat in the main conference room on the first floor of the manor, looking at the familiar faces he had met again in front of the oak conference table, and a sense of peace rose in his heart for no reason.
Most of these people were either his earliest partners or people he personally interviewed.
As the saying goes, new clothes are worse than old ones, but old friends are worse than new ones. Although he trusted David Jones and others, and the latter were indeed more capable, he preferred to trust Pastor Jason, David, Andrew, and Benjamin.
The reason is simple: Pastor Jensen and his colleagues trusted him and helped him when he had nothing, allowing him to get through the most difficult initial stage. This kindness is something that no one else can ever replace.
Similarly, when Franklin was just starting out, that fat old man helped him promote himself, wrote letters recommending him for membership in the Royal Society, and even helped him make connections in England.
That's why he was willing to go to great lengths to arrange part-time jobs for the fat man and give him money to spend.
Favors always need to be reciprocated.
>