The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 177: Be Serious
Chapter Subtitle: Small Money and Big Cannons
Semarang, Java Island.
"Father-in-law, you haven't recovered from your illness yet, so it's your turn to visit. Why did you come here in person?"
The speaker was Huang Zhonghan, known as the "Sugar King of Nanyang." Born in 1866, he was fifty-five years old at the time.
It is said that at this point in time, his personal assets were over 200 million Dutch guilders, equivalent to over 140 million US dollars. Yes, that's exactly how much.
The Oei Tiong Ham Concern was Southeast Asia's first, largest, most economically powerful, and most modern Chinese conglomerate. Besides tropical cash crops, the conglomerate also ventured into logistics, insurance, real estate, finance, publishing, and other industries. It also had offices and branches in major Chinese and Western ports throughout Southeast Asia, making it a natural competitor to Western trading houses like Jardine Matheson and Swire, and comparable to the major Japanese zaibatsu of the era.
However, 1921 should be the peak of Huang Zhonghan's consortium. After that, "Huang Xiaoer's New Years were getting worse and worse every year."
Huang Zhonghan died of illness in 1924, aged less than sixty. He had eight wives and concubines, and thirteen sons and daughters. These twenty-odd children engaged in a dramatic legal battle over the inheritance, which resonated throughout Southeast Asia. The protracted lawsuit didn't conclude until 1939.
The Great Depression of 1929 was a heavy blow to the Huang Group.
The Pacific War in 1941 made matters even worse.
The Huang family consortium was ultimately destroyed by the Indonesian monkeys led by Sukarno. In 1961, the Indonesian government suddenly ordered the confiscation of all the Huang family's assets in Indonesia, and the 98-year-old Huang Zhonghan Consortium disappeared.
The fundamental reason is that the three generations of Huang family heads, starting from Huang Zhonghan, have always had a comprador atmosphere.
After World War II, they tried to seek cooperation and support from certain Indonesian politicians and parties, including the Indonesian National Party and Sukarno.
However, as pro-Dutch Chinese businessmen, they did not like Sukarno, who was more monkey nationalist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial, and chose the more moderate Indonesian Socialist Party and Masyumi Party, and ended up standing on the wrong side.
At the same time, they underestimated the role of the military in Indonesia. Not only did they openly oppose Sukarno, but they also colluded with separatist forces in various places and engaged in smuggling trade.
In short, the Huang family's wealthy people simply don't understand the principle that "political power comes from the barrel of a gun.".
But...isn’t our Master Yuan here now?
Huang Zhonghan's old Taishan was naturally also Yuan Yanshu's old Taishan. Old Master Wei smiled and said, "Taiyuan, I just had a minor illness. I'm fine now. I came out to relax and brought you a telegram... a telegram from New York."
Although Huang Zhonghan and Wei Mingniang have divorced, they broke up peacefully, so the relationship between the two families is still good.
"A telegram from New York..." The busy Nanyang Sugar King finally remembered and said, "Could it be from my brother-in-law?"
LOOK, this is the benefit of marrying Miss Wei Mingzhu. Yuan Yanshu has now become the brother-in-law of the world's richest Chinese, and has taken another solid step on the road of reactionary academic cliques.
"My dear son-in-law, you are right. It is Hongjian." Old Master Wei nodded with satisfaction.
LISTEN, ever since he knew that his young son-in-law was a guest of Mr. George Baker, Mr. Wei immediately decided that Yuan Yanshu was the son-in-law and beloved guest of their Wei family, and even the way he addressed him became so affectionate.
Huang Zhonghan took the telegram and read it, nodding his head in praise. "Well, Sister Mingzhu is indeed worthy of being the Pearl of the South Seas. She has a keen eye. I never thought that Hongjian could even persuade the Attorney General of the United States. The young are truly formidable."
He sighed in his heart. His daughter Huang Huilan married Gu Weijun, who was said to be the Chinese ambassador to the UK. However, this good son-in-law only gave him the idea of changing his citizenship to become a British citizen.
However, his brother-in-law, who was thirty years younger than him, was really extraordinary. Not only did he organize a United Fruit Company inspection team, he also immediately brought out the great god Doherty.
Judging from the meaning of this telegram, as long as he is willing to pay, even President Warren Harding can be bribed.
True, Warren Harding might not be bought, but the good old president was soft-hearted and blind, and he had a very gullible poker cabinet around him, whose members were all about money.
So as long as the Nanyang Sugar King is willing to spend money, the New York Cannon King can arrange a big cannon...well, make big news!
