A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 247: Keep messing with him
Starting in June, the lawsuit between Chen Guangliang and Gu Zhuxuan officially opened in the court of the concession because Chen Guangliang was a major taxpayer in the concession.

Of course, Chen Guangliang himself did not attend the trial, but instead entrusted lawyer Wu Kaisheng to act as plaintiff.

Gu Zhuxuan also hired two lawyers, but it was too late to help at this time - Wang Xinggao insisted that "Fourth Father asked me to deliver the bullets and asked for 20 yuan."

Giving bullets represented a threat, and asking for 20 represented extortion. Given that Chen Guangliang had been assassinated before, Gu Zhuxuan's move was considered a precursor to kidnapping and extortion.

At the same time, various industrial and commercial groups sent representatives to express their support for Chen Guangliang, which also made the judge inclined towards this.

"I hereby declare: Wang Xinggao is sentenced to 10 years in prison for extortion; Gu Zhuxuan is guilty of incitement and is sentenced to 3 years in prison."

As the judge made his decision, Gu Zhuxuan's disciples glared at each other, but were helpless.

Following the decision, the concession police immediately arrested Gu Zhuxuan.

Gu Zhuxuan's family also started to make moves, naturally wanting to prevent him from going to jail.

But this incident was too big, or Chen Guangliang was currently in the limelight, so how could anyone rescue him immediately? Even Gu Zhuxuan's fellow clansman Gu Zhutong didn't dare to act rashly.

Gu Zhuxuan was thrown into prison and no longer had the domineering attitude he once had. He even became disheartened.

He understood that although Chen Guangliang was powerful, as long as Wang Xinggao did not betray him, he would never go to jail, and at most his reputation would be ruined; and once Wang Xinggao betrayed him, it would mean that the "three tycoons" were involved in this matter, so these people would unite to send him to jail.

A group of Jiangbei gang leaders came to visit Gu Zhuxuan in prison, and everyone was very excited.

"Don't worry, Fourth Father. As long as we are here, the three tycoons will not think of disintegrating our power, let alone getting involved in our industry."

"Yes, as long as we unite together, when Mr. Gu comes out, our Jiangbei Gang will still be a powerful force in Shanghai."

"Unite and wait for the fourth father to come out"

Gu Zhuxuan felt a little better, but now he issued a warning: "I've asked my family to get me out as soon as possible. You guys should keep a low profile outside for the time being. Don't cause any trouble, and most importantly, don't mess with Chen Guangliang."

"I know. Actually, Fourth Dad shouldn't have offended him this time!"

"Yes, there's a bounty on his head, and he has the help of the three tycoons, as well as the support of the entire Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. If I hadn't provoked him, we wouldn't be in this situation today."

Gu Zhuxuan's face darkened. Of course he knew that he regretted it, but what he actually regretted most was sending Wang Xinggao, the traitor.

Generally speaking, it is difficult to have "evidence" for such threats, as words alone are not enough!
But Wang Xinggao's betrayal made the evidence very clear.

"You guys go back. Remember to keep an eye on the car dealership and the stage. Also, make sure my family is safe."

"Don't worry, Fourth Father. With us here, we won't be bullied."

Upon hearing that Gu Zhuxuan was sentenced to prison, Chen Guangliang did not show any joy, but immediately made appointments with the heads of several of Gu Zhuxuan's creditor banks and money houses.

Gu Zhuxuan originally owned more than 100 acres of land near Zhabei Railway Station. Later, he built hundreds of Shikumen buildings, as well as some warehouses and shops on these lands.

Speaking of which, Gu Zhuxuan had these ideas after seeing Chen Guangliang making money.

But he also owed hundreds of thousands of dollars because of this.

In a private room at the Shangri-La Hotel, Chen Guangliang addressed the various bank leaders, led by Jincheng Bank, saying, "Everyone, I heard that Mr. Gu owes you a lot of debt, right?"

Everyone immediately understood why Chen Guangliang had asked them to meet today!

Cheng Zikang of Jincheng Bank immediately said, "We, Jincheng Bank, are owed 20 yuan alone. Now think about it, if Gu Zhuxuan is in prison and his disciples divide up his wealth, wouldn't we creditors be at a loss?"

Good friends indeed!

Of course, Cheng Zikang and Gu Zhuxuan are also good friends.

But the problem now is that Gu Zhuxuan has been imprisoned, so they are naturally no longer good friends, because the relationship between them is originally a relationship of interest.

Song Gui, the manager of Furui Bank, also echoed, "Yes, Gu Zhuxuan also owes 5 yuan to the bank outside. It seems that we have formed a creditor group to jointly demand repayment of all the debts."

Afterwards, everyone expressed their agreement.

After calculation, Gu Zhuxuan owed everyone about 58.2 yuan, which is a huge sum of money.

The value of the remaining buildings and land in Zhabei is not worth 51.2 oceans at all, which means that Gu Zhuxuan may lose another to oceans in this deal.

The next step, of course, is to collect the debt!

Recently, Chen Guangliang exchanged all of his cash flow - gold worth more than 700 million taels - into silver, totaling just over 500 million taels.

He deposited the silver into the account of Ping An Bank, and Ping An Bank then stored the silver in various rented warehouses.

As a result, Chen Guangliang's personal deposits in Ping An Bank have reached: 508 million taels of silver and 110 million oceans.

The silver included in it was the appreciation of his first investment of 200 million oceans in gold, as well as the profits from foreign exchange speculation and gold in gold from loans from HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank, with a total value of more than 700 million oceans, equivalent to 508 million taels of silver.

Among them, 110 million oceans of deposits were obtained from the sale of the "Ping An Bank Building" (originally earned from cotton yarn futures) and the funds from the sale of the Jiawang Coal Mine (40 oceans of debt had not yet matured).

In addition, the deposits of Chen Guangliang's four first-tier companies in Ping An Bank have reached millions.

Therefore, Ping An Bank now has "strong backing" and can increase its loan-to-deposit ratio to the limit.

Currently, the deposits of Ping An Bank are 1030 million taels of silver and 508 million taels of silver (some people borrowed silver and repaid it), so it is also possible to apply for a loan of 1000 million taels of silver.

Of course, government bonds are also "loans", which are equivalent to loans to the government.

Chen Guangliang took a look at the current loan situation of Ping An Bank: 380 million in government bonds (a small portion of which had not yet been absorbed) and 98 in loans.

Less than halfway to the goal.

So he called Xia Gaoxiang and Ye Ximing to his office and said, "I have added Ping An Bank as a backer, so I hope to increase the government bond investment to 500 million. The loan will still be carefully reviewed and developed gradually."

Don't rush to get a loan. You should learn from foreign banks and have similar collateral. Credit loans are not an option.

Xia Gaoxiang said readily, "Okay, since the boss is so confident, and government bonds have been strong recently, we'll just have to wait for more hot money to come from Shanghai, and then the price will go up!"

It wasn't that he fully understood the potential for a rise in government debt, but rather that Chen Guangliang's analysis had changed their thinking. Ye Ximingye said, "The boss has deposited 508 million taels of silver, and he also has personal deposits and funds from affiliated companies. His loan-to-deposit ratio is still relatively low."

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "You must keep my deposit with Ping An Bank a secret. This is the cash flow I've accumulated over the years."

Xia Gaoxiang and Ye Ximing immediately became serious.

"All funds deposited by customers are kept confidential. Of course, the boss's deposits are only handled by a few technicians, and will never be disclosed."

"Well, that's true."

In fact, the reason why Chen Guangliang concentrated this batch of silver in Ping An Bank was because these funds could not be used for the time being.

Today, his five core assets - Changjiang Real Estate, Shangri-La Hotel, Global Shipping, Changjiang Taxi and Ping An Bank - have no debts or mortgages.

Moreover, now that I have a huge amount of savings in hand, I can say that it is time to rest assured.

More importantly, if there is a "surge in silver prices" or "depreciation of the US dollar", he can mortgage his company to obtain a "dollar loan".

There were too many speculative opportunities in the Republic of China. In addition, Chen Guangliang now had enough influence and strength, so making money was very easy.

Today, his wealth has reached 2000 million, making him a tycoon.

The key is that unlike other equally wealthy families, his business is often concentrated in one place - either real estate (Zhou Xiangyun's family), or real estate plus industry (Nanxun Four Elephants, etc.).

Chen Guangliang's business is relatively evenly dispersed - real estate, hotels, transportation, shipping, banking, finance, etc., covering all aspects.

Moreover, today, he has a high social influence and a wide network of contacts, which are unmatched by others.

That day, Du Yuesheng invited Chen Guangliang to have dinner together, and the venue was chosen to be the Shangri-La Hotel.

During the dinner, Du Yuesheng asked tentatively, "Guangliang, I really don't see any opportunities in this public debt. Can you reveal a little bit so that I can have a better idea?"

He is accustomed to insider operations, which means he is sure to win.

But in fact, there is no sign of a rebound in government bonds at this time. It can only be said that they have reached a very low level and there is no sign of further decline.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Mr. Du, how many investment opportunities are there in Shanghai right now that can compare to these 6% government bonds?"

Du Yuesheng responded with a smile: "If you were talking about others, I would definitely say that there are not many opportunities; but if it is you, Chen Guangliang, then there must be many opportunities to make money. But when you say this, you mean that the current 6% government bonds will definitely be rushed to buy by many people in the future?"

Really smart!
However, Du Yuesheng was not very good at making money. Most of the money he earned came from gray industries and insider information.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "So this government bond is a long-term investment. Mr. Du's Zhonghui Bank can buy some. Bank investment in this is also within the scope of normal business."

After hearing what Chen Guangliang said, Du Yuesheng became less interested. Doesn’t a long-term investment project mean making money slowly?
So, he asked tentatively, "How long? How much can it increase? You have to give me a low point. I know that back then, Gu Zhuxuan bought the land at a low price under your advice, but because he didn't pay the final commission, he is now being chased by the bank for debt."

Wow, this directly exposes Chen Guangliang’s true colors.

Chen Guangliang smiled bitterly and said, "He was too greedy. He didn't sell the land when its value increased fivefold. Besides, my real estate development is mainly for sales. He learned a lot from it."

Du Yuesheng waved his hands and said, "I know this. It was Gu Zhuxuan who made the mistake, so he deserved to be imprisoned. Regarding this public debt, give me a definite answer."

After all, they were the ones who persuaded Wang Xinggao to turn against them, so how could they not get any practical benefits!
Recently, Du Yuesheng also took out one million to purchase government bonds, but he was still unsure.

Chen Guangliang could only say, "Currently, the government bonds are only worth 20% of their face value and % of the issue price. Personally, I think a -dollar increase within two years is a no-brainer. Of course, a six-dollar increase and tariffs are unlikely. Of course, these are just my speculations based on market analysis. When I sell the bonds, I'll definitely remind Mr. Du."

Since this is a human relationship, it should naturally be made clear.

Du Yuesheng calculated that if the price increased by 20 yuan, the profit would basically be % to %.

This profit may not be tempting to him, but his China Merchants Bank is the right investment.

"Well, you are still very loyal!"

Who would be loyal to you? You are not a member of a gang.

It’s just that many businesses would trouble Du Yuesheng, so he took him along to make money.

Last time, Du Yuesheng made five or six hundred thousand yuan from cotton yarn futures. He was very happy afterwards and gave Chen Guangliang a lot of help in the dock, transportation and other aspects.

Seeing that Du Yuesheng had benefited, Chen Guangliang made a request: "Mr. Du, Gu Zhuxuan is being pressed by the bank for debt repayment and will have to sell assets to repay the debt. I think the most likely assets are the rickshaw license plate and vehicle!"

Upon hearing this, Du Yuesheng advised, "Although Gu Zhuxuan is in jail, the Jiangbei Gang is still very united. If you want to take over some of his car dealership licenses at this time, you're likely to offend those Jiangbei drivers. It's not worth it."

What I mean is, you are not short of money, so why bother with this trouble!
Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Of course I won't eat them straight away. What I mean is, suppose the Gu's Carriage Company offers 500 large rickshaws and rickshaws as collateral for their debt, and the price is lowered to 600-700 yuan per rickshaw, which is just over yuan. I'm willing to advance the money, and at the same time, the drivers of these rickshaws can pay rent for four years and obtain ownership of these rickshaws free of charge. In this way, the drivers will naturally have no objection and should be grateful for my correct guess!"

Du Yuesheng was stunned. What Chen Guangliang did - wasn't it a good deed?
However, he soon realized that Chen Guangliang was trying to undermine Gu Zhuxuan's power, and these 1000 Jiangbei drivers had benefited, so how could they not follow Chen Guangliang, their new master?

"Okay, I'll be your lobbyist and make sure you get what you want."

"Thank you, Mr. Du"

Du Yuesheng really needs to help with this, otherwise the Jiangbei gang might be very angry.

Chen Guangliang did have several ideas when he made the decision: First, 500 large rickshaws and rickshaws would mean 1000 drivers, and if these forces joined him, it would also be a help.

Second, four years later, the Anti-Japanese War was approaching. By then, Chen Guangliang had planned to gradually hand over the fleet to the drivers, but management rights would remain in the hands of the Changjiang Vehicle Company, which would require a 10% monthly management fee. This way, even if Chen Guangliang temporarily fled to Hong Kong, he would still have an information network and influence in Shanghai.

Third, it did further undermine Gu Zhuxuan's power, and he will know how to keep a low profile when he goes out in the future.

The reason why Du Yuesheng helped was also because of the third point. He also wanted to disintegrate Gu Zhuxuan's Jiangbei Gang, or at least weaken it.

Now is a good opportunity!
However, Du Yuesheng also remembered Chen Guangliang's methods. In order to get revenge, he did not hesitate to spend a lot of money. His purpose was to make his opponent suffer heavy losses, even if it was his own loss.

Money really can make the world go round!

Du Yuesheng even thought to himself that he didn't dare to touch Chen Guangliang now because his influence in the business community was too great. All the chambers of commerce and charity groups in Shanghai stood on Chen Guangliang's side this time.

Fortunately, the relationship between the two has always been good. Although Chen Guangliang has been repaying favors, the relationship between the two is still okay.

(End of this chapter)