America 1881: Legend of the West

"What? Are you going to set up a company again?"

In the box of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, little Astor exclaimed.

"Tell your voice lower." Chen Jianqiu, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him and said, "It's not good to disturb others watching the opera."

What is being performed on the stage at the moment is the song "The Ring of the Nibelung" by German composer Wagner.

Although the speech in the box did not actually affect the people next to him, Chen Jianqiu still gave a friendly reminder: "Please don't be so low-quality."

"Do you have that much money?" Little Astor tilted his head and looked at Chen Jianqiu.

"No, that's why I asked you to join us." Chen Jianqiu looked at little Astor with a smile.

"I have no money." Little Astor replied decisively.

"Didn't you invest in a trust fund with me not long ago?" Chen Jianqiu was determined to be evil.

"That's because acquiring the shares of the Pacific Railway Company is a profitable business." Little Astor's eyes returned to the stage, "That alternating current of yours is a trap."

"To put it bluntly, my father is still the one who makes the decision in the family now, and he also gives the nod to the investment trust fund," he said.

"I can't tell. Your parents keep telling you to stay away from me, but when it comes to the benefits, they don't regard themselves as outsiders."

Chen Jianqiu took a peeled nut from the plate next to him and stuffed it into his mouth.

"My dad is my dad, and my mom is my mom." Little Astor rolled his eyes.

"My father's concept is that I can spend whatever I want, but before I can completely take over the family business, all investment matters must be approved by him."

Chen Jianqiu nodded.

He was convinced.

With the Astor family's wealth, little Astor can't afford to eat and drink, and he's not good at gambling, but if he wants to make some investments, that's not necessarily the case.

“I have already inspected the alternating current project.

"That thing was invented by a British man fifty years ago. It's called Faraday. Yes, it's not widely used until now."

"Also, and most importantly, do you know who is behind the Edison Company?"

"Who?" Chen Jianqiu was somewhat disapproving.

"JP Morgan!" Little Astor leaned his head over and whispered, "He invested in Edison's company six years ago and used his various resources to promote him and his inventions."

"Is that the banker I met at your house last time?" Chen Jianqiu searched for this person's face in his memory.

"Yes, you have already offended Rockefeller, are you going to offend Morgan again?" Little Astor said worriedly.

"And DuPont." Chen Jianqiu added, "Although they are not completely finished yet, they will soon."

He thought about it.

Among the monopoly giants in the United States in the 19th century, it seems that only the "Steel King" Carnegie has not yet encountered him.

For a Chinese to intervene in the world of these Jews, Scots, and European aristocrats, wouldn't he be the enemy of the world?

"They don't like me anyway." Chen Jianqiu looked at the ceiling of the theater and sighed, "It's lonely."

Little Astor coughed violently.

"Anyway, I advise you to establish a firm foothold first and take over all the railway companies in the west. Don't engage in those that are there or not." He advised earnestly, "I heard that the Morgan family has long planned to intervene in the railway market. You Be careful."

"Thanks for the reminder." Chen Jianqiu put his hands behind the back of his head and continued to look at the ceiling.

"By the way, the Mr. Westinghouse I met at dinner yesterday is as obsessed with alternating current as you are. If you are interested, you can have a chat with him."

After little Astor finished speaking, he found that Chen Jianqiu did not reply.

When he looked sideways, he found that Chen Jianqiu had closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, as soon as Chen Jianqiu stepped into the door of the Gunpowder Association, he started to get busy.

He first asked Holiday to withdraw a large amount of cash from Citibank for him.

This money was a reserve fund for his activities in New York, and it came in handy now.

He then had his lawyers draw up a contract.

By the time all this was done, it was already afternoon.

With the contract in mind, Chen Jianqiu mounted his horse and rushed to Tesla's laboratory in the suburbs of New York.

However, on the way out of New York City, he encountered a rather elegant carriage.

Chen Jianqiu glanced at the carriage inadvertently.

He saw an acquaintance.

Those two leaf-like beards are all too familiar.

It was Westinghouse, the middle-aged man with a grumpy personality.

He didn't notice Chen Jianqiu passing by him in the carriage.

Mr. House was looking at the other side, worried and worried.

Apparently, he couldn't take down the Serbian either.

Chen Jianqiu thought of this and slapped Hei Luobo on the butt.

Black Radish raised his horse's hooves and galloped towards Tesla's laboratory.

However, Tesla wasn't in the lab.

"Madam, have you seen Mr. Tesla?" Chen Jianqiu caught an aunt next to him who was holding a washbasin.

"What did you say? Louder? Who?" The aunt was a little deaf.

"That Serbian, a beautiful young lady." Chen Jianqiu amplified his voice.

"Oh, tell me, he went out, and he told me to go back to the company, maybe to find Mr. Edison." The aunt stopped listening and smiled broadly on her face.

Yes, I have to go back again.

It seems that Mr. Westinghouse may not have even met Tesla.

Chen Jianqiu turned the horse's head and headed back towards the Edison Electric Company in downtown New York.

At this time, Tesla was standing at the door of Edison's office, waiting for the great inventor to return.

Edison was participating in a press conference-like event to showcase the company's new research results.

Every day he would put on a custom-made suit by the best tailor in New York, comb his hair neatly back, and tidy up his beard.

Compared with Edison, Tesla looks like a worker.

After a while, he waited for the great inventor to return.

Edison walked past him into the office, followed by his secretary.

"Speak to the New York Times and ask them to describe the effect of my demonstration today more realistically. The language they used last time was too exaggerated."

He walked to the mirror in the office, looked in the mirror, and gave instructions to the secretary behind him.

After Edison finished his instructions, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have seen a person outside the door just now.

He took two steps back and looked out the door.

Tesla is standing there.

"What's the matter?" Edison still had a professional smile on his face, "Mr. Tesla?"

"Can I come in?" Tesla asked cautiously.

"Come in, come in." Edison waved to him.

Tesla walked in slowly.

Edison took off his coat and handed it to his secretary. He leaned his butt on the desk and crossed his arms on his chest.

"What do you want to say to me? Could it be AC ​​again?" He looked at Tesla.

Tesla shook his head.

He plucked up the courage and spoke:

"Mr. Edison, can you increase my weekly salary? I work from morning to midnight every day, and fifteen dollars is too little."

The smile on Edison's face disappeared.

"How much do you want to go up?"

"I thought, like the guys who invented the factory, twenty-five dollars would do?"

Tesla thought a lot after listening to Chen Jianqiu's words yesterday.

But he was still grateful to Edison.

Because he was Tesla's first boss after it came to the United States.

As long as Edison was willing to give him the same salary as those in the invention factory and recognized that he had the same value as them, then he would still be willing to continue working.

However, Edison's cold words completely cut off his last trace of nostalgia.

"No, Mr. Tesla, I can't give you a salary increase. Everyone is working hard, but the value you create is too limited for the company."

"Then I resign."

Tesla sighed, turned and walked towards the door.

Edison was first stunned by the Serb's sudden resignation.

But he quickly regained his composure.

If you resign, just resign.

One more of him is not too much, and one of less of him is not too much.

This guy should just go find a job by himself.

Then, Edison saw Chen Jianqiu raising his hands to welcome Tesla from the window on the second floor.

Chen Jianqiu handed Tesla the agreement and showed him part of the cash in the box.

This is a signing fee that shows sincerity and strength!

Edison suddenly felt his blood rising.

In other words, the Serbian got a new job just a few steps out of the door of his company.

Moreover, instead of being an employee, be a boss like him? !

Edison snorted and closed the curtains.

Sure enough, he was a country bumpkin from the west.

He still treats people who are marginalized in his company as treasures and just messes around.

He wanted to see what kind of disturbance these two people could stir up.