Chapter 1475
Noble Person
Chapter 1475 Noble Person
In the palace, the president was fast asleep in his official residence, dreaming of a pile of messy ledgers and foreign envoys demanding repayment of debts, which made him sweat profusely with worry.
Just when he was struggling to cope, but before things got really bad, a benefactor appeared and helped him solve all his problems.
Then, with the help of a benefactor, he quickly unified the world, and the people were won over.
For several days in a row, it was like this: a nightmare would start, and a beautiful dream would end. If it were someone else, they would probably think that they were dreaming about something they had been thinking about during the day.
But the president was no ordinary person; he was a lifelong believer in fortune telling and feng shui, especially before and after becoming emperor, when he relied heavily on “divine will” for judgment. So he asked Yang to interpret his dream.
"President!" Yang Du poured a cup of warm tea before asking, "What exactly have you been dreaming about these past few days?"
The president shook his head, looking worried, and said:
"The table was covered with account books. Foreigners were pressing for debts, banks were demanding payment, provinces were sending funds, and the warlord was asking for money. I was struggling to cope and had nowhere to retreat."
He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and said:
"Then that benefactor arrived. I couldn't see his face clearly. He easily helped me settle these debts. Then the foreigners knelt down, the warlord bowed his head, and the people... the people cheered."
Yang Du lowered his eyes; he knew, of course, what the President wanted.
Recently, the President has been frequently summoning foreigners to explore the possibility of loans, and has also ordered the reorganization of the salt tax, which clearly indicates that the finances are in dire straits.
This dream is born from worry.
But Yang Du knew in his heart that the president was not ignorant; it was just that at this moment, the president needed a straw to break the camel's back.
"President!" he then said slowly, following the President's words, "This dream is extremely auspicious!"
The president looked up, waiting for him to continue.
"The ledger symbolizes distress," Yang Du continued calmly, trying to deceive the public. "The President has devoted himself to the country, yet the Republic remains in chaos. This is not the President's fault, but rather the predicament of the old system and the disunity of the people. The noble person's act of settling the accounts is a divine relief, a sign of divine assistance!"
"Who is that important person?"
······
Once it was done, Lin Hao snapped out of his daze and then revised the "Financial Consolidation Plan" from beginning to end again.
It wasn't that the content itself was problematic, but rather that the wording of the proposal, intended for the President, couldn't be too academic, since he probably wouldn't understand it.
The plan is actually quite short, and it boils down to three main points:
First, it helped the Beiyang government issue new national bonds to maintain its finances and stabilize the currency value.
Second, establish a Central Finance Committee to centrally control the remittances from various provinces and resolve the warlord problem one by one.
Third, using finance as a weapon, first in the north and then in the south, gradually achieving national unification.
This solution, of course, has many flaws in the eyes of modern people.
But in the face of the mess in the early years of the Republic of China, the support of gold was its strongest backing.
Seeing that it was almost time, Lin Hao put on his suit, casually tore off the page with the blurry month printed on it, and turned the calendar to a brand new page.
However, he did not go directly to the President, but instead went to Yenching University and was introduced by President Hu.
President Hu is in his fifties and studied in the United States in his early years, possessing considerable connections in both academic and political circles. Most importantly, he has relationships with people close to the President.
It is said that the president's chief of staff was his classmate. With his introduction, meeting the president did not feel abrupt, and it was easier to gain the trust of those around him.
When I arrived at Principal Hu's office again, he was signing a document, and the tea on the table had gone cold.
"Principal Hu, sorry to bother you!" Lin Hao knocked on the door and went in.
Hu Wenbin looked up, took off his glasses and wiped them, recognizing Lin Hao:
"Dr. Lin? Come, come, have a seat."
"I've already arranged for the Academic Affairs Office to handle the economic research grant matter. Your office has also been prepared; it's on the second floor, at the east end!"
"Thank you, Principal Hu!" Lin Hao sat down and placed his briefcase on his lap. "I've come today because there's another matter I'd like to ask for your help with."
"Oh, what's troubling Dr. Lin?" Principal Hu joked.
"Sigh~!" Lin Hao sighed, then said sincerely:
"President Hu, as you know, I worked on Wall Street before, and I accidentally made some money during the financial crisis..."
Then Lin Hao explained that he had no way to serve his country and asked him to help him get a recommendation!
He then pulled out the "Financial Consolidation Plan" from his bag, handed it over with both hands, and explained that he had brought 200 tons of gold to support the President, to resolve the issues of local warlords and those who obeyed orders but not proclamations, and to complete the unification of the country.
Hu Wenbin took it, opened it, and examined it carefully, but he didn't rush to express his opinion.
His fingers stopped when he heard Lin Hao say that he had brought back 200 tons of gold to support the President.
He had just turned to the third page, his eyes fixed on the paper, and his pupils suddenly contracted!
"Two hundred tons of gold?" Hu Wenbin's hand froze.
He looked up, his eyes wide behind his glasses, and said in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard:
"Dr. Lin, this number, so much gold, you're not joking, are you?"
Hu Wenbin knew all too well what two hundred tons of gold meant.
Having spent so many years in the United States and then navigating the political and business circles of China for twenty years, he knew the Beiyang government's resources inside and out.
The central government's annual revenue is theoretically 3.82 million silver dollars, but after accounting for local withholding, mortgages, arrears, and repayments, only one-tenth of that amount is actually received.
The 200 tons of gold that Lin Hao brought is worth more than 200 million silver dollars, and the price of gold has been rising recently.
This doesn't even take into account the premium that gold commanded during times of chaos. Using it to borrow foreign debt, as collateral, or to buy weapons could actually leverage at least double the amount of funds available.
The young man in front of me, who looks to be in his early thirties, has enough wealth in his hands to turn over the entire Beiyang government's accounts.
Lin Hao took a bank deposit slip out of his briefcase and placed it next to the proposal.
That was a gold custody certificate from Citibank Tianjin, with the words "two hundred tons" clearly written on it.
Of course, the gold was actually always in his spatial equipment; this gold certificate was mainly to convince Principal Hu.
Especially in this era without transoceanic verification systems, as long as Hu Wenbin believed it, it was true. The key point was that Lin Hao really did have 200 tons of gold.
"Principal Hu, this is no joke!" Lin Hao's tone was as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today and he had bought two pounds of meat to treat his family since they hadn't eaten.
"I have been doing business overseas for many years and have accumulated this little bit of wealth. The chaos in the Beiyang government was ultimately about money."
"The root cause of the warlord separatism and independent rule was that the central government had no money and could not control them."
"I can see the suffering of the people and the decline of the country from abroad, but I can't touch it. It makes me feel terrible."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly, and said solemnly:
“This money is not for my own enrichment. I want to use it to support the President in quickly ending this chaotic period.”
“President Hu, I need an opportunity to present my proposal to the President in person.”
He stared at the deposit slip for a full half minute. He was a man of the world. He had met the bigwigs of the Beiyang government, spoken with foreign envoys, and handled donations of millions.
But two hundred tons of gold—that number was so frightening that it felt unreal to him. It was so much that he instinctively doubted whether Lin Hao was telling the truth or not.
Because if this is true, then the fate of Beiyang will be changed, and if he misses this person because of his doubts!
Hu Wenbin took a deep breath, closed the plan and the deposit slip together, and looked up at Lin Hao with a completely different expression.
It's no longer about looking at a young scholar; it's about looking at someone whose importance he needs to reassess.
"The President's Chief of Staff, Lu Xiaowen, is my classmate!" Principal Hu said calmly.
"Come on, I'll take you to him right now!"
Everything went very smoothly from then on. With the introduction of Chief of Staff Lu Xiaowen, Lin Hao was able to meet the President without any problems.
Lin Hao stood up and bowed slightly. He noticed that the President had deep dark circles under his eyes, and it was obvious that he was suffering from insomnia and was overwhelmed by the pressure of national affairs.
The mess left by the Beiyang government had been tormenting this nominal president for a long time.
"Dr. Lin, please have a seat!" The President sat down in the main seat and, without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point:
“Xiaowen has shown me your plan. Tell me in person how you can resolve the current predicament of the Beiyang government.”
Lin Hao then reiterated his claim of having no way to serve his country, and produced the "Financial Consolidation Plan" to explain his aspirations.
They also offered 200 tons of gold to support the President, resolve the issues of warlords in various regions who obeyed orders but not decrees, and complete the unification of the country.
"Whoosh!" The president suddenly stood up, remembering the dream he had had earlier.
Yang Du even interpreted his dream, saying that a benefactor would soon help him solve his financial problems. Could this person be his benefactor?
"You said you're prepared to provide 200 tons of gold to support my unification cause!" The President stared intently at Lin Hao, afraid that Lin Hao would utter a word of refusal.
Of course, Lin Hao smiled and thought to himself that his preparations were indeed correct. Then he took out a few charts from his briefcase and spread them on the coffee table.
"President, please take a look. This is the actual amount of money that each province remitted to the central government last year."
The president glanced at the one on the left and immediately recognized it as last year's fiscal budget, with the total revenue column clearly showing 3.82 million yuan.
This is the Beiyang government's assets, at least on paper.
Then he looked at the sheet on the right, which showed the actual amount of money remitted by each province, the principal and interest on foreign debt, and daily expenses, with each layer deducting the money in and out.
The last column of figures made his hand pause slightly: the total amount that the central government could actually use throughout the year was approximately 50 million yuan.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across the president's face, which quickly turned somber. He was aware of these figures; the real number was barely forty million. If it had passed through several hands and been lost at each level, it would probably be at most thirty million.
Lin Hao took out another piece of paper from his bag and pushed it on the table. It read: 200 tons of gold, 6.4 million taels, equivalent to about 200 million silver dollars.
Its actual value has exceeded 2 million silver dollars as gold prices have risen.
“There is no issue of withholding or mortgaging this money; every penny will be used effectively.”
The president's pupils dilated suddenly, but Lin Hao had not yet finished speaking, or rather, the surprise was not yet over.
"If the President permits, I will use this batch of gold as reserves to inject into the central banking system."
"Based on a 60% reserve requirement ratio!" He paused, then said casually.
"With the issuance of bonds, the 'quota' that the President can use will exceed 500 million silver dollars!"
Lin Hao's words were like a hammer slamming onto the table. The president gasped, then looked up at Lin Hao abruptly, remaining silent for a long while.
When I became president, I only had 30 to 40 million to spend. Now that you've come, you're going to pry out the military funds of ten Beiyang Army!
"As expected of my benefactor, he thinks of me in everything!" the President murmured to himself, overjoyed.
"The current situation in Beiyang is not due to your incompetence!" Lin Hao said with increasing certainty.
"The root cause is that you don't have the money. Four provinces account for more than half of the fiscal revenue, but less than 40% actually arrives. As for the remaining provinces, some give 20% or 30%, while others don't give a single cent."
The president's lips twitched, but he did not refute it, because what Lin Hao said was true and it resonated with him.
I didn't realize it before, but after I took charge of the household myself, I understood how difficult it really is to run a family.
After taking the deposit slip from Lin Hao, the President paused slightly as he looked at the numbers on it before carefully examining it a second time.
"Two hundred tons of gold!" At this moment, the president's hands were trembling with excitement.
If he really had that money, why would he need to sign unequal treaties with various countries? He could just take them down directly.
Having been president for so many years, what storms haven't I seen?
But this was the first time he had met an idealist like Lin Hao, and he looked at Lin Hao with a deep gaze, his eyes softening.
"What do you want?" The president wanted to give him something from the bottom of his heart.
"I don't want anything!" Lin Hao said with a heavy expression.
"I have lived abroad for so many years and have seen the prosperity of foreign countries as well as the desolation of my own country."
"Workers at the Tianjin docks earn only two cents a day, barely enough to feed their entire families."
“On the streets of Beiping, rickshaw pullers ran barefoot in the snow, their feet covered in frostbite, and they only earned two or three cents a day.”
Lin Hao's voice deepened, and he continued, "Everyone says a new dynasty brings a new look, but the country is currently in such a state of ruin!"
"I brought this money back not for official position or wealth, but only to ask the President to end this chaotic world and let the people live a peaceful life."
The president did not speak; he stared into Lin Hao's eyes for a long time.
There was no cunning, no scheming, no desire or greed in his eyes that he had become accustomed to in officialdom.
There was only a kind of calmness, a calmness that didn't seem like something a thirty-year-old should have.
"How exactly will your plan be implemented?" The president's voice was somewhat hoarse, not from fear, but from pure excitement.
Lin Hao flipped the chart in his hand to the last page.
It was a national map, with the controlled areas of various forces marked in red and blue, interlocking and densely packed.
"The first step is to unify the tax system by the central government, clean up internal corruption, and directly control customs duties, salt taxes, tobacco and alcohol taxes, etc."
"Then we'll use this gold to issue new national bonds, pay off the old debts, and then borrow new money again. At the same time, we'll negotiate with other countries to lower interest rates and extend the repayment period, so that the national treasury can catch its breath!"
The president nodded. This was something he had done before, which was how the Beiyang government was kept afloat.
Lin Hao then continued:
"The second step is that military pay will be allocated by the finance department through banks and then directly deposited into the soldiers' personal accounts. The military can only conduct statistics and supervision, and must not interfere!"
"Without going through local warlords, whoever obeys will receive their pay, and whoever disobeys will have their pay cut off."
"At most three months. The obedient soldiers will be well-fed and watered, while the disobedient ones will go hungry. At that time, whether those soldiers will follow their pay or their officers, I'm sure you, President, know better than I do."
(End of this chapter)