Chapter 1477
First Visit to the Jin Family
Chapter 1477 First Visit to the Jin Family
Controlling the military through finances, to put it bluntly, means using money to control the gun barrel, which was the most sensitive topic for the Beiyang warlords.
Who among you doesn't hold military power?
The president said this in front of so many people, which was both a test for Lin Hao and a probe of the warlords present.
Lin Hao put down his chopsticks, took a leisurely sip of tea, and then spoke:
"President, colleagues, what I mean by controlling the military with finances can be summed up in eight words: central distribution of funds and supplies, and public disclosure of accounts."
"How are military salaries distributed in each province now? The central government allocates funds, but a portion is withheld by the commanders, another portion is embezzled by the officers, and the remaining portion is consumed by the soldiers. It's a chain of exploitation, leaving the soldiers with barely enough porridge to eat. How can such an army fight a war?"
Bai Xiong frowned slightly but didn't speak. He wasn't unaware of the problem Lin Hao was referring to, but it involved many interests within the military, all of whom held the reins of power. What if... well, you know!
Look at how these military leaders are looking at Lin Hao—it's all strange!
Lin Hao, seemingly oblivious, continued:
"Lin's suggestion was simple: to use the finance and banking systems to transfer the military pay of each province directly to the soldiers, bypassing all intermediaries."
"Anyone who dares to disobey the central government's orders will be dealt with."
"Take care of them?" A high-ranking officer in military uniform sneered. "Chief of Staff Lin, who are you going to take care of? What if they rebel?"
Lin Hao looked at the man, his gaze as calm as a still pond, and spoke words as cold as minus 36.5 degrees Celsius from his 36.5-degree mouth:
"What, you wouldn't happen to be planning to rebel against the President, would you?"
At this time, although everyone had their own faction, the president still wielded considerable influence. Anyone who dared to openly rebel against the president would be shot in the back by his own men without him even having to lift a finger.
The man's expression changed, and he didn't dare to reply, but he made a mental note of Lin Hao.
Now was the time for Lin Hao to establish his authority, so Lin Hao pressed him to answer for him:
"As far as I know, your soldiers only receive less than 40% of their pay."
"Given your strong opposition, is it because you are dissatisfied with the President and oppose improving the army's combat effectiveness? What are your true intentions?"
"Next, I'll have someone make up the remaining 60%, and then your men will know who's really paying them."
The room fell silent. The president swirled the wine in his glass, smiling as he looked at one of the military leaders, who was also his former subordinate.
Jin Quan's teacup stopped in mid-air, his eyes wide open. Are all young people these days so headstrong?
Bai Xiongqi put down his chopsticks and picked them up again, his expression changing from surprise to horror.
The warlord who had been rebuked blushed and was about to retaliate when the president suddenly burst into laughter.
"Good! Vice Minister Lin has guts!" The President clapped his hands twice, then encouraged him:
"For daring to speak the truth in front of so many people, you are better than those who only know how to brandish weapons or write formulaic essays all day long!"
"It seems that assigning you the position of deputy minister is not enough to make full use of your talents. I really underestimated you before!"
He was overjoyed today; Lin Hao was indeed his benefactor. The President thought for a moment, then solemnly said:
"I'll just have you serve as the Minister of Finance. I hope you'll continue your efforts and achieve even greater success!"
Before anyone could speak, he turned to the crowd, his tone becoming serious:
"I've reviewed Chief Lin's plan. The injection of two hundred tons of gold is enough for us to sort out our finances and also enough for us to achieve unification!"
"From today onwards, Lin Hao will serve as Minister of Finance and Vice President of the Central Bank, to oversee the current fiscal system!"
"The specific job assignments will be announced in an appointment letter from Chief of Staff Kim later!"
"As for the military directly paying soldiers' salaries, that's settled then. If anyone disagrees, they're welcome to come and find me!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze towards Lin Hao changed. He had leveled up twice in a row! It really was a level up every day!
The key was the direct support from the President, which demonstrated such courage and brilliance that it left everyone dazzled.
If Lin Hao achieves even a little success, his future will be limitless.
This young man in his early thirties had become the president's favorite, and everyone was now looking at Lin Hao with intense fervor.
Lin Hao stood up and bowed slightly to the President, saying, "Thank you for your trust and support, President!"
After the banquet ended, Jin Quan walked up to Lin Hao with a smile and said:
"Brother Lin, you spoke well tonight, but you were too sharp. The person you contradicted is a direct subordinate. He won't let this go after you've humiliated him!"
"Don't worry, Chief of Staff Kim, I know what I'm doing!" Lin Hao smiled, his words ambiguous as to whether he meant it or not.
"I'm really hoping he'll make his move soon, so the president will have a legitimate reason to act!"
Jin Quan looked at Lin Hao, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses, before making a decision.
He suddenly patted Lin Hao on the shoulder: "I'm hosting a casual dinner at my home tomorrow night, and I hope you'll do me the honor of attending, Brother Lin!"
Reputation is indeed a good thing; after throwing two hundred tons of gold at him, the entire Beiyang government knew his name.
Just as he thought, once he gained fame, many things became simpler. For example, he could go to the Jin family tomorrow night, and if he wanted, he could even interfere with the plot.
Lin Hao was overjoyed. The Jin family's informal banquet meant that he could officially enter the social circles of the Beiyang elite.
"It would be my great honor!"
The following evening, Lin Hao changed into a dark gray suit, a white shirt, a red tie, and his hair was neatly combed.
He looked so outstanding, like a celestial being descended from heaven.
Jin Mansion is a luxurious villa in Dongcheng District, combining Chinese and Western styles, with European-style interior decoration.
Lin Hao's car stopped at the villa's main gate. The butler's eyes lit up, and he quickly came over and said:
"Mr. Lin! The master instructed that you be invited in immediately upon your arrival."
Lin Hao nodded and then followed the butler into the Jin family villa.
The living room was very spacious, with a thick Persian carpet and several ink landscape paintings and a Western oil painting hanging on the wall.
The crystal chandelier cast a warm yellow light, and silver fruit platters and a complete set of English tea utensils were placed on the mahogany furniture.
The living room was already quite full of people. Jin Quan was sitting in the main seat chatting with several elderly gentlemen in long gowns. When he saw Lin Hao enter, he immediately stood up to greet him.
"Brother Lin is here! Come, come, let me introduce you to your family."
He pulled Lin Hao to the center of the living room and introduced him to his family in a loud voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Minister Lin Hao I mentioned to you, a financial expert who returned from studying in the United States and the Vice President of Beiyang Bank!"
"Hello, Chief of Staff Lin!"
"Welcome, Chief of Staff Lin!"
The Jin family members greeted Lin Hao one by one, and Lin Hao smiled and nodded in response, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the living room without making a sound.
Jin Quan first introduced his wives. Mrs. Jin was not particularly beautiful, but she had the dignified demeanor of a lady from a prominent family.
The second concubine, Madam He, was beautiful, with a hint of shrewdness hidden in her eyes.
By the way, Lin Hao remembered that Jin Quan also had a third concubine, but she hadn't entered the family yet. The fourth concubine, strictly speaking, wasn't a concubine, but a mistress, whose name was something like Ouyang.
Then came the Jin family's children. Jin Quan had many children, and Lin Hao already knew about them, but seeing them in person still felt like seeing people from a painting come to life. After all, most of them were celebrities, so he still remembered them somewhat.
The eldest son, Jin Fengju, is a typical playboy who has a wife and keeps mistresses, but he is still relatively polite to Lin Hao.
Second Young Master, Third Young Master, Fourth Young Master... After walking around them, Lin Hao wore a polite smile, but in his mind, he had already labeled them: This one is unimportant, that one is unimportant, and this one is also unimportant.
Until Jin Quan stood in front of a young man.
“This is our seventh son, Yanxi.”
Jin Yanxi, Lin Hao finally saw the male lead of "The Story of a Noble Family".
In his early twenties, he was tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored navy blue suit with the collar of his white shirt slightly open, revealing a slender collarbone.
Despite being a student, he acted like a wild and unruly person.
His features are handsome, but there is an innate sense of superiority between his brows. When he looks at people, he raises his chin slightly, as if to say, "You are so-and-so!"
"Yanxi, call him Uncle Lin!" Jin Quan reminded him, clearly wanting to be on equal footing with Lin Hao.
Looking at the handsome man who wasn't much older than himself, Jin Yanxi hesitated to call out to him. Just as he was looking conflicted, Lin Hao smiled and said:
No need. Actually, I'm not that old, not much older than Yanxi. Let's just keep our own ways and treat each other as brothers, treating each other as equals.
Jin Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief, then put away his lazy demeanor and solemnly extended a hand: "Hello, Brother Lin."
Lin Hao grasped his hand and smiled, "Seventh Young Master is young and promising. I heard you're graduating soon?"
Jin Yanxi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "Brother Lin still remembers me?"
"I've heard Principal Hu mention it!" Lin Hao said with a smile, his expression unchanged.
"Ah~ I heard Principal Hu mention it?" Jin Yanxi then realized.
Has his reputation as a spoiled brat and idler spread throughout the entire school?
Then, she subconsciously glanced at her father and saw him glare at her. She immediately felt numb, knowing that she was in for another scolding.
"Hmph!" Upon hearing that even the principal knew about it, Jin Quan immediately snorted coldly and said:
"You've studied for four years but haven't learned much. All you do all day is drive around, fawn over actors, and go to dance halls. You've completely disgraced the Jin family!"
Jin Yanxi shrank back, her lips twitched a couple of times, but she didn't dare to talk back.
Lin Hao smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Prime Minister Jin, it's normal for the Seventh Young Master to be a bit playful since he's young."
"Besides, in this day and age, what good is a diploma? It's just a stepping stone. You still need ability and insight to get things done!"
Jin Quan glanced at his most favored, yet most useless, son and sneered:
"What skills does he have? He's certainly first-rate at spending money."
"That's not how it works!" Lin Hao picked up his teacup and slowly blew away the foam, saying:
"Seventh Young Master has been out in the world for so many years. He is worldly-wise and knows all kinds of people. He is much better than those who just study books."
"For example, in the financial industry, the most important thing is not how fast you can do accounting, but knowing who to deal with and how to deal with them. I think Seventh Young Master is quite good at this."
Jin Yanxi's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously straightened his back a little.
Lin Hao put down his teacup and looked at Jin Quan, saying:
"Chief Jin, Brother Yanxi hasn't started his internship yet, has he? The bank just happens to be short of someone who is good at networking and can handle interviews."
"Why don't we let the Seventh Young Master work as a deputy manager at my bank? Maybe he can learn something worthwhile."
Upon hearing this, Jin Quan's eyes lit up, and he said with delight:
"Oh, then I'll thank you on behalf of Yanxi, brother. Let him give it a try. If he causes trouble, I'll break his legs."
Jin Yanxi spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, and he was extremely happy. However, since his father had agreed so readily, and he dared not disobey his father, he could only reluctantly agree.
"Brother Lin, please take good care of me in the future."
"Definitely, definitely!" Lin Hao nodded with a smile, adding, "Of course I'll take care of you. I'll arrange a proper job for you later!"
Jin Quan watched as his son and Lin Hao chatted well, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He then pulled Lin Hao along as they continued walking.
“There are still a few children I haven’t introduced to you yet!” Jin Quan said, walking up to two girls.
Bai Xiuzhu. Lin Hao's heart skipped a beat.
She wore a light pink dress with a lace neckline and a fitted waist that accentuated the slender curves of a young girl just coming of age.
Her short, jet-black hair was styled into the most fashionable waves, framing a fair, almost translucent oval face.
Her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll's: willow-leaf eyebrows, almond eyes, a high nose bridge, and lips painted with a light pink lip gloss, neither too heavy nor too light, just right.
However, what impressed Lin Hao most were her eyes.
Arrogance is a kind of pride that comes from the very core of one's being.
She stood there, her hands casually placed in front of her, her chin slightly raised, and her gaze unconsciously carried a sense of superiority.
The young masters and ladies of the Jin family all paled in comparison to her. Even Jin Yanxi unconsciously toned down his carefree demeanor when he walked past her.
"Hello, Brother Lin," Bai Xiuzhu said, her voice clear and crisp like tapping a porcelain bowl.
"My brother told me that you are highly regarded by the President and hold a high-ranking position in the Ministry of Finance?"
Lin Hao smiled slightly: "Deputy Minister Bai, you flatter me. I've heard about Miss Bai's reputation for playing the piano at Peking University."
Bai Xiuzhu was slightly taken aback, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips: "You also know that I play the piano?"
"That's what Professor Chen from the Music Department of Yenching University said!" Lin Hao said with a smile.
He said that Ms. Bai's Chopin playing was extremely inspired, but it was a pity that she did not follow a professional path.
This touched on Bai Xiuzhu's proudest point. The thin layer of ice on her face finally melted a little, revealing a reserved smile:
"Professor Chen, you flatter me. I was just playing around, it's nothing special!"
"For Professor Chen to remember something so well just from playing around, Miss Bai's talent is truly remarkable," Lin Hao said with a hint of surprise.
Bai Xiuzhu glanced at him, a hint of curiosity in her eyes; she was very confident in her appearance.
This Chief Lin is quite interesting; he didn't try to curry favor with her, which is completely different from spoiled brats like Brother Yanxi.
Just as Lin Hao was about to say something more, a clear voice came from the side: "Well, I haven't introduced myself yet!"