American success master

The black market trade of this era was the most explosive, and the officials tacitly condoned it without excessive interference.

What those capitalists and farm owners did was not something humans should ever do; thus, the black market thrived all the more.

Zhu Wencong, accompanied by a group, strutted down the streets. If they weren't a bit brutal, they would surely be robbed.

In this age, there was no order whatsoever. If you were robbed, it was entirely your own fault; the mounted police wouldn't be responsible for such matters.

The formidable robbers were in charge of gauging the thickness of bank walls, while the less formidable ones could only bully passersby.

So don't wander around banks for no reason, and similarly, don't walk alone; that's when accidents are most likely to happen.

The burly Zhao Da carried a big machete; as a centurion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he had his combat strength.

"Zhu? Our boss wants to meet with you!" Suddenly, three white men approached head-on.

"Who is your boss? We don't seem to know him!" Zhu Wencong eyed the three well-dressed toughs before him.

Zhao Da stepped in front of Zhu Wencong, brandishing his big machete, under which many souls had perished!

"The boss of this market! We mean no hostility; the boss has prepared tea from the East for you especially!" the tough continued.

Zhu Wencong nodded. It seemed the black market big shot had summoned him; not going wasn't an option.

Zhao Da and the others followed closely behind Zhu Wencong. He was their pillar of support now; nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

As for the mysterious boss of the black market, they had only heard of him; they hadn't really seen him in person.

After all, to control the whole black market, it goes without saying, his power was enormous.

"You guys, go exchange this money! I believe the black market boss's identity will be quite useful!" Zhu Wencong found they had to take a carriage.

"We should directly use his... his name?" Luo Chu said, somewhat frightened.

"Having friends from afar, is it not a delight!" Zhu Wencong boarded their carriage, guessing the purpose of the other party to some extent.

Luo Chu and the others were at a loss, not understanding the meaning behind Zhu Wencong's words. They only knew they could exert their authority under false pretenses.

If something happened, Zhu Wencong would shoulder the responsibility. This was the duty of a leader.

...

"Hello! My name is Lawrent Benjamin." Lawrent stood at the entrance of the manor to receive Zhu Wencong.

"Hello! My name is Zhu Wencong!" Zhu Wencong shook hands with Lawrent, noticing his palm was calloused.

Lawrent led Zhu Wencong to visit the manor's garden, which was tended by professionals.

The most dazzling sight was undoubtedly the young, white maidens! Truly, the epitome of vile capitalism!

The dirty and tiring tasks were handled by Kunlun slaves, while the service of carrying tea and water was performed by white girls, revealing the existence of a hierarchical ladder.

The entire manor was styled in an English manner, as after all, the French Royal Family was no more, leaving England's Royal Family to dominate.

"Zhu, you've been peddling stocks in my market; why didn't you tell me?" Lawrent sat in the pavilion.

Zhu Wencong was taken aback, "Ah! Such petty trade, why would I bother you!

Gu, he might not understand the rules here, I will pay the management fees on his behalf..."

Lawrent shook his head; he didn't need that trifling sum of management fees—it was beneath him.

Gu Xuanyuan's father held a certain influence in the black market, being Lawrent's right hand.

"So... you mean to invest in a silver mine?

The mine Gu is in charge of is too small, it surely can't satisfy your appetite.

I... I have a silver mine from the Japanese Islands, part of a secret development project.

Currently only federal officials and the State Bank are involved; entrance requires both status and capital," Zhu Wencong nodded, understanding the situation.

Lawrent revealed a rather terrifying smile, having swallowed the lives of who knows how many.

In collaborating with such a dangerous individual, Zhu Wencong was actually very willing, after all, he could attract fire.

"May I get involved?" Lawrent asked with a smile.

"Of course you can't!" Zhu Wencong replied directly, then saw the other's cannibalistic expression.

Zhu Wencong immediately explained, "You must understand that this is a government-level investment project, and with your kind of status, the government does not trust you.

It's not feasible on the surface, but you can choose a proxy to operate the project for you.

As long as the person is both trusted by you and has a clean identity, then there is no obstacle.

To tell you the truth, if it wasn't for that damned war, they would not allow private investment."

As Lawrent poured tea for Zhu Wencong, he thought to himself how flexible Easterners' minds are, finding the corresponding strategy in an instant.

If he was really allowed to participate, he would instead suspect that it was a deep pit dug by the government.

"There's a banquet tonight, I wonder if you will attend?

I will introduce this project to all of my friends, remember this is not a public, but a confidential project.

Please ensure confidentiality for me, during this period there's no need for too many people to know and understand.

The more people involved, the less wealth there is to share, we need to maintain high quality, high investment," Zhu Wencong stressed.

Lawrent indicated his understanding, as he himself had participated in this type of project before.

In America, it's always been the civil society that's wealthy and the government offices that are poor, so whatever the government wants to do, they must borrow money from the public.

In the construction projects of San Francisco, Lawrent had exerted great efforts, achieving mutual success.

"You're raising funds for the Northern Faction, aren't you?" Lawrent suddenly asked quietly.

Zhu Wencong just smiled slightly and remained silent, some things did not need to be stated too explicitly.

Lawrent, an underworld boss who had mixed in for half his life, knew some things could not be hidden; the other party saw through it at a glance.

"Hahaha! The same old tradition! Rest assured, I will definitely participate in this project!" Lawrent gave Zhu Wencong a peace of mind.

Zhu Wencong contemplated while sipping his tea, those crafty fellows didn't care about the truth of the silver mines, they cared only about making money from it.

Pumping the stock prices to extreme highs, and then cashing out at the peak, leaving bagholders with nothing but trouble.

With the populace bankrupt and official projects halted, Lawrent was unaffected, let alone having no stake in it.

In a society driven by capital, self-interest was exhibited to the fullest in every individual.

"Then... here's to a pleasant collaboration!" Zhu Wencong lifted his teacup.

"To a pleasant collaboration!" Lawrent drank a cup of tea.

Zhu Wencong knew he and Lawrent were of the same kind, not caring about the aftermath or taking responsibility for cleanups.

Compared to Lawrent, Zhu Wencong would still use all his earnings to buy government bonds, not wanting to completely fall out with the government.

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, or have any needs, you can use my business card to solve problems.

I still have a certain influence in California, and even the government has to give me face!

The day the government abandons you, remember to come to me, I can satisfy whatever you need.

Serving the government is ultimately not a long-term plan, whether it's the South or the North, they are all bastards!" Lawrent commented.

Zhu Wencong felt a slight emotion, the civil forces on the ground were truly powerful, completely disregarding the government.

In fact, the federation has little control over the states, and even less influence over the local forces within the states; instead, the states were dominated by local powers.

Those bureaucrats elected by the people were nothing but puppets on strings for people like Lawrent, who were the real power behind the scenes.