NOVEL WEB Chapter 388 Dramatic Advantage
The news of the "Paris Cannon" spread out, it is estimated that the Germans were all dumbfounded when they heard it.
Because this is real, the Germans are indeed implementing the "Paris Cannon" plan, and it has even entered the production process.
The Germans were puzzled, this kind of secret was known to only a few people even in Germany, so how did it become widely known in France?
Who leaked the news?
It must be thoroughly investigated!
Shire didn't care about this; he only knew that the market had reacted to this matter:
The big insurance companies could barely hold on, avoiding risks by raising premiums; as the risk increased, the premiums rose correspondingly. For example, Duris Insurance Company directly doubled the premiums, but the claim conditions became extremely harsh, making people suspect they were "cheating."
The small insurance companies couldn't wait to get out, because no one knew when the Germans would complete such a cannon.
If it were tomorrow?
Would the Germans blow up a block of houses, rendering years of work futile?
Not only futile, but even leaving behind a debt that couldn't be repaid in a lifetime!
At this time, Dejoka took action, acquiring three small-scale insurance companies in one go and merging them into "Bernard Insurance Company."
The reason for not using "Shire" but "Bernard" was to avoid linking Shire, the brigadier general, too closely with capital, though everyone knew what was going on.
Then...
A dramatic scene occurred, even though "Bernard Insurance Company" had the same or even higher premiums as other insurance companies, people still invested their money into "Bernard Insurance Company" recklessly.
The competitor, Duris Insurance Company, kept lowering its premiums to no avail, still unable to bring back the clients.
This phenomenon puzzled even Dejoka, who secretly investigated through his assistant why such an unusual situation occurred, and the answer he got was:
"They believe that Shire is a conscientious capitalist, he keeps his word, so they don't need to worry about claims."
Dejoka responded with an "uh-huh," knowing that the reputation of an insurance company was important, and Shire was unrivaled in this regard.
"They believe it is right to invest their money in Shire's insurance company because he saved Paris and many people's lives."
Dejoka was taken aback; he hadn't considered this aspect.
But thinking about it, it seemed true; Shire had saved the entire Paris, even France. In this context, letting Shire make money seemed logical, much better than letting other capitalists who did nothing make money.
"Some people believe that Shire would use the money he earned to save those who needed saving or on the battlefield, so they were willing to spend this money."
Dejoka felt deeply gratified; this was the good reputation Shire had accumulated.
"More people thought: they paid high premiums to Shire's insurance company, if Shire didn't want to pay, he would invent something or lead the French Army to defeat the Germans' 'Paris Cannon,' making their spending worthwhile. Some even asked if there was insurance for attacking Berlin, if there was, they would gladly invest all their savings!"
Dejoka rolled his eyes; that wasn't insurance but gambling!
Shire also felt incredulous when he heard these; over the past year, he had been dealing with capitalists more, gradually forming a habit of thinking from the "benefit" perspective.
Only now did he realize that doing business should consider the audience: discussing benefits with capitalists and talking about sentiments with citizens.
Now, everything Shire had done before, including charity, inventions, and the reputation gained on the battlefield, all came into play.
"Bernard Insurance Company" rapidly grew with millions of francs in wealth daily, the speed accelerating, soon breaking two million francs in daily premiums in just a few days.
More importantly, Shire knew that the Germans' "Paris Cannon" wouldn't threaten Paris, so this money was almost risk-free.
It was crazy!
Back then, Shire invented the tank with great effort and commanded troops to guard Davaz Town at the risk of his life, earning only 990,000 francs after selling the patent. Now, he could easily earn several million a day without doing anything.
No wonder the modern United States was hollowed out by the financial industry; with money so easy to earn in finance, who would still do physical industries!
...
At the gate of the police training base, besides the two guards with rifles, Fusenden, in an old trench coat, was pacing anxiously.
Fusenden had been waiting here for three days without seeing Shire come out. His white beard was tangled due to lack of grooming, and the glasses on his nose were covered with dust.
(The above image is a portrait of Fusenden, an American radio expert, whose number and variety of inventions are second only to Edison, yet he is almost unknown, working on sonar for Britain during World War I)
As a scientist, Fusenden held over 500 invention patents, including for radio.
However, lacking the emotional intelligence and skills, his wealth never matched his achievements.
Fusenden worked as Edison's assistant for four years, but Edison dismissed him due to financial issues.
Later, he worked at the US Weather Bureau, a good job paying $3,000 a year and allowing him to keep all his inventions' rights. However, the bureau chief tried to seize half of his patents, forcing him to resign.
Next, Fusenden worked for the National Electric Signaling Company (NESCO), which also tried to grab his patents, causing him to be dismissed again.
This time, Fusenden sued the Electric Signaling Company for breach of contract, but the other party used their capital to play a "time" game with Fusenden.
Impoverished, Fusenden cursed, "Aren't there any good capitalists?"
At this moment, a name suddenly crossed Fusenden's mind: "Shire"!
People said he was a "conscientious capitalist," having invented many pieces of equipment and supposedly encouraged workers to invent and allowed them to keep their patents.
However, Fusenden hesitated again; Shire was more keen on inventing war equipment, and he didn't seem to have anything related.
Suddenly, Fusenden thought of his echo detector for iceberg detection, which might be useful to Shire.
So, Fusenden made up his mind, bought a ship ticket, and traveled a long way to France.
Only after Fusenden arrived at Shire's residence did he realize he had oversimplified things; Shire wasn't someone anyone could see, especially as a foreigner easily suspected of being a spy.
He couldn't wait any longer; Fusenden gritted his teeth and decided to take a risky move.
Adjusting his coat, Fusenden strode to the base gate and confidently told the guard, "I want to see Shire; I have important intelligence about the Germans that I need to report to him personally!"