The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

Gu Hegao was a rare engineering bachelor in the Republic of China. He went through the Northern Expedition, worked as a bureaucrat, and then went into business after being completely disappointed with the political situation.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the country was in mourning and the people were in mourning, but Gu Hegao was thriving. Because a large number of refugees poured into Sichuan, he took the opportunity to build factories to produce ink, paint, paper, leather and other commodities, and became a big capitalist in a few years.

But at this moment, Gu Hegao was at the lowest point in his life.

A few years ago, Gu Hegao founded Feifeng Paint Factory together with his classmate Yang Yueran, Ba County County Magistrate Feng Junyi, Taxation Bureau Chief He Zhaoqing, Fan Haer's Military Supplies Director Fan Zhongqu and others. This is the first modern paint factory in Sichuan. Because it is a national industry, Feifeng brand paint has been widely praised since its launch.

So Japanese businessmen took action. Several major Japanese paint brands joined forces to lower prices in Sichuan, forcing Gu Hegao to switch to ink production. The Japanese believed that Gu Hegao was a scourge that hindered the monopoly of Japanese products in Sichuan, so they united with ink manufacturers to lower prices.

Nowadays, Gu Hegao's ink and paint factory has stopped production, several major shareholders have withdrawn their shares, and the factory is on the verge of bankruptcy.

This was a very common phenomenon during the Republic of China. National industries were short of funds and weak in technology, and could not compete in the face of encirclement and suppression by foreign businessmen. Especially the silver crisis in the past two years caused the capital chain of major factories to break. The Japanese took the opportunity to invade the market. Now more than half of the Chinese companies on the southeast coast have died.

The enamel factory opened by Zhou Hexuan in Chongqing is different. It uses international advanced technology and is extremely low-cost. It is not afraid of foreign companies lowering prices at all.

"Mr. Gu is planning to transfer the factory?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Gu Hegao smiled bitterly and said, "If possible, I hope Mr. Zhou can become a shareholder."

"Can you introduce the situation of the factory?" Zhou Hexuan said.

Gu Hegao said in detail: "Now that the major shareholders of the factory have withdrawn their capital, only Yang Yueran and I are still holding on. The factory has a complete ink and paint production line, and the factory buildings and machines are worth about 100,000 oceans. But now the factory has stopped working, and the backlog is about With an inventory of more than 10,000 yuan, the price of Japanese goods is too low, and our products cannot be sold at all.”

After hearing what Gu Hegao said, Zhou Hexuan became interested.

When the all-out Anti-Japanese War breaks out and Sichuan becomes the strategic rear area, paints and inks will inevitably have no worries about sales. At that time, countless government agencies and cultural scholars moved to Sichuan, and the consumption of ink was very huge. Not to mention paint, it is used in building houses, making furniture, and can even be used to produce weapons and equipment. This is a good business that makes money every day.

After the war started, the sales of Japanese goods were bound to be hindered, and Gu Hegao's company was the only ink and paint factory in Sichuan. Any fool knew what this meant.

Zhou Hexuan didn't even bother to look at the factory buildings and machines and asked directly: "If I invest 100,000 yuan, how many shares can I get?"

"If you invest 100,000 yuan, Mr. Zhou can exclusively hold 45% of the shares and become the largest shareholder of the factory," Gu Hegao said cautiously, "Do you think it is feasible?"

"Let's go see the factory first." Zhou Hexuan did not agree immediately.

Gu Hegao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He went all over Sichuan to attract people to invest, and so far only Zhou Hexuan was willing to take a look at the factory. If Zhou Hexuan did not inject capital, he would have no choice but to leave the machine factory there idle, as in history, and would not resume production until the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War.

That afternoon, Gu Hegao couldn't wait and took Zhou Hexuan to the factory.

The location of the factory is very good. It is located in Daxigou on the riverside. Products and raw materials can be transported by water. But the condition of the factory was very bad. There was only an old janitor guarding it. No one was working inside, and the machines and equipment were covered with dust-proof tarpaulins.

"Isn't there another shareholder?" Zhou Hexuan asked as he walked in the silent factory.

Gu Hegao smiled bitterly and said, "He is still looking for investors in Chengdu."

Zhou Hexuan lifted a corner of the dust-proof oilcloth, dipped his fingers in the dust, and asked, "Has the machine been regularly maintained?"

"Clean up once every half month and start work at any time." Gu Hegao said.

Zhou Hexuan covered the oilcloth and asked: "If I am willing to invest, how will you solve the product sales problem."

Gu Hegao's expression was a little embarrassed. He bit the bullet and said: "The Japanese are killing me in order to lower the price. There is almost no profit at all. It is impossible for them to not make money forever. I believe that as long as they persist for about half a year, the Japanese will definitely Restore the original price.”

Zhou Hexuan said sarcastically: "But the cost of Japanese goods is still lower than yours. They don't have to restore the original price at all. As long as they keep the price relatively low, your products will have no competitive advantage."

After being exposed by Zhou Hexuan, Gu Hegao said with difficulty: "Since the late Qing Dynasty, domestic products have been like this. But we cannot stop eating because of choking. Only by continuous efforts can we catch up with foreign products in terms of quality and cost. Many Chinese people also support us, as long as the prices of domestic products are not as high as Foreign products are much more expensive, but national products can still have a place.”

"But I'm a capitalist. I can't just invest without making money," Zhou Hexuan said, pointing to the empty factory. "Your factories have stopped production, and there is still a lot of inventory in the warehouse. It's hard for me to believe that we can turn losses into profits after resuming work. .”

Gu Hegao thought Zhou Hexuan was unwilling to invest, and suddenly became extremely disappointed. He wanted to say something, but he stopped. Because in the face of the cruel reality, all words are pale and powerless - he himself has no confidence in his heart, so how can he deceive Zhou Hexuan?

After a long silence, Gu Hegao sighed: "Oh, my skills are inferior to others, so I have to admit defeat. Since Mr. Zhou is unwilling to invest, I can't force him. Thank you for taking the time to inspect the factory."

Zhou Hexuan suddenly smiled and said: "For 100,000 yuan, I want 51% of the shares. After the construction starts, we will first produce paint, and I will give you a big order."

Gu Hegao was already in despair, but now things suddenly changed. He thought he had heard wrong, and asked in surprise: "Mr. Zhou, what did you just say?"

Zhou Hexuan had no choice but to repeat it again.

"No problem, 51% is 51%. We will sign the contract when Lao Yang comes back." Gu Hegao no longer dwells on the issue of shares. He only hopes to have a successor so that the factory can continue to exist.

Zhou Hexuan was about to start a large-scale construction project and consumed a lot of paint. We can even open up the barren mountains and wilderness of Chongqing and build dozens or hundreds of garden villas. When Chongqing becomes the wartime capital, these villas will not have to worry about lack of buyers.

It's disgusting to say that, at a time of national crisis, it brought unlimited business opportunities to Zhou Hexuan. He rushed to build factories and engage in real estate in Sichuan. It is estimated that by the time the Anti-Japanese War is won, the domestic industry alone will be worth tens of millions, or even more than 100 million.

Of course, we will probably encounter a lot of troubles by then, such as the children of powerful people and big capitalists competing for interests. The best solution is to win over the bureaucrats and powerful people to make money together. The interests are so intertwined that even Chiang Kai-shek does not dare to take action easily.