1850 American Gold Tycoon

The "California Petroleum Association Agreement" has three main contents.

One: Internal technology sharing within the Petroleum Association. To put it bluntly, it allows members of the Petroleum Association to share the smelting technology of Standard Oil Company. Correspondingly, if other oil companies develop more advanced smelting technology in the future, Standard Oil and other oil companies will also have the right to share the technology.

Second: All chemical products are purchased and sold under a unified system, with unified pricing by the Petroleum Association. No company may sell any petrochemical product at a price higher or lower than the standards set by the Petroleum Institute.

Once discovered, members will not only be expelled from the California petroleum industry, but the Petroleum Association will also confiscate all members' assets related to the chemical industry.

This article was formulated by Liang Yao in order to maintain California's oil monopoly and avoid vicious competition among companies in the future to lower each other's prices.

Liang Yao's purpose is very clear. The production of petrochemical products in Los Angeles must be increased, and the pricing and sales rights must also be controlled.

At present, the market supply of chemical products exceeds demand. As long as the products can be produced, there will be no worries about sales or profits. This system can still work.

As for the third article, it is the relevant confidentiality clause.

This agreement is not very harsh. What makes everyone hesitate is the second clause.

However, given Liang Yao's reputation and ability, these California dignitaries still chose to believe in Liang Yao.

Of course, they have no choice. They cannot join the Petroleum Association unless they accept this agreement.

If you cannot join the Petroleum Association, you will always be able to get involved in the low-end of the industry, the relatively low-profit crude oil extraction link, and you will not be able to get involved in the most profitable chemical product production link in the upstream of the industry.

"Fifty thousand dollars, that's too high a threshold," Pillman muttered.

Deep-pocketed California dignitaries have happily signed agreements to become members of the Petroleum Association.

The rich and powerful with limited financial resources can only stare at the agreement, although Californians are already synonymous with wealth in the eyes of many easterners.

But not all wealthy people can afford the huge sum of US$50,000.

"It doesn't matter if you can't come up with 50,000 US dollars for the time being." Liang Yao pointed to the Bank of America clerk sitting at the door and said, "I have already thought about it for you. The Bank of America clerk is at the door and can help you. Provide loan services.”

Liang Yao was not worried at all that he would not be able to get back the loans he extended to these people. First of all, these people were all prominent figures in California. Even if funds were tight, they had more or less real estate under their names.

Secondly, the oil industry will not suffer losses at least until the market is saturated. Nowadays, it is a rare talent that can make a profit by entering the oil industry.

After working hard for most of the day, Liang Yao's assistant team quickly provided the results.

Of the 138 California dignitaries present, a total of 125 chose to join the Petroleum Association.

In other words, Liang Yao raised US$6.25 million from these California powerful people.

After leaving $2.5 million to build the University of California, there is still $3.75 million that can be used to establish Los Angeles Chemical Industry.

Counting the three melons and two dates raised by the Los Angeles city government and the California state government, it is still possible to raise US$4 million as start-up capital for Los Angeles Chemical.

Once you have the money, the next problem is people.

To be precise, the candidate for president of Los Angeles Chemical.

The president of Los Angeles Chemical is specifically responsible for the operation of Los Angeles Chemical. In addition to being loyal to himself, this candidate also needs to have outstanding abilities, a certain degree of prestige, and be able to convince the public.

There are not many people like this around Liang Yao. Deng Wenyu, the brother of the Deng family, is the most suitable candidate. However, Deng Wenyu is now the Minister of Finance and it is not appropriate for him to be relegated to the position of President of Los Angeles Chemical.

After thinking about it, Liang Yao asked Kony and Carnegie to leave the office for a while, leaving Hu Jinchen alone.

Liang Yao left Hu Jinchen alone, which surprised Hu Jinchen. Before Hu Jinchen could figure out why Liang Yao suddenly left him, Liang Yao had already asked him questions.

"Jinchen, how is this young man Carnegie doing?"

Liang Yao first asked about Carnegie's situation.

Hu Jinchen is as important to him now as Strauss was back then, and he is one of his most important right-hand men.

He has limited energy alone and needs some capable assistants to help him handle some trivial matters.

After Hu Jinchen became the president of Los Angeles Petrochemical, only Coney and Carnegie were left around him.

Although Kony usually looks like he is doing nothing, he has inherited his father's excellent genes, and his work ability and sales volume are really impressive.

However, the employment contract signed between Liang Yao and Kony is for five years, and this year is already the fourth year of the contract.

It is difficult to say whether Kony will stay as his assistant after the employment contract expires. After all, this kid has a family fortune worth tens of millions of dollars waiting to be inherited, so it's impossible to keep working for him.

At this time, Carnegie's role became more important. Liang Yao wanted to hear Hu Jinchen's evaluation of Carnegie.

"This young man Xiaoka is very smart and easy to learn, and he has a life-threatening passion for his work." Hu Jinchen thought for a while and said.

Carnegie's arrival shared a lot of the chores that he and Coney had to do, and the pressure on them was instantly relieved a lot.

Especially Kony, in order to save trouble, simply left many of his own jobs to Carnegie, in the name of giving young people more training opportunities.

However, Hu Jinchen and Kony were colleagues who met each other without looking up, so it was not convenient for me to tell Liang Yao directly about this kind of thing.

What's more, with Liang Yao's sharp eyes, Hu Jinchen believed that these things must not be hidden from him.

When Garrett brought Carnegie to report to Liang Yao, Liang Yao took a liking to Carnegie at first glance, which proved Liang Yao's vision.

"I heard that Carnegie also worshiped you as his teacher, is that true?" Liang Yao motioned to Hu Jinchen to sit in front of him and talk to him.

Hu Jinchen didn't know why Liang Yao suddenly asked him this question. Could it be that he had touched his employer's taboo?

Thinking of this, Hu Jinchen's expression gradually became a little nervous, and he walked to Liang Yao and sat down anxiously.

"Yes, Carnegie often asked me for advice on work issues, and he also begged me to teach him Chinese and Cantonese." Hu Jinchen said truthfully.

"If this job of yours was given to Carnegie, would Carnegie be competent?" Liang Yao asked.

"My boss! I have no second thoughts about my boss."

Hu Jinchen thought Liang Yao was going to fire him, so he stood up quickly and explained.

"You don't have to worry too much. After all, you've been working for me for four years. I remember all your hard work. If you had second thoughts, I wouldn't have kept you by my side for four years. Sit down."

With that said, Liang Yao poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over.

"Thank you, boss."

After Hu Jinchen thanked Liang Yao, he took the hot tea from Liang Yao and sat down.

"Let's talk about the matter, you just need to answer my questions truthfully." Liang Yao said.

Carnegie was his important assistant, but not his only one.

In addition to Carnegie, little Allen will be seventeen next year. He has very good grades in business school and is also a smart person.

His second cousin Liang Yi was also sent to a business school by him for further studies, and he will also be a good backup candidate in the future.

And his future daughter-in-law Elizabeth, who inherited the same father’s excellent genes as Kony, will also be able to help him in the future.

"Yes, give Xiaoka enough time. Xiaoka can do better than me. Xiaoka is the smartest foreign kid I have ever seen." Hu Jinchen said with great certainty.

"This child just comes from a poorer background. If he comes from a better background, goes to school seriously, and his family can give him a sum of money to start a business, he will definitely be a promising person.

He has a skill that I can't even learn. After sending and receiving telegrams for so long, I still can't do without the code book. This guy could figure out the contents of a telegram just by listening to the voice in the telegraph room without looking at the code book, and he never made any mistakes. "

Hu Jinchen's evaluation of Carnegie is still very pertinent. Carnegie was not a native American, but a Scottish immigrant.

Carnegie's ancestors were engaged in the household textile industry. Under the impact of the British industrialization wave, the household-based textile industry was obviously unable to compete with factories.

The Carnegie family became poorer from generation to generation. By the generation of Carnegie's parents, they were already so poor that it was difficult to survive.

Therefore, when Carnegie was 12 years old, that is, in 1848, he moved to New York, United States with his parents.

Life in the New World will indeed be a little better than in the Old World, but it will only be a little better, and you can barely have enough to eat.

Carnegie's mother worked in a textile factory as a female worker, and his father worked in a cotton factory. Carnegie himself also worked as a child laborer in a cotton factory with his father.

Workers in this era were very cheap, and female workers and child labor were even cheaper. Carnegie's weekly salary when working as a child laborer in a cotton factory was $1 and 20 cents.

This is why factory owners in California thought they were doing a good deed when they hired child laborers to clean factory pipes and chimneys at a price of 50 to 80 cents a day, and hired child laborers to work in the factories at a weekly salary of $2 a week.

Carnegie's life did not improve until the end of 1852, when Carnegie was spotted by Garrett and served as Garrett's personal telegraph operator and secretary, earning a monthly salary of $50.

Opportunities always come to those who are prepared. Although Carnegie worked up to 15 hours a day, he still insisted on going to night school to learn knowledge. He could also work part-time to support his family while studying.

When Garrett met Carnegie, Carnegie's cultural level was much higher than that of many of his peers with formal education, and he also mastered a skill that only a few people mastered: telegraph sending and receiving technology.

This is a skill he learned from the operators of the telegraph company when he was working part-time as a postman. This is also the most important reason why Garrett fell in love with Carnegie.

After listening to Hu Jinchen's evaluation of Carnegie, Liang Yao probably had some idea. The contract he signed with Carnegie was for 15 years. If Carnegie could be qualified as an assistant.

In 15 years he won't have to worry about assistants.

"I want you to be the president of Los Angeles Chemical. If there are no objections, you and Carnegie will hand over the work and prepare to go to Los Angeles." Liang Yao said.

"President of Los Angeles Chemical? This is a new company you are spending 4 million US dollars to set up? Do you want me to take care of it?" Hu Jinchen looked incredulous.

"Wrong, this is not my company, this is the company of all Californians." Liang Yao corrected.

"After taking this position, you will not only be responsible to me, but also to all Californians. There will be many pairs of eyes staring at you from behind, coveting your position and questioning my appointment of you. You followed me like this Jiu, I trust your ability, don’t embarrass me."

After speaking, Liang Yao stood up from his position and patted Hu Jinchen on the shoulder.

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