The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 20



< Hogu or Prophet (2) >

“Haha that’s right. You recognized it right away…”

Jack Milo responded to my question with a hearty laugh.

Then he glanced at me and made a surprised expression.

“I thought you were only interested in real estate. I guess your highness is also interested in stocks.”

I didn’t answer Jack’s question.

Instead I focused a little more on the text and started reading it out loud starting with the company name written at the very top.

“Dongyang Joint Mining Company? I guess this is a company related to mining.”

Jack Milo pounded my chest.

After that he confessed his own investment philosophy to me.

“Do you know what people say about me?”

“It’s called Gold King.”

“That’s right. I’m a gold collector. Then why am I selling only one?”

“well?”

“Because it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. Moreover I never invest in things I don’t know. This one principle is what got me to where I am today.”

You are a very smart investor.

Invest only in what you know.

Usually because of their excessive greed they lean towards other fields as well.

But when I stared at the scrap of paper without any particular reaction Jack seemed to get a little impatient and took out another document from his bosom.

“Please read it.”

“What is it?”

“Here is the relevant investment prospectus for the company I just handed you.”

I was a little annoyed.

Why do you keep giving me stuff like this?

I should have just said it with my own mouth.

“Why are you telling me this? Gold mining is your specialty.”

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Dongyang Joint Mining Co. Ltd. was a company I had never heard of before.

There was no clue in Lee Kang’s memory or in my memory as a modern person.

‘Just looking at the company name it seems like it’s a company that mines in Asia.’

Jack Milo shrugged his shoulders and began to reveal his true feelings.

“Because I thought the prince would know this company better.”

“I?”

“Yes. In fact this company’s headquarters are in New York but the main mine they are mining is in the Korean Empire.”

As he remained silent while reading the material he had handed over Jack Milo provided further explanation.

“Have you heard of the Unsan Gold Mine? This is the company that owns the gold mine.”

Unsan gold mine?

It seemed like there was something in Lee Kang’s memory but it didn’t come to mind easily.

but.

Lee Kang is not a mining expert so how does he know about each and every mine in the Korean Empire?

“It looks like you came here to ask me for advice.”

Jack Milo stopped drinking the drink he had been given and slapped his knee.

“That’s right. I heard that this stock has been put on the market. I heard that one of the shareholders who owns it is in urgent need of cash. I bought a small amount for now. I’m worried about whether I should buy all of it… I came to you Prince.”

Jack’s eyes lit up.

As his nickname Gold King suggests he focused hard when he got the chance to earn gold.

“What do you think Your Majesty? If you know anything about the Unsan Gold Mine could you tell me?”

How would I know?

However pretending not to know was a lowly thing to do.

“well.”

In times like this.

The best thing to do is to take your time and ask in return.

“What do you think?”

It was Jack Milo who had been sipping his drink with a hearty expression on his face.

But then he suddenly opened his mouth with a rather serious expression on his face.

“Actually… I don’t believe in this piece of crap. I’ll have to see it with my own eyes to feel better.”

As expected of a great man who rose from the bottom to become a conglomerate he seemed to feel at ease only after he personally went out and checked the situation.

“Then I guess I should go to Joseon once. Can you at least tell the embassy?”

Then Jack Milo’s face suddenly changed and he looked troubled.

“Unfortunately I can’t visit Unsan here. Even though it looks like this I actually….”

“Are you afraid of riding a boat?”

“To be exact I’m afraid of water. I had a hard time when I was young.”

Then he told me his story without me even asking.

There was a story that he almost died when his ship ran aground while he was immigrating.

It was long-winded but to summarize he said that he was so traumatized that he couldn’t board the ship.

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“That’s strange. I heard that you invested in mines in South Africa and Brazil. How do you explain that?”

“that is….”

Jack Milo scratched his head.

“I invest only after seeing it with my own eyes but if there is one exception I just pass over it.”

When investing in overseas mines they say they reduce risk by investing together with the local privileged class.

Well now that I hear it it’s a pretty great method.

Investing with people who know the area well will at least reduce the chances of loss.

“Then there must be one reason for coming here. Isn’t this… to jointly acquire the stocks of Dongyang Joint Mining Company?”

“As expected… you are a prince. You really are a prince.”

Jack Milo produced another document.

It was a document related to a new trust company to be established for investment in Dongyang Joint Mining Co. Ltd.

“hmm….”

“I have prepared the documents very fairly. Please read them and ask questions if you have any.”

I read the contract slowly.

The rights of the trust company are equally divided.

At first glance Jack seemed to be very kind to me.

‘Look at this kid.’

But you shouldn’t just read the contract at first glance.

I had to read and sign carefully picking out the meaning of each word.

‘They’ve put together a special deal. And they did it very cleverly.’

The skill was evident.

One clause written at the end caught my eye.

‘It’s a right of first refusal…’

A provision that applies for five years after the establishment of a trust company.

To summarize briefly.

The first person to bid must first propose a sale to the other major shareholders of the trust company.

That is 75% of the initial investment amount.

‘If you don’t know anything about finance you would have been completely fooled.’

You could argue that it’s for long-term investment but even if that’s true there’s no need to put in a clause like this.

This clause must have been added because I have a reputation as a pushover.

but.

To Westerners now I probably look like a golden goblin.

They are buying up wasteland like victims of fraud by planning real estate.

At the same time we are investing in several businesses proposed by influential figures in California.

They must be trying to suck up some money to naive Asians.

‘Because when cash dries up the first thing you do is sell stocks with good liquidity. If you invest this time you probably expect to sell these stocks within 5 years.’

Thinking about cutting off your nose while laughing.

It was a bit annoying.

“majesty.”

timely.

Woo Hyun-sik came to see me.

“Yeah. What’s going on? Is it because of the insurance broker?”

Woo Hyun-sik nodded.

He told me with a slightly annoyed expression.

“I made such a fuss about needing His Majesty’s autograph. Oh I…”

It seemed like something had come up that I couldn’t handle on my own.

At this I quickly cut off Woo Hyeon-sik’s words.

“jack.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

“Can you wait here for a moment? I’ll be back shortly.”

It’s an opportunity.

A chance to find out information about the Unsan Gold Mine.

It seems like a good deal to me except for the poison pill clause at the very bottom.

A situation where we just have to find out how profitable the Unsan gold mine is.

I pretended to sign and moved to the next room intending to spend some time finding out this information from others.

“Of course. Hahaha….”

Jack laughs heartily.

He made a knowing expression while smoking a cigar.

He seems relaxed since he said he doesn’t have any other appointments.

He moved near the stuffed lion he had given me as a gift stroked the lion’s mane and said the following to me.

“I’ll be staying with this guy for a while. Now that we’re about to part ways I feel a bit sad.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll be back soon.”

Leaving the stuffed detective and Jack behind I quickly headed to the other room where my group was.

And there I tried to find information about gold mines.

* * *

“Do you know about the Unsan Gold Mine?”

Woo Hyun-sik made a puzzled expression at my question.

“Well is it a gold mine in our Korean Empire? Why do you ask?”

He didn’t seem to know much about it either.

but.

Just because you know a little bit about accounting doesn’t mean you’re well-versed in all investment information.

He quickly called Yu Gil-jun and his two sons who were in the next room.

But they too tilted their heads.

‘Aaron and his two brothers wouldn’t know either. They’re from Ireland.’

Fortunately Choi Hyun-woo who was on the first floor gave me a clear answer to my question.

Unlike the others here he worked at the Imperial Household Ministry until recently.

“If it’s the Unsan Gold Mine… isn’t it the mine that His Majesty gave to Allen as a gift?”

Horace Allen?

Unlike Hulbert that blond American who gave power to Gwi-bi by belittling Lee Kang in Hanyang?

Why did Gojong give this to Allen?

When I asked that I got an unexpected answer.

“What? You gave me the mining rights just because I saved Min Yeong-ik’s life?”

“yes.”

Fuck.

How valuable are mining rights?

Are you saying you’re giving it to me just because I cured a brother-in-law who doesn’t share a single drop of blood with me?

“So. Tell me everything you know without leaving anything out.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

It’s so amazing to hear that.

The Unsan gold mine famous for its gold since ancient times was sold for a very low price.

This is Emperor Gojong the biological father of this possessed body.

“We also extended our mining rights six years ago. At that time we sold all the shares that the royal family owned.”

I’m going crazy.

According to relevant documents the amount of gold mined here is significant.

This looks like it was cooked and fed to dogs.

Choi Hyun-woo took the bundle of documents I was holding with a look on his face as if asking why I was suddenly asking such a thing.

He read the relevant documents once and looked surprised.

“Maybe… there’s no one else who knows the relevant information?”

Choi Hyun-woo looked at the documents and me alternately then quickly fixed his gaze down.

“Some of the workers on the first floor are from Pyeongan Province. If we call them and ask them for information wouldn’t we be able to learn something?”

“Call him now.”

“yes.”

Choi Hyun-woo hurriedly went outside and headed towards the laborers.

After a while the laborers came towards me.

“Yeah. Unsan is near your hometown?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“Okay. So do you know about this gold mine?”

“It is famous for its Nodaji.”

“Nodaji?”

A question mark appeared in my head.

“Why did the Americans invest in this mine? The documents clearly say that it was led by Americans.”

A man named Hong Gu corrected my misunderstanding and added the following:

“No. As Your Majesty said the Unsan gold mine was developed by Americans not Japanese. It is called Nodaji for another reason.”

It is said that mine managers dispatched from the United States shouted “No touch” at the workers who were privately mining the gold veins of the Unsan Gold Mine.

This word was passed down by word of mouth among the local residents and Unsan Gold Mine became famous for its gold.

“So then this gold mine really is a great place.”

“Yes that’s right.”

It means El Dorado of the East.

If I can invest in this I should do it.

After checking the relevant information I hurried back to Jack Milo.

“Sorry. I’m late because I had to sign up for my insurance.”

“No thanks to you I had one last good time with this guy.”

Jack was watching his brother’s prey while touching the detective’s mane.

He approached me slowly and spoke in a low voice.

“Your Majesty I’m just saying this just in case but please don’t misunderstand.”

“What are you trying to say that makes you look so scary?”

Jack advised me in a low voice.

“I may be being sarcastic but I’ll say this for the prince’s sake. Don’t even think about insurance fraud. That’s a crime.”

And I can’t even receive the insurance money.

You could end up in jail.

“If you are short on funds I know a very honest banker. Why don’t you ask him for a loan?”

I guess you thought I was being too picky.

Well I guess that could be misunderstood.

I’ve been spending a lot of money externally lately.

And donate too.

And buy land.

The building was also bought.

Business is also going well.

We are establishing an agricultural corporation and looking for an office to manage it and we are also purchasing warehouses near the docks in preparation for trading with foreign countries.

To others who don’t know my plan it might seem a bit dangerous.

Because cash is drying up.

“I have been getting insurance at the request of people I met before. They all preached the importance of insurance and recommended it to me.”

“Still you ate too much.”

Despite my explanation Jack Milo maintained a negative expression.

‘Yeah I’ve heard that a lot.’

It would seem so to the average person.

But I’m not pushing myself too hard.

Even if you start paying insurance premiums this year it’ll only last for about four months.

Even in modern times fire insurance for an expensive apartment costs less than 50000 won per month.

Considering the insurance money that will be recovered in the future this is just a drop in the bucket.

‘It’s not a waste of money. There’s going to be a big earthquake in two months.’

Fire insurance in this era was not as sophisticated as it is today.

First of all there aren’t even standard terms and conditions.

What this means is that the scope of compensation varies from company to company.

‘This is something I couldn’t even imagine if it were the original.’

In modern times fire insurance compensation is proportional not fixed.

Proportional compensation means that even if you have insurance from multiple insurance companies the compensation amount is fixed.

But that wasn’t the case now.

‘I can make a killing here.’

Insurance companies currently operating in the United States can be broadly divided into two groups.

One is England.

Another is an insurance company within the United States itself.

Britain gave Korea to Japan to check Russia in the Great Game.

The United States tolerated Japan’s ambitions in exchange for priority over the Philippines for its own benefit.

The resulting economic damage was significant.

Isn’t Japan exploiting its Korean people right now?

I guess I can take this much advantage.

Because I can roll this money over and use it for them in the future.

“I will not take out any more insurance from now on as you advised. By the way… you should also take out some insurance for your business.”

As a courtesy I also recommended insurance to Jack.

If a major earthquake comes his business will not be safe either.

But Jack Milo flatly rejected my offer.

“I’m sorry but I have to decline. I don’t want to waste my money on something so useless.”

Like a real man he lives without insurance.

Huh? Wait a minute.

You don’t have any insurance?

‘Most of Jack’s gold is now in California.’

Major earthquakes occur throughout California.

Earthquakes don’t just happen in mansions or farmlands.

The gold mine won’t be safe either.

“Anyway… I will gratefully accept your investment proposal. I will sign it right away.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. There’s just one thing… one clause I’d like to change.”

“Please speak.”

“Here’s the final word. Explain this clause to me.”

“Ah… This is a provision that is included as a courtesy for the long-term operation of the trust. Don’t worry too much.”

“Really? That’s right. Of course you have to invest for a long time. If you close the business in less than a year it will be difficult for the other party as well.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“Hmm… So I have a suggestion. This last clause. First of all the preemptive right. How about lowering it to 50% of the initial investment amount? That would make the clause more binding. Just in case you want to sell.”

Jack Milo looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment then accepted my offer.

“Since it is Your Majesty’s request I will make the corrections accordingly.”

“okay.”

“Okay I’ll set up a trust company and then acquire the relevant stocks.”

“Okay.”

It’s so ironic.

I just received Emperor Gojong’s secret funds.

With that money he bought back some shares of the Unsan Gold Mine.

“Ah… before I leave there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

He caught Jack Milo trying to go outside.

There’s one more thing I’d like to ask.

“Please speak.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that you wanted to introduce me to a bank manager? Who is he?”

“This is Amadeo Peter Giannini.”

“Gianni?”

Jack Milo nodded to my question.

“Yes. He is the founder and president of the Bank of Italy. May I introduce you to him?”

Do you know someone who will be a big shot in the future?

“Of course. The more you know about people in finance the more helpful it is. I would like to meet him as soon as possible.”

< Hogu or Prophet (2) > End