The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 48



< To the East (2) >

Unlike my previous trip to Mexico I plan to use the Trans-American Railway for my eastern trip.

The Panama Canal hasn’t even started construction yet and we have to stop in Detroit along the way.

like that.

After sending Woo Hyun-sik to San Francisco Central Station I was gathering supplies needed for another trip.

“Hello Your Highness.”

That was when.

Although we had no prior notice a welcome guest unexpectedly showed up at our house.

“President Giannini?”

He must be busy whipping his employees and swell the assets of the Bank of Italy.

Why did you come to my house?

I brought Giannini into the house with a puzzled expression.

“Did something happen?”

“What the hell is going on? My family and I are fucking great and peaceful.”

Oh my.

Your mouth is still as tight as ever.

“Then have you come to ask me a favor?”

Giannini scratched his head and began to speak.

“As expected your highness is quick-witted. Yes that’s right. The reason I came here today is to make a proposition to you.”

“What kind of proposal is that? You’re not suggesting that I keep my deposit in your bank for a little longer are you?”

That is absolutely not possible.

Because there are times when you absolutely have to use it.

“Oh my cash flow has improved recently so I can give you all the money you have. I came here on other business.”

Giannini waved his hand and quickly answered my question.

“Something else?”

“Yes. I heard rumors that the prince is going on a business trip to the East.”

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I nodded silently and confirmed the rumor.

Because I’m really leaving.

To this Giannini answered with a big smile.

“I would also like to go east with the prince.”

“Me? What about your bank?”

“It’s been half a year since the X-type earthquake. We’ve almost finished providing emergency loans to the victims.”

It’s been six months and aren’t other banks that had closed also resuming operations?

That’s why BOI won’t be as crowded as it used to be.

“Thanks to you I can stretch out my legs and sleep comfortably these days.”

“I have prepared coffee and refreshments.”

The maid who works at my house brought Giannini some coffee.

Even though you came without a prior arrangement I can’t send you back on an empty stomach.

“Ahhhhh-”

Giannini drinks his coffee in a hurry and his mouth gets sore that he has to swallow it all.

I looked at Giannini and asked.

“So you want to accompany me? So where is your final destination? Even if we’re going in the same direction if our destinations are different it seems like it would be difficult to walk together.”

Because the East has many cities unlike the West.

Giannini answered my question with a humorous expression.

“Of course New York. Where would a financier go? Oh! Isn’t this prince also going to New York?”

And I’m not a stalker.

When I squinted my eyes and gave him a look like “What kind of guy is this?” Giannini quickly told me his original purpose.

“Oh I’m going to New York for no other reason… because I want to learn advanced financial techniques when I have time.”

“Advanced financial techniques?”

Giannini continued speaking tapping my head with his right index finger.

“Yes. As you know I am a rookie who started from the bottom without any foundation so I don’t have much knowledge of traditional finance. If the company grows bigger I won’t be able to enjoy the same leisure as I do now so I plan to go to New York right now to make up for my shortcomings.”

The strength of Giannini and BOI is that they work closely with local residents and provide local credit loans using the personal information they gain along the way.

He has so far only run regional commercial banks.

I’m not sure if it would be a wise choice to turn to investment banking which could be seen as a completely different path.

I didn’t bother to point out Giannini’s plan here.

If you’re a great person like Giannini you’ll know how to do it.

If we succeed in challenging a new field it will naturally be great for me as a partner and BOI shareholder.

Even if you fail a few times and then return to the field you are good at that’s not a bad thing either.

Because I gained some experience.

‘The year 1907 is approaching.’

Next year is a really important year for my wealth building.

Because the financial panic of 1907 awaits me.

The reason I’m going to New York now is to get a piece of this financial crisis.

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What if Giannini also goes to New York and experiences this chaos?

I would be happy if we could learn and grow together in it.

After calculating this in my head I allowed Giannini to accompany me.

“If you so desire we can go east together. Oh I must pass through Detroit before stopping in New York. Is that all right?”

Giannini gave a positive signal by clapping his hands once.

“Oh! It’s about time I bought a car. It would be great if you went to Motor City. While the prince is out taking care of personal business I’ll go buy myself a car to drive.”

* * *

Two weeks later.

Arrived in Detroit also known as the Motor City or Iron City.

‘Everyone’s faces are bright. I see hope.’

In the 21st century Detroit fell into decline along with the decline of American manufacturing.

The deterioration of public safety due to high unemployment was so severe that it rivaled Gotham City in the Batman series.

Nowadays it is different from the modern times and is just like a new city full of vitality and youth.

‘Oh my it’s so cold. Come to think of it Christmas is just around the corner.’

Unlike San Francisco Detroit was a city where real ‘winter’ came.

Decorations announcing the end of the year were everywhere and there was quite a bit of white snow on the streets.

That’s why I could definitely feel with my whole body that the end of the year was approaching.

Hoho-

I was blowing warm breath on my frozen hands to warm them up.

“Hey. Ching-chang-chong.”

An unwelcome intruder appeared before me.

“huh?”

“You you stinky little monkey.”

Is it because it’s been so long since I’ve been teased as a chingchaengchong?

For a moment I was dumbfounded.

‘Let’s have a grand welcoming party.’

okay.

This is the East not the West.

‘After only two weeks I’m starting to miss San Francisco.’

Didn’t I say that leaving home would be hard?

also.

As I take just one step away the ghost of racism I had forgotten greets me brightly.

“Mr. Seop. Aren’t you going to close your eyes?”

“what?”

Before I could even react Giannini came towards me and threatened them with a fierce expression.

“You little anchovy… you can’t tell when it’s stuck and when it’s not?”

Then some thugs who were loitering around Detroit Station approached our group and threatened us.

“What anchovies? A little baby the size of X who hasn’t even been weaned from his mother’s milk is whining about having a pierced mouth.”

Giannini was confident.

Because I didn’t come alone.

“Brother. Did these XXXs who don’t even have a mother or father call you anchovies?”

“Yes this prince here was called Ching-Chang-Chong.”

“Can I take care of it for you Prince?”

“Okay let’s do that.”

Giannini visited Detroit with a group of Italians who traveled with him numbering about twenty.

As Giannini’s younger siblings who had arrived late from the station after packing their bags joined in the gangsters began to look frightened.

“No that’s not what we are….”

It’s strange.

It looks like a painting I’ve seen a lot of.

Ah! I had this problem when I first came to San Francisco.

“Boss Giannini look at that guy’s eyes. They look like they’re turning white.”

Max analyzed Giannini’s actions with his arms crossed and his voice hoarse.

“I heard that guy called Anchovy at the market last time… If you just watch that guy Giannini he looks like a mafia boss not a bank president.”

Max didn’t look too happy about having his work taken away from him by Giannini.

I clenched my fists when I saw Max like that.

‘No matter how much I experience racial discrimination I just can’t get used to it.’

How long do I have to be teased by those scumbags?

I need to become more famous soon.

Then people in the East won’t ignore me.

‘We need to seize power so that we can be more deeply involved in policy.’

And we need to earn more money to maintain it.

The trash gave me the passion to work.

At this my eyes burned brightly.

“Your Majesty I have given those guys a good education.”

Giannini who had disappeared for a while appeared before me again leading his group.

He was taking the gangsters to the back alley.

I don’t think there was a gunshot so I guess he’s alive.

“Your Majesty where are you headed Buick Dodge Ford or Cadillac?”

Giannini listed the missions of several automobile companies.

I chose one of them.

“I’m going to Buick Motors headquarters.”

I answered Giannini’s question with a look of surprise on my face.

“But wouldn’t a Ford or a Cadillac be a better car? Is there any other reason I don’t know about?”

After thinking about it for a while I told Giannini the reason.

“Actually I received some Buick stocks in the process of receiving the insurance money in kind last time.”

“ah….”

Even though I was a minority shareholder with only about 3% of the total shares I was probably treated a little better than an outsider who had no relation to the company.

“Let’s move slowly.”

“yes.”

I headed to Buick Motors headquarters with a positive outlook.

“Hello Your Highness.”

But my expectations were shattered.

The person who greeted me was William Durant the president of Buick Motors and founder of GM and he was no pushover.

* * *

“Hello Your Highness. I have heard briefly from my subordinates. You said you wanted technical cooperation?”

“okay.”

Durant looked at me with greedy eyes and said the following:

“I see you are thinking of starting a car company. Do you have any ideas for starting a new company?”

“well.”

Instinctively I felt that I shouldn’t tell him everything.

Because it’s dangerous.

I avoided Durant’s questions by beating around the bush.

“Your Majesty sell me your idea. I will buy it for a fair price.”

Oh I overlooked one thing.

The managers of this era are obsessed with monopoly.

In a world where it is common for one successful item to grow by swallowing up all of its competitors.

From steel magnate Carnegie to oil magnate Rockefeller and finance magnate JP Morgan.

They all acquired competing companies like octopuses under the monopoly trust holding company.

‘I came here thinking you wouldn’t have that habit since it was relatively early days but I was wrong.’

I shook my head and refused.

“I don’t need anything else I just want technical cooperation.”

“Please don’t do that. Just sell me your idea. Why would someone as high as your prince want to go through all that trouble to start a company?”

Durant was as famous a capitalist in America as Giannini.

for a moment.

As I was reminiscing about his life some useful information came to mind.

Durant interest.

I got kicked out of my company while expanding my octopus like this right?

Just like Apple’s Steve Jobs.

“We’re not communicating. Let’s end the technical cooperation story here. Oh! I heard you’re retrieving the shares of Buick that are currently on the market?”

“That’s right. We’re also taking all the minority stakes for the complete merger of Buick and GM.”

So the cash is drying up.

Because in 1907 when he was in the midst of buying shares the financial panic broke out as if adding insult to injury.

“I would like to turn over my 3% stake in Buick. What do you think?”

Technical cooperation has gone down the drain.

I decided to focus on another one.

It is a stock sale.

“That’s fine with me. I’ll give you an extra 10% off today’s price.”

“Thank you.”

First I would like to sort out Buick’s shares.

Because it’s a stock that’s going to be worthless for the next two years.

“Oh by the way Prince. If you have any good ideas please come to me anytime. Our company’s doors are always open.”

Durant was a man whose stubbornness was more tenacious than the sinews of an ox.

As I was leaving he kept trying to persuade me to sell him ideas.

I chuckled and handed Durant a business card.

“My door is always open. I have plenty of money so if you want to start a new company come to me. I will always welcome you with open arms.”

< East (2) > End