I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 164 "Good Man" Governor Chen

Chapter 164 "Good Man" Governor Chen

Mr. George Washington, now a Virginian congressman and large plantation owner, owns thousands of acres of land and hundreds of slaves, primarily cultivating wheat and tobacco.

During the Seven Years' War, he served as the commander of the Virginia militia, fighting alongside the British against the French and Native Americans in the West. Although his record was mediocre, he was a rare military talent in North America.

In particular, he was well-known throughout North America as the first British officer to declare war on the French (although he was captured on the spot).

Prior to the enactment of the Land Act of 1763, George Washington had been loyal to Great Britain and the King until the act harmed his investment interests in the western Ohio region.

According to intelligence gathered by Martin Walter and James Holly, the Virginia Parliament is now mainly divided into two factions.

Radical MPs, led by Patrick Henry, believed that the 1763 Land Proclamation violated Britain's promises and advocated ignoring the law to continue westward migration and settlement. Meanwhile, moderate MPs such as George Washington, while not openly opposing the King, actually supported petitioning London to protect their own interests.

Because members of Congress and landowners throughout the Virginia colony, including Washington, had been involved in the Ohio Company’s land speculation, they certainly didn’t want their investments to go to waste.

Chen Wenbin knew that the Grenville Cabinet had been discussing the direct imposition of stamp duty in North America last April, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Stamp Duty Act would be formally passed in the first half of this year.

This was the first time Britain had directly levied internal taxes on its North American colonies, and it came at a time when the North American elites were generally dissatisfied with the Land Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act, and the North American Paper Money Act.

The Stamp Act directly touched the most sensitive nerve of the North American colonial elites. They were not in a position to accept a little more stamp duty, but they were afraid that once this precedent was set, more and more exorbitant taxes would be imposed on them in the future, treating them like Indians.

They themselves immigrated from Britain, so how could they not know the methods of the British?

Thus, the famous and resounding phrase "No taxation without representation" quickly became a consensus among the elites of the entire North American colony.

The initial purpose of this slogan was actually to be coquettish; they wanted London to abolish the Stamp Duty. However, they clearly underestimated Britain's determination to improve its finances and strengthen its control over North America—but that's another story.

Chen Wenbin's main purpose in writing to George Washington was simply to get a heads-up with the future Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, to discuss the construction of the mountain road from Pittsburgh to Virginia, and to explore the possibility of purchasing some of the land illegally occupied by the Ohio Company from him at a low price.

After all, the land around Pittsburgh is most likely within the Ohio company's control area, and if he wants to develop that land, he should give advance notice.

Throughout January and February, seven Providence Shipping Company immigrant ships arrived in Newport and Providence.

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These seven ships not only transported 412 immigrants and various supplies, but also brought Chen Wenbin profit sharing from various companies in London, as well as £12,400 from the auction of 5% of the shares of the London Textile Company.

The bulk of the company's dividends undoubtedly came from its two cash cows, London Robin Pharmaceuticals and London Robin Construction. He received £33,000 and £46,000 in fourth-quarter dividends from these two giant companies, respectively.

This is the portion that Chen Wenbin can receive, which accounts for only a little over 30% of the total dividends. The remaining 70% belongs to the company's other shareholders.

The reason why his share of the profits decreased so much is simple: before leaving the UK, he brought in many powerful shareholders for his various companies.

For example, Earl Butt (of the Stuart family), the "Friend of the King," the North family, and Judge Mansfield.

The families of the three major Whig factions—the Glenville faction, the Rockingham faction, and the William Pitt faction—all acquired a portion of the shares in his companies.

Relatives and nobles who attended his wedding with Diana, London merchants, East India Company shareholders, Anglican and Baptist churches, as well as newly promoted army and navy generals and well-known scholars whom he met in social settings, all received shares in his two companies to varying degrees.

It could be said that, judging from their shareholder lists alone, London Robin Pharmaceutical Company and British Robin Construction Company were already "national companies" similar to the British East India Company and the London Textile Company!

The shareholders of these four companies largely overlap, and all members are from the highest echelons of British royalty, nobility, prominent businessmen, and the church.

Military officers and other members of the ruling class.

With the help of these shareholders' influence, the two companies operated very smoothly in the UK. Even after Chen Wenbin left the UK, they were still able to develop rapidly, make stable profits, and distribute dividends to shareholders very generously.

If Chen Wenbin hadn't contributed a single penny and had only brought in the king and some nobles as his backers, even if he could have successfully received his share of the profits, he definitely wouldn't have received this much.

Even his governorship and the charter for the Southern Development Company wouldn't come so easily.

Do you really think no one in Britain is interested in the western territories of North America?

Britain has no shortage of adventurers who dream of getting rich overnight, but a "good person" like Sir Chen, who has background, ability, capital, connections, and knows how to generously share money with others, is truly rare.

Do not!

There is no one more suitable than him in all of Britain!

But what did Chen Wenbin truly sacrifice?

There are only a few company shares that are destined not to be held for long, and the production methods of aspirin and morphine that cannot be kept secret forever.

What he gained was the entire West, a steady stream of cash flow, and a solid network of connections with the British upper class.

It's no exaggeration to say that, thanks to this network of interests, as long as he doesn't rebel, even if he goes too far in the West, London won't easily cause him trouble.

2 month 27 day.

Temperatures in North America are gradually rising.

In the study on the second floor of Robin Manor's villa, after listening to John Smith, president of Bank of America (America Bank), give a summary of the recent financial situation, Chen Wenbin shook his head and sighed, "Spending money like water!"

Of the dividends distributed in the fourth quarter of last year, one-third went to immigration, purchasing supplies, and expanding ocean shipping capacity before even leaving the UK.

The remaining two-thirds went to North America, and half of the gold and silver coins were deposited in the Bank of America for working capital. The remaining money was quickly spent.

The construction of just three new clipper ships would cost 14,000 to 15,000 pounds. Hiring ships to establish a base at the mouth of the Mississippi River would also be a huge expense, not to mention the need to purchase a large number of horses and supplies in preparation for heading west after spring.

Even North America's richest man can't afford to spend money like this!