xymnovel Chapter 167, "The Stamp Duty Act," has arrived.
Chapter 167, "The Stamp Duty Act," has arrived.
Chapter 167, "The Stamp Duty Act," arrived with 4,000 words.
The pilot program for promoting commodity vouchers went even more smoothly than Chen Wenbin had imagined.
The 152 workers at Robin Steel Works readily accepted the commodity vouchers issued by the Bank of America.
Although more than half of them deposited their money into the bank after spending it, only a very few exchanged it for gold and silver coins.
The result was undoubtedly a success, so Chen Wenbin immediately summoned John Smith and James Hawley from the intelligence department to the manor's study to inquire about the specifics.
"James! You mean—they're treating the commodity vouchers like Bank of America banknotes?"
After listening to the intelligence chief's report, Chen Wenbin chuckled and said, "In that case, I might as well just get banknotes!"
"Sir! You clearly underestimate your standing among the company's employees!"
James Hawley said with admiration, "Those workers don't ask anything else, they only ask if the commodity vouchers were issued at your request, if the Bank of America is your bank, and if they can exchange them for coins at the bank. That's enough!"
Whether it's commodity vouchers or bank vouchers, as long as you endorse them, we all trust their credibility!
"That's right!"
John Smith immediately added, "Those workers, like us, are willing to believe in you!"
People trust your credit; that's the biggest guarantee for bank bonds!
In this situation, I think we can directly implement banknotes, if we can add your portrait to the front of the banknotes;
I'm sure I'll gain even more trust!
,
Chen Wenbin looked at the two of them, feeling both gratified and somewhat speechless at the result.
He was relieved because his credibility had been proven by real money, and most of the workers chose to believe him once they heard that he was the one who promoted it.
The reason he was speechless was because he had indeed been overly cautious beforehand. He thought people wouldn't be very accepting of paper money, so he decided to issue vouchers first. But in reality, he could just rely on his reputation and connections.
"—Don't use my picture on banknotes."
After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said to John Smith, "Don't use anyone else's either. Just use the current printing plates for the supply coupons. We can add other designs and denominations of bank coupons in addition to the clipper ship, Robin Manor, and Robin Rifle designs."
Bank of America will increase its printing volume in the coming week and gradually use bank notes for settlements within various companies. Employees' wages will no longer need to increase by 2%, but will only need to be increased by 5 pence on top of their original wages.
Bank of America directly opened a banknote exchange window, accepted gold and silver coins, issued banknotes, and set a higher reserve ratio, starting at 20%, which could be gradually lowered after the credit was established—could this be done?
He looked at John Smith, who immediately stood up. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission, sir!"
"Have a seat!" Chen Wenbin waved his hand. "Do you know how to allocate this extra money?"
John Smith pondered for a moment before replying, "Most of the funds will naturally be invested in our internal companies. The newly established Robin Department Store and Robin Grain Store, as well as the various factories relocating to the West, all require loans—"
As he said this, he saw the boss nod slightly, his expression ambiguous. After a moment's thought, he immediately changed the subject.
"—In addition, I think we should also allocate some of our loans to projects with stable returns, such as port and warehouse expansions in Newport, real estate in Manhattan, New York, fishing companies in Boston, and farms in Pennsylvania—"
Chen Wenbin nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good! We can coordinate with the New England Development Foundation on this matter, and we can also ask the Black Rock Valley Club. As long as the project is reliable, Bank of America can provide loans and investments."
For every large project a bank lends in or invests in, it should set up a branch in the local area to attract deposits, and ideally, also store the loan funds in that branch.
By the end of this year, I want to see Bank of America establish branches in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and all the colonial capitals of New England—this requires the bank to have good internal controls and employee training.
To ensure the safety of the transport, Bank of America also had to establish a dedicated armed escort department.
Please organize what I've said into a feasible plan and bring it to me as soon as possible.
"Yes, sir, I don't quite understand what you meant by bank internal controls—"
John Smith was already used to his boss's unconventional way of thinking. He wrote down all his instructions with a pencil and a small notebook he always carried. If he didn't understand something, he would simply ask his boss. This behavior usually didn't get him scolded by his boss; instead, he would get a patient answer from him.
James Hawley, who was waiting to the side, suddenly realized why he could only do intelligence gathering while John Smith could become the president of Bank of America and His Excellency's most trusted CFO—that was the difference!
Look at them, they're treating themselves like the boss's student!
After half an hour.
John Smith got up and took his leave, carrying a dozen pages of notes.
Seeing that James Hawley hadn't left, Chen Wenbin knew he still had something to say, so he asked, "Is there something else, James?"
"----Your Mightiness."
James Hawley immediately stood up, took a document from his briefcase, and introduced it: "—This is the latest briefing from the London Intelligence Office. Forty-five days ago, the House of Lords formally passed the Stamp Act pushed by the Grenville Cabinet."
If nothing unexpected happens, the King will surely sign the decree, and from then on, the North American colonies will also be subject to the Stamp Duty, just like the mainland.
Chen Wenbin solemnly accepted the briefing and sat down to read it carefully.
James Hawley didn't understand what this meant, but he knew his boss had been paying attention to the stamp duty bill for a year.
This is absolutely a big deal!
Sure enough, the boss remained silent for a minute after reading the briefing before looking up at him and speaking.
"—James, wait a moment, I need to write a few letters. Send a reliable person with the letters back to England on the nearest merchant ship, and have him deliver them to Diana personally!"
"—Yes, Your Excellency!"
James instinctively straightened his back and agreed.
Another hour passed, and Chen Wenbin wrote seven letters in a row, then copied them out himself and put them in an envelope.
James Hawley took the letters, looking at the names of the recipients: Mrs. Diana, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Franklin, Mr. Joseph Coates, Mr. Edward Scott, Attorney Belmont, Mr. Richard the Butler —
He didn't dare ask any more questions. He took the letter, stepped back a few paces, bowed slightly, and turned to leave the study.
When Chen Wenbin was the only one left in the study, he put his feet up on the coffee table, lay down on the sofa, stared at the ceiling for a long time without saying a word, and had only one thought in his mind: Thank God!
God bless!
The Stamp Duty Bill is finally here!
He had some concerns that Britain might abandon the direct plundering of its North American colonies due to advancements in textile technology and instead adopt a gentler method of shearing sheep.
For example, Britain could grant titles to wealthy people in the New World on a large scale, and then encourage marriage between native nobles and newly rich North American nobles to consolidate British rule in North America.
Then he'd really have to be a loyal subject to George III. Maybe he and his son could even become cabinet ministers and prime ministers someday!
But now that the stamp duty bill has come into effect, his worries have vanished!
The local tyrants of the North American colonies were already filled with resentment towards London because of the Land Act of 1763, the Sugar Act, and the Paper Money Act. Now that the Stamp Act has been passed—heh heh!
From that moment on, Britain and North America officially began their confrontation!
This is truly good news for Boss Chen, who plans to carve out a territory in the west!
The only problem is that he still holds the title of Royal Governor of the West, so he can neither fully side with North America nor favor London. His best option right now is to avoid conflict and head west as soon as possible!
Once he has established himself in the West, he can criticize the Grenville cabinet for misleading the country and its people, while simultaneously persuading the North American warlords to temporarily reduce the intensity of their confrontation and have something to say to each other!
But his attempts to smooth things over were clearly ineffective. The British government was heavily indebted and desperately needed financial support, while the North American tyrants were reacting strongly to the Stamp Act and would definitely insist on "no taxation without representation," making an agreement impossible.
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, they will inevitably continue to fight. The local tyrants in the east need to arm their militia with firearms and cannons, and they need some scarce commodities. Governor Chen will be their logistics captain!
London needs him to stabilize the west, at least to prevent it from joining the east in causing trouble, and will most likely turn a blind eye to some of his outrageous behavior.
If we can achieve stable development in the west for ten years, then we can build a solid foundation!
Ten years later, in 1775, Britain would most likely have already made a showdown with North America, and after ten years of development, the West would have at least 20,000 to 30,000 musketeers.
If Governor Chen could lead his troops to victory against the British and secure crucial French assistance, then it seems that he, Chen, might not be unable to become the first president of the United States!
3 month 10 day.
Chen Wenbin published an article titled "Our New Frontier" in the New England Voice newspaper.
The first half of the article humbly describes his rise to wealth, from the investment contract on the Chena to the discovery of allicin, from earning his first fortune in North America to being granted the title of Baron Britannia in England, and now leading immigrants to explore the West as the Governor of the Western Territory.
As a North American, he called on everyone to cherish the free and affluent environment in North America, to think diligently, to be courageous in innovation, to be enterprising, and to love life.
These all demonstrate his stance as a North American; the real focus of the article is his various defeats for the West in the latter half—
"Free land in the West! Ten acres given upon arrival! Legal immigration to the West, only 500 spots available!"
Bank of America is offering family credit loans of up to £50 to immigrants from the West!
"Robin Company is recruiting a large number of talents, offering generous salaries and benefits, no worries about children's education, and a pension after 30 years of service!"
These guys are just the beginning. He plans to spend the next five years traveling to major eastern cities every week to attract immigrants to the west by playing the role of a prostitute. He'll try to swindle as many immigrants as he can.
After all, according to information provided by Lieutenant Governor John Campbell, the population of the Western Territory was indeed very small.
There were virtually no white settlements in the Great Lakes region and Ohio. The former had only garrisons of 100 to 300 men in Fort Detroit, Fort Niagara, Fort Ontario, Presque Island, Fort Luboeuf, and Fort Marshall, as well as a small number of fur traders.
Ohio has only four military forts: Fort Pittsburgh, Fort Laurel, Fort Sandusky, and Fort Miami. The number of troops and residents is roughly the same, both around a few hundred.
In contrast, there are more than 250,000 Native Americans in the West!
Moreover, these 250,000 Native Americans had attempted to unite and form an alliance over the past three years to launch the Pontiac War against the British western military fortresses. They successively captured fortresses such as Sandusky, Michilli Mackineau, and Venango, and besieged Detroit and Fort Pitt for a long period of time, forcing Britain to issue the Land Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting people from the eastern colonies from emigrating to the west.
Despite the fact that the Western Indian Confederation had already collapsed last year in the face of the British army's more powerful weapons and greater organization, Britain did not choose to continue to send more troops due to its tight finances. Instead, it adopted a policy of dividing and winning over the various Indian tribes.
Even when Governor Chen went to the west to take up his post, he was given a task by London.
That is to reach out to and win over the western Indian tribes, sign peace treaties with each tribe as much as possible, recognize the lands of the Indians where appropriate, and also try to implement the French gift diplomacy.
In short, we must not follow the example of former Western Commander Geoffrey Amherst, who pushed the Native Americans too far and caused a major upheaval like the Pontiac War—Great Britain is now tightening its belt to pay off debts and has no money to fight a war!
Governor Chen was prepared to listen selectively to this. He had no interest in getting entangled with the Native Americans. The West was so vast that it could accommodate him and the Native Americans for the time being.
Of course, this is all predicated on these Native Americans being willing to cooperate. If they keep launching sneak attacks on him, then he will have no choice but to ruthlessly eliminate them.
He is the Governor-General of the Western United Kingdom, and his current base of support is mainly Europeans and white North Americans. He has no connection with Native Americans. As for the fact that Native Americans look similar to Han Chinese—are you kidding me?
Two ethnic groups that separated at least three thousand years ago, what's there to talk about in terms of closeness or not?
To establish authority in the West, he could only rely on guns!
The British troops stationed in the west might not give him face as governor, so in the past three months, in addition to preparing to relocate the factory, he also expanded his western regiment to six infantry companies, a total of 650 men.
All the mercenaries from Hessen and the militia from Robin Town were dispersed and reorganized, and the first batch of eight hundred immigrants who were to follow him to the west also underwent enhanced military training.
Training alone is not enough. His first batch of immigrants were all loyal, and he would be heartbroken if even one of them died. Therefore, he was forced to upgrade his weapons as well.
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