Chapter 372: Finance and Information

"You kid really did plan this in advance."

Huang Shanhe announced the result calculated by the department.

"If it weren't for your father's matter, had you already prepared to make a run for it?"

Can this matter be admitted? Yang Qing isn't stupid.

Some things can be said because he has already run out, but some things can't be said, because that would make people think you're too scheming.

It does no good for one's own image.

So he shook his head firmly.

"How could that be? Your imagination is way too big."

"I came to the South just to find a way out for the Agricultural Machinery Factory."

"It can be foreseen that tractors will become mainstream in the future; then everywhere will accelerate building tractor factories. How will our Agricultural Machinery Factory survive?"

"Rely only on that little area of Jingcheng?"

"A tractor isn't a cabbage; once the villages around Jingcheng are saturated, what will happen to the Agricultural Machinery Factory? It'll have to go out to find a way."

"Other regions have local enterprises; if our Agricultural Machinery Factory lacks departmental support, its future looks worrisome."

"That's why I set my sights on overseas."

"And Xinhui is the factory closest to the South Sea, at least the nearest among the people I know."

"Cooperating with them and opening sales channels can bring new vitality to the Agricultural Machinery Factory."

"My goal is to turn the Agricultural Machinery Factory into a research-oriented enterprise."

"Leave production to others and strengthen research capability."

Yang Qing's ideas are novel and possess foresight far beyond the times.

Huang Shanhe greatly admires people like Yang Qing who have a pioneering spirit.

Their import‑export company or external liaison department is relatively tolerant of such unconventional individuals.

"Actually, if you say yes, there's nothing wrong; you can shine anywhere."

Yang Qing almost rolled his eyes, "I believe you, ghost."

Huang Shanhe continued.

"Any interest in joining Huarun for a position?"

Yang Qing still shook his head.

"This year, Huazi Bank suffered a devastating blow on Gangdao."

"I think I've found my purpose."

"At Huarun, my scope is limited; outside, I have a larger room to operate."

Huang Shanhe was rejected again; at first he felt a bit displeased, but Yang Qing's words captivated him, and the resentment vanished instantly.

"Yang Qing, did you discover something?"

Yang Qing nodded.

"Director Huang, do you know what makes the most money in this world?"

"What can earn the most cash?"

Huang Shanhe was at a loss; this hit a blind spot in his knowledge, and he raised his hand to stop.

"Wait a moment; I'll introduce someone to you. Maybe he'll understand what you say."

Yang Qing obediently fell silent.

Huang Shanhe was out only a short while before he brought back a middle‑aged man.

The newcomer curiously sized up Yang Qing, then extended his hand to greet him.

"Hello, I am Yang Lin (in tribute to the venerable Qin Bangli)."

Yang Qing also shook his hand and introduced himself.

"Hello, I am Yang Qing."

Huang Shanhe introduced him.

"This is the Huarun Sect Leader."

Yang Qing became even more respectful upon hearing that.

"Brother Yang, your name is renowned far and wide."

Yang Lin patted his shoulder and encouraged,

"Heroes emerge in youth; the future belongs to you."

After the pleasantries, Huang Shanhe let Yang Qing continue with his matter.

Yang Qing's value will determine how they treat him in the future.

Including what kind of treatment his family will receive.

Yang Qing raised his question again.

"What makes the most money?"

Yang Lin thought for a moment.

"A monopoly?"

Yang Qing shook his head.

"That's only second tier."

"The real way to make money is finance, and it's a no‑capital trade."

"To put it simply, think of banks: customers deposit money, the bank lends it out, and without spending a cent, it earns the spread."

"And how much you earn depends entirely on the amount deposited."

The more you save, the more you earn.

This is the simplest method among them.

A bit more sophisticated, and it's the futures and stock markets.

Back then, they tried it in Shanghai; the huge profits there, I believe Mr. Yang should know.

Even more sophisticated, using strong financial power to manipulate a nation's economy.

First invest money, support local enterprises' development; once the enterprises grow, directly pull out the funds; then the locality will suffer a massive crisis, whose result is a large devaluation of local assets.

By then, they can take over the local enterprises at minimal cost.

Think about it, two of you: a country where a single industry is completely controlled by someone.

Do they still have a future?

No, they don't. This I call neo-colonialism.

Yang Qing dropped a huge bomb on them.

Nowadays, this is a very forward‑looking statement.

Huang Shanhe and Yang Lin broke out in sweat on their foreheads.

Yang Lin, having understood, was even more shocked; his hands trembled slightly.

He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, his voice trembling.

"Mr. Yang, are you thinking of setting up a bank?"

Yang Qing nodded, then shook his head.

"I don't yet have that capital."

"But this is my goal, because a bank is the only means we have to get a seat at the table."

"This is also why Yinglian is suppressing Chinese‑funded banks so hard this time."

"I want to start by developing the surrounding areas."

"For example, by first launching a newspaper."

Huang Shanhe and Yang Lin never imagined a bank could be so important.

Then the appearance of the copper‑coin shop makes sense.

But what's the connection between a newspaper and a bank?

"A newspaper?"

Yang Lin asked doubtfully.

"What's the connection between them?"

Yang Qing said with a smile.

"Now let's talk about the second money‑making business."

"I think it's information."

"Information monopoly is profit upon profit."

"For example, if someone urgently needs a century‑old ginseng to treat an illness and you know that information, it's worth a fortune. You can buy low and sell high, or sell the information for a fee."

"If you grow big and gain credibility, you can also manipulate information."

"For instance, you could create a credit rating, work with financial institutions, directly lower a company's rating, plunging it into a trust crisis, and the financial institutions would then swoop in to take money."

Yang Qing's words made the two men sweat profusely, unable to wipe it off fast enough.

These methods are too ruthless, too dirty.

Yang Qing continued speaking.

"If we don't do these two things, we'll have no chance at all to get a seat at the table."

"If we can't get a seat at the table, we'll only end up as someone else's food."

"We can't keep playing by ourselves forever; history has shown that if we don't merge into the Lanxing collective, we'll eventually be eliminated."

"And if we want to connect with the whole world, we'll eventually have to learn these rules."

"Fall behind, and you'll be beaten."

Yang Qing's words laid bare a rather embarrassing domestic problem.

That is, there is little study of the West, and even strong hostility toward foreign economic theories.

And in the coming ten years, even developing into reading foreign books would become a crime.