bookcurios Chapter 966 Persuading Alfred
Chapter 966 Persuading Alfred
At 10:30, Qi Tongwei returned to the hotel after the banquet.
The banquet was very fruitful. Not only did we make many new friends and secure a few investments of varying sizes, but we also successfully persuaded Dongemens to send an inspection team to China.
He hadn't expected that the German-style presentation format would be so effective at attracting investment.
There must be historical reasons for this.
Back then, various political parties sprang up like mushrooms after a spring rain, all thanks to their speeches.
These Germans are quite easy to talk to as long as you can come up with a point of view that resonates with them.
Qi Tongwei told Wang Wenjie to go back and rest early, and then returned to his room.
I had just grabbed my clothes and was about to go into the bathroom when there was a knock on the door.
"Who?"
"Yes, Comrade Tongwei, are you asleep?"
Qi Tongwei put down his clothes, opened the door, and asked, "Comrade Fengyi, is there something you need?"
Like a child who had made a mistake, Tian Fengyi nervously tugged at the hem of his clothes with his fingers, saying, "There's something I want to report to you."
"What is it? If it's not urgent, let's do it tomorrow. It's very late today, and I haven't even washed up yet."
Tian Fengyi wiped his sweat, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said, "It is a bit rushed."
Qi Tongwei was somewhat displeased and stepped aside, saying, "Alright, come in then."
Tian Fengyi entered the room, which was a standard 40-square-meter five-star hotel room.
Although it's small, it has everything you need.
Tian Fengyi carefully sat down on the chair.
"Speak, what's the matter that's so urgent?"
Qi Tongwei took out a cigarette case and offered one to Tian Fengyi. Tian Fengyi lit it, took a deep drag, and then slowly said.
"Tongwei, I'd like to borrow some money from you."
"Borrow money?" Qi Tongwei was completely bewildered. "How much do you want to borrow?"
"Fifteen thousand euros!"
“Fifteen thousand euros!” Qi Tongwei was stunned. “Comrade Fengyi, if this were in the Han River region, this amount of money would be no problem, but in Germany, how am I supposed to come up with such a large sum of money?”
Besides, all the food, lodging, and transportation are paid for by public funds. What do you need so much for?
Tian Fengyi said, "To be honest, I've got my eye on an antique. The asking price is 15,000 yuan, and I'd like to buy it."
“So that’s how it is, Comrade Feng Yi. I have to remind you, don’t be fooled. Fifteen thousand euros is no small sum. It’s enough for us to save for ten or eight years.”
Tian Fengyi said, "No, I really like it. You know, this is the only hobby I have."
Tian Fengyi's collection of antiques is not exactly a secret in Hanjiang, as many leading cadres in Hanjiang have this hobby, and even Zhao Anbang and Yu Huabei have it.
As a leader, one of the most common things I do to appear cultured is to write calligraphy, which leads to another hobby: collecting antiques and paintings.
To develop good handwriting, constantly studying the works of masters throughout history is the fastest way to improve.
Of course, this has also led to some corrupt practices.
Qi Tongwei shrugged and said, "But I don't have that much money either. Why don't you borrow it from the company account first?"
Tian Fengyi waved his hand, "That's too much trouble. The province will inevitably ask questions. If they find out that I borrowed over 100,000 yuan for a hobby, they might launch a big investigation into my integrity issues."
Isn't your wife from Shengtian Group? And you have such a good relationship with the chairman of Shengtian Group. I was thinking, could you ask Shengtian Group to lend me 15,000 euros?
Don't worry, I can write an IOU. I'll pay it back with interest after I return to China.
Qi Tongwei thought for a moment, and said that it was only 120,000 to 130,000 yuan. Tian Fengyi should be able to come up with that amount after working and teaching students all these years.
He couldn't believe that Tian Fengyi would dare to be so bold as to swallow Shengtian Group's money right in front of him.
"Okay, tomorrow. I'll talk to Chairman Liang about it. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Then please."
"Row."
Tian Fengyi got up to leave, but stopped at the door. "Tongwei, could you please hurry up for me? After all, I'm not the only one interested in that antique. I'm afraid someone else will buy it."
"it is good."
After seeing Tian Fengyi off, Qi Tongwei entered the bathroom. As hot water gushed from the showerhead, Qi Tongwei's thoughts began to wander.
He keenly sensed that there was something wrong with Tian Fengyi. He hadn't seen Tian Fengyi go out these past few days. Where did he see the antique?
Not right.
……
The next day, Qi Tongwei went to Alfred's company.
This is an industrial giant and military enterprise with assets of nearly 200 billion euros, called Krupp.
In 1968, due to mismanagement, Alfred sold more than half of the company's shares.
Although Alfred's personal shareholding was less than 20 percent, he still held the reins of the company.
Qi Tongwei thought this would be a one-on-one contest, but he didn't expect that the Japanese governor would also be there.
After exchanging pleasantries, Alfred said, "Mr. Doihara, I need to consider your terms. I will give you an answer tomorrow."
Doihara Jiro nodded, gave Qi Tongwei a playful look, and left the office.
Qi Tongwei immediately realized that he had been tricked; Alfred was treating him as someone who wanted to lower the price.
Sure enough, in the ensuing conversation, Qi Tongwei clearly sensed that the other party was not very interested in his generous offer.
"OK, Qi, your terms are very good, but I need to discuss it with the board members. I will give you an answer tomorrow."
Qi Tongwei nodded, got up and left, but stopped at the door and walked back to Alfred.
"Mr. Krupp, I've heard you're Germanic?"
Alfred shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a secret.” Then, realizing something, he said, “That’s right. Because of this identity, because of the mutual support during the war, I have a slight bias towards Japan and Mr. Doihara. However, business is business, and I will not give up the company’s interests because of this bias.”
Alfred's meaning was clear: to secure investment, one had to offer substantial benefits.
Qi Tongwei smiled slightly, sat back down, and lit a cigarette without any politeness. "Mr. Krupp, I didn't expect you to be so foolish."
Germany's past history is still fresh in our minds, yet you fail to learn from it? Instead, you consider the Japanese as friends, which truly amazes me.
"You should have learned this the hard way during World War II; they were not a good partner."
Alfred frowned and said, "You don't need to sow discord between us. Businessmen only care about profits. If you want to persuade me, you should show your sincerity instead of empty words. Don't try to convince me with just a few words. I'm not Dongmenzi, and I'm not so easily swayed."
"Mr. Krupp, this is all the benefits I can offer. Under the same conditions, yes, they have better supporting services, but we are just as good, and we also have low labor costs, which alone can save you a lot of money every year."
Therefore, my conditions are no less favorable than those in Japan.
Moreover, since I'm offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal today, I can tell you about an even more important benefit: the survival benefit of the business, and the benefit of its success or failure.
"Survival interests? Success or failure interests?"
“That’s right.” Qi Tongwei looked directly at Alfred: “Why don’t we take a look back at history?”
During World War II, although Germany, Japan, and Italy formed the Axis, they never truly cooperated strategically. While Germany was fighting a major battle in Europe, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, dragging the United States into the war—this not only failed to support the European theater but also put the Allies in a two-front war.
Ironically, while your country's engineers froze to death in the ruins of Stalingrad, the Japanese army was busy plundering resources in Southeast Asia instead of supporting the Eastern Front.
The Japanese preach 'Bushido,' yet they betrayed their principles on the battlefield—refusing to cooperate in the Nomonhan Incident and remaining inactive during the Soviet-German War; diplomatically, they even refused to share intelligence about the Soviet Union with Germany.
I would say that Germany's defeat was largely due to the arrogance and selfishness of the Japanese.
Similarly, even if you seem to have received very favorable terms from them today, there's no guarantee that they won't drag your company into a quagmire at a critical moment, just like during World War II.
Because this is perfectly normal for the Japanese.
If you study the history of China and Japan, you will find that they are actually a race that is concerned with trivial matters but lacks a sense of righteousness, and they are somewhat similar to the squid people.
I don't want your company to repeat the same failure and teeter on the brink of survival again.
If that were the case, Mr. Xi would likely die with regrets.