People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 176 History Changes

Upon hearing Lin Yi's solution, Sheng Laosi nearly fainted on the spot.

Everyone would laugh at him!

And it's not just for a few years, it's for Sheng Laosi's entire life, he'll have to carry the reputation of owing money and not paying it back!

He was a little angry, but he didn't dare to say anything hurtful to Lin Yi.

Because the amount of money owed was simply too much.

So much so that he's almost lost his confidence.

"Brother Lin, is there really no other way?"

"Yes, Brother Chengze, you should find a way to pay back this money yourself."

Fourth Brother Sheng: "..."

He turned to look at Sheng Aiyi again, only to find her arms crossed over her chest, not even glancing at him.

I knew my younger sister wasn't planning to contribute any money.

He understood one of the reasons why Lin Yi told him to run away.

It's simply a matter of severing ties with the Sheng family.

It is common knowledge that the Sheng family has split up.

As long as he doesn't try to implicate the Sheng family, even if the Japanese want to, they can't do anything about it.

And it's clear that Sheng Aiyi understands this as well.

Given that he still has the option to run away, it's no wonder people would spend so much money to help him.

Somewhat troubled, Sheng Lao Si rubbed his forehead and said with a conflicted expression, "Two questions."

"First, if I hide in the United States, will the Japanese try to capture me from there?"

"Brother Lin, you know that with such a large sum of money, the Japanese will definitely try every means to bring me back."

“And once I’m brought back, this matter will definitely implicate our Sheng family.”

"Brother Chengze, rest assured, I can guarantee your safety. This will never happen."

Lin Yi's answer was very affirmative.

This wouldn't involve the interests of Americans, so Americans certainly wouldn't help the Japanese.

Especially regarding the previous acquisition of shares, Mitsui Steel resorted to underhanded tactics.

Although they succeeded, there is no doubt that doing so really offended people.

With his connections, he can ensure that Sheng Lao Si is safe and sound.

Lin Yi's confident tone immediately put Sheng Lao Si at ease.

Recently, he has also taken the time to learn more about Lin Yi.

Although it's not entirely clear, one thing is for sure: this guy has quite a few connections in the United States.

He nodded and then said, "The second problem is that by doing this, you're going to offend the Japanese to death."

"Without Westerners blocking your way and drawing their fire, aren't you afraid the Japanese will turn against you?"

"Besides, even if you control the iron mine, if you don't sell the ore to the Japanese, you might not be able to get past Nanjing."

“I know that Song Wenchang and his people have long been dissatisfied with you. No matter what you want to do with the Daye Iron Mine, they will not let you succeed.”

He is also a businessman.

At most, they are all talk and no action; they are by no means ignorant or incompetent.

He was very clear about the methods used by people like Song Wenchang and Kong Yongzhi.

If it were anyone else, Sheng Laosi would never say such nonsense.

But Lin Yi is different; he's someone who could very well become his brother-in-law.

Moreover, my safety in the United States also depends on him.

It wouldn't be right to just watch him suffer, would it?

"Thank you for thinking of me, Brother Chengze."

Lin Yi chuckled: "It's no big deal between me and the Japanese."

"As for the stance that Nanjing might hold, it doesn't matter much."

"At that time, I will transfer the ownership of the Daye Iron Mine and the dedicated railway to Liu Yuanfu, or have him hold it on my behalf."

"Given his status, the Nanjing authorities would have to carefully consider their options before getting involved."

Pingdu Ironworks needs to expand its production, which requires iron ore.

Since he brought it up himself, Liu Yuanfu certainly wouldn't refuse.

During his tenure as governor of Sichuan Province, his relationship with Nanjing has been relatively harmonious in recent years.

Compared to this relationship, the interests of the Japanese are secondary.

Even when they threatened Nanjing, it was the same.

It's nothing more than a delaying tactic.

As for the likes of Song Wenchang and Kong Yongzhi, such important military matters are not something they can do as they please.

Hearing Lin Yi's answer, Sheng Lao Si was stunned for a moment, and in the end, he could only give a thumbs up and say he admired him...

With the plan settled, the rest of the operation was simple.

Only a portion of the iron ore's equity was pledged.

The loan has now matured, and with interest compounding over time, the debt has reached more than 12 million.

Theo, acting as the representative of US-based Fenghua Investment, signed the agreement with him and then processed the transactions through Citibank.

The acquisition process was completed in just one day.

Afterwards, Sheng Chengze met with representatives of Mitsui Steel in Shanghai.

While talking about an overall repayment plan that was impossible to achieve, they also paid back money to redeem the previous iron ore equity pledge agreement.

It was four days later that they sent him away.

Lin Yi accompanied Sheng Aiyi to the dock and watched the passenger ship set sail.

"Ugh."

Although the matter was considered settled, Sheng Aiyi couldn't help but sigh when she thought about the infamy that Sheng Laosi would bear from today onwards, and the fact that the Hanyang Ironworks would ultimately fall into the hands of the Japanese.

"Seventh Miss, this is just a temporary expedient. We will take back the Hanyang Ironworks sooner or later."

Understanding her thoughts, Lin Yi offered words of comfort.

As for how to get it back, it's still uncertain.

If China becomes stronger in the future, it might have to spend money to buy it back.

But if war breaks out between the two sides, then the enemy's property will be confiscated.

As for whether it will be able to return to the Sheng family by then, he couldn't say for sure.

"I hope so."

With a forced smile, Sheng Aiyi said to Lin Yi, "After what happened, shouldn't you take some time to calm down?"

"Of course, I have to stay in Shanghai until after the New Year."

As he spoke, Lin Yi smiled at her and said, "Thank you for the matter in the Northwest, Miss Seven."

"I'll pay you back the five million later."

"Need not."

Sheng Aiyi shook her head, and seeing that Lin Yi was about to say something more, she said urgently, "Really, there's no need."

"This time, Sheng Chengze's matter is also thanks to you. This matter will probably bring you a lot of trouble in the future."

"Consider it repaying a favor."

"I still have something to do, so I'll take the first step."

Without giving Lin Yi another chance to refuse, Sheng Aiyi finished speaking and walked towards her car...

They directly resolved Sheng Chengze's mess by creating a group of debtors who were considered defaulters.

Lin Yi sent a telegram to Fan Zhongxu in Sichuan Province, instructing him to lead a group to take over the Daye Iron Mine.

Secondly, they called Jing Zhizhong to Pier No. 3.

"Purchase machine tool equipment?"

Upon hearing Lin Yi's instructions, Jing Zhizhong was taken aback for a moment and said, "Mr. Lin, didn't we say we were going to build our own machine tools?"

"The progress at Shanghai University is going quite smoothly; they've already produced quite a few drawings."

"We have already planned to start trial production of lathes after the Chinese New Year."

“Buying machine tools doesn’t stop us from manufacturing them ourselves; these are two separate things.”

Lin Yi waved his hand: "In short, based on a scale of ten times that of the arsenal, please provide me with a list of the machine tools needed and the quantities required as soon as possible."

"The sooner the better."

Plans never keep up with changes.

According to Lin Yi's previous plan, the scale of equipment manufacturing would be increased within the next two years.

When the time comes, when our own car factory and arms factory expand their production capacity, they will use all the machine tools they produce themselves.

But now this whole Northwest thing has happened.

Even if things go according to his plan, Yang Zihui will eventually control the Northwest.

However, the Japanese who have already gotten involved will certainly not give up easily.

When political maneuvering fails, Lin Yi cannot guarantee that they will not resort to force.

Whether it's a full-scale war or just targeting the Northwest, history will be changed.

Therefore, the plan to expand the military industry must be brought forward.

Given that the equipment manufacturing industry cannot scale up in a short period of time, purchasing equipment from outside becomes the only option...