Courage cannot be eaten. This group of young British aristocrats paid the price for their contempt. The direct consequence is that the choices of aristocratic ladies have been greatly reduced.
Gao Bin's conditions were originally above average, and now he has become one of the best. Except for the princess who may be worried about family issues and is still hesitating, the other girls don't care about blood and family. As long as they can embrace this rich son-in-law, their future will be
There is hope.
As a result, all kinds of letters coming to Downton as guests came like pieces of paper.
But Gao Bin's purpose is very clear. In this life, he will not marry anyone who is not a princess.
What kind of woman has he never married? Only a serious princess has never been married, and he has to make a difference in his life.
Less than a month after Robert returned home, he took Cora and Bates and set off for London.
News has come from the royal family that his position as marquis is almost certain.
In this way, if Gao Bin can inherit the title, he will start as a marquis, and the duke is in sight.
However, there are many examples of people who can inherit a title before dying after a lifetime, so Gao Bin is not looking forward to it too much. Marrying the princess home is the first priority.
This time Robert went to London, and Gao Bin asked him to help bring some gifts to the princess, including desserts and handwritten love letters.
In this era where vx cannot be sent, love letters are definitely a powerful tool for picking up girls.
Before the princess replied, Gao Bin began to integrate his resources and prepare for a big game.
He asked his military colleagues to help find someone, who should be a captain in the Royal Naval Air Service named Walter Owen Bentley.
With a clear title and name, it is not difficult to find someone.
In fact, the Military Invention Award Committee is also under the influence of Gao Bin.
Previously, in recognition of Mr. Bentley's contribution during the war, the Invention Award Committee awarded him a special award of 8,500 pounds.
During the war, Mr. Bentley built a fighter engine from aluminum pistons that was more powerful and reliable than previous versions, replacing older engines that were prone to failure due to overheating in combat.
The first Bentley rotary engine BR.1 made the Sopwith Camel the most successful British fighter in World War I.
Therefore, with little effort, Gao Bin quickly contacted this person and invited him to come to Downton as a guest.
Walter Bentley was very surprised why a lieutenant colonel from the Logistics Department invited him to his home.
After much hesitation, I decided to come and take a look. Connections are very important. The other party is the eldest son of an earl with real power. You should come here for both business and private purposes.
In this way, Walter Bentley embarked on a journey that would change his life.
When he entered Downton Abbey, Carson, who was entrusted by Gao Bin, showed the enthusiasm from Downton to this man who was about to turn 30.
Seeing the servants of Downton lining up at the gate, Walter Bentley was flattered.
"Excuse me, where is Lieutenant Colonel Crowley?"
Carson smiled and nodded:
"The young master is inspecting the factory and will be back soon. You go to the study and sit for a while. It has been a hard journey. I have prepared refreshments for you. You can enjoy it slowly."
The Walter Bentley family is considered a high-producing family, but it is not inferior to the real aristocrats. At least their family cannot afford to support more than 30 servants.
A study room with an area of more than 100 square meters is enough to make him look sideways.
Drinking the sweet black tea and eating the sweet but not greasy and refreshing matcha cake, Walter Irving's blood was boiling. He also wanted to live such a life.
Looking at the upright manservant waiting at the door of the study, Walter Irving only felt that the life of aristocrats was too luxurious, but this was enjoyment.
After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, the study door was pushed open:
"Let me see, where is the great Mr. Walter Bentley?"
Upon hearing this title, Walter Bentley was flattered. He quickly stood up and wiped the cake crumbs from the corner of his mouth. He looked slightly panicked, but he quickly calmed down.
"Lieutenant Colonel, thank you for your invitation."
Carson reminder:
"In Downton, you should call him Master."
Embarrassed, Walter Bentley was ashamed of his impoliteness.
"I'm sorry, I don't know, Master."
"It's okay, we are all our own people, no need to be polite, just sit down."
Gao Bin's kind smile made Walter Bentley relax a lot:
"Thank you, thank you for your invitation. This is the first time I have seen such a magnificent manor. It is so beautiful here."
"Haha, if you like, come here often. Did Carson take you to visit the garden at the back? It's even more beautiful there."
"Master, I haven't had time yet. After you finish talking to Mr. Bingley, I will personally take him to visit the manor." Carson apologized.
"No, no, no, how dare you." Walter Bentley was at a loss.
"Haha, friends who come here as guests will be invited to visit the manor. Don't be nervous. Just sit down and let's chat casually."
Glancing at the handicaps on the table, Gao Bin waved his hand:
"Tea is boring, let's drink whiskey. What do you think, Mr. Bentley?"
"You can call me Owen, that's my middle name."
"Okay Owen, would you like a drink?"
"Of course, if it's not troublesome."
Carson went to pour the wine, and Gao Bin randomly found a topic:
"Your inventions in the military are so great that they directly affect the performance of a generation of fighter planes."
"This is what I should do."
"I wonder if you have ever thought about a question: If this engine is transplanted to four wheels, will it produce a different speed?"
Just by saying this, Walter Bentley felt that his time was not in vain.
"To tell you the truth, I do have this plan. In fact, after receiving the invention award, I plan to set up my own car company and develop a car of my own!"
Gao Bin smiled happily and was waiting for this sentence:
"That's great. To be honest, I also have plans to set up a car company, but I lack talents in this area."
Walter Bentley finally understood Gao Bin's intention of calling him here, but it was consistent with his appeal and he did not resist it.
"Really? What do you mean?"
"Yes, Owen, as you thought, I want to cooperate with you. How about using your last name Bentley as the brand of this car?"
Walter Bentley was not a pedantic genius, he understood the world:
"No, I think the name Crowley sounds more grand and aristocratic."
Gao Bin raised his hand:
"How about calling it Bentley Motors, a brand owned by Crowley Automotive Industry Group?"
"I agree."
"Haha, I didn't expect to reach an agreement so quickly. I really should have a drink. Carson, where is our wine?"
"Here you go, Master." Carson brought the wine with a tray in one hand.
Gao Bin poured two glasses himself and handed one of them to Bentley.
"Come on, Owen, I wish our business success. I hope that one day, Bentley cars will be on every road on earth."
"That must be a wonderful sight, I'm looking forward to it very much."
Afterwards, the two communicated on the issue of share distribution and the direction of brand development.
The two have coincident ideas. Bentley serves as the brand CEO and is responsible for all research and development of Bentley cars, while Gao Bin is responsible for setting up a sales team to sell Bentley cars.
As for the positioning of this car, Gao Bin gave two keywords: nobility; speed!
"I hope Bentley has an aristocratic temperament. On this basis, the pursuit of speed will never have an upper limit. To ensure that luxury and passion coexist, this is my only requirement for this brand."
And Bentley’s answer is also very capable:
"As you wish, my young master, I will install a fighter jet engine on the Bentley and let it fly close to the ground."
Speaking of which, Gao Bin found a notebook and drew a logo with a pen.
A capital letter B with a pair of angel wings outside the circle.
"What do you think of this logo?"
"Perfect, young master, I didn't expect you to have such a talent."
"I hope that the company will be set up in Downton and the future factory will be set up here. This is my return to the local residents."
"I have no objection. Anyway, I am alone and can go anywhere."
"Well, due to wartime logistics and transportation, Downton has a complete railway network, from which it can lead to any large port in the UK."
As for the issue of shares, neither of them was too obsessed with their shares, and finally agreed that Crowley Automotive Industries, which is wholly owned by Gao Bin, would account for 90% of Bentley's shares and be responsible for providing R&D funds and space.
Walter Bentley alone owns 10%, serves as CEO, and is responsible for automobile research and development.
Because many years ago, he and his friends were agents of a French brand of cars and had their own store in London.
Gao Bin took it over and renovated it, preparing to introduce the 4S store model to the UK. It was time for John Bulls to experience the devastation of the 4S store.
With a total investment of 30,000 pounds, Gao Bin quickly packed up a vacant factory building and handed it over to Bentley. He couldn't wait to form a research and development team.
With the help of Gao Bin, Bentley hired many top students in related majors from prestigious universities in the UK. As if this was not enough, they also hired professional talents from Rolls-Royce and several French car companies.
A research and development team of up to 100 people and an administrative team of more than 50 people gathered in Downton to start the research and development of the first Bentley car.
Car research and development never happens overnight. It can take one or two years at the earliest and five or six years at the slowest time. Gao Bin is not in a hurry and gives Bentley full trust.
Of course, he also put forward many opinions in the development of the first car.
He originally liked cars. There are many luxury cars in every world, and he has driven them of all brands. His understanding of future cars far exceeds Bentley's imagination.
Many of his suggestions were very constructive, which made Bentley feel astonished. This young aristocrat was not just a whim, he understood cars.
It is undoubtedly a pleasure to work with such a person. The two often discuss the details of the first car while drinking.
For example, Bentley is very stubborn about speed, but Gao Bin told him that a car should not only be about speed. Of course, he also likes the feeling of speeding at high speed, but on this basis, luxury and comfort are also elements that a luxury car should have.<
/p>
In this way, time flies and two years pass.
The 20th century also began to enter the 1920s, and Britain, which had experienced the war, fell into a period of extreme struggle.
The economy is sluggish and the government is corrupt. Britain during this period can be described in one word: chaos!
But heroes emerge from troubled times. This saying can be applied to any country in any era.
Especially for those who have prepared in advance, this chaos is just right.
If there was no chaos, Gao Bin would not have the chance to rectify the market, let alone acquire the brands that he was familiar with in his previous life.
For example, there is a leather goods factory named TUSTING. This is not a well-known brand in later generations, but it has the oldest and most advanced leather tanning technology in the UK. If it were not for the fact that the heirs of his family were running out of food, Gao Bin would not have the chance to acquire it.
.
Another example is a brand called Burberry, which many people know. Their clothes are rainproof, practical, durable, breathable and lightweight, and are very suitable for the British weather.
However, due to their obligation to produce military uniforms for the military during the war, their wages could hardly be paid. When they asked the military for help, Gao Bin intercepted them and purchased them in the name of Crowley Automotive Industry Group. The total amount was only
I spent 50,000 pounds, which is a huge profit.
The acquisition of these two brands can also be said to prepare for the automotive industry chain.
But several subsequent acquisitions made his ambitions clear to the world.
At the beginning of 1920, he took his servant on a train to Scotland and stayed in Edinburgh for a month. While buying a holiday castle, he also low-key acquired a not-so-reputable bank, the Halifax Bank.
.
When this bank was first established, in order to attract depositors, it absorbed the deposits of many illegal depositors. Therefore, it was boycotted by relevant departments and was unable to operate for a long time.
But in the past 20 years, they have expanded rapidly because they have targeted the credit market, seized the golden period of booming real estate, and attracted a large number of customers.
Unfortunately, due to the war, many loan customers were unable to repay their loans, and banks experienced a huge economic crisis.
At this time, Gao Bin appeared. Through Robert's network, he teamed up with several British nobles to acquire it.
Later, Gao Bin used his own shares to obtain loans from several major banks, including Barclays Bank, to acquire all the shares held by several nobles.
After such a showy operation, Halifax Bank became his sole proprietorship and he officially changed its name to Crowley Bank.
Next, he spent another 2 months to bring Crowley Bank back to Yorkshire. With Yorkshire as the center, it quickly radiated throughout the northeastern region of England.
Because the Crowley family has so much influence in Yorkshire, there must be tens of thousands of people who eat with them, plus their respective families. It can be said that Gao Bin allowed Crowley Bank to own more than ten people in an extremely short period of time.
million new customers.
With savers, it is natural to inherit the fine traditions of its predecessor, and add insurance and car loan businesses to the mortgage business.
Once Bentley's first car rolls off the assembly line, the car loan business will be quickly launched. Gao Bin's plan is really terrifying.
Robert was stunned by his operations. He never thought he could make money like this.
However, Gao Bin's ambitions don't stop there. This is a booming era, and he must seize every opportunity to make money and make acquisitions!
He won't be like other nobles, who buy land as soon as they have money. It's too boring.
He is going to let John girls feel the fear of the Chinese people being dominated by Samsung.
The life of a Chinese can't be separated from three things: death, taxes, and Samsung.
And Gao Bin is ready to let John Bull experience the joy of being branded by Crowley from birth to death.
Of course, if he wants to achieve this step, the few steel coins in his pocket are not enough. It doesn't matter, he has plenty of time.
There are still more than ten years before World War II. What will be the focus of the next hundred years? Oil!
But playing in mining is not something anyone can do if they want to. If you don’t have enough money, you can’t even drive piles.
This is the reason why he acquired the bank. If he didn't have enough money, he would use the bank's help and use customers' money to develop. This is the key to the capital game.
Of course, just having money is not enough. Oil has never been a game that can be played by private individuals. Without the support of violent machines behind it, it will be eaten alive by humans sooner or later.
But these are not problems for Gao Bin. Behind him is the British aristocracy. These old aristocrats may be crazy poor, but once they unite, the power they can unleash is immeasurable.
So he repeated his old tricks, uniting two dukes and a marquis. Most importantly, he successfully persuaded the royal family's investment companies through Princess Mary to jointly establish a company called 'Royal North Sea Oil'.
The royal family contributed resources and part of the capital, accounting for 25% of the shares. Gao Bin contributed the bulk and was responsible for the specific operations, accounting for 45% of the shares. The remaining shares were divided among several other nobles.
The significance of the establishment of this oil company is extremely far-reaching. It is not only as simple as occupying a piece of oil resources in advance, but also allowing Gao Bin to break into the top of the aristocratic pyramid.
At the same time, the establishment of Royal North Sea Oil also brought Gao Bin closer to the royal family, and he finally relaxed about his marriage to Princess Mary.
Robert lobbied for this for two years, but it was not as efficient as Gao Bin setting up a company.
This discovery also plunged him into deep helplessness. He locked himself in the study for a whole day. When he came out again, he said something to Cora:
"Gao is the most suitable heir to the Crowley family!"
With this sentence, it also means that Gao Bin has officially become the heir to the Marquis and has registered with the House of Nobles.
As he let go, Gao Bin and Mary's marriage lost the last obstacle.
In September 1921, in the crisp autumn weather, Gao Bin and Mary held an engagement ceremony in Edinburgh. On the day of the engagement, almost all the nobles from the entire British Isles were present, and the scene was very grand.
However, Gao Bin took very complete security measures to ensure that no outsider would sneak into the scene. He did not want to become the target of discussion by others a hundred years later.
Amidst the sound of blessings, the two officially entered the marriage hall with a passionate kiss.
Although they are only engaged, in the eyes of everyone, the two are already officially married. The Archbishop of England personally appeared to bless them. Who dares to violate God's will?
Therefore, Mary didn't care about propriety and shame. After getting engaged, she moved directly to Downton Abbey and lived a shameless life with Gao Bin.
She is 26 years old and is considered an old girl in this era.
I have been dating Gao Bin through letters for so many years, and I have already fallen in love with this man without hesitation, so the rule that you can't live together without marriage is nonsense. She is a princess, who dares to make irresponsible remarks?