1860s American Tycoon

Hearing the Boss's words, Jones cleared his throat and stood up.

He was not flustered; after all, this matter had been notified before the meeting.

"Boss. Regarding the Argyle Food Company's plan for the next five years, I only have one core keyword: monopolize transport lines."

Jones walked to the side of the long table and gestured with his hands.

"How is the meat business currently done? Texas cowboys drive live cattle to the railway lines, load them onto trains, and transport them to Chicago. After being slaughtered in Chicago, they are then salted or canned and shipped to the East Coast. This process results in huge losses; live cattle lose weight on the train, and some even die."

Jones looked at Charles Reeves of the Railway Company.

"In the next five years, I intend to completely change this model. We previously collaborated with the machinery factory to develop a new type of refrigerated carriage. By utilizing ice and a special ventilation system, we can keep the carriage at a low temperature. As long as these carriages are put into mass production, we won't need to establish large-scale slaughterhouses in Chicago anymore."

"We will establish large slaughter centers directly in cattle-producing regions like Texas and Kansas. We will slaughter the cattle, process the meat, and load it directly into refrigerated carriages. It will be shipped to New York and Boston in the form of chilled fresh meat!"

Jones spoke faster and faster.

"The price of chilled fresh meat is thirty percent higher than canned or salted meat. Furthermore, this technical barrier will completely squeeze out those small workshops. Five years from now, every steak on the dining tables of the East Coast must bear the inspection stamp of the Argyle Food Company."

Felix nodded slightly.

Cold chain transport was indeed a dimensionality reduction strike for the food industry in the 1870s.

"The plan is feasible. The R&D funding for the refrigerated carriages will be allocated directly from the family fund," Felix approved.

"Catherine, what about the pharmaceutical company?"

"The focus of the pharmaceutical company is on Dr. Thorne's new drugs and the hospitals that are about to be established. Furthermore, in the next five years, I intend to capture all military emergency orders and the severe pain relief market."

Catherine opened her notebook.

"Our process for extracting high-purity analgesics from plants has matured, and this medicine is exceptionally effective for combat wounds and major surgeries. The situation in Europe is unstable right now; although Prussia and France have finished fighting, friction continues. The armies of various countries are stockpiling strategic materials. Within five years, I want to make Umbrella's analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs the standard issue for the armies of Europe and America."

"Not only that."

Catherine looked up.

"Our laboratory in Chicago is conducting preliminary attempts at chemically synthesized drugs. As long as we break through the technical bottlenecks, we won't need to rely on the growth cycles of plant raw materials anymore. Drug production will increase exponentially. Five years from now, we will monopolize everything from the battlefield to the operating tables in hospitals."

"That's a good idea. Tell the professors in the laboratory that there is no cap on funding; I only want results."

Felix agreed decisively; after all, pharmaceutical R&D really requires money.

Next were George Templeton and Tom Hayes from the financial sector.

George's five-year plan appeared steady and solid.

"The Imperial Bank's goal for the next five years is to deepen and expand. Currently, our business is mainly concentrated in large cities on the East Coast. Over the next five years, I intend to follow the extension of the railways and open branches in every town in the Midwest with a population exceeding ten thousand. We will absorb the deposits of those farmers and miners. Additionally, we will lead the issuance of more large-scale corporate bonds to draw the funds of retail investors across America into our capital pool."

Tom Hayes revealed a bloodthirsty smile.

"Patriot Investment Company is simple. We will use secondary market operations to annex those poorly managed local small companies. While Charles builds the main lines over there, we will go to Wall Street to crash the stock prices of those branch railways, then buy them up at dirt-cheap prices and incorporate them into our railway network. Within five years, we will ensure that there are no independent private railways left east of the Mississippi River."

After the non-industrial general managers finished their reports, the atmosphere in the conference room began to liven up.

Everyone knew that the real main event was yet to come.

Steel, railways, military industry, oil, electricity—these were the heavy gears of the Argyle Family's terrifying machine.

William Coleman, the president of Lex Steel, stood up.

"Steel is the skeleton, Boss."

"I have already read Carnegie's report from Pittsburgh. Although the Bessemer Converter technology is good, the waste rate is still not ideal. In the next five years, we will fully introduce the open-hearth furnace steelmaking method."

"We must compress steelmaking costs to one-third of what they are now. Even if no tariffs are collected on British steel shipped to New York, its price must still be twenty percent higher than ours. I intend to use low prices to completely destroy all small and medium-sized steel mills in the country. Five years from now, we will occupy over sixty percent of the steel production capacity in the United States. Without Argyle's rails, they won't be able to build even an inch of railway."

"Very good. Tell Carnegie not to worry about the initial blast furnace construction costs. Even if we lose money for three years, I want you to squeeze the other steel mills into bankruptcy," Felix said, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

Charles Reeves stood up immediately after.

"The Railway Company's five-year plan is to coordinate with Coleman's steel production and connect with the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the Erie Railroad. The main line will extend south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, and to the west, we will break through the blockade of the Rocky Mountains and forcibly link up with the lines in California."

"We will establish a unified standard railway gauge for the entire United States. Those small railway companies that do not use our gauge will either have to change their gauge or go bankrupt. Five years from now, whether it is people or goods, as long as they are moving on the land of the United States, they must pay a toll to Argyle."

After that, it was Frank Cole's turn.

"For Vanguard Military Industry, completing the full army rifle replacement within five years is just the first step. We then intend to transition toward heavy firepower. We are currently working on prototypes in the laboratory for larger caliber breech-loading cannons, as well as another type of rapid-fire weapon. Our goal is for the United States army to only be responsible for pulling the trigger; all the rest of the death and destruction will be provided by Vanguard Military Industry."

Peter Jenkins adjusted his glasses; his voice was not loud, but his ambition was equally terrifying.

"As for Standard Oil. Boss, the oil industry is still a bit chaotic right now. There are savagely operated oil wells everywhere in the West and the Midwest. Within five years, I intend not only to expand refineries but also to control transport, monopolize all barrel manufacturing plants, and begin laying underground oil pipelines. Those prospectors who do not sell us their crude oil at a low price won't be able to transport a single drop of oil out of the production area. In five years, Standard Oil intends to control over seventy percent of the oil refining share in America."

Felix listened to these extremely arrogant plans, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Monopoly, an absolute monopoly.

This was the meat grinder he had set up in 1871.

Finally, he looked at Heinrich White, who was sitting at the end of the table.

"What about General Electric? White, tell me your ambition."

Heinrich stood straight, his eyes revealing a fanaticism for new technology.

"Boss, railways changed distance, and General Electric will change time. In the next five years, our municipal power grid will cover all core cities on the East Coast. From Washington to New York, we will make gas lamps completely history. Incandescent lamps will light up every night."

"But this is just the surface; the real profit lies in power. Mr. Sholes is currently leading a team to develop better industrial electric motors. Once successful, those heavy industrial factories will no longer need bulky steam engines and complex transmission belts. They can be just like light industries such as textile mills—they will only need to connect a wire to run. Five years from now, General Electric will not just sell lighting; we will turn electricity into a necessity that all factories cannot do without, just like water and air. As long as the power switch is pulled, the industry of the entire country will have to run according to our rules!"

Heinrich's report caused a brief silence in the conference room.

Even Coleman and Jones looked at this newly promoted general manager with eyes like they were looking at a monster.

If it were truly as he said, then General Electric's future scale would be even more terrifying than railways and steel.

"Very good."

Felix applauded first.

Subsequently, thunderous applause rang out in the conference room.

"Since your respective five-year blueprints have been laid out. Everyone, return to your positions; I want to watch these plans turn into numbers on the ledger."

Felix pressed his hands down, stopping the applause.

The meeting basically ended here.

The executives began to pack up the documents on the table, whispering about the details of future cooperation.

Felix did not leave immediately.

He looked at the general manager of the Federal Real Estate Company, Arthur Hamilton.

"Hamilton, stay behind."

The people in the conference room gradually filed out.

Frost packed away the last memo and tactfully closed the heavy oak double doors behind him.

Beside the huge oval conference table, only Felix and Arthur Hamilton remained.

It was already fully bright outside; the early winter sunlight of Manhattan streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting distinct patches of light and shadow on the carpet.

Felix picked up the jade on the table.

"Just now at the meeting, everyone was talking about astronomical profits and transoceanic business. The business on the real estate side is relatively straightforward; do you feel a bit neglected?"

Felix asked casually, looking at Hamilton.

Hamilton immediately straightened his posture.

"Absolutely not, Boss. I know that the positioning of the Federal Real Estate Company is as a solidifier for the family's assets. No matter how many greenbacks they earn outside, they must eventually be transformed into the precious land and bricks of Manhattan and Washington. This is the most risk-resistant foundation."

Felix nodded approvingly.

"It is best that you understand this. Land will never depreciate; as long as America is still running, New York land is the hardest currency."

Felix stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking out from the top floor of the Empire State Building, one could overlook most of Manhattan Island. Everywhere there were chimneys belching black smoke and scaffolding under construction.

This city was like a greedy beast, crazily devouring steel and bricks every day.

"I kept you behind alone because I wanted to ask about that matter."

Felix stood with his back to Hamilton, hands behind his back.

"How is the progress on that building?"

Mentioning this, Hamilton's eyes instantly lit up. This was, since the founding of the Federal Real Estate Company, and even in the entire history of American architecture, the craziest project.

"Boss, I was just about to report to you separately. Regarding the engineering progress of the 'Argyle's Building'."

Hamilton quickly walked to Felix's side and back, his tone filled with irrepressible excitement.

"Currently, the project is progressing very smoothly. Coleman has given us full support, and Lex Steel has prioritized rolling the strongest load-bearing steel beams for us. We have abandoned the traditional pure masonry load-bearing structure and adopted the latest steel frame system as the skeleton. The exterior is then wrapped in marble and granite."

"The foundation has been completely secured, and the main structure of the building has now reached the seventh floor. Those newspapers in New York send people to watch outside the construction site every day. They call this building a 'madman's work that pierces the clouds'."

Felix looked at the silhouette of the huge scaffolding faintly visible in the distance outside the window, a smile curling on his lips.

"Madman? Europeans take hundreds of years to build a church. We only need dollars and steel to push a building toward the sky in a few years. Ten stories above ground, fifty meters high. This will be the undisputed tallest building in the United States at present. How long until it is fully completed?"

Hamilton quickly checked the project schedule in his head.

"If we don't encounter continuous blizzards this winter to stop work, the topping out of the main structure will probably be in March next year. In April, we will carry out interior decoration and laying of pipelines."

Hamilton paused, emphasizing a key technical detail.

"On the General Electric side, White has already dispatched engineers to the site to lay a separate lighting power grid for us. In addition, we have purchased the steam-powered safety elevators newly developed by the Otis company, which are currently being tested with electric motor drives. This thing is not cheap, but without it, high-rise buildings simply cannot be put into commercial use. The installation and debugging of the six elevators will take about a month."

"All things considered."

Hamilton gave the exact time.

"Around mid-May next year, the entire Argyle's Building will be fully completed. We can officially move in and start working in early June."

"June." Felix repeated the month.

"Very well. This is not just an office building; it is a totem for the family to show its muscles to the entire Wall Street, and even the whole world. Ten stories above ground, two hundred feet in height. I want all the financiers in New York to open their curtains every morning and have their first sight be the shadow of the Argyle Family."

Hamilton listened, his blood boiling.

"Boss. On the day the building is completed, do you have any instructions for the allocation of the internal space?"

Felix turned around and walked toward his desk.

"The first to third floors will be reserved for the Imperial Bank as the banking hall for its global headquarters. I want to use top-tier Italian marble for the flooring and make the ceilings as high as a palace. Make everyone who walks in to deposit money feel absolute awe for the financial power of the Argyle Family."

"The fourth to seventh floors will be allocated to the various core companies under the Executive Committee as their headquarters offices. They are too scattered right now, crowded into temporary office buildings all over Manhattan. Centralizing the offices will be more efficient."

Felix walked behind his desk and sat down, placing his hands crossed on the desktop.

"The eighth and ninth floors are designated for the Intelligence Department and the Charity Foundation. Timmy and Anna need independent, absolutely secure floors."

"As for the tenth floor..."

Felix looked up, his gaze profound.

"The tenth floor belongs to the Supreme Executive Committee. There will only be conference rooms and my private office there. I want to be up there, watching the whole of Wall Street run beneath my feet."

Hamilton diligently noted down every detail.

"I understand, Boss. I will personally keep a close eye on the final construction period. Not only fast, but the quality will absolutely not have any errors."

"Alright, go get busy. Spend a bit more money to appease those construction workers; I don't want to hear news of strikes on the construction site." Felix waved his hand.

"Yes, Boss."

Hamilton bowed slightly, turned, and left the conference room.

The room fell completely silent.

Felix sat alone behind the large desk and took out a thick document from the drawer. It was top-secret intelligence that had just been transmitted back from London regarding the British Royal Navy's re-equipment plan.

The winter of 1871 was about to pass.

In this era, America was not yet that superpower spanning two oceans, and the old nobility of Europe were still dreaming their dreams of the sun never setting in the Palace of Versailles and Buckingham Palace.

But Felix knew that the axis of the world had already begun to emit a teeth-grinding friction sound.

From steel to oil, from guns to electricity.

The Argyle Family, this giant beast that had just gorged itself on flesh and blood, was accumulating terrifying power beneath Manhattan.

Next June.

When that ten-story-high Argyle's Building tore open the New York skyline.

That would also be the time when this capital meat grinder officially revealed itself to the outside world.

Felix threw the document in his hand onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. It was as if he could already hear the roar, like a tsunami, emitted by the clashing of gold coins in the future.