London, winter.
Heavy fog.
Although visibility is poor, the weather is excellent, no need to worry about bombing.
As soon as the car stopped in front of the London office of North Borneo Company, Willy took the initiative to open the door and saluted respectfully after waiting for a long time.
"Hello, boss."
It must be said that the British are always realistic. For employers, even if they are Chinese, they are absolutely 100% respectful.
There is no way, a few pieces of silver, can't do without!
"Welcome to the company, colleagues in the office are waiting for your arrival."
The company has changed its boss.
For the staff of the office, this is a good thing, because... since the outbreak of the war, they can only receive half salary. Of course, they can resign if they don't want to.
"...There were 37 employees in the office before the war. Because of the war, there are only 15 left, seven of whom are female employees."
While speaking, Willy deliberately glanced at the two women beside the boss. They were...really beautiful.
Fifteen people seemed a bit too many.
Capitalists don't keep idle people, they have to be laid off!
While thinking this, people have already walked into the office. More than a dozen employees lined up respectfully waiting for the boss to come.
No surprises, no surprises.
It was just an ordinary meeting. Then George introduced Stana and Jill to them and told them clearly that they were his agents.
The next thing was a bit complicated. Willy reported the company's situation to the new chairman.
"...In the past few years, in order to pay the high debt interest, our company was forced to sell its assets in the UK. This includes our former building, which is now also sold. Now, we can only rent other people's offices, and the company has stopped paying for three months."
Finally, after a long and in-depth report, Willy became uneasy. He looked at his boss George nervously, and the report in his hand was heavy. It seemed that an hour of narration was just to condense into those two harsh words-"no money".
It's not just a lack of funds, but also that the employees' salaries have been in arrears for a long time.
George already had the answer in his heart, and he asked calmly:
"So, the company is on the verge of bankruptcy?"
Willie was silent for a moment, then nodded, facing the boss's eyes calmly, he said bluntly:
"Yes, you can think so."
His eyes were full of helplessness and heaviness, and every word seemed to be a cry squeezed out from the bottom of his heart. He knew clearly that this answer might cause a storm, but he still chose to be honest. "Even if we return to North Borneo after the war, the situation is roughly the same. I have been following the news there. Before the war, according to the order of the Colonial Office, the board of directors called North Borneo and asked it to blow up the port and destroy the infrastructure such as the water plant and power plant. Even if these facilities are rebuilt by Japan, they are only simple repairs. After the war, we may need tens of millions of pounds to rebuild all of this. Boss, some things are unavoidable. Your investment cannot prevent the bankruptcy of North Borneo Company. Boss, from an investment perspective, your investment is not a wise choice."
Willie's frankness gradually broke the seriousness on George's face, and a faint smile quietly bloomed at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were slightly relieved and appreciative.
This is exactly the person he needs.
"Okay, your job is saved!"
This sentence made Willy's heart startled. Looking at the boss, Willy's eyes were full of respect and gratitude for George.
"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
"Well, Willy, I heard that you worked in the company before World War I, right?"
"Yes, boss, I joined the company in 1910 and have been working in the company for 34 years."
"Then you should be very familiar with the company's situation. Do you have any opinions or suggestions for the company's next development?"
"This..."
Thinking of the boss's previous words, Willy thought for a while and said.
"In fact, the company is not without hope."
"Oh, tell me about it."
"Boss, the North Borneo Company has been developing at a limited speed since its establishment. The reasons are nothing more than two points. One is the lack of labor and the small local population. The other is the limited natural resources. There is no oil or other minerals in the company's territory. But the small number of people is the fundamental reason that restricts the company's development. If the company had been established, or even when the immigration agreement was signed in 1913, it could have been implemented seriously. Perhaps North Borneo would have a population of millions now. The consumption, production, and taxes of these people would be enough for the company to obtain extremely rich returns. But because of the short-sightedness of the company's board of directors, we missed thirty years in vain."
When Willy mentioned the old things, his tone was full of regret.
"Immigration agreement? What immigration agreement?"
George asked in confusion.
"Boss, the company signed an Immigration Agreement with China in 1913. At that time, the company planned to recruit Chinese workers to develop Borneo, but because of the war and the subsequent board of directors' incident, the agreement was not implemented."
"What? An immigration agreement signed with China?"
George was surprised.
"Why was it not implemented?"
"Because the company was worried that too many Chinese would affect the company's management of the colony and that the locals would resist, but they completely ignored one point. Without enough personnel, North Borneo could not develop at all."
There is such a thing?
George didn't care about Willy's complaints at all. Now his mind was all on the immigration agreement.
Immigration agreement with China!
"Does the company have the text of the immigration agreement now?"
Before this, George had been thinking about how to introduce immigrants from China, and the current agreement was simply a pie in the sky. With this immigration agreement, North Borneo has the basis for legally recruiting immigrants in China. Although it was not implemented before World War I, it did not prevent George from continuing to implement the agreement.
As for the domestic side... it's nothing more than using cannons to open the way, no, it's using that batch of materials to make a deal. Who can refuse such a deal?
Soon the original immigration agreement was taken out from the archives. Looking at the agreement signed in English and Chinese in front of him, George's smile grew.
"Willie, as you said, those people's short-sightedness destroyed the company, but I'm not a short-sighted person."
He smiled and said with a slight smile on his lips.
"It seems that we should go to the embassy."
While speaking, he glanced at the calendar, January 3.
There is not much time left for me, I have to hurry up!