Benjamin was a little panicked, because William I's anger was real, and although the prince did not have much power at the moment, everyone knew that Frederick William IV had no children. Although William I was not publicly named heir apparent,
Everyone knows that after the death of Frederick William IV, the successor will most likely be William I or William I's son.
Although Frederick William IV is not yet old and is unlikely to die suddenly, well-informed people like Benjamin also know that the king's health is not particularly good. If he becomes ill one day, it is very likely.
It was necessary to let William I take over as regent.
So although William I is a little down and out at this time, there is still a chance for him to make a comeback. If the relationship with him is messed up at this time, will William I succeed in the throne or be the regent in the future?
Actually, the reason why Benjamin quoted the price of 100,000 Prussian thalers does not mean that he really only has such great authority. He is actually still a businessman in nature. William I asked for 1 million Prussian thalers, so much
He really didn't have the authority to give the money, and he didn't want to give it, so he naturally had to pay it back. So he deliberately set a very low price. On the one hand, it was to lower the price, and on the other hand, he also hoped to let William I accept more favors.
What Benjamin means is that if I don’t pinch you, how do you know that this money is not so easy to borrow? I have to let you know that borrowing money is difficult. So I helped you borrow the money in such a difficult way. Do you owe me?
There are many favors, and these will have to be repaid in the future, and they will need to be cashed in with more money.
All in all, this is a deal for Benjamin. He achieved his goal with the most shrewd and practical methods. I am afraid that even Baron James Rothschild would praise him. After all, not everyone can control a country.
The prince's.
Gerson saw it clearly from the side. He was the one who knew Benjamin’s inside story and trump cards best. According to Benjamin’s authority, he could at least grant William I half a million Prussian thalers. One hundred thousand Prussian thalers was indeed a bit of a way to send a beggar away.
mean.
So as soon as Benjamin reported the price, Gelson knew what tricks he wanted to play. Deep down, he admired Benjamin's courage. Even though he was a little reserved and timid when facing William I before, it seemed like this was just a joke now.
It's just a disguise. I am afraid that the general manager is not afraid of William I from the bottom of his heart, but deliberately pretends to be cowardly as a disguise.
Whether it was to paralyze William I or for other purposes, this showed that he actually did not take William I seriously, otherwise he would not be like this. This made Gerson admire him very much, and he hoped that he would have such a day in the future.
, can truly not take a big shot like William I seriously.
Of course, Gerson was also a little curious. He wanted to know what conditions Benjamin would use to finance William I, was it higher interest rates or other political gains and benefits?
At this time, Benjamin finally opened his mouth to answer. His face was full of apologies and embarrassment, and he replied tangledly: "Your Highness, you are really embarrassing me. I personally am willing to provide you with financing services, but I
Your authority is really not that great. The most I can provide is 200,000 Prussian talers, and I have to personally guarantee it for you..."
"Of course, the guarantee is not a big problem. We all know that your credibility is impeccable. But no matter what, I have to bear a huge responsibility for this. If the head office wants to pursue it, I will also have a headache!"
"What? Two hundred thousand is not enough?" Benjamin spread his hands and said: "You are trying to push me to death! Two hundred thousand is really a lot, and I only have such great authority...I
At most, I can find a colleague to find a solution for you, but the interest rate is very high. Personally, I really don’t want to bear the reputation of lending usury to you. This will also greatly damage our friendship and cooperation...
…”
Gerson watched Benjamin's performance quietly. As he expected, Benjamin threw out the weapon of high interest rates. Although he said it beautifully, in fact, if William I really wanted to borrow usury, he would
It’s a dream come true, after all, the fat Hohenzollern family, even if they really can’t pay the money, they can use other more valuable things to pay off the debt!
However, Gerson felt that Benjamin's real purpose was not to make loan sharks. He probably wanted to obtain other more valuable promises, such as the government's inside information, which could be realized ten times or a hundred times in the financial market.
William I asked in a sullen voice: "Higher interest rates? What is that, and how much can you lend at such an interest rate?"
Benjamin made a gesture: "About this amount, I can lend you half a million Prussian talers. This is really the limit!"
Five hundred thousand Prussian thalers was simply not enough for William I. If he wanted to win over more younger brothers in the German states, one million would not be enough. Before, he felt that asking Benjamin to borrow one million was not enough.
What a big problem, so I reported this number directly, but who would have thought that Benjamin, who had been cooperative and easy to borrow money from in the past, would actually fall behind? This really disappointed him!
If you can only borrow 500,000 Prussian thalers from Benjamin, what should you do with the remaining half? The family only has about 100,000 together, so how to fill the hole of several hundred thousand?
For a moment, William I scratched his head. He found that he had thought of things too simply. It seemed that these Jews were not as easy to deal with as he thought!
In fact, this cannot be blamed on William I. Before, he thought Benjamin was easy to deal with. That was because he still controlled the political power and had great power in his hands. Benjamin was the one who fawned over him, so naturally he was obedient to his requests.
But now that he no longer has the power to govern, the people in the country still have great resentment against him. In this case, it is he who begs Benjamin to do something.
Naturally, the situation is completely different when attacking and defending in different positions, so you have to look at a person's human nature. You can't just look at his attitude towards you when things are going well for you. You have to look at his attitude towards you when you are at your lowest point.
Besides, dating a Jewish financial tycoon like Benjamin is as unreliable as dating a female cousin!
Benjamin had been observing William I's expression and saw that he was very confused. He knew that his strategy had worked. He wanted to make William I confused, and then when he was most confused, he gave him a dish that looked good but tasted terrible.
It's an uncomfortable plan. He believes that this plan can bring huge benefits to him, and now the time is almost ripe!