The World's Richest Man in 1934: Steampunk Era, #1

By Blair Oscar

In 1855, this was the best of times, with extended railways, roaring locomotives, and flowing gold creating the towering Tower of Babel; this was the worst of times, with the north and the south facing each other in the thick black shadow of the Tower of Babel. , the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the weak and the strong.
       If you don't want to stay in the shadow of the tower and be trampled by others, you must climb to the top of its glorious tower and trample everything under your feet. In this Gilded Age, which is full of noise and turmoil, conspiracy and deception, light and darkness, watch how a time traveler who is familiar with history can turn the tide and create his own era....

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blair Oscar
• Release date: May 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224533947

Book preview

The World's Richest Man in 1934

Chapter 1

WAKE UP, WAKE UP!

He's really awake! Oh my God, his eyes are moving!

God! Jesus!

Hey, Bill, I can't believe you really saved him! God bless you, finally...

Lambert...can you hear me?

...

When Lincoln opened his eyes with great effort, he heard a large group of people around him chattering in English. The sound was very noisy and gave Lincoln a headache. He managed to open his eyes. Well, a large group of Europeans were forming a circle, surrounding him in the middle, with their necks stretched out.

At this time, the noon sun shone through the gap between the circle of heads and hit Lincoln's face. The sunlight was so strong that Lincoln had to close his eyes again just as he opened his eyes. At the same time, he wanted to raise his hands to block the excessively strong sunlight. However, he failed to raise his hand. On the contrary, this action made him dizzy and almost passed out again.

The stretcher is coming... Be careful, John, come and help me, lift his head... Be careful, don't push too hard... Carl, lift his hips, not from the waist, from the hips ! You idiot, don’t you even know where your butt is? ... Be gentle! You will hurt him again.

Lincoln felt himself being carefully lifted up by several people. Only then did he realize that his whole body was hurting.

...

Lincoln lay in bed for several days. During these few days, he worked hard to figure out one thing, that is, he unfortunately became a member of the time-traveling army.

Unfortunately?

Coming to ancient times where communication is extremely underdeveloped and difficult to communicate due to the changes in pronunciation between ancient and modern times, if you think about it carefully, what is the difference between being thrown directly into a black African region such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Rwanda?

It took a few days for Lincoln to figure out that he had now traveled to the United States in 1855 and became a little kid named Lambert MacDonald who was just eleven years old. A few days ago, I climbed a tree to dig out a bird's nest and fell down, falling to my death. Fortunately, the neighbor's man was said to be proficient in medical skills (of course, some people said that he was just a salesman of special medicine for curing cancer). Liar Bill Rockefeller happened to be at home, and with some help, he was rescued.

Of course, Lambert's parents are now extremely grateful to Bill . I felt extremely ashamed that I had believed in rumors before, thinking that Bill was a charlatan with no moral values, and had even slandered his reputation in front of others more than once. After Bill revived Lambert, Lambert's father, Joseph, apologized to Bill sincerely in front of everyone.

Bill was indeed knowledgeable. When Lambert experienced various strange phenomena in the next few days, such as suddenly not recognizing people, such as his accent becoming particularly weird, Joseph asked someone to find a The priest came to see if there was anything unclean and asked his neighbor Bill for advice. Bill asked Joseph to relax. He told Joseph that it was not surprising that people who injured their heads would often have similar symptoms. This statement was also recognized by Pastor Stephen who came later. Therefore, Joseph and his wife Laura were relieved. On the one hand, they admired Bill very much, and on the other hand, they were also fascinated by Lincoln's various weird behaviors since then. He was not surprised at all, and the most he could do was mutter: Poor Lambert, I hope he gets better soon.

A week later, Lambert McDonald was finally able to get up and go out. After two days of running around, Lincoln-Lambert finally believed that he had really traveled through time to the United States in the 19th century.

Lincoln's luck was pretty good among time travelers. Although he didn't travel to the home of a noble or wealthy man, his family was fairly well-off. His father, Joseph, was a good shoemaker. The shoes he made were beautiful in appearance, comfortable to wear, strong and durable, and he had a very good reputation in the neighborhood. Thanks to Joseph's craftsmanship, the family lived a pretty good life. The family could eat meat once a week. It was better than the neighbor Bill's family. As the youngest son, Lambert was the most beloved child in the family. His father, Joseph, his mother, Laura, and his eldest brother, Carol, who had already started making leather shoes for his father, loved him very much.

But this is not what makes Lincoln most satisfied. This kind of living standard, no matter what, is still not comparable to Luo Yong's original living standard. What really satisfied Lincoln was his neighbor, Rockefeller. And Lincoln was now sure that this Rockefeller was the Rockefeller who would become a legend.

Neighbor Bill Rockefeller had three sons and two daughters (actually three, but one of them died at the age of two). The eldest son was named John, the second son was named William, and the third son was named Frank; the eldest daughter was named Lucy, and the second daughter was named Mary. Isn't this the Rockefeller family that will become famous in the world in the future? According to history, John Rockefeller will become the oil king. At its most powerful time, the Standard Oil Company he founded controlled more than 80% of the oil in the United States and more than half of the world's oil. He himself became the first super-rich man in American history with personal assets exceeding $1 billion. When he died, his personal wealth reached $1.4 billion!

This $1.4 billion is not the worthless $1.4 billion of the 21st century. The ratio of this money to the GDP of the United States, which had become the world's largest economic power at the time, was as high as 1:65. According to the total GDP of the United States in 2013 of $16.56 trillion, his personal wealth was as high as about $255 billion!

Of course, the Rockefeller family is not yet developed, and the future richest man in the United States, oil tycoon John Rockefeller, is still in high school. But isn't this a good opportunity? As long as you hold on to this thigh, you will have great hope for the future.

Lambert was four years younger than John Rockefeller, but because of his better family conditions, Lambert was younger than John when he started studying. As a result, the two of them are now studying in the same middle school. It's just that John is a grade above Lambert. We used to go to school together every day.

After resting at home for two more days and confirming that there were no problems, Lambert finally went to school. After breakfast, his neighbor John Rockefeller came to call him.

Lambert, you should go to school today! As he said this, John helped Lambert pick up his schoolbag, and the two of them walked out together. My mother asked me to take good care of you on the road. He is always worried about me. Dad is not very reliable... Well, let’s not talk about this... I heard that you have forgotten a lot of things. Do you still remember the things you learned in school?

I have forgotten some, but I remember most of them. Even if I don't remember, just learn it again. I think there is no reason why you can't learn poorly as long as you work hard. In the view of Lambert, who was an engineer in his previous life, the nineteenth century The things in American middle schools should not be difficult to deal with.

John Rockefeller suddenly stopped. He stared at Lambert up and down for a long time, and then said: Strange, can a fall really make a person completely different? You are calmer now than before. Much more, well, more confident! It’s like I’ve grown up all of a sudden.

It's a weird feeling to see a sixteen-year-old kid saying that he has grown up all of a sudden. Although he knew that the half-year-old child in front of him would be the richest man in American history in the future, and although he knew that he would drop out of middle school this year, enter a business school to study accounting, and then embark on the path of creating a legend, Lambert It still feels weird.

The walk to the school was very long, and it took almost half an hour to walk there. The two of them were talking while walking.

Well... Lambert, there is one thing I wonder if you still remember? John Rockefeller said suddenly.

What's going on? Lambert asked.

I know, you forgot. John Rockefeller shook his head, and then said, I don't plan to continue studying in middle school. I plan to go to a business school in the city to learn accounting. I think this is good for me. More practical. You know, our family's situation is not very good. Although he did a good job in saving you this time, he... In short, as the eldest son, I must take on the responsibility of supporting the family as soon as possible.

I seem to know a little bit. Lambert frowned, as if he was thinking hard, I seem to remember that the tuition fees for this kind of school are not cheap. John, do you have that much money?

That's the matter. It costs 40 dollars. My father agreed to lend me 40 dollars, but he asked me to pay 15% interest. Damn, this interest is much higher than the bank! He is bullying me because I can't borrow money from the bank. I want to know if you can ask your family to lend me some money, just a part of it. When I get a job, I can pay you back at the bank's interest rate, no, a little higher than the bank's interest rate, 11% interest rate. How about it? John Rockefeller looked into Lambert's eyes expectantly.

Chapter 2

JOHN, YOU KNOW, OUR family situation may be slightly better off than yours. After all, my father and my eldest brother are the only ones earning money in our family. However, $40 is not a small number for us. I personally do not have so much money, so I can only ask my parents for help. I don't know how much money they can come up with, but I will try my best to convince them. But, John, you have to tell me first, if you get this money and complete your business school studies, how do you plan to pay it back? Lambert said.

Lambert, you have really changed a lot. You can think about so many problems now. When I was your age, I couldn't think about so many things. John Rockefeller said, If I want to be my own boss and start a company in the future, I will definitely find you as a partner. I have already investigated. There are many new companies now, and other staff are relatively easy to find. But there is a relative shortage of people who can keep accounts. So, if I finish my studies at the business school, it will not be a problem for me to find a job. Nowadays, a person who has mastered basic accounting skills can generally get a monthly salary of 5-6 US dollars in the first year. My monthly expenses do not exceed two dollars, so it will only take more than a year for me to pay off my debts.

That sounds good, Lambert said. I think I'm convinced. I'll convince my parents...

At this time, the middle school had appeared not far in front of them. The two walked into the school gate and walked to the classroom of Lambert's class. John Rockefeller handed Lambert the schoolbag he had been carrying for Lambert: Okay, here we are. Oh, by the way, I haven’t told anyone else about this yet, please keep it a secret for me first...

Lambert nodded and walked into the classroom. At this time, there were already some people in the classroom, but the teacher hadn't come yet. As soon as Lambert came in, the classroom immediately became lively.

Hey, Lambert! I heard that you idiot fell from the tree? A boy with some red freckles on his nose yelled first.

Lambert, it seems that your leather is really strong! A boy with light hair stretched out his hand, pinched Lambert's face, and said, Look, it's very thick!

Stop, Tom! A small boy stood up, You bully even patients, you really have no future at all!

The light-haired child named Tom looked at the little man, curled his lips, and then said: Carter, you really don't understand any humor. I was just joking with Lambert, and there was no malice. "

You are just bullying Lambert because he is sick! The little man named Carter said coldly, And you, Rom, you are the same, you are also a worthless thing who bullies patients!

I don't want to compete with a guy like you who has no sense of humor! The child with freckles on his nose also sat down angrily .

The little man looked at Lambert again and said, Lambert, I heard that you injured your head and can't remember some things. Is that right?

Yes, Lambert replied.

So do you remember where you sat? Do you remember what we were called? Carter asked.

Lambert shook his head.

You don't remember anything? Carter shook his head. Then do you still remember how to do those damn math problems?

I should still remember this. Considering that there was no damn Mathematical Olympiad in this era, Lambert was still confident in solving the middle school math problems of this era.

That's great! Carter smiled. Hurry up and make up for what you missed. The final exam in a month depends on you!...Okay, brothers, now, I'll give each of you three minutes to introduce yourself to our Lambert. Well, let's start with me!

My name is Carter. I have a strange disease, that is, I can't feel pain. Carter began to introduce himself. My biggest advantage is that I am strong and can fight. Except for physical education, my grades in all subjects are not very good, at best. Just passed the test. If you have been with me for a long time, you will know that I am a very easy person to deal with.

After Carter introduced himself, he looked around the classroom and said, Tom, next you!

Well, my name is Tom. In fact, we are old friends. Sometimes I like to joke around, but everyone knows that I mean no harm. Well, the final exam depends on you!

Jessica, then you...

My name is Jessica, and my dad is...

Maybe it was because there were not many people studying at that time. Although people kept arriving one after another, the total number of classmates was not large. So this self-introduction ended just before class.

The first class was mathematics, which turned out to be Lambert's best. As expected, middle school mathematics in this era is actually very simple compared to today's Lambert. It is so simple that Lambert can tell the answer directly with just a glance. It is inevitable to lose focus in such a class. Lambert supported his cheek with one hand and pretended to be looking at the blackboard, but he began to think about his future path in his heart.

"It seems that the Civil War is about to break out, right? If I remember correctly, it seems to be around 1861. The war is definitely a good opportunity to make a fortune. Think about the ways you can make a fortune? First of all, it is speculation. If I remember correctly, didn't Morgan make his first ill-gotten fortune by reselling gold during the Civil War? But... forget it, unlike Morgan, I can always know firsthand what kind of social background I have. All kinds of inside information, if you go to Wall Street to speculate, you don’t even know how you died, or if you come from the industry, you are reliable...

...Oil should be a good deal. At the beginning of the Civil War, agriculture in the South disappeared, and there was no lamp oil for lighting in the cities. All ships were used for war, including whalers, so the whale blubber used as lubricant was gone. Almost all of these are solved by the extraction and refining of oil. This is how Rockefeller made his fortune. If you hug his thigh tightly, you should be able to get some glory. However, this guy Rockefeller... It seems that what he is best at in history is kicking partners out of the company, right? Even if you are a time traveler, there is no guarantee that such a day will not happen... How about just making weapons! Before he time traveled, he worked as an engineer at Norinco. Although the project he was mainly researching before time travel seemed a bit too advanced in today's era, he was still very familiar with firearms. As a side job to defraud foreigners of their money, what? I am quite familiar with bolt-action sniper rifles, pump-action shotguns, various automatic rifles, machine guns, and various copycat versions of automatic pistols and revolvers. As long as I have the first start-up capital, It is not impossible to copy these things, but I don’t know what the level of materials in this era is. However, considering that it will not take long, it seems that in 1866, the Germans created the Mauser rifle, completing the transition from modern rifles to modern The rifle's crossed. From this point of view, even if it is difficult to build an automatic rifle, it is still possible to build an old-fashioned Mauser. Well, even the old-fashioned Mauser 1871 is much better than the muzzle-loading guns used by the Americans in the Civil War. That's it...

However, it seems that the breech-loading rifle has always been rejected by some old-fashioned people. I remember that in Europe, a big man even declared that he would rather lose the war than use a 'unmanly' weapon like a breech-loading rifle. Of course, it may also be that these old antiques received money from the merchants who made muzzle-loading rifles. If it is the latter, I am afraid that I will encounter such a problem in the United States. If I don’t solve it, I can’t effectively use the war to make money... Otherwise, after this thing is made, sell it to the Southerners first. As long as the Southerners can use these things to beat the Northerners to a pulp, the North will definitely purchase a large number of them. How do you say it? 'An arms dealer who doesn't sell weapons to attack his own country is not a real arms dealer'? Well, we must first make the Northerners bleed enough, and then make the Southerners bleed more, and then there will be a chance..."

Lambert, answer this question... Lambert! Lambert! What are you doing! Just when Lambert was thinking wildly, a voice sounded in his ears.

Math teacher Rodriguez was standing next to Lambert. In fact, because Lambert was staring at the blackboard, Rodriguez did not immediately notice that Lambert was distracted. He wrote a slightly difficult question on the blackboard and randomly called on a few students, but none of them could answer it. So Rodriguez habitually called out Lambert's name. When he called out, Rodriguez realized that Lambert was distracted.

Ah, I, I was thinking. Lambert was startled.

Mr. Rodriguez's attitude softened, because he knew that Lambert's head had just been hit and his memory seemed to be affected. In addition, he had missed so many classes, so he might not be able to answer such a question immediately. His anger just now was just a habitual gesture - facing those little bastards, he couldn't suppress them if he didn't habitually put on an angry look.

Oh, Lambert, do you understand today's content? Teacher Rodriguez said gently.

Yeah, not bad, Lambert said.

Can you do the questions on the blackboard?

Ah, the question on the blackboard? Lambert quickly glanced at the blackboard. On the blackboard was a very common word question about speed, distance, and time. In the future, it would only be difficult for the upper grades of elementary school.

One hour and 15 minutes. Lambert came up with the answer almost instantly, but he did not say the answer. Instead, he shook his head - he didn't want to act too special yet.

Well, it's okay, Lambert. After all, you missed a lot of classes. Sit down and listen carefully. Teacher Rodriguez said.

...The first day of class passed uneventfully. Unlike other time travellers, Lambert's performance was very mediocre and he did not do anything to shock his friends. Because Lambert knew that this was boring. His stage was not here. The Civil War was only five and a half years away. He didn't have much time to waste in such a school. Maybe he should drop out and start a business like Rockefeller.

Chapter 3

AFTER RETURNING HOME, after dinner, the sky gradually darkened. Old Joseph lit an oil lamp in front of the table as usual. Lambert could do homework and read under the oil lamp, and Old Joseph could continue to work with this light. His mother, Laura, was also mending a pair of old socks by the light, while the eldest brother Carol, who had been helping at home since middle school, was looking through the textbooks he had studied before by the light.

The middle school homework of this era was still too simple for Lambert, and he finished it quickly. Then he stopped writing and looked at his father. Old Joseph was concentrating on waxing a pair of newly made boots. His hands, which may have been in contact with leather for a long time, were stained with wax, and under the dim light of the oil lamp, they also glowed a color similar to that of cooked yellow cowhide.

Dad, I'm done, Lambert said.

Oh, old Joseph looked up at his youngest son, how can you be so quick today? Look, I haven't had time to finish these boots yet - do you want to read more?

No, Dad, Lambert replied.

Ah, then go to bed early. You need more rest now. Old Joseph put down his boots, carefully covered the wax box, then wiped his hands on the apron hanging on his chest, and stood up from his workbench. stood up.

Dad, I have something to talk to you about, Lambert said. John Rockefeller is still waiting for news about himself tomorrow.

Oh, what's the matter? Old Joseph took out his old pipe, lit it on the oil lamp, took a puff, and then bent down and blew out the oil lamp. Although Old Joseph's family could not afford to light the oil lamp, since Lambert's homework has been completed, so any little savings is worth it.

As the warm orange light of the oil lamp disappeared, the whole room darkened in an instant. Fortunately, the moon just happened to peek out from the window, casting her silver light into the room. So the general things in the room could still be seen clearly. Old Joseph walked to his rocking chair and sat down, took out his old pipe, and said to Lambert: Well, go ahead, I'm listening.

Dad, I want to know how much money we have at home. Lambert thought for a moment and said this.

Why, do you need to pay for school again? Old Joseph said nonchalantly, Although my family doesn't have much money, it's still no problem for you to study. You don't have to worry about this.

No, Dad, Lambert said. It's John who's in trouble.

Well, said old Joseph, tell me about it.

John's father told John that he could no longer provide tuition for John, and he said that John was old enough and it was time to earn his own money to support himself, Lambert said.

It's not easy for their family. Mother Laura interjected, Joseph, Bill just saved our son, we have to help his son. They have a lot of family members and few people who can work. It's really difficult... Well , John should graduate in June this year, we must help him no matter what, at least let him get a diploma.

Mom, John doesn't plan to continue in high school. The high school diploma is useless anyway, Lambert said.

Well, John wants to find something to do, right? Old Joseph said, This kid is sensible! It's just that now, it's not difficult to find a job, but it's not easy to find something better. I know a few Regular patron...

Dad, Lambert interrupted Joseph, John wants to go to a business school first and learn how to keep accounts. He said that there is a shortage of people who can keep accounts, and if you learn this, you can get higher wages.

That's right! John is a really smart kid! If he can be an accountant, he can earn at least five or six dollars a month, which is enough for himself and can also help Aleiza... However, the tuition for the business school seems to be not cheap... John wants to borrow money from us? said Joseph.

Yes, Dad, Lambert said, The tuition fee is $40. Mr. Bill has the money, but he won't give it to John. He will only lend it to John, and he wants John to pay him 15% interest. John thinks that if $40 is charged at such an interest rate, it will be very difficult for him to pay it back even if he finds a job in the future. So he wants to borrow money from us. John said he can give us 12% interest, which is much higher than the bank's interest rate.

Oops! Laura was surprised, How could Mr. Bill treat his son like this? This is really... Considering that Bill was his son's savior, Laura felt that she could no longer use the words she used to describe this. Mr. Bill muttered for a long time, but finally said nothing.

Yes, it is indeed higher than the bank. However, John's credit cannot be compared with the bank. Carol, who could no longer continue reading the textbook, said, However, judging from my dealings with John, John is a reliable person, so there should be no problem.

I can take out forty dollars, and I trust John. It was John who first discovered you fell and called people. So, he has done us a favor. So it's not a big problem to lend him money. But I'm not a Jew, so how can I charge such a high interest? And maybe Mr. Bill did this just to put some pressure on John. I don't want Mr. Bill to think that I've ruined his plan to educate his children. Joseph took a puff of his cigarette , and the pipe lit up. The dark red flame illuminated Joseph's tall nose.

Lambert was silent for a while. He knew that Mr. Bill asking John Rockefeller to pay interest was definitely not the child education plan that put pressure on the children as Joseph said. Lambert, who had read the biography of Rockefeller in his previous life, knew that this savior Mr. Bill, who took his own life, was not only a big liar who specialized in selling anti-cancer drugs, but also a bigamist. In fact, he was not short of money. He made a lot of money through fraud. It's just that he always uses the money to spend time, drink and raise mistresses instead of improving the lives of his wife and children. Of course, the devout religious Aleza is not willing to take the not so clean money from her husband. However, I can't jump out and expose Mr. Bill's background. He is my savior, and I can't slander him casually.

After thinking for a while, Lambert said, Dad, how about this? I have fallen behind in some classes, and we can hire John to tutor me from after school until dawn. Then we can pay John a salary, what do you think? Well, I have only missed a few days of classes, and it won't take long to make up for it. But by then, John should have been studying in a business school, so we can still hire him to teach me and my brother what he has learned. In this way, John's pressure should be much less. And the ability to keep accounts is also very important for my eldest brother, because he will be the pillar of the family in the future.

Joseph said nothing, but Lambert saw that his eldest brother Carol sat up straighter, the moonlight shining through the window and reflecting in his eyes.

Well, this idea should work. Joseph said, But Lambert, we can't pay him too much, otherwise, Mr. Bill may not be satisfied. I think such a part-time job, We should be able to give him 10 dollars, after all, he is not a real teacher. Well, Lambert, you go talk to him tomorrow and see if he is willing to do this.

...

Early the next morning, John Rockefeller came to school with Lambert as usual. The two people walked out of their homes and walked toward the school along the street paved with coal chips.

Lambert, what do your family say? John Rockefeller asked a little worriedly.

John, my father does not agree to lend you money. He suspects that the reason why your father charges you high interest is to train your ability. He thinks that we should not destroy your father's plan. And he thinks that you pay No matter how high the interest paid to your father is, the money will still be in the Rockefeller family. If the interest is paid to us, the money will come to our family from the Rockefeller family, Lambert said, looking into John Rockefeller's eyes. He noticed the slight disappointment in John's eyes when he said My father disagrees and the mocking look in his eyes when he talked about his father's plan. When the disappointment flashed away, the eyes showed a composure that was inconsistent with the age of 16 years old. He is indeed the man who will become the richest man in the future ! Lambert couldn't help but admired secretly in his heart.

But John, it's not that we won't help you. We have another plan. Can you see if it works? Lambert said.

What kind of plan? John Rockefeller asked.

We hired you to be my tutor. You will work from after school until dark. We will pay you a total of ten dollars, and you will have to make up for the classes I missed. In addition, you are in the business school The accounting knowledge you have learned should be taught to me and my brother, especially my brother, until I teach him. What do you think of this plan?

John Rockefeller stopped and thought for a while without saying a word. Then he said: Thank you, I will teach you as much as possible. If you can't learn in the end, I will return the salary you gave and pay interest according to the bank's interest rate.

Very good, Lambert said, So when are you going to drop out? In addition, we need to find a time to discuss the contract details of this job.

I will go through the withdrawal procedures today. John Rockefeller said, I have made it clear to my mother, and my mother also supports me. When I go back in the evening, I will borrow money from Bill, and then I can register tomorrow and go to the business the day after tomorrow. I’m studying at school. As for the details of the work contract, I will come to your house to discuss it with Uncle Joseph after I complete the withdrawal procedures...

Chapter 4

JOHN ROCKEFELLER WAS a decisive man, and this was evident when he was only sixteen years old. As soon as he arrived at school, he went through the withdrawal procedures and then left