Felix wasn't overly concerned when he heard that his old rival wanted to challenge him.
In fact, he preferred this outcome, because once they left their comfort zone, it would be his home turf.
What Felix was most concerned about right now was the order from the military that was about to be completed.
Inside the food company's huge factory complex,
the atmosphere among the workers reached its most tense and excited peak since operations began.
Today was the final delivery day for the Federal Army's million-dollar contract.
In the factory's loading area, as the last box of beef stew, bearing a blue shield logo, was steadily loaded onto a military transport wagon flying the Stars and Stripes, to the loud countdown of production supervisor Jones,
"The thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-third box!"
Jones looked at the counter in his hand and shouted in his hoarse voice to all the workers around him.
"Guys! We did it! A six-month task, and we finished it two months early!"
The entire factory instantly erupted in a thunderous cheer.
Workers, both new and old, threw their hats vigorously into the sky.
Their sweat-soaked faces were filled with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.
At the back of the crowd, old worker Sullivan was patting new recruit Pete on the shoulder.
"See that, kid?" His voice was a little excited.
"This is the mountain we built with tin and beef."
Pete's eyes also sparkled, a mix of excitement and a touch of sadness.
"Yes, Uncle Sullivan. My cousin is on the front lines. I hope he gets to eat the canned food I personally sealed."
At ten o'clock in the morning, a horse-drawn carriage bearing a military flag, escorted by two cavalrymen, drove into the factory on time.
Felix, accompanied by Catherine and Miller, personally greeted them in front of the office building.
Edward Carter stepped down from the carriage.
His uniform was sharper than ever, and his face showed joy.
"Mr. Argyle."
Carter walked up to Felix and saluted him with a standard military salute.
"Welcome, Captain," Felix said with a smile as he shook his hand, "It seems you bring good news."
"Ha… the best news."
Carter took a document from his adjutant's hand.
"Mr. Argyle, according to the final verification by our Quartermaster Department, your company has fully and ahead of schedule fulfilled all the terms of Contract Number 7-1-2."
"A total of one million six hundred sixty-six thousand six hundred sixty-six standard military cans have all been accepted and qualified."
"Throughout the performance of the contract," Carter read from the report in his hand, word for word, "your company's product defect rate was less than one per thousand. The supply delay rate was zero."
"On behalf of the Federal Army and General Reed, I extend my highest respect to you and your company."
Felix waved his hand, "This is our duty, Captain."
"No." Carter shook his head, "What you've done is far more than your duty. You've set a new, almost impossible-to-surpass benchmark for all our military suppliers."
He took out another pre-signed document from his briefcase and handed it to Catherine.
"Miss O'Brien. This is the final settlement document for the contract. The remaining balance, a draft from the Federal Treasury, will be delivered to your company's bank account within two business days. General Reed personally ordered that no one shall have any administrative delays."
Catherine took the document, "Thank you very much."
This was not just a sum of money.
This was the victory medal from the biggest battle since the company's establishment.
After completing the official handover procedures, a more personal, brilliant smile appeared on Carter's face.
"Felix."
"I actually have another piece of good news to tell you today."
"Oh? What is it?"
Carter smiled and pointed to his collar.
"Look at my insignia."
Felix's gaze fell upon it.
He noticed that the two bars representing the rank of Captain had been replaced by a shining golden oak leaf.
"You've been promoted to Major?"
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Felix's face.
"Edward, this… this is truly wonderful! Congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you too, Felix."
Major Carter, one of the newly minted youngest Majors in the Federal Army, said with a slight sigh.
"At least half the credit for my promotion belongs to you."
"General Reed wrote this in my promotion recommendation report, ahem."
Carter cleared his throat, imitating the General's serious tone.
"Captain Edward Carter, at the nation's most critical moment, with his keen insight and outstanding execution, discovered and supported the greatest logistics support partner of our era for the Federal Army. He, by his own efforts, reshaped our entire East Coast Theater's logistics supply system."
After reading it, Carter looked at Felix and said sincerely.
"Felix, your success is now firmly tied to mine and General Reed's military honors."
Felix smiled contentedly, "This is the result I most hoped to see."
"So, what's next?" Carter asked, "Although this contract is over, the war is far from finished. Washington is already discussing the next, larger-scale procurement plan."
Seeing Felix begin to ponder, he continued to share what he knew.
"They don't just need beef. They also urgently need your canned fruit and that miraculous disinfectant you mentioned."
Felix nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Major Carter.
"Edward, Dr. Thorne has been researching these things and has made some progress. Don't worry, when our new technology is mature, you and the General will be the first to know."
Seeing Felix give his promise, Carter's face broke into an even brighter smile, as recommending better supplies would also benefit him and his mentor, General Reed.
"In that case, I'll look forward to it. Well, I should take my leave. The Quartermaster Department still has a lot of messes to deal with."
"You are always welcome, my friend."
After seeing Carter off, Felix gathered his core team.
In the office, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
"Boss!" Jones said excitedly, "We really did it!"
"Yes, we did it." Felix looked at everyone, "But the end of one battle is just the beginning of another."
Then he looked at Catherine.
"Catherine, how much ammunition do we expect to have in our 'war fund'?"
Catherine, who had already calculated the data in her mind, directly answered Felix.
"Boss, including the final payment that is about to arrive, and after deducting the inventory funds and company operating capital, the company's available cash will exceed three hundred fifty thousand dollars."
Getting an amount close to what he had estimated, Felix smiled happily.
He remembered when he only had seventy-five dollars.
One year later today, he could command over three hundred fifty thousand dollars; if he added the assets of his subsidiary companies, then Felix was already a wealthy man worth nearly a million dollars, a significant figure in New York… no, in the entire US.
Inside the office, Catherine gently placed the last document in front of Felix.
It was a formal bank remittance voucher from the Federal Treasury Department.
"Felix, the final payment has arrived."
Felix nodded, his tone somewhat distant.
"That's very good, isn't it?"
"More than just good."
Catherine's tone was filled with pride and a hint of worry that even she hadn't noticed.
"Felix, this amount of money is enough to buy many buildings on Fifth Avenue. Can we perhaps slow down a bit?"
"Slow down?" Felix laughed, "Catherine, my dear. Do you think we are on a leisurely carriage ride?"
His expression grew serious.
"No, my dear, we are in a never-ending war. Our enemies will not give us any chance to breathe."
"If we are content with this, then it won't be long before our enemies rush in to fight us, or even replace us.
You were there that day too, weren't you?"
Catherine remained silent. She understood Felix's words, but she wanted a more stable approach.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
Miller walked in with a dusty figure.
It was Flynn.
"Boss," Flynn saluted Felix with a standard military salute, "I'm back."
"Welcome home, Flynn." Felix nodded, "Is everything arranged in Chicago?"
"Yes, Boss," Flynn reported, "O'Malley has taken over the security work for the railroad company. He has also become familiar with Mr. Bill and Mr. Reeves, and they can cooperate very well."
"Excellent," Felix said, "I believe Miller has told you, but I still want to formally say it: starting today, I will give you a new appointment."
"Please instruct me."
"I previously authorized the establishment of the Intelligence Department. From today, you will be fully in charge. You will be its first director, reporting directly to me."
"Yes!"
Excitement flickered in Flynn's eyes.
Seeing his subordinate's invigorated look, Felix's lips curved into a smile.
"So, Mr. Director, where is your first intelligence report? I believe you must have already contacted Timmy and the others."
"Here, Boss."
Flynn didn't deny it and immediately took out an encrypted report personally written by Timmy.
"Regarding our old friends in New York, the New York Meat Trade Association."
Felix took the report and quickly scanned it.
There was no expression on his face.
After reading it, he handed the report to Catherine.
After Catherine finished reading, her expression instantly became serious.
"They are actually building their own cannery? And it's also related to the Eastern Railroad Alliance?"
Felix spread his hands. "It's obvious, isn't it?"
"And, according to Timmy's intelligence, they actually invited British engineers and even obtained some blueprints for our canning machine. Their factory will be officially completed in two months."
"By then," Felix looked at Catherine, "a commercial war, possibly more brutal than any before, will be unavoidable."
Even though Felix himself wasn't too worried, he still needed to motivate his subordinates.
"So, Catherine," he looked at her, "do you still think we have time to slow down?"
Catherine shook her head, realizing she had been naive.
"I understand."
"Very good."
Felix stood up, put on his coat, and then issued his latest instructions.
"Catherine, leave fifty thousand dollars from the company's account as working capital for the company. The remaining three hundred thousand dollars..."
"Transfer it all to the Patriot Investment Company's account."
Catherine nodded, "No problem, I'll do it right away."
... Wall Street, Patriot Investment Company's office.
When Tom Hayes saw the huge cashier's check for three hundred thousand dollars,
His old heart couldn't help but pound violently.
"Boss..." His voice was a little dry, "Three... three hundred thousand dollars. Are you... are you planning to buy the entire exchange?"
"Don't be funny, Tom. Three hundred thousand dollars is just a relatively large ripple on Wall Street." Felix pushed a glass of whiskey towards him.
"Now tell me, what kind of target have you found in the past few days?"
Speaking of business, Hayes forced himself to calm down.
He entered that rational state of an ace trader.
"Boss, I've discovered the most dangerous, but also the most lucrative battlefield, and it's also someone you're familiar with."
With that, he spread out several newspapers and the company's financial reports in front of Felix.
"The Eastern Railroad Alliance," he said, "New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad."
"Oh?"
"Their stocks are now the hottest stars on all of Wall Street," Hayes analyzed.
"Everyone believes that the war will bring them unlimited transportation orders. They are patriotic stocks that are guaranteed to make a profit."
"But," Hayes's face showed a bloodthirsty smile.
"I've read the Mississippi and Eastern Railroad Company's operating report that you brought back from Chicago. I've found a fatal problem that everyone has overlooked."
Felix frowned. "What problem?"
"Costs, operating costs," Hayes said truthfully.
"The war has indeed brought them a huge flow of customers. However, military transportation is not concerned with losses. In order to prioritize the transport of troops and supplies, a large amount of their high-profit civilian cargo has been forced to be indefinitely delayed."
"Their locomotives are operating at overcapacity, the tracks are wearing out faster, and maintenance costs are skyrocketing at an alarming rate."
Finally, Hayes concluded, "So, Wall Street only sees their glossy and stable revenue. But no one sees the constantly bleeding profit statement, or they've discovered it but just aren't saying anything."
"They are a giant with a strong exterior but an interior that has already begun to rot."
"This is a huge and beautiful financial bubble."
After listening, Felix's eyes showed satisfaction. It seemed this guy had indeed worked hard, but he had also presented himself with a challenge.
"Tom, if what you say is true, then we need to be the needle that pricks this bubble."
"That's for you to decide, Boss."
Hayes didn't dare to make the decision. He was only responsible for providing reference analysis, suggestions, and carrying out tasks. As for whether to do it, that was something the Boss needed to consider.
Now, it was up to Felix whether he dared to prick this bubble.
One should know that if he really did this, Patriot Investment Company would indeed become famous in the capital circles, but Felix would also completely offend the Eastern Railroad Alliance.
This was not like the small friction in Chicago, but a life-and-death struggle.
After a long period of silent deliberation, Felix finally shook his head in rejection.
"Tom, this target won't work."
Hayes's passionate expression instantly froze into one of bewilderment.
"Why?" His voice was full of confusion, "Boss, this is an almost surefire win! We..."
"Your financial logic is very good, Tom," Felix interrupted him, "but your political logic is not."
Felix stood up and walked over to Hayes.
"You only see the numbers on the exchange, but you don't see the invisible people behind those numbers."
"I ask you, Tom," he said, "who am I now?"
Hayes was full of questions, but still answered seriously.
"You are my Boss, a successful industrialist."
Felix shook his head slightly, adding:
"More than that! I am also a major food supplier to the Federal Army. My factories are providing rations for the soldiers on the front lines. My name, to General Reed and to Senator Clark in Washington, represents 'reliability' and 'patriotism'."
"And our target? The Eastern Railroad Alliance," Felix continued to ask, "who are they?"
"They are a bunch of greedy monopolistic bastards," Hayes replied.
"Yes, that's right. But they are also the Federal Army's most important military transportation contractor." Felix stared into Hayes's eyes, his expression serious.
"Like me, they are also serving this war. At least on the surface."
"Now, imagine this scenario."
"A core military supplier uses a huge sum of money earned from the Federal military to short another core contractor who is also serving the war."
"What do you think General Reed would think? What would Senator Clark think? What would even President Lincoln in the White House think?"
Felix's tone became very serious.
"They won't think this is a clever business game, Tom."
"They will only think this is a vile internal struggle for personal gain, completely disregarding the national interest."
"They will believe that I, Felix Argyle, am a war profiteer who is frantically tearing at his comrades in a time of national crisis. A financial vampire with no sense of honor."
"At that point, I will lose all the political trust I've worked so hard to build. My company won't be considered for the military's next order. My company might even be swamped by countless government investigations, and I'll become public enemy number one."
"Tell me, Tom," Felix looked at Hayes.
"Is it worth risking my entire career, present and future, for uncertain future profits?"
Hayes listened carefully to Felix's words. At first, he seemed indifferent, but the more he listened, the more uneasy he became, and he remained silent for a long time.
His back was already drenched in cold sweat.
He had always thought he was an experienced veteran.
But at this moment, he realized the huge gap in perspective and vision between himself and this young Boss.
What he saw was only the win or loss at the card table.
And Felix saw the entire casino, and the invisible hands behind the casino that set the rules.
In front of him, Hayes was like a rookie in terms of political thinking.
After a long while, he finally found his voice.
"Sorry, Boss..."
"I... I was wrong. I thought too simply. I didn't see the deadly hook hidden beneath this tempting piece of meat."
"This is a tempting trap, and I almost dragged you into it with me."
Seeing Hayes admit his mistake, Felix patted him on the shoulder.
"Alright, Tom, I'm not blaming you. Your plan is perfect on a financial level; it just lacks some perspective from industry and politics."
Hayes's face showed deep admiration.
"I understand, Boss," he said, "You don't just want to make money. You also want to build a business reputation that is free of major blemishes."
"So, what do we do next? Do we just let those three hundred thousand dollars sit idle in the bank?"
"Of course not," Felix smiled, "We just need to find a cleaner battlefield."
"Our target cannot be companies too deeply tied to the war and national interests. It must be a purely commercial target, one that even if it went bankrupt tomorrow, no large number of senators would speak a word for it."
Hayes's brain began to work rapidly.
"Purely commercial target... mismanagement... huge value discrepancy..."
He began to mutter to himself, carefully recalling his vast intelligence database of all companies on Wall Street.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"I've got it, Boss."
"There's a perfect target that meets all your requirements."
Felix raised an eyebrow, a smile returning to his face, "Tell me about it."
"Knickerbocker Bank."
"A bank?"
Hayes nodded, then quickly and carefully explained to Felix.
"Yes, a medium-sized commercial bank. Its president is Sterling. An ambitious but extremely reckless fellow."
"On the surface, this bank appears very prosperous because it specializes in providing loans for high-risk projects rejected by traditional large banks.
For example, the risky Southern cotton trade before the Civil War, or those illusory gold and silver mining companies in the West."
Then, Hayes's face broke into a smile.
"But... I have reliable inside information. Many of Sterling's huge loans have become unrecoverable bad debts. He is currently just using new depositors' money to fill the holes of old loans."
"He's like a clown juggling. The golden balls in his hands could drop and hit him at any moment."
"And we," Hayes looked at Felix, "just need to give him a gentle push when he's at his weakest."
Felix's eyes also lit up.
"Shorting a speculative bank full of bad debts. Good, this won't cause any political trouble."
"Yes, Boss."
"Tom, good, you found a new target so quickly," Felix decided. "Now, activate your entire intelligence network. I don't want to hear about it."
"I want a detailed report and conclusive evidence of all the bad loans at Knickerbocker Bank."
"The day I see that evidence will be the moment we, with this three hundred thousand dollars of capital, launch our general offensive."