Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Buying and Selling Land, Respect Freedom!

Chicago, USA.

At this time, Chicago was nothing more than a desolate small town.

Yet, a young man from the European continent arrived and, with a single move, spent 200,000 USD to purchase half the town and the surrounding wasteland.

The young man was immediately elected as the town's mayor. He felt quite helpless; he was clearly an official of the Austrian Empire, sent by Baron Bruck to purchase real estate for the Empire.

Instead, he had been inexplicably elected as the mayor of an American town, leaving him with no choice but to write a letter to Baron Bruck in Austria to ask for instructions.

Appearing simultaneously in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and other locations, the Austrian special envoys responsible for purchasing land also drew public attention.

Someone recognized the young man who had spent 1.5 million USD lavishly on land in New York: he was the nephew of Baron Bruck, a special advisor to the Emperor of Austria.

It was rumored that Baron Bruck was the actual helmsman of the Austrian Empire's finances. As more information was unearthed, the influence of the incident grew ever larger.

As the impact of the event continued to expand, the identities of other individuals purchasing land aggressively were also successively exposed.

Among them were descendants of great European nobles, descendants of major bankers, and even descendants of the Sina family, who had once rivaled the Rothschild family.

This was exactly the effect Baron Bruck intended; he was buying land specifically to create hype.

Almost all bankers knew that land prices in America were rising too quickly, yet they all remained optimistic about the American land market.

It was simply that no one had dared to break the silence; Baron Bruck's job was to break that silence and let the wind blow in.

Just as he expected, following this incident, Americans began to realize the value of land and stopped selling it so easily.

What followed was a wave of bandwagoning—first in America, and then as the news reached Europe, capitalists arrived in droves.

Meanwhile, the American government was also fueling the fire, introducing a series of policies to attract foreign capital while simultaneously issuing massive amounts of paper currency due to the overheating economy.

Banks issued vast amounts of loans, and the capitalists speculating on land used the land as collateral to borrow more from the banks to purchase even more land. Naturally, land prices skyrocketed.

Although the inflow of precious metals into the United States had indeed increased, the volume of paper currency issued still far exceeded the upper limit of what the United States could redeem.

Philadelphia, Headquarters of the Second Bank of the United States.

"Damn it! Andrew Jackson is a short-sighted fellow, a bandit with a gun. We must print more money to attract more European investors. When the time comes, faced with a massive fiscal surplus, let's see what that bandit has to say!"

The speaker was Nicholas Biddle, the President of the Second Bank of the United States, and the man he called a bandit was none other than Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States.

Because Andrew Jackson came from a military background and had gained fame by seizing Indian lands, the title of "bandit" was well-deserved.

Biddle's resentment stemmed from the fact that Andrew Jackson refused to extend the federal charter of the Second Bank of the United States and planned to shut it down.

Andrew Jackson had once told Vice President Martin Van Buren, "That damned bank is trying to kill me and America, but I will take him down first!"

To cut off a man's livelihood is akin to killing his parents; with such an irreconcilable grudge, Biddle naturally would not say a single kind word about Andrew Jackson.

In truth, Andrew Jackson was correct. The Second Bank of the United States was indeed affecting the American economy, and it was moving in an uncontrollable direction.

In the early 19th century, the United States federal government had no central bank of its own, and therefore did not issue paper currency.

The federal government's money supply was limited to various coins, while paper currency consisted of bank notes issued by thousands of banks approved by various states.

These banks ranged from the completely reliable with excellent credit to absolute swindlers.

At this time, although the Second Bank of the United States performed the functions of a central bank, it adhered to a so-called "laissez-faire" economy and issued paper currency frantically. Within two years, the amount of paper currency issued had increased the total supply by nearly 50%.

However, such frantic behavior was merely the beginning of its destruction.

The headquarters of the Second Bank of the United States was completed in 1824, built in imitation of the Parthenon, symbolizing a "Temple of Finance."

Yet, it was this very temple that witnessed America's first true economic crisis.

In 1834, over 30 million acres of land were sold (compared to 27.92 million acres during the same period in history), which would undoubtedly greatly alleviate America's debt pressure.

And following this momentum, the American treasury would see a massive surplus; by then, Andrew Jackson would have no choice but to apologize to Biddle for what he had said.

Biddle, smoking a cigar and sipping red wine while watching the busy crowds outside, couldn't help but sneer.

"What a bunch of idiots. Why don't they come to me to invest? Nowadays, if there isn't a hundred percent profit, I'd be embarrassed to even charge a brokerage fee. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Martin?"

"Mr. Biddle, you are right. Your predictions are incredibly accurate. The land you had me purchase in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, doubled in value in just one week," Martin Van Buren replied cautiously.

The reason he spoke so submissively to a speculator was entirely because he had loftier ambitions.

What Martin Van Buren wanted was not money, but to become the next President of the United States.

However, Andrew Jackson was a war hero. Those who slander heroes are usually villains, and villains cannot become the President of the United States.

Thus, there was no one more suitable to play the role of a "villain" than the genius before him—a man who earned his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania at thirteen and controlled the largest bank in America before the age of thirty.

As Biddle and Andrew Jackson attacked each other and both suffered losses, his path to becoming the next American President would be within reach.

Biddle exhaled a ring of smoke, making Martin Van Buren cough repeatedly, when a sudden sentence left him standing in shock.

"Mr. Martin, what do you think about me running for President of the United States?"

Without waiting for Martin Van Buren's answer, Biddle continued to himself.

"That would be far too boring, wouldn't it, Mr. Martin?"

Martin Van Buren broke into a cold sweat, but without changing his expression, he reminded him

"Andrew has never given up his idea of closing the Second Bank of the United States. If the Second Bank of the United States is closed, it will be a disaster for all free American citizens."

"Don't worry, I will make him admit with his own mouth that the Second Bank of the United States is the pride of America."

Martin Van Buren raised his glass.

"To liberty!"

Biddle extinguished his cigar on the table and picked up his glass.

"To liberty!"

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

Talia was looking longingly at Franz. Franz knew what she wanted—it was nothing more than a French feast.

Franz took out a bag and pulled out a box of foie gras, handing it to Talia.

"Foie gras."

"Thank you, Archduke Franz. This is my first time eating foie gras," Talia said, unable to hide her joy.

Franz didn't like foie gras at all; it was too greasy.

In truth, Franz knew that Talia wasn't necessarily a glutton; it was just her idle vanity acting up.

As it happened, Franz had brought back everything he could, so she could eat her fill.