He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 60



Only Krnovel

“Long live General Piłsudski! Long live Poland!”

“Proletarian workers of the world, break the chains! Long live the revolution!”

The Polish and Red Army fought with repeated retreats and counterattacks.

The Ukrainian People’s Army also launched a fierce counterattack in cooperation with the Polish army.

Meanwhile, in the United States, farmers’ discontent began to boil over.

“The government needs to buy grain and keep the price constant! If we keep selling it so cheaply, we’ll all starve to death!”

“It is time to restart the Peasant Alliance!”

“Right! Right!”

“Let’s re-form the People’s Party!”

Rallies and meetings were held throughout the countryside, and there were even calls to re-form the Populist Party, which had been dissolved in 1908.

“We are not communists! We are just fighting for ordinary Americans!”

“Populists! Fight for the people!”

After the end of World War II, exports to Europe declined and agricultural product prices continued to plummet.

Railroad companies raised the cost of transporting agricultural products each month, and low-wage workers from China and Japan squeezed small farms.

“How much more debt do I have to owe the bank!”

Farmers’ debts have grown so much that in Kansas, 45 percent of all land is owned by banks.

When a bank fails, deposits disappear, but debt never disappears.

“Populists! Populists! Join forces!”

In the South, centered around Texas, protests against the government took place every day.

As the chaos continued, the number of farmers giving up also increased.

In this way, the grapes of wrath ripened, filling people’s hearts.

＊＊＊

“Edison and Tesla jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics?”

“I, I think so. You’ve also received an invitation. They want you to be a guest at an awards ceremony in Sweden.”

“An invitation. It’s only natural since Tesla and Edison are both connected to me. By the way, I didn’t know that they would both win the Nobel Prize.”

I put down the newspaper I was holding.

The recent radio craze.

Did that have any influence?

Unless I’m receiving an award, I don’t really want to bother going all the way to Sweden.

“No, if you go to Sweden and stop by other places as well… that wouldn’t be bad.”

Outside the train window, cornfields stretched endlessly. Steam was billowing out from the front, making a loud noise.

The Levine kids were playing on one side, shaking a Mickey Mouse doll.

“Edison and Tesla. I think there was a rumor going around before that the two of them were jointly selected for the Nobel Prize. How many years ago was that?”

As the rumor spread, the Nobel Prize committee denied it, saying it was not true.

In the end, someone else won the Nobel Prize.

‘There is also a story that Edison refused to receive it together with Tesla.’

Edison himself would deny it, though.

It might be a little different now though.

We are on the same boat as the Advanced Invention Research Institute.

And I also did some serious gaslighting on the side.

I don’t think you’ll be too jealous of Tesla’s success.

He is a nobleman who values ​​the glory he receives above all else.

“By the way, it’s Sweden…”

This is my first time going abroad, from Germany to the United States.

It looks like it’s going to be really cold.

Should I prepare some clothes in advance?

“Uncles, are you going on a trip? We want to go to Sweden too!”

“You, you don’t even know where Sweden is.”

“I know where it is!”

The Levin kids waved their arms and shouted.

“It’s an island next to England, right?”

“That would be Ireland.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

I’m telling you, they’re really cute guys.

You finally kept your promise to take me to the Disney Studios.

“Let’s go to the Disney Studio instead of Sweden. I’ll ask Walt to draw a picture of you guys. Don’t you think it’ll make a good souvenir?”

It’s a caricature drawn by Disney.

I think it could be sold for a really high price in about 50 years.

“Then I’ll brag to my classmates! I even rode the special train and got a drawing from Disney!”

“Strictly speaking, it’s not a dedicated train.”

Is it a private car or a private train or something like that?

This entire space is mine alone.

“Yeah, I’m bragging to my friends…”

Then the train stopped with a sharp screech.

My body swayed and I almost fell, but I managed to catch my balance at the last moment.

“It seems like we still have a long way to go before we get to the station.”

“Oh, yeah. Did something happen? Why did it stop so suddenly?”

Richter muttered as he looked outside. The sound of steam escaping from the front of the train could be heard again.

A sharp, metallic sound, different from before.

Just as I was about to go in to find out what was going on, a conductor in uniform knocked on the door.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Hitler. Farmers are protesting on the railway ahead, so we had to apply emergency brakes. A pipe joint burst and is currently being repaired.”

He took off his hat and said in an apologetic tone.

“It will probably take two or three hours to finish the repairs. I’ll try to finish it as quickly as possible.”

“It’s okay. There’s no rush anyway. Please work as safely as possible.”

It’s a protest.

I’ve heard that there have been problems recently with the recent drop in grain prices.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Then, should we go out with the kids for a bit and look around?”

Richter said, stretching.

“I’ve been on the train for a few days and I’m tired, but this is good. It feels like being locked up in a prison.”

“It’s still Kansas. I guess it would be okay to take a quick look around.”

A cornfield with no end in sight.

Kansas was one of the leading corn producing regions, known as the Corn Belt.

Potato production is in Idaho.

I’d also like to see a potato field.

“A cornfield wouldn’t be so bad. Is there a corn maze?”

It always appears in movies.

A large maze in a cornfield.

The Levine kids ran off with all their might, as always.

“Wow! Let’s see who can get to the scarecrow first!”

“Don’t go too far, children! Don’t go into the fields!”

Is it too late?

The Levin kids laughed and ran towards the scarecrow.

Not only us, but other passengers also came out of the train, lit cigarettes, and chatted.

I looked around.

It seemed like harvest season was in full swing right now.

Farmers transported the harvested corn using tractors and horses.

As the conductor said, a flock of sheep was passing in front of the railroad tracks.

It’s so slow that you can see it passing by on purpose.

Railroad officials argued and fought with the farmers.

‘Is this your first time in the countryside since coming to America?’

Because I only visited cities like Washington D.C., Hollywood, and New York.

These farms were only accessible by train.

American farmers.

This is an image of an intruder entering the farm and being shot with a shotgun.

‘By the way, there really is a lot of corn.’

After all, America was a blessed land.

Fertile land suitable for farming, oil available just by digging the ground.

Various rare earth elements, coal, steel, gold, silver, etc.

It’s faster to find something that isn’t there.

Then Richter pointed towards the scarecrow and said.

“Excuse me, what’s going on over there?”

The kids were talking to someone. Are they going to get scolded for not coming in without permission?

“I’m sorry for my children entering the field without permission. They will leave right now!”

As I walked closer, I saw a woman. Her belly was slightly protruding, as if she was pregnant.

“The weather is chilly, so come inside and rest for a bit before you go. Are you the ones who came from the train?”

The woman said with a sweet smile.

“We stop here a lot these days because of protests and other things. If you come in, I’ll give you some warm corn porridge.”

“thank you.”

They said it would take two or three hours to fix the train anyway. It doesn’t look like they’ll leave us behind.

It will also take time to clear the flock.

Let’s take a short break and go.

As we arrived at the shabby wooden house, we saw some children.

‘Is this the smell of popcorn?’

As I opened the door, a strong scent of popcorn wafted in. Where was it coming from?

There are four children at home.

Everyone looked at us with curious eyes.

“Catherine, give some porridge to the guests.”

“Yes, Mother.”

A girl who looked to be in her early teens came in carrying bowls filled with porridge.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“thank you for this food.”

Let’s have a bite.

It tastes better than I thought.

“Oh, my, the porridge is really tasty. What, what did you put in the corn?”

“You can make it delicious by adding just a little bit of butter and milk. It’s better than just eating it…”

While Richter and the woman were talking, something caught my eye.

The stove in the kitchen.

What’s burning inside is…

It was corn.

I could smell popcorn over there. Are you using the whole corn, not just the husks, for fuel?

“Why do you use corn instead of coal or wood?”

“Corn is cheaper than firewood. Prices have been plummeting since last year…”

The woman sighed with a stern expression.

“This farm is now owned by the bank. If I can’t pay my debt, I’ll have to leave for the city like everyone else.”

“…”

The atmosphere has become cold.

The kids must have noticed too, as they were eating the porridge half-heartedly.

Just then the door opened wide and a young man came in.

“Mom, I just came back from talking to some passengers. Over there on the train…”

The young man looked at us and stopped talking. A short silence.

“Oh, are you Hitler? I saw it in the newspaper… You’re Hitler, right?”

“Even if I say no, I don’t think you’ll believe me.”

I never thought that even in a rural area like this, there would be people who recognized me.

“I never thought I would meet Mr. Hitler here! I’m interested in radio and recently…!”

The young man grabbed my hand and shouted at me. Then, other people started to gather from outside, one by one.

“Hitler? What kind of person is that?”

“I heard some famous person came to Jackson’s house. Was it Hitler?”

“I heard he received a letter of appreciation from President Wilson.”

“You received a letter of appreciation from the president? Then isn’t that a politician? A big shot like that came to our town?”

“A German came to our village?! Why don’t you kick him out right away? Our son was defeated by those guys in France!”

A toothless old man.

A boy with the look of huckleberry pin with a corn stalk in his mouth.

Even farmers and women.

The little farmer’s house was so full that there was no room to set foot. Only then did I realize that it was too late to run away.

“This is a big problem.”

＊＊＊

“We. Corn. Lots.”

An old man from Italy spoke, shuffling his hands and feet.

Standing around him were a group of Italians who looked like family.

“No. It’s sold. Too. A lot. Cheap.”

“Yes, I understand. The end of the war has reduced demand…”

I looked at the corn burning in the brazier.

Farmers.

They are quite influential people in America.

It’s not much in the 21st century, but millions of Americans work on farms these days.

The People’s Party they created also became the origin of the word populist.

‘I’m not a communist or a socialist, but I want to be treated fairly!’

This was one of the slogans put forward by the populists.

Later, Huey Long adopted this ideology, and Roosevelt also adopted it to some extent after becoming president.

Farmer support was vital to American politics.

“You said you were interested in radio?”

I looked at the young man and asked.

He seems to be the son of the owner of this farm.

I liked the confident look.

“I’ll write you a letter of recommendation, so go to a Tesla store in the West or East. If there’s no problem, they’ll hire you there. You can also gradually learn the necessary skills.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“Thank your mother, not me. I’m the one paying for the soup.”

I said with a smile.

Meanwhile, the Levine children played with the neighborhood children.

The eyes that used to look at me negatively have softened a lot.

“It’s almost time to go. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“We appreciate you listening to us. The high-ups in Washington aren’t interested in small farms like this.”

“That will change soon. What if corn consumption increases significantly?”

“Well, it would be like a dream. We’ve already given up halfway.”

After talking to the farmers, we returned to the train.

The woman’s family followed the train and waved until we were out of sight.

Richter said with a sigh.

“Everyone thinks you’re some kind of politician.”

“I guess so, since I only saw it in the newspaper.”

Radio presidential debate.

Congressional hearings.

I’ve been to the White House several times.

“As a politician…”

In fact, I am not much different from politicians in that I try to gather influence.

I have no intention of joining any political party.

In many ways, it’s still more convenient to stay behind.

“What if we could get the support of those people? Other farmers in America?”

“Well, that sounds good. But we can’t run a corn business. How are we going to increase consumption?”

“…”

“Seo, you’re not suggesting we start a corn business, are you? I don’t know much about corn, but it’s not selling well these days, so the price is dropping.”

“To be precise, the problem is that there is too much supply. That needs to be solved.”

Even during the Great Depression, farmers dumped healthy crops into the ocean.

Ultimately, it’s a question of supply and demand.

“What if we increased that demand? And nationwide.”

A funny idea just occurred to me.

Hollywood.

cinema.

PR campaign.

That seems quite possible.

Marketing is the field I am most confident in.

By now, my name had enough influence.

“Soo, how can you increase demand…”

“What do you make popcorn with?”

“Of course… Ah!”

Richter shouted loudly and scratched his head.

“You really started the popcorn business with this in mind?”

“If anyone heard me, they would think I planned the train to stop today.”

“…”

Richter looked at me with a suspicious look.

“But even if we, Warner Bros., and UA sell popcorn, it won’t be enough compared to the overall supply?”

“If we do it alone, of course it will be like that.”

I said as I boarded the train car.

“But what if we got other cinemas and companies involved?”

It all comes down to marketing.

And it wasn’t just popcorn.

‘We also have the most perfect corn dish made in Korea.’

Concheese.

It would be a shame if there wasn’t this in a bar or sushi restaurant.

Most people don’t know, but conchiglie originated in Korea.

If we make this a trend, we can increase consumption again.

If we succeed in just one, we will be able to gain the firm support of farmers.

And that too, using other people’s money, not my own.

“Let’s make a plan.”

===＊＊＊===

Author’s Note

Q: What were American farms like at that time?

A: After World War I, American farms produced record amounts of grain and livestock. As prices fell, farmers had to produce more to pay off their debts, which led to a vicious cycle. This problem was exacerbated by the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the price of corn fell to 8 or 10 cents per 25 kilograms. Some households used corn as fuel instead of coal, which is said to have made the countryside smell like popcorn.

As the depression continued, farmers often took collective action, and in Iowa, angry farmers stormed a courthouse and pulled down a judge. They forced the judge into town and made him promise not to rule against them again. When he refused, they threatened to hang him. Soon after, the governor of Iowa called in the National Guard to arrest and detain the leaders of the riots.

In other cities, farmers formed associations to prevent milk and other agricultural products from being supplied to other cities and towns. They sometimes blockaded roads and railways to prevent milk, cream, and butter from entering other towns.

They called it the Farm Strike, but not all farmers took part, and the strike action did not significantly change prices.

(Source – Iowa PBS, iowapbs.org)