Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

Given Wang Yaotang's current reputation, it would be difficult for him to even meet the Lord of the Heavens.

A few days later, in the capital.

Private car service with heavy security.

"Comrade Xiao Wang, haha, I've heard so much about you! You've made many contributions to the country over the years, you're a true hero!" A sprightly old man smiled and extended his hand.

"I am unworthy of your presence, as I have troubled you to come out in person." Wang Yaotang quickly stepped forward. "I am also a Chinese, this is my country, and this is what I should do."

“Yes, yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Only when a person understands where their roots are can they go far. Otherwise, no matter how much they develop, they will inevitably be like duckweed with floating roots. Once they encounter a storm, they will be blown away by the wind and rain.” The old man held Wang Yaotang’s hand and patted his arm with a smile. “Come on, let’s go inside. I heard you brought good news again.”

"it is good."

When the group arrived at the reception room, the old man didn't rush to ask what the good news was. Instead, he first inquired about the South China Sea situation and listened to Wang Yaotang, the mastermind, recount the whole story. With a different perspective, he saw different things.

"The South China Sea is vast and too far from the mainland. For a long time, we have been unable to reach it or provide you with any support. What are your thoughts on this?" the old man asked in a deep voice.

"Since you've asked, I won't hide anything. For thousands of years, we have occupied the top of the world. Although there have been a few troughs, we have quickly risen again. This time is just a repetition of history. Moreover, I firmly believe that with the quality of the Chinese people, we will rise again even faster this time. Within 20 years, we will be second to none, and within 30 years, we will definitely return to the top!"

The unwavering conviction that Wang Yaotang spoke resonated with everyone in the room.

This confidence was stronger than that of their leaders, which they couldn't understand where it came from.

"You're so convinced?" the old man asked in surprise. "You know, we are lagging behind the Western world in science and technology by more than 40 years. The economic gap is even bigger. We haven't even solved the problem of food and clothing for our people. You should know the gap between China and other countries when you're in Hong Kong. The income gap alone is hundreds of times or even more."

With the reform and opening up, many people have completely lost confidence after seeing this gap and believe that it is impossible to catch up. Although the gods firmly believe that this day will come, in terms of time... optimistically speaking, it will take at least four or five generations.

After all, we are developing, and so are others.

Wang Yaotang's gaze swept across everyone's faces, and finally he shook his head firmly. "It is precisely because I have been abroad for a long time and have had contact with high-level officials from various countries that I can make this conclusion. Moreover, as you just said, we are completely lagging behind the Western world."

"This statement shows that our target is the entire West, not just one country. So when we catch up to 50%, from a national perspective, we are already second to first."

However, the eight countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Canada, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and Australia, plus informal member states such as Austria, Finland, and Switzerland.

This is clearly an act of defiance against the entire world.

"In terms of industry, apart from the US and Russia, other Western countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Italy do not have full industrial capabilities. They are small countries and can only conduct in-depth research in a certain field. Of course, they have achieved more results in that field. We, on the other hand, are a fully industrialized country and need to develop all industrial categories. It is normal that we cannot compete with them in specific fields, but overall, the gap between us and Britain, France, and Germany is not that big."

"In fact, even in the United States, many of its cutting-edge technologies come from countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. It's just that the United States is the one that integrates them in the end."

"For example, I had some contact with Camel a few days ago. In the past two years, they have purchased four Medina-class missile frigates from France. The frigates have a displacement of 2000 tons. Their Otomat MK2 anti-ship missiles are produced by the Italian company Oto Melara, their 40mm twin-mounted rapid-fire guns are from the Swedish company Bofors, their navigation radars are from the British company Decca, and some of the high-end steel used in the warships comes from the United States."

"In fact, we are always comparing our own shortcomings with the advantages of Western countries..." Wang Yaotang said, spreading his hands. "This is the confidence of a great power that has been passed down for thousands of years. We always think about surpassing others in all aspects and are too strict with ourselves."

"In this respect, it is completely opposite to the Western world, where they always compare their own strengths with the weaknesses of others in order to prove their own excellence. This is a cultural issue."

"There are only three countries in the world with intercontinental logs, and only three countries with strategic bombers. How can you say that we are backward?"

"Huh." The old man raised an eyebrow. People often said this, and they were used to it and thought it was a matter of course. After all, "eight of bamboo" was a blockade imposed on the Chinese by the Western world.

"This perspective... is quite interesting." The old man clapped his hands lightly, smiling as he looked at the others. "Indeed, different positions lead to completely different views. This is very valuable for reference."

The others in the room also applauded. This change in perspective greatly relieved the heaviness in their hearts, giving them a feeling of seeing the sun after the clouds had parted.

Wang Yaotang smiled reservedly, but his toes were already gripping the soles of his shoes tightly; he was so excited he felt like he was about to explode.

That was a perfect display of swagger!

It’s so face-saving!
"Come on, Comrade Xiao Wang, continue. I need to hear your different perspectives today." The old man waved his hand, looking very pleased.

These insights may seem simple, but they can greatly boost morale.

Morale is very important!

"I'm a little embarrassed, then I'll just have to show off my limited skills before an expert." Wang Yaotang nodded with a smile, "After talking about technology, let's talk about politics."

“My business is mainly in Southeast Asia, where I have the most contact with high-level officials. In Europe, it’s mainly France. My assessment of them is that they are ‘humanoid’ creatures.”

"Humanoids?" The old man was taken aback.

“Yes, they look like people, but they’re definitely not human.” Wang Yaotang nodded. “Many of the policies they implemented give the impression of cerebellar atrophy; it’s hard to imagine that a normal human being could come up with them, like Annan…”

Wang Yaotang rattled off a long story about how inflation in Annam had increased several hundredfold in just 10 years, and how Southeast Asian countries had forcibly prohibited Chinese from operating certain industries, handing these industries over to their own ethnic groups.

“They are a local force, and they already have a huge advantage. If they can really do a good job, then these industries won’t be dominated by Chinese people. Isn’t that obvious?”

"And now look what's happened. All these industries have started to decline sharply, and the economy is in a mess. If it was supposed to be to balance domestic ethnic conflicts, now the ethnic conflicts are even greater."

"If the goal is to prevent foreign Chinese from controlling their economy, but the powerful and wealthy acquire the assets but don't know how to manage them, they can only hand them over to Chinese with whom they have close ties. This leads to the collusion between officials and businessmen. After all this turmoil, 70% of the wealthy in various countries have become Chinese, and their control has become even more profound."

"This is utterly mind-blowing!"

"To be more specific, the Marcos family's rule in the Philippines has led to development through borrowing, with interest rates reaching as high as 40% of GDP. Debt repayment has been prioritized over social expenditures such as education and healthcare. Foreign exchange reserves have been depleted, the peso has depreciated, and inflation has soared."

"The extreme of crony capitalism involved handing over strategic industries such as coconuts and sugar to family cronies for monopoly. The construction of the Bataan nuclear power plant cost $21 billion, but due to kickbacks and design flaws, it never generated electricity after completion. The family embezzled more than $100 billion, and their Swiss bank account held more than the Philippines’ foreign exchange reserves. In 86, the Marcos family fled to Hawaii, leaving behind $540 billion in foreign debt, equivalent to 130% of GDP."

"Indonesia and the Philippines have similar practices. The Thai baht is pegged to the US dollar. Malaysia has a Malay priority policy that requires Chinese and Malays to own 51% of the shares, resulting in a large amount of capital being transferred overseas. Even Singapore has implemented bizarre practices such as the 'Three-Year Wage Increase Plan,' which led to the collapse of the manufacturing industry and the unemployment of 9 workers, as well as 'eugenics, matching education levels, and encouraging highly educated women to have more children while less educated women have fewer or no children.'"

"France was no different. During the socialist reforms of 81-83, a wave of nationalization led to the nationalization of 3600 companies in 11 industries, including banking, steel, and aviation, costing 1200 billion francs. A '75% wealth solidarity tax' was established, and pensions and unemployment benefits were significantly increased. This resulted in three devaluations of the franc, an inflation rate of 14%, an unemployment rate exceeding 10%, and a sharp decline in industrial competitiveness."

“After 83 years, there was another ‘U-turn.’ Between 80 and 86, the immigration policy was reversed four times, like a pendulum swinging back and forth. In 85, French agents sank Greenpeace’s ‘Rainbow Warrior’ in Auckland, New Zealand. After the incident was exposed, the government first denied it and then admitted it, and the Minister of Defense resigned.”

"The 84 'Devaka Act' abolished the 'National Unified Diploma,' triggering a nationwide student strike. Ultimately, the act was withdrawn entirely, and the Minister of Education resigned. The 86 'Savari Act' reversed course again, attempting to bring private schools under national regulation, which sparked another round of nationwide protests and forced the act to be abandoned once more."

"These are the ones I can still remember. These people in foreign countries govern by doing whatever they feel like, making decisions on a whim, making promises they can't keep, and then walking away. It's all like child's play."

"The countries I've seen have policies that are inconsistent, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, sometimes left, sometimes right. They're like Brownian motion, implemented nationwide without any verification. Economic development is like taking three steps forward and two steps back. And these are already considered good countries. There are even countries that have taken huge steps backward."

"Many mistakes were made by others, but they just couldn't see them. It's hard to understand what kind of thought process their leaders have, and how they were suddenly elected president like this."

"With opponents like this, as long as we develop step by step, surpassing them is perfectly achievable," Wang Yaotang said with a mocking expression. "We don't even need to lift a finger; they'll destroy themselves."

This example left everyone astonished, their faces filled with disbelief, as if they were completely ignorant.

Wang Yaotang understood this point. After all, everyone is human. No matter how high your status or position is, there are only 24 hours in a day. Without the internet, there is a limit to the amount of information you can receive each day.

With the weight of such a large country on their shoulders, and barely able to handle their own daily affairs, it's impossible for someone outside the diplomatic department or specializing in foreign policy research to know these things.

Even Wang Yaotang himself only learned this information after having it collected by someone in this life, rather than from his previous life.

The reason for collecting information is simple: his business has reached a point where it is no longer just business; he needs to understand the superstructure of the other country.

"Personally, I think that cultural heritage is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it can determine the upper limit of a country. For example, some countries outside have almost no cultural heritage, so they can only blindly copy foreign systems, resulting in a complete mess. Politicians will make any promise for votes, and after taking office, they will make any promise to reward investors."

"It was France again. In order to persuade them to give me nuclear power technology, I used some means to obtain the best thermal power technology. To ensure that nuclear power would not be hindered later, I supported six or seven members of parliament, two of whom provided key financial support. The original agreement was to ensure the smooth construction of the Daya Bay power plant."

"How can a country like this possibly develop well?"

"Let's talk about personal income. I think people in China are misled by information that foreigners have high incomes and good social welfare. Of course, what's shown in movies is just for show. Take the US, for example: 4.5% of the population consumes 60% of the world's drugs, produces 40% of the world's blood, and accounts for 60% of the world's criminals. Most Black Americans know who their fathers are because they're either on the run, in prison, or dead. If the lower classes had high incomes and good social welfare, none of this would be possible," Wang Yaotang continued. "So many criminals?" The old man was also shocked by this number, somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have some business in the United States. Recently, there's been a new industry in the US: running prisons. There are currently 20 private prisons across the country."

"Open what? A prison?" the old man asked, puzzled.

"Yes, it's a for-profit private prison. As long as the inmates pay enough, they can enjoy top-notch food, drink, and entertainment, and live in villas. Except for not being able to leave the prison, it's no different from being outside. As for those who don't have money, they can work to make money for the prison. It's a good business. After all, America has many things but many criminals."

"Ha!" The old man chuckled. "This capitalism really is all about money."

Everyone sighed with admiration. After listening to Wang Yaotang's explanation, they realized that the United States also had many problems and was in a state of chaos, far behind China in this respect.

After Wang Yaotang spoke for so long, everyone lost their initial sense of unfamiliarity and suddenly felt like they were all one of their own.

After the small talk, it's finally time to get down to business. Wang Yaotang cleared his throat and said, "I'm here on behalf of Camel to purchase logs."

This had been mentioned on the phone before, and the old man nodded. "Why did you come to us?"

Wang Yaotang explained his judgment.

The old man hesitated for a moment, then said, "We're all on the same side, so I won't hide anything from you. We can sell, but what kind of logs do they want to buy?"

“Yes, we’re on the same side,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile. “I recommended East 3 or East 21 to them. What price are we planning to sell it at?”

He also wanted to see if the legend was true or false.

How many are you planning to buy?

"Let's start with 30; any less and the deterrent effect will be insufficient."

"As for the price, East 3 will be..." The old man coughed lightly and held up one finger.

Having said that, he stared intently at Wang Yaotang.

Wang Yaotang's gaze was strange. It really was true!

"One hundred million dollars?"

Since they were family, the old man couldn't hold back and coughed, losing his composure somewhat.

The faces of the group of people inside the room also flushed instantly.

The agreed-upon amount was ten million!
How come he just blurted out a hundred million?
Is this what a super-rich person looks like?

That's incredibly extravagant!

30, that's 30 billion US dollars!
Our foreign exchange reserves are only a little over 20 billion!
The thought of earning more from a single order than the foreign exchange reserves is enough to make anyone lose their composure.

The number is too large.

The old man quickly composed himself, "Hey, don't think it's expensive. After all, it involves a lot of risk. The US and Russia will put a lot of pressure on us."

I'm really not good at business negotiations.

“No, this price…” Wang Yaotang hesitated.

"How much money can they offer?" the old man asked anxiously. "Comrade Xiao Wang, we are indeed not good at business, let alone international arms dealing. You are one of our own, so what do you say?"

"What I mean is, isn't this price too cheap? It's hard for me to do business at this price!" Wang Yaotang said, suppressing a laugh.

"what?"

Everyone was stunned. What did they mean by "too cheap"?

Why are customers actively asking for price increases?
The old man's face suddenly lit up with joy. Sure enough, this is what it means to be one of their own!

Xiao Wang, he really is a patriotic businessman!
"Are you serious?" The old man looked at him earnestly.

“As an intermediary, according to international practice, I take about 5% of the commission for such a systemic weapons order between two countries. Considering the nature of the logs, the dangerous situation in the Middle East, and the hostility from the United States after the breach of my composure, I asked for a commission of 10 billion US dollars, including delivery to my door.” Wang Yaotang explained with a smile, “If our offer is too low, it will be a bit too much for me to take this 10 billion.”

How much commission? The old man's eyes widened.

Don't blame him for making a fuss; this was $88 billion back in 10!
How much is the national military expenditure in a year?

With foreign exchange reserves of only 20 billion, how could you, as a middleman, earn half of that in one fell swoop?
No wonder they were able to start from scratch and become super-rich; they're really ruthless!
His hometown wouldn't be envious, because of Wang Yaotang's great reputation, which is why they approached him. He dared to ask for exorbitant sums and could persuade them to hand over huge sums of money, which showed his personal ability.

Moreover, it only benefits the country and does nothing to harm it.

The more Wang Yaotang earns, the more the country will earn.

"Then how much money do you think is appropriate?" the old man asked in a deep voice.

"During the negotiations, they asked for $5 million per unit. I will try to negotiate the price later. I think around $3 million would be a more reasonable price. However, they also have a requirement: they want control of the launch switch."

Everyone gasped in shock!
That thing costs less than $100 million, and asking for 10 times that price would be outrageous, but this guy is asking for 300 times that price.

black!
So dark!

Either they're capitalists!
"Isn't this price too high?" The old man began to feel sorry for the camel.

“Not too much, not too little.” Wang Yaotang shook his head with a smile. “Spending 100 billion can deter all the surrounding countries and guarantee them at least 40 years of peace. What is this amount of money? They would be willing to spend even more!”

"Can it go even higher?" The old man's eyes widened.

"This is just the cost of the logs. They don't have the expertise for the underground launch site construction, transport vehicles, maintenance, launch fuel storage, or the soldiers' professional skills. These services are all charged separately and are ongoing," Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"You want more money?"

"Of course. When we buy equipment from abroad, it's the same. The product is the product, and the after-sales service is the after-sales service. They are two completely different things."

"Hiss—this is really capitalism!" The old man seemed a little hesitant. "Isn't this too shady, and doesn't match our international image?"

"No, no, no, we charge them for providing services every year. That's what we call a give-and-take relationship. That way, they can feel at ease. On the contrary, if you don't charge them, they'll feel that you're not providing the best service. Even if something doesn't need maintenance, you still charge them to come and maintain it once a year. That's in line with the stereotype of high-powered, high-precision weapons. It's a difference in culture and values. We can't force others to do the same with our values. Judging others by ourselves is wrong and will only create conflict."

Wang Yaotang explained, "I encountered many similar problems when I was in Guangdong, which caused a lot of misunderstandings."

The old man nodded. There's only a fine line between judging others by one's own standards and thinking "it's for your own good." These kinds of things are often done subconsciously, and it's really not good.

"You're a professional, I trust you," the old man declared definitively.

"Don't worry, their core requirement is to purchase enough weapons to deter neighboring countries. Everything else is secondary. Our core interest is to earn more foreign exchange and accelerate the country's development in all aspects. As for me personally, I'll make some money, expand my network, and contribute to the country to satisfy my own spiritual needs," Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

"Great, that's a very good summary. If we grasp the core issues, we'll definitely succeed!" The old man clapped his hands loudly, and the others immediately followed suit.

Wang Yaotang was laughing so hard his mouth almost reached his ears... (End of Chapter)