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

P.S.: The flu is back again. Having a cold is awful; my back hurts terribly, I'm coughing up my lungs...

……

Base, meeting room.

Upon seeing Wang Yaotang and Prince Su'er's entourage enter, the old man and his party stood up to greet them.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two sides sat down on either side of the conference table and officially began negotiations.

Both parties want to buy, and I want to sell; the main issue is discussing the price and rights.

As the representative of the Camel faction, Wang Yaotang had to demonstrate to Prince Suer that he was indeed on his side; this was a matter of professional credibility.

“We are planning to purchase 30 logs, but your asking price of $3 million is a bit beyond our budget. We hope you can lower the price appropriately.”

The old man smiled without saying a word, but his heart suddenly raced. It really was 3 million!
30 sticks would be 90 billion!
Damn, the national treasury's foreign exchange reserves are only 20 billion...

That's a fivefold increase!
The old man remained silent. The man from the General Headquarters, who was in charge of the negotiations, blinked and shook his head firmly, saying, "We are the only ones in the world who sell this kind of strategic deterrent weapon. It can greatly enhance a country's national strength, which cannot be measured in money."

Although he was extremely nervous, he was so nervous that his left hand, which was under the table, was digging into his thigh until it was bruised, that he managed to keep his composure from showing his fear.

This number is too big. Even if we don't mess things up, selling just one percent less would result in a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. How many factories in the country can generate hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign exchange every year?
This would require selling so much oil, so much rice, so many textiles, and so many handwoven products!

He couldn't help but be nervous!
"According to the intelligence we have, Britain only has 28 medium-range ballistic missile logs. 30 logs would make January the fifth country in the world with the most medium-range ballistic missile logs. We both understand what that means."

Suer and Banda exchanged a glance. They really didn't know that Little Britain only had 28. Was it that bad?
You should know that the Arabian Peninsula was once under the protection of Little Britain, so it was practically a suzerain state!

Is it about to surpass Little Britain?
Just thinking about it makes me so excited.

Wang Yaotang turned his head and whispered to Prince Suer, "Little Britain no longer has the ability to produce ballistic logs. Their Polaris is produced by Lockheed, a sea-based toy that is only 9.8 meters long."

“Of course, we understand that, which is why we’re here.” Wang Yaotang placed his hands on the table. “But we can’t have spent hundreds of billions of dollars only to have the switch for launch—whether it can be launched or how it can be launched—still in your country’s hands…”

Wang Yaotang shrugged. "Then we've wasted our money!"

"This is a strategic weapon. Once activated, it will cause panic throughout the region. As a responsible world power, we must impose restrictions here." The old man said in a serious tone, "If this switch is in your hands, it will first cause panic in the United States and Russia, which is definitely not a good thing for you."

This is something that cannot be compromised on.

Wang Yaotang sighed and remained silent for a long while, "That's really a pity."

This sight made Su Er's heart tremble. He knew it was a negotiation tactic, but he was really afraid of messing it up. Moreover, the old man's words made sense. In the end, it was also out of consideration for his own safety, after all, the range was too far and the power was too great.

"Our two countries are friends. As friends, we are willing to help your country find the most suitable location to build underground storage caverns. The relevant storage caverns have extremely high requirements in terms of geographical location, underground conditions, air defense and explosion protection, etc. There are only four companies in the world with the relevant technology," Cao said in a deep voice.

"Is it free?" Wang Yaotang asked with a smile.

"Well... okay, sure."

“We want to participate in the construction and learn the relevant technologies. Your side must not deliberately withhold anything from us. This clause must be written into the contract,” Wang Yaotang continued.

"can!"

"Very good, we have reached the first phase of the deal. Now let's move on to the second phase." Wang Yaotang cleared his throat. "When can you deliver the goods?"

"Two months," Cao said with a smile.

They're all in stock; the only issue is shipping.

“We hope to conduct the relevant operational and technical personnel training locally. You need to send enough technical personnel to assist us. We will bear all expenses incurred during your stay here. We need you to provide a clear and detailed cost list. We will not accept any additional charges afterward,” Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

Ok?
Training costs money?

No, take money?
Previously, Wang Yaotang had only mentioned that maintenance would be charged.

Although Cao managed to control his expression by pinching his thigh, his subordinates did not have such strong facial expression management skills.

With orders worth tens of billions of dollars, how much should the training fee be?
There was absolutely no experience whatsoever in China!

Even a 1% fee amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars; imagine how many textiles that would require to be sold…

In an instant, the people at headquarters were put under pressure and caught off guard!

Even though they tried their best to control their panic, Prince Suer, who was watching them, still noticed it. This state of mind couldn't be faked.

This proves that Wang Yaotang did not communicate with the Chinese beforehand just because they were Chinese, and did not conspire to trap them.

This is based on years of experience being scammed by camels, and it's absolutely true.

Although Prince Suer didn't care much, as it was only a matter of a billion or two, he was still very happy to see this because he trusted Wang Yaotang so much.

"Technical experience in handling logs is crucial; after all, these are strategic weapons, concerning the fate of the nation. No amount of attention is too much." Cao's man spoke slowly, his mind racing. He couldn't let the other side realize that his plan was to offer them for free…

So, how much money is appropriate?
A single tremor could cost hundreds of millions!

One-twentieth of the national treasury's foreign exchange reserves...

Finally, with a determined heart, Cao quoted a high price: "Having the equipment is useless if you don't know how to use it. We have always upheld integrity, so we promise to teach you until you learn. There's no need to list the fees; it's too complicated. It's a package price, 8% of the total transaction amount. How about that?"

That's $7.2 million! What could possibly cost that much to teach?

Cao felt he had gone too far, making exorbitant demands!
“We agree to the $7 million package price. There are absolutely no other fees. We'll provide comprehensive training, and it will be written into the contract.” Wang Yaotang immediately agreed.

Prince Suer and Prince Banda both laughed, knowing full well that they wanted to purchase 60 of them!

They have the means to not hide their emotions.

Cao Bu tightened his grip with his left hand, his thigh went numb, and a look of pain flashed across his face. At this moment, he knew that the price he was asking for was too low!

At this rate of acceptance, they might be able to negotiate down to 15%, resulting in a loss of 7 million!

I am a sinner...

That much money is enough to develop an aircraft carrier...

The loss of an aircraft carrier!
I am a sinner...

The old man tilted his head and glanced at Cao Bu. This was... so unprofessional!

There's no way around it; these are systemic military orders, and according to their responsibilities, only the General Headquarters can negotiate them. Even if the Ministry of Commerce were to take over, it wouldn't make a difference, as they've never negotiated such large orders before.

But if it were Comrade Wang, he'd probably dare to ask for 50% more; that guy's got a black heart.

"Let's talk about the follow-up maintenance. We require a systematic maintenance every year to ensure that these 30 logs are ready for use at any time. Is that alright?"

“No problem.” Minister Cao nodded with a smile. “As for the fees, the first two years will be free as a testament to the friendship between our two countries. After that, there will be an annual fee of…3000 million US dollars.”

Cao's department decided to temporarily double the price. These camels are too rich; they must make up for the losses they just suffered!
Wang Yaotang's eyes widened slightly. "No, I already said I wanted a high price so that the camel would feel at ease. And you're offering 1500 million?"
Isn't that a bit petty?

This is really...

Regardless, now that he represents Camel, he has to negotiate: "What does this systemic maintenance include? Is engine fuel included? How often does it need to be changed?"

Cao's mind went blank for a moment. Was I going to lose money again?
Old man: Useless!
“It does not include fuel.” Cao forced down his pain, pursed his lips, took a deep breath and said, “The fuel, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, is usually tested every six months for a comprehensive chemical analysis to check its purity, moisture and impurities. Its theoretical storage life is between 5 and 8 years under stable conditions. If its purity is lower than 98%, it must be replaced.”

"We require your presence for the testing and analysis. Both parties will conduct their own testing and cross-verify the results to ensure stability," Wang Yaotang requested.

Prince Suer nodded slightly. Very good, very responsible.

Having been reminded to this extent, Cao Bu understood perfectly well. "Okay, but the cost will need to increase to $2000 million per year. If the fuel needs to be changed, it will be calculated according to the market price at the time."

“No,” Wang Yaotang shook his head. “We need to determine the fuel price now and include it in the contract.”

“This price will decrease as production scales up, and we don’t want it to cause a rift in our relationship,” Cao said softly.

He meant well. With future foreign exchange reserves increasing, it's worthwhile to earn less money in exchange for deepening the relationship between the two sides.

"No, no, no, the price may be high or low. After all, the price of oil is unstable. For us, a stable supply is more important than anything else." Wang Yaotang shook his head.

“Your Majesty is right, stability is of utmost importance,” Prince Suer added.

He was extremely satisfied with Wang Yaotang's approach to grasping the core issues.

Camels need people like this!

“Okay.” Cao nodded. “How much does it cost to dispose of the waste?” Wang Yaotang continued, “This stuff is too dangerous and contains highly toxic substances; camels can’t handle it.”

Camels have been harassed by environmental organizations a lot over the years. Not to mention that deserts are not environmentally friendly in themselves, the annual extraction of groundwater for agricultural development has also been criticized by international environmental organizations, and oil extraction is an even more serious target of environmental organizations' attacks...

Another issue is oil spills; environmental organizations make a lot of money off camels every year.

“Scrap material…” Cao blinked. This also costs money?
It's called waste material, but it's just that the purity isn't high enough to be used as rocket engine fuel. It's still very valuable, okay?

Now they're giving us things, and not only are they not taking money, they're even asking us to pay?
That's what you call domineering!
"Waste disposal, this..." Cao Bu didn't understand the technical details either, so he turned to look at the technicians.

Our inspection process is quite rigorous; generally, items with a purity of ≥98% will be replaced.

When the efficiency is ≥95%, it can be downgraded for use in civilian fields such as small sounding rockets, missile engine ground tests, industrial boilers, and auxiliary fuel additives for internal combustion engines.

People in China are still very frugal and refuse to waste money.

But now they're charging a fee...

Old man: You piece of trash!
"If the fuel purity is insufficient, it also means that the tank itself is nearing its limit and cannot be used for long-distance transportation. A new tank must be replaced," the technician said carefully.

Although he didn't think it was a big problem, he could also tell that the other person was rich and didn't care about this!
Suer and Banda exchanged a glance. Wang is truly a professional!
These are details that a camel could never have thought of, let alone seen or even heard of. How could it possibly understand them?

If we wait until problems arise to ask for help, not only will the price be higher, but it will also cause delays!

That 10 billion yuan wasn't wasted.

Cao whispered a few words to the people behind him. He really wanted to say it would be free, but Wang Yaotang had warned him that if it was free, they would think he wasn't taking things seriously and was just being perfunctory!

Seeing their predicament, Wang Yaotang shook his head and sighed slightly, "Alright, I'll give you a number."

Wang Yaotang gestured a 'six'.

Cao's eyes lit up. "Okay."

600 million, what more could you want? Bring this thing back.
“Okay, then it’s $6 million,” Wang Yaotang said decisively.

Cao Bu: Hiss—

This time, it's really out of control!
The price difference is too big!

The old man was also startled and looked at Prince Suer, fearing that the other party would think that Wang Yaotang was a traitor.

It doesn't matter how much or how little money there is, the country can afford it, but he doesn't want Wang Yaotang to break his promise.

Wang Yaotang, however, remained calm and didn't seem to care at all.

Prince Suer didn't say anything either. They didn't understand and wouldn't talk nonsense about such matters, so they chose to believe Wang Yaotang.

Wang Yaotang continued, "You will be responsible for the manpower, materials, transportation, and disposal of the recycled materials. We will not bear any costs, and any subsequent disputes, such as those related to environmental protection, will be irrelevant to us!"

He spoke fluently and professionally, sounding both knowledgeable and meticulous.

Cao nodded emphatically, "Okay, no problem."

What more could you want at this price?

Wang Yaotang took a piece of paper out of his bag and handed it to Prince Suer.

Suer and Banda went over to take a look. It showed the international market price of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, which was $3 per ton.

As a missile and rocket fuel, it belongs to military special chemicals, and in reality, it is practically worthless.

There is only a small supply on the international market. It is used as an auxiliary additive for industrial boilers and internal combustion engines. As fuel for Dong-3, each piece requires 17 tons, and 60 pieces would be 1020 tons. The quantity is too large and it is impossible to purchase them.

This stuff can't be stored for long periods, and production has to be restarted every time the fuel needs to be changed, so the price can't be calculated using international market prices.

The disposal process must comply with the "Standard for Pollution Control of Hazardous Waste Incineration". Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine must be decomposed into nitrogen and water vapor through a catalytic bed. The catalytic decomposition technology must strictly comply with NASA and international standards. The catalyst requires precious metals such as platinum and rhodium and an automated control system. The processing cost is about US$15 to US$20 per ton.

The price is about 7 times the production cost!
This camel is completely unsuitable!
There is absolutely no hope!

Therefore, the $6 million fee for waste disposal every 5 years is quite reasonable!

If it were an American, they would have received at least 15 billion, Prince Suer was quite certain of this.

This saved the camels so much money!

They were even more satisfied with Wang Yaotang.

If I had seen this information before the talks, it wouldn't have had such a big impact...

Of course, the cost of domestic treatment is not that high. It is basically reused or the choice of 'acid-base neutralization degradation' and 'high-temperature incineration destruction', which are slightly more polluting...

Although Cao Bu didn't know what Wang Yaotang had shown Prince Suer, the prince's expression was genuine; he was truly convinced.

That's incredibly professional!
Cabbage sold for the price of gold!
However, in Wang Yaotang's view, his hometown still doesn't have a clear understanding of its own value and underestimates itself.

The elderly man said: "I can consult Comrade Xiao Wang more often for similar business negotiations in the future!"
The rest of the details were simple; it wasn't expensive, so it was decided quickly.

At this moment, Wang Yaotang pretended to whisper something to Prince Suer, then looked up and smiled at the old man and Cao Bu, "I must say congratulations. Prince Suer felt your country's sincerity in this cooperation. China and Laos are indeed world powers, with ideals and responsibilities. Therefore, we have doubled the number of logs from the original 30, making a total of 60!"

hiss--

Temperatures at the base continue to rise!

The collision of hot and cold air creates howling winds!

The total transaction amount of tens of billions of dollars was already surprising enough, but now it has suddenly doubled again!
I thought if I asked them what a surprise was, they would say that a single transaction could increase foreign exchange reserves tenfold, solve the country's funding difficulties, and accelerate the country's development in all aspects!
The old man laughed heartily, "No problem at all!"

He could clearly see that the other party had already set a target of 60 units, and this negotiation was just to reduce the later maintenance costs, but that didn't matter to the Chinese at all.

The current importance of an extra tens of billions of dollars to the country far outweighs the slight increase in maintenance costs in the future.

In this way, Wang Yaotang was able to give an explanation to the camel side.

The Chinese were satisfied, and the camels were very satisfied too!
This is called a win-win-win situation!
Finally, there's the question of how to make the payment.

This definitely cannot be used for international bank transfers.

Most of Camel's money is held in American banks. Such a large amount of funds would be immediately detected by the United States if transferred through a bank. How could they possibly watch Camel purchase such strategic weapons!
Besides, it was $200 billion in 1988!

The rabbit is so poor now, it wouldn't dare sell anything for $200 billion!

Who can be sure that all the warheads in this deal are conventional?
Even if China holds a press conference afterward to assure the world that the warheads are conventional, do you think other countries would believe it?

Claims of selling nuclear weapons are "malicious hype," "baseless," and "pure nonsense." We are a "responsible major power"...

Maybe they found it in the desert...

It fell from the sky.

A gift from God!

Old Chinese: I don't know!
It is now 1988. China and Laos signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1992. Of course, this has no necessary connection with this event.

“We’ll pay in cash, and it will be airlifted over later,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

200 billion, that's 200 tons!
It takes more than a dozen plane trips to transport them!

The Chinese side naturally agreed. Whether it's cash or bank transfer, the Chinese side is fine with it. Nobody dares to say anything about freezing the Chinese side's assets right now!
Regarding the issue of transporting goods, the old man asked, and Wang Yaotang replied with a smile, "Later, we will purchase some agricultural machinery, wheat, and rice. I will arrange for a special cargo ship to transport them. The Dong 3 can be disassembled and packed into bulk inside."

"The most crucial thing is fuel. I do some fuel business. I own two oil-fired power plants in Hong Kong. I previously signed a heavy oil and gasoline supply contract with Camel. I have dedicated oil tankers. After some modifications in Shandong Province, the transportation work can be completed, and the return trip will be to transport fuel back."

"Hmm, not bad." The old man nodded in approval.

The US is indeed very strict, but it's impossible to intercept all cargo ships. China has been selling equipment to Iran and Iraq all along.

The old Chinese man remained silent, focusing solely on making money!

"I await your good news!" The old man stood up.

The two shook hands, and then Prince Suer and his companion boarded Wang Yaotang's private plane and flew directly to Hong Kong overnight. They were prepared to use other identities there and would be able to return to Leald the next day at noon and reappear in public.

I didn't have the time to commit the crime! (End of Chapter)