What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 631 King of Public Opinion (800 monthly votes in August)

Although the kangaroo's gesture of goodwill was sudden, Tang Wen quickly realized what was happening.

It is well known that there may be distant countries in the world, but there are never friendly neighbors.

The kangaroo, having inherited some of the mantle of the British, is not weak and has long coveted the northern islands, but has been unable to fully commit due to the rules of the empire.

Gaijin is a perfect match. He provides enough pressure and is unlikely to stay in the empire for long. He's the perfect partner.

Moreover, Tang Wen soon learned that the Kangaroo media had been publishing articles dredging up old grievances about the Maritime Joint Defense Team, which greatly strengthened the legal basis of the team.

However, what was bound to happen will happen. Although the registration procedures for the maritime joint defense team were normal, there was a certain degree of opportunism involved, and they were operating on the fringes of the rules.

International organizations quickly began to speak out, believing that the maritime joint defense force had significantly impacted the regional situation and hoping for its withdrawal to de-escalate the situation. They also indicated that they would send joint forces to resolve the issue of the trapped staff and investigate the local riots.

Tang Wen chose to reply on BBS and Twitter, starting with a string of polished and eloquent phrases such as "thank you for your concern and support," "I understand completely," and "I get it all right," before abruptly changing the subject and posting two new photos:
It was still the same school, but the auditorium had collapsed and was charred black. The second picture showed a half-burnt document; only the surname Ma could be identified, as the given name was burned beyond recognition.

"...When our commissioned reporter arrived at the scene, the rioters had left and the ID was found on the outskirts. We are currently verifying the number of men surnamed Ma among the dispatched personnel in an attempt to confirm their identities. There are still many people buried in the ruins."

Today is Qingming Festival, a day to remember deceased loved ones. The maritime joint defense team simply wants to bring them back to their hometowns with dignity, even if it's just half an ID card or half a piece of clothing, so that their loved ones can have something to remember them by.

It's worth noting that thanks to Tang Wen's lottery registration campaign, the number of users on BBS and Twitter has increased to almost cover the vast majority of internet-connected PCs. The information was also proactively pushed to the top of the screen, and the number of likes and replies immediately soared at an astonishing rate.

Traditional media were a step behind in reprinting the news, but by then millions of people around the world knew about Ma Ying-jeou and were sincerely praying for him, while criticizing the coalition and demanding intervention.

The power of new media has shown its amazing qualities from the very beginning. In traditional media, it takes countless efforts and relationships to make something known to everyone. But Tang Wen only needs to push a message, and netizens all over the world will spontaneously start to spread it, gaining absolute support in public opinion at the speed of light.

Soon, someone on the BBS started a thread called "Today we all pray for Pony Ma". Within an hour, the thread broke records for popularity and, because the Great Firewall had not yet been fully implemented, it crossed national borders, forming a super-large-scale online team building event that swept the world.

Prism Building originally intended to steer the conversation in a different direction, but it was completely overwhelmed by internet celebrities and trending topics, with the public already showing preconceived sympathy for Gage.

They were at a loss and had no idea how to deal with it.

Having secured the high ground in public opinion, Tang Wen felt much more at ease, because the first squad had completely taken control of the Sulawesi Sea, ignoring the Benford, and the fastest destroyer, the New Wind, had already arrived in Wanya City!

And at that very moment, there was another piece of good news:

The express ship carrying the Boeing CH47D has also arrived at Shanghai Port under the bounty, which means... it's time for the Indians' big show to begin.

Now, it's time to get started with chowwa.

……

"Mr. Tang, this is really..."

Upon seeing Tang Wen and Zhao Hande again, Lin Jiayao's attitude was completely different; he bowed his head almost to the ground with utmost respect.

You have to admit it. Just 24 hours ago, he was trying to persuade Gaijin to back down to avoid affecting the Chamber of Commerce. How long has it been? The situation is completely different now!
Yesterday, Anglak, who had been behaving arrogantly towards him, had said all sorts of nice things before this visit, promising the Lin family a series of benefits, all in order to get Lin Jiayao to use his status to gain some face from Tang Wen.

When the latter saw him again, he didn't mock him, but simply shook hands and said calmly:
“I told you, you should trust Gage.”

"Yes, yes, yes... It was my father and I who were blind and failed to recognize a hero!"

Lin Jiayao showed no discomfort at this moment, adopting a humble attitude. As a businessman, he used to only admire those extremely wealthy business tycoons who owned commercial empires and could decide the rise and fall of a family at will.

But now it seems that business tycoons are nothing. Gaijin has transcended the level of the business circle, mastered advanced rules, and has already broken out of the framework of rules.

The entire Chinese community in Southeast Asia is going crazy. For so many years, they've been looking for powerful backers and connections everywhere, and now they've finally seen what a real backer is.

As long as the maritime joint defense team exists from today onwards, they will always have another option and always have a last bit of confidence.

Tang Wen recognized the short-sighted nature of these guys, but he couldn't really blame them:
Those who are not short-sighted or easily bullied have either run away or died, leaving only a long sigh, so I don't want to make things too difficult for them.

After the two had reconciled, Anglak, who had come with Lin Jiayao, awkwardly began by presenting his gift:
This double-eared enamel vase, judging from its yellow glaze, is clearly a royal artifact produced by the imperial kiln. The seal on the bottom of the vase also dates back to the Kangxi period.

Zhao Hande, who had originally only intended to observe the whole process as a witness, suddenly opened his eyes wide and frantically gestured to Tang Wen.

National treasure +1, I'll donate it to the National Museum later and get a certificate, but I don't appreciate it.

After the gifts were received, the negotiations officially began, and he spoke first:
"You've got authorization this time, right?"

Onlak nodded quickly:
"Yes, now we can reach an agreement on the conditions for effectiveness."

"If that's the case, then you should be well aware of the current situation, right?"

Onlak: "..."

Looking into the other person's clear yet foolish eyes, Tang Wen had a bad feeling:

"You do not know?"

Onlak asked cautiously:

Which aspect are you referring to?

"Sulawesi, of course."

Anglak's next answer immediately became vague, and Tang Wen had to press him several times before he learned one thing:

The first squadron of destroyers had already appeared at Wanya Port, and A4 had already begun to sneakily control the airspace, but Yadaga still had no idea what was happening there!
He now echoed Bert's sentiment: Damn it!
No wonder the first squadron's planes weren't intercepted. Perhaps they knew of their existence but were powerless to do anything about it, or perhaps only some of them knew, while most were completely unaware!

Or perhaps they actually photographed aircraft, but they were all junk that didn't even have air search capabilities, which also meant that ground radars might be in a state of paralysis.

Dealing with opponents/allies like this is really exhausting!

At this moment, Tang Wen also felt the powerlessness of the Prism Building. He took a deep breath, tilted his head, and questioned his existence. Zhao Hande, standing beside him, couldn't hold back any longer and closed his eyes in anguish. Fortunately, Tang Wen had seen a lot in his life and quickly suppressed his emotions. He then pulled out a large number of photos from his briefcase—still from T4 and T6 drones. The photos included Wanya City, as well as a destroyer hundreds of meters away, and two A4 fighter jets boldly flying overhead.

Upon seeing the photos, Anlak was shocked. He immediately asked for a break and rushed off to make a phone call. A full half hour later, he returned and sat down, tears welling in his eyes, and said with grief and indignation:

"Mr. Tang, please don't circulate these photos anymore, otherwise we will really become a laughing stock in the world."

"Hmph, you don't want us to go any further, do you? Let me tell you the truth, the USS Yorktown has a full eight helicopters and 40 fighter jets with full fuel and ammunition. The first squadron has 5000 crew members, all of whom are eager to avenge their comrades!"

Even in just one more hour, the Kongo will also…

"Please, sir, exercise restraint!"

Onlak originally wanted to leave the Empire, but considering the awkward situation of the Benfold being able to only watch, he made a tough decision and directly stated all the bottom lines given by the authorities:

"We will immediately send people to rescue the victims and collect the remains, severely punish... Lec and the other murderers, and we are willing to apologize!"

"that's it?"

Tang Wen continued to rummage through his briefcase, this time revealing a stack of documents at least 2 centimeters thick. Zhao Hande glanced at the cover, which read "Loss Statistics."

Anglak took it and looked at it. When he touched its thickness, he was immediately shocked and looked at him in disbelief.

Tang Wen remained silent. This was written by several of Old Mi's top legal teams who worked overtime all night to rush the draft. It exhausted all available laws in this world, calculated in the most rigorous and scientific way, and included all the categories of compensation in the human world.

Anglak glanced through the pages and saw that the first dozen or so pages were the table of contents, followed by a massive amount of cited material and sources. He finally managed to flip to the statistics page with great difficulty... Good heavens!

22.9 billion US dollars!
He counted the digits in disbelief and then discovered that the personnel compensation amounted to $18.9 billion, while the estimated loss for Geiger was $4 million.

This number is impossible, let alone all of it, even one-tenth or one-hundredth!

If Zhuawa could come up with that much money, why would they be so humble!
He wanted to refute it, but looking at the massive amount of reference documents and the signatures of several top law firms, he knew he absolutely couldn't win the argument.

"This... sir, this is impossible! This is an astronomical figure that is absolutely unacceptable!"

He stammered but couldn't say anything, and could only shake his head frantically.

Zhao Hande secretly glanced at the scene and felt his heart skip a beat. He thought they would ask for an exorbitant price, but he didn't expect it to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex asking for a price!

"So, what number do you think would be enough to help hundreds of families?"

Enlak was speechless and could only stammer:
"Not all of them will die..."

"Ok?"

"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to say goodbye."

When Anglak made the difficult decision to give up, Tang Wen frowned at first, then his eyes swept over everyone in turn, and finally he suddenly thought of something and whispered to Zhao Hande.

Tonight we're having Peking duck at Quanjude. Should we make the duck carcass spicy without pepper?

After listening, Zhao Hande looked at him with a shocked expression. He stared at Tang Wen, who seemed to have made a difficult compromise, and sighed several times before saying:
"Alright, it is indeed difficult for you to come up with this money, but it doesn't necessarily have to be money; resources can also be used as a deduction."

Anglak seemed to have realized something as well, and his mood instantly changed from despair to surprise:
"Does Gaijin want to sign a large-scale purchase agreement with us? Of course, we can lower the purchase price."

"??"

Not only Tang Wen, but even Lin Jiayao looked on in shock:
No, buddy, you've got all the good stuff?

Tang Wen didn't care whether Anglak was genuinely stupid or feigning madness, and directly stated his demands:

"We signed an agreement to lease the entire Riau Island to Gaijin for oil development. After deducting the initial investment and daily operations, the oil revenue obtained from the island will be used to offset the compensation."

The compensation will be converted into crude oil tons based on current international oil prices. Regardless of future events, the compensation will be based solely on the amount of crude oil at maturity, and loan interest will be calculated in accordance with international rules.

The lease term is 10 years. If profits exceed the compensation amount during this period, 30% of the excess will be paid to you as lease fees. The lease will terminate upon expiration if you do not request renewal. All infrastructure in Natuna that Gaikin has invested in during this period will also be left to you.

……

万鸭
Around 11 a.m.

All three Agano-class cruisers and five destroyers arrived at the Manga coast, lined up sideways along the coastline, their turrets turned and gun barrels raised high.

Four seaplanes and six SBDs flew in formation over the fleet, while in the adjacent airspace, two Hawk MK53 "Eagle" jet trainers were sweating profusely as they dealt with three A4s.

Although Geigin has fewer carrier-based aircraft trainees, its training program is absolutely rigorous and meticulous. Coupled with its cramming-style approach to maximizing training time, it can even steadily outperform its opponents in terms of technical skills.

The A4E and the Hawk have little in common in terms of their positioning, but the Hawk's maintenance is so poor that pilots dare not make any violent maneuvers to avoid malfunctions, making it seem as if the A4E is being played by the Hawk.

Lecter put down his binoculars, completely unaware that his arm was trembling uncontrollably. He only snapped out of it when someone pointed it out, and he spoke in a daze:

“I don’t understand why things have turned out this way. Now Yadaga is forcing me to take the blame, Sean has abandoned me, and last night I was almost torn apart by a monster.”

"Is this Wanya Old County truly destined to be my final resting place?!"

He was still shaken by the bizarre experience of the previous night. He had left in a car with his confidants when they encountered a giant monster covered in black cloth in the woods. The monster seemed to roar and all his men fainted and lost consciousness. The car windows even shattered.

When he came to his senses, both the car and his confidant had vanished without a trace, and the employee "Little Ma" had also disappeared. Only he slowly regained consciousness from the darkness and realized that it was not a hallucination after confirming the suddenly disappeared tire tracks on the ground.

When he finally scrambled to Wanya, he learned that a tremendous change had occurred, and everything was unfolding in an unexpected way. He had become a pawn!
The first squadron's advance warships were "freely sailing" right in front of us—a suppressive force that even we could never dream of possessing!
Wanya, being a major city, naturally has a naval port, but upon seeing the size of the first detachment, they all pretended to be dead and ran away in a short time!

(End of this chapter)