Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 474 Not only do we want Sha's money, we also want Sha's heart.
What to do? They certainly want the $3.5 billion in payment, but there are many bottom lines that cannot be crossed.

If we were to hand over the mushroom bombs to Sha for the sake of these foreign exchange reserves, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The higher-ups would absolutely not agree.

Just as everyone's hearts were in turmoil, Qin Liang spoke up.

"There are many restrictions on this type of warhead."

“Please speak!” Sultan’s eyes shone brightly.

"First of all, in terms of quantity, there will be at most one, no more than that. The others will all be conventional high-explosive warheads."

"no problem!"

"Secondly, even if it is transported to the base, we will be responsible for guarding and maintaining it. Your people are not allowed to have access to this type of warhead. Even the use of this type of warhead requires our permission."

This sounds a bit unfair, since you can't even use the things you buy, but... considering the nature of this product, it's still acceptable.

Mushroom bombs, as long as we have them!
It doesn't matter whose hands it's in, as long as it's on Sha's territory!

"Alright, we can agree, but we also have conditions: if we encounter a catastrophe that could destroy our country, you must allow us to use it."

"it is good."

Achieved!
While everyone was still hesitating, Qin Liang had already decisively agreed to Sha's various demands. Is this... is this appropriate?

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Qin Liang.

Can we sign the contract now?

"The contract needs to be prepared, and the details still need to be agreed upon. Everyone must be tired today, so I'll send someone to take you back to rest," Old Master Lin said.

As soon as Mr. Sha left, the scene erupted into chaos.

"Comrade Qin Liang, how could you agree to this?"

"Yes, Comrade Qin Liang, although we like money, there are some kinds of money that we cannot earn. For example, this time, we would rather not make money than openly violate international norms."

What international norms have we violated?

"Comrade Qin Liang, didn't you say you were going to sell those warheads to them? You absolutely can't sell them!"

"What kind?"

"that is……"

"Everyone, Mr. Sha made it very clear that there is a mushroom cloud after the explosion. Doesn't the thermobaric weapon developed by our relevant departments have this effect? ​​The Dongfeng-3 Skyrocket can carry a 1.5-ton warhead at a time. The mushroom cloud after the explosion of a thermobaric weapon of this weight is not small, is it?"

Everyone's eyes widened.

Comrade Qin Liang, isn't this... deception?
Is this appropriate?

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Have I fulfilled Sha's requests?"

Not only am I satisfied, but I also installed all the patches!

That...that's true, but...

If you think about the requirements mentioned later, you'll realize that while they appear to be restrictions imposed because the warhead is too special, they are actually deliberate restrictions made to prevent Sha from discovering that the warhead is not what he expected!
"Everyone, all Sha wanted was something to put their minds at ease, and we gave it to them. We provided emotional value, and that's enough!" Qin Liang looked at everyone present. "As for what that thing actually is, I don't think it matters. After all, Sha will never need it."

This……

That sounds like it makes a lot of sense.

"Everyone, if you're afraid of everything, you won't get anything done. If you keep being so indecisive, then I'm not going to help you anymore."

"No, Comrade Qin Liang, please don't go!"

"That's right, we'll listen to you, and you can handle everything!"

Everyone was determined to go all in; no one hesitated any longer.

Qin Liang nodded: "Then you should report to your superiors. Anyway, I've already discussed the general direction with you. If they don't agree, then this business deal won't go through."

This is to get everyone to communicate with their superiors!
Qin Liang stood up. Good, his mission was finally complete!
Everyone watched Qin Liang leave with complicated expressions. Next, they would have to report to their superiors. Who would have thought that the trap would be left until the very end!

In the distant capital of Saudi Arabia, inside the magnificent royal palace.

"The Easterners have agreed! That's wonderful!"

"Yes, we're finally going to have a killer weapon! For the past few years, we've been worried about being bullied by our neighbors. Now we can finally relax!"

Everyone felt the same way: exhilarated, exhilarated!

"Reporting, Your Majesty, the American ambassador has arrived!"

King Fahd, seated at the head of the table, frowned: "Please let him in!"

What are the Americans doing here at this time? Do they already know? Impossible! The Easterners have only just verbally agreed; the contract hasn't even been signed yet. How could they know now? The news must have leaked from the East.

Hume Holland walked in with heavy steps.

"Your Majesty, your side is going to the East to participate in the military parade this time, and it is said that you will also purchase a large amount of weapons and equipment, and even cooperate with the East to develop stealth aircraft?"

So that's what they came for!

"Yes," King Fahd nodded; there was nothing to hide.

"You don't need to do that. Our country has already decided that we can continue to provide you with no more than one hundred F-15 fighter jets, codenamed Peace Sun 2."

Hume Holland's face held an air of arrogance, as if this were a gift bestowed upon someone like Sha.

However... he didn't know that saying this would only make Sha's expression even more unpleasant.

They get angry when the topic of the Peace Sun comes up.

Back then, seeing that everyone around them was equipped with third-generation fighter jets, they also wanted to purchase some. After much persuasion, the Americans finally agreed to sell, but limited the quantity to sixty aircraft. This was the Peace Sun program. They wouldn't sell any more than that. The reason? It would pose a threat to another country!

Damn it, that country already has hundreds of F-15s. Aren't they a threat to us?
This clearly shows the closeness or distance in their relationship!
Now, the Americans have seen that Saudi Arabia has more and more weapons and equipment at its disposal, especially since it is developing stealth aircraft. That's why they decided to sell a second batch of fighter jets. There are quite a few conditions attached, such as preventing Saudi Arabia from cooperating with the East to develop stealth aircraft!

Would Mr. Sha agree to that?
"I'm sorry, but we've already signed a contract with our Eastern friends, and we won't give up on cooperating with them. Of course, if you're willing to sell to us, we'd be happy to do so; we're willing to pay for this batch of F-15s."

This is equivalent to offending neither side.

American arms dealers want to make money, and Sha can satisfy that! Sha has money, so he'll just give a sum to the US as protection money; they're aware of that.

but……

This time, the Americans clearly want more than just Sha's money; they want Sha's heart too.

"Your Majesty, my ministers, the East is nothing more than a backward agricultural country. Thirty years ago, they couldn't even build a single airplane. Developing industry requires a solid foundation, and developing the aviation industry is the most advanced of all industries. The Easterners don't have that capability!"

Hume-Holland continued, "Your choice to cooperate with the East is meaningless; it will only waste your precious funds. You might as well just buy fighter jets from us..."

"Is it possible to buy a stealth aircraft?"

Hume Holland's words came to an abrupt end.

"We are going to cooperate with the East in developing stealth aircraft. We have already seen that third-generation aircraft are just a transition, and fourth-generation aircraft are the future. If your side is willing to develop stealth aircraft with us, then we can consider abandoning our cooperation with the East. If not... I'm sorry, we, the people of Sha, are an independent country, not a colony of some superpower!"

This statement is already quite straightforward.

You Americans can't control us. We are independent. If you continue like this, we'll turn against you!

"Easterners...don't have stealth capabilities either. Look at this military parade, not a single stealth aircraft appeared." Hume-Holland's tone lowered.

"Really? Their stealth aircraft hasn't appeared yet, but I've heard that Europeans, and even your American companies, are going to Easterners to design aircraft?"

"Hmph, Lockheed has a partnership with Northwestern Polytechnical University, so the U.S. Air Force didn't choose their project but instead chose Northrop Grumman. That company uses all American technology! As for the Europeans... even if the Europeans let the Easterners modify it, the resulting aircraft would still be a defective product!"

"So, would the United States be willing to give us stealth aircraft?" "Of course not, that would increase the regional arms race."

"Is it the people of David who won't let you do this?"

"This……"

“Mr. Hume-Holland, we, the Shahs, have legitimate needs for developing our defense and will not be constrained by any third party. If you have the corresponding equipment, we can purchase it. If you do not, please do not restrict our cooperation with other countries.”

Sultan's expression turned serious when he said this.

"If you have nothing else to do, then you can leave."

They've already started kicking people out!

Hume Holland's expression also turned slightly unpleasant; he hadn't expected that Sha would actually be asking him to leave.

“Of course there are other things,” Hume Holland began. “We’ll talk about your cooperation with the East on fighter jets later. This next matter is of utmost importance.”

"please say."

"We hope that you will increase oil production."

"why?"

“Because this is a crucial step in bringing down the Soviet Union!” Hume-Holland said enthusiastically. “Currently, the Soviet Union is mired in the war in Afghanistan, and they are chasing after us with Star Wars. Their military spending as a percentage of GDP is increasing. Now, they rely entirely on oil revenues. If their oil revenues are reduced, their national economy will collapse.”

The Soviets have actually started Star Wars, and they might even actually make it happen. If that happens, the United States will be in a real bind!

The only solution is to cause the Soviet economy to collapse!

To bring about collapse, the Soviet Union's source of foreign exchange must be cut off! They earn foreign exchange by exporting energy, which they then use to buy food; therefore, it would be best to simply cause global oil prices to plummet!

There are many oil-producing countries in the world, but the Middle East remains the most important. These oil-producing countries have united to form an organization called OPEC. Whenever they announce an increase in production, oil prices can come down!

“Price reduction? You must be joking!” Upon hearing this, Oil Minister Yamani immediately shook his head.

OPEC was originally formed not to suppress prices, but to raise them!

At that time, many Western countries bullied their Pakistani friends, so they took oil as a weapon, reduced production, and raised oil prices, thus causing the oil crisis and forcing many Western countries to reconsider their position.

Moreover, rising oil prices benefit oil-producing countries, allowing them to earn more profits.

"No, no, I'm not joking. This is very important. We've investigated. The Soviet oil fields are all located on permafrost in the highlands, making extraction very costly, about five dollars per barrel. Their transportation is also inconvenient, so the export price must be over ten dollars for the Soviets to make a profit."

Hume-Holland said with great interest: "And here in your country, you have high-yield, self-flowing crude oil. The cost of extraction and transportation is no more than two dollars per barrel. Even if the international oil price drops to five dollars a barrel, you will still make a profit. This way, we can also cripple the Soviet Union and get rid of such a big devil, which is beneficial to us! We have calculated that for every dollar the international oil price drops, the Soviet Union's annual national income will decrease by one billion dollars!"

"No, we can't do that. It will cause international oil prices to collapse. We absolutely cannot touch the oil prices that we've worked so hard to stabilize!" Yamani insisted.

“Mr. Yamani, what does the gain or loss of your one country matter? What we need to consider now is the overall international situation. You Sha people shouldn’t just look at your own tiny family interests. You need to look at the big picture, the big picture!” Hume-Holland’s voice rose several times: “Since you’ve gone against our lead in arms procurement, you should at least stand on our side in the international situation, right?”

This is a threat!
Only if the Americans agree to their demands will they stand idly by while Saudi Arabia engages in military cooperation with the East.

These days, Americans are just that domineering!

Everyone was holding back their anger, but... they couldn't let it out.

"Everyone, I'll give you three days to consider. I'll come back in three days and hope to hear a satisfactory answer."

After Hume Holland finished speaking, he walked out with light steps.

Boom!
Armani slammed his hand hard on the armrest of the chair.

"Those damn Americans are clearly proposing conditions that we can't accept, in order to force us to abandon our cooperation with the East!"

"That's right. We used to pretend to be good friends, but now we've completely stopped pretending!"

Everyone was gritting their teeth.

The question is... what to do next?
Increasing oil production, lowering prices, and hurting the Soviets would benefit the United States the most, but what benefit would it bring to Shah? What benefit would it bring to OPEC, which Shah led?
“In recent years, OPEC has become increasingly difficult to manage,” Yamani said in a low voice. “Italy and Lancashire, for example, have refused to comply with our production allocation plan and have been relentlessly extracting oil. Other countries have followed suit. If we really loosen restrictions…”

The consequence would be that OPEC would be completely sidelined, and no country below it would listen to OPEC anymore!

In 1985, international oil prices began to fall, and Shah even began to warn of increased production. In August, production increased from two million barrels to six million barrels, and the following month it was nine million barrels.

As a result, international oil prices began to plummet, from $30 per barrel to $12 per barrel five months later, and in the late 1980s, at their lowest point, they were only $8 per barrel!
That's how the Soviet Union was dragged down.

As for why Sha started increasing production... many say that Sha was misled by the West, and that's true to some extent, but not entirely!
One aspect is that OPEC, under the leadership of Sha, has become a disorganized mess and uncontrollable.

The Yi and Lang Tuo are at war; will they listen to OPEC?

of course not!

They extract as much oil as they can, sell it to make money, and use it to buy weapons and equipment!
International demand is fixed. If they mine too much, other countries will need to reduce production. Generally speaking, Saudi Arabia plays this role by voluntarily reducing production to maintain a stable international supply and demand relationship.

then……

Other countries began to follow suit, including Qatar and the UAE, and these countries also started to increase production!

Mr. Sha had to reduce production, and it had already been reduced to two million barrels per day when he finally couldn't take it anymore.

Okay, so you're all increasing production and bullying the honest folks? Let's all increase production together, and nobody can play along!
Sha quickly adjusted production, even pushing it to a peak of ten million barrels per day. This was a complete overturning of the table; nobody could compete with him anymore!

As it turns out, Sha's actions actually increased oil revenue, given the large volume of oil produced!

Other oil-producing countries were dumbfounded. Their production couldn't match Saudi Arabia's, and oil prices were being driven very low. They finally realized that OPEC's restrictions were a good thing!

Currently, Sha is still trying to control global crude oil production!

"If we don't agree to the Americans on this issue, then we'll have to listen to them on weapons procurement. Wouldn't that mean we're betraying our Eastern friends? They're even willing to sell us super weapons of mass destruction!"

Inside the palace, everyone was in low spirits.

"How about... we tell our friends in the East about this and see what they think?"

Let our friends from the East help them!
East.

Qin Liang had just returned to the courtyard house when he saw a car parked at the gate.

Who is this? Why won't they rest at a time like this, and even disturb their family? That's going too far!

Qin Liang's face was gloomy. As he entered the house, he heard the sounds coming from inside.

"Your Highness Sultan, we can't accept this. These gifts you gave us are worth at least five million!"

"This is just a small token of our appreciation."

Sha, are you here to deliver money?

Qin Liang was helpless. At this critical juncture, did he dare to accept it? If he did, wouldn't it mean that the entire export project was for his personal gain?
He strode in.

"Your Highness Sultan!"

"Qin, you're back? I... I just came to pay a visit and brought a small gift."

"Your Highness Sultan, we appreciate your kind intentions, but we really cannot accept this gift. The timing is complicated, please don't get me into trouble!"

Sultan was taken aback. It seemed... that it really wasn't appropriate; he hadn't considered it carefully.

"Your Highness Sultan, please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help!"

Annie and Yang Duo'er breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Qin Liang come in.

"Let's prepare dinner! Your Highness Sultan, please stay for dinner!"

In the living room, Sultan watched the two leave, then turned to Qin Liang and gave a wry smile: "Qin, we've really run into a problem, and we hope you can help us."

(End of this chapter)