Chapter 351 MacArthur, Eternal Friend
Chapter 351 MacArthur, Eternal Friend
Embassy residence.
Randall quickly came to the swimming pool.
MacArthur was lying on a chair, smoking a pipe leisurely. He glanced at him and said lazily:
"The president has instructed Congress to attack me again, saying that I want to establish a dictatorship on Ghost Island. Have you heard about that?"
Randall lit a cigarette, put his hands on his hips and said:
“The general has fought for so many years and now has rebuilt Onigashima, and is revered by all the people.
"They are just jealous of you and can't bear to see you live a peaceful life.
"Ignore it."
"This is a very troublesome matter." MacArthur waved his hand, sighed, and sat up.
"The Morgan Consortium is very powerful now. More than half of those idiots in the Joint Chiefs of Staff are their people. I am attacked from all sides." He picked up the wine glass, stood up, and walked slowly along the swimming pool with Randall.
"What's the general's plan?" Randall asked.
"war!
“Only war could make Truman realize my importance.
"We must start a bigger war in East Asia."
MacArthur raised his index finger and spoke seriously.
"war?
"We have just eliminated the fascism. We have troops stationed in the Philippines, Singapore, and Onigashima to maintain stability. It's not easy to find an opportunity." Randall's heart skipped a beat and he said.
"madness.
“As long as there is ideological confrontation, there will be endless wars.
“The Soviets are accelerating their withdrawal from the northern part of the peninsula.
"The gunfire near the 38th parallel is getting more and more intense. The military advisory group is not optimistic about Lee Seung-man's performance in the conflict. The armed forces of the North Peninsula equipped by the Soviet Union are very powerful.
"I intend to let the advisory group add fuel to the flames and spread the war across the 38th parallel.
"Then we will have a reason to send troops."
MacArthur said shrewdly.
"General, the Soviets are busy with things in Eastern Europe, so they may not come to an end." Randall knew what he was thinking.
“If he doesn’t step down, we will support Syngman Rhee in unifying the peninsula.
“If you don’t quit, the war will continue to spread to the Northeast.
"No matter what, this war must be fought."
MacArthur's wishful thinking was very loud.
"Okay." Randall nodded.
As long as the war breaks out, the president and Congress will not dare to transfer MacArthur without authorization. This is a good idea.
"General, there is something I want to say but I don't know if I should say it to you." Randall said after walking a few steps.
"Go ahead," said MacArthur.
"The war will eventually end, and you will retire sooner or later.
“At the end of the day, when you leave Asia and return home, the medals are just toys, and the dollars in your pocket are the real thing.
"Before coming to Qingdao, Kirk made a few bucks reselling cars.
“Less than a year after I met Hong Zhi, he bought an entire building next to Times Square.
“Even now that he has stepped down from office, he is still seeking to go to the Gulf Islands as an advisor, ambassador, etc.
"why?
"Isn't it just that you have tasted the sweetness and made enough money?
"I know you don't like the Chiangs, but the island cannot be moved away. Military invasion and occupation are unrealistic. Instead of letting Truman's people eat up the spoils, why don't you take the initiative to bring the plate over to enjoy it?"
Randall said.
"Are you here to lobby for Hong Zhiyou?" MacArthur frowned.
"Do not!
“I was lobbying for the general.
"Let's meet him. What if he can offer a bargaining chip that the general thinks is suitable?
"You can't go against money!"
Randall said.
MacArthur was silent for a moment, then asked, "Sakata Hisao was killed?"
"yes.
“He sent someone to assassinate Hong Zhiyou.
"so……"
Randall shrugged and said with regret.
"Well, he does have some skills, and he is a great figure.
"Then let's talk."
MacArthur laughed.
As soldiers, we naturally respect the strong.
If Hong Zhi didn't have the courage and guts, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble in Tokyo.
It is reliable to cooperate and negotiate with such people, which saves you from wasting time on those weaklings who cannot reach a conclusion after talking for a long time.
……
night.
Hong Zhiyou came to the embassy residence.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Wu Fangzhi and Ikeda Sugami getting out of the car.
“Mr. Hong.
"Shouldn't you be hiding at this time, or sneaking away on a boat?"
Ikeda Sugami stamped his feet and sneered.
"Oh?" Hong Zhiyou raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
“You are suspected of colluding with Kazuo Takao to kill Sakata-kun.
"The National Police Agency has already arrested Kazuo Tagang, and the evidence is irrefutable. Have you seen them?
"As soon as you walk out of the embassy door, we will arrest you immediately."
Ikeda Sugami pointed to a line of police cars across the street.
"Ikeda-kun, since you claim to be a Chinese culture, you should know that 'I will not offend others unless they offend me'.
“If someone offends me, I will offend him.
"How do you know they're not here to arrest you?"
Hong Zhiyou put his hands in his pockets and looked down at him.
"Ha ha.
"This is such a joke. I'm the governor of Tokyo and the cabinet's economic minister. Who dares to arrest me?
"please."
Ikeda Sugami chuckled a few times and walked in first.
Arrived at the lobby.
Holson prepared seats for everyone and served tea.
"A few minutes later."
After giving instructions, he went to the inner hall.
Hong Zhiyou drank tea leisurely.
Wu Fangzhi half leaned forward and asked with a smile:
"Mr. Hong, Mr. Kong asked me to bring you a message to turn hostility into friendship.
“There is no hatred between you essentially.
"The last time you went to Shanghai, you were only doing errands for Jianfeng. It is understandable that there would be conflicts due to your different positions.
"Before I came here this time, Mr. Kong specifically asked me to make friends with you on his behalf.
“We have many of the same interests.
"We can go hand in hand and benefit both sides. There is no need to become enemies."
Hong Zhiyou looked at him and asked with a faint smile: "I heard that Mr. Wu once took the exam for Kong Lingkan in North America, and he did quite well?"
"It happened many years ago." Wu Fangzhi smiled modestly.
"In other words, you have followed Kong Lingkan for many years and are his confidant." Hong Zhiyou said.
"Yes!
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sent to Tokyo by Mr. Kong.
"Mr. Hong, we can all make money together. If you join hands with Master Kong, will the entire Bay North be yours?
"The strong join forces to achieve great wealth and prosperity!"
Wu Fangzhi blinked mercenarily and laughed softly.
What he said was a secret trap for Hong Zhiyou.
Judging from my speculation with Ikeda Sugami last night, Hong Zhi is here most likely to get some free money and just to get by.
If he was really convinced by himself.
He can then ask the media to expose him, or ask his wife to go to the chairman to get the news.
The Kong family is a relative, so how they take it and how they divide it is their own business.
Who the hell does Hong Zhiyou think he is if he wants to share the pie openly?
Given the temperament of the father and son of the Chiang family, Hong Zhiyou dared to do this when the mainland was defeated and repeatedly stabbed in the back. He was courting his own death.
“Since Mr. Wu is a confidant.
"Does that mean you can represent Mr. Kong?" Hong Zhiyou asked.
"able!
"Mr. Kong has admired you for a long time, and he told you this personally." Wu Fangzhi said seriously.
"Come!"
Hong Zhiyou waved his hand.
Wu Fangzhi was overjoyed and quickly leaned over to whisper in Hong Zhiyou's ear.
"You're just... a fart!"
Hong Zhiyou leaned close to his ear and cursed in a low voice.
Seeing Wan An looking at him warily, Wu Fangzhi seemed to have heard nothing. He laughed without blushing or beating his heart. He raised his glass and said to Hong Zhiyou with a smile: "Okay, Mr. Hong, I wish us a happy cooperation. I'll drink first as a toast."
Sure enough, Wan'an looked at Hong Zhiyou vigilantly.
Hong Zhiyou half-closed his eyes, stroked the wine glass and took a sip.
He seldom has the intention to kill.
I have never wanted to die alone as much as I do now.
This guy is smart, his methods are sinister, vicious and shameless. He is a natural traitor and villain. If we don't kill him, he will definitely cause trouble in the future.
"Mr. Wu, the general wants to see you." Holson walked in.
"Mr. Hong, wait for good news."
Wu Fangzhi bowed to Hong Zhiyou and walked in with his head held high.
"What did you guys talk about?
"Hong Zhiyou, I advise you not to let down Comrade Jianfeng's trust in you.
“You spent all the $100,000.
"If we can't come to a conclusion tonight, I will report the truth when we get to Wandao."
Wanan said coldly.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Hong Zhiyou did not argue.
Those in power never look at the process, they only look at the results.
But Hong Zhiyou only cares about the results.
So, he didn't care what Wan'an thought at all.
Soon, Wu Fangzhi came out, looking relaxed and proud: "Zhiyou, the general seems to be in a good mood, there is hope!"
"As long as you are happy." Hong Zhi nodded.
"Mr. Hong, the general invites you." Holson said again.
Hong Zhiyou followed him in.
MacArthur was smoking a pipe and studying a map. He asked without turning around:
"I heard from General Randall that your nickname is the Divine Calculator, and you once asserted to Kirk that the Red Army would defeat the Chiang Kai-shek government within three years.
“It actually happened, it’s incredible.
"So, tell me, if I personally send troops into the peninsula and head straight for your homeland in the northeast, how long will it take to conquer China?"
He pointed to the northeast area.
"Never." Hong Zhiyou said without thinking.
"Are you referring to the Soviet Union's military intervention?" MacArthur turned to look at him. "No!
"I mean... you'll never cross the Yalu.
“General, you may be able to use the war to satisfy your inflated and arrogant ambitions in a short period of time and make Truman and others look up to you.
“But in the end it will just be a failure.
"Of course, this is not what I care about. Let's talk about something practical."
Hong Zhiyou rejected him outright.
MacArthur's eyes became angry and sharp, but Hong Zhiyou did not tremble in fear like other Asians did when he saw him.
calm.
A bottomless calm.
"Tell me your conditions." He raised his hand and walked towards the sofa.
"Provide 4 million tons of low-priced food to the Gulf Islands each year, and an additional $100 million in aid."
Hong Zhiyou speaks very concisely.
"What's in it for me?" MacArthur also went straight to the point.
"As long as the general can get it done, the chairman is willing to provide the general with a personal benefit of one million US dollars every year!" Hong Zhiyou said.
“A million dollars?
"This is true!"
The retired emperor of Tokyo leaned forward in shock and almost stood up.
"certainly!
"If the general can agree, I can call the chairman now to confirm this matter." Hong Zhiyou said.
He was sure.
You should know that Kirk, who has already retired, received an annual benefit fee of up to 700,000 US dollars because he later helped the Chiang father and son with the arms business.
A solid $100 million in aid, plus 4 million tons of food every year.
It was a huge profit for the father and son of the Jiang family.
"One million!" MacArthur repeated.
“Wrong, it’s one million per year!
"As long as the grain is delivered to Wandao through the general's hands, and as long as I, the middleman, am still alive, the general can get this money every year." Hong Zhiyou invisibly added several safety locks to himself.
“I can handle the food, but I’m afraid the aid…
"You know, the President was very unhappy with Chiang's failure, that we had invested a lot of money and got nothing in the end.
“Your Madam Jiang has also tried many times, but the aid case has always been shelved.
"The key is that money is not so easy to get. If the amount is too large, it is easy to be targeted."
MacArthur shook his head and frowned.
"Don't worry, General.
"I will transfer this money in batches to the general's related companies, as well as your relatives' related industries, etc.
"If all else fails, ask your relatives and friends to go to the casino. I will help your relatives win one million US dollars.
“It’s always people who come up with solutions.
"It depends on whether you want to make this money!"
Hong Zhiyou smiled nonchalantly.
MacArthur's eyes lit up immediately. "My friend, your idea is as delicious as a donut, but American aid requires the approval of Congress. That is the territory of the Morgan Consortium. I am afraid I can't do anything about it."
"Do not.
"General, you underestimate yourself.
“Right now, North America is providing a lot of aid to Onigashima. The general can be realistic in the reports on education, medical care, etc., but he should be a little loose-fingered when it comes to the actual allocation of funds.
"Or we can delay the payment for two or three years and then squeeze some out of their government's tax revenue.
"If you just use your left and right hands to trade, won't the money come out?
"It's only 100 million US dollars. With the speed of development of Guidao, it will take two to three years to settle the account."
Hong Zhiyou smiled.
"Hong, you are really a talent.
"Now I finally understand why Kirk, Randall and the others are willing to be friends with you.
"My friend, come on!"
MacArthur laughed and held out his hand.
"General, it is my honor to have a distinguished gentleman friend like you." Hong Zhiyou stretched out his hand and shook hands with him tightly.
“However, the assistance was private.
“I will transfer the money to you and will also send someone to North America to handle it.
"The most important premise is that I have to be alive.
"Do you understand what I mean, General?"
Hong Zhiyou smiled.
“Hong, with me and the atomic bomb, no one in Asia dares to touch you.
“This is a promise from a friend.”
MacArthur patted him on the shoulder and agreed readily.
"Thank you." Hong Zhiyou bowed slightly.
“However, I have another unwelcome request.
“For the four million metric tons of grain each year, the general only reports the total price to the islands at a lower price, not the specific metric tons.
“This way I can also get some extra kickbacks from the price.
“Of course, to show my sincerity, I am willing to give the general an additional bonus of 20% of the kickback grain.
“The general should know that although I am a colonel in the government, I am more of a businessman.
"Merchants cannot do things that do not bring them profit. Please allow me, General."
Hong Zhi has a righteous way.
"That is to say.
"I secretly raised the price of grain by 10%. Within the total price range, you can save 10% of the tonnage of grain you report to Wandao.
“Then you sell it from Hong Kong Island through the company.
"Give me 20% of the proceeds as dividends?"
MacArthur didn't know much about business, so he broke the story down into details and asked.
"The general is wise." Hong Zhiyou said.
"I see. It seems that after we settle the accounts, I will have to raise the price to your President Jiang by 20% to 30%. " MacArthur immediately understood.
"yes.
“That’s my business partnership with the General.
"You have the power and resources, and I have the sales channels. We are a match made in heaven, that's all!"
Hong Zhi has the Tao.
"Perfect.
"cheers."
MacArthur personally poured him a drink and the two clinked glasses.
"But when you talk to the committee later, you need to stick to your guns. If I say anything, it will arouse suspicion," Hong Zhiyou reminded.
“Don’t worry, my friend.
"If I just sneeze, your chairman will be so scared that he can't sleep.
"He dared not disobey!"
MacArthur laughed.
“If I had known you were so interesting and it would be so easy to make money by working with you, I should have summoned you to Tokyo a long time ago.
"My friend, you have wasted years of my life."
Having said that, he patted Hong Zhiyou on the shoulder, feeling that they had met too late.
"General, it's not too late now." Hong Zhiyou said.
"As long as you don't hit..."
He pointed toward the peninsula again.
“Hong, I’m a soldier.
“Money is important.
“But if I don’t fight, I could be fired at any time.
"Only if you win can I cooperate with you for a long time."
MacArthur had a deep obsession with invading the peninsula.
You fight... and retreat faster.
Hong Zhiyou knew that this was a conceited guy.
He had no interest in wasting his breath to wake up someone who was pretending to be asleep.
When the Volunteer Army beat him until he cried, and when Truman issued a notice asking him to get out, he naturally came to his senses.
"Can I borrow your phone?" Hong Zhiyou asked.
"Of course, I can't wait." MacArthur raised his hand.
Hong Zhiyou stood up and walked to the phone and dialed the number:
"Office of the Allied Commander-in-Chief, please connect to the CEO's aide-de-camp, looking for Director Yu."
No long wait like before.
MacArthur's name appeared, and three seconds later, Yu Jishi's voice came over.
"It's me, Director Yu. Commander MacArthur wants to meet with the Chairman. Please hurry." Hong Zhiyou said.
In less than half a minute, the chairman's deep voice came from the other end.
"Committee Chairman, I am Zhiyou.
“The Tokyo trip was negotiated, and Commander MacArthur had agreed to provide millions of tons of food each year, as well as a certain amount of loans.
“You will need to discuss the details with him. Madam, please translate for me.
“Ma’am, it’s me.
"I will now hand the microphone over to the commander, and you two can discuss in detail."
Hong Zhiyou said this and handed the microphone to MacArthur.
MacArthur put his left hand on his waist and started to negotiate the conditions according to what Hong Zhiyou said.
For Chiang, this was undoubtedly a godsend.
Mrs. Jiang agreed to everything without hesitation.
We talked for about forty minutes.
MacArthur hung up the phone, leaned on the desk and looked at Hong Zhiyou, saying with love:
"Hong, don't leave. Stay with me and be my advisor."
“General, there is no value in me staying.
"You said so."
Hong Zhiyi spread his hands and said helplessly.
"Okay, my friend." MacArthur folded his hands and said.
"If you have any other requests, just ask." He felt that he needed to give something, otherwise he would feel uneasy.
"General, someone wants to cut off your financial resources."
Hong Zhiyou looked at him with a bright smile.
"Who?" MacArthur asked.
"Ikeda Sugami and Wu Fangzhi." Hong Zhi said.
"OK!"
MacArthur immediately understood and stood up and walked out to the living room.
What does it mean to cut off the source of income?
Killing Hong Zhiyou means cutting off his source of income.
If he can't even provide this little bit of security, how can we talk about friendship and long-term cooperation?
……
(End of this chapter)