Chapter 401 Appreciation

Chapter 401 Appreciation

Chapter 401 Appreciation
Innis Café in Myeongdong, booth 14.

An Rushong held a cigarette between the fingers of his right hand. He leaned back against the back of a rattan chair, crossed his legs comfortably, and looked out the bright window at the crowded street with a dazed look.

Opposite him, Leonard, who was wearing a dark blue suit, was looking at some documents in his hand with a frown on his brow. Between the two of them, facing the window, was Jenny, who was wearing a black dress. This woman was holding a copy of VOGUE in her hand, reading it with great interest.

Leonard looked through the several documents in his hand, then placed them on the booth in front of him, picked them up one by one, and said, "An Ruze, An Ruyu, An Ruhui, a total of three people, your three brothers, not one less, all are here."

"Hmm," An Rushong withdrew his gaze from the street outside the window, glanced at the American opposite, and nodded.

"You mean, you want to arrange them all into the supplementary military service sequence, and have them serve in US military bases in Seoul or the surrounding areas of Seoul?" Leonard continued.

An Rusong did not answer directly. He took the ashtray on the booth and knocked off the ash before saying, "Colonel, don't worry. I don't plan to let my brothers take up the barracks' resources. They are just listed in the attached unit and will not really live in the barracks. Of course, they will not take advantage of the barracks' benefits."

Leonard rolled his eyes and said, "An, you may not pay much attention to this. Not long ago, your Military Manpower Administration issued a white paper on military service, suggesting that the South Korean government make changes to the current military service system. Otherwise, South Korea will find it difficult to guarantee the quota of 50 troops."

An Rusong had really paid attention to the white paper he mentioned. The main content of the paper was that due to the sharp decline in population, the number of military-age soldiers in South Korea was rapidly decreasing. In order to counter the military threat from the north, the South Korean army had been trying to ensure the number of 50 troops. In order to maintain the size of the army, South Korea needed to recruit more than 22 new soldiers every year.

But by last year, the total number of military-age soldiers in South Korea was just over 26, and nearly one-tenth of them did not meet the physical fitness requirements. In other words, if this trend continues, the South Korean military will have to disband its active-duty troops in two years.

National defense concerns the life and death of a country. It is the most important matter. Therefore, military service is the obligation of every man in the Republic of Korea. However, in An Rusong's view, this has nothing to do with him.

"Colonel," An Rusong interrupted Leonard with a speechless expression, and said, "We are all family now. Is it necessary to say such high-sounding words? Moreover, the problem of the shortage of soldiers in the Republic of Korea lies in the small number of newborns. Can this problem be solved by my brothers obediently serving in the military? What the army lacks is thousands of people, not three people, right?"

Leonard looked at him and stopped talking. He could tell that there was something hidden in the eyes of this American.

"Colonel, is there anything I can't just say?" An Rusong took a puff of cigarette, looked at the other person, and said, "Or, do you want me to ask Colonel Alvin for help? You know I don't like him. Let alone asking him for help, even continuing to contact him is not within my consideration."

Leonard still didn't say anything, but a hint of smile appeared in his eyes.

"Okay then, I'll go find Alvin," An Rushong shrugged, took the military service notices of his three younger brothers, and said as he sorted them out.

Just as he was sorting out the three military service notices, Leonard reached out and snatched them away.

"You're from the NSA, not a member of the US military in Korea. Why would you ask Alvin for help?" Leonard said with a smile, holding three military service notices in his hand. "Besides, you know very well that Alvin is not a good person. If you owe him a favor, I'm afraid only God knows what the price will be in the future."

He took the briefcase that had been placed on the seat next to him and stuffed the military service notice into it. He continued, "I just told you that not because I don't want to help you. I just want to remind you that as a businessman, you still have to have basic patriotic ideas. Don't be obsessed with privileges, and don't use them without restraint. It will do you no good."

An Rushong curled his lips and said nothing.

What country is this guy sitting opposite me from? Come on, he is an American, and he is the so-called elite among Americans. Who in the world has the least sense of patriotism, except for people like Leonard? In the final analysis, Americans today are immigrants from all over the world. These guys originally have no so-called sense of home and country, and without a sense of home and country, how can they talk about patriotism?
"Don't worry about your brothers' military service for now," Leonard said, putting his briefcase back on the chair next to him. "I'll help you deal with it, but it will take about two weeks. When the time comes, I'll notify you and you can arrange for your brothers to come to Seoul."

"Why do we have to wait for two weeks?" An Rushong asked somewhat dissatisfiedly. You know, Jin Zhongtai can quickly settle his military service.

Leonard glanced at him first, then, after hesitating for a few seconds, he leaned forward and said in a low voice, "If nothing unexpected happens, General Thurman will be officially appointed by next weekend and will come to Seoul to assume his post."

"So soon?" An Rushong was surprised. With the development of things to this point, it was a foregone conclusion that Thurman would replace Sharp. But to be honest, in An Rushong's previous conception, Thurman would have to wait until after June to take office, because by that time, the current commander of the US forces in South Korea, General Sharp, would have completed a full term.

"The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed a motion of no confidence against Sharp," Leonard lowered his voice. "Under the coordination of Speaker Harry, the majority and minority senators have reached some compromises. The compromise is that Sharp himself will resign to avoid being formally removed from office. I got the news this morning that Sharp has accepted the compromise."

The speaker Harry mentioned by Leonard is the speaker Harry Reid, the president of the US Senate, who belongs to the Democratic Party. From the fact that Sharp was forced to resign, it can be seen that the struggle between the Democratic and Republican parties in Washington has become fierce. If nothing unexpected happens, President Bush should have a hard time in the White House.

Leonard obviously didn't want to talk more about this issue. He reached out and patted the briefcase beside him, saying, "The reason why I want to put this matter aside is because the current situation is too sensitive. In many things, it is safer to be as cautious as possible. Otherwise, if someone catches me and sues me, it will easily cause unnecessary trouble."

After he said that, An Rushong naturally figured out the problem.

Walter Sharp is a genuine Army general. He seems to have been born in 1952 and is only in his fifties this year. According to his position and rank, he is in his prime.

But now, because of a sudden and obviously manipulated scandal, the general had to resign early and leave South Korea. This time, he resigned not only from the position of commander of the US forces in South Korea, but also from his political and military career.

It is said that blocking someone's future is like killing their parents. If anyone were in Sharp's shoes, no one would be willing to end up like this. So, as Leonard said, he has to be careful in the future. After all, Sharp has not left yet.

In fact, at this point in time, Leonard has to bear a much greater risk than An Rusong. After all, Sharp has no direct jurisdiction over Korean businessmen like An Rusong, but Leonard.
"Okay, I understand what you mean, Colonel." After figuring out the key points, An Rushong nodded and said seriously, "Then let's wait for two weeks. Anyway, my brothers don't have to join the army right away."

Leonard smiled and said, "It's best if you can understand."

He paused and then continued, "Wait another two weeks. After two weeks, I will take you to meet General Thurman. He has mentioned you several times when we talked on the phone before. He really admires you."

An Rushong showed an expression of flattery on his face, but deep down he didn't take the other person's words seriously at all.

The most ungrateful and heartless people in the world are those who hold power, like General Thurman. It is absolutely impossible for him to appreciate an Asian with black hair and yellow skin, let alone that this Asian is Korean.

But then again, An Rushong also believed that General Thurman "appreciated" him, and there was only one reason for this appreciation, that is, he had a certain value to General Thurman. The higher General Thurman's appreciation of him, the greater his value.

Well, someone once said that being used by others is sometimes a kind of happiness. At least the premise of being used is that the person must be useful. An Rusong believes in this view, so he has been working hard to become a useful person since he was reborn.

(End of this chapter)