GBP #450 - Disintegration and display
#450 - Disintegration and display
John Bull's military operations in the Suez Canal War were progressing smoothly, right when their country believed victory was at hand.
The Rogue Eagle launched a financial backstab that many John Bull citizens never anticipated!
As expected, after "persuasion proved ineffective," they began massively dumping the pound, triggering a new round of crisis for the British currency!
Instantly, the pound's exchange rate plummeted from 1 to 2.8 to 1 to 2.5!
Due to limited foreign exchange reserves of US dollars, this backstab by the Rogue Eagle caught the financial market off guard.
Even Harold, who had received spoilers in advance, felt a sense of powerlessness when the backstab actually happened!
Because the bullets he had in his hands were not enough to resist the Rogue Eagle's massive suppression!
On another note, this financial mess was due to the cabinet's poor coordination with the Rogue Eagle regarding the Suez Canal War, causing the entire cabinet to teeter on the brink of collapse.
Facing Harold's request, Ambassador Jin said, "Mr. Harold, I think you will be called Prime Minister in a few days. According to the traditions of us Orientals, I should congratulate you. Although the situation in your country seems a bit unfavorable at the moment, it doesn't matter. Our ancestors always believed that a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. At the same time, we also have a saying that misfortune and fortune depend on each other. Even a bad thing is not necessarily entirely bad. For example, the current situation is certainly not good for John Bull, but for Mr. Harold, this is a good opportunity!"
"Even if you look a little further ahead, it may not be a completely bad thing for John Bull, because through this incident, I think many far-sighted politicians in your country can see the true face of the Rogue Eagle. In international exchanges, we always believe that countries should maintain their own positions and interests, rather than blindly following certain hegemons who do not adhere to the principles of peaceful coexistence."
"John Bull is an important country in the world today. Dongda has always supported John Bull in playing an important role in international affairs. Regarding today's situation, although we do not agree with resolving disputes through war, we are even more opposed to resolving problems through unilateral pressure."
"Regarding the stability of the financial market, we do have a commitment to assist Mr. Harold in stabilizing the financial market at the appropriate time, and we still adhere to this point. We have also prepared no less than 5 billion US dollars in foreign exchange to buy the pound and offset the impact of the Rogue Eagle's dumping of the pound."
Ambassador Jin, facing the great opportunity he had anticipated, would certainly not miss it.
"Of course, after we exchange such a large amount of pounds, we hope that these huge amounts of capital will also be put to use, rather than lying in bank accounts."
Harold's expression was heavy. He certainly knew that there was no free lunch. "Ambassador Jin, I have received your country's demands. From the current point of view, these collaborations are not a problem. If there are new areas and content for cooperation that require our coordination, please feel free to contact me. I will leave my private phone number for you so that you don't have to run back and forth. We can first communicate briefly by phone if anything comes up."
"Rest assured, Mr. Harold, Dongda's support for Mr. Harold and for John Bull's international affairs is unwavering. We have always advocated independent, autonomous, and equal diplomacy. Mr. Harold can completely trust us on this point."
Ambassador Jin continued.
"We are committed to the proposition of Europeans managing Europe. I think that by today, Mr. Harold should be very clear about the relationship behind this sentence."
If Europe manages Europe, then the Rogue Eagle's presence in Europe will have many problems.
Although it could be said to be a face-to-face provocation, Harold didn't think that what Ambassador Jin said was wrong.
In this kind of private meeting, the conditions and positions of both parties must be laid out clearly, and there should be no discounts, so that there will be no misjudgments.
"We are very grateful for Dongda's support." Harold had seen Dongda's ability to predict future events and had confidence in what they said.
"In terms of finance, once our cabinet is replaced, I hope that Dongda can fully support me in quelling this matter at this time."
Harold was not stupid. Although he was one of the best candidates to form a cabinet in the future, even if he got the new party leader and the new prime minister, the challenge would be extraordinary if he wanted to do a good job in this position. Now that Harold can privately realize the relationship and cooperation with Dongda, then once he takes office and reverses the situation with swift and decisive action, Harold's position will be stable.
"Our support for Mr. Harold is as comprehensive and efficient as ever," Ambassador Jin said with a smile. "If Mr. Harold wants to rectify the financial market, our funds will enter without hesitation."
Ambassador Jin gave Mr. Harold a guarantee.
If Dongda's capital is ultimately fighting against the Rogue Eagle in the financial market, then John Bull, caught in the middle, will have no choice but to support Dongda, and then the world's格局 will become interesting.
Although there is no indication that John Bull and Dongda have a tendency to form an alliance, this seamless connection in finance is not a direct slap in the face of the Rogue Eagle.
Soon, a major change occurred in John Bull's political circles. The old Deng government collapsed and all resigned. Mr. Harold stepped up to become the new leader.
Faced with the chaos in the financial market, Harold took decisive action, uniting Dongda and the major consortia in Europe to successfully complete the major task of supporting the financial market!
This not only absorbed all the pounds dumped by the Rogue Eagle, but also increased market demand for the pound, bringing the pound back to the 2.8 exchange rate.
Coupled with the funds of Dongda's Hidden Dragon Project, which was shorting the market, this win-win situation was another "win twice"!
At the exchange rate of 2.8 to 1 pound, 500 million pounds were borrowed and exchanged for 1.4 billion US dollars. Then, at the exchange rate of 2.5 to 1 pound, these 1.4 billion US dollars were fully exchanged for 560 million pounds, which is equivalent to earning back 60 million pounds. Then, as the pound was lifted back to the exchange rate of 2.8 to 1 pound, the funds of the Hidden Dragon Project began to fully exit this capital feast, directly cashing out 168 million US dollars!
Excluding handling fees and interest, this wave of Hidden Dragon Project funds made a net profit of more than 160 million US dollars at once, making it the biggest winner in this crisis.
After reaping the benefits of this wave, and with several mining companies oriented towards Dongda preparing to go public one after another, Qianlong Capital began investing in equity through various foundations, securing nearly 20% of the equity in the three major mining companies' financing rounds.
Following this round of financing, these three major mining companies also had the capital to invest heavily in iron and coal mines in Australia.
The indirect strategy of using European capital to intervene in the mining industry was progressing smoothly.
With the establishment of Daofu Grain Company, a joint venture involving multiple parties, Ding Wei accelerated the development of his plantations in Black Africa. The first season's harvest from the Black African plantations exceeded 300 kilograms per mu (approximately 4500 kg/hectare), a yield far exceeding the plantations' break-even point. After selling some to the local authorities to supply the local population, the surplus grain was sold to Daofu Company.
As Daofu entered the Black African market, the cultivation of staple grains such as rice, wheat, corn, and soybeans began to be promoted on a large scale. Ding Wei opened up over 30 plantations, each spanning millions of mu. The majority of the output from these mechanized plantation farms was purchased by Daofu, with a small portion used to subsidize local food shortages.
As an important new force in the market, this greatly shook the previous North American agricultural system and had a positive impact on both Black African and European grain prices, making affordable grain no longer a luxury.
Moreover, due to the highly effective demonstration of grain yields from the Black African plantations, a group of nearby tribes was attracted to learn and adopt these methods. This effectively promoted hybrid rice, hybrid wheat, and hybrid corn varieties in Black Africa. Although the farming techniques were much less advanced than the fully mechanized plantations, with Dongda agricultural technicians providing selfless on-site guidance, the farming methods of most tribes were essentially approaching the level of organic farming with farmyard manure used by Dongda's domestic farmers. Although the yield was lower than with chemical fertilizers, it still exceeded the astonishing level of 200 kilograms per mu (approximately 3000 kg/hectare).
This far exceeded the local natural farming methods, where they might only harvest enough to recover the seeds, relying solely on the weather.
As a result, Dongda's reputation and word-of-mouth spread rapidly among the nearby tribes in Black Africa.
Ding Wei, not seeking to make money, began a life of being a welcomed guest among the upper echelons and tribes of Black Africa.
Yandu.
"Old Ren, how about we release the J-9 as the main aircraft for the National Day performance?" After listening to Staff Officer Ye's suggestion, Ren Zhong felt a little strange. The National Day celebration this year would be broadcast live to the world. Bringing out the newly commissioned J-9 and showcasing it to the global public seemed a bit too high-profile for the typically low-key Dongda people.
"Technically, there are no problems at all. We have now achieved mass production. The Air Force has two regiments equipped with it, and the Naval Aviation has one regiment. There's no problem in deploying a few for exercises and performances," Ren Zhong said with a smile. It's also a good strategy to stop pretending and reveal some muscle appropriately, so we don't get bothered by every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Deploying the J-9, a super-era fighter jet, would represent a complete dimensionality reduction. I believe that after participating in the performance, all the demons and monsters will crawl away from us.
When the J-9 appears, it will basically be a spectacle that shatters expectations. According to some, such a demonstration would be no less significant than fighting another war.
"It's good as long as there are no technical problems. We won't do any major aerobatic maneuvers; we'll just have a group fly overhead," Staff Officer Ye said with a sigh of relief.
Because it completely intercepted the F-4, Dongda's air force suddenly surpassed the rogue eagle in terms of quality.
In this regard, the J-9's heavy fighter configuration means that Dongda has a long-endurance, large-scale fighter with very strong "persuasion" capabilities in terms of radar, hardpoints, and extended combat range!
In the world of '亮剑' (Bright Sword), this is a unique existence.
With such a big change, Ren Zhong counted on his fingers what needed to be displayed this National Day. Excluding the rockets, missiles, and 'Big Black Fish' (submarines) that must be kept low-profile, the others could be shown through exhibitions and on-site displays.
Just thinking about it made Ren Zhong feel a surge of excitement.
"As for tanks, our Dragon Tank III can also be rolled out this year. This is the complete form of our tank. The Dragon Tank III, which uses a 125mm tank gun, cannot be withstood by any tank, not even the Dragon Tank III itself!"
Ren Zhong said.
The ultimate adaptation of the five road wheels is almost complete with the Dragon Tank III. There is not much to change next, but in terms of firepower and electronic systems, I am afraid that it can be endlessly modified in the future, especially the electronic systems. The current technical level has not yet been raised. The aiming system that should be available while driving is not yet perfect. The current system can be used but is not good enough!
"As for rocket launchers, the latest 300mm rocket launcher should also be displayed, right? Our 300mm rocket has a range of over 100 kilometers, and the error can be large or small. Currently, it is also the top fire coverage device in the world. The army is counting on the new Dragon Tank III and 300mm rocket launcher to survive."
The things Ren Zhong proposed were all major weapons that had just been commissioned not long ago. Pulling them out would be quite intimidating.
Although these new weapons are now available, there are not many of them equipped.
However, the art of war is all about deception. We won't honestly play all our cards. We'll first play the effect of the 'royal flush' and then talk about the rest.
After the two inventoried Dongda's new toys, they were pleasantly surprised to find that there had been considerable progress in the navy, army, and air force. The current weapons and equipment have been greatly improved compared to the past.
The air force goes without saying; the J-9 is a groundbreaking heavy fighter. The army has the Dragon Tank III and 300mm rocket launcher. For the navy, warships are not easy to show off, but the HQ-9 air defense missile and YJ anti-ship missile are both good things, capable of taking down a 3000-ton destroyer with a single shot!
If these are all pulled out, it would be an extraordinary comprehensive strength inspection. For Dongda officials, the content that can be interpreted by pulling out these good things is very rich.
Ren Zhong and Staff Officer Ye discussed for two days before deciding which weapons must be shown and which would become optional.
The current international situation is not very optimistic, so it is naturally not appropriate to over-stimulate.
The key is to be able to handle everything with ease! (End of chapter)