A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 819 Small Ripples Under a Big Event 2

Having made up his mind, Uncle Jin elegantly took another sip of soda: "Our leader's strategic village plan is a good idea. It's about concentrating farmers in villages with barbed wire and watchtowers to isolate them from the infiltration of northern Vietnam. But Harris, you know better than I do that we're missing two key things right now."

Admiral Harris, the commander of the Seventh Fleet opposite him, leaned forward unconsciously, like a student listening attentively to a lecture.

“First, there’s the ‘comfort supplies.’” Uncle Jin held up one finger. “Fertilizer, farm tools, and medicine. You have to make those farmers feel that entering the strategic village really offers them a way to survive, instead of just moving to another place to starve. Without these, the strategic village is just an open-air prison, which will only breed more resentment.”

Brigadier General Anderson nodded in deep agreement, rubbing his hands together: "King, you're absolutely right. That idiot in the White Palace just set up a concentration camp. If he doesn't give them enough benefits, a riot will break out in no time!"

Uncle Jin cast an approving glance at the brigadier general: "That's right, this kind of idiotic plan is almost a must-have option for every invader. Not to mention the distant past, didn't the Japanese build a bunch of small pillboxes on the motherland? The two may be expressed in different ways, but the underlying concepts are pretty much the same."

“Second,” Uncle Jin raised his voice, holding up a second finger, “is the Montag people in the mountains. They are brave and skilled in battle, and naturally resentful of northern Jiaozhi, but now they can’t even get enough to eat. When they’re hungry, loyalty can’t fill their stomachs, and they might turn against the other side at any time.”

Brigadier General Anderson downed another glass of whiskey, leaning slightly drunk against the bar: "Aha! Living allowance! The White Palace has approved the plan! King, your intelligence is a bit behind schedule! The project approval document is right on my desk!"

"Can you believe it? Those congressmen offered the Montag people a good deal: a stipend of $0.3 a day, and they even made everyone sign an agreement. FUCK... those mountain folk who can't even read the alphabet, get them to sign? How could those congressmen even think of that!"

As soon as Anderson finished speaking, General Harris's face darkened, and he sighed heavily: "The signing is a minor matter; the real trouble is yet to come."

He walked over to the sofa and sat down, his head bowed slightly: "You know how slow Congress is at approving special funds. The president is pushing for the subsidies to be distributed within half a month for the election, and he also wants to take photos of 'villagers signing to receive the money' and submit them. Our Seventh Fleet has to advance this money."

"You paid for it in advance!" Uncle Jin was genuinely surprised this time.

Anderson nodded with a bitter face, his fingers fidgeting with his tie: "That's right! There are over 200,000 Montag people on the register alone. At $0.30 a day, that's over 700,000 in half a month! The fleet's logistics budget has long been over budget. The money for repairing the nuclear submarine last time hasn't been reimbursed yet. Where did all this cash come from? I've been chased by the finance department for payment every day these past few days. I've lost a lot of hair!"

Repairing nuclear submarines?

The one who headed the ball?

Hahaha... Uncle Jin felt a surge of secret pleasure: His family back home should have received the things he sent over by now, but he wondered how they were doing with their research!

Hearing this, Uncle Jin suddenly understood. All the unusual things made sense: Anderson, disregarding his status, eagerly demanded a share of the profits; Harris, contrary to his usual behavior, directly inquired about the work progress…

This is clearly a charade between the two! Their real purpose is to extract a huge amount of funds from his "path to wealth" in advance to fill the hole in the Strategic Village Project, which was imposed by the White Palace but is now facing a funding shortage!

Once he understood this, Uncle Jin immediately regained his composure and seized the initiative. He feigned ignorance and slowly guided the conversation:

"Generals, please forgive my bluntness. Why use the fleet's precious funds, and even... perhaps some revenue from unconventional channels, to advance the expenses of the White Palace's vanity project? This doesn't seem to be... the core responsibility of the Seventh Fleet, does it? Besides, separate public from private!"

Brigadier General Anderson's lips twitched as he looked at Admiral Harris, who was still burying his head in his hands: Separate...private...I want that too.

General Harris remained silent for a long while, then finally sighed, raised his head to reveal his grim face, and told the truth:

“Mr. Kim, you are unaware of this. Although I am known as ‘General Harris’ by the outside world, my official appointment letter as a general is still stuck at the White House and has not yet been finally approved.”

The President made it clear that the success of the 'Strategic Villages Program' will directly impact my promotion.

At this point, Harris's face flushed red, then slowly lost its color, his voice filled with undisguised helplessness: "They used this general to force me to raise funds myself and quickly put this plan into action!"

"I spent twenty years climbing the ranks to lieutenant general, and if this fails..."

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but even a fool could hear the awkwardness of being threatened.

"All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit..." Uncle Jin sighed inwardly, but on his face, he wore an expression of "sudden realization," put down his water glass, and leaned forward slightly.

"So, you two are using your own money to fill the hole in the White House's election record? The current leader cares about face, Congress is dragging their feet, and in the end, all the pressure is on your shoulders? This is a terrible deal!"

Anderson stamped his feet in frustration: "We know we're at a disadvantage! But what can we do? We can't just stand by and watch the general's appointment fall through, and the plan fail so we can be held accountable by the White House, can we?"

Uncle Kim didn't ask why Anderson, a mere brigadier general, was so anxious about General Harris's matter.

This matter is also recorded in ancient books. Which army commander wouldn't delegate the lucrative logistical duties to his own people?

However, a short history is a short history; that's how it is for a country without a legacy. It's just a trivial matter...

Uncle Jin smiled slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the sofa armrest: "Don't worry, there's a solution. You have needs, and I have countermeasures... but we need to settle the accounts. Profit sharing from the air fryer is one thing, and the 'advance payment' for the strategic village is another. After all, this money of mine didn't grow on trees; it needs to be spent wisely, right?"

Harris and Anderson exchanged a glance, both seeing a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes. Harris immediately leaned forward, lowering his voice: "Mr. Kim, what ideas do you have? Just say it! As long as it can solve our current predicament, the terms are negotiable!"

Uncle Jin took a sip of soda water, a meaningful smile playing on his lips:

Since you have asked me for a favor, then this game of chess must be played according to my rules.

My motherland, are you ready to receive the benefits brought by the arrival of the young lady?