Manhattan Reborn 1978

Houston, Texas.

North of the city center, on a golf course near the Royal Oask community, a well-known wealthy residential area.

David was walking on the way to the second hole, waving to Zina and Elena to let them take the first step in the car.

Then, he turned to Davis Leahy, smiled and asked, "How was it?"

"Great!" Davis smiled and nodded, exclaiming when he saw two mature and beautiful ladies talking and laughing as they got into the car.

"What kind of magic power does your kid have? It can make them all..."

"Hahaha~" David showed a very proud expression, turned his head and glanced at the two caddies who were following far behind him, took the initiative to speed up the pace, and chatted about business in a low voice.

"On the way here just now, I received another latest news."

"Some people are spreading rumors in the international market that OPEC member states are convening the general meeting this time just to negotiate whether to increase crude oil production at full capacity during the window of market demand when Iran has not yet fully resumed crude oil exports. Export volume to avoid another oil crisis like the one that swept the world!"

"Oh?" Davis also quickened his pace, lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked.

"Has this... been confirmed to be a rumor?"

"of course not."

"This is all hype news deliberately released by some people, with the intention of confusing traders or speculators with relatively few intelligence channels to judge market trends."

Davis immediately understood what David meant, narrowed his eyes slightly, and continued: "The people spreading these messages want the hoarding merchants to feel that the market price trend has changed?"

"Ok!"

David put the club in his hand on his shoulder, looked up at the cloudy sky, and smiled.

“Anyone who wants to enter the international commodity market and become a standard player must have their own reliable intelligence channels or have strong financial backing to avoid being fooled by the predators hiding under the water. , as a meal on the plate that can be devoured at any time~"

"The latest and most accurate information + sufficient trading funds + precise timing + super high execution power!"

"The combination of these most important success factors allows new players like us to grab a piece of meat from the crocodile pool and not just be a companion or be targeted as prey."

"This rumor cannot be proven true in the short term. It is obvious that some people have prepared the stage and want to see how much player attention and participation it can attract."

Davis thought quickly in his mind for a moment, stopped and waved his hand behind him to signal the caddy not to follow him yet, and asked David.

"What about your judgment?"

"You must have a complete plan for the future crude oil price trend, right?"

"Yes~"

David waved the club gently, looked at the tee point of the third hole in the distance, and said slowly forward.

"I was lucky to have the help of Odis Parker and Mag Ludwig, and slowly established a relatively reliable channel for obtaining intelligence information."

"So I can see based on all the information currently available... that the prologue of the new round of oil crisis is slowly coming to an end, and the first act of the exciting drama is about to take place!"

David saw that Davis felt very novel about his metaphor, shook his head slightly and smiled.

"The prologue I am talking about actually refers to the fact that in the past two months, in order to deal with the possible outbreak of the oil crisis, we have quietly made sufficient preparations... predators!"

“Since Iran announced the suspension of crude oil exports on December 12, the supply and demand relationship in the international crude oil market immediately became tense.”

"In the past, the demand for crude oil due to industrial development in various countries around the world also showed a trend of increasing year by year."

"In recent decades, new oil fields discovered around the world and the overall crude oil supply have also increased year by year, reaching a delicate balance between supply and demand."

"The last oil crisis was an unexpected event that exceeded everyone's expectations."

"But the oil crisis that is about to break out this time will make people who have experienced the last oil crisis..."

This time David deliberately said many things that he had never mentioned to Davis before, as well as some of his plans.

Davis stood at the kick-off point and looked up at Zina and Elena in the distance. After a moment of silence, he also told the reason why he stayed in Houston specifically and wanted to meet David and have a chat in person.

To put it simply, it can be summed up in a few words~

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

After the Vietnam War, senior officials who had long been accustomed to the era of abundant military spending became increasingly irritated by today's peaceful days. .

Especially some senior executives who spend money lavishly and have no understanding of wealth planning in the past two years. .

hehe~

David also guessed some factors in this regard.

He shook his head to indicate to the caddy in the distance, took out a ball from his pocket and put it away. Following the swing that Livlin had taught him, he hit a "crooked" ball very poorly and smiled.

"After Marat and the others told me about the scene when you met, I knew you must be dissatisfied~"

"Greedy people never lack anything!"

"They often only value immediate interests and are unwilling to make any plans for the future."

"But you are different, you have your own ideas!"

"Otherwise you wouldn't have a cid agent with you..."

"Can you talk to me?"

Davis also took out a ball from his pocket, walked to the position next to David and placed it, looking at the flagpole of the hole in the distance, and whispered.

"Since 72, the country has carried out military service reform, changing from compulsory military service to voluntary military service."

"After 75, the reform of the military service system was completed, and military budget expenditures had to be increased by a high salary for voluntary soldiers."

"After a series of scandals related to the Vietnam War were exposed, the domestic public no longer had a good impression of the tall image that the military had whitewashed for many years."

"So only if the military pays them more will people voluntarily serve in the tough military units."

"The continuous increase in military expenditures and the imbalance in the distribution of military expenditures in recent years have a lot to do with this aspect."

"but.."

Davis swung a shot with a very standard posture. The white ball encountered a lateral strong wind in the air, deviated from the established flight path, and landed in a low-lying place far away from the hole.

"Maybe you don't know much about the annual domestic military expenditures."

David nodded matter-of-factly and said with a smile: "Yes, please tell me briefly~"

"Um.."

Davis walked away first, pondered for a moment, and said: "According to data calculated by many unofficial organizations, the domestic military's military expenditure in the 40s averaged 240 billion meters per year."

"In the 50s, the average annual actual military expenditure dropped somewhat, to about 550 billion yuan."

"In the 60s, due to the continuous expansion of the Vietnam War, the investment in research and development, procurement of first-generation strategic weapons, and various wastes during the war, all led to a large increase in military expenditure, about 800 billion per year."

David saw Zina standing there in the distance, as if he wanted to wait for them to come together, so he waved to them.

Davis glanced at the graceful Elena, raised his eyebrows, and continued.

"After entering the 70s, if we only look at the military budgets published every year, the military budgets from 71 to 73 were the lowest in recent decades."

"But with the end of the military service reform, the military expenditure reduction plan has also fallen into a very embarrassing situation."

"Because military expenditures in recent years mainly include: service salaries of active military personnel; welfare expenditures for retired and disabled military personnel; daily maintenance expenditures for active weapons and equipment; expenditures for the latest generation of military equipment research and development; expenditures for the military service system established after the reform Reserve force expenditures; and reserve military expenditures to deal with emergencies, etc.”

“During President Nixon’s time, because the reform of the military’s military service system had not yet been completed, Congress has always maintained an almost harsh attitude towards the approval of military expenditures.”

"This situation eased slightly during President Ford's administration, but it did not solve many practical problems~"

"The current President Warren White was a soldier and has a deep affection for the military. He understands how the military operates and what conditions the military must have to ensure good operation."

"But within his Donkey Party, most people are opposed to the increase in military spending..."

"President White can only ask his advisory team to find various reasons to explain to Congress the need for more funding for the military."

Seeing the surprised look on David's face, Davis chuckled and shook his head.

"how?"

"Is it different from what you imagined?"

"Uh...yes!" David slowed down and asked doubtfully.

"Listening to what you said, why do you feel that the domestic military expenditure, which continues to increase every year, seems to be within a reasonable range...?"

"Hehe~"

Davis smiled and shook his head helplessly, stopped beside a hill, looked at the golf ball that had just been "blown" here by the strong wind, and whispered.

"In the past two years since President White took office, military spending has increased, but the military has not felt inspired. Instead, they have been quarreling over more funding."

"In addition to the military spending disputes between the three traditional services, the Army, Air Force and Navy~"

"There are many different arms in each service, such as the Army's armored forces, infantry, communications, etc.; the Navy's surface ship forces, submarine forces, etc.; the Air Force's fighter jets, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and transport aircraft forces; and the domestic reserve forces, their The debate over military spending is almost constant.”

“Everyone says that they are the most important and do not want to be laid off for no reason in the future. Obtaining more funds will not only increase their sense of existence, but also mean that they can be more comprehensively prepared for wars that may break out. .”

David suddenly smiled.

He suddenly remembered a sentence and joked: "Does the child who cries the most and makes the most noise get more food?"

"Hahaha~ That's about right!" Davis laughed and nodded.

"In fact, on the issue of military expenditure allocation, there is a certain consensus among the presidential cabinet, Congress, and within the military."

"The Army, in order to deal with the unbelievably large number of mechanized troops of the Great Bear Country, has sufficient military expenditures and has not been questioned or criticized by too many people."

"The Air Force, because of its extremely important strategic mission, has an extremely tough attitude towards continuously increasing military expenditures, but it has never been able to do so."

"Especially in recent years, the high price of the new generation of fighter jets has made many members of Congress shout... The Air Force's military investment is a bottomless pit~"

"In the end, the thing I'm most familiar with is the Navy."

"In the 60s, when the number of naval ships was at its peak, there were approximately 1000 ships of various types in service in the navy."

"But this year, the number is only about 500."

"The other 500 ships have to face the dilemma of being decommissioned because they have gradually been unable to adapt to the diversity of modern warfare operations."

Davis sighed sadly and said with a wry smile: "The Navy has been competing for military budgets in recent years around the goal of establishing a force of 600 active ships."

"But they seem to have forgotten that for the officers and soldiers who have served on the ships that are about to be retired, the retirement resettlement work and retirement benefits have not yet been fully resolved."

"To date, there are still more than 1 retired naval officers and non-commissioned officers, and they have only received a small part of their retirement benefits."

"Not to mention, there are a much larger number of ordinary retired Navy soldiers..."

Davis made an invitation gesture to David, took the lead to walk to the golf ball in the depression, looked up at the flagpole of the hole in the distance, and whispered.

"You might think that the assets I am managing are the hidden assets of active or retired military executives."

"you are wrong!"

"They don't feel comfortable leaving their private assets to me, an outsider, who will be fully responsible for the management."

Davis got into position, took a really nice swing, and knocked the ball away.

The white golf ball drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed next to the flagpole of the hole.

David gave him a round of applause and smiled.

"So you don't belong to the role of a successful businessman in public perception, but...?!"

"Correct!"

"I'm just a high-level worker."

Davis put his hands on his hips very relaxedly and smiled self-deprecatingly at David: "Although, my life is very enviable by many people."

"But they can't see what I have to bear."

David shrugged, raised his hand to signal Davis: "Stop~"

"You don't need to say any more!"

"Even if you want to say it, I won't listen!"

"Oh?"

Davis didn't want to let David go so easily, so he asked curiously.

"Isn't this the answer you want from me?"

"of course not!"

David adjusted his expression and said with sincerity in his serious eyes.

"I specially made an appointment with you here, just to ask you a question in person~"

"Did everything you said to Marat come of your own free will?"

"Or do you need some help from me to give you a chance to jump out of this quagmire?"

Davis stared at David for a moment, chuckled and nodded.

"I jumped into this quagmire of my own free will!"

"At least ten years ago, when I was young and full of ideals and ambitions, I did it voluntarily..."

"now what?"

"Now.."

"Haha~" Davis shook his head silently.

David felt as if he understood his thoughts, and asked again with a crooked mouth: "What if..."

"I mean, if, I have a way to help you fulfill a promise and solve a big problem."

"Are you willing to grab my hand and leave this quagmire that eats people but doesn't spit out bones?"

"...?" Davis looked at David in surprise and asked with his arms spread wide.

"Aren't you afraid... of involving yourself?"

"Afraid~ Why aren't you afraid?!"

David explained with a smile: "Many people say that money is the root of all evil!"

"But in this world, there are very few situations that cannot be solved with money."

"If I use enough rice dollars to build a path from the shore to you~"

"Are you willing to leave?"

With that said, David extended his right hand to Davis.

Davis looked down at the lawn, thought quietly for a while, and smiled without extending his hand immediately.

"Enough rice dollars?"

"Ok!"

"I'm not short of money."

"I don't particularly care about personal wealth."

"I own a private ranch of more than 7000 square kilometers in Australia."

"I own more than 40 buildings in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and other cities..."

"But all these combined are not enough!"

"Then what about now?"

"Are you sure you want to... do this?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" David stood where he was. Suddenly, the clouds in the sky dispersed, and the sun shone on him like broken gold, covering his whole body with a "golden coat." .

Davis looked at "it" blankly, his expression slowly became very serious, he took a few steps forward, stretched out his right hand, held David's hand, and whispered.

"No matter what the final result will be..."

"I have to say thank you!"

"Hahaha~"

David grabbed Davis hard, shrugged and said loudly: "You're welcome, my friend!"

"..." Davis Leahy silently looked at his extremely confident smile, and suddenly felt that if he had "backed off" just now, he might have missed the "wonderfulness" that he would never be able to forgive himself for in this life!

----

Houston International Airport.

A passenger plane from New York landed on the runway.

Passenger exit.

Mr. Tianniu faced the crowd, held up a small sign, and searched among the crowd~

After a while.

CIA New York branch agent Pamela Landy saw the sign held high by Mr. Longhorn. She hesitated and slowed down. She took off her sunglasses and thought about it, and finally walked over.

on the way.

While driving the car, Mr. Longhorn looked at Pamela Randy from the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Actually, you don't have to be surprised."

"Before you even came to New York, your boss had already had an unpleasant cooperation with your boss..."

"Um..!?"

"He...never told me!" Pamela felt as if she had been cheated and quickly explained.

"Hahaha~" Mr. Tianniu laughed and shook his head, glanced at the "young" agent in the rearview mirror, and said easily.

"Ezra Claymore once said~"

"He came to work in the New York branch not voluntarily, but as a last resort."

"Because he knows that the city of New York hides a complicated network of interests, and the difficulty of carrying out work is far more difficult than that of any other city in the country."

“Even Boston, which was the earliest, largest, and most prosperous city in the country, is not as complex as New York now!”

"So, it is not surprising that the people he met and the things he experienced after coming to New York~"

"Oh..." Pamela couldn't help but clenched her little fists, gritted her teeth and tilted her head to look out the window. In her heart, she slapped an "X" hard on the boss who always liked to "trick" people with a smile!

Mr. Tianniu quietly observed the changes in her expression, and became more certain about his guess. .

Beauty plan? !

Ezra Claymore, did you want to send her here on purpose to "die"?

hehe~