Fatal Strike: Mercenary Road of Gunfire Ranger-Chapter 908 - 848: Generous Concessions
Colonel Clement needed to digest the surprise that Mountain Eagle brought him...
When Mountain Eagle noticed Colonel Clement was a bit too excited, he proactively stepped aside with the excuse of making new tea, giving the Colonel some space.
To be honest, Mountain Eagle hadn't expected that the four aerial bombs intended to blow him up would ultimately bring him such a surprise.
For Mountain Eagle, compared to Colonel Lynch and his boss, Colonel Clement was undoubtedly a better partner...
He didn't intend to sell US Army weapons, nor did he plan to smuggle using the US Army's logistics system...
If it was just about establishing a foothold in Alaska and earning some pocket money to maintain the local network through some operations, the support of Colonel Clement would be sufficient.
Elson Air Force Base, as a second-tier medium-sized support base, hardly had any combat missions, but it was indispensable and had a heavy training load, coupled with numerous troublesome matters like visiting superior inspections and foreign military exchanges.
Heavy tasks and numerous troubles also meant significant wear and tear!
Colonel Clement, as the highest commanding officer at Elson Air Force Base, had the pressure of the Alaska Command above him, but he came this time ready to take the fall. If everything was resolved smoothly, he'd surely receive some substantial compensation from the higher-ups, even for psychological reasons.
Promotion was certainly out of the question, so the only option left was to give him some conveniences in terms of power.
Mountain Eagle didn't need to engage in any illegal transactions with him either...
The Brown Bear Camp, jointly managed by natives, was Alaska's only ranch for cattle and sheep.
If Colonel Clement could list the Brown Bear Camp as a trusted supplier and tilt the logistics procurement contract slightly toward it, Mountain Eagle could take advantage of the procurement contracts to expand the scale of the ranches while fostering good relationships with local financial institutions.
Previously, Mountain Eagle's operations in Alaska relied on his substantial financial strength, but now that the situation had settled, it was time to start building the local network.
Simply using donations to cultivate good relationships with government officials wasn't enough. A deep understanding of local financial institutions, establishing cooperation through loans, and proving oneself as a quality customer were the best ways to quickly integrate locally.
Banks are the real local dragons…
Anywhere in the world, as long as the local financial institution isn't too bad, they can easily connect their clients with another client!
Xiao Wan still had about 15 million US Dollars of reserves, so Mountain Eagle was no longer planning to invest money into Alaskan industries.
Securing a bank loan using military base procurement contracts to expand the size of Valley Ranch's laboratory, using the profits to improve the living conditions of the natives while maintaining the relationship with Colonel Clement, could gradually deepen their cooperation, potentially creating partnerships and profits unimaginable to ordinary people.
There is too much inside manipulation within the US Army, and as long as Colonel Clement trusts him, Mountain Eagle can easily cover the slated losses of the Brown Bear Camp with some clever moves, and incidentally, help the Colonel himself buy a mansion and yacht.
Besides letting a bunch of worms in the United States Military get away scot-free, this is truly a win-win deal!
In Mountain Eagle's heart, the greedier those people were, the better…
Throughout world history, merchants cooperating with corrupt officials often ended up beheaded, but rarely did they not make a fortune while alive.
That's because they aren't spending their own money, hence unimaginable profits are involved!
Corrupting Colonel Clement with money was simple, but when it came to Colonel Lynch's boss and the big bosses behind them, Mountain Eagle could only slowly infiltrate through forms of collaborative investment.
The so-called 'friendship' was just courtesy; if you had no value yourself, this 'friendship' was a one-time favor, gone once its use was exhausted.
However, if there was cooperation in investments, or if Mountain Eagle's Financial Office could help them make money, only then could this 'friendship' be sustained long-term.
For Mountain Eagle, this was a very valuable investment, and one that he couldn't lose...
Although he hadn't figured out the identity of Colonel Lynch's boss, Mountain Eagle believed he must be a senior military officer…
An ordinary major general wouldn't have a colonel running errands, so Colonel Lynch's boss must at least be someone at the lieutenant general or even general level.
Such high-ranking individuals, compared to someone like William Hurt, who represented an interest group as a senator, were slightly lacking, but such big shots could still touch a web of the US Army.
Mountain Eagle didn't know the extent of what the opposing side could achieve, but he was inclined to allocate part of the Financial Office's funds to the island country…
If any connection with the United States Military stationed there could be established, setting up a few companies could easily leverage large loans from Island Country Banks...
Currently, the Financial Office's track record was quite remarkable, but they couldn't perpetually rely on insider information for investments, nor could they risk everything on speculation, as it carried too great a risk.
Mountain Eagle needed to diversify risk, and arbitrage was the world's least risky investment approach.
The island country was one of the world's nations with the lowest loan interest rates, consistently maintaining loan rates between 0.5% and 1%...
As long as enough currency could be borrowed from there, then converted into US Dollars or Euros to purchase US Bonds or suitably rated European countries' bonds, arbitrage could be achieved.
Moreover, if the timing were right, the devaluation of the island country's currency could lead to simultaneous gains in foreign exchange trading.
This is truly how financial players like Buffett operate!
People don't need to do those things like Soros. With their own connections and wealth, they can break through all obstacles, exploit loopholes in the rules to carry out jaw-dropping acquisitions, and even get key financial figures in some countries to cooperate with their acquisitions.
Mountain Eagle certainly doesn't have that kind of ability, so he needs some strong backing and also needs to invest in the island country's stock market, combining stock pledges and property pledges, to obtain massive loans from the Island Country Bank.
Then, using these low-interest loans to purchase maturing government bonds for quick arbitrage is just a matter of keystrokes for the financial office's trader, Chris Jon.
As long as the transaction volume is large enough, even a seemingly few-point interest arbitrage can generate huge profits.
Just like a hacker wanting to break into a website, the best way is to steal the administrator's password, making financial transactions simple is really about offline activities.
Otherwise, Buffett can make a lot of money doing this, and the island people would welcome him to invest with open arms, but if you do it, you might face an investigation and then be sent to jail under the banner of 'illegal trading'.
Mountain Eagle doesn't have connections in the island country. Without reliable relationships, he's just asking for trouble doing this.
But if he has backing from people in the US military, the situation is completely different. It's well known that the US military stationed in the island country is the real overlord.
Moreover, inside the island country, especially within the financial and law enforcement systems, there are a group of fanatical zealots who would go to great lengths to curry favor with the US military.
Now it depends on how much money Colonel Lynch's boss is willing to invest, and how much power he has?
Mountain Eagle actually has some expectations for them because someone from the island country has been tracking and attempting to kidnap Tessa, but he's never had time to retaliate...
Although Tessa didn't say anything, Mountain Eagle has been quite unhappy about it!
Pirate King Fays, the island gang...
Mountain Eagle needs a long-term strategy for the former, but as long as Colonel Lynch's boss is powerful, Mountain Eagle can bind some people in the island's stationed forces with a large investment, and those people can easily mobilize the island's law enforcement agencies to deal with that so-called gang.
Of course, this is an ideal situation, but no doubt, getting to know a group of powerful people can lead to many benefits.
While Mountain Eagle was boiling water to make tea, Ryan Donovan quietly approached him...
This guy didn't expect Mountain Eagle to be so 'easy to talk to'; over the past two weeks, he had been lobbying several sides, presenting facts and reasoning to tell them the benefits and importance of bringing Mountain Eagle into the negotiations.
And he had already prepared both sides with the notion that Mountain Eagle would open his mouth wide, which led to Colonel Clement being forced to stand out, preparing to bravely take the fall at any time.
Who knew Mountain Eagle wasn't asking for 'too much', but rather 'too little'!
At this point, even if Ryan was foolish, he knew Mountain Eagle used him to lower the military's expectations and prepare them to pay a certain price...
When things came to a head, Mountain Eagle 'let things go', instantly making the other party feel much more comfortable.
The USB drive Colonel Lynch handed to Mountain Eagle contained some intel that should have been used for bargaining, but now it was directly given to Mountain Eagle.
Ryan Donovan had basically figured out the outcome, but he still felt a bit unwilling...
"Sir, if you want nothing, all I've done would have been in vain..."
Mountain Eagle picked up the boiling kettle that was starting to whistle, poured water into the thermos with a smile, and said to Ryan Donovan, "Should I say 'thank you' to you?
Don't get it wrong, if this works out, the biggest beneficiary is you...
Because without me, you'd be held accountable or even hunted down for your own stupidity!
Buddy, as a 'Cleaner', you're definitely unqualified!
Because you're too ambitious, you want too much..."
Ryan Donovan listened, pondered for a few seconds, and said, "Is there something wrong with me doing this?"
Mountain Eagle nodded slightly and said, "I very much appreciate ambitious people, but that should be on the premise of fulfilling one's own responsibilities.
You have to admit, you messed up the Kerry Cantona issue!
Even if there were no weather issues, capturing Kerry Cantona's family, you and your employer still wouldn't get the desired result.
You have a decent ability to adapt and find opportunities in desperate situations. I don't think there's anything wrong with being ambitious, but why should I give you a ride?"
Saying this, Mountain Eagle looked at the somewhat stiff expression of Ryan Donovan, and with a smile, he said, "Business is business!
You accepted Colonel Clement's employment, so you should complete the task seriously and solve the Kerry Cantona issue.
You're coming to me now, so whatever you want, you have to convince me that helping you will yield me extra benefits.
That's fair, right?"
