Imagine a new regime coming to power. If it doesn't recognize the agreements signed by the old government, the investors have no recourse. They can't exactly send troops to fight a sovereign nation, can they? So their only option is to resort to underhanded tactics and support the new government.
China was not as amicable as it appeared. Leveraging the good relations it had built with the African people in the mid-20th century, it managed to maintain control of the situation in several conflicts. However, the mining plans of the mining company invested in by Ma and others were repeatedly delayed.
So unlike Zhuang Rui, who was living a carefree life in China, Fatty Ma had been under a lot of pressure in recent years. Not to mention, he had invested almost all of his assets in China, and even mortgaged the coal mine that started his business to the bank.
Although the Song family is protecting him and the coal mine won't be taken back by the bank, Fatty Ma's life isn't easy either. His pockets are practically empty, and he really doesn't have a single penny to his name.
Every day that the African side doesn't start construction, they have to pay for it. Even the Song family has invested a lot of money in it. If it continues to drag on, even the Song family, a behemoth, could be brought down.
"Damn, so we're contributing to the African people? We've already spent the money, but they won't let us mine?"
After listening to Fatty Ma's explanation, Zhuang Rui became a little anxious. So, all these past three years have been spent on infrastructure construction? And even though roads and ports have been built, mining is not possible. Hasn't the investment of tens of billions of yuan gone down the drain?
Fatty Ma patted Zhuang Rui on the shoulder, a tired look on his face, and said, "The situation is clearer now. Mining can begin next month, and the initial investment will be recouped quickly..."
"Oh, then what brings you two back? Construction is about to begin, don't you need someone to oversee things?"
To be honest, Zhuang Rui's words were somewhat thoughtless, which infuriated the two overseas Chinese who had almost turned into black men with tans.
"Damn it, do you have any conscience? I didn't even come back for my son's wedding, and I'm about to start work again, which means I'll be staying there for several more years. And you're complaining when I come back to China?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Fatty Ma was truly enraged. Even Song Jun looked displeased, glaring at Zhuang Rui with hostility. If Zhuang Rui dared to say anything more heartless, the two brothers would definitely beat him up.
Chapter 1242 Zhuang Rui's Concerns
"I'm so sorry, I'm really so sorry. I misspoke. Please forgive me, brothers..."
Seeing that Fatty Ma seemed genuinely angry, Zhuang Rui quickly put on a smiling face. Although this older brother used to look like a cunning and shrewd businessman, he was incredibly kind to him.
On the other hand, someone has been cleaning up that mess abroad for years, are we not allowed to come back and visit? That would be too inhumane.
Hearing Zhuang Rui apologize, Song Jun's expression softened, but he still cursed irritably, "You brat, why don't you go stay there for two years and see? You'll be crying and begging to come back after just two months..."
"That's right, that's right. With your two older brothers in charge, there's no need for me. But if you two brothers give me any orders, I will absolutely go without hesitation, even if it means going through fire and water..."
Seeing that the two weren't really angry, Zhuang Rui started joking around, patting his chest loudly as he spoke, which made Fatty Ma and Song Jun laugh. However, there was something meaningful about their laughter.
"Zhuang Rui, are you telling the truth?"
Fatty Ma suddenly interjected.
"Of course it's true, Brother Ma. When have I ever lied to you?"
Zhuang Rui was patting his chest confidently, but after finishing the conversation, seeing the smile on Fatty Ma's face, he immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly changed his tune, saying, "Brother Ma, you...you're not really going to send me to that godforsaken place, are you? I...my wife and kids are counting on me to support them..."
Zhuang Rui had absolutely no liking for Africa. After that sea adventure, he had always kept his distance from that place, and even if there were mountains of gold and silver there, he would not want to set foot there.
People can't understand things without experiencing them. Only when facing life and death did Zhuang Rui truly understand the meaning of the saying "A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall." Besides, he hadn't even enjoyed a few years of comfortable life with his wife and children.
"Cough cough..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui's expression, Song Jun was both amused and annoyed. He coughed and said, "Zhuang Rui, I have some things to take care of when I go back to China with Lao Ma. We'll be back in about a month. You can stay there during that time. We're really short-handed, aren't we?"
"What do you mean you don't have enough manpower? You two old brothers each have a hundred or two hundred men under you, do you really need me to go?"
Song Jun's words made Zhuang Rui feel uneasy. No wonder his right eye had been twitching all morning; it seemed trouble was on its way. If there was any place on this planet that Zhuang Rui least wanted to go, it would be Africa.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Song Jun shook his head and said, "We have quite a few people, but there's no one in charge. For external negotiations, it's better to have a shareholder there..."
"Hey, Brother Song, there are more than just the three of us as shareholders, right? The state is a major shareholder, and there are several other families in Beijing as well. Why are you focusing on me?"
Before Song Jun could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui interrupted him. You see, when the company was first established, many forces were eyeing this lucrative opportunity. Even with the Song family's strength, they had to give up some of it.
"Their shareholding is too small to represent the company..."
The reason Song Jun sent Zhuang Rui to Africa was out of necessity. As he said, the other family forces in the country combined only accounted for 10% of the shares, which was less than a fraction of a percent for each family, and was simply not enough to exercise the rights of a shareholder.
More importantly, this project has always been led by the Song family, and it has been full of twists and turns, making the Song family suffer greatly and put them in a very passive position in China. If it weren't for the fact that Old Master Song is still alive, someone would probably have already picked out the opportunity to take the credit.
Therefore, at this crucial juncture when results are about to be achieved, the Song family is not comfortable handing the company over to anyone else, not even the chairman, Fatty Ma.
However, apart from Song Jun who is engaged in business, most of the other members of the Song family are involved in politics, so going to Africa is not suitable for them. Therefore, after much consideration, Zhuang Rui is the most suitable candidate. Given the alliance between the Ouyang family and the Song family, there shouldn't be any problems.
After listening to Song Jun's explanation, Zhuang Rui still shook his head. "Brother Song, what about the country? They're also major shareholders. Why don't you send your second uncle's eldest brother? Isn't he in the Ministry of Commerce?"
"I'd like to, but the situation doesn't allow it..."
Song Jun said with a wry smile, "It's not convenient for the government to get involved in this matter, Zhuang Rui... You must remember, this is just private investment and has nothing to do with the government..."
In recent years, regions such as Congo, Gabon, and Angola have been active areas for the activities of various countries.
Although major powers are behind the disputes in various regions, for the sake of diplomatic image, they all unanimously acted like prostitutes while erecting a memorial arch for themselves, uniformly sending out non-governmental organizations to take the lead, without any intervention from government officials.
This is the rule of the game in diplomacy. Even if China wins in some areas and can mine strategic minerals, it still has to maintain appearances. This is why the country cannot directly send people to the forefront.
"Damn, it's that complicated? They didn't explain things clearly back then. What couldn't I have done with that two billion? I should have stayed out of this mess. Damn it, that place is ruthless, there's no law..."
Zhuang Rui was completely bewildered. He almost blurted out the idea of withdrawing his investment, because he knew that the two brothers in front of him were probably penniless and wouldn't have the money to withdraw.
"Zhuang Rui, it's not that mysterious. Lao Ma and I stayed there for several years, and we're still doing fine, aren't we?"
Hearing Zhuang Rui's tone soften slightly, Song Jun continued to urge them on: "Our garrisons and mining areas there are protected by troops... no, by international mercenaries. We have little contact with the outside world; it's practically an independent kingdom. So, any wars or conflicts have nothing to do with us..."
Actually, instigating riots in small African countries can be complex, but it can also be very simple.
Just like the riots last year, it was only because certain forces supported some low-ranking officers in the army of that small country that the regime was overthrown in just one night, without even firing a few shots.
The so-called regional conflicts are actually more conflicts between different tribes. They are simply conflicts caused by different chiefs disliking each other and wanting to seize the other's women and property. These are all very small-scale conflicts.
"But...but..."
Zhuang Rui was also in a difficult situation. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Fatty Ma and said, "Brother Ma, you should rest for a bit. I need to talk to Brother Song about some things at home..."
Fatty Ma made his fortune through keen observation, and he immediately understood Zhuang Rui's intentions. He said, "Alright, I've been on planes for two days and I'm really tired. I'm going to take a nap. You two brothers, call me when you've finished talking..."
"I said, Lao Ma is an old friend, is there anything we can't say to him?"
After Fatty Ma left, Song Jun looked at Zhuang Rui with a puzzled expression.
Zhuang Rui shook his head, glanced around, lowered his voice, and said, "Brother Song, you know that the plane crashed on my way back from South Africa that year?"
"You know about it? Wasn't it supposed to be a problem with the aircraft's quality? What? Was it caused by human error?"
Song Jun's mind worked so fast that his eyes widened immediately, his face filled with astonishment.
“That’s right, it’s Muta…”
Zhuang Rui uttered a name softly. This matter had been weighing on his mind for several years. Apart from the old man and a few others, even Qin Xuanbing didn't know the details.
"Muta?"
Upon hearing the name, Song Jun paused for a moment, then stood up and asked, "Is it Muta from Libya? Holy crap, he... he was the one you killed?"
Muta's disappearance a few years ago caused a great stir in Africa. The dictator of Libya dispatched many of his private elites to various countries to search for him, but they could not find any news of Muta.
Muta was a bully and tyrannical man in Libya, and he continued to act arrogantly abroad, making many enemies. So after more than a year of secret investigation without any results, the matter had to be dropped.
Thinking back to that old case, and hearing Muta's name from Zhuang Rui, Song Jun understood perfectly well why Zhuang Rui had sent Fatty Ma away; this was something he couldn't let him know.
"No, Brother Song, you can't say things like that carelessly. I was just speculating, not certain. I was just worried that Muta has a lot of influence in Africa..."
Zhuang Rui pretended not to know about Muta's disappearance. He absolutely could not admit to this, as it was far too serious. If that person in Libia found out, would he still be able to live a peaceful life?
"Are you serious? Muta's been missing for over two years, didn't you know?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Song Jun's face showed a hint of astonishment.
"What? Muta's gone missing? I didn't know that. What happened? Brother Song, please tell me..."
Zhuang Rui tried his best to appear surprised, but his acting was so fake that Song Jun saw through it immediately and said irritably, "Damn it, it's okay, you don't know either..."
"Hehe, I really didn't know. If you hadn't told me, Brother Song, I would still be completely in the dark..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled awkwardly. It's okay if you guessed it, but you absolutely can't say it out loud.
"But if you're worried about Muta, there's absolutely no need. Muta has been missing for over two years and poses no threat to you whatsoever. Even Libya can't afford to worry about these things right now; he's currently preparing for war. He wouldn't have time to care about losing a son, or even if his wife were taken away..."
After understanding Zhuang Rui's concerns, Song Jun laughed. The situation in North Africa has been very tense recently, and in a few months, that country might change its leader.
Chapter 1243 Island Lord (Part 1)
"Preparing for war? What's going on?"
Hearing Song Jun's words, Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. Ever since that trip to Africa, Zhuang Rui had been feeling uneasy. After all, there are no secrets in this world. When he had his conflict with Muta, many people had witnessed it.
This matter weighed heavily on Zhuang Rui's mind like a boulder. He wondered what kind of revenge a dictator would take if he knew that he had killed his son.
So for the past few years, Zhuang Rui has tried his best to avoid going abroad, for fear of something going wrong. He knows in his heart that no matter how much spiritual energy he thinks he has, it is of no use at all in a critical moment. A bullet worth only three yuan and fifty cents can kill him.
"Recently, that madman's relationship with NATO has been very strained, and war might break out at any moment. He simply can't afford to pay attention to anything else..."
As is well known, the leader of Libya had strong anti-American sentiments. Although he was quite close to the United States before and after the coup, he completely ignored the United States during his decades in power and criticized the United States on various occasions.
Therefore, the United States has been looking for an opportunity to resolve this thorn in its side, and recently relations between the two sides have intensified again, with a high possibility of war.
"Go to war? Wouldn't going there be suicide?"
Zhuang Rui didn't want to be dragged into a war for no reason. During that gunfight in Myanmar, Zhuang Rui truly felt that human life was more fragile than flowers and plants in such situations.
"Cough cough, why are you making such a fuss? I've never seen anyone so afraid of dying..."
Song Jun grew impatient and continued, "The fighting in North Africa is none of Guanzhong's business. Besides, our mining areas are protected by mercenaries; no one dares to attack them, not even the Americans..."
The United States wants to attack Libya, and although it is doing so under the NATO banner, it still has to consider the checks and balances imposed by the United Nations. Therefore, it will have to make some concessions elsewhere, and its domestic interests in Central Africa will certainly be protected.
"But the archaeological work in Inner Mongolia still needs me..."
Zhuang Rui hesitated before speaking.
"Nonsense, archaeology is a state undertaking, while business with Africa is a private matter. Which do you choose?"
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, Song Jun interrupted him. He wondered if his grandfather, Old Master Song, would hit him with his cane if he heard what his grandson said.
"Okay, I'll go..."
After much deliberation, Zhuang Rui agreed. For him, the archaeological work in Inner Mongolia held no appeal whatsoever; going there would simply mean routinely excavating the remaining tombs.
Moreover, as Song Jun said, even if all those items were excavated, they wouldn't belong to him. Compared to his billions of dollars invested in Africa, Zhuang Rui would naturally prefer the latter.
"That's more like it. There's no rush. You just need to get to the Gulf of Guinea within two weeks. There's a fleet from our country on a military visit there. You can just host the chiefs and such every day. Two months later, Fatty Ma and I will replace you..."