"The First Sino-Japanese War a hundred years ago?"

Xiao Yuanze asked in surprise, his heart filled with unease, wondering what Lin Dong was up to:

"Mr. Lin, you might as well be more explicit."

"In that naval battle 100 years ago, China was defeated. Prime Minister Obuchi, do you still remember how much money the Qing Dynasty paid you in reparations?"

Lin Dong spoke slowly and deliberately, without immediately revealing his thoughts.

"Uh, if I remember correctly, the compensation amount should be 230 million taels of silver, right?" Xiao Yuanze's unease intensified.

"Your Excellency has a good memory. That's right, the indemnity paid after the treaty was signed was 230 million taels of silver!"

Lin Dong's tone became more forceful:

"This 230 million taels of silver was the entire wealth of the Qing Dynasty at that time."

"Your island nation has earned seven years' worth of fiscal revenue for nothing. Otherwise, how could your island nation have achieved such a great industrial development at the beginning of the century?"

Xiao Yuanze asked cautiously, "Mr. Lin, you didn't bring this up suddenly because you want us to pay compensation, did you?"

"Smart, you guessed right."

"I wonder... what amount of compensation Mr. Lin is looking for?"

"Sure, how about we compare it to the amount of the Sino-Japanese War reparations? 230 million taels of silver, which, converted to the equivalent purchasing power at the time, is not an exaggeration to say it's worth one trillion Chinese yuan, is it?"

"One trillion? That much?!"

"Oh? Is one trillion a lot?" Lin Dong sneered. "Don't be so surprised. I haven't finished speaking yet."

"Mr. Lin, please speak."

"Your Excellency, what I just mentioned was only the principal compensation; the interest hasn't been factored in yet."

"Let's calculate it at an annual interest rate of 10%, that's 100 billion a year, and 10 trillion in 100 years."

"Therefore, you only need to pay 11 trillion in compensation this time."

"Yes, we accept payments in US dollars or gold."

On the other end of the phone, Xiao Yuanze was stunned by Lin Dong's words.

11 trillion yen! That's 1.5 trillion yen in Japanese currency!

Although the island nation is now the world's second-largest economy, it can still come up with the money if it grits its teeth.

But even if he could swallow this blatant robbery and extortion, how could he explain it to the Emperor and the Diet?

"11 trillion yuan in compensation is too much, Mr. Lin. Do you think it's possible to reduce it a bit?" Xiao Yuanze asked, barely containing his anger.

"You think it's too much? Then don't pay!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Dong hung up the phone.

eight......

grid......

Xiao Yuanze was completely dumbfounded.

Why did you hang up on me without saying a word?

Do I, the Prime Minister of an island nation, not care about my reputation?

Kobuchi Zeji was very angry and frustrated.

Because the bad news of the Self-Defense Forces being attacked by the Black-Faced Ghost Legion has not stopped.

Most recently, an invisible force attacked the Capitol Building.

The Ghost Legion's targets are no longer limited to Self-Defense Force military objectives.

The dire situation seems to be spiraling further out of control.

......

Five hours later, Kobuchi Sawaji called again.

This time, his attitude completely changed.

They became even more obsequious.

"Mr. Lin, the Emperor and the Diet have approved the conditions you proposed, but we have a request."

"What request do you have? Tell me."

"Our idea is that this is a large sum of money, and the national treasury cannot raise that much in a short time. Could we pay half of it first?"

"Um?"

"But Mr. Lin, please rest assured that we will pay the remaining half in full within three months."

"Sure, but the first half of the payment, in addition to US dollars, must include at least 6,000 tons of gold."

"Over 6,000 tons of gold? Mr. Lin, where am I supposed to find that much gold for you?!"

Lin Dong laughed: "Your island nation doesn't have gold? You're kidding me."

Xiao Yuanze said with a bitter face, "Even if there were any, they were almost all taken by you... uh, by people who bought them for free before."

"What are banks and central treasuries compared to this? I know where the bulk of your gold reserves are located."

Lin Dong chuckled coldly:

"Your Excellency, have you forgotten about the urban mining project?"

“You have been secretly recycling gold, silver and rare metals from various electronic wastes for as long as 30 years.”

"Over the years, the gold reserves should be no less than 6,000 tons, right?"

Kobuchi Zeji was so shocked that his lips trembled.

How did Lin Dong find out about such a confidential matter?

It seems that the island nation's secrecy mechanisms are not tight enough!

"The gold reserves of the urban mining project are in the hands of Congress, and I will try my best to secure them."

At this moment, Kobuchi Sawaji had lost even the last shred of hope:

“Give me half a day, and I will persuade Congress.”

"No problem, I'll give you half a day, or you'll miss your turn."

......

Half a day later, Lin Dong's gold compensation terms were approved by Congress.

Soon, he received a notification to go to the underground vault at Mount Kiso to receive the gold.

Lin Dong sped from Kobe to Mount Kiso, completing the journey in less than 20 minutes.

The process of transferring gold is very simple.

Lin Dong was taken to a treasure vault 100 meters underground, where 6,500 tons of gold reserves were confiscated in front of everyone.

Based on the international gold price in 1997, the total value of 6,500 tons of gold was approximately 780 billion Chinese dollars.

After deducting the 6,500 tons of gold, the remaining 4.72 trillion Chinese yuan will be converted into US dollars for payment.

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