There was no light in the hallway outside the bedroom.

There was a small bonfire burning in the small fireplace, which could bring a little warmth to the relatively damp environment of the castle.

Alan listened to the obscene songs playing on the record player and watched the live broadcast on TV.

Because the live broadcast images are so boring, it is called a live broadcast, but in fact most of the scenes are airports or telephone connections.

The Americans are very cunning. They left a lot of journalists in Iraq, and these journalists actually have equipment that can contact the outside world.

Then a small telephone logo appeared on the TV, with the reporter's photo outline attached, which was equivalent to the host connecting live.

These journalists said they were not involved in military operations and were only concerned about whether civilians were harmed.

But through their words, their views on the surroundings, whether civilians are panicking, whether they have food to eat, whether there is chaos outside and other information, we can infer the corresponding local people's livelihood conditions.

…

In recent days, Alan has been concerned about the war on the front line.

It was not that he was interested in the casualties of the Iraqis, but that his own canned kangaroo meat, rabbit meat and beef were already ready to go. They had been stockpiled for so long in advance, just waiting for this one-time dumping to Kuwait to open up sales and occupy the market.

Kuwait is now in ruins, not really, but its social order has almost collapsed.

In just a few days, the coalition forces destroyed more than 80% of Iraq's power systems and most of the major military facilities.

Coupled with the global simultaneous live television broadcast, not to mention America’s allies, most countries in the world were frightened by this military action.

Iraq is like a target, and a blind target at that. Under the bombardment of a group of strong men, it has no power to fight back and can only passively take the beating.

The enemies are all in the sky, they can't see or touch them.

More than forty years have passed since the end of World War II.

Times are changing, and some military equipment is being upgraded, but tactics and many aspects still maintain the traditions of the Continental Army.

There are guns, cannons, and tanks.

Strengthen firepower and press forward, this is the general tactic. Other tactics, whether it is infiltration or other tactics, are all supplements based on this idea.

The role of the Air Force...

In fact, most areas are still at a very elementary stage.

The combat system is not three-dimensional but rather flat.

Electronic warfare like the one we are doing now would disrupt all of the enemy's radar and communication facilities, and then carry out continuous air strikes of tens of thousands of sorties for several days.

Before we even saw the enemy in front of us, our army had already been severely damaged.

This tactic is too cruel.

To sum it up simply, this thing is the sublimation of technology and money.

A carnival for major military industrial enterprises.

…

Watching the live broadcast of logistics and transportation content on TV, a few black guys carried a few sheep down from the transport plane.

There were a few black guys at the back looking in the direction of the camera with a lewd look on their faces, and a few sheep that looked very attractive were taken down from the transport plane one after another.

Seeing this scene, Alan couldn't bear it anymore.

He understands this thing, but many outsiders may not understand it.

…

As we all know, the number and expenditure of the US military have always been a mystery.

A sheep like this is most likely not meant to be eaten. If it was meant to be eaten, these little black guys wouldn't have picked it up from the transport plane so carefully.

This is probably a specially bred kind of sheep.

It can also be called the happy sheep...

The selling price is definitely not low. Allen estimates that it may be tens of thousands of dollars.

What is the effect...

It can replace humans and is safe, but I don’t know whether it is hygienic or not.

Anyway, Alan has never seen such things in Great Britain. It’s just fancy stuff played by the Americans.

It just looks a bit disgusting.

After turning off the TV, Alan, who rarely goes out these days, went to the study and prepared to look at last year's second half and full year financial reports.

…

The radio factory built and produced in China achieved a record high turnover of 31 million pounds. After deducting various operating expenses, the remaining profit reached more than 2 million pounds.

The current income of this radio director is more than his family’s annual income before.

The biggest advantage is that thanks to the demographic dividend, the cost is low, and with the newly upgraded production line and brand image, the radios are even re-exported to some European regions. These things have no technological content and are considered hard currency. The overall market is not large, but they can be sold everywhere.

After initial sales expansion, instant noodle factories have now entered the Korean and island country markets.

It’s not that we can’t get in from other places, but that the production capacity can’t keep up.

…

Instant noodles of this era are the ordinary Japanese instant noodles, with little meat and only one or two seasoning packets. The profit margin can even reach 50% or even higher. Although the instant noodles brand made by Allen also has two product lines, low-end and high-end, the overall profit margin is slightly lower than that of other brands of instant noodles, at only about 35%.

But the high-end brand products, that is, the bucket noodles with meat buns inside, sold very well in South Korea and the island countries after they were launched on the market.

In other words, productivity cannot keep up now. These are all new things that have just been launched, and all the sourcing of goods, worker training, equipment procurement, etc., have to be done slowly.

This year's total sales of instant noodles have exceeded 50 million pounds. In the next one or two years, with the increasing number of skilled workers and equipment in the factory, the output value will increase exponentially and will soon exceed 100 million.

Instant noodles alone can bring him more than 10 million pounds in profits this year. It may not seem like a lot, but how about converting it into Chinese yuan? Almost 100 million!

What does it mean to have profits of hundreds of millions in the 1990s?

This is still in its infancy.

…

Besides these...

The remaining takeaway business is a bit bleak, with no profit and pure loss.

Blue Knight Takeaway now has stations in seven cities, has more than 10,000 members, and is expanding at a snail's pace.

However, with the support of the Internet this year, I believe things will slowly get back on track. Alan is not in a hurry. This kind of large chain food delivery company must give the British people, who are stubborn and have a poor ability to accept new things, time to adapt.

The rest is the Gambia business, which has been an old business for several years.

The entire industry chain has now developed relatively well. From the customer side, whether it is shipping rebates, referral fees, or final consumption, Allen can get money from it.

In Gambia, he also has related supporting industries, including training, physical examinations, training equipment, etc., which also generate income.

All in all, the dividends he receives every year are almost six million pounds.

This business mainly involves sharing money with several other partners, and while the final share may not seem like much, this industry can continue for a long time, and it is a "high-quality industry" that has formed a complete industrial chain.

However, this year, Allen will have to ruthlessly dispose of this industry, completely sever ties with this industry, and clean up his mess.

…

“Boom boom boom.”

Alan put down the document and was about to pick up another report to look at it when he heard a knock on the study door. He thought it was the servant coming to bring him food, so he answered it casually.

I picked up the report and looked at it for a long time. There was nothing else in the house except the sound of the door opening and closing!

Alan slowly raised his head and saw a burly man with a middle-parted hair and gold-rimmed glasses standing in front of the desk. He was looking at him with a smile.

Alan was startled by the sudden appearance of this stranger.

When he looked closely, wasn't this the little Shitou whom he had sent to the Butler Academy for further studies for several years?

…

"Huh? When did you come back?"

Seeing Xiao Shitou, Alan put down the documents, quickly pulled the bell, asked the servant to bring in some tea, pointed to a chair, and asked Xiao Shitou to sit down first.

"Master, I came back last night, but it was too late when I got home, so I didn't go to see you first."

Xiao Shitou, who used to be a little irritable, is now wearing a suit. Although he doesn't look very elegant in a suit, but rather looks a bit like a thug in a suit, the combination of glasses and a middle-parted hairstyle makes him look a little bit cultured.

During these few years, Xiao Shitou did come back a few times, but he was always in a hurry. Alan had something else to do and was never able to make it, so he never met him.

Looking back now, it has been a few years since we both retired from the Navy and sent him to the Butler Academy.

Now that Xiao Shitou has finally returned from his studies, this reminds Alan that his secretariat can finally be put on the agenda!

…

"You just came back, so you should learn more from Hu Te and take a good rest at home these few days. In a few days, you can go..."

Alan picked up the cigarette at hand, lit it, thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Oxford and Cambridge to recruit some people. I want to set up a secretariat."

"Secretariat?"

Little Stone blinked, a little confused.

Alan had to explain to him the purpose of setting up a secretariat to help him deal with some household affairs. Hut would pick out some simple matters and hand them over to these secretaries to handle.

He can't be the one to do all the little things.

In the past, the family had few businesses and it was easy to manage. Now, there are several companies outside, and they are getting bigger and bigger. If Hu Te is allowed to take charge of everything, he will definitely not be able to take care of it with his ability.

By bringing Xiao Shitou with him and setting up a professional secretariat to help Alan handle some affairs, he can be freed from this.

He is only in his twenties and has a long life ahead of him. He can't be stuck in the study dealing with various household affairs except for his annual vacation, right?

Then what’s the meaning of life?

"Okay, I understand." After listening to Alan's statement, Little Stone understood what he meant.

Prestigious universities like Cambridge University have students from all over the world and talents from all walks of life. I can't say anything else, but if there is an opportunity to stay and work in the UK, especially to work with a nobleman, I believe that under this condition, a group of professional talents can still be recruited.

…

After finishing his business, Alan listened to Xiao Shitou telling him about the interesting things that happened in the Butler Academy in recent years, while he picked up the report next to him.

The box office revenue of "Terminator 2", which was released last Christmas, lasted for more than a month and has roughly calculated the box office revenue in the United States and the United Kingdom.

In the UK, it is just a little short of 20 million, and currently ranks first in the annual box office list with a revenue of more than 18 million pounds.

But the box office in the United States is different. As expected of Old Car, the total box office of "Terminator 2" in the United States has finally reached more than 204 million US dollars!

The cost was less than 100 million pounds, and the box office revenue in the UK and the US alone has already paid off. The rest will depend on the total box office revenue in other overseas regions and the subsequent video sales.

This is an achievement that even Allen himself cannot achieve. Although his films are quite famous, they always feel a bit off-the-beaten-path, with too many personal touches stuffed into them. They are famous, but the actual box office is not that good. They are not so bad that they lose money, but they don't make much money at the box office either. They rely entirely on the steady flow of videotape sales to make money.

But this time, the income from one movie of Carla is comparable to the total income from three movies of Allen!

This person is so annoying!

Allen is now jealous of science fiction films, and wants to make one this year to practice his hand, and hope it will be a box office hit, with a global box office of several hundred million.

…

In February, before school started, Diana once again personally sent William and Harry back to Allen's estate. When Allen saw Diana this time, he keenly felt that Diana seemed a little haggard again.

But the last time they met, he had said everything he needed to say, except telling her clearly that as long as she didn't cause any trouble, they could just have fun on their own.

But it is easy to persuade outsiders, but it is hard to say whether those insiders can get out.

The first time she saw Alan, Diana forced a smile at him and took out a small box from her bag and handed it to Alan.

"What's this?"

Alan was holding this small velvet box, which looked like a jewelry box.

"This is a little gift for you. When you get married, let your wife wear it. But you have to find a young one, not a woman in her forties."

Although Diana looked a little haggard, what she said was as unreliable as ever.

"Ha ha."

Allen understood the meaning of her words, but for the sake of face, Diana couldn't encourage Allen openly. She couldn't just say thank you to her nephew for helping her vent her anger and cheating on Donald, right?

So he gave Alan some advice and specifically pointed out that he should not marry a woman who is over 40 years old in the future.

None of Allen's previous dated were too old. There was only one person in their forties, and she was the one who had been involved in the scandal some time ago. The meaning was very clear.

…

Diana was invited to the side hall and the servants served some tea.

Diana picked up the silver cup, put several sugar cubes in the black tea, and then, as if she suddenly remembered, she pretended to be indifferent and asked: "Alan, this time next year, you have to take some time out."

"???"

Alan had just finished pouring tea for Diana and was pouring it into his own cup when he suddenly heard such an advance invitation and was a little unsure of what she meant.

"This time next year? What are you going to do?"