Baghdad.
A secret mansion somewhere.
Sam sat in the chair with a frosty expression.
His mood these past two days has been like a rollercoaster ride.
The more enjoyable it was before, the more frustrated I am now.
Sam's strategy cannot be considered a failure.
on the contrary!
Since Iraq held a press conference announcing that all oil well equipment had entered a maintenance phase.
Funds continue to flow into the international crude oil futures market, driving up international crude oil prices.
International crude oil prices, as if they had sprouted wings, rose steadily under this powerful impetus.
In just six trading days, crude oil prices rose from a low of $16.06 a barrel to $18.67 a barrel, an increase of 16%.
Don't think that 16% is a small percentage.
Crude oil prices and stocks are two different things, they're not on the same wavelength.
Industries that rely on crude oil include gasoline, kerosene, diesel, lubricating oil for machinery, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, plastics, dyes, paints, and so on.
This is a huge industrial chain.
The rise in the price of raw materials will affect the entire industry chain.
Let me briefly explain using a set of data from 2019.
In 2019, China imported more than 10 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It's 1990 now, and the demand for crude oil isn't as exaggerated as it was in 2019, but that's only in China.
With so many countries around the world, the annual demand for crude oil reaches tens of billions of barrels, which is not an exaggeration at all.
A barrel price increase of $2.60 means that 10 billion barrels would be worth $26 billion.
From this perspective, Sam's strategy was not only very successful, but also incredibly valuable.
The biggest beneficiaries of rising international crude oil prices are these big spenders.
They don't care about downstream companies; as long as prices rise at the source, this money seems to appear out of thin air.
Sam also made a fortune during this surge.
But that's not enough.
Compared to his debts and the situation facing Iraq, the money he earned was just a drop in the ocean and far from enough to pay off his debts.
Therefore, the price of crude oil must rise, and rise sharply.
But new problems followed.
First, a reporter appeared out of nowhere and started making wild claims in the newspaper.
On the surface, the reporter spoke eloquently, praising Sam's actions to the skies.
Things like putting people first, emphasizing human rights, and protecting the lives of oil well workers.
But anyone with eyes can see that these remarks are a knife that kills without drawing blood.
Especially at the end of the article, the reporter devoted considerable space to describing Iraq's financial situation.
The eight-year Iran-Iraq War took its toll, and while Iraq was borrowing money to fight the war, it also implemented a high-welfare policy domestically.
Free healthcare for all, free education for all... and so on.
This doesn't even include the expenses of supporting an army of 1.2 million.
If you take all that into account, you'd be practically pointing your finger at Sam and yelling, "You're messing things up!"
Should an army of 1.2 million be supported?
Do ordinary people still need to make a living?
Should we repay the money we owe to other countries?
They also shut down all the oil wells for maintenance.
Without crude oil exports, where will the government get its revenue?
What does it mean to kill someone by destroying their spirit? This is it.
Throughout the entire article, not a single word speaks ill of Sam, yet what is presented to everyone is that Sam is entirely to blame.
Sam caused all of this.
In short, Sam shouldn't have shut down all the oil wells for a complete overhaul.
If that were all, Sam wouldn't be so angry.
Even more critically, creditors from neighboring countries also launched an attack at this time.
Over the phone, these leaders all accused Sam.
They believe that all oil wells should not be shut down.
In that case, where would Iraq get the money to pay off its debts?
We had agreed that once we conquered Ylang, we would all sit down and eat fruit.
And what was the result?
They didn't get a single penny of benefit and may even face the risk of debt default.
If you were the creditor, you would also get angry.
Previously, due to the deterrent effect of Iraq's 1.2 million troops, they did not force Sam to repay the money as soon as possible.
But things are different now.
Beautiful politicians all came to act as lobbyists.
It has been clearly stated that we will stand behind them and act as messengers of justice.
In this situation, only a fool would be polite to Sam.
The head of state of Kot, Saad, even made some harsh remarks over the phone.
“Sam, if you don’t pay me back soon, I’m going to increase the amount of crude oil I produce.”
"Anyway, all the oil wells in your country are under maintenance, there are so many oil well equipment."
"Don't even mention one or two months. If you can complete the maintenance within six months, I would say that your country's oil well maintenance level has reached the world's advanced level."
"Since that's the case, for the sake of us being brothers, you don't need to pay me back. I'll take your market share for six months, and we'll consider this debt wiped clean."
From Saad's perspective, he did this out of consideration for his fellow countrymen.
Anyway, the crude oil is buried underground, and it will take several lifetimes to dig it all out, so it doesn't matter if we lose a little more.
I'll take advantage of your maintenance to make up for some of my losses. What's up?
But those words almost made Sam's mouth twist in anger.
What do you think happened?
Was Lao Tzu really just there to inspect the oil well?
That's because it's to boost international crude oil prices.
If you do this, and the Kingdom of Kote increases its oil production, then all the work that the Kingdom of Lachte did before will have been for nothing.
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