On this day, the Freemasons held another meeting.
Bronson, the supervisor in charge of cracking down on China and retaliating against Chen Dong, spoke first, introducing his work results over the past two months to the meeting attendees.
"Let's talk about the confrontation with China first. I have arranged for the four major grain merchants to keep spreading news that grain production has been reduced due to natural disasters in order to drive up international grain prices. I believe that China will suffer heavy losses in this confrontation. There are two specific reasons."
"First, although the Chinese have a tradition of storing grain, according to our internal information, their reserves of grain, including wheat, corn, rice, etc., are not particularly large, and they even import a significant portion of it. So this is a good time for us to make our move."
"Secondly, just a few months ago, China established a national-level grain reserve institution. However, it has only been established for a short time and cannot store a large amount of grain in a short period of time. Perhaps the Chinese people have realized the problems they are facing, which is why they took this action. However, they realized it too late, and they are dependent on international grain supplies, which gives us an opportunity!"
"Since July, wheat has entered a new marketing year, and international prices have begun to rise, with no sign of falling. For example, export prices at Gulf Coast ports in the United States have increased from $133.47 per ton on July 6 to $173.32 per ton on July 5. This increase is more than double the previous year's increase! Many countries around the world, especially China, are suffering a major blow from us."
After listening to Bronson's explanation, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Very good, keep doing it this way!" The chairman affirmed Bronson's work.
Bronson bowed slightly to express his gratitude for the chairman's affirmation.
Then he added that he would do his best and fulfill his responsibilities.
"So, what's the situation with that Chinese man, Chen Dong? Has it dealt him a significant blow?" the chairman continued.
Brunson replied:
"Yes, we have already begun to take action against him. Before that, our main task was to investigate his businesses and try to make our strikes as precise as possible!"
"Chen Dong has a complex network of connections. He invests through various means, including equity participation, nominee shareholding, offshore companies, and covert shareholding, to conceal his relationship with related industries. Therefore, we need to conduct a certain investigation. At the same time, many of his industries are located in China, and we do not have the ability to directly target them. In the early stages, we have already begun to crack down on his publicly known related industries."
Someone interrupted, expressing their doubts:
"But you actually spent nearly two months conducting the investigation. That's way too long!" someone complained.
“We must speed things up. We have people, resources, and connections. Why are we being so cautious?” Another person also criticized Bronson.
Are you afraid of accidentally hurting others?
"Do we need to worry about innocent people being affected? There's so much trash in this world that needs cleaning up!"
“That’s right, but we need to strike with precision, concentrate our forces and deliver the most ferocious and continuous blows!” Bronson argued.
At this moment, the Lord spoke up: "Your idea makes some sense, and that's certainly the right thing to do. We should use all our strength to defeat him, but it's taking a bit too long. We need to speed things up and not worry about the details!"
Bronson solemnly replied, "Yes, I understand. I will speed up the process and further intensify the crackdown."
...
at the same time.
China is also holding a high-level meeting to specifically discuss the recent rise in international wheat prices.
"Gentlemen, the situation is urgent, so I won't beat around the bush."
The relevant leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture first gave a detailed report on the recent rapid rise in international grain prices, and then proceeded to speak.
"Many people may not be aware of the dangers behind rising food prices. Let me put it this way: at the current rate of international food price increases, within six months at most, the prices of major crops such as wheat will reach double that of last year."
"This will indirectly lead to a significant reduction in the value of ordinary people's money."
“Agreed, I agree with Minister Cui’s opinion.”
Old Lin stood up and said, "Just now, Minister Cui also said that this concerns the wallets of every ordinary person. I only agree with half of what he said. The other half is what I want to say today."
"If food prices remain high and cannot be alleviated, it will not only be a matter of money, but also a matter of our domestic security."
"Actually, we have always attached great importance to the current food problem. However, because we started late and have a weak foundation, many things are difficult to handle. But there are solutions, and there are always more solutions than problems. We can't let ourselves be driven to despair. I share this attitude on this matter."
"Have you all heard the rumor that seeds and grains have always been controlled by the four major foreign grain traders?"
"More than half a year ago, a child talked to me about the food problem and mentioned the various despicable methods used by these international food giants. They really used the method of killing without bloodshed to the extreme."
"That's why I suggested at this meeting that we need to increase our grain reserves and proposed establishing a national grain storage department... However, this happened just as the plan was being implemented. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if someone has noticed something!"
"However, it cannot be denied that the other side chose a good time. We can only tough it out; when paths cross, the brave will prevail."
"As for the specific policy formulation for this confrontation with the four major grain traders, you can handle it as you see fit."
"I do have a suggestion: we should focus on tapping domestic potential, and we can also consider importing grain from other grain-producing countries abroad."
"But the most important thing is to find a way to curb the upward trend of international grain prices, so that speculators can no longer see the hope of continuing to raise prices to make huge profits. Only in this way can the situation be reversed."
Next, many leaders spoke in turn, offering many constructive suggestions.
When a disagreement arose among the group regarding the food issue, with someone suggesting that if they lacked sufficient food themselves, they could simply purchase it from outside, Old Lin spoke up again.
"The Earth today is like the Warring States period in my country, a time of great strife. Taking a step back or making a wrong move could lead to total defeat. We cannot afford to be careless."
"The method they are using now is equivalent to Guan Zhong's strategy to revive Qi."
Seeing that some leaders were unaware of these historical allusions, Mr. Lin gave them a brief explanation.
Originally, the State of Qi was a small coastal country. Jiang Taigong's initial fiefdom was only a hundred square miles in circumference, and much of it was saline-alkali land unsuitable for growing crops, resulting in low grain production and a small population.
The reason why the State of Qi developed into a powerful state in the East in a relatively short period of time was largely due to Guan Zhong's grain strategy.
Guan Zhong used three strategies, all of which were related to grain, making it a genuine grain war.
This strategy included subduing the states of Lu and Liang by offering silk, buying deer from Chu, and buying fox fur to subdue the state of Dai.
......
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