Chapter 1284 Diamonds are persuasive (first update, please subscribe)
"war!"
In the Boer headquarters, Yang Hongqi said in a light tone.
"This is never a simple war. It will be affected by many things. If Johannesburg is the place that South Africa must go to, then Kimberley is the place that the British must save. General, now that we have surrounded this place, the British will definitely send reinforcements to rescue it. What we need is to surround the point and attack the reinforcements!"
"Besiege the point and attack the reinforcements..."
General Louis Botha said.
"This is not like the Franco-Prussian War when the Prussians surrounded Marshal Bazaine. If you hadn't intervened, the French might have been defeated."
"No one is helping the British right now, General."
Yang Hongqi lit a cigarette and said.
"Now, all we need is for the shareholders of Rhodes and De Beers to urge the British commander."
…
Cecil John Rhodes was a predator, and that was well known in southern Africa, but that was the fundamental reason for his success, because he knew the world for what it was: it was a jungle, and he was a black panther in the jungle.
From this point of view, Rhodes highly appreciated the "Evolution and Ethics" translated by the Ming Emperor, which is actually Darwin's theory of evolution. Although it seems to introduce natural science, it actually talks about the basic operating principles of the human world.
The world is a jungle, in which the strong prey on the weak and only the fittest survive.
Like all people who like to plunder by nature, he respects certain standards in person, but he disdains them behind his back and tears them up at will. There is only one commandment in his life belief, that is, "profit first."
He followed this rule in everything, and it enabled him to achieve his wish: he became rich, because he held more than 30% of the shares in De Beers Mining Company and occupied the top floor office, and he was many times richer than many so-called millionaires.
He created a diamond kingdom and even ventured into a gold kingdom, but now all of this is threatened, and even this threat will lead to him eventually losing everything. This is obviously impossible and he will never accept it.
That was why he took the train to the front - in fact, it was still several days' journey to the front, but the army led by General Paul Methuen was stationed here. After getting off the train, Rhodes went straight to General Methuen's headquarters.
When Rhodes arrived at the headquarters, there were soldiers running back and forth everywhere. They were busy with the things at hand, and from their nervous expressions, it could be seen that the situation was not very optimistic.
After entering General Methuen's office, Rhodes heard General Methuen say before he spoke.
"Damn the Boers! They destroyed everything. The railways were blown up, the telegraph lines were cut, our soldiers and workers were ambushed. South Africa is full of Boers, and they are our enemies everywhere..."
As he spoke, General Methuen looked at the billionaire who had just walked in and spoke directly.
"Mr. Rhodes, I know why you came to me. I can tell you that I will definitely rescue there, but not now. Now those damn Boers are attacking us everywhere, even the railway has been destroyed. Supporting Kimberley is my mission, but the safety of the railway cannot be guaranteed. It is impossible for me to get there within a few days."
General Methuen was certainly not doing it on purpose; he was speaking the truth, and the truth is that the British are now the enemy of all South Africa.
"Not only that, but our forces are also very limited now. Before our reinforcements arrived, there were a total of 35,000 Boers and foreign volunteers on the battlefield, while we only had 20,000. They have a numerical advantage over us. Mr. Rhodes, your mine in Kimberley is important, but I have to consider the entire war."
Faced with General Methuen's refusal, Rhodes thought for a moment and then spoke.
"General, when I came here, I rented the whole train. In addition to the 800 mining company police brought from Cape Town, the train was also loaded with many guns, ammunition and cannons. I will go to Kimberley and enter there before the whole city is surrounded. I will share the fate of my diamond mine. If it is destined to fall, I will live and die with it!"
"Mr. Rhodes, you are an honorable man, and I don't think this is a good choice."
General Methuen said,
"Do you know why?"
Ross asked back.
"Because I know what that mine means. It's not just my diamond mine, it also belongs to many other people. In London, there are many politicians, generals and nobles who are shareholders of the company. If Kimberly is destined to be lost, even if I'm alive, it's the same as being dead. No one needs a loser..."
Staring at General Methuen, Rhodes continued.
"But please believe me - when I die, London... the whole world will know that it was your poor assistance that led to the fall of Kimberley!"
"What, damn it!"
General Methuen stared at the guy in front of him. What was he talking about? If all this happened, how could those dignitaries who suffered heavy losses because of the Boer occupation of Kimberley let him go?
Taking away someone's wealth is like killing their parents!
Is this damn guy threatening him?
"Are you threatening me?"
"General, I'm here to discuss something with you!"
Ross said directly.
"Of course, this is not an inevitable choice, General. Now you can save the city and become Kimberly's savior. The shareholders of the company will be grateful to you. Believe me, they will be willing to thank you in any way..."
As he spoke, Ross took out a pink diamond the size of an egg from his pocket and placed it directly on his desk.
"this……"
General Methuen looked at the diamond in surprise and couldn't help swallowing.
"General, this is just my personal gratitude. After Kimberly is saved, the shareholders in London will thank you in their own way. General, each of us needs some help from those in high positions. They can help us go further! General!"
Is this a bribe?
No, this is persuasion... As for diamonds or help, they are just the "price of persuasion". In this jungle, Ross knows what he should use to persuade others, and he also knows what kind of things are the most persuasive.
There is no one in this world who can resist this kind of persuasion. Having dealt with these people for so many years, Ross is very clear about this.
He clearly knew what these generals and politicians wanted. What they wanted was not just power, but money.
“This, this…”
Faced with such persuasion, how many people can resist such temptation?
General Methuen looked at the diamond, hesitating and seeming to be struggling inside.
"This... For the benefit of the British Empire, I think... we should send reinforcements there as soon as possible."
(End of this chapter)
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