Chapter 285: Gotta Add Money
“Let’s forget about the Soviet Union for now, and just talk about the iron ore.” Derek said with a clear mind, “Our meeting today is kind of a coincidence, but there is an inevitability in chance, I got the news from Ms. Vivien Lei, she has a pipe to ask you for information, this kind of information is a top secret to any country, you dare to give it to show that you still hope to get some payment.”
“A glass of juice, please.” Ordered at the restaurant’s waiter before Alan Wilson said, “Respected Mr. Derek, currently the subcontinent doesn’t exist any country, you’re still thinking very long term, it’s really admirable.”
The two men had a chat, delayed to enter the main topic, time passed little by little, Derek’s accomplished smile has long since disappeared, frowning, “Mr. Allen, even if you have been considered a senior official of the colony, the salary is not very generous, plus some gray income and how much can there be, a few hundred a month, what do you play with your life ah, you Who do think you are, the Prime Minister of the British Empire?”
Really coincidentally, Alan Wilson really think so, to the other side of the ridicule is not moved, “not think, in British India this place, my power and the Prime Minister is almost the same, the Prime Minister can be in the streets of London randomly kill people? He can’t, but I can, and I have countless ways of getting rid of what I consider to be detrimental to the British Empire, and that’s what makes it a true colony. In America’s place, Mr. Derek could certainly do the same, but certainly not as easily as I do here.”
First of all, not to mention that the shareholder of the U.S. Steel Company in front of him may not be as rich as he is, even if the other party is rich. But money and power can not be completely equalized, even if they are interdependent.
Allen Wilson soft and hard, Derek’s temptation is not cold, finally let the other side feel that the so-called preemptive, is just a beautiful dream, it gave up if anything, the temptation, directly open the mouth, “Well, let’s be direct, my purpose this time, I came to British India to see if I can expand the business to the subcontinent, is to follow the iron ore. That would be good for Britain, wouldn’t it?”
“This is a difficult matter.” Alan Wilson spirit a little, the other party is finally into the main topic, but still revealed a difficult color said, “The risk is huge, may destroy the smooth situation of British India.”
“Isn’t British India still what you Brits say it is?” Derek mocked with a light laugh, “Since when do you Brits still care about the voices of the colonies? Hasn’t it always been the guns that spoke?”
“You can’t say that.” Alan Wilson flatly denied, “Britain and India are as close as brothers, and the Indians are our beloved kith and kin, brothers in arms!”
“And a man like you cares about that?” Derek’s eyebrows wrinkled slightly, as if he had witnessed aliens, and just when he wanted to say something else, he saw Alan Wilson’s head tilted to one side, and with an expression of ten thousand helplessness, he said, “It has to be increased.”
Derek’s expression froze, and he suddenly snorted and said to himself, “I thought I had just run into an upstanding officer, and thought to make sure that today was not April Fool’s Day.”
“Mr. Derek’s misunderstanding of me is really not ordinary. I would like to give a solemn warning not to bring out of the United States the experience you have had at home; diplomacy is no small matter, and once you are in a different place, your former experience may not be useful.” Alan Wilson snapped his fingers and asked for another glass of juice, then said, “When I say it’s difficult, I mean that it’s considered from the overall situation, it’s a macro level thing, and it’s not limited to the behavior of one individual.”
“That means there’s someone above you.” Derek spoke succinctly, indicating that he understood the other party’s words, “It seems that this matter has exceeded my previous expectations, and is even somewhat out of my control.”
“That’s not surprising, Chamberlain still thinks he controls the Führer.” Alan Wilson in a tactical backward posture, his gaze leveled at the fat …… capitalist from the United States, “When Mr. Derrick hands to come, in fact, it is a signal, since you can come, if the delayed, there may be other guests come to British India, if this iron ore falls into the hands of the hands of someone else? There may be a rival to the United States Steel Company.”
“There are many steel companies, but there are not so many iron mines this good as there are steel companies.”
“And who would come to a distant subcontinent, Mr. Allen?” Derek spoke up to show that he didn’t agree with the other man, “The infrastructure here is backward, and even skilled workers are scarce.”
“The biggest and best iron mines are in the Mysore Tubal, that’s a coastal Tubal. Perhaps Mr. Derrick is trying to get in front of a British Indian civil servant and tell him you don’t understand British India.” Alan Wilson raised an eyebrow and pointed out that Derek’s words didn’t hold water, “Mysore Tupa is coastal and can rely on well-developed shipping to get the good iron ore out. Of course, if Mr. Derek tells me that the United States is very backward in terms of shipping, just forget I said that.”
When it came to geography, Derrick, a pure capitalist, was the match for Allen Wilson, a British Indian official.
It was clearly a seller’s market now, and if that iron ore was for sale it could be sold to any steel company, including but not limited to U.S. Steel, and who would turn down iron ore of such fine quality?
By now Derek had to admit that the idea of picking up a great bargain and coming to British India to take the plunge was overly optimistic.
He still underestimated his opponents, always thinking of a profit, not realizing how the British could not understand the subcontinent of governance.
Derek didn’t speak for a long time, obviously in a bad mood, but still spoke up, “I’m sorry to bother Mr. Allen, in fact, I’m usually very busy, so I might go back at some point.”
“Then I wish, Mr. Derek’s short free time, can have a good time in the subcontinent.” Alan Wilson stood up and politely nodded his head at Derek in greeting, then left the restaurant without looking back.
Derek just watched Allen Wilson’s back disappear until his assistant came over to warn, “Mr. Derek!”
“I can hear you.” Derek gave his assistant a look full of warning, your boss is in a bad mood right now.
For a capitalist, not picking up a big bargain was the equivalent of losing money, it was the same as a thief who didn’t steal something and thought it was a loss to him, it was clear that Derek was in a bad mood now.
Allen Wilson is much simpler, go to the telegraph room of the Governor’s Office, ready to take the identity of a distinguished imperial civil servant, reported this matter to London, and in which to give their own advice.
If the price was right, Allen Wilson said he was willing to try the other side, and if not to reject it.
Of course this money is naturally unreservedly contributed to the British Empire’s finances to ease the pressure on the British Empire after the war.
The question is what to do if the other side to buy themselves, is not to ask the other side to come up with the part that belongs to the public.
This telegram was sent to London before he left the telegraph office to return to his home, and when he walked to the door of his apartment, the corner of his mouth could not help but twitch, Joan Crawford was already waiting there.
“Joan, this will lead to speculation about our relationship.” Alan Wilson was full of helplessness, “It’ll have an effect on you.”
“With Betty around, what influence am I afraid of?” Joan Crawford grunted and laughed, stepped forward and the two of them almost face-to-face pressed together, “Are you afraid that it will reach Vivian’s ears, it’s hard to see that you really do have the idea of staying together for a long time?”
“She’s a big star, which is something I can get.” Alan Wilson looked gloomy, with a face of bitterly seeking but not being able to get, “There is a gulf between us, it’s too hard to cross.”
The gesture resonated with Joan Crawford, all for the sake of progress.
It made Joan Crawford, who had also taken one step at a time to get to where she was today, empathize somewhat.
“Stay for dinner together, I’ll call Ms. Heidi.” Allen Wilson unscrewed the door and turned back to Joan Crawford to invite her, in a homebody’s manner.
“Maybe that’s how you seduced Vivian.” Joan Crawford was touched to see Allen Wilson like that and happily accepted the invitation, “I’m mostly staying and telling you what to do about Derek.”
“Very well understood, should I do something to show my appreciation?” Allen Wilson held two eggs in his hands, made a colorful face and stared at Joan Crawford’s chest and stabbed it hard twice, “How about a little ball spinning a big ball?”
“What little ball what big ball?” Joan Crawford froze, but immediately reacted to this is a mouth flower, make indifferent look skimmed his mouth, “Without those two small balls falling on you, you can go to heaven.”
The dinner was not luxurious, but it was still sumptuous, and Allen Wilson was polite and courteous, not only able to join in what Joan Crawford and Hedy Lamarr were talking about, but also able to give his own advice.
Because of the time difference, it was lunchtime over in London, and Edward Bridges and Norman Brooke, who had gone forward hand in hand and with no intention of being difficult, were eating and studying a telegram from New Delhi.
“The Treasury has been the department under the greatest strain since the end of the war.” Edward Bridges gently wiped the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes, “All those ideas of our Prime Minister’s require huge amounts of financial backing.”
“The Prime Minister calls that a grand blueprint.” Norman Brooke shrugged, “But it’s true that they’re all big things.”
“Exactly, that’s why we let the civil servants in the colonies make their own way, for now, British India is worthy of being the jewel of the British Empire, if it wasn’t for the support over there, the permanent undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance wouldn’t know how many to resign.” Edward Bridges said this and looked at Norman Brooke, “So, Norman, got a decision?”
“In favor, of course.” Norman Brooke nodded solemnly, “Selling out the colonies is better than selling out the mainland. A lot of things in the past have proven that once left alone, it will eventually come back to us.”