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Chapter 1058: Chapter 930: Great Idea (Subscribe Please!)
Although small-scale jungle battles meant little.
Yet, each defeat was so dire.
It started to be troubling, and gradually, a faint sense of fear not only formed in their minds but lingered in the minds of the soldiers at the border for a long time, almost forming a psychological shadow.
"If we really had to fight, our chances of winning were indeed slim, but our goal was not war—it was to resolve the current plight, and now we could only see who was less patient," he said.
Mu Zhiwen stroked his beard, speaking in the manner of a sage.
He felt fairly good about himself.
But the other people had already started to complain crazily in their minds. Another elderly person poisoned by martial arts movies, with a full white beard. Keep stroking, aren’t you afraid of stroking it off?
"Since they want to deter us, we can’t just act timidly," Pan Cong slammed the table.
He said loudly.
"Convey my order, the soldiers should deploy according to the plan, keep a close watch on their movements; by tomorrow, I estimate they should show their cards. Also, control the internal public opinion, do not spread rumors," he commanded.
"Yes,"
the others accepted the orders and left.
Leaving only Mu Zhiwen behind.
Mu Zhiwen was not only Pan Cong’s strategist.
But also his mentor, teaching him literacy and strategies. Unfortunately, Mu Zhiwen was just slightly better than average. Relying on these strategies did not significantly enhance Pan Cong’s strength.
This was not ancient times.
Strategies, if not coordinated with a strong economy, industry, and military strength, were simply useless, in the end only fostering an official well-suited for internal strife.
Pan Cong was just about to speak.
"Ding ding ding ..."
The phone beside him rang.
Although wireless communication was poor here, wired telephones had been around for over a century and were widely used here. As for a satellite phone, it would not receive a signal inside the house.
Let alone in the basement.
"Hello,"
Checking the number, Pan Cong picked up the phone.
A lifeless voice came from the other side: "Did you know? There’s a large-scale military movement at Lang Cai."
"I already know, was just about to call you. We’re preparing to defend with all our might; based on my estimation, Lang Cai won’t dare keep this standoff for more than a month. As long as we hold out, we win," Pan Cong shared his guess.
"Hmm, I’m preparing the same here. Keep in touch and don’t act rashly. Since neither of us wants to fight, then let’s drag it out. They can’t afford to," the voice said with certainty.
"Aren’t you afraid they’ll actually attack?" Pan Cong asked curiously.
"They don’t have such plans."
"What do you know?" Pan Cong noticed the choice of words from the other side.
"They have started to capture and control our spies comprehensively. My spies are better hidden, and they’ve sent back some useful information. Just wait, once their troops move, they are more anxious than us."
"..."
Pan Cong was frustrated.
His intelligence was inferior to theirs.
Forget it.
What’s there to compare.
He still needed something from them. As for his spies that were captured, he didn’t feel sorry for them; after all, Lang Cai wouldn’t kill them, he could negotiate to get them back later.
Then, Pan Cong remembered something urgent: "By the way, our supply of daily necessities is getting tight, and we’re also running out of medicines; when can the cargo from India arrive."
"It will be delivered to your place by tomorrow morning, don’t worry. Those damned Indians, not only are they inefficient, but they also charged us triple the price. Once this deal with Lang Cai is done, I never want to do business with Indians again in my life."
The resentment from the other side of the phone was palpable to Pan Cong.
In response,
Pan Cong could only offer a wry smile.
Now, the only channel for foreign imports was through Ke Bang in the north.
Shan State was completely surrounded and had to rely solely on Ke Bang for cargo transportation.
He had never imagined he would end up in this situation; he’d never thought importing daily necessities could be so difficult. Back then, there were Thailand, Laos, Huaxia, Myanmar, India.
They had a total of five sources of goods, so supplies were always plentiful.
Now they were completely cut off.
Even the goods from India had to come through ’illicit pathways,’ which naturally entailed higher costs. As for Huaxia, they didn’t even dare to think about it—not only was it easy to get caught, but the costs were also astonishingly high.
No vehicles.
Just mountain paths.
They could only carry small items on their backs.
And they had to be constantly cautious of getting caught transporting shampoo—the thought of which was too pleasant for Pan Cong to even consider. Moreover, the small-scale smuggling couldn’t meet the needs of a million people.
"India is probably just using this opportunity to make a final profit. Let’s endure it for now; we’ll earn it back later," comforted Pan Cong. Once their area became like the Myanmar Economic Zone, this dream wasn’t hard to realize.
Their filters were already making a killing on the international market.
The fruit wine had been selling like crazy.
Their other products were also aggressively entering foreign markets—they simply refused to believe it couldn’t work.
"Pan Cong, do you think we should add some conditions, like asking Ling to give us some high-value technology and help us establish an industrial base? With that, we could save a lot of trouble."
Suddenly, these words from the other side startled Pan Cong.
"That’s impossible," Pan Cong hesitated.
"What’s impossible about that? Think about it. If we add these demands to the conditions, saying we’ll ease or even drop other demands as long as Lang Cai agrees,
then we can kick the ball back into their court. Lang Cai’s interests and Ling’s interests are different. Regardless of whether Ling agrees, it will create tension between Ling and Lang Cai."
"This...that’s a brilliant idea." Pan Cong thought about it and his eyes lit up. He quickly said, "What kind of technology should we ask for that Ling absolutely wouldn’t want to give up?"
"Fruit wine, filters, mine-clearing vehicles—these three items are among the most important in Ling’s hand. Even if not, they are certainly in the top ten. We can choose one of them," the person on the other side said, hitting the core of the matter.
"That’s like demanding Ling’s life," Pan Cong remarked.
The person on the other side explained, "That’s what makes it useful. All three items are treasures for the Myanmar Bank Group, making big money for Ling. But what about others? The elite of Myanmar and various interest groups don’t get a slice of it.
Ling is hoarding it all. These items are very important for Ling, but for Lang Cai and his group, not so much because this cake has nothing to do with them. Once we make the demand, they wouldn’t care much about something that isn’t theirs.
If Ling disagrees, then it shows a disregard for the bigger picture; if agreed, there will be a huge rift between Ling and Lang Cai, and any widening of this rift would greatly benefit our future."
By now, Pan Cong had stood up from his seat, excitedly saying, "Great idea, let’s do that. Ha-ha, I don’t believe their relationship could remain so intimate after this."
"..."
After a few more words,
Pan Cong hung up the phone.
He mulled over the pros and cons of this plan in his mind, but no matter how he calculated, they were going to benefit. After discussing it with Mu Zhiwen, who also thought it was highly feasible, Pan Cong was able to sleep soundly that night.
He did sleep soundly.
But many others had no time to sleep.
At the border,
both sides were amassing more and more forces.
Continuously testing each side’s management and coordination skills, since Lang Cai began ordering mobilization at night and the internet was underdeveloped, the news was also under censorship. The people of Myanmar hadn’t a clue what was happening.
And those who did know,
found it hard to fall asleep tonight.
