NOVPUB
Chapter 687: Chapter 591: Position (Please subscribe!)_1
Lang Cai sank into contemplation.
He suddenly looked up.
"If we agree on this, Ling will definitely enjoy numerous trade conveniences and benefits. But if he spends a lot of time there and has different intentions, what should we do?"
Lang Cai’s concern was not unfounded. Being in power for half a year, Ling had proven to be ’far-sighted’, and if he continued, he might actually develop different intentions.
The people in the room fell into silence again.
They really wanted to suggest again that Lang Cai should constrain Ling, but it was clear that Lang Cai would not agree. Ling might have some backups and after all, this question was not for them, it was for Kan Qin.
Everyone’s gaze gathered on Kan Qin’s face.
As soon as Kan Qin heard Lang Cai’s words, his body trembled, and shock flashed in his eyes.
Because of this sentence.
A person had once said the same thing to him. That person said back then, if Lang Cai was worried about this, he must stand up and speak. It was a bet at that time. If Lang Cai didn’t say it, they would not have to manage.
Seeing Kan Qin startled.
Lang Cai called out again.
"Kan Qin, do you have any suggestions?"
In his opinion, the only reliable person here was Kan Qin, everyone else was more or less affected by self-interest and emotions.
Kan Qin came back to his senses, swallowed his saliva, took a deep breath, and said with a somewhat unnatural voice: "I think, how about we arrange a position for Ling on our side?
It better not be too low-ranking, it should have some actual authority so that he has to come here frequently which will be advantageous for our communication. Ling definitely won’t think much of a common position and he presumably won’t want to shuttle back and forth for it. As for what exact position to give, you have the final say."
That was what the bet required him to say.
As these words came out.
The conference room erupted.
"Vice-leader Kan Qin, have you gone mad? Giving Ling a position and not a low one, do you know what you’re saying?"
"Indeed, what high-ranking positions do we have to give him? We don’t have enough as it is."
"I’m definitely against it..."
"..."
Especially, the people from the Myanmar government were shouting the loudest because if a position was to be given, it would be theirs or someone under them. It is like a pit for each carrot, they can’t easily vacate even a redundant position.
This was different from the local positions in the past. They could easily promise to give it to Su Yu or those ’fence sitters’, but Kan Qin meant a high-ranking position with real power in the core department of Yangon and it was not at all the same.
This was directly affecting their interests.
Facing the criticism from his colleagues, Kan Qin quietly sipped his tea, ignoring them - they were a group of shortsighted individuals anyway.
Kan Qin’s gaze turned to Lang Cai, who was deep in thought. The decision could only be made by Lang Cai in this matter. The opinions of the others were important, but not enough to go against something Lang Cai was determined to do.
Listening to the noise around him.
Lang Cai’s brain was spinning rapidly, calculating the pros and cons.
This reminded him of the two ’brothers’ who wanted to separate their household. When Kan Qin said this, he realized that if he had used this method in the past, he might not be so passive now. It is very helpful for winning people’s hearts if everyone meets frequently.
But whether it was in the past or the present situation, no one was willing to give up the core power in their hands and the people on the other side also did not trust him.
Finally, nothing came out of it.
But this cannot end without a result this time. The previous two times nearly created two enemies. If a third one is created this time, life in the future would be hard, it could even directly threaten their position.
If the three parties combine to attack.
Without seeking external help, the odds of winning and losing are fifty-fifty, so Ling must be tied to their boat, otherwise, the upcoming situation will really give them a headache. Having seen the economic data of the territory, if he was the enemy, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. This is an existence more dangerous than those two guys.
"Silence!"
Lang Cai shouted loudly.
The conference room became quiet immediately.
"Alright, stop arguing. To keep Ling frequently in our sight, giving him a position is not bad. A position that’s too minor won’t do, but let’s forget about a position with actual power. We must firmly hold it in our hands. Do we have any nominal positions that are still quite high-ranking?"
Lang Cai still decided to give Ling a position.
The people below relaxed when they heard about the nominal position. But for a nominal position that would require frequent travel to Yangon, they were unsure. If the position was too nominal, there would be a high possibility of Ling dropping it. They got tangled up again for a while.
There are many institutions in Myanmar, but when it comes to nominal positions, there actually aren’t many that hold enough weight to make Ling accept and frequently travel.
After much discussion, they listed more than a dozen positions, but none were particularly appealing.
"Kan Qin, what do you think?" Lang Cai looked at the silent Kan Qin again.
"Me?" The shock in Kan Qin’s eyes also contained a wry smile. He had been calculated by that man again, the nominal position again, "I think, we have a position suitable for Ling. This position can be nominal, but it’s still very important and high-ranking. Besides, only you can order the addition of such a position."
"Oh? Let’s hear it." There was a glimmer of curiosity in Lang Cai’s eyes as if he had some idea of what Kan Qin wanted to say.
The words had just fallen.
A phrase popped out of Kan Qin’s mouth.
The complexion of everyone in the conference room changed.
....
Half past three in the afternoon.
The meeting finally ended amidst noise.
Lang Cai and Ling returned to the negotiating table once again.
However, this time everyone’s perspective on Ling had changed. They had internally completely agreed to most of Ling’s conditions, but there were still some details that needed to be discussed, and the distribution of interests also needed careful negotiation.
Ling still had a cold face.
Lang Cai coughed twice.
"Mr. Ling, we agree in principle to all your terms. We hope that you will keep your promises and contribute to the future of Myanmar, and together we strive to make Myanmar stronger and a complete nation."
After uttering the platitudes, Lang Cai quickly returned to the main topic:
"But we have some conditions that we hope you can agree to."
"Please go ahead," Ling replied.
"There are just three. First, you are forbidden from collaborating economically with those two sides. If conflict arises, you have an obligation to join us, fighting together, retreating together, or coordinating with our defensive deployments when necessary."
After Lang Cai finished speaking, he looked at Ling, waiting for his response.
Just when he thought Ling would think it over, Ling immediately agreed to... a part of it.
"I partially agree with this condition. I will not have economic relations with their high-ranking officials, I will not invest or set up factories over there, nor will I accept their investment. However, general commodity exchanges are inevitable.
After all, only a small portion of them are the ambitious type, most people haven’t done anything wrong, we can only promise that all commodity transactions will go through your channels, and not trade directly with them."
Lang Cai nodded. Although it was a little different from what he expected, it was still acceptable. After all, if all general circulation of goods were to be cut off, it would mean offending everyone over there.
If we lose the support of the people, what would be left to fight for?
Lang Cai continued: "Okay, I agree. The second condition is that we can provide all the necessary legal procedures for the ’Myanmar Economic Zone’ for foreign trade, and allow you to use our ports and customs.
At the same time, all the components of commodity circulation from your zone to our customs, we won’t charge any tax. However, a portion of the money you earn must be handed over to us for domestic construction support.
As for the proportion, how about fifteen percent? You should know that this is already very low."
Lang Cai believes that since Ling has earned so much money, and will continue to earn even more in the future, instead of collecting tariffs, it would be better to "levy taxes from the source". You couldn’t refuse this, could you?
This constitutes a national tax.
"Sure."
Ling responded simply.
Not paying any tax at all is impossible. Giving the Myanmar government a little reward wouldn’t hurt. Moreover, Lang Cai hadn’t specified which currency should be used -- the Asia Dollar also counts.
Lang Cai had actually forgotten to discuss the type of currency since they believed that the Asia Dollar was simply small money used for internal circulation within the territory, and that Ling really wanted to earn a variety of foreign currencies. Hence, they didn’t pay much attention to this detail.
Fortunately, the Asia Dollar also has a strong purchasing power, so when they eventually found out, they didn’t react much.
As Lang Cai looked at Ling,
The more he looked, the more delightful Ling appeared to him. Issues regarding stance and money had been resolved.
Next was the issue of power.
Lang Cai, with a smile, said: "Very well, for the third, you may deem it either as a condition or recognition, but once the agreement is signed, we will immediately issue formal documents to approve the establishment of the ’Myanmar Economic Zone’, and appoint you as the highest official there. Simultaneously, there will be an additional position for you, as a deputy mayor of Myanmar."
This was the plan they had come up with in the conference just now.
This deputy position was newly created, otherwise it couldn’t have been passed. The position was simply established for the ’Myanmar Economic Zone’, whether it is a temporary or a long-term position depends on Ling’s performance.
Even though it’s an honorary position, there are still subsidiary bodies that fall under it.
This is a useless institution that was simply set up to take the blame. It has a structure, a badge, but hardly any people. That is to say, besides the ’Myanmar Economic Zone’, Ling is also in charge of a marginal institution called ’Myanmar Economic Development Committee’.
It truly is an honorary position.
It definitely is the most ’honorary’ among the deputies, even the second-last deputy has seven or eight institutions under them.
"I agree."
Once again, Ling responded concisely. After all, they already knew about the content of their conference from the command room in advance. It was already part of the plan, so how could he refuse?
"Good, your work will mainly be in the ’Myanmar Economic Zone’, but you can’t neglect this side either. Although the institution you are in charge of has few people, it still bears the responsibility of designing the future for Myanmar.
At the beginning and middle of each month, you need to come over to attend meetings, and participate in discussions about some of Myanmar’s important development conferences. Do we have a deal?" Lang Cai said joyfully.
"I am honored to be working with all of you. I look forward to your guidance in the future."
Ling immediately got into character.
