The journey starts from the Titanic

Old Gomez asked, gently putting down the Maracaibo development plan submitted by Guadas.

"Give it to them! The Americans want us to stop it. Even if we don't sell, the Americans will take it by themselves. Didn't they do it for a while in Puerto Cabello?

But in any case, we must sell a good price!Just look good, don't let your opponent find an excuse to attack."

Ronald Gomez replied.

This answer has been in his mind for a long time. He is the governor of Zulia State and the largest landowner in Maracaibo. It is best for him to develop Maracaibo.At the beginning, he was tricked by Shell Oil Company. He thought that the large tract of land he had taken by force could be sold for a good price, but he did not expect Shell Oil Company to retreat shortly afterwards, making Ronald half to death.

Now the arrival of Gudas and others gave Ronald a glimpse of hope, and he naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Know the son Mo Ruo father.Old Gomez glanced at his son, what Ronald was thinking, he knew exactly what he was thinking, but he didn't point it out.

But Ronald had a saying that Old Gomez felt that since the Americans could not be prevented from reaching out to Lake Maracaibo, they had to sell it for a good price, and he had better participate actively.

Thinking of this, Old Gomez nodded and said: "I think this group of Yankees is so enthusiastic, of course it is what they want, but things will not be that simple. Therefore, when negotiating tomorrow, don't be too rushed. Drag them."

The next day, the same room, but two more people, Thomas and Gudas.They are here today to conduct an unknown traitorous transaction with Gomez and his son.

"Mr. President, Mr. Governor, I think we have offered very favorable terms. It is a very cost-effective business to lease the east coast of Lake Maracaibo for 99 years with 5 million US dollars." Gudas said.

"No, no, no! I leased out all the land on the east coast of Lake Maracaibo. It is not appropriate. It will definitely attract opposition from the people." Ronald said.

It has attracted opposition from the people. Haven't all those reactionaries been overthrown by your father and son?

Thomas thought disdainfully.But he didn't interrupt, sitting on the side with a smile watching Gudas and Ronald bargaining.

"Then, 6 million dollars! You should see our sincerity." Gadas said.

"Oh, this time limit is too long, and there may be criticism in the country." Ronald said embarrassedly.

...

The old Gomez, who was sitting across from Thomas, had his eyes a little confused, as if he was going to fall asleep, and the discussion between Gudas and Robles next to him looked like two disturbing flies.

Watching Gudas and Ronald fighting red-faced, Thomas waved his hand to motion Gudas to stop, then smiled slightly, and said: "Mr. President, let's put aside the price. Now there is another one. An important matter needs to be discussed. In addition to oil exploration, we are also preparing to invest in plantation on the west bank of Lake Maracaibo. Of course, this investment may be relatively large. In order to protect the plantation, we need to hire a self-defense Strength. I hope you can understand."

"Haha. That's easy to say!" This time it was the old Gomez who spoke this time. In his opinion, it is not a big deal to hire security guards in the plantations. The large plantations in Latin America are almost all invested by foreign capitalists, in order to protect their interests. Security guards are generally employed in the park, which is customary.

"That's good!" Thomas opened his mouth happily, his thin mouth was slightly upturned, and his heart said: "Old Gomez, don't you know? This is not an ordinary plantation! Our big boss is going to Venezuela will set up a second training base for a security consulting company. By then, his countless compatriots will also follow. They open up wasteland and cultivate land at the same time, they also occupy your land by the way. When you cry."

"Mr. Thomas, I heard that you can provide weapons?" Old Gomez finally brought up his most concern.

With the barrel of a gun coming out of political power, he naturally knew how to maintain his power and status as a warlord.

"Yes. All kinds of weapons are okay, and the quantity is a problem, because we are the largest arms dealer in the United States, Bethlehem United Steel Company! If you don't believe me, you can find out."

Thomas said affirmatively, stretching out his fingers to count the money, "As long as you have this, everything is easy to say. Or if your husband can approve us to rent the west bank of Lake Maracaibo, we can provide 3 American artists for free. You, at the same time, provide a loan of 20 million US dollars with an interest of 5%."

Starting from Thomas interrupting, the initiative rests on Thomas’ side. Thomas, who is a rogue lawyer, has already mastered his skills. Before he came, it was not only Maracaibo’s data, but also Juan Gomez. The situation is also clear.

As soon as he came up, he first set up a set for the old Gomez, and then put forward the conditions that the other party could not refuse.

With the equipment of three American divisions and a low-interest loan of 20 million US dollars, Gomez and his son were moved by the sound.The American division is a master. One division has more than ten thousand and twenty thousand people. Three American divisions are equipped with almost 60,000 rifles, cannons of various calibers, and hundreds of guns. These are enough for Juan Gomez to control himself All of the army's direct line of troops were armed and became a strong army in Latin America, suppressing domestic opposition.His presidential throne can be safe and sound.

Old Gomez couldn't refuse the loan of 20 million US dollars. He was waiting for the money to save his life.I don't know how much rice is expensive if you are not in charge.Although Gomez, who came to power in the coup d’état, said that he was in power and had great appearance, what he grabbed was actually a mess, a hot potato.

Years of civil war have left Venezuela’s treasury empty and the country’s debts high.The army must feed, the officials must feed, the foreign debts must be repaid, and the domestic industry has been slow to develop. Gomez can only move around and sell the country's resources to foreign countries.Land and minerals can be sold as long as they are valuable.

Well, the land sale this time is a bit big. Although right now, the Lake Maracaibo area belongs to the poor and backward northwestern part of Venezuela, and the population is small. Most of them are people on the water in the lake-fishermen. The Maracaibo lakes add up to less than 100,000 people, which is vast and sparsely populated.

"Suddenly leased out tens of thousands of square kilometers of land along the Maracaibo, and almost dug out a large piece of the northwest corner of Venezuela's land. Even the meek citizens can't stand it?"

Juan Gomez shook his head and said.His eyes lit up, but soon dimmed, knowing that if he sold tens of thousands of square kilometers of land in Maracaibo, he would face a lot of pressure even if he didn’t step down. I don't want to do that.Although he doesn't care how much the country loses, he can't even step down himself, right?

Support!

Thomas smiled slightly. Juan Gomez's momentary hesitation was caught by him. He probably grasped the bottom line of the other party and knew that Gomez was not opposed to the deal, but he had to be beautiful and gave him an excuse to explain to the people.

Thinking of this, Thomas’s mouth turned even higher. He explained with a smile: "Mr. President, we are just renting a piece of land for commercial activities. It will naturally be returned to your country when it expires. This is similar to colonization. It's completely different. The sovereignty is still in your country's hands, but it's just temporarily lent to us for a period of time.

Do you think this is good? You divide the land into several pieces, and we lease it under the name of a different company, so that there will be no such a sudden situation of renting such a large piece of land to one company at once.At the same time, in order to strengthen the cooperation between the two sides, we can also set up joint ventures. Your country will go out, we will provide capital and technology, and then distribute dividends proportionally, so that we can do several things at one go.

I believe there will not be too many voices of opposition, especially the local residents. Our investment will promote the economic development of the Maracaibo region and improve the living standards of the citizens of this region. This is foreseeable.

By then, the Maracaibo region will become the most industrially developed region in Venezuela, and Mr. President will also become a leader in rectifying armaments, building industries, and developing the economy.why not?As long as the economy improves and the country becomes rich, Mr. President will naturally take back the customs of La Guaira and Cabello and become a hero of the country.Believe that Mr. President is not willing to be collected by the British and Germans with the "Washington Protocol" all day long, right?"

Thomas was so good and enticed, and he said the good and the bad, and the reason was all on his side.

The smile was charming, but Gomez and his son just wanted to smash Thomas' handsome face.Because the "Washington Protocol" is a word that all Venezuelans don't want to hear, but the scar is suddenly opened by Thomas.Can be regarded as a kind of warning!

Ronald was still young after all, and he had already cultivated home. He uncovered his scars when he heard Thomas coming up. He couldn't stand the excitement, so he stared at Thomas, his eyes full of fury.

After all, the old Gomez was used to seeing wind and waves. Although he was a little angry, he was still calm, otherwise he would not succeed in a coup.

"It's a big deal and it's not easy to decide. Let's stop here for today's negotiation. We have to go back and consider your terms before we can answer."

Gomez said with a big wave.Although the tone is a discussing tone, there is firmness that cannot be rejected.

Thomas and Gudas had to give up.Having said so much, it was almost resolved by this cunning old guy.

"Do you think they will agree?" Gudas asked on the way back.

"If it were you, would you agree? Who can provide him with so much besides us? Just bargain for the wrong! Humph!"

Thomas said confidently.

The Venezuelan crisis that Thomas just mentioned hit the old Gomez’s death hole. Juan Gomez can be tough internally, but he absolutely dare not do it externally.Thomas believes that if the other person is a smart person, he will definitely not resist him, but will do everything possible to sell a good price.The Venezuelan crisis a few years ago was enough to teach them profound lessons.

In 1899, C. Castro seized power in Venezuela and became president.Due to successive years of civil war, production declines, debts are high and unable to repay.The major creditor countries, Germany and Britain, demanded the repayment of their debts, and extorted Venezuela with huge compensation on the grounds that their nationals suffered losses in the Venezuelan civil war.In January 1901, the Castro government announced that it would not recognize foreign debts prior to May 1899.In March of the same year, it announced the suspension of debt repayment.

This move is naturally very rash!Is Venezuela so shameless?Britain, Germany and Italy were immediately upset, and they decided to teach C. Castro an unforgettable lesson.In order to claim debts to Venezuela, on December 7, 1902, the German and British ministers issued an ultimatum to the Venezuelan government.Two days later, the German, British, and Italian fleets blocked the Venezuelan coast and detained the Venezuelan naval vessels of the port of La Guaira, sinking some ships and shelling the port of Cabello.

Later, with the mediation of the Americans, the two parties in the conflict reached the "Washington Protocol." Germany and Britain agreed to lift the armed blockade and return the detained Venezuelan ships.According to the "Protocol", Venezuela shall use 30% of the tariff revenue of La Guaira and Port of Cabello to compensate the debts of Britain and Germany.

In other words, Venezuela’s most important customs has fallen into the hands of foreign countries, and in the words of textbooks, it has begun to become a semi-colony.Small countries are so sad and often become targets of big countries, and Venezuela is no exception.

This is also the reason why Shell Oil Company could easily conduct geological surveys in the Maracaibo area.It's a pity that they are out of luck!

Chapter 176 I'm Back!

Juan Gomez was originally a subordinate of former President Castro. He was able to replace him because he was more acquainted and never opposed foreigners, so foreigners have a good impression of Gomez.Situ Nan thinks he is still worthy of trust.

Soon after Thomas and the others left, Brook came to the door. He came here to catch his breath, but unfortunately he didn't see Ronald Gomez, so he could only go back angrily.

"Why didn't you meet that British guy?" Caroline Gomez asked.

"It's nothing, I don't know what to say when I see it. But this Englishman has a really good nose! It's a pity it's too late."