"Thank you. The main reason is that I have completely lost weight during this period. People look particularly energetic when they lose weight."
Zhang Hao explained casually.
Before setting off from the mainland, he weighed almost 180 kilograms. As of the physical examination two days ago, his weight was exactly 130 kilograms, a total of 50 kilograms dropped. The contrast is very significant.
Ms. Rothschild persuaded with a smile: "Consul, you should pay more attention to rest. There is a spa in downtown Libeauville with a good reputation. You can go and experience it. After all, your body is the most important."
After Ms. Rothschild finished speaking, she took out a business card from her pocket and handed it over.
Zhang Hao accepted the business card and nodded with a smile: "I will give it a try after the Europe-Africa Summit."
Next, Governor Colin introduced the two heads of the consortium, one is Ben Volvo, the contemporary patriarch of the Walton family, and the other is Kamil Abdullah of the Saudi consortium.
Both consortiums are legendary.
The Walton family is the owner of Wal-Mart, the largest supermarket chain in the United States. They have a keen sense of smell and stocked up on sufficient supplies before the Yellowstone volcano erupted.
Although it suffered heavy losses in North America, it made a lot of money in other regions outside North America. Later, it directly transformed into the shipping industry and is currently the largest private shipping company in the Federation.
As for another Saudi consortium, after the conflict in the Middle East broke out, they "sold themselves" directly to the Europeans under the arrangement of the central government, thus retaining most of their wealth.
Aramco, under their name, is the eighth largest oil company in the federation and is very powerful. Although they have lost control of the oil fields, they are not discouraged and have set their sights on offshore oil.
After some polite greetings, Zhang Hao took several distinguished guests back to his room to prepare for a closed-door meeting. Governor Colin left with good sense.
"Sorry everyone, I don't have any other drinks here except tea. Please forgive me."
"Drinking tea is good, drinking tea is healthy!"
Mr. Morgan smiled and nodded.
Zhang Hao opened the sugar bowl casually, looked at the people and asked, "Would you like to add some sugar?"
As we all know, Westerners are not used to bitter tea and like to add milk and sugar to tea.
"No, bitter tea will refresh you."
"Yes, tea is still as good as its original flavor!"
"Consul, is this black tea? I need to add a spoonful of sugar." Ms. Rothschild said.
Zhang Hao helped the other party add sugar, then re-covered the sugar jar, and introduced with a smile:
"Miss Rothschild, this is Dahongpao, our best tea in the East. It is an oolong tea. It is very similar to black tea, but the degree of fermentation is different. The taste of oolong tea is bland and bitter."
"Then just add sugar."
Ms. Rothschild smiled slightly.
At Zhang Hao's signal, everyone couldn't wait to taste the tea, and then, whether they were sincere or not, they all gave positive reviews without exception.
After drinking a few sips of tea, I started to get to the point.
Mr. Morgan first got straight to the point: "Consul, we would like to know when will you be able to get your power back? If you need our help, please feel free to ask."
"Mr. Morgan, I appreciate your kindness, but there is a saying in the East that you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. The current situation is very complicated, and I don't want to start an internal fight. This is a lose-lose behavior."
Zhang Hao directly expressed his feelings.
"Consul, I am not deliberately stirring up trouble." Mr. Morgan organized some words and continued: "It is precisely because the situation is complicated that we should hold the knife in our own hands and fully grasp the initiative."
Mr. Walton deeply agreed, so he echoed on the spot:
"Yes, Chairman Morgan is so right. People like Ji Zhangqiu and Fan Zhenxiang are our biggest nemesis. If they are allowed to continue to be in power, all of us will eventually become mere fish and be slaughtered by others.
The oil fields in the Middle East last year are the best example. Although the situation is calm now, it is because they are full. If we encounter another financial crisis, I can be 100% sure that they will take action against us."
Seeing that everyone was worried, Zhang Hao quickly reassured: "Don't panic, everyone, things are definitely not as pessimistic as you think. The central government is not a fool. They will not kill us all. This is tantamount to fishing in the lake and killing the chicken to get the eggs..."
"Consul, what you said does make sense, but your idea is too optimistic. If the general environment continues to deteriorate, how can you care about this?"
Mr. Arnault couldn't help but retort.
He suffered heavy losses during the nationalization of the oil fields last year, and his heart was naturally filled with resentment.
"Well, if it is true as Mr. Arnault said, to put it bluntly, you are also thinking about retaining your wealth. Being able to live safely is the first choice."
Zhang Hao saw the ugly faces of several people, and then made a solemn promise:
"Everyone, listen to me. If that day comes, I can't guarantee anything else. The only thing I can do is to ensure the safety of you and your families."
"Consul, what do you mean by this? There are no outsiders here, why not make it more clear?"
Ms. Rothschild probed carefully.
"Okay!" Zhang Hao pursed his lips and decided to tell part of the truth: "I can't say more, I can only tell you that the central government is working hard to build a doomsday shelter somewhere. This is our last retreat."
"Doomsday shelter? Archon, each of our families has their own shelter, there is no need..."
Mr. Morgan frowned.
As wealthy people, safety is always the first consideration, and they cannot be unprepared.
Zhang Hao waved his hand and interrupted directly: "I know you have a shelter, but I can guarantee that your shelter is incomparable with the central one."
"Archon, what do you mean there is no comparability?"
"The meaning is very simple. You don't need to ask to know that the shelter you build may be able to last for decades, or even hundreds of years. The key is that the scale is limited.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The refuge in the center is definitely beyond your imagination. In theory, it can allow human civilization to continue indefinitely. It is the real paradise there."
Zhang Hao paused and added casually:
"Xanadu, can you understand?"
"Understood, your paradise in the east is of the same nature as Noah's Ark in our west." Mr. Morgan nodded and then asked: "Consul, can you tell us more about the refuge in the center?
I am very interested."
Zhang Hao shook his head: "Sorry, this matter is top secret. I really can't reveal too much, but one thing is for sure. The central shelter is huge and can accommodate tens of millions of people once it is built."
"Tens of millions?" Everyone's eyes widened.
"Yes, the most important thing is that no matter how the outside world changes, it will not affect the operation of the shelter."
Zhang Hao emphasized.
Mr. Morgan and others looked at each other. It was incredible that they had not heard anything about such a large project.
Mr. Arnault said straightforwardly: "Consul, what you said is true? Are you exaggerating on purpose to temporarily stabilize us?"
"Haha, I've said everything I can say. It's up to you whether you believe it or not." Zhang Hao spread his hands and said seriously: "To be serious, the reason why there have been financial difficulties in recent years and the reason why Dean Fan reformed state-owned enterprises is because
In fact, they are all serving this super project."
"Archon, can I ask? Where is this shelter located? Why is there no news about it?"
Mr. Abdullah suddenly asked.
Since the beginning of the meeting, this person has rarely spoken, but it is understandable.
Compared with making money, the Saudi consortium is obviously more insecure. They belong to neither the East nor the West, but belong to a third party force caught in the cracks.
Zhang Hao shook his head: "I can't say the specific location, but you can rest assured that the difficulty of the project is not as difficult as everyone thinks, and it can be initially completed in at most twenty years."
"So fast?"
This is a refuge for tens of millions of people.
"I guarantee my reputation."
Zhang Hao said seriously.
Mr. Morgan nodded slowly: "Originally, we planned to join forces and build a doomsday fortress here that can accommodate tens of thousands of people. It seems that it is not necessary at the moment."
"There is really no need to go overboard. After all, human beings live in a social society. Without the main body of society, no matter how long we survive, it will be meaningless."
Zhang Hao said unceremoniously.
"What the Archon said is true. The thought of living in a small place for decades is really worse than death. It will probably drive people crazy."
Mr. Morgan nodded subconsciously.
But having said that, he had no intention of giving up the original plan. What he just said was just perfunctory. They couldn't place their hopes entirely on each other. This was something only fools would do.
Zhang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and finally calmed down this group of people for the time being. If they were allowed to do whatever they wanted, not only would he be involved in the whirlpool, but he would also be irresponsible to the federation and all the people.
"Everyone, now is not the time to fight for power and gain. Let's take it step by step slowly. What Dean Fan and others did has huge side effects and cannot last long.
I believe that evil will not prevail against good, and the Federation will eventually return to normal one day. I sincerely hope that everyone can put the overall situation first and be as patient as possible. Victory will eventually belong to us."
"well said!"
"Pa bang bang..."
There was sparse applause in the room.
Mr. Arnault, relying on his good relationship with Zhang Hao, couldn't help but pour cold water on him:
"Archon, your statement that evil cannot overpower good is somewhat inappropriate. If 'evil' overwhelms 'good', then 'evil' will become 'good'. As far as the current situation is concerned, we are the real
The evil side..."
Mr. Morgan hurriedly interrupted: "Arnault, don't disgust me with your fallacies. There is no point in picking out words. In any case, the consul is one of our own, and the advantage is on our side."
Arnaud shrugged and closed his mouth wisely. The other party seemed to have forgotten one thing. The consul had another identity. He was also an Oriental.
This is the biggest variable!
Zhang Hao saw that the atmosphere at the scene was a bit solemn, so he quickly interrupted: "I want to tell you some good news. I only learned about it not long ago. After my term ends, there may be two more terms."
"Really?" Everyone immediately exclaimed.
Twenty years is enough time to regain real power.
Besides, Ji Zhangqiu is not young anymore and may go to see God at any time. As soon as the other party leaves, it will be time for them to show off their talents.
"There is no absolute, I can only say it is possible. This is what Ji Zhangqiu said personally, so I won't lie to anyone."
Zhang Hao answered truthfully.
Mr. Morgan touched his chin and couldn't help but remind him: "An old political fox like Ji Zhangqiu cannot blindly believe his words. Just like the previous civil war, it was obviously an act by both sides, but in the end, we were all swayed."
"I am lucky to win, but I will lose my life. Don't worry, everyone. Even if my term is only ten years, I will be sure to regain some real power, so that we will not be unable to fight back at the critical moment."
Zhang Hao took advantage of the situation and expressed his stance.
Mr. Morgan finally showed a smile, then took out two thick notebooks from his bag and gently pushed them in front of Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao asked curiously: "Mr. Morgan, what is this?"
"This is the private diary of Executive Roosevelt. It contains many unknown federal insider information. I hope it can be helpful to you."
"Thank you, this gift is so precious."
After Zhang Hao finished speaking, he immediately picked up the diary in front of him. Governor Roosevelt single-handedly ended the Civil War and was hailed as one of the greatest governors in the history of the Federation.
"You're welcome." Mr. Morgan waved his hand and explained casually: "I got these two diaries by chance. They were originally intended to be published publicly, but the contents inside were somewhat contrary to historical common sense, so they could only be kept in the storage room.
Eat ashes inside.”
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Ms. Rothschild immediately echoed: "This is called giving a sword to a hero. The diary of Governor Roosevelt is of little significance to ordinary people.
But it is a rare reference for you, the governor. After all, Governor Roosevelt was no ordinary governor, he completely transformed the federation."
"Well, I will read it carefully."
Zhang Hao solemnly put the diary away.
…
Next, everyone talked about the large-scale development of the Congo Basin. The biggest obstacle to the development of the Congo Basin is the problem of frozen soil, and the construction cost is much higher than other areas.
Zhang Hao didn't have any good suggestions for this either.
He combined the memories in the dream and tried to come up with a stupid solution: "If it doesn't work, focus on developing the coastal areas first and temporarily abandon the inland areas."
"But the coastal areas cannot accommodate too many people. Don't forget, we still need to relocate 80 million people." Mr. Morgan shook his head.
"Mr. Morgan, do you really plan to break away from the control of the central government? I think that instead of developing the Congo Basin at all costs, it is better to turn around and go eastward and completely integrate into the central government." Zhang Hao mentioned the old story again.
"Consul, are you talking about the development of Southeast Asia?"
M. Arnault interrupted.
"Yes, developing Southeast Asia will be the focus of the Federation's work in the next ten years. The central government's capabilities are limited and it is impossible to take care of Southeast Asia and the Congo Basin at the same time."
"This... alas..."
There was deep hesitation on several people's faces.
Zhang Hao was honest and fair: "Everything has pros and cons. You have been outside the center for a long time and your help to me is very limited. I hope you can change your mind.
In addition, I am not afraid to tell you that Southeast Asia is closer to the central refuge. If an emergency occurs in the future, you may not be able to get there."