Simon then continued: "Then, let's talk about the issue you most wanted to talk about at the beginning." After saying this, both of them laughed before continuing, and then turned serious: "Vladimir, next "You have about 10 years to restore Russia's strength. During this period, Russia will be subject to very little external pressure, and at the same time, you will be able to gain a lot of benefits from the rapid rise in international energy prices."
The middle-aged man listened carefully and was puzzled: "Simon, why is it 10 years?"
Simon said: "The economic cycle of capitalist society is about once every 10 years. If we calculate it from 1997, 10 years is already a very optimistic prediction."
The middle-aged man thought for a moment and suddenly understood.
An economic crisis occurs once in ten years. So, what will happen if the crisis occurs
Think about the past few years.
By then, Russia will most likely become the target of shifting conflicts. Or, according to the plan of the young tycoon in front of him, even if there are no conflicts, someone will inevitably create conflicts to pass the time on.
Thinking like this, the middle-aged man asked: "Simon, how can you be sure that international energy prices will rise rapidly?"
Middle-aged people are more concerned about this issue than the '10-year' time forecast just now, because Russia is a standard energy exporting country. If international energy prices soar, they will become the most direct beneficiaries and quickly help Russia with this benefit. Rejuvenate.
When Simon heard this question, he once again showed his "frankness": "If nothing else happens, the next president of the United States will be George W. Bush. The Bush family has close ties with the major federal energy giants. Once they come to power, they will find ways to promote The rise in oil prices.”
This answer once again surprised the middle-aged man.
Although he has just ascended to the big position, because of the contact four years ago, middle-aged people have been paying attention to this young tycoon in recent years, and of course it is not the kind of attention that ordinary people can only see superficially.
However, no matter what, he did not expect that the US election was already in full swing. This time, Westeros would support the Bush family.
Simon did not admit it directly, but he could also make a judgment from the other party's words.
Then, another question puzzled him: Why would the young tycoon support the Bush family instead of Al Gore on the Democratic side
Of course Simon would not give another answer this time. Seeing that the other party was speechless for a moment, he continued: "Russia has 10 years to recover. At the same time, I will continue to expand my layout in Western Europe until the next crisis comes. My The goal is to destroy the euro and re-disintegrate Western Europe as much as possible. This is the long-term plan. In the short term, Vladimir, the problem you need to deal with is the group of oligarchs in Russia."
When the middle-aged man heard these words, his expression was slightly strange.
He had to admit that today's meeting, even if he had made sufficient preparations in advance, the young tycoon still brought him many surprises.
For example, the person in front of him can definitely be said to be the largest capital oligarch in the world. However, he never expected that the other party would turn his target to another group of oligarchs.
Speaking of which, the middle-aged man had already made plans to attack the oligarchs. However, considering that the Westeros system may have a cooperative relationship with some oligarchs in Russia, not only Mikhail Friedman, who is obviously directly related, but also several others. Therefore, he has even planned to make certain compromises.
What's the situation now
Simon noticed the other person's expression and of course understood what he was thinking. He smiled and said: "Of course I am also an oligarch, Vladimir, but I am different from those in Russia. The biggest difference is that for me country, I know very well that if this country were a ship, I would be one of its passengers. Therefore, I do not deny that I will try my best to earn the benefits I deserve, but I will not harm the ship. To gain benefits. Not only that, if I want this ship to sail further, I must also take the initiative to reinforce and repair it at the appropriate time. However, you must understand those oligarchs in Russia, they do not have such awareness, and those people have no position. , just want to control a ship called 'Russia' so that they can maximize profits, and are ready to jump off the ship at any time when the ship is about to sink. To extend a little further, I admire a Chinese philosophy very much, Probably, everything must have a scale, not too high, not too low, not too big, not too small. This scale can be applied to all of us, all countries and even everything on the entire planet. If We want the world to develop soundly for a longer period of time, and everyone should take the initiative to abide by it."
The golden mean cannot be explained clearly in a few words, so Simon used a more straightforward analogy.
The middle-aged man obviously understood what he was saying. He nodded in agreement and understood what he should do next. Mikhail Friedman still had to go around. After all, Yeltsin had a guarantee, so he couldn't be too harsh. Apart from that, he doesn't need to worry about other oligarchs.
Then he asked: "Simon, you just mentioned China, do you have any specific suggestions?"
Simon said: "Not surprisingly, China will join the WTO soon, and then the country will enter a period of rapid economic development. The development of a big country will first bring huge energy needs. This is one. Secondly, While many things have not completely dissipated, try to pick up the industrial base left behind by the Soviet era and cooperate with China to the greatest extent. My suggestion is that it is best to convert these technologies into corporate shares that can bring long-term benefits. Of course , provided that these shares are held by Russian state-owned companies, otherwise you will still not be able to benefit from them. Furthermore, in terms of agriculture, the Chinese are the most adept at farming in the world. Russia can open up the Far East and cooperate with China on large-scale agricultural production.”
The middle-aged man subconsciously said: "Simon, agriculture is a very sensitive field."
"I understand that no country wants others to interfere with its bread basket," Simon shrugged: "But if you would rather the Far East remain desolate, I don't care."
The middle-aged man suddenly thought of something: "Simon, I know you have always been interested in land. In that case, why did you recommend me to cooperate with China instead of getting involved yourself?"
Simon was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed again: "You have to know, Vladimir, I am a very possessive person," he said, gesturing around him: "It's like wherever I go, if I don't have myself I would feel very uncomfortable living in other places such as hotels. In the same way, if you let me help you develop the land, I may be more inclined to occupy it outright rather than lease it, which you obviously can only agree to. Bar?"