Ba Kun did not leave. He sat there, lit a huge cigar, and looked Lu Ming up and down while puffing out smoke.
"In Antigua, I can also cause you huge trouble. Greenforna Island can change its owner very quickly. And your friends, such as Chen Huanxing? They will all get into huge trouble."
Lu Ming smiled and stood up. "It seems that there is nothing more to talk about between us." He looked at his watch. "My dinner appointment is with Brigadier General Yuhase at Phraya Restaurant. If you want to find me, you can go there."
Bakun's eyes flashed with sarcasm when he heard this, but he said nothing, just snorted with a sullen face.
The regular army of Antigua has twelve brigades, which are controlled by different families and have different numbers and equipment.
Moreover, generally speaking, these brigades with the National Guard numbers are seriously corrupt, and their combat effectiveness is not even better than that of the fierce tribal armed forces, but no matter what, they are state government forces with official numbers.
Of these twelve brigades, ten are stationed on the peninsula.
There are three brigades around the city of Ferman, namely the Guards Brigade, the First Brigade, and the Third Brigade.
The First Brigade is believed to be controlled by the Zonglavimon family, from which Governor Chachai came. It is also the only armed force close to Governor Chachai today.
The Guards Brigade was headed by Yuhaase.
The number is very loud, and the other eleven brigades are all named with numbers.
There is only the Guards Brigade, whose number is inherited from the guards of the Grand Duke of Antigua hundreds of years ago.
A thousand years ago, Antigua was a grand duchy within the kingdom, and the queen conferred the title of Grand Duke of Antigua on the Mitai nobleman.
However, more than three hundred years ago, the state parliament deposed the Grand Duke. It can also be said that the major families of the Mitai people united to abandon the Grand Duke's family.
The Grand Duke was given the honorary title of "Phriyā", which could be passed down from generation to generation, and it was promised that the "Phriyā" family would be provided with one hundred gold coins every year.
Today, Phraya still has heirs, but the offering of 100 gold coins provided by the state government has not changed, and it has been changed from 100 gold coins to the current 100 imperial coins.
It seems that the Phraya family is having a hard time living now, and they even put an ad in the newspaper asking for help.
As for the Grand Duke's Guards, today's Guards Brigade, they are also extremely shabby, more like an ancient ceremonial guard with swords, spears, and halberds. There are only about a thousand people, and their performances are often seen in front of the homes of wealthy families during festive occasions.
Moreover, the state Legislature has repeatedly cut funding for the brigade.
Many lawmakers believe that the honor guard is no longer necessary and should be disbanded.
This is because the Guards Brigade has a famous name, and no one wants another family to control it. Anyone with such intention will inevitably be attacked by everyone, and gradually, the brigade became a pure ceremonial guard.
So, when Bakun heard that the person Lu Ming wanted to meet was Yuhase, the commander of the Guards Brigade, he just sneered in his heart. He obviously overestimated this outsider. In fact, this guy had no idea of the situation at all. Just because of the number of the Guards Brigade, did he think that the Guards Brigade was a very strong armed force that could be relied on
Lu Ming smiled at Ba Kun, turned and left, and Du Hao, Papada and others hurriedly followed.
…
Three luxury cars drove slowly through the pigeon-cage-like shabby apartment buildings.
Papada sat next to Lu Ming, not knowing where they were going. The Zhongzhou man and old man Wichai were sent to Phraya Restaurant.
Finally, in a slightly open area, the three cars slowly stopped.
Without waiting for the driver to run down and open the door, Papada got out first, then walked around to the other side and opened the door for Lu Ming.
Papada also noticed that in the first car, there seemed to be an elderly maid and two twin girls who looked like elementary school students.
From the third car, two burly girls got out. They were wearing green camouflage uniforms and had submachine guns hanging around their necks. One of the sturdy female soldiers was carrying a small suitcase.
Lu Ming smiled at Papada, which was quite considerate.
Then he walked towards one of the dilapidated apartments.
Papada followed and saw the two female soldiers following behind.
In front of the building, a few children were playing and singing a song. Lu Ming heard the pronunciation of "Phaya" in the song.
When the children saw someone coming, and it was a Central Plains person wearing luxurious clothes, they immediately scattered.
Lu Ming asked Papada: "What are they singing?"
"It seems to be a nursery rhyme that satirizes Phraya." Papada had never heard of this song before. The melody was also very messy, just a catchy song. It was probably made up by children.
Lu Ming nodded. If a restaurant can be named "Phraya" casually, then the restaurant has nothing to do with the Phraya family. It also shows the decline of the Phraya family.
When I entered the corridor, the light inside dimmed. It was already past four o'clock. It was because the layout inside was too bad and there was a mountain of garbage piled up at the entrance.
Going up to the second floor, there is a tube-shaped building that looks like a dormitory building, with an aisle in the middle and a dozen rooms on the north and south sides.
Lu Ming looked at the house number and came to the door of 207. The female soldier who was not carrying the box went forward and knocked on the door.
The two female soldiers are Red Three and Red Four among the Seventy-two Red Feathers.
There are eight Red Feathers stationed in Antigua.
Someone inside was chattering impatiently, and then the door was opened, revealing an old man named Mitai with wrinkles all over his face, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties.
The old man was originally full of impatience, but when he saw the people outside were stunned and showed a look of fear, he asked in a mumbling voice, "Should I be asking who you are? Did you find the wrong person?"
Lu Ming smiled at Papada and said, "Tell him that my name is Zhang A Ming and I'm from Montenegro. Well, you can also say I'm from the East China Sea. He doesn't even know where Montenegro is. Just say I have a good deal to discuss with him."
Papadha said as the old man said.
Old man Mi Tai listened with a look of suspicion on his face, but he did not dare to stop Lu Ming as he had already stepped in.
This type of apartment consists of a bedroom and a small reception room outside. There is no washroom, kitchen or toilet, and they are shared by the entire floor.
There wasn't any decent furniture inside, except for a sofa and a coffee table, but they were all in tatters.
There was a girl of about seven or eight years old in the room. She seemed to have just come back from washing clothes in the bathroom and was shaking them out to dry.
Seeing many strangers coming in, the girl timidly dragged the basin of water to the corner.
Lu Ming sat on the sofa and said with a smile: "Mr. Lao Phraya, I have something good to tell you."
Papada was stunned. Phraya? Could it be that Phraya
While Papada was translating, Hong Si opened the small suitcase in his hand, revealing dozens of golden small yellow croakers.
Old man Mitai was stunned.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "You are quite knowledgeable. This is real gold. You can try it..." With a gesture, Hong Si took out one and threw it to the old man Mi Tai.
Old man Mi Tai felt like he had found a treasure. He weighed it in his hand and bit it with his teeth. His eyes immediately lit up, but he was still full of doubts and handed the gold bar back reluctantly.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "You can take them temporarily. Besides, I'm going to give you these gold bars!" He added, "You have passed the title of Phraya to your second son, so now your second son and his wife are supporting you. Your other children have severed ties with you, right?" He glanced at the girl again, "Is this your granddaughter, the only daughter of your second son? The future little Phraya?"
Papada was surprised, it turned out to be the Phraya family, and she translated without any expression.
Old Phraya was even more surprised and said something in a gibberish, meaning that when his second son had a son, the title of Phraya would still be passed on to his grandson.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "That's not necessary, Mr. Phraya. I'm here to propose. If Mr. Phraya is willing to pass the title to your eldest daughter, I will propose to your granddaughter, Little Phraya. Of course, she is still young, only seven years old? We can get engaged first!" With a gesture, Hong Si handed the small leather suitcase containing the gold bars to Mr. Phraya's arms.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "These are the engagement gifts for you and Mr. Phaya."
Thirty standard gold bars would be worth about 30,000 yuan.
Old Phraya was taken aback and didn't know how to react for a moment.
Lu Ming smiled again and said, "Also, I bought a big house for your family in the Walman Apartments. It's 300 square meters, which is big enough for your family of four to live in. It will be enough for you to have more grandchildren in the future. I will also give you 200 yuan for living expenses every month. In this way, Mr. Phaya and Mrs. Phaya can live without going out to work, and you can also hire a maid to take care of you."
In the abnormally prosperous city of Ferman, an ordinary family of four still needs 20 to 30 yuan to maintain a normal life.
Therefore, the 100 dollars that the state government gives to Phraya every year is simply a drop in the bucket.
With two hundred dollars a month, you can live a life of luxury and even hire a maid.
Old Phraya was extremely surprised and could not help but look at his granddaughter.
Actually, Phraya was just an ordinary Myitkyina girl. Her appearance was not outstanding among Myitkyina girls, let alone the traditional Myitkyina appearance, which was not as good-looking as those of Central Asians, Westerners and mixed-race people.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "When Mr. Phaya comes back, you can discuss it again. You will know tomorrow whether I lied to you or not. I will come again tomorrow to transfer the apartment in Walman to Mr. Phaya."
The Walman Apartments are a middle-class community for the Feldman Mitai people. There are no large apartments of 300 square meters. Lu Ming bought two adjacent apartments and connected them together.
After all, we don't want them to be too ostentatious. It's good enough for them to live in a middle-class community, which is comfortable and not prone to trouble.
Old Phaya was stunned for a long time, and finally said a few words in a mumble.
"Uncle, he asked about your true identity." Papada said.
Lu Ming nodded, "I am the staff of General Heishan, with tens of millions of assets. Now I want to develop in Antigua, and I think joining the Phaya family is a good start." He paused, "And it's like this, I already have a wife, but obviously I can't take little Phaya as a concubine, so I plan to marry into the Phaya family. I can add Phaya to my surname. I am Zhang Phaya Amin. According to the agreement between the state assembly and your family, the Phaya family can marry multiple wives. This solves the legal problem. Moreover, I have become a member of the Phaya family, which is also good for my future development."
Looking at Lao Phraya, "Now, do you have any questions?"
Lao Phraya shook his head in confusion.
Lu Ming stood up and said, "Then you should discuss this with Mr. Phaya. You can keep these gold bars, but you must keep them safe and don't let anyone else know about it. It's a crime to possess a treasure!"
Lao Phraya’s eyes immediately widened, but he was also a little frightened.
When Lu Ming and others left, he didn't have time to see them off, so he hurried to hide the gold bars.
…
Back in the car, Lu Ming glanced at Papada and asked, "Don't you have anything to ask?"
Papada shook her head gently, "I know you are a great man beyond my imagination, and you have done great things. I don't understand, and I don't dare to ask."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "From Erika's good friend's perspective, I'm obviously not a good husband."
Papada was stunned. "Erika should understand you... In fact, she never told me anything specific about you, but her admiration for you is so strong that it goes beyond the feelings of a wife for her husband... I feel that in her eyes, you are a god, and she is especially happy to see you occasionally..."
Lu Ming nodded and stopped talking.
Inwardly, he sighed softly, thought for a moment, and said, "Come tomorrow, I'll change my identity."
Papada naturally didn't understand.
Lu Ming was thinking that although he seemed to no longer care about the things between men and women, if the feeling was good, he could have a relationship like Becky's, where they were just lovers and there was no emotional burden, and the incarnation of a marriage could be fully utilized to make a fuss, using every possible means.
But in reality, I still feel balanced.
For example, as for Erika, after a little thought, I felt that it was strange and unfair to her.
It should be that, with Zhang Aming's identity, she is his only legal wife, and Zhang Aming is Erika's husband who belongs completely to her.
Although this idea is hypocritical and is an excuse to numb oneself and make oneself feel at ease, this subtle feeling does exist and may be very important to Erika.
Therefore, it is better for Commissioner Zhang not to marry two wives. Use an alias tomorrow. Of course, no disguise is needed, but according to Commissioner Zhang’s household registration, his only wife is still Erika.
…
Phaya Restaurant is a gorgeous glass-walled restaurant overlooking the golden sand beach.
Antigua is a lake, but everything here feels like an inland sea.
When the car stopped in front of Phraya Restaurant, Councillor Bakun came out hurriedly to greet it. It was obvious that he had been waiting for a long time and was eagerly waiting.
"Ms. Papada, I sincerely apologize to you!" Bakun said very seriously to Papada who was opening the car door.
Papada said softly, "I accept your apology." In her heart, she didn't feel strange. In a short period of time, she seemed to have understood why Erika admired and was so attached to this uncle. It was also expected that Bakun would come to apologize. Nothing was impossible for this uncle.
Lu Ming smiled at Ba Kun, "Then, I also hope that our little grudge will disappear from now on. I will need your help in many things in the future."
Bakun stretched out his hand with a serious expression, "Commissioner Zhang, I apologize to you again! I will personally mediate the fishing dispute between Biyun Island and Sunano Island tomorrow."
Lu Ming stretched out his hand and shook his, smiling, "I think the little trouble in the Northern Territory can be solved tomorrow."
At around five o'clock, Bakun received a call from James. All the opium dens in Shengjing Central District were sealed off by the Montenegro Procuratorate, bailiffs and judicial police. This was because the Montenegro Concession Procuratorate believed that the opium in the Central District opium dens was transported through the Montenegro Special Administrative Region. They requested the court to issue a temporary injunction so that they could investigate the matter thoroughly. The court finally agreed with the prosecutor's reasonable suspicion and issued a temporary injunction.
And if this matter is really pursued, the entire opium channel in the Northern Territory will be blocked, which will be a huge trouble.
But this doesn't just involve Bakun alone. If Commissioner Zhang leaks the news again, it means that Bakun has angered him.
I'm afraid that in a few days, Bakun will be assassinated by the angry drug lords.
Because there are two railway lines for opium to go to the Northern Region, one is the Eastern Main Line, which must pass through the Montenegrin Special Zone.
The other route is to take the western main line and go to Anshan in Jiangbei.
However, there have always been few cars on the West Main Line, and at the Jiangbei Customs in Anshan Province, even the slightest mosquito passing through would have its legs plucked out, which is too much trouble.
What's more, changing the transportation route is a huge project, and the relevant states and provinces of the western trunk line in the southern region must also establish connections.
Plus various coordination and running-in.
It cannot be accomplished overnight, and the losses during this period are probably astronomical.
Not to mention, it may also lead to a major reshuffle among the drug lords. The quota for the Northern Territory has always been the focus of the drug lords' struggle. Such a big change will inevitably lead to a war between the drug lords and warlords.
If all this were to be blamed on Bakun, how could he afford it
Hearing Lu Ming's casual words, Councillor Bakun breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lu Ming and said, "Thank you for your help!"
Lu Ming nodded and said with a smile: "I won't treat you to dinner today!"
"Oh, go ahead and talk about your own things!" Councillor Bakun apologized with a smile.
Lu Ming turned and walked towards the restaurant. In fact, his action in the Northern Territory was to scare Ba Kun.
If such drastic measures were used to ban smoking, the Northern Territory would be in chaos, and even several families might unite to deal with the Black Mountain people, which would be counterproductive.
After all, opium tax is an important source of finance for the four provinces in the northern region.
There were actually a few people in front of the restaurant, including Du Hao and Wichai’s father. In addition, there was an old man wearing a brigadier general’s uniform.
The old man took two steps forward and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, I've heard a lot about you!"
Lu Ming smiled and shook hands with him, "Hello, Brigade Commander Yuhase!"
Yuhase's attitude was very humble. Obviously, apart from the fact that he was unworthy of the title of brigade commander and suffered a lot of oppression, Bakun's previous behavior also shocked Yuhase.
Bakun must have arrived a long time ago, and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He must have asked Yuhase several times if he could contact him.
When he arrived, Yuhase saw Bakun apologizing and everything.
When he told Bakun that he would come here to have dinner with Yuhase, he wanted Bakun to be his "business card".
After the big trouble at five o'clock, Bakun was anxious and couldn't find me on the phone, so he had to come here and wait.
Of course, using Bakun as my business card was a sudden idea. I had never thought that I might not be able to reach an agreement with Bakun at all. I made the preparation just in case.
"Mr. Zhang, do you need to hire our soldiers to perform rituals for your festive event? Or do you need them to follow you in and out as ceremonial soldiers?" As soon as Yuhase entered the restaurant, he went straight to the point.
Lu Ming laughed in silence. This was a popular business that the Guards Brigade used to make a living. The brigade was able to maintain more than a thousand soldiers, all thanks to various business tricks.