Two Realms: Don't call me evil!

Chapter 513 Sky-high Navigation Fees (7K)

Beautiful country, Black Palace!

Judith pushed the intelligence onto the table and said, "Mr. President, this is the situation. On the day you completed your inauguration, the Jeko Group announced the completion of the Kra Isthmus Canal."

Behind the Resolute Desk, the newly-appointed President of the United States, Jasmine, picked up the intelligence and read it word by word.

It contains detailed intelligence and analysis about the Kra Canal, including pictures taken by reporters on the scene, satellite aerial views, and the possible consequences of the completion of the canal.

After reading through all of them, Jasmin put down the information expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "Is the Jake Group doing this to provoke me? I used to think that the Jake Group acted arrogantly, but now it seems that I have underestimated them."

Jasmin didn't expect that just after he became the president of the United States, the Jeko Group would give him a warning.

The Kra Canal was not completed earlier or later, but was completed on the same day when he attended the inauguration ceremony and officially became the 48th President of the United States. It is obvious who this was aimed at.

"This is the style of the JECO Group. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a big concern for us."

Judith shook his head. He knew the JECO Group best and had been dealing with it for many years.

Under the leadership of Su Jie, the Jieke Group grew from a small local warlord in Zen Country. It did not rely on modesty and humility, but on strength and domineering, taking the path of hegemony.

If a general force develops in this way, there is a high probability that it will arouse public anger and be destroyed halfway. The same is true for the Jeko Group, which has provoked many enemies.

But unlike the normal development trajectory, most of those who opposed the Jake Group were killed by the Jake Group.

Because in addition to their tyranny, the Jeko Group's fundamental strength lies in their military force.

Even if others dislike the Jeko Group, it is difficult for them to do anything to them.

"Now that the Kra Canal has been completed, have any countries expressed their opinions?"

Jasmin did not dwell on this issue any further and asked about the Isthmus of Kra Canal.

"China, Bear Country, Sand, Iran."

Judith read out the names of dozens of countries. Most of these countries frequently travel between Europe and Asia, especially those that have frequent oil trade.

The opening of the Kra Canal means that the sea voyage is shortened by more than 1,000 kilometers compared to the Strait of Malacca, saving nearly a week.

A large ship using the Kra Canal would save a lot of shipping costs.

The shortened time can also improve the operating efficiency of the ship.

Originally, he could only travel ten times a year to and from Eurasia. Now, with the time saved through the Kra Canal, he can make one or two more trips a year. This extra efficiency is money! Not to mention that many goods have time requirements, and the sooner they arrive, the better.

“So many countries”

Jasmin frowned. The Strait of Malacca is the busiest strait in the world, with about 10 ships passing through the strait every year. As much as 70% of East Asia's energy is transported through the Strait of Malacca, accounting for a quarter of the world's maritime trade.

Now that the Kra Canal has been disrupted, the importance and strategic position of the Strait of Malacca have greatly declined.

"There are still many countries waiting and watching, including the European Union, Japan, South Korea, etc. They are considering whether to join the canal or not."

As Judith was speaking, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated a few times.

When he took it out, Judith saw a message sent by a subordinate, which happened to be about the Kra Isthmus Canal.

"how?"

Jasmine saw Judith's expression change, and a hint of joy appeared in the other's eyes.

"Mr. President, the Jeko Group has just announced the charges for the Kra Isthmus Canal. They will charge friendly countries based on the tonnage of cargo. Depending on the size and type of the ship, they will charge 4 to 8 US dollars per ton of cargo, with an average charge of 5 US dollars per ton of cargo. Assuming a large ship carries 100000 tons of cargo, the average price for a ship to pass through is about 50 US dollars. However, the Jeko Group has also listed many countries such as the United States, the United States of America, the United States of Korea, the European Union, etc. as unfriendly countries. The fee will be doubled, and it will cost 100 million US dollars."

Judith showed the information on his phone to Jasmine, and he was greatly relieved by the news.

"We were originally thinking about how to force those countries to pass through the Kra Canal, but now it seems that we don't need to bother with it. The Jeko Group has helped us."

Jasmin couldn't help laughing. Seeing that the shipping companies from the EU and Sakura Country were targeting the Jeko Group in this way, they didn't have to ask him to issue orders.

Moreover, his executive order only applies to the United States at most, and shipping companies in other countries may not comply.

Making profits and saving costs is the instinct of a business, or every capitalist. It is difficult for shipping companies to resist the temptation of the Kra Isthmus Canal, which saves shipping costs and time.

But things are different now. Once the discriminatory charges of the JECCO Group are announced, most of the European and American shipping companies that want to navigate the Kra Isthmus Canal will not accept such blatant robbery by the JECCO Group and will go back to the Strait of Malacca.

"The Jeco Group made a bad move. They thought they could control everything with the Kra Canal. The high fees would definitely prevent too much loss of ship traffic in the Strait of Malacca."

Judith had a smile on his face. He was originally worried that the shipping volume in the Strait of Malacca would be reduced by 70% to 80%. After all, the Kra Canal was too convenient.

However, the bold actions of the JEC Group gave Judith a glimpse of a turning point.

Such extortion will only arouse the resentment of European and American shipping companies, leading to the loss of good opportunities and being collectively boycotted by all European and American shipping companies.

"Go ahead and expand your influence. There's a saying in China: If you want to destroy someone, first make him crazy."

Jasmin turned the Blue Star Instrument on the table, stared at the Indochina Peninsula area that belonged to the Jeko Group's sphere of influence, and said mockingly.

If a force without sufficient foundation suddenly becomes strong, its mentality will rapidly expand and it will become arrogant and conceited. This is true for both countries and individuals.

In Jasmin's opinion, the Jeko Group is now unable to see itself clearly and is overly confident and arrogant.

"I just took over. How is Lawrence doing with your CIA regarding the Thousand Islands Strategic Alliance?"

After Jasmine laughed a few times, he suddenly changed the subject.

When Judith heard Lawrence's name, his eyes flickered slightly, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

Because when Lawrence was still in office, Judith was a staunch supporter and he personally led a team to California to arrest the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles who were against Lawrence, thus offending the Democratic Party behind them.

If he had not changed sides at the last minute and chosen to join the Democratic Party, he would never have been able to sit in this position.

The scandal that Lawrence exposed at the end of the campaign was the work of Judith.

For a man who started out as an agent and became the director of the CIA, loyalty is relative.

If Lawrence's ship had not capsized, he would have stayed on board loyally.

But once the ship takes on water and sinks and cannot be saved, smart people will look for another way out.

Judith was a smart man, so he kept his official hat.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to settle scores, and I'm not interested in that. The only people who hate you are those high-ranking officials in California."

Jasmine knocked on the table. The reason why he continued to employ Judith was not only because he surrendered quickly, but also because he had been engaged in work related to the Jeco Group during his tenure as CIA director. He could be said to be the person who knew the Jeco Group best.

Even if they remove Judith, they won't be able to find someone who knows the Jake Group better.

Not everyone can become the director of a spy organization like the CIA.

"During Lawrence's tenure, we gradually increased our support for the Thousand Islands Strategic Alliance and actively wooed those member states to get closer to us. For example, we lobbied a group of senior officials of the ruling party in India through bribery and other means, asking them to find faults and cause trouble on the issue of the Kra Isthmus Canal. In Temasek, we have prepared a coup and arranged for a pro-American regime to take power. In Johor."

Judith had a calm expression as he slowly recounted the CIA's operations on the Thousand Islands Strategic Alliance.

The Thousand Islands Strategic Alliance is the noose that blocks the Jacko Group from going out at sea, and the CIA has put a lot of hard work into it.

Huge amounts of money and personnel are invested in order to enable it to be used at a critical moment, so that these countries can stand on the side of the United States and block the expansion of the JECCO Group.

"Very good. The actions of the JECO Group are getting bigger and bigger. We have to prepare in advance."

Jasmine was very satisfied with Judith's work and took out a document from the drawer.

The moment Judith saw the document, his pupils contracted.

In addition to the four big words "Top Secret" on the cover of the document, there is another line of words below: White Paper on the Strategy and Tactics of the Jeko Group.

Looking up, Judith and Jasmine looked at each other.

Under Jasmine's smiling gaze, Judith picked up the war planning white paper and opened it.

However, there was no detailed battle plan written on it. Instead, it mentioned the expansion of production lines and arms purchases from major military giants in the United States in the name of responding to the threat from the Jeko Group. Judith was frightened when he saw the number.

Judith understood that whether or not to go to war with the Jeko Group was not the point. The point was that those military-industrial complexes could use this name to reasonably and legally ask the United States to increase its arms purchases in case a war really broke out.

Jasmin represents the interests of the military-industrial complex, so it is quite normal for him to do this.

"Mr. President, are we going to go to war with the Jacko Group?"

Judith couldn't help asking, his heart pounding, if the United States was willing to personally
"It's not the right time yet. The white paper still needs to be studied and discussed by the military. It's just a framework now. There are many things to consider in war, and more contingency plans need to be made. It's not something that can be decided on a whim."

Jasmin waved his hands, signaling Judith not to get excited.

Although going to war with the Jeko Group is in the interests of the military-industrial complex, which means they can sell more arms, Jasmin does not blindly follow the interests of the military-industrial complex.

The JEC Group is no simple threat either. It is an opponent that even the United States has to take seriously.

If a war breaks out and the situation is unfavorable, it will be him whose support rate will drop, and he still wants to be re-elected as the next president of the United States.

Even if we want to go to war, there must be a suitable time and excuse.

"I understand."

Judith understood what Jasmine meant. The CIA was the president's sword. Jasmine showed him this white paper in the hope that the CIA could, at some point, act as the fuse to ignite the powder keg of war, or as a blocker, so that the situation could be under Jasmine's control as much as possible.

As for Jasmin, although his campaign team seems to be serving him, in fact, many people represent the interests of the capital consortium behind the scenes and are bound to disagree with him sometimes.

On the contrary, Judith, the CIA director, betrayed the Republican Party and had a rift with the Democratic Party. He was helpless and could only rely on himself, the president. His existence could be used by Jasmine for his own benefit.

"I trust you, Judith, and I believe you won't let me down."

"Mr. President, I am forever loyal to you."

Judith nodded solemnly. Although he had betrayed Lawrence not long ago, he had no choice.

Now that the more powerful Jasmin has come to power, he has no choice but to join him in order to keep his position and honor.

Kra Isthmus Canal.

As the sun was shining brightly, a large oil tanker flying the flag of the Cherry Blossom Country slowly approached the entrance of the Kra Canal.

Captain Junpei Ishioka stood in the main wheelhouse and saw in the distance that there were already many ships from China and the Bear Country sailing on this newly completed canal.

As the first captain in Cherry Blossom Country to try out the Kra Canal, Junpei Ishioka drove the cargo ship Hongshin Maru to here. This cargo ship is owned by Mitsui OSK Lines, one of the largest shipping companies in Cherry Blossom Country and also a Fortune 500 company.

At the entrance, a guide boat had already sailed out.

Because he had made preparations in advance, Junpei Ishioka was not surprised and quickly guided the ship closer.

As the escalator was lowered, a pilot from the Jeko Group climbed up to the large cargo ship Hong Xin Maru, which has a total length of 366 meters, a width of 48.2 meters, a maximum draft of 16 meters, a maximum load capacity of 147000 tons, and can accommodate 13000 standard containers.

"Hello, I am Junpei Ishioka, the captain of the Koshin Maru, a ship of the Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd. in Sakura Country."

Junpei Ishioka greeted in fluent English, smiled proactively, and held a stack of banknotes in his hand, trying to make himself familiar.

"The ship from Sakura Country is on the unfriendly list. You know the rules, right?"

The pilot, who was wearing the uniform of the JECCO Group, glanced at the other man, pushed his hand away, and spoke in a meaningful tone.

"What rules?"

Junpei Ishioka just arrived today and has not yet learned about the latest announcement on the Kra Canal.

"Your ship, the Hongxin Maru, needs to pay a ship toll of $1630000 to pass through our Kra Isthmus Canal."

As soon as the pilot finished speaking, Junpei Ishioka's mouth opened wide as if he was petrified.

Because the price is too expensive. Their ship would only cost a few hundred thousand dollars at most to pass through the Panama Canal, and the price for the Isthmus of Kra Canal is no different from robbery.

"What did you say? $1630000 for air traffic fees. Are you trying to rob us? How did you calculate this price?"

After Junpei Ishioka realized what was happening, his face looked as ugly as if he had eaten shit.

"Ha, if we wanted to rob you, we would have detained you long ago. The fee is just this, you can leave if you want."

The pilot snorted coldly, threw a quotation sheet to the other party, and said, "In addition to the navigation fee, you have to pay port fees of US$13000, port authority fees of US$2700, management fees of US$8575, berthing fees of US$5890, garbage fees of US$1000, escort tugboat fees of US$26150, and lighting fees of US$30360."

With every number he mentioned, Junpei Ishioka's face became uglier, and the hand holding the quotation sheet was shaking slightly.

He had been a captain, sailing in the ocean in all kinds of wind and rain for many years, but this was the first time he had seen such a high rate of canal management fees being charged to the passengers.

This fee is almost telling you clearly that this is a shady shop. You either pay the money honestly or forget about it.

After taking a few deep breaths, Ishioka Junpei pointed at other ships passing through the canal and asked through gritted teeth, "What about those ships? Did those ships also pay that much money?"

"They, they are a friendly country, and their fees are only half of yours."

The pilot's words completely broke down Junpei Ishioka's defense.

"Okay, okay, I think you guys from the Jake Group are ruthless, so I won't leave here, okay?"

Junpei Ishioka's teeth were almost broken. This kind of differential treatment made him feel extremely humiliated.

"Get lost! You are not welcome here in the Sakura Country. If you don't leave, there are other countries that will take our canal."

The pilot raised his chin proudly, not even looking at the other person.

"Just leave."

Ishioka Junpei took two steps, then suddenly realized what was going on. He said with a dark face, "Wait, this is my boat, you should be the one leaving."

"I still think it's dirty."

The pilot curled his lips and turned to get off the boat.

"You will regret it sooner or later. This kind of differential treatment and double standards will not only be unacceptable to us in the Sakura Country, but other countries will never approve of it either."

Junpei Ishioka shouted at the pilot to express his anger.

"Differential treatment? When we put up a sign saying that Sakura Country and dogs are not allowed to cross the river, that will be differential treatment."

The pilot sneered at Junpei Ishioka, then turned around and climbed off the boat swiftly.

"Asshole, baka!"

Hearing this, Ishioka Junpei's face turned red, he was so angry that he jumped up and down, and raised his middle finger towards the pilot's back.

"I swear, I will never come back to this Kra Isthmus Canal in my lifetime, even if I drown in the vast ocean. You guys can just play with yourselves."

Junpei Ishioka secretly made up his mind that he would never come here to experience humiliation again, and he would continue to sail through the Strait of Malacca.

Because compared with the sky-high navigation fees charged by the Jeco Group, although the voyage through the Strait of Malacca is 1,200 kilometers longer and the shipping time will be longer, the overall cost is still much cheaper than the Kra Canal.

With this comparison, he would of course go through the Strait of Malacca, unwilling to be bullied by the Jeko Group.

As the Jeko Group announced the charging standards for the Kra Canal, the global shipping industry was shocked.

On the Blue Star, there has never been a canal that has such double-standard charges. The behavior of the Jeko Group is definitely discriminating against those hostile countries that are against it and adopting double standards in pricing.

Many world-renowned shipping giants and small and medium-sized shipping companies have been criticizing and denouncing the JECCO Group.

"This is a disgrace to the shipping industry. People in the global shipping industry should join hands to resist the unfair treatment of the JEC Group. We want fairness and equality."

"The Jeco Group is a malignant tumor that causes harm wherever it goes. Now it is harming our shipping industry again by coming up with this kind of double-standard charges. It would be better if the Kra Canal was not built."

"As long as the Jeko Group does not restore equal charges, we will not build the Kra Canal. Let's see when you can recover the cost of building the canal. Who can survive longer?"

Many senior figures in the shipping industry have come forward to criticize the JECCO Group, accusing it of disrupting the fairness of international shipping through its messy operations in the Kra Canal.

But it is worth noting that those who have voiced accusations are all from EU countries, or they are the bootlickers of beautiful countries such as South Korea and the Sakura Country.

As for shipping companies in friendly countries such as China and Russia, no one has accused the JEC Group.

Because of the opening of the Kra Canal, their ships can sail here and they have indeed enjoyed convenience.

The price is only half of that in Europe and the United States. They save shipping costs and time, and at the same time gain greater competitiveness in market competition than in Europe and the United States.

Because both are traveling between Europe and Asia, ships that go through the Kra Canal can be a week faster than ships that go through the Strait of Malacca, and many sea freight shipments have a time requirement.

In the past, cargo owners could only find more expensive express ships or use other modes of transportation.

However, the time saved by using the Kra Canal now makes those time-sensitive cargo owners prefer shipping companies from China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

The United States and other Western countries have also thought about retaliating. They have also set high double-standard charges on the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, targeting the Jeko Group and the countries in Indochina.

But the United States seems to have forgotten that their sanctions on the Jeko Group have never ended.

The JEC Group does not have any goods that can be sold in large quantities to European and American countries, and it does not have any ships going out to sea, let alone passing through the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal.

The real signature products of the JEC Group are all smuggled through smuggling routes.

A small bottle containing the concentrate of Tianyuan series products is hidden on a ship and shipped to Mexico or EU countries, where it is then diluted and assembled locally to become bottles of Tianyuan hair growth liquid, myopia pills, weight loss pills, and whitening liquid.

Such a small target, hidden in a cargo ship with a displacement of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons, would be impossible to investigate and deal with.

If the truth is found out, the JEC Group can afford the loss.

The profits from these products are so high that even if only one-tenth of them are smuggled in, the JEC Group will still make a profit.

What's more, the success rate of the Jake Group's smuggling is close to 100%.

As for the blood trafficking ships, they collect blood all over the world for the Jake Group, and most of the Jake Group's payment is based on delivery of the goods.

You transport the blood to the sphere of influence of the Jeko Group, and then pay the money in exchange for the blood.

If anything happens to the blood-trafficking ship midway, the loss will be borne by the ship owner himself.

Most of these ship owners have impressive backgrounds, are connected to both the black and white worlds, and have great powers, so they are able to avoid a lot of risks through their own operations.

Some countries simply get involved in this business. Faced with huge profits, the benefits far outweigh the risks. These blood-trafficking ships are not afraid of investigation and punishment and continue to transport blood to the Jeko Group.

As for countries in Indochina and other places, because they are minions of the Jeko Group, the EU has long cut off most of their imports. Now their exports have long since turned to developing domestic demand and turning to doing business with China, Russia and Central Asia.

It can be said that the action instigated by the United States to charge high canal tolls to the Jeko Group is purely flattering, and the impact on the Jeko Group is infinitely close to zero.

Without the equal game, shipping vessels from Europe, the United States and other countries can only detour through the Strait of Malacca and continue to take this traditional route.

In this canal game, the happiest parties are Temasek, Johor and Java, the three countries along the Strait of Malacca.

They originally thought that their shipping business would plummet with the opening of the Kra Canal. However, due to the two-way charges of the Jeko Group, the ships from EU countries still went through the Strait of Malacca. Although they suffered some losses in their interests, it was far from an unacceptable level and was far from their initial bad expectations.

They originally thought that when the Kra Canal was opened, only about 20% to 30% of the ships could pass through the Strait of Malacca.

Especially Temasek, their entire country can be said to be dependent on the Strait of Malacca. Without the Strait of Malacca, their country would almost lose the meaning of existence.

“This is a new life for Temasek. The Kra Canal does not threaten our status.

This also shows that the Strait of Malacca is still the world's most important golden waterway and the maritime lifeline of East Asia.

As Temasek is located at the strategic point of the Strait of Malacca, our future is destined to be prosperous and lasting for a hundred years.

On the contrary, the stupidity and arrogance of the JEC Group are making them increasingly out of touch with the mainstream international community, which means they are doomed to be unable to maintain their powerful rule in the long run. They are doomed to disintegrate and collapse in the future, and victory will surely belong to the great Temasek.

On January 2029, 1, Temasek’s largest official mouthpiece, Temasek National, published a news article, announcing Temasek’s victory in the canal game in advance.

Citizens of Temasek rushed to buy this issue of the newspaper, and at the same time they mocked the outrageous operations of the Jeko Group.

When the Kra Canal was being built, the Jetco Group bullied Temasek. Even their president went to the Jetco Group in person, humbled himself before Suje, put on a smiling face, and paid a large sum of compensation before they got through the crisis.

However, many of the people of Temasek subconsciously overlooked the fact that it was they who first sank the ship at the Kra Canal Terminal, which led to retaliation from the Jetco Group.

They only remember that the Jacko Group bullied them and extorted $17.43 billion from them for so-called canal terminal repair costs and lost wages.

Most people help their relatives and not others, and the same is true at the national level. The citizens of Temasek are jubilant and unilaterally believe that they have won.

But Temasek didn’t know that they were happy too early.

Because just three days after this news was released, a ship without any flag to indicate its country of origin arrived at the narrowest part of the Strait of Malacca.

(End of this chapter)