1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 640 War Profits!
"Vic, are you really not coming to Riyadh with me?"

"I think you should go there around this time!"

Inside Kai Tak Airport, in front of the towering Boeing 747, Tarak continued to persuade Li Changhe with regret.

Li Changhe smiled and shook his head: "Your Highness, I will definitely go to Riyadh, but I can't get away right now."

"And to be honest, I don't think now is a particularly good time to go."

"As you yourself said, we are currently at a critical juncture in your struggle against another faction. My appearance at this time may not be a good thing for you!"

"After all, I know very well that many princes in your country are quite unscrupulous."

After careful consideration, Li Changhe finally decided not to go to Saudi Arabia with Tarak.

The reason is simple: going there now would be pointless.

Saudi Arabia's primary choice for arms purchases is always the United States, and the United States will always be the priority. Even if Li Changhe goes there now, it is unlikely that he will be able to negotiate an arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The successful trade of the nuclear bombs was due to a confluence of favorable circumstances. On the one hand, the United States was unwilling to sell, and on the other hand, it was a critical moment when the West was suppressing the Soviet Union. During this period, the West's primary target was always the Soviet Union, so they tolerated the Soviet Union without limit.

This is also why the deal between Dongda and Saudi Arabia was able to be completed back then. Even the United States turned a blind eye and tacitly approved the deal, since the US itself couldn't sell it.

To put it bluntly, during that period, the top priority for both the Soviet Union and Tokyo University was to overthrow the Soviet Union. So even if Tokyo University did business in a way that was too outrageous, the West would grit their teeth and bear it, and would not allow Tokyo University to be pushed back to the Soviet Union.

Therefore, Li Changhe estimated that even if he went to Riyadh ahead of time, the things he could negotiate would be limited.

It was nothing more than getting acquainted with Fahd and the seven Sudri brothers, but he felt that this acquaintance was of little use. If Fahd and the others took the opportunity to make some outrageous demands, Li Changhe might find himself in a dilemma.

That would be counterproductive.

Moreover, what Saudi Arabia can offer him now is the agreed-upon trading company, but whether Li Changhe goes or not, they have to give him the company unless they change their minds.

As for the types of goods offered by the trading company, Li Changhe wasn't too concerned about them now. After all, the other party could only provide a few items, and he already knew what they were.

Furthermore, as he said, among the Saudi royal family members, elites like Tarak are a minority. Most of them are actually uneducated and incompetent, especially in a theocratic country like Saudi Arabia, where the law is often just a formality.

They were wealthy, but due to religious reasons, they faced many restrictions and lacked overt freedom. This led many princes there to become local tyrants, acting recklessly. Thirty years ago, there was a heinous incident in which a British official was shot and killed in public.

The prince who ultimately committed the murder was merely subjected to so-called "imprisonment."

Li Changhe doesn't want to go now because he doesn't want to be a victim of their royal infighting. Who can guarantee that there won't be any brainless idiots who will be tricked into attacking him?

Upon hearing Li Changhe's hint, Tarak seemed to have thought of these things as well.

"Alright, I was being naive. I should have arranged all of this in advance. That way, once I'm all ready, I'll extend a warm invitation to you to Riyadh."

Tarak shook his head helplessly and said that he knew his own family's affairs. Some of the things Li Changhe implied were not entirely unfounded.

Afterwards, Tarak boarded his private jet. Looking at the huge Boeing aircraft, Li Changhe shook his head enviously.

He visited the interior and found the enormous space and layout to be exactly what he needed for a private jet. The 13,000-kilometer range further satisfied his mileage requirements.

Although this type of aircraft is expensive for Li Changhe, it's not unaffordable; the main problem is the hassle of purchasing it.

Large aircraft are still relatively important industrial products, and most are purchased by national aviation authorities. It is relatively rare for individuals to buy them. Saudi Arabia's aircraft was purchased and then modified under their official name.

The best way for Li Changhe to buy it is to first establish his own airline, then buy it under the airline's name, and then modify it while also obtaining all the necessary permits.

From production to modification to use, Li Changhe estimates that it will take at least five or six years to complete, and it might even take longer.

It's been too long, and for him, it's become unnecessary.

I'll take a look when I have time!

Watching Tarak's plane depart, Li Changhe withdrew his envious gaze, then turned and drove away.

"Honey, are you going out again? How about I come with you? I don't have any filming projects lately anyway."

Kadoorie Hill, Rosamund Kwan, who had only been cuddling with Li Changhe for a few days, couldn't help but hug his neck and say coquettishly as Li Changhe was about to leave again.

"You should stay in Hong Kong Island. I have my own things to do and can't take you with me."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a while!"

Li Changhe patted her and said with a smile.

"OK then!"

"I'll wait for you here!"

Upon hearing Li Changhe's words, Guan Zhilin obediently released her grip.

After Li Changhe left, she walked to the window and then sighed softly.

She already had a rough idea of ​​where Li Changhe was going.

After all, very few people in the entire Hong Kong Island knew his identity, and she was one of them.

The fact that they left so quietly and stealthily means they are most likely heading back to the mainland.

So, in reality, the Bao family still had dealings with the mainland.
Thinking about the Bao family's vast business empire, Rosamund Kwan seemed to be deep in thought. After all, in those novels, the connection between tycoons and politics was very profound.

As for anything else, she hadn't thought about it. After all, from the moment she first met Li Changhe, he always had a driver in a Mercedes-Benz and had the air of a rich young master.

She never imagined that the Bao family would help Li Changhe create a false identity.

After leaving Kadoorie Hill, Li Changhe first went back to Deep Water Bay to get a ride, packed his things, and then took a helicopter directly from Hong Kong Island to Macau Island.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan had already made all the arrangements.

"Come on, I'll show you something good!"

Soon, Lin Yuan drove Li Changhe to Sanzao Airport, and then led Li Changhe to a brand-new painted Ilyushin Il-7 aircraft.

"Here you are, this is the gift from above, your private jet!"

"From now on, this plane will be exclusively for your use. You can choose to fly from Beijing to here anytime, or fly from here to Beijing. This is a special approval granted by the higher-ups considering your future whereabouts."

"Even if it's midnight, if you want to leave, this plane will be ready for you at any time!"

"And thanks to you, I can hitch a ride on your private jet when I go back in the future!"

Lin Yuan said with envy.

However, despite his envy, he was not jealous.

Because he knew very well how much Li Changhe had contributed to the country, and that this was a special air route arranged for him by a powerful figure to keep his identity secret.

"This"

Li Changhe looked at the plane. Although it was an old-fashioned Ilyushin Il-70, it was enough to show the painstaking effort put into it.

His contributions were not overlooked by the higher-ups.

"Let's go, go up and try it out. From now on, this will be your private plane. This kind of treatment is unique in the country."

Lin Yuan seemed to sense Li Changhe's emotion, smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then pulled him onto the plane.

To make the plane more spacious, some seats have been removed, saving a lot of space.

"Here's your parachute pack, all ready for you. When we get back to Beijing, I'll teach you how to skydive together. Even if the plane crashes, I'll make sure you're safe."

"With this, you can get from Beijing to Zhuhai in half a day at most, and even if you go back to Hong Kong Island, it won't take more than a few hours. You can come back immediately if anything happens!"

"The space freed up is specially prepared for you if you need to transport anything special; it can be used for cargo!" "There's also a fitting room over there, so you can change clothes directly on the plane!"

Lin Yuan explained all the functions inside the plane to Li Changhe, who couldn't help but shake his head as he listened.

This change is so thoughtful.

"Wait a minute, are you sure this was modified for me? Or is it something you wanted to use?"

Li Changhe suddenly realized that Lin Yuan could also use it, right?

"What are you thinking? This thing is mainly for you to use, but I can use it too. My father said that you can only use it when you are not in the country, and it costs ten thousand US dollars per use!"

"Do you think I can afford this price?"

Lin Yuan shook his head and said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Li Changhe smiled slightly.

"Of course I can do it. Here's the deal: I'll treat you to a yearly subscription!"

At this moment, Li Changhe took out his checkbook from his pocket and wrote a check for one million US dollars.

"Take this and give it to your grandfather, or to the logistics department. Just say it's the travel expenses you prepaid!"

Li Changhe smiled and pushed it in front of Lin Yuan.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yuan's expression changed, and he said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Changhe, I was just joking. How could you possibly pay for this?"

Li Changhe shook his head: "Are you stupid? Is this money for you?"

“I’ve invested so much money in the country, but that money is allocated by higher authorities. We definitely don’t have the final say on how it will be distributed, and it’s hard to say how much the military will get.”

"But putting aside your military status, we use military resources on a daily basis, so what's wrong with contributing a little to fuel costs?"

"Forget it, one million is too little, let's make it two million!"

Li Changhe then took the check back, tore it up, wrote a new one, and pushed it back in front of Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan then realized that the other party was using the pretext of inviting him to curry favor with the military.

"Changhe, I'm truly impressed by you. I only said one sentence, and you still managed to find an opportunity to give away money. You're amazing!"

Lin Yuan couldn't help but give a thumbs up at this moment.

This kid is just not in politics. Otherwise, with his brains, saying he'd rise through the ranks would be an insult to him.

"Stop slandering me! I'm supporting the construction of the motherland's army. I don't believe you don't need US dollars!"

"No more, but a little support is fine, of course, this is also on your behalf."

"I'll pay for it, and I'll also help you show your face in front of your old man, and give you some face, isn't that enough?"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

He knew that the military was also short of foreign exchange.

In recent years, the country's large foreign exchange reserves have been prioritized for industrial projects, with little support going to the military. Otherwise, the country wouldn't have been so reluctant to even consider the Mirage 2000 back then.

Maintaining good relations with the military would not be without its benefits for Li Changhe's future.

Putting aside everything else, let's just talk about two aspects: real estate and hospitals!

The military owns a large amount of land, including military cadre housing, military horse farms, military family housing, and even many military factories and industries in the future. When reforms are carried out in the future, these will all be assets to be sold.

Secondly, there are hospitals. Future military hospitals, to some extent, bypass the supervision of the health department, which has become a loophole in the hospital system.

The infamous Putian-affiliated hospitals of later generations collaborated with many such hospitals at certain times, contracting out departments, until the military's strict supervision finally eradicated these scourges.

In short, for Li Changhe, cultivating good relations with certain members of the military is actually a worthwhile endeavor.

Anyway, he doesn't have any official rank now; at most, he's just an ordinary cadre, so he's not afraid of political repercussions.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, I'll definitely accept it."

"You know what, there really is a shortage of foreign exchange here. My old man has almost emptied my pockets. I really need to get some more money. Do you know any ways to do that?"

Lin Yuan said in a low voice.

Upon hearing Lin Yuan's words, a flash of inspiration struck Li Changhe.

"I actually have some connections. Let me tell you about them, and you can think about it!"

"This matter is still related to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East battlefield!"

"The leader of that group of Saudi princes I'm on good terms with is very likely to become the King of Saudi Arabia next year. You could consider selling them some weapons?"

Li Changhe said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan shook his head: "No way, they all buy from the Americans over there, we can't get through to them."

"Besides, if the quantity is too large, we can't handle it. The large items all go to Norinco."

"Just hear me out."

"I'm not talking about Saudi defense, I'm talking about the arms that Saudi Arabia is providing to Iraq!"

"Now that there is war between Iran and Iraq, countries like Saudi Arabia are acting as Iraq's logistical support, and they will provide Iraq with all kinds of assistance."

"I think we can explore ways to extract some business from their support procurement."

"You need to bypass Barkleyville and avoid cooperating with the Americans. It would be better if you cooperated directly with them!"

Li Changhe hadn't originally planned to get involved in the military procurement, but now that Lin Yuanyi brought it up, he had a new idea.

He could choose not to get involved himself, but he could let Lin Yuan get involved too!
"This"

“Go back and discuss it with your father. See if this is feasible. We can’t afford Saudi Arabia’s defense purchases, but we can give this kind of arms purchase that goes to the battlefield a try.”

"Furthermore, if you can find a way out, the Iran-Iraq war might bring us a lot of US dollars in the future. Don't forget, Iran has all Soviet-made weapons!"

"For Iraq, if they use our weapons extensively, it also means they can use captured enemy weapons, including spare parts, and the US might turn a blind eye to that."

"Go back and study this idea, then discuss it!"

At this moment, Li Changhe spoke to Lin Yuanming.

He knew that the country had made a fortune from the Iran-Iraq War, but he didn't actually know how that happened.

However, he felt that at this point in time, the country was likely not yet involved in the Iran-Iraq War.

After all, the internal situation had not yet been sorted out, and relations with Europe and the United States had only just begun to ease. He felt that the higher-ups would not act rashly and intervene in the Iran-Iraq War at this time.

However, this did not stop him from telling Lin Yuan his thoughts and using Lin Yuan's words to remind the higher-ups. With the wisdom of the higher-ups, as long as they paid attention to this point, it would not be difficult for them to make a fortune from the war.

After all, at this time, the Americans might not allow the sale of mushroom bombs, but selling machine guns and cannons shouldn't be a problem.

Furthermore, the unified Soviet-style weaponry would reduce their support losses, which would certainly be a cost-effective move for the US, which was secretly supporting Iraq.

(End of this chapter)