50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 903 Dilemma
For a small country like Cape Verde, neither its former colonial power Portugal nor America's super conglomerate, the LOT Group, are people they can afford to offend.

Although Portugal could not defeat the more populous and powerful countries like India and Java, and lost its overseas colonies one after another, its glorious past still gives it a semblance of being a European power.

Just like their navy, no matter how weak it is, it still has tens of thousands of soldiers, and it has no shortage of submarines and frigates.

For Cape Verde, offending Portugal would be a political and economic blow.

Although the Robert Group is a newly established conglomerate, it has gradually gained fame in recent years. They have heard that the Robert Group also owns its own warships, so they dare not offend them.

Other requests would be fine, but the other party's request for a habitable island put them in a difficult position.

Cape Verde only has a few islands. If we just give up one, their reputation in the country will be ruined.

Therefore, on the same day the letter was received, the Cape Verdean Parliament convened an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.

As soon as the parliament opened and the news was released, it immediately turned the parliamentary room into a complete mess.

However, neither the ruling party nor the opposition party is willing to hand over Bulawa Island.

Although Bulawa Island is not large and has few resources, its settled population is only a few thousand.

But this matter involves national sovereignty, and if handled poorly, it could lead to being labeled as a loss of national sovereignty and humiliation, a responsibility no one dares to take on.

Anyone who dares to agree will have their political future ruined; that's what political correctness is.

However, neither of them wanted to offend the Robert Group, the initiator of the letter.

Because although the Robert Group is a company, it's incredibly wealthy. If you anger them and they launch an economic attack, they won't be able to withstand it.

Don't underestimate the Roberts Group just because it's a company. They have territory, people, and guns. Given their size, it wouldn't be wrong to consider them a country.

In comparison, even if the entire Cape Verde Islands were sold, it wouldn't amount to a fraction of the Robert Group's total assets.

The members of parliament were arguing heatedly in the parliament building, offering all sorts of suggestions, but none of them were helpful.

Before they could reach a conclusion, a call came from the port that the Robert Group's negotiation team had arrived.

But when they learned that the negotiating team had arrived on a warship, all the members of parliament fell silent.

The word "war" appeared in their minds for the first time, but it was something they had never thought about before.

In their view, Cape Verde only has diplomacy and negotiation as its external affairs, and has never had the option of using force.

Their so-called supreme commander of the national armed forces is nothing more than a militia regiment commander, and a crippled one at that, with incomplete organization.

The primary role of the 1200 soldiers nationwide is as guards and honor guards, as well as to deter pirates in the surrounding areas.

But they all knew that those soldiers were all showy on the surface, but in reality they could barely fire a few shots a year, and their actual combat effectiveness was practically nonexistent.

If things get serious, lawmakers worry the troops will scatter like birds and beasts, or even mutiny.

What to do now? The lawmakers started arguing again in a panic.

In the end, it was Speaker Moreira and President Fernández who made the decision to first treat them well and then see what the other side had to say during the talks the next day.

Subsequently, the negotiating delegation was accommodated at the Barceló Hotel, considered the best hotel in Playa, and Sun Zhiwei, who was part of the delegation, also stayed there. Of course, the so-called best hotel was actually just so-so, not even comparable to a three-star hotel in later years.

Cape Verde's tourism industry only developed in the 1990s, and it remains a poor agricultural country.

Their only source of income in the entire country is their port, which receives numerous shipping fleets that travel across the Atlantic for supplies every year.

But the money earned from the port was barely enough to import food to ensure that the people in the country did not go hungry. The entire country, from the president to the members of parliament, was basically a bunch of poor people.

The next day, the two sides held their first meeting at the Cape Verde Parliament Building.

Representatives of the Robert Group presented proof of ownership of the island of Brava and listed all relevant legal provisions from history to the present, asserting that the Robert Group has legal ownership of the island of Brava.

When these things were revealed, both the parliament and the presidential palace were stunned.

Everyone was cursing in their hearts the group that issued the declaration of the founding of the nation. They were still not at peace even after they died, leaving them with such a huge pit.

Seeing that they could not reach an agreement, the negotiating delegation proposed a temporary recess, giving them a day to reach a consensus internally.

"Gentlemen, here is the situation. We guarantee the legality of all documents and clauses, and you are welcome to verify them at any time."

"We hope that you will first reach an internal consensus on whether to fight or make peace. Please give us a clear answer as soon as possible."

"By the way, our two frigates and one submarine will be arriving in Cape Verde for a friendly visit in a month, and we hope to receive a warm welcome from you."

After saying this, the negotiating delegation got up and left the parliament building.

This was a blatant threat, but they were actually threatened.

Two frigates and a submarine, regardless of their tonnage, would be enough to blockade all the ports of the Cape Verde Islands.

They are an island nation that relies on imports even for their staple food, rice. If their shipping routes to the outside world are blocked, supplies from outside will not be able to come in, and the country will be in chaos within a week.

Soon, a new round of arguments broke out in the parliament building.

Finally, an idea actually came to mind: to invite international mediation.

While it's ridiculous to seek international mediation to resolve a dispute between a country and a company, they really had no other choice.

There's no way they can win in a fight. Regardless of whether the other party is called a company or an enterprise, their formidable military strength is an indisputable fact.

If we reason with them, their demands are reasonable and legal; if we don't, their warships are already on their way.

Whether you move forward or backward, you lose. The only question is how to lose gracefully so that you don't get blamed and ruin your political future.

Even members of parliament from small countries are still members of parliament. When the president of a small country goes on a visit, the president of the other country must also receive him in a reciprocal manner.

Although their country is small, their political status is not low, after all, they are official members of the League of Nations.

President Fernández has prepared for the worst; if the mediation fails, he will have no choice but to flee and live a life of luxury.

As for forming a government-in-exile, that's impossible. No matter where you set up a government-in-exile, it will cost money, and they just happen to have no money.

(End of this chapter)