Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 251 Tactical Deception
Flora watched as the workers gradually resumed production, and seeing Milton's rare excitement, she chuckled: "Sure enough, a sneak attack is effective; otherwise, all the equipment in the oil field might have been destroyed."

While some equipment has been damaged, the losses are very limited and within a manageable range.

“Crude oil alone isn’t enough.” Milton looked longingly at the refining equipment on the panel, then silently turned it off and replied, “The most important things are refining and the supporting equipment.”

“Then this is no small project.” Flora looked up. “You’re involved in the railway project, is this what you’re doing?”

“We’ll build the railway in a year, and at the same time find a safe location to build a medium-sized refinery, connecting the oil fields, refinery, and port with the railway… After that, I’ll have a steady stream of tax revenue. Similarly, only with oil and oil refining technology can we truly think about ‘self-reliance.’” Milton looked up at the oil fields again. “Right now, let’s think about how to catch those ‘oil tycoons’ and squeeze a lot of money out of them.”

"Hmm... but didn't all those 'oil tycoons' run away? Is it too late to catch them now?"

Milton gave an absurd laugh: "Run? Where can you run to? Are you going to run towards Tustra and become a blood bag for Badr, or run in the opposite direction and into my territory to voluntarily move into the museum's VIP booth?"

"They wanted to survive, and there were only a few very small towns along the way where they could rest."

"In between, we might even have to survive in the wilderness."

Flora then asked, "If they really decide to go and disappear into the wilderness, can you really find them?"

Milton had always looked down on these insects. He shook his head and said, “Our attack was sudden, but it wasn’t the kind of sudden disaster that caught us off guard. These oil tycoons may be fast, but they have enough time to pack up their things and get on their way.”

"If they really want to 'survive in the wilderness,' these people who value their lives so much are very likely to have brought lighters and food with them... They are not special forces soldiers, nor are they wilderness survival experts. They have no relevant survival experience at all. Sending people to search from the sky might just find their traces."

"Understood!"

"Hmm... For those who run towards Badr, we'll try our best to block them; for those who want to stop in a small town, we'll have the army surround them; for those who are trying to survive in the wilderness, we'll try to find their tracks from the air."

Flora accepted the order and was about to turn around when she suddenly remembered something and stopped in her tracks: "Oh, right, there's one more question... Now that the oil field has been taken, your most important objective in this war has been achieved. What are your next plans?"

Should we stop while we're ahead, digest our gains, strengthen ourselves, and continue to put pressure on the Arsu government, or should we press on and keep fighting?
“We can’t retreat.” Milton said firmly. “There are too many factors outside of the battle that have made our fight so successful, such as the peso’s sharp drop, the change of government in Mexico, and the polarization between the two parties in the US midterm elections. If any one of these factors were missing, the fight would be much more difficult.”

"If I don't take this opportunity to get everything I want, it won't be so easy to get it later."

Mexico is a large country, and as long as there is a little internal cohesion, it is enough to fill the vacancy of the 31st Brigade!

The economic crisis will gradually improve.

If Milton "quit while he's ahead" now, when he comes back in the future, all he'll see is a rebuilt state government, redeployed troops, and Americans running around targeting him everywhere.

"I said before the war started... to win in one battle!"

Flora had anticipated Milton's answer. She took a map from the car and said, "Even if we only focus on resources and not Stella, we still have a significant enemy—Coca-Cola in Concordia. If we take it, we'll have over 40% of Mexico's hydroelectric power, saving us a lot of construction costs and time."

"To realize your grand vision, Coca-Cola is indispensable..."

If oil is the lifeblood of industry, then electricity is its nerves!

"But you also know that we may not be able to afford to mess with Coca-Cola now. They have hired many different PMC companies from different countries for security... It's not that they can withstand our strong attack, but that if we attack them, we may not be able to bear the consequences."

Anyway, the gist of it is that it's very difficult to fight.

Milton countered, "But what is my image in the public eye?"

"Uh... a reckless madman?"

“That’s more like it.” Milton shrugged matter-of-factly. “If I were to spread the word right now that I’m going to attack Coca-Cola and tell those Americans over there not to run away, but to wait to be beheaded, do you think the others would believe me or not?”

Flora thought about the "jingguan" (a mound of skulls) in Malacan and how this newly invented term was gradually becoming popular in Latin America, and replied, "I think the vast majority of people believe it. But it's no use claiming you're going to attack Coca-Cola, since you were already planning to, weren't you?"

“Who told you I was going to attack Coca-Cola?” Milton chuckled. “Can’t I just claim I’m going to utterly crush Coca-Cola, make everyone believe it, scare the people on the other side of the reservoir half to death, and then turn around and attack Tustra?”

"Huh?!" Flora's eyes widened. "If you go to fight Tustra, how will you take down the reservoir?"

“I’ve found that you’ve fallen into a logical trap. Coca-Cola may claim to be the modern-day ‘United Fruit,’ but in reality, it’s far from it. To deal with them, we don’t necessarily need a military offensive,” Milton emphasized. “As I’ve said before, our biggest problem in Mexico is actually the ‘legitimacy’ of the regime.”

"Legitimacy without force is not enough, force without legitimacy is not enough... But now, we have both."

"Of these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, Bader eliminating the governor and declaring the establishment of a military government is the most advantageous one for us!"

"As long as we eliminate Vic under his banner, and with no external forces able to interfere, we can introduce a legitimate, democratically elected government, and our legitimacy crisis will be completely resolved."

"As long as we can control the state government and Congress, we can pass one seemingly reasonable bill after another... eventually weaving a giant net to trap Coca-Cola inside."

"For example, it claims to be to improve the pollution of water resources by oil and gas fields, but in reality, these bills are all tailor-made for Coca-Cola."

"For example, by using administrative means to make things as difficult as possible for Coca-Cola and to increase their production costs to the greatest extent possible."

"For example, give him an anti-monopoly law."

"For example, enacting a freshwater fisheries protection law... tailoring labor rights laws, defining all jobs at Coca-Cola as extremely high-risk, forcing them to buy my insurance, raising everyone's salary, and legally seizing their assets as punishment and deductions if they don't work."

Milton spoke at length, took a sip of water, and then slowly said, "Actually, the problem with Coca-Cola is the problem with Tustra. As long as Tustra is solved, Coca-Cola can be solved."

"The previous government allowed Coca-Cola to be so arrogant because Congress had long been infiltrated by interest groups, and because Chiapas state simply did not have enough law enforcement power and regulatory capacity."

Flora scratched her head: "Could we use a perfectly legal legislative process to kill it? ... That's feasible, but I think Coca-Cola would fight back fiercely."

“Forced to death? No, not forced to death.” Milton held up his finger and waved it from side to side. “Even if they are coerced by force and suppressed by legislative procedures, I will give them another option—accept regulation and let the government invest in the project.”

"As long as they regulate themselves, I have no ill will towards foreign companies."

"In other words, without proper regulation, not only Coca-Cola, but any company, including our own, will eventually become a monster, and this is beyond the control of any individual. Capital is profit-driven; it will seek every possible way to increase profits, even if the capitalist himself betrays his class. He and his company will gradually decline because they cannot compete with their rivals on cost."

"My goal is to create a standardized environment to bring hydropower projects like reservoirs back from foreign companies, rather than throwing bombs at them and driving them all away."

Flora squinted: "To put it bluntly, it's like threatening to send bombers to bomb other people first, and then suddenly making them hand over ownership of the reservoir and a portion of their shares so they can continue doing business normally in the area... I've heard people call this the 'demolition effect,' right?"

“Yes,” Milton readily admitted. “So there are two things to do now—first, you and Brandon are in charge of arresting the ‘oil tycoons’; second, I will have Vic do it. I will start criticizing Coca-Cola and the Concordia local government in the media, claiming that we will beat them up soon, and even the Americans will not be able to protect themselves.”

"Okay! I'll pass it on for you!"

"..."

……

In a small town in northern Chiapas state.

beep...

A Honda Civic drove into the town and arrived at the town's gas station—a tiny gas station with only four pumps.

There was a man and two beautiful women sitting in the car.

He was one of the managers of an oil field in Chiapas, and he wisely fled before the war broke out.

Even though there was no news of the 31st Brigade's defeat at the time, he decided to find an excuse to ask for leave and go out. If the 31st Brigade won later, he would consider it a vacation.

If Milton wins, he can take his wealth and women and escape victoriously.

As for his wife and children, he didn't even bother to think about them, and he didn't even leave them much money.

"Good afternoon, sir!" A waiter hurried over, glanced at the imported sedan with a hint of envy in his eyes, and asked, "Good afternoon, sir. What kind of gasoline would you like? To fill it up completely or a specific amount?"

"100 pesos of premium unleaded gasoline, quick!"

Based on the recent plunge in peso prices, 100 pesos can buy nearly 20 liters of gasoline, which is about half the capacity of a Civic's fuel tank.

"Okay, okay... Uh, just a heads up, right now 100 pesos can only buy about 10 liters of gasoline, are you sure?"

"What?!" The man, who was about to roll up the window, turned around in shock. "Do you know who I am? Do you think I don't know about gas prices? Are you trying to rip me off?"

As a "tycoon" who made nearly $300 million from oil, he dared not buy any flashy luxury cars, but he did collect quite a few guns!

Now, he can always pull out a loaded Glock from next to the driver's seat.

The waiter quickly shook his head: "Sir, how could I dare... But right now, this is the current price of oil around here. You may not have heard, but there's been a war at the oil fields, and now we can only buy oil through imports, so the price is just this high. Once the oil tankers arrive at the port, the price will come down."

“…Alright.” The man paused for a moment, then let out a deep breath. “Damn Milton, even so, he still wants to rip me off! Fine, then add 200 pesos.” The waiter filled the tank and said, “Sir, it’s full.”

The man casually took out four $10 bills from his wallet and handed them to the waiter through the car window: "$40, keep the change."

The waiter was pleasantly surprised to receive the four $10 bills and carefully put them away: "Thank you so much, you are so generous!"

The current sharp drop in the peso's value has caused many people to lose confidence in it, fearing that their wealth will one day become worthless. The official exchange rate is also utterly ridiculous.

Receiving US dollars means that the waiter can take out 200 pesos, which are rapidly depreciating, and exchange them for 40 US dollars, which are relatively stable in value!

The man gave the waiter a small tip and then asked, "Tell me, where is the best restaurant or bar around here? The kind with a TV."

The waiter pointed in a direction and said, "In that direction, turn left at the first intersection. There's a steakhouse called Haiper Steakhouse. Locals love it, and they even have TVs. You can go and try it."

"it is good!"

The man nodded, started the engine, and stepped on the gas. The Civic's engine roared to life, and the car shot forward as if it were a race car.

He soon arrived at his destination.

He swaggered out of the car with two female companions and walked into the steakhouse.

He also had two revolvers conspicuously clipped to his waist, as if to tell everyone here that he was not to be trifled with and that he was very rich.

After ordering steak and drinks, the man watched TV for a while.

Twenty minutes later, the sizzling steak and hot plate were served together, and the aroma of black pepper filled the air, making the man who had been running away eager to eat.

"Not bad, the steak is tender and juicy with a rich flavor, the potatoes are roasted very well... and the wine is also of decent quality."

Even while eating, he didn't forget to continue watching TV.

After watching an entertainment program for over 20 minutes, the latest midday news is now being broadcast on TV.

The man didn't usually like watching the news, but after thinking about it, and realizing he was being chased, he looked up and took a closer look.

"The situation in Chiapas state has escalated again due to the peso's sharp drop, and large-scale riots across the region show no signs of abating..."

"Due to the turbulent situation, according to reliable sources, peace talks between the Zapatista insurgents and the government have once again stalled."

"Brigadier General Badr, commander of the 31st Brigade, who was once praised by the president as a hero for successfully suppressing the 'Zapata Rebellion,' has announced his defection on local time and led his troops into Tustra-Gutiérrez. There is currently no news from the state government."

"The remnants of the CJNG, the 31st Brigade rebels, the state government, and Vic's 'law enforcement forces' are fighting in Chiapas. President Salinas has officially declared that Chiapas has been occupied by an illegal military government and demanded that they step down immediately and be replaced by a democratically elected government."

"The president used this as a pretext to announce an extension of martial law, which sparked huge opposition. Demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the capital, Mexico City, demanding an immediate change of president."

"Currently, the northern region of Chiapas is under the control of armed forces known as the 'Law Protection Army,' which is actually the 'Pan-Maderley Group.' Many experts worry that the 'Pan-Maderley Group' may grow into a 'super cartel' that surpasses all other cartels, with influence spanning the country and controlling national-level power."

"There is a lot of evidence to support this... This 'cartel' has tanks, fighter jets, warships, a complete administrative team, and prints its own fiat currency."

"Currently, due to the domestic turmoil, the peso exchange rate shows no signs of recovery, the cost of living has increased significantly, and a large number of workers are on strike, demanding higher wages to combat inflation."

"..."

The man watched TV, swallowed a piece of steak, and remained expressionless.

At the same time, he silently added in his mind that the current "Pan-Madre Group" not only owns the above-mentioned items, but also owns oil and gas fields.

With natural gas and oil, Milton's power would expand to an unimaginable extent.

"Luckily, I escaped beforehand..."

The man was about to finish eating and was about to buy some drinks to take to his car when the news anchor, who was preparing the weather forecast, suddenly paused and listened intently to something.

"Feel sorry!"

"Breaking news."

The host, looking apologetic, quickly glanced at his prepared remarks and said, "Just now, Mayor Vic of Tapachula, Chiapas, delivered a televised address."

"Mayor Vic strongly condemned the actions of the Mexican 31st Infantry Brigade, claiming that such acts of mutiny were absolutely unforgivable and that the Military Commission was a completely illegal organization. He said he had reliable evidence that Governor Fide had been executed by the Military Commission."

"He called on everyone to boycott the Military Commission."

"..."

The man had unconsciously stopped what he was doing and was watching the TV intently... He noticed something very unusual.

The usually tough Vic government, in this speech, did not make any military threats as it usually does, but only engaged in verbal sparring, which is completely inconsistent with their violent style!

A simple yet reasonable guess instantly emerged.

What the news anchor said next confirmed his guess.

"After criticizing the military committee led by Bader, Vic was asked about Concordia in an interview with reporters. Many people are concerned about whether Vic will take action against Coca-Cola after restoring order to the state government."

"Mayor Vic gave a very strong response, claiming that Coca-Cola had cheated the previous government out of large amounts of water resources at low prices through bribery and illegal means, thus establishing a monopoly in the beverage and drinking water markets."

"The price of a bottle of pure water is more expensive than water plus sugar plus other ingredients. The evidence is conclusive, and there are a lot of illegal business practices involved."

"In order to make people addicted to Coca-Cola, they maliciously manipulated the market, making Coca-Cola cheaper than drinking water. This monopolistic and market-manipulating behavior has seriously violated commercial law. Moreover, there is evidence that Coca-Cola mismanaged and operated the reservoir, and the discharge did not meet the standards, which led to the endangerment of a large number of freshwater fish. This has seriously violated the contract signed at the time."

"Vic announced that legislation will be improved soon to strictly regulate foreign companies. He claimed that even Coca-Cola must abide by the law, cooperate with the investigation within a specified period, and actively and comprehensively rectify the situation, otherwise it will face the toughest coercive measures."

"Many people see this statement as a declaration of war... The 'defenders' may directly attack Concordia, and Coca-Cola executives have already come forward to protest."

Before the man watching TV could say anything, the local residents around him were stunned for a moment, and then cheered.

"Holy crap! You're absolutely right!"

"Damn it, a bottle of water costs 10% of my daily wage, while Coke is cheap. I've found that strange for a long time."

"I support Vic! I don't want to drink Coke like it's water, I don't want to get diabetes."

"..."

While others cheered, the man holding $300 million nodded slowly.

It seems that Milton, that madman, is planning to target Coca-Cola... Is he after Coca-Cola's assets, or perhaps the reservoir and hydroelectric resources there?
Because there weren't enough troops, they only condemned Badr?
The signal is clear: Milton is going to launch a full-scale attack on Coca-Cola...

"...Hehe, the Americans are not so easy to mess with. If Milton really attacks directly, then we'll have a good show to watch."

"If he's not careful, Milton could not only throw up everything he just ate, but he might also get himself killed!"

"By then, I might be able to go back to Palenque and keep making money... Once I've made enough $1000 million, I'll immigrate to the United States and become an American!"

The man cursed Milton in his heart, waved his hand to summon the waiter, and paid the bill.

He wanted to stay away from this troublesome place.

He downed the last drop of wine in his glass, pushed open the door of the steakhouse, and reached for his car keys.

Immediately afterwards, he saw several men wearing dark blue heavy bulletproof vests and carrying automatic weapons searching his Civic.

There was also a bulletproof vehicle equipped with a general-purpose machine gun parked next to it!

Without the slightest hesitation, and without even considering pulling out his small pistol to retaliate against the machine gun, the man turned and ran wildly in one direction!

"Holy crap, that's him! Let's catch him!"

"The Godfather said he embezzled at least $100 million. Arrest him!!!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)