Chapter 216 Invisible Barrier
Walking out of the trading hall, not far away is the crowded Aoba Square.
Lai Shengli felt a wave of heat coming towards him, and he and Ahasi walked together towards the Yangon Hotel, which was more than 400 meters away.
There are very few private cars on the roadside, but there are a lot of buses and taxis.
It was rush hour after get off work, and there were a lot of people on the street.
As the largest city in Hongsawadi, Yangon currently has a population of 8.3 million.
As Lai Shengli and Ahasi walked, they looked at the people passing by. Almost more than one-third of the passers-by were wearing work clothes of the three major groups.
This is very easy to identify. The logo of Aoba Group is a green tea pattern, the logo of Development Group is a golden gear and two crossed long swords, and the logo of United Group is a string of emerald green Buddhist beads and two rice ears.
"The proportion has risen again," Lai Shengli muttered to himself.
He has been working in Yangon for almost a year. At the beginning, the employees of the three major groups accounted for only about one-tenth of the total population of Yangon. Now this proportion has almost risen to nearly one-third.
This shows how terrifying the expansion of the three major groups is.
Now the entire city is basically filled with employees and relatives of the three major groups.
Lai Shengli felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this model, yet also a sense of something being plausible.
Ahasi, who came from Persia, was also very uncomfortable with the social operating model of Hongsavadi. Almost everything here was closely related to the three major groups, and he could not avoid the three major groups even when eating.
The two came to the Yangon Hotel, which is part of the United Group.
There are quite a few people who come here to eat, especially employees of multinational companies like Lai Shengli and Ahasi, most of whom eat at the Yangon Hotel.
It’s not mandatory to eat at the Rangoon Hotel, but it’s the closest to the trade center, the food tastes good and the price is more reasonable.
As soon as he entered the door, Lai Shengli met Li Xingchen, the business manager of Huahai Oil Company, and greeted him. The other party seemed to be a little enthusiastic about Ahasi and invited him to have dinner together.
Inside the private room on the third floor.
They chatted while waiting for the food to come.
After a while, the waiter came with a cart and served them the food.
Taking into account Ahasi's special dietary habits, Lai Shengli specially ordered lamb pilaf, tomato beef brisket pot, beef fried kale, cream of mushroom soup and freshly squeezed juice.
“President Ahasi, you’re welcome.”
"Haha, I won't be polite to Manager Lai." Ahasi looked at the pilaf in front of him and suddenly sighed: "Hongsavadi's agricultural potential is really enviable!"
Li Xingchen smiled and shook his head: "President Ahasi envies Hongsavadi's agricultural potential. Maybe he also envies Persia's abundant oil and natural gas."
After taking a bite of mutton, Ahasi knew why Li Xingchen was looking for him. He smiled and asked:
"Manager Li, I have no objection to your company's wish to import more natural gas, but our company hopes to import a batch of drones..."
"I can help with this." Li Xingchen knew that the other party must have other requirements.
After all, in this transaction, Persia will use Huayuan as the settlement currency, and Huayuan is a credit currency, not as valuable as Jinyuan, so it must be spent as soon as possible.
However, the Persian side did not dare to make excessive demands, mainly because the current external environment in Persia was even worse than that in Hongsavadi.
At least with Hongsavadi's alliances in Southeast Asia and the importance of the new drug, many forces are reluctant to offend Hongsavadi at this time.
Persia has a lot of oil and natural gas, but has been blocked by Europe and the United States for a long time, and its internal environment is very unstable.
Ahashi picked up the freshly squeezed juice and said, "Then it's a happy cooperation."
Li Xingchen also picked up the cup.
The two clinked their glasses.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
After eating and drinking for a while, Lai Shengli, who was sitting next to the floor-to-ceiling window, suddenly saw the heads of Bunge and Cargill in Yangon walking across the street, apparently on their way to dinner at the Yangon Hotel.
Ahasi followed this line of sight and saw the figure on the street. He turned his head and asked:
"People from ABCD? Why is Manager Lai paying attention to these vampires?"
Lai Shengli narrowed his eyes and said suggestively: "These guys have become active again recently. I wonder if the people from the three major groups have noticed it."
"They are looking for death. The three major groups are not easy to mess with, especially in Hongsavadi." Li Xingchen, who knew some inside information, sneered.
Ahasi just smiled and said nothing. He knew that America, which was behind ABCD, often used this method to color other regions.
It’s just that Hongsavadi is completely different from other areas.
Ahasi even felt that Persia was not as closed as Honsavadi.
It is true that Ahasi thought Hongsavadi was very closed.
Persia's closure was an external blockade, which caused an excessive stress response internally and forced it to close itself off passively.
The closure of Hongsavadi does not mean that there are any closed regulations and restrictions, but rather an invisible barrier formed by three major groups.
This invisible barrier is the real reason why Hongsawadi is closed.
America can easily find a large number of converts who will lead the way in other places, and even converts who bring their own dog food. By spending money, a large fifth column of waving flags and cheering can be formed.
But in Hongsavadi, America's approach didn't quite work.
They are mainly employees of three major groups, accounting for 32.3% of the total population of Hongsavady. If the army and official agencies of Hongsavady are included, the proportion will reach about 40%.
That is to say, in Hongsavadi, on average, 4 out of every 10 people are from the three major groups and officials.
Including the families, relatives and friends of these people, 99% of the population within Hongsavadi are insiders of the three major groups.
Less than one percent of the population are small wealthy people, wealthy self-employed individuals, or employees of multinational corporations.
So how does America spend its money?
The three major groups' control over their employees is almost pervasive, and employees dare not betray the company easily.
There is a rumor among the people in Hongsavadi now, which roughly means: It is better to provoke Buddha than to provoke the three major groups.
The reason is of course very simple, because they are being targeted by three major groups in Hongsawadi, and it is useless even if they escape to the deep mountains and forests.
Previously, in the daily management of the three major groups, many employees were punished and demoted. They felt that the company was too harsh on them, and then they resigned.
These people are regretting it to death now.
Because now within the entire Hongsavadi, except for the three major groups that have enough positions, there are no other jobs.
Even if I want to go back to the countryside to farm, there is actually no other way.
Although the three major groups will not directly seize land, farming requires water conservancy facilities, pesticides and fertilizers, agricultural machinery and tools, seeds and sales channels, right?
The three major groups can directly lock you down.
Generally speaking, the three major groups will not fire employees. They will only use demotion, fines, exile, imprisonment, or direct execution. The only option is not firing.
If you choose to resign, then unless you can immigrate, you will find it difficult to move forward in Hongsavadi and will directly become a marginal blacklisted refugee.
Of course, after becoming a blacklisted refugee, there is still a chance to change the status quo, that is to apply to go to a development area with a higher risk level and become a pioneer worker.
Usually, as long as you work honestly in the development zone for 5 years, the blacklist restrictions can be lifted and you can be accepted by the three major groups again.
With the strict control system of the three major groups, America might be able to bribe dozens of people in Hongsavadi, but once the number of people exceeds a hundred, the probability of being exposed is almost 100%.
It is because Ahasi understands part of the situation that he feels that Hongsavadi is very closed and difficult to penetrate.
