The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 201 Maine
The subtitle of this chapter: If you can’t be the blame-thrower, be the analyst.
"Huang Zongyi persisted in writing diaries for half a century, and continued to do so for more than 50 years until his death. These diaries are of great research value.
His life was full of legends and controversies, and his diaries collected and analyzed the behind-the-scenes details, truths, and major historical questions of many political, economic, and military events in Southeast Asia and around the world.
——Excerpt from "SCP Encyclopedia Entry: Huang Zongyi's Diary"
“I’m starting my diary today!”
"Very Good, you are indeed a teachable child..."
At this moment, Luo Puxiang asked, "Old Yuan, how is it?"
Our Master Yuan turned around and saw the three mahjong masters grinning slyly, and immediately understood what was going on.
It's ten o'clock in the evening, which is the end of the day for some people and the real beginning of the day for others.
Lu Yan interrupted, "Old Yuan, do you want eight rounds, or..."
"Let's go to Pyramid to see Aunt Muni of Ala Abe." Xiao Yang Shengjian warmly invited Huang Zongyi, "Young Master Huang, you should come with us!"
Master Yuan coughed and said, "Xiao Yang, first, he must be tired from the long journey. Second, I have something to do tomorrow and need to get up early, so I can't accompany you tonight. Third..."
"Brother, I wanted to tell you last time that Aunt Muni is not Ala Abe's!"
After hearing this, the three mahjong masters had no choice but to say goodbye and leave in disappointment.
Before sending them to the car, Yuan Yan suddenly gave them another warning: "My three friends, something will happen in a couple of days, but you must be patient and don't notify my family for me. Remember, remember."
"Old Yuan, what's going on?"
President Yuan smiled mysteriously on his handsome face and said, "Won't you all know when the time comes?"
After seeing off all the guests and walking back into the house, Huang Zongyi finally remembered the purpose of his trip and said, "Uncle, I came here on my father's orders..."
Master Yuan suddenly interrupted and asked, "Shuzhi, can you play golf?"
Mr. Huang answered subconsciously, "Yes."
Yuan Yan nodded happily and said, "That's good. After you finish writing your diary, go to bed early. Tomorrow your uncle will take you to play golf..."
"Neo, it's been several months, and your golf skills haven't improved at all. But Mr. Huang is pretty good."
" Mr. Baker, you know I've been so busy lately, how can I find time to practice golf..."
Tuesday, April 26, 1921.
They returned to the country club they had visited on November 21 last year, and played a friendly doubles match with Mr. Baker Jr. and Mr. Baker Sr.
This kind of game is played with two people in a group, with each person taking one stroke or one hole, and the winner is determined by the total score of the two groups. Of course, winning or losing this game is not important to them, what is important is chatting.
Old Mr. Baker and Neo Yuan, who had not yet taken their turn, stood aside.
The "Wall Street Miracle" said to him a little dissatisfiedly: "Neo, why did Docotoven suddenly go to Europe?"
The old pervert Wen Caihua went to Europe for the sake of you, America and the Republican Party. He wanted to prevent President Warren Harding from living longer and to make the future President Roosevelt suffer more.
Yuan Yan suddenly laughed and said, "Master, he always acts on impulse. I can't control him."
"Hmm..." Old Mr. Baker sighed and said, "Although I didn't really believe in Chinese medicine before, Docotovan is quite knowledgeable. After following his diet and medical advice, I do feel a lot healthier..."
Well, actually, Docotovan’s medical level is just so-so, and his medical skills are mainly focused on gynecology.
But he doesn't understand nutrition, while our Master Yuan does. Honestly, Master Yuan is probably one of the world's foremost nutritionists. The diet used by the "Wall Street Miracle" was personally formulated by him.
There's no such thing as a balanced diet these days, or organic vegetables. The richer people are, the greasy food they eat, and basically every meal consists of meat and fish.
In addition, America, the chosen nation, has very cheap food, especially sugar and oil, which has given them very "unique" cooking methods. For example, they make cakes with half flour and half sugar, which will definitely make people who are not used to it choke to death.
The reason why cardiovascular disease is not the number one killer of Americans is that antibiotics have not yet appeared, and many people die before they show any signs of heart disease.
In fact, people throughout the Western world have begun to suffer from various diseases of affluence thanks to the Industrial Revolution and various colonies.
Later, during World War II, a very surprising and ironic thing happened.
During the war, Britain was under a tight blockade of shipping by German submarines, forcing a strict rationing system for basic necessities. An entire generation of British children born between 1940 and 1945 had never seen a banana before 1946.
Starting in 1940, the British government was forced to implement a rationing system. However, the food rations formulated by nutritionists allowed ordinary British people to eat more "scientifically" than before and after the war, and they actually became healthier.
Mr. Baker now eats a very "light" diet, of course, according to the standards of wealthy Americans. Combined with various healthy lifestyle practices and a bit of psychological support, he truly feels that his health is better than before and he can live at least another ten years...
Master Yuan can guarantee with confidence that he can definitely live another twelve years.
Mr. Baker said, "Anyway, if you can get in touch with him, have him return to New York early. I have a few old friends who still want him to see a doctor."
Yuan Yan immediately gave him a reassurance and said, "Mr. Baker, don't worry. Even if I don't contact him, he will be back soon."
After the "Wall Street Miracle" finished discussing his most pressing concerns, he glanced at Mr. Huang, who was not far away, with a half-smile. He turned around and said in a low voice, "Neo, one hundred thousand dollars? You're really generous."
"Hahaha……"
Master Yuan laughed dryly and thought, "This old fellow is incredibly well-informed!" But the current Attorney General, Mr. Dougherty, has a terrible sense of confidentiality. No wonder he was so caught up in the Teapot Hill scandal.
He didn't deny it at all, but just shrugged and said, "Mr. Baker, you should know that this money was not paid by me..."
Yuan Yan suddenly pursed her lips towards her nephew's back and said, "Anyway, my brother-in-law... well, my ex-brother-in-law's family is so poor that they only have money left."
"Hahaha... " This time it was Mr. Baker's turn to laugh out loud. "Neo, I was right. You really are a young man obsessed with hearing. You're so poor that all you have left is money... That's a really clever statement."
Master Yuan rolled his eyes in his heart and thought, "You are almost the same."
"But it's only $100,000 after all. Do you think Mr. Dougherty can help?" Old Mr. Baker continued to ask relentlessly, purely to satisfy his curiosity.
Yuan Yanshu not only admires and is grateful to the big capitalist known as the "Wall Street Miracle", but also never dares to underestimate the intelligence of this old fox.
He said very frankly: "How can a drowning man notice whether he is holding on to a piece of driftwood or a bundle of straw?"
Mr. Baker shook his head and said, "So you're just letting Mr. Dougherty make a free $100,000, and you don't benefit from it at all? Neo, that's not like you."
"Of course it's not that simple..."
Even if the full $100,000 were paid to Mr. Dougherty, he would only need to get President Harding to issue a bland statement and propose a few harmless bills in Congress.
But if his former brother-in-law Huang Zhonghan is willing to continue spending money, then the next big news will be that Yuan Yanshu is going to copy... the "Maine"!
On January 24, 1898, an American cruiser anchored in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Named the USS Maine, the warship had arrived in this Spanish colony under the pretext of protecting the US government's interests and the safety of its citizens in Cuba.
On the evening of February 15 of the same year, the USS Maine exploded and sank at the dock. The cause of the accident is still unknown... Well, America always looks ugly when doing such things. Later, Powell took out a tube of laundry detergent in the Security Council and declared it to be a stupid wooden weapon of mass destruction.
The method is indeed a bit crude, but the effect is still great.
The Maine explosion quickly became a sensation across the United States, with major newspapers reporting the incident on the front page. For a time, the streets and alleys of the United States were talking about this incident, but the most discussed topic was who blew up the Maine.
"Could it be the Spanish?"
"Could it be the Cubans?"
Soon, the relevant US authorities announced the results of the investigation, claiming that the warship was sunk by the Spanish with a mine, and they quickly and without hesitation put the blame on the Spanish government.
As soon as the news spread, the United States was in an uproar. Some expansionists seized this opportunity, held rallies everywhere, published articles in newspapers, and fanatically carried out war propaganda:
"Revenge for the victims of the Maine!"
"The blood of the Americans will not be shed in vain! We must fight the Spanish to the death!"
"Those who openly attack the powerful and beautiful will be punished, even if they are far away!"
Seriously, when will a certain big country in the East be able to eat so carelessly? That would be the true meaning of "I feel relieved to see my motherland being so shameless."
Anyway, the "Maine Incident" was the fuse of the Spanish-American War.
With this routine, won’t Yuan Yanshu be able to learn?
He could start by letting the United States and the Netherlands have some random little friction, like a fight in a bar between the two countries over a dancer.
Then use the media to carry out a large-scale publicity to stir up public sentiment.
Then they had to spend money to bribe the US Navy Department to send a warship to the waters near the Dutch East Indies colony, and the final result was naturally a "BOOOOOOM".
That's settled.
According to his estimation, this treatment...that process would only cost five or six million US dollars, and no more than ten million US dollars at most. It is really cheap.
Those who say that our Master Yuan is delusional must lack imagination and historical common sense. Wars are easily triggered these days.
If Yuan Yanshu and Huang Zhonghan were in the same position, without the broken system and with hundreds of millions of dollars, they would definitely launch a "New Maine". However, he concluded that his former brother-in-law did not have such courage.
What a pity!
"Mr. Baker, I hope..."
Just then, Mr. Baker Jr. and Mr. Huang finished their round, turned around and greeted them, interrupting the meeting.
Just like the last time they played golf, after they finished nine holes, they went back to their room, changed into evening gowns, and went to the restaurant for dinner.
The "Wall Street Miracle" was the first to raise his glass and said with a smile, "Neo, I heard you're going back to Asia to get married soon. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Mr. Baker."
After everyone toasted to celebrate, Mr. Baker gestured to his grandson and said, "Neo, I have something for your wife. Consider it my wedding present."
As he spoke, Mr. Baker took out a velvet box.
Master Yuan took it and opened it. Inside was a finely crafted ruby necklace. The largest gem on it was as big as a small pea. Under the light, it was truly dazzling and extremely luxurious.
The "Wall Street Miracle" smiled and said, "I know you Chinese people like the color red, so I picked this necklace."
Yuan Yanshu said calmly, "Mr. Baker, on behalf of my wife, I would like to express my profound gratitude."
However, Mr. Huang beside him looked a little uneasy, and his heart was in turmoil.
It’s not that this ruby necklace is so valuable. It is nothing to a Huang family disciple like him. Moreover, Indonesia and nearby India are also gem producing areas.
The reason for his surprise was naturally because his uncle was really all-powerful.
This Uncle Yuan obviously comes from an "ordinary" family and is a yellow-skinned person, but he can be sociable and domineering as to be compared with nobles and wealthy people in America, a foreign country with a very strong anti-Chinese atmosphere. He is indeed an extraordinary person who can do extraordinary things!
In fact, when it comes to anti-Chinese sentiment, American society in the 1920s did look down on the yellow race, so it is no wonder that some people think that Chinese people like Master Yuan who can mingle in the American upper class are just fiction.
But how do they explain the educational experiences of Chinese students such as Hu Shi, the three Harvard geniuses, Ma, Liu, Fang and He?
As I said, nationalists who are posturing are rarely extreme nationalists from the heart, while nationalists who are not posturing are often pure extreme nationalists.
The higher the social class, the less likely people are to judge others by their skin color.
Our Master Yuan was actually quite calm in his heart, because he knew that he did not receive this wedding gift in vain.
Mr. Baker Sr. gave him a ruby necklace, so when Mr. Baker Jr. returns to China with him this time, he can be the one who dumps the market and then takes over!
