Further Changes
"Your Excellency, we are currently facing quite a few troubles..."
The president's Chief of Staff in the cabinet glanced at the report in his hand with a somewhat embarrassed expression. "This time, the Victorious Country allies refused to honor our War Bonds, citing insufficient funds at present. The Defeated Country said they need time, which may take several months."
The president's stern expression softened slightly; he considered this good news. "Wait a few months? That's not a problem, as long as they're willing to deliver!"
But the Chief of Staff was clearly not as happy as the president. He forced a smile and said, "But some of our intelligence claims that several of the defeated core countries are printing more money to combat their current financial difficulties."
The president's expression turned serious again, even somewhat resentful. Clearly, he understood what those words meant. No one understood better than him the series of changes brought about by printing more currency. Undoubtedly, these Defeated Country also intended to default on their debts, only their methods were different from those of the Victorious Country.
Suppose that the Bayer Federation purchased 10 billion bonds from Defeated Country, Defeated Country currencies were previously equivalent to Federal Sol. After the war, the Defeated Country would redeem these bonds according to the standards at the time of War Bonds, for example, redeeming them for 20 billion Federal Sol or other amounts of Defeated Country currency.
However, now that the Defeated Country are printing more money, this will inevitably cause the value of Defeated Country currencies in the international currency market to plummet. Along with the "defeat" of the Defeated Country, their currencies, which may have been worth one to one Federal Sol, may become worth one hundred to one, or even one thousand to one, due to various negative news and inflation.
When they print money until it's worthless, the value of 10 billion War Bonds after redemption might be less than one million Federal Sol!
The Victorious Country could refuse to honor its commitments, while the Defeated Country had its own methods to avoid further losses, which caused a headache for the president and his Presidential Cabinet.
But that's not the worst part. They received news that some of the War Bonds issued by the Victorious Country had already been redeemed. Some Small Country had expressed their stance and chosen sides during the World War, but were not on the front lines of the war, received their bonds immediately.
If no one fulfills their promises, the Federal Government can say that it may be related to the situation within the Victorious Country alliance, that they cannot come up with so much money in a short period of time, after all, the compensation for the deaths of millions of people is enough to give them a headache for a while, not to mention the various damaged cities.
However, their fulfillment of some of their promises has ironically made the Bayer Federation's international standing very awkward, giving people a very direct impression that the Bayer Federation is being targeted.
With such a comparison, the situation within the Federal government could very well take a sharp turn for the worse. What's more, all of this is due to the Conservative Party's long-standing policy of isolation. If anyone believes that the current situation is caused by the president's policies, the Conservative Party and the Presidential Cabinet will face enormous pressure.
What they previously considered the most suitable policy for the Federal in the International Community will instantly become the biggest mistake of this Presidential Cabinet because of these international relations.
The people of the Federal, who have enjoyed peace and tranquility, will not appreciate the good intentions of the Presidential Cabinet. They are likely to turn around and blame the Presidential Cabinet for causing the current terrible trend in the country. The unemployed will also blame the Presidential Cabinet for turning the Federal into an "island" because of their isolation policies, which have caused so many problems.
The will of the people is never stable; it is constantly changing to suit their selfish and narrow-minded demands.
The president was overwhelmed by the thought of countless people demonstrating outside the Presidential Palace. "Don't let this news leak out for now. Also, let our Diplomat continue to talk to them. Even if they don't fulfill all the promises, just a statement from them will do."
At this moment, the Minister of Foreign Affairs coughed lightly. The President looked at him with some displeasure and asked with a wry smile, "Your Excellency, from what stand should we try to persuade them?"
In short, the president's displeasure turned into a look of pain, and even he himself began to doubt whether the isolation policy was right or wrong. Although it seemed to have worked well a few years ago, he was not so sure now.
The contents of the small meeting held inside the Presidential Palace quickly spread. In the Bayer Federation, the higher the level, the less secrets there are. This is actually quite common and a reality.
Behind every official may stand a tycoon or big capitalist with a different power base than the president. Their rise to power may be due to the president's favor, but it is more often an agreement between tycoons, conglomerates, and big capitalists who are united together.
They helped the president win the election, so naturally they will push for their proxies to enter the Presidential Cabinet.
They've already given the most coveted positions to the most key people, like Minister Vice Minister. Surely no one would object? So, no information from the cabinet could be kept secret. Soon, some large conglomerates realized these problems, but they tacitly agreed not to immediately launch their plans. Instead, they began to coordinate with each other to adjust their industrial structures.
No one is allowed to jump the gun. Many large conglomerates haven't pulled back yet, which could cause them to stumble. So they also need time to cut off the unnecessary parts of themselves and wait for the Starting Pistol gun to fire.
On Saturday afternoon, Lin Qi was to attend a small meeting, similar to a consultation, hosted by the Sabine City Hall.
The City Hall invited prominent figures to discuss how to change the current situation and where the city's way out lies.
This naturally includes Lin Qi and bank employees like Qiao Geliman, because, under the unified requirement of the Bayer Federation Ministry of Finance, the Big Six Banks have begun to pilot the new business of "Credit Loan" in order to cope with the current situation.
Each person receives a credit score based on their Social Insurance, past performance in society, and current real estate and wealth. With this score, they can obtain unsecured Credit Loan of varying amounts from banks.
The purpose of this policy is to help unemployed families facing difficulties who have a good track record and some savings to get through the crisis.
As for homeless people or those who have nothing, they are not included in this plan.
Before the meeting, Lin Qi was talking to someone about his club. Kane had found him a fairly professional coaching staff, and they had started recruiting new players, which made some people interested in the club again.
People love to see blooming flowers, and some love buds that are about to bloom, but few want to know how many steps it takes for these things to grow from seeds into blooming flowers, or how to do each step. They only want to enjoy the result, not to take responsibility for the process. The same goes for Rugby.
People generally want their city to have a professional sports team, whether it's Rugby, baseball, or any other sport. They also want a reason to take off their hats and wave them when watching these sporting events.
They used to be unwilling to take on these responsibilities themselves, but now they can start to enjoy it because someone else is taking on these troubles for them.
While chatting with someone about whether the Sabine City Club would have a chance to participate in the professional league next year, Qiao Geliman walked to the side of the crowd, greeted everyone, and then looked at Lin Qi very clearly, "Want a smoke?"
Lin Qi nodded, "Of course..." He then apologized to everyone and walked out of the meeting room with Qiao Geliman, where they found a secluded corner to smoke.
This was definitely not a meaningless "agreement." Both of them lit cigarettes, Qiao Geliman looked around before whispering, "If you need any loans, it's best to bring them before October. After October, banks will adjust their risk and approval criteria, and many things won't be so easy to get."
Banks are definitely among the most sensitive institutions to policies, national conditions, and international situations. They have more than one dedicated research lab that spends all day studying things related to banking.
After the news from the Presidential Cabinet came out, the banks immediately came to a terrible conclusion: they requested that after the end of the third quarter, they should try not to approve any more loans easily, and that the amount of all loans should be reduced to ensure the safety of bank assets.
Qiao Geliman also received a separate notification that, starting in the fourth quarter, his approval authority would be subject to oversight.
The reason for notifying him of this news separately is not because the bank branch does not trust him, but because he has already secured this year's business award. The branch's intention is to smooth things over as soon as possible if he has engaged in any irregularities. At the same time, some people are making snide remarks. Therefore, in order to reflect the principle of fairness and impartiality, the branch will review the projects he has approved starting from the fourth quarter.
As for when this situation will end, either he gets promoted, or the current situation starts to improve; otherwise, don't expect anything to change in the short term.
"All that before..." Lin Qi took a drag of his cigarette and looked at him.
Qiao Geliman shook his head. "These have all been reported to the branch and headquarters. It's all in the past. So if you have any needs, it's best to resolve them while I can still be of some use. I won't be able to do anything about it later."
He spoke with a hint of self-deprecation, but there was nothing he could do about it. In just over two months, he went from being mediocre to being number one in performance, and people both inside and outside the system would think he had used illegal means.
After all, his name was mentioned even at the headquarters Board of Directors, and some even suggested that he could skip the standard procedures, gain experience in both the branch and headquarters, and then be transferred to a local branch as a bank president. He could be observed for two years and then directly transferred to the position of bank president in a local area. How could this not make people insanely jealous? This would not only save seven or eight years or ten years, but also save the time spent building relationships and going through the final "examination" process. It is obviously normal for someone to report him.
Some people are like that; they're worthless themselves, yet they can't stand seeing others do well.