Emissary Plan

Becoming a politician was not Lin Qi's pursuit, not because he thought politicians were bad.

Politicians are good because they possess privileges different from those of wealth. In essence, the privileges held by politicians are greater than those that wealth can create.

But a politician's power is not eternal. For example, a president can only be re-elected once, and after his term ends, he must wait another eight years before he can run for the next election.

During this process, he could do nothing but be active in society as "the xxth to the xxth president".

Indeed, the president may have had some power at that time, but what good was that?

He's just an old man no one wants to listen to. Only when the successor in power needs to show their tolerance will they refrain from talking about the stupid plans the Former President devised.

But most of the time, successors are not so forgiving of their predecessors.

Denying one's predecessor has become a habitual behavior for almost all politicians. At the same time, political power is not eternal, and Lin Qi doesn't like that. He doesn't like to hold the highest power in his hands and then have to lose it.

Given that even the president needs the support of a large number of capitalists, why not choose to be the one who "holds the reins" forever, instead of choosing to be a representative of interests for one term? Perhaps in this process, some people who are not so bright will stand on the opposite side of capitalists and be pushed out by other emerging capitalists who are eager to break down class barriers, but this world, this Federal country, ultimately belongs to capitalists, not politicians.

This is Lin Qi's reason for refusing: he could be Blackstone Capital's largest power holder for life, but he couldn't be president for life.

Mr. Truman sighed with some regret, "You can think about it again. I think you are very talented, and you can work with us while doing your business."

Lin Qi found it somewhat unbelievable, yet he could understand it; when someone desperately wants something to happen, their thinking becomes naive.

"That's impossible, Truman, you know that."

Mr. Truman fell silent. Lin Qi's "impossible" referred to the fact that he was involved in both politics and business.

The Federal does not have laws that prohibit politicians from engaging in business. Many politicians are influential capitalists themselves. But the problem is, if a politician frequents high-end places, lives in a mansion, drives luxury cars, and associates with CEOs of conglomerates, will people think that his life and all of this are earned through his own hard work?

No, people won't think that way. They'll think that everything he enjoys is something he got by selling out the people's power.

This is why, even though the Federal allows politicians to do business, those politicians still insist on putting forward their own proxies, like Mayor Landon and the foundations of Bu Peien.

When it comes to politicians, it seems the whole world has somehow reached a consensus: rich officials are bad people, and only poor officials who can't even afford to eat are good people.

They completely disregarded whether it was a matter of competence; they simply and crudely labeled it as a matter of corruption.

On the contrary, these people are more tolerant of capitalists. As long as the law does not say that these capitalists are bad, people will respect these rich people and regard them as goals and role models.

In other words, it's like presidents come and go, but the capital remains constant.

Fifty years have passed, and several, or even more, presidents have become Former President, but the Chairman of the Board remains the Chairman! "Things will change someday!" Mr. Truman retorted slightly.

Lin Qi didn't object either, "I'll wait for that day!"

The two exchanged a glance before looking away. Continuing the conversation would only lead to a confrontation, which didn't align with their current needs.

"What are you planning to do next?" Mr. Truman composed himself and returned to his work.

Lin Qi replied casually, "Proceed according to the plan you set beforehand. Also, how are the talks with Gefra going?"

When Gefra was mentioned, Mr. Truman finally smiled a little. This once invincible target had now become a defeated foe, and the feeling was so good that it made him lose himself in the moment.

More importantly, with Preton's help, the entire Federal gained a more detailed understanding of Gefra's internal workings, and could even influence the ministers' thoughts to some extent when necessary.

"It's not a big problem, we'll see results soon..." Mr. Truman explained in a little more detail.

Under the persuasion of his ministers, the emperor's attitude has softened considerably. Although he still curses the Federal and the president every time he appears in the Ruler's Hall, it won't be long before he agrees to some of the Federal 'Federal ideas and works with them to develop the Amelia Region.

Of course, the initiative still lies with Gefra. The Federal are simply using their experience in Nagaril to help Gefra quickly escape the current predicament and achieve their plans.

In return, they were willing to relinquish a portion of their profits to the Federal merchants, for example, by allowing them to bid on some reconstruction projects, to compete with the Gefra merchants in the Amelia Region, and to allow the Federal merchants' cargo ships to use ports built by the Gefra people.

"It sounds like they made a lot of concessions and sacrifices. The Emperor of Gefra is much more generous than I thought," Lin Qi said with a smile after listening.

His tone was subtle, a mix of flattery and sarcasm. Mr. Truman carefully discerned it for a few seconds before nodding in agreement, "Indeed, what they promised was not what they actually needed to promise, and what they needed to concede, they did not concede. But fortunately, this did not undermine our plans."

The Gefra's assistance in developing the Amelia Region was not Federal its covetousness of the region's overseas value. Unlike Gefra, the Federal is not a country without strategic depth; Federal vast territory is sufficient to wage a protracted war of resistance against invaders.

What the Federal people really need is the market in the Amelia Region. This may displease the capitalists of Gefra, but it will not anger the Emperor of Gefra.

What they want is stable control over overseas territories, while the Federal only wants money. Their core interests do not conflict, which provides a basis for cooperation.

"After the State Election, we will send a delegation to discuss these collaborations with the Gefra people. They are nominally for joint development, but it may take until late spring or early summer to reach a result."

"Moreover, the fact that they are holding the negotiations in Gefra makes the negotiations somewhat difficult."

The difficulty of negotiations was a foreseeable fact. The Gefra would not show any fear just because the Federal's fleet was more powerful. On the contrary, this country, which had always dominated the world's strongest navy, was more assertive than anyone imagined.

When news of the naval defeat reached Gefra, setting aside the hot-tempered emperor, the popular sentiment was not to Peace Talks, not to find the reasons, and not to be afraid, but to raise a large army and fight the Federal to the death.

The Gefra were described by Federal officials as "savage," "belligerent," and other derogatory terms, and these warmongers were the main problem the negotiating team faced.

Now Mr. Truman and his colleagues are thinking about how to arrange a delegation to visit Gefra. If the Regimental Commander is too tough, it will make the Federal seem a bit aggressive, and the pressure will come from the people. This will also make people feel that the Federal delegation is too low-level and only cares about ordinary people.

But if we don't take a hard line, who knows if those Gefra savages will take advantage of us? If something happens, like the public besieging the embassy or the hotel where the delegation is staying, and if it's not handled properly, the Federal's international image will also be affected.

So this person is a problem. Mr. Truman felt that if possible, it would be best for him to go himself. He has plenty of experience to deal with all kinds of situations. Unfortunately, the president can't do without him.

Just then, Mr. Truman suddenly realized that the most suitable candidate was right in front of him. He had a sudden inspiration and asked, "Lin Qi, do you have time to go?"

Lin Qi thought about it seriously, "There might be."

"If you have time to go, it would be best if you could go with the delegation. I'll add you to the delegation's roster, and you can take over the Regimental Commander's duties if necessary," Mr. Truman emphasized, trying to prevent Lin Qi from shirking his responsibility. "This is for the Federal!"

Lin Qi nodded noncommittally. "Yes, for the Federal..." He let out a soft sigh. "I agree."

He did indeed need to go to Gefra. Once the cooperation plan between the two sides was finalized, he would attend the bidding meeting, and he would definitely be there in person.

To avoid encountering human interference during the bidding process, being a member of the delegation can provide him with considerable convenience.

Lin Qi agreed, which relieved Mr. Truman. Of course, he would have other tricks up his sleeve, but overall, Lin Qi's participation was a demonstration of responsibility and increased the delegation's chances of winning the negotiations.

He may be young, but he is very trustworthy.

The conversation then returned to the development of Nagaril. The United Development Company was moving at an astonishing pace, and the energy created by numerous conglomerates striving towards the same goal filled Truman with dread.

This also increased his desire to put pressure on capital and even restrain it to some extent, but he did not show it; he was harmless! When he left the Presidential Palace, Lin Qi had almost finalized the process of this major operation. His purpose in meeting Mr. Truman was to observe whether there were any risks he was unaware of.

Politics and capital are both extremely dirty. You can be friends with someone today, but they might stab you in the back tomorrow. You have to be on guard at all times.

Fortunately, they do not disagree on their goals, so this cooperative relationship can be maintained.

===Irresponsible recommendation of the book "I Breastfed Children During Journey to the West"

The key to irresponsible book recommendations is irresponsibility. Someone asks me, "Have you read it?" My answer is, "No." Then someone else asks, "You haven't even read it, yet you're recommending it to us?" My answer is, "Yeah, I haven't read it, but I recommended it."

Book Title: I Breastfed Children During Journey to the West

Synopsis: Zhu An is transported back to the Journey to the West and becomes a wild boar. Finally accepting reality and facing it bravely, she has a litter of piglets, the strongest of whom is none other than the newly reincarnated Pigsy!