Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 934 They Gave Too Much (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
In the deep night in the desert, the stars shine like gems, embellishing the boundless darkness.

Chief Hussein and his distinguished guests sat around a blazing bonfire. The flickering flames illuminated their resolute and deep faces.

Chief Hussein warmly entertained these guests from afar. The air was filled with the tempting aroma of roasted whole lamb, mixed with the dryness and warmth unique to the desert. The chief raised his glass, and the wine sparkled with an attractive luster under the firelight. He toasted the guests in a low and powerful voice:
"Director Ding, cheers to our friendship."

Wine. Of course, it is also indispensable. Although they are forbidden to drink alcohol in religion, in fact, wine has always been a part of their lives. When it comes to piety, they may be pious, but no one can live without wine.

Even among the gifts sent by Ding Deyun, there were some "water drinks".

"Sheikh Hussein, for our friendship!"

The guests responded one after another, toasting their glasses and drinking, with laughter and joy echoing in the quiet desert night. As the cheerful music sounded, the dancers stepped lightly into the firelight. They were dressed in colorful dance skirts, like elves in the desert, dancing to the rhythm of the music. Their dancing postures were moving, as if they were dancing with the wind and singing with the fire. In the cheerful music, the dancers twisted their flexible waists and performed an alluring belly dance.
Sheikh Hussein watched the dancing figures with a satisfied smile on his face. He turned to the guests with a determined look in his eyes:
"Here, you are my valued friends. No matter what help you need, I will lend a helping hand without hesitation as long as I can do it."

"Your Excellency, Chief, we came here this time because we do have something we want to discuss with you. However, we are not just seeking your help, but we hope that we can cooperate with each other."

"cooperate?"

Hussein wondered.

"Yes, Chief, you should have heard that the kingdom is now granting oil exploration and production rights to foreign companies."

Ding Deyun finally got straight to the point.
Hussein nodded.
“I have heard that Tripoli can get good returns from foreign companies.”

Looking at the guests in front of him, Hussein knew that they were starting to make demands. This world has always been real. No one would send so many gifts for no reason. They must have some ulterior motive.

But what does oil have to do with them?

That is the king's business and has nothing to do with the tribe.

"Chief."

Looking at Chief Hussein, Ding Deyun asked.

"I am curious, if the Royal Government transfers the oil exploration rights in Cyrenaica to foreign companies, what will you get?"

"This……"

Hussein frowned slightly, and his expression became a little strange.

This question is a bit heartbreaking, really very heartbreaking, because it has nothing to do with the tribe. Even on the tribal land, the tribe will not gain even a single benefit from it.

"Nothing good can come of it, my friend!"

Another chief said drunkenly.

"Not even a penny, but the king gets millions of dollars!"

"Yes, all of it belongs to the king and has nothing to do with us!"

"Haha, when we chose him to be king, we should have thought of all this. After all, how could he consider us when there are benefits?"

For a time, the chiefs were full of dissatisfaction. After all, according to the law, they could not get any benefits from oil, which naturally aroused their dissatisfaction with Tripoli.

In fact, Libya is different from other countries. It has never even been a country. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Navy defeated the Knights Hospitaller and conquered Tripoli, beginning its 300-year rule over Libya. The Ottomans set up the Tripolitania Province there and appointed Pasha to manage it. However, the Ottomans' rule over Libya was relatively loose, and they could only control a few coastal cities. Outside the cities were tribes, and the tribes were only nominally loyal.

In 1911, Italy occupied Libya and it became an Italian colony. It was still the same as before - the cities belonged to the rulers, and the areas outside the cities belonged to the tribes. The tribal system, as in the past, has always been a tool for the colonial rulers to conquer and rule the Libyans.

Since independence in 1951, although it has formally become an independent country, it has never formed a single nation-state. After all, this place has been a gathering place for many tribes for thousands of years. Because of this, in Libya, the people's sense of national identity is very weak, but the sense of tribal identity is deeply rooted. To the outside world, they regard themselves as "Arabs" or "Africans"; to the inside, they regard themselves as members of their own tribe. The title of "Libyan" is more of a recognition of them by the outside world.

Although Libya was under the rule of the dynasty after independence, tribal identity was still a strong bond that maintained the entire society. King Idris, who came from a western tribe, had to rely on the tribal alliance in the east to maintain his rule, but he was just a reliance. In terms of benefit distribution, he was more inclined to his own tribe and paid insufficient attention to the development of the eastern and southern regions.

This also led to dissatisfaction among the Eastern Tribal Alliance. Now, although oil has just been mentioned, the dissatisfaction in the hearts of the chiefs of the Eastern Tribal Alliance has naturally been released.

Their dissatisfaction is difficult to conceal; after all, the land is their land!

How can we not give them benefits by exploring for oil on their land?

Listening to their dissatisfaction, Ding Deyun said "Oh" calmly, and then a hint of pride flashed in his heart.

After choosing the tribal alliance as a breakthrough point, he specifically studied the "Mineral Law" and discovered a big problem - whether it was the royalties for oil extraction or the land rents in the exploration areas, the tribes did not get even a penny of benefit, all of which were taken away by the king of Tripoli.

Of course, the tribal chiefs were dissatisfied with this!
Now, all he needs is to take advantage of their dissatisfaction, just as Liu Desheng said - the dissatisfaction of the tribe is our best weapon to defeat European and American oil companies. After all, for European and American oil companies, what they value is the king, but what the king values ​​is the rule - if the tribal alliance clearly expresses dissatisfaction, then the king must respect their wishes.

Nothing is more important than maintaining rule; this is basic common sense!
Looking at Chief Hussein's face full of dissatisfaction, Ding Deyun who was sitting next to him said.

"Sheikh Hussein, our company is now interested in conducting oil exploration in the Sirte Basin. If you can help make this happen, in addition to giving you personal thanks, we will pay a considerable fee to the local tribe to thank them for their help in oil exploration and future mining!"

Now, it's time to cast the bait!
What is the bait? An added bonus, of course.

Hussein turned his head and looked at Ding Deyun and said.

"Mr. Ding, it is Tripoli's right to exploit oil. We are just a tribe and cannot change the laws promulgated by the king."

It seems that at this time, Hussein, as the king's adviser, was still there to protect the king and the kingdom, and still fulfilled his responsibilities as a subject.

“Indeed, but more than half of the Sirte Basin is in Cyrenaica, so I think the local tribes should certainly benefit from oil exploration and extraction. This is your right. After all, this is your land!”

For foreign oil companies, they never mind who they cooperate with, as long as they can obtain the right to explore and exploit oil. As for whether it will cause civil unrest in the country where they are located, it is not within Ding Deyun's consideration at all. In fact, if the split is beneficial to the interests of the company, then splitting a country is not out of the question.

Even after learning that Libya is a country with a deep-rooted tribal system, an idea came to Ding Deyun's mind - if necessary, if the company did not obtain the exploration rights to the Sirte Basin, then he would support the tribal alliance in launching a rebellion and then split the country. In this way, after the tribal alliance took over, they would no longer need to deal with Tripoli, but only with Benghazi. As a supporter of Benghazi, the company would naturally obtain the right to explore and exploit oil in the Sirte Basin.

Of course, this is only a last resort, but judging from the dissatisfaction expressed by Hussein and others, there may really be room for maneuver in this matter.

Just like that, without showing it, Ding Deyun had already planted a foreshadowing in his heart!
Maybe it can come in handy in the future, who knows?

"But the Ministry of Mines in Tripoli..."

Before Chief Hussein could finish speaking, Ding Deyun made an offer.

"50 US dollars, Chief. As long as you can help us obtain the oil exploration and mining rights in the Sirte Basin, in addition to paying 50 US dollars to the tribal alliance every year, we will also pay you 10 US dollars in consulting fees!"

Then Ding Deyun said again.

"Besides this, we have some additional gifts for the chieftain,"

What's the extra gift? Weapons, of course. They love it the most!

Facts have proved that no one can resist the temptation, especially since they are just a group of poor country bumpkins.

Faced with such temptation, Chief Hussein hesitated for a while and said.

"As the king's advisor, I think leasing the oil exploration and production rights in the Sirte Basin to your company is undoubtedly in the best interests of Libya! Please rest assured, Mr. Ding, I will definitely convince the king."

It’s not that Chief Hussein is disloyal, it’s just that they gave too much!
Faced with such temptation, he really couldn't resist!
Just as Liu Desheng judged at the beginning, the influence of the Saadi Tribal Alliance on Tripoli far exceeds those of foreign advisers. After all, the king needs to consider his rule. Under the persuasion of Chief Hussein, the king finally agreed to hand over the oil exploration and exploitation rights in the Sirte Basin to the South China Sea Petroleum Company.

A week later, oil companies from various countries in Tripoli received a shocking news - South China Sea Petroleum Company obtained the right to explore and exploit oil in the Sirte Basin.

The reason they were shocked was that... this land was more than 40 square kilometers!

(End of this chapter)