The Philippines contains more than 20 types of minerals, including copper, gold, silver, iron, chromium, nickel, etc., of which the copper reserves are about 4.8 billion tons, nickel of 1.09 billion tons, and gold of 136 million tons. There are such a rich mineral deposit and the endless forests on the island, which is not a problem to pay the cost of hiring Far East companies in the Ministry of War.

Economic benefits are only part of the matter, and more importantly, the war form of Washington is more important. If the Far East company can change Washington's habits through the Spanish war, the first object that the US government will think of when launching a foreign war is the mercenary company, which is Li Mu's ultimate goal.

So from this perspective, even if the compensation from the War Department to the Far East Company was not enough to meet the requirements of Li Mu and Rockefeller, Li Mu planned to admit it. Anyway, whether to lose or make a profit or not, it needs to be tested in practice. In this regard, Li Mu has enough patience, but the Presidential Palace, which has a master for four years, may be doubtful.

"It sounds very good, but Reim, I always feel that there must be something wrong here. To be honest, what do you want to do?" Sherman doesn't know what Li Mu will do now, but based on Sherman's understanding of Li Mu, Li Mu should not be a philanthropist, so Li Mu must have other plans.

In terms of economy, the acumen of soldiers is definitely far inferior to that of businessmen. If the two armies were fighting on the battlefield, Li Mu might not be as good as William Tekusai Sherman, but if Li Mu was in the business field, even if Li Mu sold Sherman, Sherman might have to help Li Mu count the money.

"William, like you see, I can't give you any promises, about whether the Far East company can defeat the Spanish in the Philippines, but what I can give you is a brand new choice. If I win, there is no obstacle to you. If I lose, you don't need to take any responsibility. What you have to do is not create obstacles for the Far East company when you consult with you in Congress and the Palace of President." Li Mu's conditions are not harsh, it is completely within the scope of Sherman's responsibilities and does not require force.

Sherman looked at Li Mu with confidence, like an ocean freighter who finally saw the light of the lighthouse in the fog. After careful measurement, Sherman finally made up his mind, folded the pencil in his hand one or two pieces with a "splash", and then opened his hands to Li Mu: "Why not? If it is really as good as you said, I think I still have to thank you, but this must be based on one foundation-" Hillman raised his index finger and stared at Li Mu and emphasized: "——The War Department will not pay any preliminary fees for this. If you can defeat the Spaniards, as you said, of course everything will be fine, but if you can't do it, don't expect the War Department to give you any compensation."

It is rare that Sherman finally became tough in front of tycoons like Li Mu and Rockefeller, but his degree of "hardness" is limited. Although he is determined, he has prerequisites.

"If it were just for compensation, John and I wouldn't have appeared with you. Do you think our time is worthless?" Li Mu was not angry. He took all the advantage of the War Department, but now he still talks sarcastic. He really doesn't treat tycoons as tycoons.

Speaking of this, it is time for Li Mu and Rockefeller to say goodbye. There are still many tasks that Li Mu and Rockefeller need to be completed separately. Although they have received the promise of the Ministry of War, the mission has been completed less than one-third. The Far East Company also needs to be recognized by the Presidential Palace and Congress before they can gain the power to go abroad.

"I just don't understand why you did this, are you just for the timber and copper mines in the Philippines? Don't say that I didn't remind you, it may be more than worth the loss." Sherman kept muttering while sending Li Mu and Rockefeller out.

"William, what I need is this model. Do you understand the model? For your War Department, maybe this is just an attempt, but for our Far East company, if this model is confirmed to be feasible, then we may promote this model to the entire Asia, Africa, America, and even Europe. Forget those wood and copper mines, it is just a trivial subsidiary income, and we can stand higher and see further." Li Mu did not hide his true intentions. Anyway, sooner or later, Sherman will come to Junma Group to serve as a senior consultant, so there is no need to hide it, it is completely unnecessary.

Leaving the War Department, Li Mu and Rockefeller took action separately, and asked familiar members of parliament to communicate with each other. Next, they had to win the support of Congress, and Li Mu and others had to continue to attack the tough situation.

Speaking of Congress, in addition to Langkell, Chen Guofang, Burnside and others, Li Mu's circle of friends has expanded again. This year, the gathering on the shore of Luoying Lake added California Senator Abel Wilson and Indiana Senator Jerome Matthew.

It sounds incredible, right? If you think carefully, almost half of the senators of Congress have different relationships with Li Mu, including direct descendants like Langkell and Chen Guofang, partners like Burnside and James Garfield, new friends like Abel Wilson, Jerome Matthew, and even opposition leaders like Grover Cleveland. He is also a friend of Li Mu, and his relationship is unusually close. This is not unknown to the Democratic Party, but the strange thing is that the Democratic Party does not interfere with this, it is magical.

At the party at Luoying Lake's home, Li Mu elaborated on the purpose of the establishment of the Far East Company and the shareholder structure of the Far East Company. There is no doubt that this will add more confidence to the senators. Who doesn't want to get the support of these top rich people? As long as there is a chance, both Democrats and Republicans will flock to it.

"—So, you plan to not get a penny of reward and replace the War Department to put on the front line of fighting against the Spaniards. I have some questions, Reim, what is your real purpose?" Burnside and Li Mu were very familiar with each other, so they always raised questions in person and never hiding them.

"Purpose? If you talk about it noblely, as part of the United States, I hope to contribute my own strength to the rise of America, but I think this reason will definitely not satisfy you-" Li Mu's words made Burnside and the others laugh. This sounded very consistent with the main theme, but it was a bit inconsistent when it came to Li Mu's mouth.

Li Mu also knew that this answer could not satisfy everyone. He echoed the members of the parliamentarians' "rattle" and laughed dryly, and turned around and immediately corrected his attitude: "Okay, I'll tell the truth, you all know that the life of Junma Weapon Company has been difficult recently. Junma Weapon Company is an arms company. If we don't fight, we will have no food to eat. If we follow the plan of the Ministry of War, maybe the war will not break out until ten years later. I don't have the patience. Instead of watching the rifle rust in the warehouse, I would rather fight to the point of scrapping on the battlefield. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

That's right. Everyone here is a talented person. There is no market for singing high-profiles. The truth can actually win more support.

Li Mu did not forget to observe the reactions of the congressmen while speaking. After saying that, Li Mu noticed keenly that Burnside and James Garfield exchanged a hidden look.

What do these two guys want to do?

Li Mu knew that Burnside had always been very politically ambitious, not to mention James Garfield, this guy had formed a campaign team with Arthur, with the goal directly aimed at the next president. If there were still people present who were not loyal to fighting for Li Mu, then it could only be these two people.

In the adult world, don’t talk about trust and loyalty. The strongest bond that can maintain relationships is only interests. Burnside, James Garfield, Langkell, Chen Guofang and others are different. Langkell was held up by Li Mu in one hand. Chen Guofang, as a Chinese, and Li Mu have a relationship of prosperity and loss. Burnside, James Garfield and Li Mu are mutually utilized. This use can be applied to Li Mu, or any other top rich man.

"Everett, you should understand that the establishment of the Far East Company does not hinder the United States. On the contrary, the Far East Company will play an important role in the expansion of the United States. I don't need to emphasize it, and you will understand this. What I want to confirm to you is that although the Far East Company has a strong military background, the Far East Company will never do anything out of the ordinary. In the territory of the United States, there is no difference between the Far East Company and any other company." Li Mu emphasized to Burnside that of course, this was more for James Garfield to listen to.

Because the bond formed by interests has the most solid attributes in some aspects, but at the same time, this attribute also has hidden dangers. After all, interests are not static. Many times, when facing greater interests, this bond is easily the object of sacrifice.

Li Mu and Burnside have a good relationship, but if this relationship does not continue to deepen, it will definitely become distant over time. In short, the relationship between Li Mu and Burnside, as well as James Garfield needs to be continuously strengthened, otherwise one day, they will either be strangers or turn against each other.

"Rim, I and the guys present have no comments on the Far East Company. The only question is whether the war can be launched backwards. We all know that according to the plan of the War Department, the war with the Spaniards should only begin ten years or even longer. So there is a question now. I can understand your mood, but whether objective conditions allow it." Burnside said a lot, in fact, the central idea is to hope that the Far East Company will keep a low profile for the time being.

Even if you want to play, it is best to wait until James Garfield comes to power before playing. This is in the interests of Burnside and James Garfield.

The reason why the policy of the elected government is not continuation is closely related to the opposition between the two parties and the political system of the United States. Although James Garfield and Hayes both belong to the Democratic Party, James Garfield has a completely different attitude from Hayes on the issue of war on the Spanish. Hayes of course hopes that the war will begin immediately, it is best to defeat the Spaniards in a short time and take the first step of American expansion. In this way, all honors will belong to Hayes himself. James Garfield's attitude is completely opposite to Hayes. James Garfield definitely hopes that the war will be postponed as much as possible, and it is best to postpone Hayes' resignation and then proceed after the next president is born. This will undoubtedly bring more honors to James Garfield.

Look, if people don’t do it for themselves, they will be punished by heaven and earth. Even within the Republican Party, there are disputes between different interest groups. Although Li Mu has always been away from politics and does not want to be too involved in politics, he can’t help but be in the world. If you don’t make trouble, it doesn’t mean that you won’t find trouble.

"Everett, I understand your mood, but what I want to remind you is that opportunities will not always stand there waiting for you. If you miss this opportunity, you don't know when the next time will be. You have to understand that you can do the right thing at the right time and place so that you can maximize your benefits. So Everett will look at the long-term and have more opportunities in the future." Isn't Li Mu's use of the trick to deceive the truth, isn't it an honor? If you can win this time and accumulate enough experience, the next time will be smoother.

The impact of the economic crisis is not limited to the United States. In the old continent, Spain is also the hardest hit area of ​​the economic crisis. Although the United States has slowly struggled out of the quagmire of the economic crisis, the Spaniards have not yet escaped the vortex of the economic crisis, so opportunities are hard to find. To launch a war against the Spaniards, you should take advantage of the fact that the Spaniards have not breathed and cannot continue this period. Otherwise, when the Spaniards recover, the United States will have to pay a greater price to defeat the Spaniards.

By the way, the war against the Spanish is just a beneficial attempt by the US government. If it can be won, it means that the United States has been on the world stage with its own independent force and officially makes its own voice. If it cannot win, the failure of the Spanish will not have a serious impact on the United States. After all, the Spanish do not have the strength to counterattack the American mainland, which is Washington's last reliance. No matter what the result is, the United States has been invincible.

"Ha, you have said that, then I will definitely support you." Burnside did not hesitate and immediately agreed to Li Mu's request.

So what if you don't agree? Far East Company is not Li Mu's private company. If this is Li Mu's private decision, then Burnside can ask Li Mu to think twice. However, the Far East Company now has obviously received support from wealthy people including Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Henry DuPont, etc., so what Burnside can do is extremely limited.
Chapter completed!