1990Rage Flag Soldier

Chapter 90 Business in Africa is really difficult
Zhang Ziwen didn't see the buyer, but he saw a local driver living in the house. He spent money to find an English tour guide at the tourist center.

He reluctantly reached communication with the locals, took down the tour guide's phone number, and then returned to the hotel to talk to Zhao Jianjun, Li Yongbin, and Tian Youwen: "I just got the news that Luyebo City is not peaceful, and the mining area is occupied by Bantu armed forces. ”

Zhao Jianjun was in disbelief: "What kind of rebels can break into the provincial capital?"

Zhang Ziwen looked at him and said: "Most countries in Africa have directly jumped from the tribal system to the national system."

“It looks like a country, but it’s actually tribes packaged into countries.”

Productivity is low and has not gone through the industrial revolution.

Hundreds of years ago, it was a slave tribe, and later it became a colonial black slave, and then it became an independent country. Naturally, there will be no change at the bottom.

Because the people at the bottom have only been slaves and black slaves. Even in the twentieth century, they are still used to being slaves and black slaves.

Moreover, slaves and black slaves do not have private property, or in other words, they are originally the private property of slave owners.
Therefore, there is no concept of working for yourself in African culture, and negativity is common.

The long-term turbulent society has also made them precarious, and their assets are easily plundered by warlords and tribal forces.

Develop the habit of spending as much as you earn. If you can stay off work for a week in the previous shift, you will only work one day that week.

As social animals, humans cannot change society, they can only change themselves.

This is unimaginable to the Chinese.

Zhang Ziwen said: "You think of Congo as a big tribal people, President Mobutu is the chief, each province and city below is an independent tribe, and the villages and towns below are independent tribes."

"Is it normal for armed rebels to appear in the provincial capital?"

Zhao Jianjun, Li Yongbin, and Tian Youwen nodded slowly, looking at their expressions as if they all understood.

Zhang Ziwen said: "According to the local driver, buyers generally live in mining areas and only go to their residences in the city when they are on vacation. It seems that something happened to them during the rebellion."

"But there are three large mining areas and six small mining areas in Kasai Occidental Province. Bantu armed forces only occupy two mining areas adjacent to the rainforest. There is also one large mining area and six small mining areas in the hands of government forces."

"It's not difficult to continue to buy rough diamonds. Just bring the money and go to the mining area to have a look."

Zhao Jianjun nodded: "How many people are going?"

Zhang Ziwen said: "Let's all go to the car market and rent five pickup trucks."

Zhao Jianjun said: "Okay."

You must know that diamond mining is a matter of luck. Generally, the raw ore is first mined, that is, the stone soil mixed with a large amount of gravel, soil, and sand, and then the "diamonds" are manually selected.

Most of them can only be used to make glass knives and laser heat sinks, and very few can reach gem level.

The acquirer must set up a purchase station near the mining area, purchase the diamonds one by one with U.S. dollars, and wait for the locals to exchange the diamonds for U.S. dollars.

Unless the entire mining area is contracted and people are hired to mine, it is possible to produce diamonds in batches.

When Zhang Ziwen and others drove a pickup truck and hired a guide and approached the Ruyebo mining area, they saw thousands of locals rolling up their trousers and using bamboo frames to look for diamonds in the water.

Just like gold mines, after diamond mines are mined, many fish that slip through the net will be washed away by rain and river water.

"Place deposits" are formed in the water flow near the mining area. Naturally, the mining area management will not waste diamonds.

A large number of workers were sent to look for diamonds nearby.

The surrounding residents will also take the initiative to search for diamonds in smaller tributaries. Occasionally, a single harvest can meet the rations of a family of five for one month.

Although the chance of finding big diamonds in placer mines is very slim, it does not prevent young people who want to make a fortune from dreaming about it.
When Zhang Ziwen tried to ask the tour guide to help negotiate whether he could purchase diamonds in the mining area, he was sternly rejected by the management army.

The Luyebo government has lost the mining rights of two major mining areas and has begun to strictly manage the sales of rough diamonds and change them to unified government purchase.

"This is troublesome. The authorities have directly blocked transactions and changed sales policies. It's really difficult to do business in Africa." Zhang Ziwen felt that things were a bit tricky.

There is at least one battalion of troops stationed around the mining area. Although they are generally equipped with military uniforms, everyone has an AK47 in their hands, so it is not realistic to play hard.

Zhang Ziwen had no choice but to drive back to the city, go to the government's foreign trade office, and apply to buy diamonds according to the official procedures.

However, the formal process requires the license of the jewelry company. However, it is impossible for Zheng Yutong and others to produce the license.

Because once De Beer can show that they use black diamonds from unknown sources, they will have the power to revoke Chow Tai Fook's diamond license.

What Zheng Yutong needs is smuggled diamonds. The first point is the low price, and the second point is the unknown origin.

Zhang Ziwen had no choice but to take a desperate risk and pretend to be a major water pipe in the Congo, claiming to be a mainland jeweler and wanting to purchase diamonds in large quantities.

Ten thousand US dollars were sent to the office of the director of foreign trade every day. In just three days, there was news about a wealthy mainland businessman in Luyebo market.

Zhang Ziwen directly used money to pave the way, successfully met the mayor's secretary, and gave away 100,000 US dollars after the dinner.

This approach is very flamboyant and is bound to attract a lot of people with bad intentions. But when all the connections are disconnected, why don't you come out with some gimmicks to get to know him?

When going out, appearance and style are indispensable.

As one of the diamond producing areas, Congo has some wealthy businessmen appearing every few years, some are real, some are fake, some want mines, some want diamonds.

Local politicians may have long been used to it. In China, Hong Kong, Macao, Europe and the United States, there are people who stage stunts from time to time.

The technique was not unusual, but it was very effective. That night, the mayor's secretary promised to introduce Zhang Ziwen to the mayor of Rouyebo, Laurent de Lacy, the next day.

A fat black man wearing a green suit and a red beret, no more than 1.65 meters tall, with a head like a bowling ball, fierce eyes, round eyes, and a fat nose.

When Zhang Ziwen came to the mayor's office wearing a suit, he was not surprised by the image of Mayor Dressy in front of him.

Because he had already learned some information and knew that Dressi was born into a chief's family. He received basic military training in Belgium when he was young. He had the rank of major general. He once supported Mobato's armed coup and was a standard warlord figure.

In Congo, all politicians grasp the barrel of a gun first and then the pen. Each province and city is not so much a political division as a division of military territory.
At this time, Dressy was sitting on a leather sofa imported from the United States, holding a silver Smithson & Wesson 375 revolver in his hand.

He spoke a few sentences in Lingala to his secretary, who translated: "The mayor asked you how many diamonds you want to buy, which company you represent, and in what currency you want to trade."

Zhang Ziwen was about to speak.

The secretary added: "The mayor only accepts arms transactions of equal value. US dollars can only buy heroin in Ruyepo City, not diamonds."

(End of this chapter)