Rise of the Argentine Empire

The next day, in the evening, at a manor in Oran City,

"Boss, we might have to stay another day tomorrow. I need to communicate further with the people from South African mining here."

The Englishman was driving a hard bargain and also demanded that the people be escorted to Santiago. He was considering whether or not to do this deal.

"The British have always been unreliable, typical European troublemakers. Their integrity cannot be guaranteed. Don't get tricked by them. The British have a somewhat abnormal relationship with the Chileans. If it's not in the interest of us Argentinians, send them to Brazil or Australia. I'll arrange for people from Prolari International to handle it."

"Alright, go and negotiate. Get some rest early. I'll wander around Oran City again tomorrow. Remember not to leave any evidence behind. By the way, are there any radios or newspapers here?"

San Jose said indifferently. The local customs of Oran City were quite interesting. He'd been looking around for the past two days, but he wasn't used to not having newspapers or a radio. He felt disconnected from the outside world.

"Understood, Boss. Actually, we've already negotiated almost everything with them. The only trouble is escorting those traitors away. I'll have someone bring it over tomorrow morning."

San Jose glanced at the light tube and found it a bit unbelievable. In Maria Town and B City, they used incandescent lights, but here they were already using fluorescent tubes, making the whole room brightly lit.

Since a snake entered the first floor the day before yesterday, San Jose had people move the bed to the second floor that night and set up a simple office there.

Strangely enough, Oran City was much richer in supplies than Maria Town and Cordoba. It was full of American goods. For example, the fluorescent tube was purchased from the trade market.

There were a lot of smuggled goods here. San Jose also saw many simple canned food production lines, which were already widespread. American businessmen smuggled goods through special channels, and he didn't know what they were trying to achieve. It was a kind of distorted prosperity.

San Jose recalled the border smuggling last year and didn't know their specific transportation channels. Later, he opened up transportation lines in Brazil and Uruguay, which allowed the factory to develop.

San Jose looked at the map of South America on the wall, somewhat absent-minded. He had bought it at the market today.

The former Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina all belonged to the same Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. Paraguay was the first to become independent, and later Uruguay became independent as a buffer zone between Brazil and Argentina. Bolivia was also successively separated. Argentina was in chaos for decades before successfully unifying. On the contrary, Patagonia in the south was merged later.

Western colonists were unwilling to see a strong Argentina appear. Now they have started to make small moves on the border, and even the 'Horn Newspaper' in B City is likely to be supported by them.

Just like the Mountbatten Plan a few years ago that divided India into two, this can be regarded as a consistent old trick of the colonists.

The situation in Oran City is indeed complicated, and it is also a good opportunity for San Jose to strengthen his own strength. The potassium triangle area is located at the intersection of three countries, with convenient transportation and multiple forces that can be used, and there may even be Soviets.

Salta already has a highway leading to Antofagasta in Chile, which can carry out sea-land combined transportation to the Pacific Ocean. Of course, the transportation capacity of this highway is still too small, and it can only transport some supplies. Moreover, most of the altitude is three or four thousand meters, and the conditions are harsh.

For example, the Americans should have come through Chile. If they go through the Paraguay River, they have to pass through Argentina, which does not comply with existing Argentine laws.

… …

On the third day, San Jose received some newspapers, but most of the information was of no value, and there was nothing valuable on the radio, so he had to give up.

He drove around with the people from the Thunder Cross.

"Boss, the team leader bought some farmland here, saying he's going to use it to grow vegetables. Do you want to take a look later?" Timo Trull, the security guard arranged by Guerrero to protect San Jose, asked.

"Then let's go and take a look. Growing vegetables, that's quite interesting."

San Jose was instantly energized. Growing vegetables was an old traditional skill.

Guerrero had reported this matter, saying it was prepared for selling fertilizer. He didn't know what he was thinking. The fertilizer plant was set up in Maria Town, more than a thousand kilometers away, and there was no need to worry about sales. It wasn't good to dampen his enthusiasm. The land near Oran City was relatively barren and not very valuable.

"However, recently the team leader said that he might as well use it to grow tobacco leaves, saying that the profit from the cigarette workshop is very high and he can make a lot of money."

"Oh? That's a bit interesting. Let's drive out there."

The tobacco market was indeed a big market. San Jose had seen it in B City and C City. There were no big brands in the country.

After driving for nearly an hour, the group finally arrived at a small farm. San Jose got out of the car.

Weeds were overgrown, and there were no irrigation facilities. There were a few vegetable fields planted with some seasonal vegetables.

"Boss, this is Repas, who is temporarily responsible for the work in this field," the security guard Timo said, pointing to a young man wearing a straw hat and carrying a hoe.

"Hello, Boss, I am Repas de Ancoste, belonging to the Viper First Squad of the Thunder Cross. I am a new member."

"You've worked hard, Repas. Can you introduce the situation of the field?"

"Yes, Boss. This farm has 1760 acres. The team leader plans to develop it into a tobacco field this spring to provide tobacco raw materials for our cigarette workshop. Growing vegetables is enough for us to eat. We can already grow vegetables at the base in the mountains."

"We will arrange the cultivation of tobacco seedlings as soon as possible. When the time comes, I will try to get some agricultural machinery from abroad. If we simply recruit farmers to plant, it will not be conducive to subsequent yield increase."

"A reasonable irrigation system is also essential. We need to arrange to establish a water storage and irrigation system, relying on the weather will also affect the yield."

San Jose reiterated and instructed some simple experiences.

"Understood, Boss."

"I will let Guerrero buy more of this kind of farmland. If we want to do it, we will do it big, get one or two thousand acres, that's interesting enough."

San Jose carefully looked around the field. The natural scenery was very good, and the soil was not particularly barren. As long as the cultivation was reasonable and rotated, it could develop well.

"Tobacco planting consumes a lot of fertilizer. Potassium fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, and phosphate fertilizer are indeed needed. It seems that the Rein fertilizer plant needs to be put into production as soon as possible."

San Jose was very satisfied with Guerrero's economic mind. Tobacco planting and cigarette factories have great potential.

"Are there many farmers planting tobacco nearby?" San Jose asked.

"There are some, but the scale is very small, and they don't have enough financial resources."

"Well, I'll go first, let's chat again when you have time."

Tobacco planting is not urgent, and I can't help too much now. San Jose left here.

In the afternoon,

"Boss, I have already negotiated with South African mining, and the people have been escorted over to them."

"Well, it's good if you handle these small things."

"How many people do we have in Oran City?"

"Although Oran City is the headquarters, there are not many people, most of them are peripheral, less than a hundred people."

"Okay, we must pay attention to it."

"Are we going to the potassium triangle today, or tomorrow morning?"

"Tomorrow morning, we will also need to hire some vehicles to transport some supplies. There is relatively little food in the mountains."

"Has anything major happened in Oran City recently?"

"I haven't heard of anything. Some strongholds that the Falcon team has deployed here have no major events, only some small things, such as gang fights. Some have gone to the beach for vacation. The weather in the potassium triangle is not very good now,"

"Oran City is the same. South African mining is the same. They don't really need miners, they just do it on the way. They may be sent to Chile and will not be sent to South Africa at all. The treaty signed is for ten years, and they don't have to return to Argentina in the future."

"That's okay, let them not stay in the country. To be honest, I didn't think about this matter well. I'm wondering if I was too harsh on them."

"Boss, actually, you are too kind. In theory, they should be imprisoned for at least twenty or thirty years. Some of them could have been shot. Sending them to South Africa to mine is also a bargain for them."

"Well, that's right, each of these people has committed many things."

"Boss, what do you think about the tobacco planting thing?"

"Yes, it's pretty good. Let's have a meeting together to study it when the time comes,"

"Is there a lot of gasoline and diesel here? If we want to mechanize, diesel is essential."

“There are some, yes. Local families specialize in gasoline and diesel. The prices are a bit high, but within an acceptable range.”

“Are there any Soviets in Oran?”

“Soviets? I think there are, but very few. There are quite a few Americans, though, and they're getting a little reckless.”

“The Americans have bases in Bolivia and Paraguay. They don't dare be too blatant in Argentina. They also supply the Bolivian government with arms, and Paraguay too. Many of the local mines are controlled by Americans. I heard they found oil. A company called Mobil. They're the most arrogant.”

“Those arms dealers only do business with the local government, wholesale. They don't retail. Some of it leaks out from the government army.”

“I heard the Bolivian guerrillas are supported by the Soviets. There's a guy named Paz Estenssoro who's quite famous. They say he used to be the Bolivian Minister of Finance. He's just a stray dog now. He even wanted to cooperate with our Thunder Mining back then, but I didn't agree. We're having difficulties ourselves.”

“Paz Estenssoro? Don't know him, but cooperation might be possible. I'm very interested in developing Bolivia.”

“Boss, what interest do you have in Bolivia? It's very poor there, and the transportation is terrible.”

“Mineral resources. Bolivia has coal mines and iron ore mines. We'll need them a lot when we open a steel mill in the future.”

“Is that so? Well, if he comes again, I can contact him. But he's getting a lot of support now. I heard he's preparing to return home.”

“If we can meet him, let's cooperate. After all, being a Minister of Finance means he's talented. More cooperation is always good. We still need to try things out in Bolivia. Thunder Mining should do more than just salt mines; other minerals would be more suitable.”

“Otherwise, a few salt fields would be enough.”

“Okay, boss, I'll pay attention.”

“You've worked hard negotiating these past few days. Get some rest tonight. Negotiations are too much of a hassle; it's really tiring. I feel bad for you. Gathering intelligence is one thing, but having to do these troublesome things…”

Looking at Guerrero, who had dark circles and had lost a lot of hair, San Jose felt a little guilty.

“This is the boss's way of training me. I feel like I've learned more in the past few months than I did in the first twenty years of my life. By the way, boss, the American infiltration of Oran has the shadow of the CIA behind it.”

“Hmm, the CIA. I've dealt with them several times. They're a bunch of old schemers. Only Castro can restrain them. We can't stand up to the CIA.”

Guerrero knew his own limitations. The CIA people were indeed powerful, especially in dealing with South American affairs. They were the real chaos makers in South America.

“Who's Castro? Is he that powerful? The CIA people are too strong, with advanced equipment and tons of funding.”

“Haha, Castro is the son of Cuba. He's a very impressive person. The CIA is helpless against him.”

“You're right. The CIA people are indeed powerful. They've done a lot of dirty tricks in the country.”

“We need to be wary of the CIA people, and we also need to learn from their intelligence organization construction, as well as the British MI6 and the Soviet KGB.”

“Understood, boss.”

“By the way, the Israelis are also good at intelligence. I wonder when our Falcon Group will be able to develop. It's a bit of a mess right now, but there's no other way.”

“Boss, aren't the Israelis Jewish? Aren't they not that powerful? They just do some shady stuff, loan sharking, selling cocoa powder, and the like. They're not a big deal.”

“Don't underestimate the Jews. They've established a small country in the Middle East, with American support. They'll have good development in the future.”

“Okay, boss, I'll keep working hard.”

“After the Thunder Mining matter is resolved, you should come back to Bu City with me. Andrew and the others are a bit lacking; they need a leader.”

“Understood.” Guerrero was an intelligence talent. The intelligence construction in Bu City wasn't good enough and needed Guerrero's support, otherwise they would miss many opportunities.

“Okay, you can go back now.”

“Okay.” After Guerrero left, San Jose felt a sense of crisis again. The Americans already had many layouts on the Argentine border, and he had to develop quickly himself.

His own intelligence was too backward now. Although the Falcon Group had been established for so long, it still hadn't played a real role. He still had to get intelligence through newspapers and radio.

… …

The next day, Guerrero led the convoy to the Lithium Triangle. The situation in the Lithium Triangle was still pretty good. Thunder Mining made friends far and attacked those nearby, controlling many villages, and development was pretty good.

Moreover, with San Jose's financial support, they could also effectively deceive the Motorcycle Gang. And Thunder Mining's security forces developed surprisingly, and no one dared to easily provoke Thunder Mining's people.

So now there was no war in the Lithium Triangle. No one dared to easily start a war, allowing Thunder Mining to secretly accumulate strength, waiting for an opportunity to completely annex the Motorcycle Gang's Soul of the Wheels, and become one of the largest forces in the Lithium Triangle area.

It was also the first time San Jose had seen the Andes Plateau, which was much higher than the mountains around Cordoba. In the distance, you could see snow-capped mountains. The Andes Mountains in the Lithium Triangle averaged three to four thousand meters above sea level.

The mountains were also relatively barren. You could see some indigenous Indians grazing llamas. The higher you went, the sparser the population became. Some villages were relatively far apart.

The mountain roads were all dirt roads, and they weren't easy to drive on. There weren't even guardrails on the road. The zigzag mountain road was a bit nerve-wracking. As the altitude increased, there was less oxygen. San Jose didn't feel anything, and most of his companions were fine, as they were all trained.

It wasn't until they drove to an open area that San Jose saw Thunder Group's base in the Lithium Triangle, Silver River Valley, which was distributed among several villages. The construction looked pretty good, not the kind of mud houses they saw on the road, but container houses.

San Jose watched Guerrero lead people to unload supplies, while he leisurely stretched his body. In the distance was a towering mountain.

… …

Bu City, New A Newspaper,

Recently, the "New Argentina Daily" has become a small hit in Bu City. These shameful titles always make people feel strange, but they can't stop reading.

"Terrible! 17 million Argentines don't know this big secret," but it turns out to be a serious health science article, and the content is quite good.

"Awesome! In order to make money, a boss in Bu City did this behind his employees' backs…" and then the content is a high-welfare recruitment advertisement for a factory, and it's actually true.

"Shocking! A farmer chartered a train for a trip! Employees of the state-owned railway company revealed shocking inside information!" In fact, the content said that few people ride on a train in Argentina, stabbing the Argentine government a little, but you can't accuse him of saying something wrong, after all, there are indeed few people riding the railway now.

The news item "50 longevity secrets you don't know" actually listed 50 so-called longevity secrets, such as not smoking, one cigarette takes away five minutes of life, not drinking alcohol, drinking alcohol easily leads to alcohol poisoning, exercising makes you younger, and so on. There is some truth to it.

Andrew, the president of the newspaper, looked at these not-so-serious news every day. At first, he was a little embarrassed. Normally, people who engage in intelligence have a pretty good tolerance for this kind of thing,

but he couldn't stand the wide variety of titles and the revised news processing methods. Historical allusions and sophistry were all used. You can't defeat me with my logic.

Some articles you can't say are wrong, but you can't find any mistakes, and they trigger secondary discussions.

The effect was quickly apparent. New subscriptions to the "New Argentina Daily" soared, and the serial novels and interesting entertainment football maintained the number of renewals. Although the New A Newspaper had a general reputation in the newspaper industry,

sales continued to break through,

and the New A Newspaper suddenly became a dark horse in the Argentine newspaper media, especially the development of elderly users, which was particularly popular.

Facts have proved that, under external conditions, shocking titles and clickbait are indeed easy to attract attention, which is universal all over the world, and it is easy to make some people believe it and even become his fans, realizing precise traffic diversion.