Stepping on American soil again, Zhang Meng felt refreshed, as if he had returned to the days of grabbing money in the United States a few years ago, which was really a good time worth remembering.

However, this time Zhang Meng did not come to the United States to grab money or forcibly demolish them, but to discuss with US President Herbert Hoover the purchase of several US islands in the Pacific Ocean, including American Samoa, US Guam, US Wake Island, etc.

These islands are all strategic points in the Pacific Ocean, and the Americans naturally cannot easily sell them to Zhang Meng.

It's just that Zhang Meng never fights unprepared battles, and since he dared to come to the United States and made the United States take the initiative to withdraw from the intervention group, it is obvious that he has been fully prepared for a long time.

At this time, a new round of elections between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the United States began, and Hoover was preparing to run for re-election for a second time, and his opponent was extremely strong, his name was Roosevelt.

Because Hoover's tenure coincided with the outbreak of the American economic crisis and the most turbulent four years, with high unemployment, economic recession, social unrest, and a surge in crime, Hoover was blamed and abused, and his approval rating was much lower than that of Roosevelt, which put him in danger of losing the election.

Zhang Meng knew Hoover's heart, and his desire for re-election was higher than anyone else's, so Zhang Meng did what he liked and carefully helped Hoover prepare campaign materials and sponsorship funds.

Unlike Zhang Meng's support for MacDonald's bid for British prime minister, the election campaign in the United States is very fierce, and it is far from being able to solve everything with money alone. Especially at this moment, the U.S. economy is in a recession, and if you want to win the election, you must use other means.

Zhang Meng was ready to hand over to Hoover with something enough to turn the tide, and the exchange was to sell those American islands to Zhang Meng.

Hoover agreed. That's why he officially invited Zhang Meng to visit the United States.

At the airport, Vice President Curtis personally picked up the plane, and Liu Kaiwei and the staff of the Datang Consulate in Washington received the plane together.

Curtis accompanied Zhang Meng to inspect the U.S. military honor guard. Then the two went to the hotel where Zhang Meng was staying, and the two had a brief meeting, mainly to implement Zhang Meng's itinerary in the United States in the past few days. Of course, the most important thing is about Hoover's presidential candidacy.

"Your Highness Zhang Meng, I wonder if you have any way to get President Hoover re-elected?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you when I meet President Hoover."

Zhang Meng smiled. After seeing that the treatment of the hotel where I stayed was not bad, he continued: "However, how have you studied the conditions I proposed?" ”

Curtis saw that Zhang Meng was cunning. If you don't see a rabbit or an eagle, you deliberately wondered: "This matter is very important, and the strategic location of the islands mentioned by His Highness is extremely important, and we cannot easily transfer them to your country." ”

Zhang Meng smiled and said, "Don't worry." I didn't ask you for nothing. I'll give the money. ”

Curtis said: "It's not a matter of money, if your country gets these islands, builds an airport on the islands, and the fighter planes fly directly to the mainland of the United States, won't we be doing it ourselves?" ”

Zhang Meng's heart trembled, he couldn't imagine that this Curtis was extremely strategic, and he actually thought of Zhang Meng's future strategic layout.

It's just that Zhang Meng couldn't admit it, so he pretended to be at a loss and said, "Mr. Vice President is serious." I bought these islands from your country just because my Datang land area is too small. Lack of strategic depth. These islands were purchased only for defensive purposes, to give the mainland an earlier warning time. ”

Curtis is not a soldier after all, and lacks a real military strategy, Zhang Meng is very reasonable, so he believes it.

As a matter of fact, as a meeting between Zhang Meng and Hoover, the agenda had to be resolved before the meeting, and it was impossible for the leaders of the two countries to start bargaining and negotiating after they met, and the leaders did not have so much time at all, so the content of the talks and the agreements to be reached between the two sides would be completed ahead of schedule.

Curtis in front of him is the plenipotentiary Hoover to negotiate with Zhang Meng in detail, once an agreement is reached, the next meeting between Hoover and Zhang Meng will only be a formality.

Curtis saw that Zhang Meng just didn't let go, he understood that Zhang Meng would never put forward such harsh conditions with Hoover if he wasn't sure enough, he saw Zhang Meng like an old politician as cunning, and knew that he couldn't take advantage of the other party, so he had to let go.

"Five million dollars is too little for these islands, and their strategic value should be at least more than $100 million."

Zhang Meng naturally knew the true value of these islands, but he didn't dare to offer a high price, because if he paid a high price, it would mean that these islands were very important, but he would be asked for more by the other party, and it would also make the other party feel that those islands were too important and be vigilant.

Therefore, Zhang Meng bit on the five million dollars and did not let go, which is a huge contrast with Zhang Meng's willingness to spend 100 million pounds to buy the Fiji Islands from the British. Of course, the size and resources of these islands cannot be compared with those of the Fiji Islands, and this is just a means of negotiation.

In Curtis's position, those islands are dispensable to the United States, not part of the territory of the United States, and the current rise of isolationism in the United States and the Constitution do not recognize the occupation of these islands, and even the Americans are not very clear that the Philippines is a colony of the United States, and the government deliberately blocks all negative reports about the Philippines, so that the Americans only think that the United States military is helping the Philippines to manage.

The islands that Zhang Meng wants to buy are colonies that most Americans don't know about or care about, and for U.S. defense policy, Hawaii is the real key barrier, and nothing else matters.

Hoover and Curtis, as well as the Republicans, had privately discussed that if Zhang Meng could really help Hoover succeed in his campaign, then the islands could even be given to Zhang Meng in order to obtain friendship between the United States and Tang and an alliance against Japan.

For most Americans, they do not believe that the Tang Empire can threaten the United States, but that Japan, which has been losing the Tang-Japanese War, is still the main potential enemy of the United States, which stems from the hostile ideology of more than 30 years since the military confrontation between the United States and Japan in 1898, which has deeply affected an entire generation and a half of Americans, and this is not something that can be easily replaced by the great threat that the Tang Empire, which has only won Japan for a few months, can bring to the Americans.

It's just that Curtis doesn't want Zhang Meng to get what he wants so easily, and he is also dissatisfied with Zhang Meng's previous series of forced purchases and demolitions in the United States, and he wants Zhang Meng to give more blood and make some compensation.

Zhang Meng will not lose a penny of money that should be spent, but he will not pull out a penny of money that should not be spent, so Curtis's attempt to take advantage of Zhang Meng is doomed to failure.

"If you want me to say that five million is more, it's worth it for you to send me directly!"

Curtis rolled his eyes, this Zhang Meng not only did not increase the price but reduced it further, which is really an iron rooster.

"Then it depends on how His Highness can get Hoover to be re-elected president? You're hiding it like this, what kind of jihua are you, don't you tell us now? ”

Zhang Meng still smiled flatly and said, "We have signed the agreement now, and I promise to make President Hoover's re-election successful." ”

Curtis was really helpless, no matter how much he tried to induce Zhang Meng to hand over his hole cards, but in the end he failed, Zhang Meng was cunning like a fox, and he was not fooled at all.

There was no way, Curtis had no choice but to sign a secret agreement with Zhang Meng first.

The agreement has already been signed by Hoover, and it can be seen that Hoover has been desperate to defeat Roosevelt in order to be re-elected president, which is in response to Zhang Meng's speculation.

After Zhang Meng signed the agreement, he immediately showed a triumphant smile.

"Now Your Highness can take out your hole cards!"

Zhang Meng nodded, not afraid of Hoover's tricks, otherwise he would use this agreement to directly knock him off the campaign stage.

Zhang Meng glanced at the adjutant, who took a document from the folder and handed it to Curtis.

Curtis looked surprised when he saw it, and asked tentatively, "Is this okay?" ”

Zhang Meng smiled: "Don't worry, I guarantee that Hoover wins, otherwise I won't have to come for nothing, I don't have that much spare time!" ”

Curtis saw that Zhang Meng's expression was firm, and he looked through the document again, and the more he looked at it, the more shocked he became, and then he saw the key power of the content. I didn't expect Zhang Meng to know so much about the situation in the United States, even far more than Hoover and Roosevelt who were campaigning.

"Your Highness, if it were us Americans, it would be yours in this presidential election."

"Gold like you and me shines everywhere!"

Zhang Meng said without modesty, both of them are hahadaxiao. (To be continued......)