Situ Nan is considering whether to build an oil refinery in Europe, if an oil refinery is set up in Europe, the crude oil from Libya and the Middle East can be directly transported to Europe for refining and then sold in Europe, greatly reducing the cost of transporting oil from the United States to Europe.

Perhaps the French, the Italians and even Germany could be partners, and compared with the domineering British, the countries of continental Europe generally lacked oil, and even France had to import a certain amount of oil from South China every year, not to mention the weaker Italians and the miserable Germans.

By telegram, Situ Nan spread the idea to Europe for Handar. Brown negotiated with the Italians.

At the end of the Achina Nakkari Oil Conclave, in the hot and dry waters of Kuwait, British-born New Zealand engineer Frank Brown. Holmes was in a depressed mood, he had just returned from the Saudi desert, dusty and tired.

The recent discovery of oil fields in Iraq and Libya was an encouragement to him as a businessman who had acquired oil exploration rights in Saudi Arabia's Al Hasa province.

However, his adventures in the desert had been undiscovered for several years, and now the chain of funds was broken, and the oil lease in his hand was becoming less and less valuable.

Saudi King Ibn Ibn Ahmed, who had high hopes for him. Saudi Arabia has also changed its attitude and is ready to take back the oil lease from him and hand it over to a more competent engineer.

In order to get out, Frank. Holmes resold the lease to the British oil company BP, but was rejected, so he was ready to try his luck with the Yankees.

After a long journey, he found Duncan & Co.

"Sir, the offer of $50,000 is unreasonable! In fact, I very much doubt the legitimacy of your loan contract! ”

Duncan, the owner of Duncan & Co., smiled and politely declined Frank. Holmes' offer.

Duncan & Co. is the largest land investor in the Middle East, owning large cotton fields not only in Egypt but also large deserts in the Persian Gulf region. It's just entrusted to Chevron Oil Company for development.

"The contract is completely legal, it was signed between me and the Saudi king." Frank. Holmes discerned.

"No, no, no! In fact, the area covered by your contract includes the land of our firm, and we are the owners of the land. Thankfully, you didn't make it, otherwise you would have worked for us like BP Oil! ”

Duncan reminded with a smile.

"What? You-" Frank. Holmes looked at Duncan in surprise, "Do you think there's oil under that desert?" Otherwise, how could you buy so much land? ”

"Oil? You are too naïve and optimistic! In the vast yellow sand. Even if there is oil, so what? You can't even get in, how can you extract oil? Instead of searching for oil, it is better to find a water well, and if you find a freshwater oasis, it is more profitable than digging for oil! ”

Duncan smiled and shook his head, see Frank. Holmes was a little puzzled, explaining, "Oil exploration is not Duncan's business, our business is trading. and research on desert governance.

In the past few years, we have opened up a lot of farms in Egypt and Kuwait to grow cotton and sell it to Asia, and the results have been good. ”

"Then why sell a large area of desert?"

"Because it's cheap enough, I can realize my dream of being a big landlord. I traded a whole desert with a gun, and as stupid as I was, you know. In the United States, sometimes arms are cheap, and Arabs have no money. I wanted to do business with them, so I took a lot of dates from them, and they couldn't pay the bills yet, and they couldn't come up with the money, so I just had to pay off the debt! ”

"Oh! You're still an arms dealer! ”

Frank. Holmes was in awe, and the Yankee arms dealers were notoriously bad. Not only selling arms, but also mercenaries, a group of dead merchants.

I thought to myself: Although you don't admit that you have an intention on the black gold in the desert underground, will I believe it? Forget it, I won't expose the other party's inferior excuses.

"Since Mr. Holmes is so convinced that there is oil in the desert. Will you find it out for me? Sure enough, I heard Duncan ask with a smile again.

To be honest, Duncan didn't know if there was oil in the desert, as an agent of the William Foundation, he bought a large area of land and desert according to Situ Nan's instructions, but he didn't care much about whether there was oil below, and the attitude of the United States was the same, and he never urged Duncan to explore for oil.

The main business of the trading houses in peacetime is the trade of cotton, arms, and other commodities.

With the industrial development of China and South China, the sale of industrial products from the two places to the Middle East and Africa has gradually become one of the main businesses of Duncan & Co., with a turnover of 10 million South Chinese dollars last year, making it one of the well-known international traders in the Middle East and Africa.

Of course, it would be better if someone helped him to explore the oil under the desert for free!

Duncan, who was originally not interested in this, changed his attitude after the discovery of Iraq's No. 1 oil field, and he quickly found the engineer who dared to eat crabs.

"This—"

"Personally, Mr. Holmes is advised not to refuse our friendship! We need someone like you who loves working with sand! Duncan laughed. The smile is polite and kind, but it makes Frank. Holmes shuddered at what he heard.

"Okay!" Frank. Holmes nodded, and that was it.

On the one hand, he sold the somewhat illegal oil lease rights to Duncan Firm at a price of 20,000 US dollars to avoid bankruptcy, and at the same time, he was hired by Duncan Firm to continue to explore oil in the desert area, and with the support of Chevron Oil Company, which had a close relationship with Duncan Firm, the new oil exploration team was on a higher level in terms of capital and technology than the original.

Duncan's actions did not hide from Situ Nan, who learned that Duncan had hired Frank. After Holmes carried out oil exploration activities, he was secretly dissatisfied, and these guys were self-righteous, what if those oil fields were discovered in advance and the British were recruited?

Don't you have the strength to confront Britain head-on now?

Oh, my Garhwal! 12 billion tons of reserves!

Oh, my big Bourgan! 9 billion tons of reserves!

It's a real headache, and knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing.

Situ Nan also did not order Duncan & Co. to stop oil exploration, thinking that unless there was a global positioning system, oil could be easily explored in the desert? How can it be that easy?

Historically, U.S. oil companies also conducted oil exploration in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait at about this time, but the results were not good. It was not until after World War II that the technical and financial conditions improved greatly before the discovery of oil fields and the large-scale development of oil in the Middle East.

Situ Nan would not encourage Duncan to look too much for oil, but only reminded him that trade between the Middle East and Africa and South China and China was the foundation of Duncan Firm.

Frank. Whether Holmes will succeed or not, Situ Nan is not sure, but through this guy. Duncan & Co. successively obtained oil lease rights in Kuwait and Bahrain.

……

Libya, since the discovery of oil in the Siirt Basin, the original peace of the Siirt town has been broken, Chevron Oil Company has increased its investment in the port of Siirt, a steady stream of resources from the United States to Libya, Sinclair has never been as good as it is now, and the stingy guys on the board of directors have finally generously fulfilled all his demands.

"The top priority is in the oil storage base and the oil pipeline, and you have to step up this matter." Sinclair instructed his assistants. While getting on a plane to Tripoli to find the damn Italians to protest.

Chinese workers are laying an oil pipeline from the port of Siirt to the oil field, and according to Sinclair's plan, Chevron is preparing to build a 200,000-ton oil storage base in the port of Siirt.

If possible, he also plans to build an oil refinery in Libya, which he has already chosen, either in Benghazi or in the nearby port of Siirt.

The premise is that the Italians can be leveled.

Meet the Italian Viceroy in Libya, Italo. Balbo, Sinclair was unceremoniously protesting against the inaction of the Italian colonial government. The failure to protect foreign companies' investments in Italy has hampered Chevron's operations in Libya.

Local bandits and tribal forces in the Siirt area are invading Chevron's area more and more frequently. Although the oil fields and facilities were not seriously damaged under the protection of the security guards, the operational efficiency of the oil companies was seriously affected.

"Dear Sir, I also have received some information from the Siirt locality, for which I regret it. The Governor's Palace has always protected friendly foreign investors, but for remote inland areas. We have to admit that we are powerless. ”

Italo. Balbo said with a look of regret.

What is the weakness of the heart?

Is it okay to condone and instigate?

Hypocritical Italians!

If it weren't for you behind your back, how could those Arabs and tribal forces flock to Siirt all at once, armed with a lot of guns?

Sinclair knew where the problem was, wasn't it the impasse between Chevron and Petroitalia?

However, Italians don't want to think about it either. Chevron can back down in Iraq, but it doesn't mean it's back down in Libya.

So he smiled faintly: "Since the Governor's Mansion is powerless, in order to protect the interests of the company, we have to take necessary self-defense measures." ”

Necessary measures for self-defense?

Italo. Balbo frowned, looked at Sinclair's fearless appearance, and secretly scolded the Yankees for being too arrogant, driving the murderous Chinese doglegs to kill those natives in the interior, if it weren't for the governor's palace to send people over to pull the shelf, it is estimated that the natives in the Sirt area would be finished.

"Sir, I must remind you that Libya is the Libya of Italy, and the Viceroyalty will not allow foreign companies to act in its jurisdiction, and if you do not restrain your excessive actions, you will be punished by the Governor's Office.

In view of the serious security situation in the Siirt region, the colonial mission of the Governor's Palace will be stationed in the Siirt area next week. ”

Italo. Balbo said coldly.

"Colonial regiment?" Sinclair was disdainful in his heart, he didn't know what kind of goods the Italian colonial group was, and it was okay to bully the Libyans in the city, once they got inland, it was estimated that the desert bandits would not be able to win?

The basis of Italian rule in Libya was very weak, with the exception of the coastal cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, the rest of the interior had little influence, on the one hand, the interior was poor, there were few resources to worry about except the desert, and on the other hand, the inefficient colonial rule of the Italians.

Sinclair dared to say that in the Siirt region, which was developed by Chevron Oil Company in cooperation with Chinese forces, even if the Italians sent a so-called colonial group, they might not have as much influence as Chevron Oil Company in the local area.

The Italians sent troops into the Sirt region as early as Sinclair's expectation, and he was not surprised, but welcomed with a smile: "I very much welcome this powerful move by the Governor, I think that those lawless desert bandits and tribal forces in the interior will be wiped out under the iron fist of the heroic Italian army." ”

As for the Chinese armed forces mentioned by the Governor, Sinclair did not respond, so he did not hear it. Balbo had the feeling of punching the air.

The Yankees seem confident and don't take their warnings to heart, Italo. Balbo was secretly annoyed that, according to the information he had received from home, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet had come to the Mediterranean Sea to support the oil companies, and it would appear on Italian soil next week.

Maybe you don't want to anger the Governor, maybe it's for the promising Italo. Balbo had a little face, and Sinclair finally said to the Governor General with a pleasant face: Chevron has no intention of challenging Italian rule in Libya, after all, investing so much in Libya is good for protecting the company's assets. As for the oil produced in Libya, priority will also be given to cooperation with Italian oil companies.

Chevron could negotiate cooperation with Italian oil companies, and it would be not beneficial for the Governor's Office to involve the ignorant and murderous Libyans.

In the ensuing negotiations with Petroitalia, the two sides broke up again.

The Italians demanded that Chevron must give up half of its shares, with each side holding half of the shares, to jointly develop Libya's oil resources, but Sinclair refused.

When the news reached Rome, it is said to have alarmed the great leader.

"Haven't the Yankees succumbed yet?" Mussolini asked the official in charge of the Foreign Office, Calaiszo. Ziano, the young Ciano was not only a nobleman, but also fell in love with Mussolini's daughter and was very used.

"Yes, the Americans rejected our kindness and insisted on not ceding half of the oil." Ziano said.

"Libya is the Libya of Italy, the fourth territory of great Italy!" Mussolini was a little displeased, even an American head office could not be settled, what did the people below do?

"Originally, we planned to take tough measures, but the American fleet was approaching and had to abandon the plan." Ziano stubbornly said, it was Mussolini himself who called off the tough plan, and he couldn't point to the leader's nose and say, if you hadn't stopped, we would have confiscated the Americans' oil fields!

"Damn Yankees!"

Mussolini cursed in his heart, knowing in his heart that once the other side's oil fields were confiscated, Libya was likely to develop a war.

Others didn't know about Chevron, and Mussolini was jealous. Behind the Chevron oil company is the William consortium and the Mellon family, the William consortium is one of the largest arms groups in the United States, and the Mellon family is now the representative figure in the American political arena.

The Yankees are now so angry that they have squeezed into the Middle East under the control of the British, and they will not easily withdraw from Libya under pressure from Italy. (To be continued.) )