America 1919-Chapter 956 - 326, The Great War Begins_2
After resolving all these issues, Donnie returned to New York with Chris.
"First, send some people to Portugal. Have them locate Alves Reis who’s currently in prison there. Do not alarm him. In a few months, he’ll be released. At that time, have our people monitor him discreetly and relay all his actions to me as quickly as possible. Wait for my instructions to act!"
Donnie instructed Chris.
Although Chris was still somewhat confused, he resolutely followed Donnie’s orders.
"Got it!"
"Alright, go take care of it!" Donnie dismissed Chris.
What Donnie was eyeing wasn’t the one hundred million escudos printed by Alves Reis. Based on the current exchange rate between the escudo and the US Dollar, one hundred million escudos would only amount to six or seven million dollars.
What Donnie truly valued was Portugal’s development prospects in the coming years.
Currently, the domestic military in Portugal has long harbored dissatisfaction with the government, but what’s lacking is a trigger.
That trigger would be the one hundred million escudos printed by Alves Reis, as the serial numbers on this batch of currency were duplicated.
Add to that the sudden market appearance of these one hundred million escudos, it would inevitably lead to domestic inflation in Portugal. In such circumstances, Alves Reis’s actions would naturally be uncovered.
Afterward, the Portuguese public would learn about the matter, causing widespread panic within the country.
Thus, the Portuguese military saw an opportunity. In 1926, Portuguese General Antonio Carmona launched a coup and began his authoritarian rule!
Through this cascade of changes in Portugal, Donnie saw an opportunity to capitalize on the coup by first acquiring Portugal’s central bank, thereby gaining control over the nation’s financial system, and then supporting Antonio Carmona in successfully executing the coup. That way, once Antonio Carmona comes to power, Donnie could ensure continued recognition of his management of Portugal’s central bank.
However, all of this needed to be carefully sorted out step by step.
For instance, although Chris had already left New York, Donnie summoned Kafe Jackson instead.
"In my name, extend an invitation to General Antonio in Portugal. Tell him I invite him to visit the United States for an inspection!"
Establishing contact with Antonio Carmona required an entry point, but fortunately, Donnie now held considerable influence in the United States. Even though Donnie appeared on the surface to be just a businessman,
Donnie could explain in the correspondence with Antonio Carmona that he could introduce him to influential figures such as the U.S. Chief of Staff of the Army and the Secretary of State.
Of course, such meetings would have to remain confidential!
Even Kafe Jackson didn’t know the specifics of Donnie’s plan, so he was somewhat surprised by Donnie’s intention to meet the first figure in Portugal’s military circles.
But soon Kafe Jackson convinced himself that he understood Donnie’s motives for meeting Antonio Carmona. The Ares Arsenal had already been established, and Donnie had previously emphasized that the sales targets for Ares Arsenal would not be limited to the U.S. Military Department. The larger market was abroad.
Currently, with Portugal’s domestic political turmoil, perhaps his boss had spotted some business opportunity in this situation!
"Understood, I’ll immediately arrange for someone to deliver this letter for you, boss!"
Donnie nodded faintly.
Apart from investments inside Portugal, Donnie also turned his attention toward Macau in the East.
In later years, there would be four major casino cities globally.
Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Monaco, and finally Macau.
Currently, Las Vegas had not yet legalized the gambling industry, whereas Macau and Monaco already had the embryonic forms of casino cities.
But for now, Atlantic City was undoubtedly the world’s number one casino city.
If Donnie’s plan succeeded, he could effectively gain indirect control over Macau’s gambling business. Whether it’s the first-generation gambling mogul Fok Lao-rong or later figures like Ho, they would all have to involve Donnie to continue their gambling enterprises!
Donnie could even begin laying groundwork early in Las Vegas.
If this came to pass, decades from now, Donnie could become the undisputed gambling king of the world!
.
Once Donnie arranged all of this, he set the matter aside and focused on the European government bonds issue.
Robert would compile daily progress reports into written documents and have them delivered to Donnie. If any emergency arose, updates would be sent to Donnie immediately.
Now Robert arrived personally at Donnie’s estate, signifying something major had occurred!
The Rothschild family, through encrypted signals, had informed Morgan and Robert that they would officially enter the market tomorrow!
"After such long preparations, it’s finally starting!"
Upon hearing the news, Donnie couldn’t help but sigh.
Robert remarked, "I’ve already had Jesse double-check our status, and we can confirm there’s absolutely no issue on our end. We can guarantee that in this operation, at least on our side, there won’t be any problems!"
Donnie waved dismissively, "Don’t be so overconfident. If those European speculators were easy to deal with, the Rothschilds wouldn’t be seeking external support. The funds involved here could arguably mark the biggest commercial battle of the current era, with an immense number of stakeholders involved. Any mishap in one link could trigger a chain reaction!"
