Game within game: chess player

"This is the youngest brother in the family, Zayed."

"This is Ye Nanfang, who is doing energy business in South Africa." When he said this, Maktoum came to Hamdan and whispered a few words. Hamdan smiled and nodded.

Zayed and Ye Fang knew without thinking what Maktoum said. He must have told Hamdan that Ye Fang had a very similar relationship with the South African president, which made Hamdan look at him differently.

Hamdan is a very smooth person and stepped forward to give Ye Fang and Zayed a bear hug, and then warmly welcomed them to Dubai. He did a great job in the scene and made Ye Fang and Zayed feel very happy. Comfortable.

"Have all the crown princes from other countries arrived?" Maktoum asked completely in a superior tone, as if this was Abu Dhabi and his home court.

Ye Fang noticed the fleeting look of displeasure in Hamdan's eyes, and instead introduced the arrival status of the dinner guests next to Maktoum.

"This Hamdan is not easy, he can endure it better than you." Ye Fang praised.

Zayed said, "Of the seven countries' crown princes, these are the only two who are still figures. The other five are just people waiting to die." Later on the road, Zayed further introduced that Abu Dhabi is the largest country in the United Arab Emirates. So the King of Abu Dhabi is basically the President of the UAE. As the second largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, the King of Dubai is the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, which is equivalent to the role of the Prime Minister of a country.

This kind of political compromise and distribution of interests is to ensure the political stability of the UAE, a country composed of emirates. After all, individual emirates are small countries and are easily annexed, but when they are concentrated, the strength of the entire country will increase. A big step forward, which is also the true meaning of the existence of the United Arab Emirates.

"I see." At this point, Ye Fang has a top-down understanding of the country's political system in the UAE. To put it bluntly, Maktoum and Hamdan are now the relationship between the number one and number two in the UAE in the future. If the second in command is a guy without ambition, it will be a good thing for Maktoum. If the second in command is an ambitious guy, then Maktoum will be more troublesome.

Although it will not turn into a struggle for power, the feeling of mutual constraints will make Maktoum feel unable to perform his best. Now Ye Fang can probably guess another meaning of Maktoum dragging him over to participate in the launch of the Dubai project. That is to give him a foothold, and Maktoum is even happy to package Ye Fang as the spokesperson of South African President Mbeki, so as to enhance his prestige in the future in front of these vassal crown princes.

"Will crown princes from other countries also serve in the new government?" Ye Fang asked.

Zayed nodded and said, "Yes, if some people are willing to join politics, they will be given a position. If some people don't want to worry about it, they can just do whatever they want. Let's share the cake together."

The launching ceremony of the Palm Island project was held at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Dubai. As soon as the entire motorcade stopped at the entrance of the Convention and Exhibition Center, crown princes and princes from various countries were waiting in front of the gate early. All of a sudden, white robes were flying in front of the Convention and Exhibition Center. When Ye Fang, dressed in a crisp black suit, appeared among these crown princes, he looked so eye-catching, as if a drop of black ink was stained on the corner of a huge white cloth, and it was impossible not to attract others' attention.

The crown princes of various countries greeted Maktoum respectively, and Ye Fang and Zayed also stole the show after following Maktoum. Almost all major news media from all over the world appeared in front of the Convention and Exhibition Center. The flashes of video recorders and cameras closely followed the welcoming procession surrounding Maktoum. Maktoum, who was at the front, smiled and waved to everyone.

Ye Fang originally thought it was a project launch ceremony for a country. Who would have thought that Hamdan would invite global media to enhance the influence of the Palm Island project, and it would be broadcast live. This scene in the convention and exhibition center was instantly broadcast all over the world through video signals. .

After everyone saw the elegance of the future president of the United Arab Emirates, some sharp-eyed people focused on the only oriental face in the team. People who did not know him would think that Ye Fang should be a bodyguard-like role, but those who knew Ye Fang But the person recognized him at a glance, even though Ye Fang deliberately lowered his stature and didn't want to be so high-profile.

An old man who was far away in the core area of ​​​​the capital accidentally saw this scene on the news broadcast and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Hey, is it him?" The staff beside him looked up at the picture on the TV but did not speak. No one dared to speak easily without the old man's inquiry.

The old man moved his fingers slightly. After seeing this, the staff quickly stepped forward to listen to the instructions.

"I want to see the third eldest son of the Ye family, Ye Youxin." The old man said.

"Yes." The staff member nodded and immediately left.

Soon, Ye Youxin, who was reading information at home, received a call. Ye Youxin's face changed slightly, wondering if something had happened to him at this time. Ye Youxin quickly asked someone to prepare the car and drove up Chang'an Street to an antique wooden door. There were already people waiting for Ye Youxin here. After Ye Youxin got off the car, he followed the staff to a pond, which was a quite quiet place in this ancient building.

There is a pavilion by the pond. There is an old man sitting quietly on the pavilion. There are two cups of tea on the stone table next to it, and the tea is still steaming.

"Chief, General Ye is here." The staff extended their hands in a gesture of invitation. Ye Youxin stepped into the pavilion, and the staff automatically exited the pavilion.

"Okay, Chief." Ye Youxin greeted respectfully.

"There are no outsiders here, just be casual." The old man lightly knocked on the stone table, so Ye Youxin sat down.

Ye Youxin nodded and sat down slowly.

"I saw that kid on TV just now. Why did he go to Dubai?" the old man asked.

"That boy?" Ye Youxin didn't realize who the old man was talking about for a moment, but he soon realized that the old man should be talking about Ye Fang. Then he explained why Ye Fang went to the UAE, and also mentioned the UAE's arms purchase. Ye Youxin has already submitted a request for military purchase instructions, and at this time he is also waiting for instructions from his superiors.

"So that's it, he's quite capable of doing things." The old man chuckled, and then said, "I've read that report, and I think it can be done. You can delegate the power to him and let him talk about it."

"Okay, I know how to do it." After receiving the old man's affirmative reply, Ye Youyou felt confident.

"This guy is pretty good." The old man commented specifically.

"You can't praise him to his face. If you don't praise him, you'll get into trouble." Ye Youxin replied.

"Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. We need such a next generation now. You have to train him well." After saying this, the old man stood up slowly, and Ye Youxin quickly stepped forward to help the old man.

"Don't worry, I will do it." Then Ye Youxin helped the old man slowly walk out of the pavilion, and then Ye Youxin followed the old man step by step. The two chatted without a word, appearing to be very close.

At the same time, Ye Fang and Zayed, thousands of kilometers away, were listening to a project introduction about Palm Island in the venue of the Convention and Exhibition Center. This gave Ye Fang an opportunity to fully understand the future development of Dubai. The entire Palm Island is completely reclaimed from the sea and is shaped like the leaves of a palm tree, so it is named Palm Island. Dubai has completed the reclamation project of Palm Island and related infrastructure facilities.

The entire project is divided into government construction projects and commercial construction projects. Government construction projects mainly involve the construction of government public facilities. The investment promotion for the Palm Island project is mainly for commercial construction projects, including five-star hotels, high-rise residences, luxury villas, and shopping malls. The estimated investment amount for such projects is US$150 billion, which is basically to recreate a tourist destination in the Middle East.

The project introducer gave a detailed return on investment for the project. After reading it, Ye Fang thought it was quite reasonable. Dubai obviously wants to build itself into a world-class tourist resort. This concept is consistent with the oil town developed by Ye Fang in South Africa. The projects are almost the same. It’s just that the investment amount and scale are much less than the Palm Island project, and may only be a fraction of the Palm Island project.

Dubai has established a group company specifically for the Palm Island commercial project, which is responsible for project construction and future operations. Through commercial operation, it not only minimizes the operational risks of the entire project, but also binds the interests of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates to this project. , the annual profit contribution of these wealthy princes to Palm Island is an astonishing figure.

Ye Fang feels that this project is worth investing in. Once invested, it will provide uninterrupted returns for decades, and he doesn't have to worry about it. He only has to wait for a cent every year.

After the project introduction, Hamdan invited the crown princes of each emirate in the United Arab Emirates to come on stage and light a palm tree made of pure gold to symbolize the future financial resources of the Palm Island project. The crown princes of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates walked to the middle of the stage. Maktoum stood in the absolute C position, with three crown princes on each side on the left and right. As everyone counted down, the palm trees suddenly shined brightly, directly lighting up the entire convention and exhibition center. The scene was very shocking.

After the launch ceremony, there was a huge party. At the dinner, there were beautiful and handsome men from all over the world serving the guests. As long as you have needs, you can provide any service. For the sake of money, no one will refuse. The seven crown princes came to a quiet conference room and began to discuss investment amounts and group structure issues. To Ye Fang's surprise, Maktoum also allowed himself and Zayed to participate.

The crown princes of various countries also brought assistants and other staff. Only Maktoum brought Ye Fang and Zayed. However, Ye Fang and Zayed did not sit at the circular negotiating table in the middle. Listen in from the peripheral seats.

Hamdan first made a simple opening statement from the perspective of the host. According to Hamdan's plan, the entire Palm Island project will invest 140 billion U.S. dollars, which will be divided among seven companies, each with a quota of 20 billion U.S. dollars. Then the entire project will be managed by himself. Take the lead and let others just sit back and wait for their money.

However, the ideal is plump and the reality is skinny. US$20 billion is not a big pressure for emirates with strong economic strength such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. At that time, it was for the five emirates of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain. He said that the economic strength is far inferior to that of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It is a bit difficult to spend 20 billion US dollars at once. It is impossible to spend [-] billion US dollars at once on the development of such a large urban project. The most critical construction period is still so long. .

Hamdan was frustrated by the deadlock in the first phase of the meeting's agenda. Hamdan once again described the prospects of the Palm Island project at the negotiation table. Through the introduction, everyone once again understood that the 140 billion yuan was only the first-phase funding, and at least 140 billion yuan would be needed for development and construction in the later period. However, Hamdan emphasized that the first Returns can be brought immediately after the completion of the second phase, which can greatly alleviate the pressure of [-] billion funds in the second phase. Moreover, the [-] billion is not a one-time investment, but also an investment in batches.

"What was the GDP of the UAE last year?" Ye Fang turned to ask Zayed.

Zayed thought about it and said, "It's less than 900 billion U.S. dollars, and it should exceed 1000 billion U.S. dollars this year."

"Hamdan is such a big deal. The scale of the Palm Island project is quite large compared to the gross national product of the United Arab Emirates." Ye Fang sighed.

Zayed nodded and agreed, "How else would Hamdan want to do business? If the quota is small, he will directly operate it on behalf of Dubai, and he will not engage in any investment and financing projects."

"You emirates haven't done anything together before, right?" Ye Fang asked.

"Well, the economies of the next five emirates are average. Even though they are crown princes or something, they are no more than beggars in the eyes of us princes in Abu Dhabi. The costs of operating the entire UAE government are also borne by the two emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The other five emirates don’t pay a penny. These five emirates are just fake.” Zayed said unceremoniously.

"So that's it." Now Ye Fang knew that there was also a chain of contempt between princes and crown princes in the UAE. Regardless of the princes and crown princes, there were three levels of hierarchy in the UAE. Obviously, for the crown princes and princes like Maktoum, Hamdan and Zayed who belong to the upper class, the crown princes and princes of other emirates are the lower class crown princes and princes. In terms of identity and economic status, they cannot be compared with Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Hamdan was foaming at the corners of his mouth as he spoke at the entire negotiation table. Everyone's attitude, especially the attitude of the other five emirates, was surprisingly consistent. These five can contribute money, but each can contribute up to [-] million U.S. dollars. As for the two Ten dollars is worth it.

The five companies can contribute up to 15 billion US dollars. Are Maktoum and Hamdan responsible for the remaining more than 100 billion US dollars? Hamdan was so angry that he immediately announced that he would take a night off and resume the meeting tomorrow morning.

Ye Fang noticed that Maktoum did not say a word from beginning to end, but looked at the fierce confrontation between Hamdan and the crown princes of the other five emirates with a smile on his lips.

Suddenly, Ye Fang realized a problem. The crown princes of the five emirates seemed to have aligned themselves with Maktoum. Maktoum wanted to sideline Hamdan on the Palm Island project.