Chapter 36: Give them a taste of their own medicine

It seems I was still thinking too simply.

Cheng Haitang resentfully slapped her own forehead, feeling ashamed of her oversight.

Qin Hao also fell silent, realizing his thinking was still too simple, always trying to solve problems by exploiting system bugs, but overlooking that in the real world, human scheming is far more complex than code.

Seeing the two dejected, Luo Lao instead laughed.

He picked up the teapot and slowly refilled everyone's cups, his movements steady, as if everything was under control.

Xiao Qin, Haitang, you don't need to look like that.

At that moment, Luo Lao's gentle voice came.

Gold is a last resort, not the only means; when dealing with thugs, sometimes you don't need to be richer than them, just find their weak spot and then hit them hard with their own stick.

Zhang Yunfeng also lifted his teacup and echoed:

Old Luo is right; they thought they'd caught our weak point, but forgot their own bodies aren't made of iron either.

Qin Hao and Cheng Haitang exchanged a glance, seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

Without paying money, without using gold, how do we break the deadlock?

Only saw Luo Lao set down his teacup, his finger lightly tapping the tabletop.

The superiors have already told me the solution; it's simple, mainly two steps.

First step, make the matter public; we don't need to blame or protest, just openly announce the international low-enriched uranium market price fluctuations,

letting the whole world see how some countries exploit market rules to practice extortion in reality.

Second step...

Luo Lao's mouth curled into a meaningful arc,

Since they like to play 'market adjustments,' we'll adjust too.

Yanhuang Guo's Ministry of Commerce will impose a 500% 'special export tariff' on certain goods exported to Yingjiang Guo, until the uranium market returns to normal prices.

As the words fell, Qin Hao and Cheng Haitang were stunned.

This move is too slick, huh?

But speaking of it, this approach is definitely satisfying, right?

……

Thus that afternoon, Yanhuang Guo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce held two press conferences in succession.

The first, the Foreign Affairs spokesperson spoke in the calmest tone, stating the recent abnormal price fluctuations in the international uranium market.

And "offhandedly" added a sentence: "We believe the relevant uranium-producing countries made this decision based on their own market judgment, hoping the outside world won't overinterpret, and certainly won't link normal business behavior with geopolitics."

This remark was steeped in tea flavor.

On the surface it was all understanding and respect, but the subtext was like holding a loudspeaker and shouting to the world:

"Come look! Someone is pulling strings behind the scenes, forcing the good into prostitution!"

International public opinion instantly ignited.

"I knew it! The 'Ascending Dragon' flying over the carrier fleet—Yingjiang Guo surely couldn't swallow this, and indeed started playing dirty."

"Typical Yingjiang Guo style: if they can't beat you, they mess with your economy; this trick hasn't changed in a hundred years."

"Poor those uranium-producing countries, doing business with guns to their heads, yet forced to smile and say it's voluntary."

And Yanhuang Guo's netizens, after a brief anger, were quickly ignited by the content of the second press conference.

The Commerce Ministry's announcement was simple and direct.

Effective immediately, on goods originating from our country and exported to Yingjiang Guo, including but not limited to daily household appliances, textiles, clothing, toys, furniture, etc., over 1400 items, an additional 500% special tariff will be levied.

As soon as the announcement came out, the entire internet exploded.

"Holy shit! I was about to curse someone, but the Commerce Ministry just played a king bomb? Brothers, I declare, tonight I'll give the Commerce Ministry's chicken legs a full serving!"

"Hahaha! Low damage, high insult! You want marketization? Come on, let's hurt each other!"

"The upstairs folks have a small mindset! This is precision strike! Without our pots, pans, bowls, and clothes and shoes, can Yingjiang Guo's common folk still live?"

"The Art of Flipping Tables"

"This is true reciprocal countermeasure! Before they sanctioned us, we could only protest; now we directly spit in their pot!"

"Whoever offends Yanhuang Guo, no matter how far, will be punished! Today I finally understood the modern meaning of this saying!"

……

Yingjiang Guo, Presidential Palace.

Inside the presidential office, the atmosphere was oppressive.

"Who can tell me what's going on? How dare they do this? Did they eat a leopard's gall?"

Incumbent President Wilkes, a man nearing seventy, angrily slammed a document bearing Yanhuang Guo's Commerce Ministry announcement onto the table.

The aides present looked at each other, no one daring to speak.

An economic advisor, gritting his teeth, spoke:

"Mr. President, Yanhuang Guo occupies over eighty percent of our daily consumer goods market. This tariff will devastate our prices, causing inflation to spiral out of control immediately."

"Of course I know!", Wilkes roared!

"I'm asking you, why is this happening! Aren't we sanctioning them? Why does it now look like we're being sanctioned?!"

Yet no one could answer this question.

They had thought uranium ore was Yanhuang Guo's lifeline—pinch it and it dies.

But they didn't expect the other side to ignore the rules, directly target their weak points, and deliver a kick that cuts off descendants.

Panic spread in Yingjiang Guo's market faster than a virus.

In some supermarkets, a T-shirt from Yanhuang Guo, originally $9.9, overnight got a $49.9 tag.

On a certain shopping website, an ordinary set of utensils had an extra zero added to its price.

Countless Yingjiang Guo citizens woke up to find their living costs inexplicably multiplied several times over.

"Fuck! Why does a pair of socks cost $30? Is it made of gold?"

"Who can tell me why I have to, for some damn uranium mine, be unable to afford a Christmas gift for my daughter?"

"Are we in a trade war with Yanhuang Guo? Why do I feel like the bullets are all hitting us ourselves?"

Angry citizens took to the streets, holding up banners and blockading the presidential palace and congress.

"We want cheap goods! Not expensive stones!"

"Stop the stupid trade war! Whatever damn president can't do it should just quit—he's an idiot!"

"Exactly! Let's get our lives back to normal!"

In a moment, public resentment boiled over, the stock market plummeted, and approval ratings collapsed.

Just three days in, President Weierke couldn't sit still, crushed by immense domestic and foreign pressure to the point of breathlessness.

After an emergency meeting in the middle of the night, an official statement from Yingjiang Guo was quietly released.

【After friendly consultations with all uranium-producing countries, to maintain stability in the global energy market, the price of relevant low-enriched uranium will return to normal levels.】

At the moment the statement was released, Luo Lao, far away in Yanhuang Guo, was playing a game of chess with Zhang Yunfeng.

Minister of Commerce Cao Fanrong strode into the courtyard holding a report, his face breaking into an uncontainable smile: "Rote Commissioner, Yingjiang... has backed down."

Luo Lao picked up a black stone and placed it firmly on the board, severing a great dragon of the white stones.

He lifted his head, glanced at the beaming Cao Fanrong, and gave a faint smile.

"This game has only just begun."