America 1919

Chapter 1579 - 576: Military Spending Isn’t Meant to Be Spent This Way (Part 2)

George Marshall nodded and said, "That’s the only way!"

After finishing their conversation, Tang Fei and George Marshall began discussing the real matters.

Donnie was not about to disclose the future U.S. military spending or the specific timeline of any wars to George Marshall.

But Donnie could still express that, according to the intelligence network of Venus Bank, a global war is likely to break out in the future.

So, Donnie hoped that George Marshall could focus his energy on these matters.

Such a situation left George Marshall in a momentary daze.

He laughed and said, "I thought you, Block, wanted to persuade me to replace all the equipment of the Fifth Brigade with products from Ares Military Industry!"

Donnie chuckled and said, "Even if all the equipment of the Fifth Brigade were replaced with products from Ares Military Industry, how much money would that cost?

Moreover, Marshall, you have just taken office. You shouldn’t concern yourself with these matters; your main focus now should be on enhancing the combat power of the Fifth Brigade.

Only by demonstrating military capability can you tread a firmer path in the future!"

George Marshall, with a solemn face, apologized, "Block, I was thinking too simply!"

Donnie nodded.

For Donnie, the current U.S. military budget truly did not pique his interest.

But the reason Donnie started laying out these plans early on.

The main goal was to establish his personal influence network.

The year is 1933, and there are just seven years until 1940.

Including the time Donnie had been laying the groundwork, this period would approach twenty years.

The one thing Donnie had always been working on was to continually integrate people from within the U.S. military into his team.

General Pan Xing brought in George Marshall, and George Marshall brought in Omar Bradley and others.

In the future, Omar Bradley and others would continue to bring in new people.

Additionally, with Donnie’s operations at the grassroots level, the entire U.S. military would be closely tied to Donnie’s interests.

By then, the U.S. Army’s budget would naturally be under Donnie’s control.

More importantly, up to now, many people believed that Donnie managed relations with the U.S. military due to the business of Ares Military Industry.

However, those familiar with the U.S. military’s future expenditures knew very well.

The so-called arms profits were indeed substantial, but they did not account for the entire U.S. military budget.

In fact, they accounted for not even half of it.

The real bulk came from the military’s daily consumables.

A bottle of cola that couldn’t be bought for a dollar on land could be sold for five dollars in the military.

An ordinary toilet could sell for thousands of dollars in the military.

Thus, when it’s said that U.S. military spending is greater than the combined total of the next nine countries, American politicians always jump with embarrassment and anger.

There’s a reason for this.

First, all purchases by the U.S. military, whether weapons or daily consumables, are regular business transactions with companies.

This introduces price differences.

Not to mention other things, just speaking of the weapons from the East, those are homemade!

Moreover, the crucial point is that the prices of the materials procured by the U.S. military often exceed more than ten times the normal market price.

In response, the White House is not unwilling to implement countermeasures; in fact, many U.S. Presidents have intended to investigate this matter.

But clearly, when such a colossal interest group, which involves hundreds of billions of dollars annually, is threatened, they unleash unimaginable energy.

Many who attempted to investigate this matter ultimately disappeared without a trace.

This is akin to the historical Eastern dynasties, where the military siphoned off funds for personal gain.

Hence, Donnie is in no rush to engage in business with the U.S. military now.

He only needs to ensure that key positions are always filled by his people.

Additionally, he must secure U.S. military research projects.

This is currently an important expenditure of the U.S. military and also its most significant expense during the Cold War era.

George Marshall stayed at the Surf Hotel that night.

The next day, George Marshall boarded a train out of Atlantic City.

Donnie’s life also returned to normalcy.

Each day, he listened to company reports; unless it was a major issue, there were people specifically responsible for everything else.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy was slowly recovering.

You wouldn’t notice this if you lived in Atlantic City.

Even during the Great Depression years in the United States.

The people of Atlantic City enjoyed a very happy life.

This was also related to the economic depression.

At this time, millions were unemployed, unable to find a lifestyle direction for the future.

Amidst such emotions, gambling became their spiritual support.

They hoped to make a fortune with a small bet overnight.

So they wouldn’t have to worry about their future lives!

In recent years, Atlantic City welcomed throngs of people from cities across the United States.

Each of these people might not have had a lot of chips individually, but accumulated over time, when these chips converged like a river.

The wealth of Atlantic City naturally grew richer and richer.

A gambling business supported the livelihoods of all the citizens of Atlantic City.

In these years, countless wanderers also arrived in Atlantic City.

These people knew that Atlantic City was a City of Angels and hoped to find their lives here during this time.

But clearly, the happy citizens of Atlantic City did not allow too many people to disrupt their lives.

So even wanderers who came to Atlantic City couldn’t find a job, not even as a cleaner.

Some people simply gave up and wanted to live by begging.

But before that, the people of Atlantic City already knew that giving these people even a cent would draw more people in.

Therefore, any begging in Atlantic City was useless.

So when Donnie stepped out of Venus Tower, he still saw a thriving Atlantic City.

And when passersby recognized Donnie, they would loudly call his name, and if at that moment Donnie gave them a response.

The other party would undoubtedly be filled with happiness and pride!

"I love this city!" Donnie proudly told Alice beside him.

Alice had taken the day off today to accompany Donnie for a stroll on the beach.

Alice laughed and said, "But those vagabonds won’t thank you!"

Donnie waved his hand dismissively, "The vagabonds who come to Atlantic City are just a small handful, and after leaving Atlantic City, they can only disperse to various American cities.

They might say that Atlantic City is a cold city, but if they claim that I’m a cold person, they will get beaten up!"

Alice shook her head with a smile, "Sometimes, I don’t know if you’re a devil or an angel!"

Regarding this identity, not only was Alice unable to figure it out, but many were confused.

For instance, the vagabonds who wandered to Atlantic City came thinking of the care shown by Venus Bank towards veterans; that’s why they wanted to come to Atlantic City.

But upon arrival, they’d realize that the Donnie they imagined was different from the one they met!

"Devil or angel, it doesn’t matter; as long as we control the narrative for the majority, we are angels!"

Rulers are always like this; a small minority cannot influence any decision of a ruler, and the ruler can even directly sacrifice this minority for his interests.

For rulers, so long as they ensure that the vast majority stand by them and support them, it suffices!

If that small minority wants to express negative opinions or behaviors about the ruler’s rule, then they become heretics!

The so-called heretics are not defined by their doctrines.

Labeling someone as a heretic requires just one criterion: their interests contradict those of the ruler!