CH70 | MCT

Discussing War Before the Minister of Defense (2)

Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Secretary Song stepped out of the taxi and headed toward the hotel.

Click, click.

Instead of a travel trunk full of dollars, he was dragging an empty one.

"The money was successfully delivered to the Saudi Minister of Finance."

It had been surprisingly easy to meet such a high-profile figure.

The moment they heard that Han Cheong-ho had sent a trunk full of dollars, the doors swung open.

"Saudi Arabia or South Korea, they’re all the same. Politicians come running barefoot when you show up with bundles of cash."

Meeting the Saudi Minister of Finance was no small feat.

But a travel trunk overflowing with dollars had made the impossible possible.

The power of money.

"Go back to your master and tell him—no need to worry. Just trust me. I am the Saudi Minister of Finance, after all! Hahaha!"

The minister had pounded his chest and reassured him.

Had Han Cheong-ho witnessed this, he would have been thrilled.

Perhaps it was because the man’s title was "Minister of Finance."

His love for money was astonishing.

"Hold on right there. You’re not leaving until I verify these bills."

And so, Secretary Song had to sit in the reception room for quite some time, waiting for the counterfeit detection process to be completed.

"Not only was he greedy, but he was also meticulous. I never expected him to summon a currency expert right in front of me and check every single bill."

Song shuddered at the thought of the minister’s scrutiny.

Even though he had brought genuine dollar bills, he had still been treated like a suspected counterfeiter.

"Just one meeting, and I’m already exhausted. Now it’s time to meet the Minister of Construction."

That was why he had returned to the hotel.

"Bringing the trunks one at a time was the right call. If the Finance Minister had seen the rest, he would have taken them all on the spot."

The greed, the obsession, the sheer shamelessness.

In front of money, all pretense of dignity had vanished.

Song shivered as he stared at the now-empty trunk.

And then—

"Mmph!"

Someone grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth.

A sickening odor seeped from the cloth pressed against his face.

That was the last thing Song remembered.

[Move him.]

Men dressed in black stuffed his limp body into a car trunk.

Vroom.

The car sped away.

***

What can I gain from this war?

Tae-soo could not answer this question easily.

In truth, the answer was simple.

"Khalid, you will gain everything from this war."

But he couldn't say that.

At the end of the war, the current king would be assassinated in March 1975.

Khalid, who had seized power through the Middle Eastern war, would ascend as the next king—eliminating all his political rivals in the process.

"But right now, Khalid has yet to make a firm decision. He shows no sign of being willing to confront his brothers and win the power struggle."

That was why he couldn't say it outright.

It would only lead to suspicion that he was trying to sow discord between the brothers.

The trust he had painstakingly built would crumble in an instant.

"This isn't something that can be rushed. I have to help him find the answer on his own."

So instead, Tae-soo chose to answer a different question.

“First, let me tell you how to win in the three areas of war.”

“Very well.”

Khalid focused intently.

“First, we must win the war in the Sinai Peninsula itself.”

Tae-soo posed a question.

“Why do you think Egypt and Syria are acting so inconsistently?”

On the surface, they were making grand threats, issuing bold declarations of war, and putting on an elaborate show of mobilizing troops.

But behind the scenes, they were meticulously preparing for war, secretly purchasing weapons from arms dealers.

“Because Sadat is using deception to mislead his enemies.”

“Exactly. Egyptian President Sadat has laid out an elaborate deception, setting the stage for war. He has turned this into a high-stakes gamble with the entire world as his audience.”

Tae-soo placed both hands on the table.

“And the battlefield for this gamble is the Sinai Peninsula. Saudi Arabia has been forcibly given a seat at this table.”

Not just Saudi Arabia—

If war broke out in the Sinai Peninsula, other Middle Eastern nations would inevitably be drawn into the conflict.

“So, are you going to overturn the table? Do you think you even can? This is a war that two nations have already committed to.”

The war was now on the verge of breaking out.

“Or will you warn other nations that Egypt and Syria are preparing for war? Sadat has been shouting about war every day, yet no one believes him.”

If they did, people wouldn’t dismiss him as an empty braggart.

“What if Saudi Arabia unilaterally began preparing for war? Khalid, if you were to call for war preparations within the royal family, do you think they would believe you? No—they would attack you instead. Your reputation would be ruined.”

“That cannot happen! My reputation must not be tarnished!”

Khalid clenched his fist tightly.

Even imagining such a situation was horrifying.

He could not allow himself to be ridiculed as a mere bluffer, like Sadat.

“You’re right. People have already fallen for Sadat’s scheme. They would dismiss my words and mock me. But even so, I cannot sit idly by. What should I do?”

“Sadat has spent a long time setting up this game. If you’ve been forced into it, you simply have to win. Let’s use Sadat’s deception to our advantage.”

The rules of the game were simple.

Winner takes all.

"How exactly do you plan to use deception?"

"There is a famous saying: ‘The best way to counter a bluff is with a bigger bluff.’ It’s a strategy that turns an opponent’s deception against them to secure victory."

Of course, no such saying existed.

It was actually a line from a movie that hadn’t even been made yet.

But it was also the very tactic that had secured victory in a high-stakes gamble where everyone was trying to deceive each other.

"Countering deception with deception?"

"Right now, Khalid, you are the only one who truly believes that Egypt and Syria are preparing for war. That means you have the advantage of moving in secret, without anyone noticing."

Khalid’s eyes widened.

He had grasped Tae-soo’s meaning.

"I see what you’re getting at. You’re saying I should also pretend to be unaware while secretly preparing for war."

Khalid glanced down at the business card in his hand.

"So that’s why you gave me this, isn’t it?"

It was the contact information of a notorious arms dealer—one who was already smuggling weapons to Egypt and Syria.

Tae-soo hadn’t handed him this card so he could arrest the dealer and bring him to justice.

"If we are to prepare for war, Saudi Arabia must also secure military supplies. But there’s no need to make a big show of it."

"I like it. I’ll quietly acquire military supplies from the arms dealer."

No one would suspect that the Saudi Minister of Defense had caught wind of the war.

As of the 21st century, Saudi Arabia’s annual defense budget ranked third in the world, following the United States and China.

This moment marked the birth of a very important customer for Jang Mal-dong.

"If we’re joining the game, the first thing we need is a hefty stack of chips."

In gambling, chips were the currency for betting.

In war, chips were military supplies.

"Exactly. If you already know your opponent’s cards, the game becomes much easier."

Egypt and Syria’s war plans were no secret.

Their target was Israel—not the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Khalid stroked his beard in thought.

"If we are to move discreetly, we need a secret supply base. Now, where should that be…?"

Tae-soo pointed to Rahman.

"Your son is currently overseeing a major construction project in the perfect location. The Saudi royal family has been sending storage tanks and supplies there, and the government is funding large-scale construction, isn’t it?"

"That’s right—Yanbu Port!"

Khalid smacked his knee.

A massive construction effort was already underway from Yanbu Port to the Bedouin villages.

Heavy machinery was being deployed, and Bedouin tribes scattered across the desert were gathering to work on the project.

At Yanbu Port, vast empty lots had been cleared using excavators and bulldozers.

Water storage tanks had already been installed, and future oil storage tanks were planned for the site.

"We’ll turn that location into our supply base. Alongside the water and oil storage tanks, we can set up large warehouses and transport facilities."

"And since the project is already underway, we won’t need to worry about attracting attention."

"Exactly. Since your son is in charge, you can expand the scale of construction as much as you like."

If Tae-soo’s plan worked, even the Saudi royal family wouldn’t realize that a secret military supply base was being built right under their noses.

Everyone was already aware that the construction had begun, and the royal family's support for it was a done deal.

From this point on, no one would pay attention to what additional projects might be carried out.

"There's another reason why this location is perfect for a supply base. It’s the massive, deep-water port that Rahman has built."

Khalid smacked his knee.

"That port is large enough to accommodate military vessels!"

"Indeed. Your son had the foresight to design it as an advanced oil distribution hub."

And that wasn’t all.

"Bedouin tribes from all across the desert have gathered to work on the construction. Most of them are skilled desert warriors."

"If needed, we could even hire them as mercenaries! This couldn’t be more perfect."

Everything was falling into place.

Khalid slammed his palm on the table.

"Very well. Rahman, you will oversee the construction of the supply base in Yanbu Port. I will secretly fund whatever military resources you require."

"I will carry out your will, Father."

"If this succeeds, you will have proven your worth in battle as well."

This would further solidify Rahman’s position within the Saudi royal family.

'Kang Tae-soo, thanks to you, my son will establish deep roots within the royal family. That is a debt I must acknowledge.'

Khalid turned to Tae-soo.

"The construction will proceed under Rahman’s command. Would you be willing to assist him? Of course, I will cover all the costs."

"Of course. Since we're already handling road construction, adding a supply base to the project won’t be a problem."

Rahman smirked.

"Father, this man likes oil. Pay him in crude."

"Oil, you say? Haha, I like that idea."

"Father, you should know—he doesn’t believe in verbal agreements. Unless there’s a contract, he won’t budge."

"A contract? Fine, we’ll draft one. It’s a trivial matter."

Khalid stroked his beard.

"You’ve had no time to rest because of all these projects. If you take on both the Bedouin construction and the supply base, will you still meet your deadline for the roads?"

"I anticipated this and ordered additional heavy machinery. There shouldn’t be any delays."

Tae-soo had met Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan in Korea and arranged for heavy equipment to be sent over.

If it was Jang Jun-yong, he would ensure the machines arrived as quickly as possible.

Khalid let out a quiet murmur of admiration.

'Not only is he intelligent, but he’s also meticulous. A formidable man.'

And yet, Khalid did not feel threatened.

This was an alliance forged through goodwill.

Tae-soo presented himself as Rahman’s friend.

More importantly, there was no sign that he intended to bring harm to Rahman.

'Rahman has brought home an exceptional ally. He has a keen eye for people and the charisma to attract talent. As expected of my successor.'

Khalid glanced at his son with a satisfied smile.

His chosen heir was different from the others.

To bring in such a capable man as a friend—it was proof of Rahman’s wisdom.

"Khalid, here is the plan for winning the second war."

"Good. Speak. I will listen carefully."

"During war, the Minister of Defense wields the greatest influence. This is your chance to solidify your standing within the Saudi royal family."

But Tae-soo wasn’t talking about the Middle Eastern war.

He was referring to the power struggle within the Saudi royal court itself.