Chapter 50: Human Relations Everywhere

Events proved that even the commander of the third-tier Marines was still a commander. That very afternoon, Li Yi'an received a call from the Pentagon, and soon a jeep arrived at the hotel, whisking him directly to the Pentagon.

In a room that still smelled of fresh paint, Colonel Lato John received him and came straight to the point.

"The military has agreed to include your company's 'Agent Orange' in the military development program. We will be signing a contract. I must remind you..."

Colonel Lato John looked at the young man across from him and said:

"After you sign this contract, the military will provide you with funding totaling no less than five million dollars for the research and development of 'Agent Orange' and its improved products. However, during wartime, should the military deem it necessary, it may license other companies to produce 'Agent Orange,' and your firm must provide all technical documentation to the military-designated enterprises. Of course, after the war ends, if the licensed enterprises continue production, they must negotiate patent terms with you, and you have the right to demand that they cease production."

Before coming to Washington, Li Yi'an had specifically inquired about patents. After the outbreak of the war, the United States established specialized agencies to coordinate and resolve patent issues. For instance, regarding synthetic rubber, although DuPont had invented neoprene and Standard Oil had developed butyl rubber, neither could be used to manufacture tires. What suited tire production was buna-S rubber, invented by the German company I.G. Farben. Fortunately, through pre-war technical cooperation and sharing with Farben, Standard Oil had acquired the patents and technical knowledge to produce buna-S.

However, until 1941, the company not only failed to invest in producing buna-S itself but also used the threat of litigation to prevent other tire companies from using the technology. Against this backdrop, the U.S. government immediately intervened, first coordinating an agreement between Standard Oil, major U.S. tire manufacturers, and the United States Rubber Company to share patents and information. The following year, it launched a judicial investigation into the cooperative relationship between Standard Oil and the enemy company Farben. To avoid further government pressure, Standard Oil had no choice but to agree to share its synthetic rubber patents free of charge with all participating companies for the duration of the war.

This approach was very American... yet extremely effective, much like how the company that invented the jeep barely manufactured any jeeps. In wartime, patents were basically a joke.

Besides, Li Yi'an had no objections to this whatsoever, on the condition that America was willing to produce it. The more the military procured, the more the little Japanese bastards would suffer. Was there any reason to turn down such a great opportunity?

"No problem!"

Li Yi'an readily signed the contract.

"Within two days of signing this contract, an initial payment of two million dollars will be wired to your company's account."

Look at that!

What did financial muscle look like? This was it!

Not a single word of nonsense, just direct wire transfers.

Of course, this also made Li Yi'an witness the power of knowledge; a company worth one million turned a profit of several million in the blink of an eye!

The arms business truly was wildly lucrative!

After the contract was signed, Lato John took out a business card and said:

"This is my card. My phone number is on it. If you have any questions in the future, we can get in touch at any time."

"Very well, Colonel."

After Li Yi'an accepted the business card, Lato John seemed to recall something and said:

"I heard your company was just established, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you must be in need of employees."

The colonel said nonchalantly:

"I have a friend's son who just graduated from university. He studied law. I wonder if there are any suitable positions in your laboratory."

"That fits perfectly."

Li Yi'an quickly replied:

"KTJ Laboratories is in dire need of a legal advisor to assist with patent-related matters. If your friend is interested, he is welcome to come and give it a try."

Did he need a legal advisor?

Even if he didn't need one, he had to make it look like he did. Human favors were everywhere. Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the smile on Colonel Lato John's face grew even wider. He even actively invited Li Yi'an to his office for coffee. Who knew how much a coffee pot in the Pentagon cost, but coffee certainly deepened relationships—that much was true. However, after chatting for just a little while, Li Yi'an learned the name of that "friend."

Lato John—well, it was his own child. And why send him to KTJ Laboratories? Because there were draft exemptions, of course. One had to admit... this guy was quite a schemer, tricking other people's children into the battlefield while keeping his own safely in the rear.

And what was the benefit of a human favor?

It was that upon learning Li Yi'an had another company manufacturing submachine guns, Lato John immediately stated that the military was currently in urgent need of submachine guns and asked him to send 100 of them for military testing. If the weapons passed the tests, the military would make large-scale procurements.

It was a success!

He had truly become an arms dealer now!

Having broken directly into the U.S. military supply chain, getting rich from here on out was practically guaranteed!

In truth, amidst tens of billions or hundreds of billions in military appropriations, a player like Li Yi'an was a negligible minor figure, merely eating the scraps left behind by large corporations. Yet even so, the gains were still remarkably substantial.

Over the next few days in Washington, Li Yi'an did not remain idle. Aside from coordinating with the military to prepare a test range, he also contacted military testing institutions, slipping small gifts to certain middlemen simply to foster goodwill. Of course, he hadn't forgotten about Colonel Lato John either, sending his son a graduation gift—a used car.

Although he had only graduated a little over a year ago, Li Yi'an, who had long worked in sales, knew full well how to handle interpersonal relationships. Right now, for Zhenhua Company, the most important task wasn't launching operations, but building a networking web.

Facts proved that crows are black the world over; the crows in Washington were no whiter than anywhere else. Connections and personal favors mattered just as much here. Just as Li Yi'an was pulling every string to build his network, someone took the initiative to find him.

"Hello, Mr. Li. I am Harvey, an attorney from the Harvey Law Firm. Here is my business card."

As the business card was handed over, a suit-clad, middle-aged American sat down at the table and stated bluntly:

"I am aware that Mr. Li's company has just secured a contract from the Department of Defense, and I also know you are currently building a network of connections here in Washington. However, Mr. Li, you need to understand one thing: leaving professional matters to professionals is the only way to achieve the best results."

Looking at the business card in his hand, Li Yi'an knew that the legendary lobbyists had arrived!