America 1919

Pan Xing was not angry with Marshall's answer; instead, he felt somewhat relieved, "George, very good, you have finally learned to be flexible. I know Donnie, he has some influence in the White House, and also has substantial financial power. Having such a person as your ally will be of great help to your future work!"

Pan Xing truly appreciated Marshall; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept him by his side for training all this time.

It was for this reason that Pan Xing knew Marshall's vulnerabilities all too well; in the United States, whether in politics or the military, it was very difficult to advance without sufficient financial support.

This had nearly become common knowledge in the United States.

That was precisely Marshall's weak spot.

"I think so, too. And what about you, General?" Marshall gratefully replied.

Pan Xing indeed needed someone who could help him with this issue, so he said, "Let him come over. I want to hear what solutions he has and also see what kind of conditions he can propose."

Pan Xing knew that Donnie would not come without reason and would not offer a solution without expecting something in return.

Donnie arrived at General Pan Xing's office, which looked very simple and even had a military sand table at the center.

"Donnie, I'm very pleased that you could come to Washington to help solve our trouble!"

Pan Xing stood from the couch, showing great respect to Donnie.

"Thank you, General. I once was a veteran too, and I know confusion. If I can help everyone, it would be my honor!"

Pan Xing invited Donnie to sit down and had Marshall serve coffee for the two of them.

"Donnie, my time is limited, so let's get straight to the point. What solution do you have for these veterans' trouble, and what kind of help do you expect from me?"

Pan Xing asked Donnie directly.

Knowing Pan Xing's character, Donnie didn't mind and laid out his plan, "General, I own a brewery in Canada, have partners in Europe, and run a transportation company domestically.

So, I am in great need of security personnel. In my view, no one is more suitable for this job than those who have stepped down from the battlefield!"

Pan Xing frowned slightly. He thought Donnie would bring a good solution, only to find out Donnie was here to recruit.

How many could Donnie's logistics company even recruit?

Whatever the number might be, it was merely a drop in the bucket for the over a million veterans.

"How many people does your security company intend to hire?"

Despite some disappointment, Donnie was still solving some issues.

"3,000!" Donnie disclosed the number he and Robert had calculated.

For the maritime transport team, with at least 15 medium and small-sized cargo ships between Europe and Canada, there needed to be a crew of at least 50 people on each ship, which added up to 750 people.

Additionally, for domestic operations in the United States, Donnie needed at least 20 small transport teams, each with at least 30 people, making another 600 people.

Plus the overland transport teams, with all arrangements complete, Donnie needed to prepare at least 200 trucks, each protected by 5 people, amounting to 1,000 people.

Altogether, that was already 2,350 people.

Plus, the staff needed to safeguard the warehouses he purchased in some areas.

Most importantly, there had to be enough personnel to protect his small oil wells.

3,000 was the perfect number for Donnie!

Although significant, their salary expenditure was not that high.

With salaries calculated at 300 US dollars per person per month, 3,000 people would cost 900,000 US dollars a month, which was 10.8 million US dollars annually.

That's why it was said Donnie's private liquor business was highly profitable, but he earned only close to a hundred million US dollars annually—the labor was costly!

Even so, after hearing Donnie's number, Pan Xing was still surprised.

"You're about to lead nearly a brigade's worth of men!"

Relative to the total number of veterans, 3,000 wasn't much, but per person, it was a lot.

"Now, it's just a preliminary calculation; maybe the number will continue to increase in the future," Donnie said with a smile.

At present, Donnie's business was only domestic with added transportation functions.

In the future, once Donnie's wealth in the United States reached a certain level, he would set his sights overseas; Africa, the Middle East, North America—his industries would extend there, and naturally, he'd need more manpower.

Pan Xing nodded. Although Donnie's plan differed somewhat from what he had originally thought, solving for 3,000 people was still a resolution.

"So what are your conditions?"

Donnie said, "Whether it's maritime or overland transport, there's always a risk involved. Just recently, our transport company had a conflict with some criminals near Newark, so I hope to purchase a batch of weapons from the Army and Navy to arm my transport teams."