Chapter 472: The Sakura Nation Demands Gold! All of this is Ours! (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“It was first moved to Krasnoyarsk, and later brought to the heart of Soviet Russia,” Luo Feng began.
“At that time, both factions had set their sights on this trove of gold, each intending to use it to buy weaponry and defeat the other.”
“Then, Petrov launched a surprise attack on Krasnoyarsk and secured the gold. However, when the other faction got wind of this, they would not let Petrov off the hook. In desperation, Petrov sought the support of Kolchak.”
“When Kolchak was defeated, the gold was transported to the northeast, only to be intercepted by the Japanese forces. After that, the entire batch of gold vanished mysteriously!”
“Nobody knew where the gold had gone.”
“But years ago, they admitted to only having approximately 2.7 billion dollars worth of gold from the Russian Empire. But how much is that really? The national gold reserves of the Tsar at that time were at least in the 600-ton range. Even after subtracting the 300 tons that were conned out of them by the Americans, there were still 300 tons left! The gold worth 2.7 billion dollars was, at most, about 50 tons.”
“So where did the remaining 200 plus tons of gold go? There is only one possible answer – it must be in the Changbai Mountains!”
“The few people we ran into yesterday, if I am not mistaken, must be descendants of the soldiers who were originally involved in transporting and hiding the gold!”
“Their ancestors certainly knew about this matter. However, when they transported the gold here, they clearly did not know the route but knew it was somewhere in the Changbai Mountains. Can you imagine, it’s like a criminal’s den; an outsider is blindfolded before being invited in, so you would not know the way in or out.”
“They told their descendants about the vast amount of gold here, which is why they came to search for it!”
“Of course, the gold bar that I dug out was intentionally left behind by those transporting the gold. They did not just leave one, but many. However, some were forgotten and not unearthed.”
As Luo Feng continued his tale, all the gold from the eight rooms had been accounted for.
There was approximately 100 tons of gold.
This was an incredibly daunting figure.
“Holy hell! So this is the lost gold of the Russian Empire?”
“Wasn’t it supposed to be near Lake Baikal?”
“Some say it’s in Siberia?”
“I never would have guessed it would be in the Changbai Mountains!”
“The Japanese military built many fortresses here back then. It would have been very convenient to hide gold!”
“The gold here, all added up, is worth tens of billions now, right?”
“Just tens of billions? It could well be over a hundred billion!”
Luo Feng shrugged, smiling, “Don’t ask me, I do not know its exact value. I’d have to calculate!”
Luo Feng was just a treasure hunter.
He could dig treasures.
But calculating their worth was a job for an accountant.
Meanwhile, inside the imperial residence of the Sakura Nation.
The emperor had just received a phone call.
His expression quickly turned serious as he asked, “This Luo Feng person has found the military fortress? How much gold is there?”
His secretary answered, “Based on our preliminary calculations, each box contains about 500 kilograms of gold. The total amount of gold beneath the fortress should be around 100 tons!” “100 tons?”
The emperor’s face remained inscrutable.
But his mind was inundated with information.
The Sakura Nation was presently grappling with severe aging issues. Its domestic economy had been on a continuous decline, and in efforts to stimulate economic growth, it had accumulated a significant amount of debt. Additionally, the pace of life was exceedingly fast, and the pressure on the nation’s youth was immense, resulting in an annual increase in suicide rates.
Moreover, the Sakura Nation’s excellent social welfare system led to high expenditures. This led to financial strains, with the nation struggling to sustain itself year after year. Although 100 tons of gold might not seem like a lot for the entire Sakura Nation, it could still solve some significant problems.
“Your Majesty, should we negotiate with China about this matter?” the secretary asked.
“100 tons, that is simply too little!” the emperor murmured after some contemplation.
At that time, the financial deficit was up to 110 trillion Yen, equivalent to 660 billion yuan. 100 tons of gold was worth merely 40 billion, an amount insufficient to significantly alleviate the financial troubles. It was rather awkward.
A financial deficit, also known as a budget deficit, is a deficit the government has at the start of each fiscal year when setting the budget. It reflects the state of a country’s income and expenditure.
“By the way, do you all know how much gold there actually was back then?” the emperor suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at each other, faced with such a question. They did not know these details. Even if someone knew, they would not divulge such information. After all, why did they not reveal it earlier? Why only now?
Seeing that no one answered, the emperor continued, “If my knowledge serves me right, there should be at least 200 tons of gold in the Changbai Mountains, which is worth 80 billion yuan!”
80 billion yuan could cover an eighth of the financial deficit.
“Summon a team for me, to seek the gold in the Changbai Mountains! I want to see results!”
Of course, when the news reached the Russian side, they began to stir as well.
Their situation in recent years was not very good. Although their economy was not high, the financial pressure was quite significant. Their financial deficit in the past three months was just below 160 billion yuan.
However, their relations with Huaxia were decent, so they had a reasonable cause to demand their share. But asking for it would be quite an embarrassment for a major country.
Thus, after careful consideration, they were not agitated, but rather felt frustrated.
Meanwhile, after Luo Feng had found the gold, he had already instructed for a helicopter to help transport the treasure away.
The six individuals from the Sakura Nation, having heard the news, were evidently furious. Their father had been searching for these treasures for decades, and they themselves had been searching for nearly twenty years.
And now, these treasures had been found by Luo Feng ahead of them? “L-Let’s go now. These things are ours, and will always be ours!” One of them seemed to be on the brink of madness.
But who would not go mad in such a situation?
The treasures that they had been searching across generations for were now claimed by others?
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s reclaim what is rightfully ours!”
Seeing their leader so frantic, the rest of them followed suit, each of them shouting in agreement..
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