Mude sized up Ye Hao. Although he didn't know why Ye Hao had sought him out, he wasn't going to refuse anyone coming to bring him money.

Ye Hao casually sat on the chair next to Mude, while Zheng Guang and the other two stood behind him. Mude, with gentlemanly grace, poured Ye Hao a glass of wine.

Ye Hao gently pinched the stem of the wine glass and gracefully swirled the red wine inside. Like a woman, the red wine softly spun along the glass, pausing, reluctant to stop, only to settle into its own flavor as the man set down the glass.

Once the red wine had gently calmed down, Ye Hao lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip.

"The wine is good, but unfortunately, the aroma isn't rich enough. It was opened too hastily, causing it to lack a smooth and pleasant taste," Ye Hao mused with a small sip.

"What kind of wine would you consider rich and mellow?" Mude, an old fox, would not easily broach the subject of why Ye Hao had come to see him, so he followed Ye Hao's lead on the topic of wine.

"Red wine is like a woman. A newborn is like the grape just starting to soak; slightly bitter red wine resembles a ten-year-old girl, whereas an uncorked wine is like a fifteen-year-old girl, standing gracefully. But to achieve full color, aroma, and taste, it needs certain years to mature, like a twenty-year-old girl. If you desire a wine that is mellow, rich, and refreshing, it needs at least thirty years, akin to a thirty-year-old woman who has fully unleashed her charm, ripe for the picking. A '82 Lafite is like a thirty-year-old woman, endlessly memorable," Ye Hao smiled.

"Oh? Does wine have such deep meanings? Looks like I'm getting old, getting old!" Mude reflected.

"General Mude, you are not old. Have you ever tasted Huaxia's rice wine, Zhuge Liang?" Ye Hao asked.

"No, what does it taste like?" Mude asked, looking at Ye Hao with a touch of longing.

Ye Hao reached into his pocket but actually took it out from a hidden space.

What Ye Hao retrieved was a small, white bottle of Zhuge Liang rice wine.

Ye Hao poured out the wine from Mude's glass, which Mude looked at reluctantly.

Ye Hao consoled, "General Mude, a bad wine is like a chicken rib. Though it's a pity to discard it, to consume is tasteless. Would you rather continue tasting the bland chicken rib, or try something else?"

"Then let me first taste the good wine you've brought," replied Mude, as Pakistanis have always respected Huaxia, anyone with even a little standing from Huaxia was addressed as "sir" (self-made).

Ye Hao gently poured a little for Mude.

Mude lifted the glass and drank it down eagerly.

"Pfft!"

Mude spat it out as soon as he swallowed it.

The adjutant thought Ye Hao intended harm against Mude, and shouted, "How dare you! Just because you're from Huaxia, don't think you can treat our General as you like, give me..."

"Stand down." Mude loudly reprimanded the adjutant before he could finish.

The adjutant reluctantly stepped aside with a huff upon hearing the command.

Mude turned apologetic eyes toward Ye Hao and said, "Sir, apologies, my subordinate does not understand courtesy."

"No harm done. How about it, General? Was it worth it?" Ye Hao asked with a gentle smile.

"Once spilt, it can't be retrieved, but the taste lingers wonderfully..." Mude said, praising the Zhuge Liang wine in Ye Hao's hand.

Ye Hao poured Mude another small amount.

This time, Mude didn't gulp it down, choosing instead to savor it slowly in small sips.

"Mmm!"

The first sip Mude felt spicy, the second pure, the third refreshing, and the fourth smooth...

Just from one glass, he was able to discern four different sensations. It was then he truly appreciated that the culture-rich nation wasn't India or Greece, but the deeply rooted culture of Huaxia...

"Good wine," Mude praised.

Upon hearing this, Ye Hao smiled and said, "Just now, General, you said you were getting old, but that's not so. You are like Huaxia's rice wine, even if you're in your sixties, you still live vividly when it's supposed to be spicy, pure, refreshing, or pleasant. How are you any different from us younger generations? Where's the notion of being old?"

"Haha, well said, well said. Using a Buddhist saying from your Huaxia, I was caught up in appearances." Mude laughed heartily.

The two savored the Zhuge Liang wine, glass after glass. Ye Hao drank to keep Mude company, while Mude drank to enjoy as well as wait for Ye Hao to reveal his purpose.

After some time, Ye Hao set down his glass, pondered for a moment, and said, "General..."

"What is it, sir?" Mude had taken quite a liking to Ye Hao, as he found many of Ye Hao's qualities admirable. Most surprising was that when he asked Ye Hao's age, though Ye Hao didn't tell him exactly twenty-two, the ambiguous answer was close enough.

"There's something, saying it might seem presumptuous, but not saying it feels like a thorn caught in my throat—unbearable until it's expressed!" Ye Hao said.

"Please, tell me what it is, let's see if old Mude can remove this thorn for you," Mude expressed his willingness to help Ye Hao, wanting to hear what Ye Hao needed assistance with.

"General, may I boldly ask, is Karachi stable?" Ye Hao inquired.

"It's okay, little scuffles. I never concern myself with them," Mude laughed.

"And if they were major?"

"It depends on who it is and whether it touches my crucial interests," Mude said, outlining the general limits of what he could tolerate without detailing the extent.

"If I want to take control of Karachi, then develop it into a commercial city, what does the General think?" Ye Hao didn't intend to hide and laid it all out.

"Just you alone?" Mude asked with a smile, admiring Ye Hao, yet he doubted that Ye Hao alone could turn Karachi into a commercial city.

"Of course not. Karachi once was a small fishing village. Now, with a population of 20 million, surely the General has the keen insight to see the city's advantages?" Ye Hao smiled and asked.

"Not quite seasoned enough, can't see it, would you mind enlightening me, sir?" Mude feigned ignorance.

Ye Hao silently mocked, thinking, you don't know? You, a former army warlord, chose to develop in the coastal areas and not inland Pakistan for a reason, didn't you?

This was undoubtedly because Mude saw the potential for development in coastal areas, prompting him to bring ten thousand troops to seize Karachi and its surrounding coastal areas.

Another reason Mude dared to develop there was that Pakistan's seas were easy to defend and hard to attack, with all coastal routes but Karachi's being continuous mountain ranges...

"Karachi, easy to defend and hard to attack. Give me ten years, and it will surely be a hub of tourism and commerce." (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.