Tribe leader Haymour's words took Song Heping by surprise.
In Song Heping's view, as the former dictator, all the gold within Illiguo was considered Sadam's personal property. After the first Gulf War, due to sanctions, Sadam had been increasing his gold reserves, hence the existence of these one hundred plus tons of gold.
But to say he didn't know where his own gold was, wouldn't that be a joke?
Recently, Sadam had been captured by the US Army, and Song Heping thought they would soon get their hands on this batch of gold. However, he did not expect this old man to say that even Sadam himself did not know the whereabouts of the gold.
So, was it all for naught that the Persians spent one million dollars hiring him to capture Hassan, and the Americans went to great lengths to catch Sadam?
Seeing Song Heping's confusion, Haymour asked, "Are you surprised?"
Song Heping admitted, "I am indeed surprised."
Haymour said, "The Americans have found only several tons of gold so far, but in fact, Sadam had a total of one hundred and eighty tons of gold. He only knew about the whereabouts of approximately one hundred and thirty tons of that. He didn't know where the remaining fifty tons were."
"Before the US Army broke in, Sadam knew he couldn't hold them off, so he entrusted the gold to different confidantes to hide it in various locations. Some were hidden in his palaces, some elsewhere in Illiguo, and he gave about fifty tons to his trusted man Hassan to deal with. This portion of the gold was intended to fund a resistance army."
"Before leaving Baghdad, he also withdrew one billion dollars in cash from the bank. Gold may seem to retain its value, but it's not practical to use; it's less convenient than US currency, isn't it?"
Song Heping nodded repeatedly.
The old man made sense.
Yet, he still couldn't believe that Sadam didn't control all the hiding places for his gold.
But one thing surprised him: the name Hassan matched up.
This added credibility to the old tribe leader Haymour's words.
If he could mention the name Hassan, it meant his words were not unfounded; he was one of those in the know.
"So you're saying Hassan knows the whereabouts of this gold?"
Song Heping probed deliberately.
"No, no, no."
Haymour shook his head, "He knew at first, but then he didn't anymore. Because he ended up on the Americans' deck of cards, all intelligence agencies were tracking him. It would only be a matter of time before he got caught, so he handed over this batch of gold to someone he trusted very much."
Song Heping savored the old chieftain's words carefully.
So, did Avanti send him on a wild goose chase to capture Hassan?
And the one million dollars, was it just a waste?
Song Heping suddenly found himself amused, as if watching a dark comedy: "You're not going to tell me that you're that person, are you?"
"No," Haymour said. "Of course not me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed to invite you here. However, I do know who that person is."
The amount of information contained in Haymour's words was overwhelming.
Gold.
Everybody wants it.
But Song Heping was even clearer about another truth—having the gold is one thing, spending it safely is another.
He wanted it, but feared it might burn his hands.
Assessing the veracity of Haymour's words was secondary.
After all, Illiguo had its own national conditions.
"Let's talk about your terms. I don't believe you would offer me such wealth for nothing."
Song Heping cut to the chase.
Haymour said, "I can tell you the location of the gold. Once you have it, I'll provide you with every convenience and assistance. In return, you need to take this batch of gold and be responsible for selling it—I want half of the money you get."
Song Heping thought for a moment and said, "What makes you think I can sell this gold? If there are really fifty tons, like you said, dumping that much gold on the international market would cause some disturbance. It would definitely draw attention, not to mention the channels through which I'm supposed to sell it. There can't be many people on the black market who could provide so much money."
"You can sell it to the Persians." Haymour's lips curled into a sly smile.
Persia...
Undeniably, that statement caused turbulence in Song Heping's heart.
Does he know about my relation to Avanti?
Has he heard about the affair in the country of turkeys?
Regardless, that affair could not be acknowledged.
Because acknowledgment would mean death.
Even if this old man meant no harm, he couldn't be sure he wouldn't spill the beans.
"I'm not familiar with the Persians."
Song Heping replied nonchalantly to Haymour, then continued sipping his tea leisurely.
"Stop lying to me. I've lived long enough to see through some things," Haymour said. "You have contracts for the two biggest oil wells in the northern border region. Previously, no one could guarantee safety there. You went there, and in less than a month, you took down the headquarters of the Freedom Army.
Your methods last night were completely consistent with that, but you managed to take down the Freedom Army headquarters with the help of the Madheh Army, behind which are the Persians. You can't hide that from me."
Seeing that Song Heping remained composed, Haymour continued, "Before your assault on the Freedom Army headquarters, the Madheh Army carried out large-scale military maneuvers, creating friction at their border with the Freedom Army, deliberately diverting their troops. When they moved their forces to the western border, you launched a nighttime surprise attack.
Such strategic planning doesn't come from your intuition; it comes from having solid, precise, and reliable intelligence."