In some news reports, why is it always stated that "Country X is providing Country Y with XX amount of material aid," instead of specifying how many US dollars were donated?

One must realize that providing material aid requires labor and resources, often proving quite cumbersome, far less simple and direct than just transferring a sum of money into the recipient's account. The reason for this practice is twofold: firstly, it allows room for manipulation—for instance, materials valued at one hundred million dollars might only amount to fifty million in reality—and secondly, and more importantly, it prevents the recipient country from diverting the funds to other uses!

Why does the International Red Cross organization often clash with the Red Cross society in [China]? Because you had Guo Meimei, you had expense reports for ten-thousand-dollar dinners, and you had standing vice-presidents using Red Cross funds to buy underwear, and other such sordid affairs! The International Red Cross’s primary code of conduct demands absolute financial transparency and openness; how could a counterfeit organization operating under false pretenses domestically ever achieve that?

International aid often faces similar reservations, which is why Wang Zhuo’s question—"Do you want dollars or grain?"—was inherently laughable, revealing his ignorance of the established procedures. But since he has been involved in charity work for so long, how could he possibly not understand these nuances? Therefore, it could only mean one thing: he was probing the other party in this exceedingly superficial manner.

This clumsy little test immediately exposed Xiweini’s true hand, leaving Mann looking utterly embarrassed, glaring fiercely at Xiweini, wishing he could just kick him!

Xiweini, realizing his blunder, flushed with shame, stammering awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Fortunately, Qu Jingyou stepped in at the opportune moment to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "General Mann, besides grain, what else do you require? Please, tell us everything; we will certainly do our best to help."

Qu Jingyou’s English was flawless; although her pronunciation occasionally carried a hint of American cadence, it was clear enough for Mann and his delegation to understand perfectly. She possessed the elegant aura of an Eastern beauty combined with the independence and capability of a Western woman. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, Mann held her in high regard, feeling that she was a truly exceptional woman, compared to whom the women of his own country seemed like common barnyard fowl.

Seeing the encouraging look on Qu Jingyou’s face, Mann hesitated for a moment before finally speaking candidly, "What we need most is grain, money, [medicine], and military supplies—preferably weapons and ammunition."

In reality, Mann had never expected to secure weapons and ammunition, let alone "big ticket" items like aircraft and armored vehicles, from Wang Zhuo. Had Qu Jingyou not asked, he wouldn't have even mentioned arms and ammo.

Qu Jingyou glanced at Wang Zhuo, who stopped her with a look, and she nodded slightly, falling silent.

"General Mann, may I ask one question?" Wang Zhuo asked Mann calmly, "How much armed strength does your opposition faction currently possess? If the United States supports the restoration of your exiled king, what degree of confidence do you have in resisting them?"

After a pause, he smiled at Mann and the other three, who were looking at each other in bewilderment, "You are under no obligation to answer this question; it will not affect our grain aid to you."

The four exchanged rapid whispers in their native dialect, seemingly beginning to argue. They assumed that Wang Zhuo, Yang Ru, and Qu Jingyou couldn't understand them. In truth, the latter two couldn't, but Wang Zhuo could decipher the situation from their expressions alone.

Mann was hesitant, leaning toward playing along to gain trust and secure greater aid; Xiweini, however, felt there was no need to tell Wang Zhuo the truth—a good fabrication would suffice to mislead him.

This African dialect wasn't even an official language, and their voices were kept low, so no one suspected that Wang Zhuo had already grasped the dynamics of their discussion.

Wang Zhuo turned his face and suddenly laughed to Yang Ru in Cantonese, "Let's chat too."

Yang Ru and Qu Jingyou were momentarily stunned before both burst into laughter. These four dark-skinned men could barely grasp a few sentences of Mandarin, let alone Cantonese; Wang Zhuo's prank was truly mischievous!

"Don't laugh; I'm serious," Wang Zhuo continued in slightly broken Cantonese, "After a moment, we'll talk separately. You, Youyou, take the one who doesn't speak English to another room; ask whatever comes to mind. Ru-ru, you take Xiweini to a separate room; try your best to uncover the relationship between him and Mann. It’s fine to offer him some individual perks. I have important matters to discuss with Mann; buy me some time, please!"

Knowing this was the main event of the day, both women immediately agreed. Just then, Mann and his group finished their discussion.

As a mid-level cadre in the military before the coup, Mann was intimately familiar with Swaziland's relatively simple international alignments—a key reason he was willing to engage with Wang Zhuo.

The King allied with Taiwan, thus placing him in opposition to Mainland China, and the King of Wealth hailed from the mainland. Mann reasoned that since their respective "enemies" were allies, cooperation should be easily forged!

And since the American empire was turning the Cold War spotlight onto Red China, surely those two nations must also be in conflict. The King's ancestors for four generations had been pro-American; therefore, if the opposition forces were to withstand retaliation from the King and the US, they absolutely had to align themselves with China.

Tiny Swaziland, impoverished, undeveloped, and possessing no vital strategic location, might not attract the attention of the great powers, but it still held one legitimate vote in the United Nations—that was its capital.

And how to "maximize the profit" from this capital was the ultimate required lesson for any ruling power!

Viewing these issues from Mann’s perspective, the fact that he could see past the surface to these underlying truths was quite commendable. What he needed most now was to know the other party’s intentions. If Wang Zhuo truly offered benevolence without seeking return, that was the strength of having no desires; Mann could only try to garner sympathy. If Wang Zhuo sought something in return, then Mann had room to maneuver!

Since this was a negotiation, even without the undercurrents of conflicting interests, both sides needed to continuously probe to acquire and exchange valuable intelligence, lest they suffer a loss or fall for a trick.

However, Wang Zhuo possessed X-ray vision. Through his observations over this period, he had already guessed the other party's psychology with seven or eight parts certainty. So, after Mann and his men finished talking, Wang Zhuo first smiled at the village elder who was playing a passive role and said, "Mr. McCarthey, how many people are in your village?" McCarthey grinned, revealing a prominent canine tooth in his wide mouth, and replied in extremely limited English: "Three thousand, big."

A village of three thousand wasn't small, Wang Zhuo noted.

Wang Zhuo nodded slightly and then asked, "Do you have enough food?"

McCarthey wanted to say YES, but as the words formed, he became cautious. He wasn't here to play the role of the capable leader; he was here to beg for aid. How could he possibly claim to have enough? The worse off they looked, the greater the potential assistance!

"NO, VERY/VERY." He shook his head, feigning a look of deep distress.

Mann interjected in support, "Village Chief McCarthey's village is indeed very hard-pressed. For the sake of the fight, many women and children haven't had a full meal in a long time. Moreover, his village has over a hundred orphans; that is a considerable burden." Orphans were the ultimate emotional leverage for soliciting aid; the impoverished African communities, having dealt extensively with aid providers, were well aware of this tactic.

"Oh, the poor children," Qu Jingyou clapped her hands lightly, her face overflowing with sympathy. She said to McCarthey, "I hope to provide the best medical care and education for those children. Chief McCarthey, please do not refuse me."

McCarthey was instantly overjoyed, profusely thanking her in extremely broken English. Qu Jingyou kept peppering him with questions, forcing McCarthey to ask Mann to translate, effectively derailing the topic.

Just as Wang Zhuo expected, Mann and Xiweini soon grew impatient. This was supposed to be a secret meeting with the King of Wealth; time was precious. Why was McCarthey and his insignificant village getting involved? Wasn't this a waste of time and money?!

"You two, go chat somewhere else," Wang Zhuo said reassuringly, waving a hand toward Qu Jingyou, "General Mann and I have more important matters to discuss."

McCarthey was present representing over a dozen armed tribes and villages to monitor Mann and Xiweini, but by this point, he had completely forgotten his mission! Immediate benefit was the most tangible thing. This beautiful Chinese lady had promised the best medical care and education for all the orphans in his village. Good heavens, what kind of future would those children bring to the village when they grew up?

McCarthey was entirely preoccupied with figuring out how to secure the same benefits for his dozen or so grandchildren and was completely charmed away by Qu Jingyou. As for everything else, let it go to hell. Swaziland’s highest institution of learning was merely the University of Swaziland, whereas this lady could send his descendants to Harvard!

The second person to be led away was Xiweini. Because Yang Ru had expressed the sentiment that "wouldn't sending money be more efficient?", Xiweini reasoned that if he could reach an understanding with this lady, regardless of how Mann’s negotiations proceeded, at least his faction would secure a desperately needed sum of money. With rearmament, he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the 'Three Big Shots.'

This left only Wang Zhuo and Mann, along with Mann's deputy, who was clearly Mann's confidant. Now, the conversation could proceed with complete candor.

"General Mann, you must know my sincerity," Wang Zhuo said, bowing slightly to refill Mann’s cup of tea, continuing calmly, "I have traveled thousands of miles from the other side of the Earth. I certainly didn't come merely to meet you and offer some grain and medical supplies. For such minor matters, I could simply dispatch a subordinate."

Mann held his cup with both hands, his gaze fixed on Wang Zhuo’s eyes, nodding firmly with a serious expression.

"I know—you are openly challenging the Americans, and you are likely facing armed suppression from that country soon," Wang Zhuo chuckled, continuing, "But this is not what I hope to see. I ask you only one question now: if I provide advanced weaponry, do you have the capability to withstand such suppression?"

Mann’s eyes lit up, his heart pounding uncontrollably. Wang Zhuo’s words were completely unexpected. The King of Wealth wasn't just offering aid for disaster relief; he was talking about engaging in the real fight!

"I believe we can!" Mann stared intently into Wang Zhuo’s bright eyes and said resolutely, "The prerequisite is that you can provide sufficient military materiel!"

"So confident? Then tell me your trump cards," Wang Zhuo’s lips curved slightly as he smiled faintly, "I want to hear the truth, not bragging."

Mann took a deep breath and asked gravely, "Before that, could you perhaps reveal your objectives?"