I watched Er Chuang’s short video, and everything went numb!

[And everything starts with Fred Koch, the father of the Koch brothers. ]

[Let's go back to that turbulent era. ].

[In 1900, a child was born in an immigrant family in Texas, the United States, and was named Fred Koch. ]

[He was a very smart guy. After graduating from MIT, he was invited by his classmates to join an engineering company in Kansas. ]

[In 1927, Fred Koch invented a technology that was ahead of the industry, which could more efficiently purify crude oil into gasoline. ]

[This undoubtedly affected the interests of several oil giants in the United States at that time, so they united to sue and boycott him, and squeezed him out of the oil industry. ]

[Fred, who was struggling, had to leave the United States and come to another oil giant: Big Brother. 】

[He not only helped Big Brother build 15 modern refineries in one go, but also trained a group of excellent engineers for Stalin, earning his first pot of gold: a reward of 500,000 US dollars. 】

The barrage flew out:

"Awesome, a technical talent!"

"He understands technology, management, and training people. He is too comprehensive."

"..."

Many ancient people in the past dynasties agreed with the evaluation of Fred in the barrage.

Fred is indeed very capable.

Of course.

Ancient people have different views on Fred's behavior as a Eagle Sauce countryman who went to help Big Brother.

Some ancient people despised this and thought he was a traitor who actually worked for his country's opponent.

But some ancient people thought it was not Fred's fault. He was also forced to be squeezed out by the Eagle Sauce country.

……

【However, after witnessing the fierce internal struggle of Big Brother, Fred fled Big Brother in fear. 】

【But he did not return to the Eagle Sauce Country immediately, but went to the Hans Leopard Country. 】

【While in the Hans Leopard Country, he helped the Nazis build a large oil plant and became a key part of the Nazi war machine. 】

【This has also become an unspeakable past in the Koch family, and it is also a concrete manifestation of the profit-seeking nature of this family of businessmen. 】

The barrage flew out:

"Help Stalin first, then help Hitler, it's true that whoever gives you milk is your mother."

"I have to say this guy has something, he is doing well everywhere."

"Good guy! He is really a slave of three surnames!"

"Reply-businessmen, making money, not shabby."

"..."

Many ancient people in the past dynasties were a little confused.

They had never thought of Fred's operation.

The plane of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly:

"Businessmen are really profit-oriented."

...

[With the accumulation of capital, Fred returned to the Eagle Sauce Country, oneHe bought several refineries. 】

【With further improvements in refining technology, he gradually gained a foothold in the oil field of the United States. 】

【During this period, Fred also entered the marriage hall and gave birth to 4 sons. 】

【The most famous of them are our protagonist today, the second son: Charles Koch and the third son David Koch. 】

【Fred himself is both a workaholic and a standard tiger father. He not only educates his children with strict iron rules, so that they can develop a strong sense of competition from an early age, but also continuously instills his conservative political ideas into them. 】

【However, Fred at that time was just an ordinary businessman, a freeloader standing outside the political casino of the United States, and he did not have enough gold coins to bet. 】

……

Many ancient people in all dynasties understood the meaning of this sentence.

That means Fred is not rich enough to get involved in the political affairs of the United States.

Of course this is understandable.

After all, Fred started from scratch and needs time to accumulate.

……

[In 1940, Fred participated in the establishment of an oil refinery called Wood River Refining Company. ]

[But it happened to be during World War II, the situation on the world battlefield was tense, and the United States also implemented a planned economy, which led to the company's development not going smoothly. ]

[The municipal government began to impose an "excess profit tax" on the oil refining industry, and there were frequent conflicts between shareholders within the company, and many shareholders withdrew one after another. 】

The bullet screen flew out:

"What is the excess profit tax?"

"Reply - a tax levied on the income of taxpayers that exceeds the prescribed standard profit level."

"Reply - Simply put, it is a windfall tax. The government thinks your profit margin is too high, so it will levy a tax again, and collect more taxes."

"Reply - Western countries like to collect this tax during wars to deal with those companies that make war profits and meet the country's extremely high fiscal needs."

"..."

The Great Han Wudi plane.

Liu Che's eyes lit up.

This tax is very interesting.

It is very useful to crack down on those big merchants who like to hoard goods.

Liu Che began to think about it.

Is it possible for his Han Dynasty to introduce this tax?

The war with the Huns is very expensive.

He was very tempted by this way of quickly increasing the country's fiscal revenue.

However, the situation in the Han Dynasty is different from that in later generations. There are not so many businesses. It is not certain how much can be collected from businesses alone.

So the objects of this tax must be more extensive.

Liu Che thought in his heart.

At the same time.

In many other dynasties.

Many emperors had similar ideas to Liu Che.

This is normal.

As the ruler of a country,, who wouldn't like to increase the country's fiscal revenue?

……

【Fred saw the opportunity and bought all the shares in one fell swoop. With commercial speculation and years of commercial mergers, he gradually developed it into a medium-to-large oil refining company. 】

【And this company is the predecessor of Koch Industries. 】

【Finally, with the continuous accumulation of capital coins, he got a ticket to the political casino. 】

【In 1958, an organization called the John Birch Society found him and invited him to join. This association is an extreme right-wing organization in the United States. 】

【After that, Fred increasingly advocated extreme right-wing ideas, vigorously promoted racial segregation and the abolition of income tax. 】

【Not only did he become a member of the organization himself, but his two sons Charles and David also joined it one after another. 】

【Old Fred hated the tax system of the United States very much. In his opinion, this was a kind of corrupt redism. 】

……

The plane of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.

A hint of ridicule flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.

"What a profit-seeking businessman."

Li Shimin commented on Old Fred in his heart.

In his opinion, Old Fred's words were just an excuse for not wanting to pay taxes to the country.

What firm stance can a person who made a fortune by working for Big Brother, a person who could turn around and help the Hans Leopard Country to start a war for his own benefit, have?

Li Shimin knew very well that this person hated the tax system of the Eagle Sauce Country because he had to pay a lot of taxes under this system.

It has nothing to do with what kind of ideology or not.

……

[In fact, this is not a difference in stance between redism and capitalism. To put it bluntly, he wants to evade taxes, especially inheritance tax. 】

[In the United States, the law clearly stipulates that no matter whether it is a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident or a non-resident foreigner in the United States, when passing on US dollar assets to the next generation after death, they must be subject to the United States tax law. The more inheritance, the higher the tax rate. 】

[Also, don't forget that the states and the federal government of the United States have their own laws. After paying the federal inheritance tax, some states will also levy additional state inheritance taxes. 】

……

"This inheritance tax is really a good thing."

In the plane of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed.

He had already learned about the inheritance tax in the previous video.

Moreover, he had decided to implement this tax in the Ming Dynasty.

……

[Old Fred was very angry about this. I was a man who talked and laughed with Stalin and Hitler in the past. How could I be fleeced by you little bastards today? 】

【He was very dissatisfied, but he did it. 】

【Of course, businessmen are all gentlemen, and it is impossible to use knives and guns. So how to do it? 】

……

Many ancient people with good memory in the past dynasties have already thought of the answer:Establish a charitable foundation.

Because they have seen relevant information in the previous video.

And the following video content also confirms this point.

……

[Old Fred is an extremely smart guy. He discovered a major loophole in the inheritance tax, and this loophole also provided his sons with an excellent shelter and strategic depth for their political activities in the United States. ]

[That is: establish a charitable foundation. ]

[There is such a law in the United States that as long as the heirs donate the taxes to be paid to the foundation in 20 consecutive years, they can be exempted from the obligation to pay inheritance taxes to the government. ]

……

The plane of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di's eyes showed a thoughtful look.

He remembered that according to the words of later generations in the previous video, this was not actually a loophole.

It was deliberately left by the wealthy people in the United States.

So.

In the United States, wealthy businessmen do have ways to manipulate the government.

So, how do they do it specifically?

Zhu Di continued to look at the giant screen in the sky.

…

[But some students will ask, isn’t this money donated anyway? You have a plan, I have a ladder. ]

[The laws of the United States do not clearly define such institutions, so this huge amount of funds must be carefully considered. ]

[Since all this money has to be spent, then using the name of charity to fund some fund projects that are beneficial to oneself is not the best investment plan? ]

[If you play well, you can not only gain a good social reputation, but also conduct secret political activities and seek greater benefits for yourself. ]

[Now, do you know why rich people are so keen on establishing charitable funds? 】

……

The answer to this question has been known to many ancient people in the past dynasties through the previous video about the charity of the Eagle Sauce Country.

The wealthy people in the Eagle Sauce Country are keen to give free food to beggars through charity funds, which is to gain a good reputation for themselves while legally and reasonably avoiding taxes.

……

[Unfortunately, old Fred did not think too far. He only wanted to reasonably avoid taxes, and at the same time arranged his own people to hold these funds, and passed the money from left hand to right hand. 】

[However, in 1967, after old Fred died of a heart attack, his most valued second son, Charles Koch, who also graduated from MIT, was not satisfied with such complacency. 】

[If a man wants to play, he must play the biggest and best one: the round table in the presidential palace of the Eagle Sauce Country. 】

……

Many ancient people in the past dynasties looked at the giant screen in the sky with a focused look.

Finally, we have come to the content that they care about most.

That is, how do the Koch brothers control the United States?

……

[The Koch brothers inherited but also differed from their father’s political views. They do not agree with the red conspiracy theory. ]

[Compared to their father, they emphasize laissez-faire more, especially focusing on the market economy. ]

[From the perspective of hindsight, the two sons of old Fred are indeed the perfect waves that beat their stubborn father to the beach. ]

[The Koch brothers understand one thing better than their father. For the political arena of the Eagle Sauce Country, the root behind all political activities and the foundation of capitalist society is: money! Money! Still money! ]

……

See here.

Many ancient political elites in all dynasties have become more and more curious about the political arena of the Eagle Sauce Country.

For the political arena of the ancient Chinese dynasty, money is important, but not the most important.

Or, it is not the decisive force.

But listening to the words of the later generations, it seems that in the political arena of the Eagle Sauce Country, money is the decisive force.

This is different from their long-standing cognition.

Therefore, they have the interest to learn more about it.

……

[Time came to the 1980s. With the rapid development of the local economy of the Eagle Sauce Country, the development of Koch Industries also reached its first peak. They have become one of the giants in the oil industry of the Eagle Sauce Country. The wealth of the Koch brothers continues to expand like a balloon. ]

[Also expanding is their ambition to intervene in the politics of the Eagle Sauce Country. ]

[As a doer, the most direct and effective way to realize their ambition is to take the lead and play by themselves. ]

……

"It's started."

Many ancient people in the past dynasties were inspired and focused their attention on the giant screen in the sky.

Next, they will see the specific actions of the Koch brothers.

……

[In 1976, Charles Koch founded the "Libertarian Research Center" and advocated influencing national decisions through personal actions. ]

[Young and frivolous, they disdained to associate with any traditional political party. They had a bolder idea: to build a private party. ]

[In 1979, David Koch participated in the election of the United States as the vice presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party. ]

[However, they lost the election very badly. They spent more than 2 million US dollars, but only received 1% of the votes, becoming a joke in the eyes of all financial groups and politicians. ]

[This was the political debut of the Koch brothers. Although the financial cost was not high, the reputation cost was extremely high. ]

[They entered the field with great momentum, but they did not expect to return home with disappointment without achieving their ambitions. 】

【It turns out that the political gambling table is not something that the Koch brothers, who only know how to say "no" and "all in", can handle. 】

【After this battle, the Koch brothers learned from their mistakes and realized that it was hopeless to get the right to issue cards and run for election on their own. 】

……

The plane of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

LiuChe smiled with a hint of sarcasm.

Although he did not understand the power rules and struggle methods of the later Eagle Sauce government, as a master of political struggle, he was familiar enough with the power struggle in the court, or was very proficient in it.

The rules and methods were different, but the principles were the same.

Political outsiders like the Koch brothers would be surprised if they did not get hurt if they blindly rushed in in such a reckless way.

…

[Of course, there was another reason for this defeat: the internal struggle of the Koch family. ]

[A battle for a company from the other two brothers of the Koch family. ]

[To resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the internal affairs. The Koch brothers managed to catch the handle of the eldest brother and the fourth brother, and even framed them. In the end, in 1983, they defeated Frederick Koch and William Koch and kicked them out of Koch Industries at a cost of 1.3 billion US dollars. 】

【Obviously, the Koch brothers are better than their father and have the prerequisites to become tyrants: they are ruthless enough, and they are destined to go further than old Fred. 】

【After winning the battle for control of the company, the Koch brothers officially changed the name of the company to Koch Industries. 】

【The talents of the kings and princes are ready, but they lack a king who can give them advice and lay out the black gold empire. 】

【And this person soon appeared. 】

【He helped Koch Industries expand wildly and realized the Koch brothers' dream of power. 】

【The two octopuses finally emerged from the abyss, and the huge tentacles stretched to every corner of the politics of the Eagle Sauce Country. 】

……

See here.

The ancients of all dynasties are more interested in the next story.

This kind of drama where a top strategist helps others achieve great things is the most attractive to watch.