General Houzit was known for his straightforward and no-nonsense ways. He and his civilian aid, William Smith, were sent to garner favor with the locals in a rural area. The local people were wanting to help in the liberation of their country, and the General was supposed to provide military equipment to support these freedom fighters. However, because of economic pressures, the military support could not be simply given away, the General was tasked with getting something of value in return.
After several days of negotiation, the General and the local chieftain finally came to an agreement. The General was a hard bargainer and said he would only supply one armored assault vehicle for ten of the local bovine. With the agreement struck, the General ordered the first shipment, only there was a problem. There was a design flaw in the military vehicles.
After delivery the chieftain and his people discovered the flaw and complained to the General. “These are bad; you need to replace them with good ones.” The General apologized and agreed completely. He reported the flaw, and the fix was made and a new shipment sent. The chieftain was happy; the general was happy; everything was good. The General then moved on to the next local chieftain.
The next chieftain, however, had already heard from the first chieftain. The first chieftain gave the advised his counterpart to be bold and firm in the negotiations and to not accept the “bad” stuff from the General. So the new chieftain decided to take matters into his own hands. He strode into the Generals tent with purpose, but the General wasn’t there. The civilian aid met him as he entered.
The chief announced, “General Houzit!”
The aid greeted him, “I’m Will, who are you?”
The chief replied firmly, “Good tanks for oxen!”
[I'm sorry, I had to do it. If it helps, read the last three lines aloud and remember the hou- as in house.]
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