Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 402 Planning to Dismantle American Hegemony

Spring 1989, Sentosa Villas, Singapore.

Inside the study, the sea breeze was kept out by the thick glass, leaving only a faint aftertaste of cigars.

Lin Yi, Lin Er, Lin San, Alexander, Albert, Marcus, and James sat around a long table.

Lin Yan sat in the main seat. Xiao Qi quietly curled up at his feet, her golden eyes half-closed.

"This year is 1989."

Lin Yan spoke, getting straight to the point.

"There are less than six years left until the initial settlement target of our last long-term plan. Judging from the report, everything is progressing smoothly, and in some aspects, it has even exceeded expectations."

His gaze slowly swept over everyone, making the air in the study seem a little heavier.

"Today I've gathered you all here not to reflect on the past, but to plan for the future."

Lin Yan paused for a moment,

"What I want to discuss with you is the inevitable trajectory of the global economy over the next fifty years, and how we... should place our pieces within it."

"For all late-developing industrialized countries, the first pair of wings for taking off must be real estate."

Lin Yan's tone was resolute.

"Europe achieved its primitive accumulation through plunder during the Age of Exploration; they skipped that step. But all other countries—South Korea's 'Han River Miracle,' America's 'American Dream,' and the future of China—are no exception."

"Industrialization requires massive investments that cannot be recovered quickly. Where will the money come from? It can only be paid upfront by the country's residents through their labor over the next thirty years, in the form of 'mortgages,' to bear this huge debt for national development. Houses cannot be exported, so the debt is locked domestically, making it difficult for external forces to directly interfere. This process will inevitably be accompanied by a surge in GDP and the popularization and localization of basic industrial products such as white goods."

"But there is a ceiling to real estate debt. When household debt approaches its limit, this burden must be shed, completing the second transformation—debt transfer to other countries."

Lin Yan tapped his finger heavily on the map.

"The 'white knight' must be a major industrial product that can be exported overseas: automobiles, ships, and airplanes. A country must have a presence in at least one of these sectors in order to transfer its accumulated debt and excess capacity globally through trade."

"If you can't do it, you'll implode. That's what happened to the US and South Korea. But if you go down this path, it'll lead to a Detroit-style decline—the growth market turns into a brutal stalemate."

"Therefore, the survivors must undertake a third transformation: a full shift to the tertiary sector."

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yan's eyes.

"Note that this is by no means a simple restaurant server. Rather, it refers to software, the internet, finance, law, healthcare, education, intellectual property rights... all industries that rely minimally on natural resources but can charge extremely high premiums through rules, standards, and knowledge."

"The United States is far ahead on this path. It maintains its dominance and debt export by levying 'seigniorage' and 'patent fees' globally through the dollar's dominance and intellectual property rights. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea..."

He sneered.

"Because they lack full sovereignty, they are not even qualified to attempt a third transformation. They are locked at the level of the second transformation and become vassals that can be harvested at any time."

Lin Yan's explanation enters the most brutal part:

"America's weapon of dominance is called the dollar tide. The United States can activate this mechanism whenever any industrialized country attempts a second transformation, exporting its production capacity."

"From the front, they drive up global raw material and energy prices, increasing your production costs; from the rear, they use their financial advantages to create exchange rate fluctuations and export squeezes, making it impossible for your products to sell or fetch a good price. This pincer attack is enough to cause your car factory and shipyard to collapse in the face of 'price wars' and 'cost walls'."

"Once the collapse occurs, the enormous debt incurred by the country for industrialization will have nowhere to go, and it will backfire, completely locking up the country's upward trajectory—this is the essence of the so-called 'middle-income trap.' It's not a trap, it's a financial noose."

The study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only Lin Yan's calm, almost cruel voice echoing through the room. Alexander's gaze was intense, Albert's brows were furrowed, and Lin Yi and the others wore solemn expressions.

This logic connects all their past scattered actions and obstacles into a clear network.

"So, according to the normal historical script,"

Lin Yan leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp and intense.

"In the next fifty years, only the United States will be able to continue to grow by relying on the dividends of the third transformation and the hegemony of the dollar. Other industrialized countries that try to challenge it will be brought back to reality by this combination of measures. At best, they will become another Japan or South Korea—rich, but never truly autonomous."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"but,"

Lin Yan's voice suddenly became more forceful, carrying an undeniable determination.

"Before becoming a monk, I was first and foremost a Chinese. I accumulated wealth and laid out these plans not just for personal transcendence. I hoped that at this crossroads of history, I could pave a different path for my homeland."

"What we need to rewrite is not just China's destiny."

He spread his fingers, covering the entire world map.

"What I want is for Europe and the United States to no longer be a monolithic entity over the next fifty years. I want the American alliance system to loosen and disintegrate from within. I want its roles as a 'financial noose' and 'rule-based tax collector' to encounter increasing resistance and alternatives globally. I don't want a monotonous future destined for a 'US-China rivalry,' which remains a prison of binary confrontation."

Lin Yan's gaze became incredibly profound, as if he could already see the waves that would unfold half a century later.

"What I want is a truly stable multipolar world. The Americas, Europe, East Asia (with China at its core), and Southeast Asia, where we have deep roots, as well as other potentially rising regional powers, will check and balance each other and each have its own strengths."

"Only in this way will global resources and opportunities not flow unidirectionally to one center forever, technology and development paths will be diversified, and those financial plundering and standard monopolies based on hegemony will lose their absolute power."

"Gentlemen,"

Lin Yan's gaze returned to the people present.

"Our strategic planning over the past few decades—absolute control over Southeast Asia, penetration of core technologies in Europe and America, mastery of global resource channels, and deep infiltration in the financial markets—all of these must now serve this higher-level strategic goal: to dismantle the single hegemonic system and promote the formation of a multipolar world order."

"This is not a business competition; it's a strategic arrangement at the level of civilization."

He concluded.

"We may remain behind the scenes, but every move we make will affect the balance of power in the future world. The missions will be more complex, and the confrontations more covert and intense. But this is a path we must take."

The study remained silent for a long time, as everyone digested this grand chess game spanning fifty years.

Finally, Lin Yi was the first to raise his head, his eyes filled with absolute determination and obedience. The others followed suit and nodded solemnly.

No words are needed; the mission is clear.