LRAB Page 124
Page 124
Codenamed Penglai, this massive artificial island, with sides measuring ten kilometers, can move slowly at a speed of ten knots and has a maximum draft of one hundred meters. This means it cannot be deployed in the Bohai Bay. Even its construction was completed in waters two hundred meters deep at sea, and it will not approach areas with a depth of less than one hundred and fifty meters afterward. It is a standard mobile ocean city.
It is truly a mobile city, covering an area of over 100 square kilometers. With its internal and underwater spaces, it can accommodate over 100,000 people for extended periods and can also maintain an aircraft carrier fleet.
A mobile maritime port city—that's how Penglai is positioned.
When needed, this thing can also be transformed into a terrifying war fortress. The thirty 500mm caliber superconducting electromagnetic guns mounted on it can launch projectiles weighing over ten tons directly out of the atmosphere. Then, the projectiles can be used to persuade the enemy with a palm strike that falls from the sky, with outstanding results.
It's only natural that a shell of this size could carry a dozen or so nuclear warheads.
After Penglai was completed, it was directly deployed near Ryukyu Island, circling around it every day, either releasing electronic interference or forcing the other side to listen to praise socialism every day, making both countries extremely disgusted.
But what could they do? Sink this behemoth?
Putting aside the difficulty, do you think Xinhua's aircraft carrier battle group is just for show?
What the US government finds most incomprehensible is how Xinhua maintains this equipment. Don't they think their equipment is free?
Indeed, it's free, at least not from the Xinhua government. If Qin Shan were to charge Xinhua in World Eight according to the maintenance standards for these weapons, Xinhua, which is still in the process of development, would immediately go bankrupt. It simply couldn't afford to support such a behemoth. Therefore, the actual maintenance and management are all done by people sent by Qin Shan. At most, Xinhua trains a lot of naval commanders and soldiers on it and then dispatches them to ships built in Xinhua's homeland.
Currently, Xinhua can manufacture some very advanced ships, but in small numbers and at a slow pace. After all, the entire Xinhua is undergoing a large-scale industrial upgrade, and before all of this is completed, much of the work is done manually. We can certainly build them, but you can't treat our few skilled level eight technicians as machine slaves.
There's no rush. Let's solve the problem of having or not having. When Xinhua's overall manufacturing capacity improves, it can connect with Qin Shan's production capacity system. That will be the real breakthrough. Before that, even if Xinhua enters the era of producing one billion tons of steel, it will only be barely passing.
The task ahead is arduous and the road is long, comrades.
Since the US is opening a new front and has chosen the Korean Peninsula, North Korea must take action.
At that time, the main body of North Korea was Kim Jong-il, a name familiar to those born before 2000. He ruled until 2011 and died at the age of 69.
Objectively speaking, he was a very capable leader of North Korea. He devoted himself to helping North Korea through the most difficult years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and to withstand sanctions and suppression from Western countries.
Of course, it must be acknowledged that his actions also reflected the ideology of maintaining the Kim dynasty, but the fact that he was able to help North Korea weather the shadow of the collapse of the Soviet Union is enough to make him a true man.
However, the North Korean people under his rule did not think that way. During that period, there were many North Korean defectors because after North Korea lost the Soviet aid system of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, it was really unable to operate its past economic model independently. Not to mention, the shortage of oil alone caused Cuba and North Korea to regress to the agricultural era almost simultaneously.
It's important to understand that North Korea was much wealthier than us back then. But looking at the banks of the Yalu River today, it's truly heartbreaking. This is the fate of small countries; their rise and fall, their glory and disgrace, are not determined by their own will.
For the North Korean people, Xinhua is an immovable father. Even if Xinhua no longer wants to be someone else's father, its sheer size alone makes it impossible for anyone to ignore Xinhua's attitude. Moreover, in 1997, Xinhua, the world's eighth-largest power, already possessed the strength to disregard the United States and crush the entire Western world.
A big fist makes you strong and your voice loud.
North Korea, which was suffering from severe economic difficulties at the time, desperately needed the support of external forces. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Kim Jong-il knew that he had to maintain good relations with Xinhua. Putting aside everything else, Xinhua's current economic prosperity was a good thing for North Korea. As for the former big brother in the north, I'm sorry, our good days are over. I will remember you in my memory.
Not long ago, Kim Jong-il visited China, hoping to establish diplomatic relations with Xinhua in the new era that are more in line with the interests of both countries.
During this dialogue, Kim Jong-il displayed remarkable humility, a stark contrast to his father, Kim Il-sung.
Those present at the time believed that North Korea must be facing extreme difficulties, so they put aside their previous arrogance and began to earnestly request help from their former comrades-in-arms with a more pragmatic attitude.
Yes, the former blood alliance. You know, back then Kim Il-sung dared to propose to the instructor that China and North Korea share nuclear research.
The North Korean nuclear issue has always been a major problem, mainly involving great power rivalry. However, few people realize that it is precisely because North Korea possesses nuclear weapons that it can stand up and speak with the United States, even if it is poor.
Xinhua was certainly unwilling at first, but later found that the North Korean nuclear issue was also a good way to play the game with the United States, so it tacitly approved of this situation. Round after round of North Korean nuclear talks, sometimes seemed to make progress, but in essence, nothing changed.
However, North Korea also knows that if it were to challenge the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with its limited nuclear arsenal, it would be suicidal. Therefore, its nuclear weapons are standard self-defense weapons. If you don't attack me, I can stay peaceful and quiet. We can talk about anything except life and death. This is also the loophole that North Korea wants to gain.
However, Qin Shan, wanting security for his own doorstep, certainly did not want North Korea to have nuclear weapons, so he began targeted sabotage a long time ago, and now the North Korean nuclear issue has physically disappeared.
The experts North Korea hired from the Soviet Union were accidentally killed halfway through their mission.
North Korea's nuclear facilities were destroyed in an accidental explosion.
North Korea's nuclear materials suddenly disappeared in a fire.
Qin Shan would even take matters into his own hands when he had nothing else to do, so North Korea's nuclear forces in World Eight only had a beginning and then completely disappeared. Everything related to nuclear weapons was either destroyed or killed by accident.
In this situation, what do you think North Korea would think?
They certainly wouldn't think this was an accident, but rather that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council had started targeting them. Only a force at the level of the five permanent members could so quietly and silently take down a small country. Now, the five permanent members are forbidding North Korea from possessing nuclear weapons, and the first to be targeted is definitely the United States, because their beloved son South Korea is to the south.
Especially after Qin Shan deliberately left behind some evidence that vaguely pointed to South Korea, North Korea immediately concluded that the United States' various infiltrations and interferences were coming through South Korea. What a despicable southern traitor!
But in any case, North Korea has now completely lost the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. From materials to equipment, it has become a complete waste. Expecting North Korea to start over under these circumstances is like hoping that the United States has dug lunar soil from Mars.
Nuclear weapons are extremely important to North Korea, even crucial to the survival of the Kim dynasty. They are the red line guarantee for the Kim family's continuation in North Korea and their existence in the struggle. Now that all of these are gone, North Korea's economic difficulties are more severe than at any other time in history. If no solution is found, the Kim family may indeed be overthrown.
Frankly speaking, Kim Jong-il was a bit anxious during his visit to China.
Looking at the photos, you can see that Kim Jong-il initially had a face that, while not handsome, was at least healthy. However, after 2000, his face visibly sagged, a sign of immense mental stress that was now affecting his body. Kim Jong-il is now in the same condition as he was after 2000, demonstrating just how urgent the situation in North Korea is.
Without any trump card to save their lives, they have no choice but to seek help from outside, otherwise they will have to accept being overthrown.
No matter the era or the system, there will always be those who covet the throne of supreme power. When Kim Jong-il came to power, it was a bloody affair, with many people killed. That was after Kim Jong-il had accomplished many things, but now, he can do nothing.
Once Xinhua rises, North Korea will find it impossible to do anything without it.
Then we'll have no choice but to cling to powerful figures; hopefully, our past connections and ties will still be of some use.
Section 54: The Situation on the Korean Peninsula is Even Hotter Than Tokyo
Korean Peninsula, near the 38th parallel
"So, are they ready?"
"Teams Three and Nine are ready and can begin at any time."
"Then let's get started."
The group of players operating here are different from regular players. They are all loyal followers of Qin Shan, having been rescued from other worlds and brought to World One. Qin Shan assigns them to carry out the most top-secret missions. The characteristic of these players is that their range of activities is much larger than that of other players.
Because of the large player base and the many uncertainties involved, Qin Shan always assigns tasks to players within designated areas. The scope of their tasks is limited to these areas, and they cannot move across them. This is to restrict the players' actions. If they were allowed to treat the parallel world like Earth 0L, it might actually cultivate a group of Fourth Calamities who enjoy breaking the law.
Providing players with protection and opportunities, while imposing restrictions, is a necessary action. This is not only to avoid harming innocent people, but also to protect players. After all, when someone truly takes pleasure in trampling on the law and cannot distinguish their surroundings, the destructive power they can cause is incalculable, especially since superhumans make up a significant proportion of the player population.
They can't become a nuclear bomb like Qinshan, but a group of main battle tanks rampaging through the city is still terrifying.
These constraints are relatively loose. The core force under Qin Shan's command consists of players who actually carry out missions according to military operation standards. They have higher authority, heavier responsibilities, and stronger capabilities. Ample reserve resources enable them to complete many tasks that are incomprehensible to others with extremely high efficiency.
For example, in this instance, two special forces player teams infiltrated the troops near the 38th parallel between North and South Korea, physically replacing and disguising themselves as other people. Those who were not very capable or were ostracized in the military were specifically left behind, and they would become witnesses to the upcoming conflict between North and South Korea, helping to escalate the situation.
Besides here, a large number of special forces players have entered the capitals of both countries, preparing to turn this armed conflict into a more brutal local war. Their goal is to collapse the two governments, leaving a desperate Korean Peninsula waiting for Xinhua's rescue, and actively integrating into Xinhua's body.
After being a dutiful son for so many years, it's time to raise my social status; North Korea Province is not bad.
At this time, Kim Jong-il was still visiting Xinhua and reached many consensuses. The two sides would then carry out all-round cooperation in the economic field. However, Xinhua also put forward requirements such as opening up the Korean Peninsula to the sea, that is, allowing the three northeastern provinces to have more access to the sea, so as to completely revitalize the economy of the Northeast region. The development efficiency of a province with a port and a province without a port is a completely different concept. The resurgence of the three northeastern provinces will completely change the entire Northeast Asian situation and Xinhua's internal development model.
The whole country should act as one, so naturally we should strive to secure benefits for every province and region as much as possible.
The Belt and Road Initiative drives the development of inland provinces, while the coastal areas naturally rely on ports.
This series of diplomatic achievements greatly improved Kim Jong-il's mood, and his complexion visibly improved as well. Xinhua News Agency also indicated that the President would visit North Korea to further enhance mutual trust and friendship between the two countries.
Many cooperation agreements were signed directly, and Xinhua's orders and production capacity were ready. As long as Kim Jong-il returned and implemented them, the economic problems of the Korean Peninsula could be resolved through their own reform and opening up.
Unfortunately, Kim Jong-il's good mood only lasted until November 11, 1997.
After successfully taking over the territory, the players on the borders of North and South Korea started fighting each other.
Yes, this is actually an "internal war" between players, a very theatrical civil war. It creates conflict on one hand, and also serves as a test of combat strength among players. The winner gets more points.
Since both sides were using remote-controlled constructs, there was no need to worry about casualties. It was a real battle. So when North and South Korea received the news, the players from just two regiments had already created the momentum of two armies on the border.
While chanting "Long live the Juche! The general's kindness will accumulate!" they roared "Long live the Republic of Korea! Loyalty!"
Honestly, people who don't know the actual situation would really think this is a war between the most patriotic soldiers of two countries, fighting to defend their national dignity and military honor.
The players aren't keeping it all to themselves; it's better to share the fun than to enjoy it alone. We've already started fighting here, so you guys have to join in too.
The battle quickly spread from a single point to a line, and then to the entire 38th parallel.
At first, the locals on both sides were completely bewildered. Why did a fight suddenly break out? But when the shells actually landed in front of them and they saw their comrades die tragically, their bloodlust and anger naturally rose. Moreover, with players leading the way, in an army, one reckless person could lead at least a hundred people to charge forward. Not to mention the large number of players, under the magnificent momentum of shouting "Charge!", many North and South Korean soldiers actually charged out. The two sides went from artillery battles to trench warfare and then to hand-to-hand combat.
"In the end what happened!"
At that time, the South Korean president was Kim Young-sam, who was a very unlucky president. At the beginning of his term, South Korea's economy was doing very well, and his approval rating once exceeded 90%. However, just as his term was about to end, the scandal of Kim Young-sam's son, Kim Hyun-chul, was exposed (Kim Hyun-chul accepted illegal political donations at the end of Kim Young-sam's term and was imprisoned twice. To be honest, isn't this the basic operation of the United States, South Korea's adoptive father? South Korea is still too un-American and needs to learn). Furthermore, due to the failure to properly deal with the Asian financial crisis, South Korea had to request assistance from the International Monetary Fund. However, the International Monetary Fund is nothing but a dog of the United States and other Western countries. Many of South Korea's valuable assets were thus harvested.
It's ironic, really. Samsung, which originated in South Korea, is now a high-quality American company in South Korea. Tsk tsk tsk.
Kim Young-sam had already prepared himself for a miserable and tragic exit from power, but who could have imagined that there was a basement dug beneath hell, and at the most critical moment, the most unbearable thing happened.
"Your Excellency, according to intelligence, it was North Korean soldiers who fired at us first, and our soldiers returned fire."
That's the conclusion of the investigation at the front, or rather, regardless of the actual situation, that's the only way it has to be said: it must have been North Korea that provoked us, and we were forced to retaliate. It's all a conspiracy by the North!
At the same time, Kim Jong-il received almost the same response: South Korea provoked patrolling North Korean soldiers and opened fire, and we were forced to retaliate in self-defense. Now the border is as heated as Tokyo.
The emergency situation in the country forced Kim Jong-il to end his trip to Xinhua and return home to take charge of his work. Xinhua expressed its understanding and, considering the emergency, decided to send fighter jets to escort him. However, it would be safer for him to return by land, and Xinhua would provide protection as well.
Kim Jong-il was very grateful, but at the same time became even more convinced that this was a conspiracy by the United States.
They specifically chose this time to strike, another case of stealing and smoking – it's exactly what MacArthur did back in the day.
That despicable American imperialists, they've never given up their desire to destroy us!
But just as Kim Jong-il was preparing to return home, even more explosive news came: due to the escalation of the fighting on the front lines, North and South Korea had launched a fierce artillery battle. Unexpectedly, during this process, a shell from the Koksan artillery of the North Korean side hit the special vehicle of Kim Young-sam, who was on his way to inspect the front lines. The unfortunate South Korean president was completely doomed and was blown to pieces on the spot. The South Korean officials traveling with him also suffered heavy casualties.
Regardless of whether this was an accident or for some other reason, from now on, it's impossible for either side to stop fighting, at least not until they're exhausted.
"Is this your arm?" the old man asked, looking at Qin Shan.
"That's right, I think North Korea is also an inseparable part of us."
Can you control the situation?
"Xinhua should take control of the situation now."
Qin Shan's meaning was very clear: the affairs of the Korean Peninsula should be resolved by the two regimes on the peninsula. At most, he would only add fuel to the fire in the process. In order to demonstrate Xinhua's responsibility as a major power and the blood oath between the two countries, Xinhua should protect the stability of the North Korean regime. With the aircraft carrier positioned to the side, the US would certainly not dare to cross the line. Their current aircraft carriers are only half the size of what they used to be, and their most elite aircraft carriers and best sailors have all become members of the deep-sea fleet.
At most, the US will send some military supplies to South Korea to help it fight. South Korea's needs will also please the Japanese government. North Korea will be forced to rely on Xinhua, as it cannot rely on Russia, which is already crippled and in internal turmoil. Even when the Soviet Union was alive, this behemoth's power in the Far East was not as strong as its power in Europe.
Moreover, post-Soviet Russia can only offer very limited resources. For one thing, there isn't enough food. The North Korean people can't just eat the road wheels of a T-55 tank when they're starving. If they had that ability, they could have won the Korean War on their own. The US would have cried and said that Asia was too terrible, full of witchcraft.
The renewed war between North and South Korea has brought the situation on the peninsula to a fever pitch. The death toll on both sides has already exceeded 20,000, and it is impossible for the war to stop anytime soon. Putting aside everything else, the people of both countries need an explanation. Moreover, South Korea needs to win a victory even more than North Korea. Otherwise, their orthodoxy, which has been a joke since the founding of the nation, will be completely turned into garbage in the toilet. The foundation of the country will be shaken, and there will be ideological division. South Korea cannot withstand such things.
Therefore, we must fight, we absolutely have to fight first!
Section 55: The United States' Retreat Strategy
United States, White House
Why has war broken out on the Korean Peninsula as well?
"Mr. President, regarding these..."
"I only want to know one thing right now: is the CIA acting without my consent?"
"Mr. President, the CIA really didn't act without authorization; this was a complete accident!"
CIA Director George John Tenet is trying to explain to President Albert Jr. that he really did not go it alone, that the United States has no tradition of insubordination, and that the country is a young nation less than 300 years old, without that kind of historical foundation.
For Albert Einstein Jr., this was a completely undeserved disaster. After being forced into office as vice president, he was basically caught between one mess after another. He had to clean up his predecessor's mess and manage the subsequent arrangements. His temporary and incomplete presidency meant that many things would not go according to his plan.
Forget about him. Even Roosevelt couldn't handle everything back then. What right does a president who's only half-finished in his term have to be more centralized than Roosevelt? Do you even have a key? How many keys do you have?
In addition, since its establishment, the CIA has always been the vanguard of the US's foreign intervention forces, and has in fact possessed the power to act first and report later in operations. So when something happened on the Korean Peninsula, Albert's first thought was, "Are you trying to sabotage me, the president? Even if I'm a transitional president, I'm still the president!"
The reason why Albert is so anxious is very simple: in the current US overseas strategy, the Korean Peninsula is a place that absolutely cannot be compromised, because if something happens there, it will destabilize the entire Northeast Asian situation and make Xinhua instantly the only dominant force.
The reason is that Xinhua has taken back Taiwan and now treats the Taiwan Strait as its own inland sea. 70% to 80% of the maritime trade between South Korea and Japan passes through this area. If they were to change their route, the costs would increase dramatically.
So now you know why the US is causing trouble on the Korean Peninsula, and that's why we've taken steps to reunify Taiwan.
That would be to directly strangle the lifeblood of Japan and South Korea, forcing them to choose to side with Xinhua, causing the United States' control over the entire Western Pacific to collapse along with it. They would be left with nothing, directly expelled from the period of Asian economic prosperity, and then the China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Area would be established, bringing forth a behemoth that accounts for more than 40 percent of the world's economy.
This is the terrifying aspect of integrating Northeast Asia; it's even more terrifying than if Xinhua had swallowed up all the other countries around it.
After all, those poor countries would need to spend at least a decade or more building up their infrastructure to give Xinhua a positive feedback loop. But Japan and South Korea have visible economic growth and military potential once they join. Japan and South Korea are insignificant in Asia, but in Europe and America, without considering nuclear weapons, any European country could be easily attacked, at least in the 21st century.
Understanding these circumstances, and considering the overall situation in the world, Qin Shan's move directly enabled Xinhua to reclaim Taiwan and acquire a supercarrier fleet that even the United States despaired of, effectively sealing off the United States' control over East Asia.
All of this was accomplished before the United States could react. Coupled with nuclear deterrence, the US government knew exactly what choice it should make, even though it knew it couldn't win.
Yes, they still have troops stationed in Japan and South Korea, but this is like a dead piece in Go. Whether they capture it or not depends entirely on the opponent's mood. It can't play any deterrent role. After all, Japan and South Korea's economic lifeline has been cut off. If a war really breaks out, Xinhua can simply cut off the air routes here and wait for Japan and South Korea to suffocate on their own. They can even set out some snacks, drinks, and soda, and watch the show in a relaxed and comfortable manner.
But you've made the US willingly give up this place...
Don't be ridiculous. This may be the best option for the US government, but not for the US president.
No matter how you explain it, it represents a strategic advantage that the United States lost during your term. It was indeed a dead end, but it's more than enough ammunition to attack you. During an election, this issue can become a reason for one party to attack another. One person's mistake can become the ruling party's mistake. Expecting American political parties and individual presidents to be selfless on this issue is something that the current US president cannot do.
So the situation became this: the US government was well aware that its troops stationed in Japan and South Korea were no longer useful, but for the sake of the empire's dignity and authority, they could not withdraw their troops and continued to hold on. However, for the US troops stationed there, they were practically praying to God every day that war would not break out in Northeast Asia, otherwise, given the size and strength of the country, they would all be annihilated in the first wave of attacks, and their salaries were not worth sacrificing for their country.
As for patriotism, since the Vietnam War, American patriotism has been a joke in practice.