I built an armada.

When questioned in Parliament about his opinion on the photograph, the British Foreign Secretary responded cautiously, but the underlying defensiveness in his words was all too clear.

"...We have certainly taken note of the recent high-profile diplomatic events. In fact, the British tribe has always advocated that relations between nations should be based on mutual respect and equality. We will closely monitor developments in East Asia."

"If any tribe needs assistance, we will not hesitate to lend a helping hand!"

While they spoke eloquently, the British MI6 and their Five Eyes allies were on high alert.

Aid the Eastern Wilderness? Don't be ridiculous. They're only afraid of getting themselves into trouble, so they only dare to talk the talk.

After a joint emergency assessment by various tribes, they concluded that Longxia had at least three strategic objectives.

First, we will use this war to thoroughly weaken the military autonomy of the Eastern Wilderness.

They were right about this; Longxia would not allow another Eastern Wilderness with military power to appear.

Secondly, they tested where the Eagle Tribe's bottom line really lay.

That's not so accurate.

In reality, rather than testing the bottom line of the Eagle Tribe, it would be more accurate to say that Long Xia simply didn't care where the Eagle Tribe's bottom line lay.

Long Xia knew that the Eagle Tribe wouldn't dare to fight a decisive battle with them in the near sea; the Eagle Tribe would definitely not be Long Xia's match.

Without a frontline military base, Longxia would find it difficult to attack the Eagle Tribe, and nuclear war would be absurd.

If things continue like this, whatever the Eagle Tribe plans to do will eventually turn into a tug-of-war with the Dragon Summer Tribe.

Trade, economic, military threats... in short, it's impossible for them to actually take action; the matter will only drag on longer.

However, time is on Longxia's side now, and the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Longxia.

If we wait a few more years, even without Longxia taking action, once the Eagle Tribe loses its global hegemony and can no longer leech off other tribes to satisfy itself, the internal conflicts within the Eagle Tribe will completely engulf it!

Even before Long Xia made a move, internal conflicts within the Eagle Tribe had already begun to surface.

They will never again have a figure like Franklin D. Roosevelt who could levy taxes on merchants at rates as high as 90 percent.

Just like countless feudal dynasties in the history of Longxia, Roosevelt Jr. was the last revivalist of the Eagle Tribe, this broken ship.

A certain Melody with a wildly imaginative mind once had the chance to become a real Maga.

The real "Make America Great Again" (Make the Eagle Tribe Great Again).

But a single bullet ended his happy life, and the Eagle Tribe's journey to greatness was interrupted.

It can be said that the Eagle Tribe has been on a downward spiral since that time.

But all of this is from Long Xia's perspective.

If viewed from a global perspective, the Eagle Tribe has never experienced any decline.

From the moment they ascended the throne, they were an unattainable behemoth.

In the entire world, only Longxia has the confidence to say that it is not afraid of the Eagle Tribe in the slightest.

Even the current polar bear, who inherited most of the Red Polar Bear's legacy, can hardly be said to have enough confidence in front of the Eagle Tribe.

Finally, after analysis, the various tribes in the EU concluded that Longxia intended to set a punitive example in the Asia-Pacific region and deter other tribes.

This led them to reassess their policy of engagement with China and how it should be presented.

The chief of the Gallic tribe solemnly proposed at an informal internal summit: "Europe should accelerate the building of strategic autonomy, especially in the fields of defense and critical technologies."

"We absolutely cannot become passive pawns in the power struggle between Longxia and the Eagle Tribe!"

With the two superpowers, Eagle Tribe and Dragon Xia, locked in a power struggle, other smaller countries could easily become stepping stones between them.

Even the slightest economic fluctuation can be enough to bring some small countries to the brink of annihilation.

Therefore, even the European Union needs to unite to safeguard its own interests and security.

Unfortunately, this suggestion did not achieve the desired effect.

Eastern European member states are more concerned about the White Bear tribe, while Southern European member states are more concerned about immigration and the economy. Not to mention the troublesome British tribe, it is difficult for these various forces to reach a consensus.

Ultimately, the EU issued only a lukewarm statement calling on all parties to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.

However, nobody in the world cared.

If the Eagle Tribe in Longxia still retained some of its power, a fallen camel is still bigger than a horse, then Europe was simply living off its past glory.

After World War II, Europe did indeed experience a period of prosperity, and having fully enjoyed the benefits of the colonial era, Europe was indeed extremely wealthy during that time.

However, once Europe began to abandon real industry and turn to the more profitable and easier financial sector, the downward spiral became unstoppable.

In fact, most Western countries will eventually shift from industry to finance after a certain period of time.

Or rather, without strong external intervention, all countries will eventually follow this path.

The reasons are varied and quite complex.

It cannot be simply attributed to the ease of making money through finance, or the fact that everyone is addicted to this way of making money.

Are these large tribes really stupid? If one government is stupid, does that mean that in every government, no one is able to realize the risks involved?
Not to mention, from the First Industrial Revolution to the present, aren't the countless cases of the rise and fall of major powers and the transfer of power enough for them to learn from historical lessons?

In fact, the key to the gradual financialization of the real economy lies in core technologies.

In reality, although science and technology are related, they are actually two completely different fields.

In science, he explores the frontiers of development and fundamental theories; as for technology, he is responsible for transforming theories into real productive forces.

Throughout history, the first three industrial revolutions were all based on a model where new technologies promoted the development of new industries.

Looking at the longer timeline, these periods were all periods of rapid advancement in scientific research.

From an economic theory perspective, this is the stage of increasing marginal returns.

Simply put, as long as you invest enough money in research, you can reap a large and substantial return.

During this period, countless fundamental theories underwent revolutionary changes, and each change brought about a brand-new industry and a vast market.

However, since the information revolution, the fundamental theories have not undergone any disruptive changes.

The so-called technological explosion is actually built upon a pre-existing scientific theoretical system and developed within the framework established during the Cold War. Therefore, fundamentally speaking, all the high technologies of the last twenty, thirty, or even forty years have not escaped the technological roadmap framework of the Cold War era.

There has been no disruptive innovation in fundamental theories or the creation of disruptive industrial systems worldwide.

The core of so-called technological progress is actually process improvement.

Therefore, the so-called strength of the Eagle Tribe is actually just that they have reached the ceiling of technological development.

However, technological development has its limitations.

For example, a student with particularly poor grades can improve their grades very quickly if they listen attentively in class and take careful notes every day.

But when you get close to a perfect score, every point you improve requires more effort. For some students who are less gifted, a perfect score is always an unattainable dream.

The same principle applies to technological development. Once technology reaches its ceiling, it becomes difficult to achieve significant breakthroughs. At this point, the more you invest, the smaller the returns and benefits become.

Of course, the real world is complex; technology can give rise to industries, and conversely, industries can also support technology.

The reason why the Eagle Tribe's dominant position could no longer be maintained lies in the global division of labor after World War II and the internal divisions within the Western system.

The Eagle Tribe's plan is quite good. As the world's big brother, it relies on technological barriers and military hegemony to control the distribution of the pie. Core countries like the EU's Eastern Wilderness need to pay tribute in exchange for the right to sit at the table.

Longxia is a cheap factory, New Polar Bear is a source of cheap industrial raw materials, and the vast third world countries are responsible for low-end manufacturing while also serving as consumer markets for developed countries.

The Eagle Tribe can leverage so-called globalization to attract talent from all over the world, thus preventing other countries from surpassing them.

The seemingly perfect distributed industrial system has led to the Eagle Tribe's inability to effectively integrate the globally dispersed system when facing new competitors.

For example, a significant portion of the core technology R&D personnel in the Eagle Tribe comes from Longxia.

Longxia itself has become a strong competitor, including some banana people who stayed in the Eagle Tribe and were unwilling to leave, but more scholars who have their motherland in their hearts.

This led to problems with the Eagle Tribe's training system.

Thus, the Eagle Tribe faced a dilemma: there weren't enough local talents willing to study engineering. If they restricted Dragon Xia's international students, the problem of insufficient local talent would remain unresolved.

The Eagle Tribe is not unaware of this problem; they have even begun to make changes.

The increasing number of Indian students from the Thousand Buddha Tribe in recent years, as well as the growing number of Indian programmers in senior management positions at major companies, all indicate that the Eagle Tribe has made Indians its next talent pool.

But the result was obvious: the Indians didn't do much work, but they ended up making the Eagle Tribe smell like curry everywhere.

You really can't find a nation in the whole world as hardworking and resilient as the Longxia people.

Therefore, whether it's the EU or the Eagle Tribe, the financialization of the real economy is inevitable.

When existing technologies fail to drive the development of new industries, capital will naturally turn to finance.

After gradually losing its manufacturing sector, various problems began to emerge domestically. Coupled with increasingly "progressive" social attitudes, the EU is now truly struggling to survive.

The previous conflict with Longxia was their last remaining thought.

In contrast, it was the indigenous tribes of Australia that truly began to act swiftly.

Two hours after receiving a call from Washington, the chief prime minister of the Tua tribe announced a visit to the Iron Monkey and Niying tribes to discuss maritime security cooperation.

In contrast, the reaction of the Thousand Buddha Tribe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was somewhat subtle.

In response to the so-called threat from China, the Thousand Buddha Tribe has already begun to demonstrate its Hinayana Buddhist teachings.

New Delhi initially stated that if Longxia could win, then as a populous nation like Longxia, the Thousand Buddhas tribe could also achieve the same result, or even more easily, which would be considered a victory.

In addition, the Thousand Buddha Tribe has begun preparations to deal with a possible military threat from Longxia.

However, since the Thousand Buddha Tribe began preparations, but Longxia was completely unprepared, this was the second victory.

Forget about whether the logic is right or wrong, just tell me whether you won or not.
In short, Longxia is nothing to worry about.

However, after winning every battle, the Thousand Buddha Tribe naturally announced a new military base construction plan.

Long Xia's reaction to this was—no reaction at all.

"It's alright, let them build it. If they can finish it within twenty years, that's considered fast."

A high-ranking military official said this.

As for whether it can be used after it's built, or what role it can play, don't worry about that. Just tell me whether it's built or not!

At the same time, Taro Kato is facing the most serious crisis since he took office.

At 11 p.m., at the official residence of the Cabinet Chief.

Kato stood by the office window, the computer screen displaying the photo that had been shared tens of millions of times and accompanied by various insulting labels.

The comments section was filled with sarcastic remarks, making it an eyesore.

But what's even more troublesome is the so-called rational analysis. These self-media outlets, which are unaware of the truth but try to package him as a tragic hero, are the ones that are the hardest to deal with.

"Your Excellency, the latest poll."

The secretary pushed open the door and came in, her face pale.

"Your approval rating dropped by 15 percentage points within 24 hours of the photo's release. Of those respondents, 68 percent believed the photo damaged national dignity, 40 percent thought you should apologize, and 28 percent thought..."

Kato raised his hand, stopping the secretary from continuing her meaningless recitation of the menu.

For a cabinet leader who has seized power, opinion polls and approval ratings are all meaningless and completely useless.

Data can lie; who knows what the real support rate is?

Kato was certain that these so-called data were 100% fabricated by people who wanted to oust him.

In reality, there will definitely be people who are dissatisfied with his behavior, but there certainly won't be that many.

Especially after learning that their side had lost the war.

To put it bluntly, everyone is very busy with their lives. In the atomized society of the Eastern Wilderness, which is characterized by low desires, only a relatively small number of people are actually willing to care about politics.

Most people are more concerned about whether they are living a good life and whether their lives will be affected in the future.

Kato had people conduct genuine grassroots research. (End of Chapter)