Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2476 My Great Britain's Wishful Thinking (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

Every war will result in casualties.

Even in wars with vastly unequal strength, the stronger side will inevitably suffer casualties.

More than an hour later, after the retaliatory shelling had ceased, the airport remained busy, transport planes continued to take off and land, and soldiers continued to assemble. Only, the air now carried a tinge of blood and gunpowder.

Zhao Yuansheng's body was carried onto a stretcher and covered with a double-star flag.

At this moment, several Warrior off-road vehicles painted in desert camouflage had already started their engines at the edge of the airport. Fully armed, Ma Dekun took one last look at the double-star flag, then resolutely turned around and joined the ranks. The setting sun enveloped the airport, and also the resolute and solemn expressions on the soldiers' faces.

The gears of war, lubricated by blood, continue to turn relentlessly.

The armed convoy headed toward the target area. In addition to the Warrior off-road vehicle, there were two Sunda Cloud Leopard infantry fighting vehicles. This 8x8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, equipped with a 30mm autocannon, is known as the most powerful infantry fighting vehicle in the world.

As the convoy headed toward the destroyed Syrian camp, expanding its occupied territory, the airport was once again operational.

Another C141 transport plane landed, the roar of its engines bringing the airport back to life, but a somber expression etched itself on everyone's face. The once orderly airport was now shrouded in the shadow of war.

At this time, it wasn't just the airport that was shrouded in the shadow of war. As Madkun's company advanced northward and occupied areas controlled by the Syrian army, Damascus naturally became aware of the conflict.

Despite Damascus's vehement denial of accusations that it fired first, on the other hand, faced with the reality of an entire battalion being wiped out, Damascus not only did not feel threatened, but even held a protest of hundreds of thousands of people—protesting the unwarranted attack on the Syrian army by the Western coalition led by the SEA. At the front of the procession, people held up photos of the fallen soldiers, shouting and cursing those Western devils.

At the same time, Damascus declared loudly, "We will remain in Lebanon to stop the invasion of Western countries." Not only that, they also announced that they would send more troops to northern Lebanon, adding four more brigades, bringing the total strength to 46000 men, 900 tanks, 600 armored vehicles, and 350 aircraft!
Lebanon immediately attracted the world's attention; in other words, no one expected the war to break out so quickly.

"They are not ready for war!"

London, Downing Street, Prime Minister James Callaghan, nicknamed "Big Jim," a Labour Party member who opposed war, was forced to join the war on terror by the London terrorist attacks.

However, because he was unwilling to accept it, even now when he mentions the war that took place in Beirut, he still uses the word "they".

Clearly, in his view, this was a war waged by the SEA. It had little to do with Britain; for Britain, bringing the terrorists responsible for the attacks to justice was sufficient.

Is it possible to fundamentally solve terrorist activities?
Moreover, Britain has more pressing matters at hand. It is currently facing a severe "winter of discontent," with economic problems and guild unrest being the core challenges facing the cabinet. Furthermore, last year, Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher submitted a motion of no confidence in the Labour government to the House of Commons. In the parliamentary vote, it failed to pass by a vote of 298 to 322, allowing Callaghan's government to continue in power.

Therefore, due to various reasons, he was unwilling to get too involved in the war on terror. After all, the UK's employment situation is still very serious.

"Yes, as of now, the coalition forces only have 78000 troops in the area, and a third of them are naval and air force personnel. The ground forces number less than 50000, and their heavy equipment is not yet fully in place. Under these circumstances, if the Syrian army launches a counter-offensive first, the coalition forces are very likely to be driven into the sea..."

When Frederick Mulley, the British Defense Secretary, mentioned "driving them into the sea," his tone was filled with deep concern. After all, if this were to actually happen, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for Downing Street.

"so what?"

Callahan looked at Frederick and asked:

"What should we do now?"

"Mr. Prime Minister, I believe we should restrain the SEA, demanding that it refrain from launching attacks on Damascus and the Syrian mainland. At the same time, we should demand that Damascus refrain from any military adventures. Although they currently hold the advantage, they are well aware that their strength is far inferior to ours. I believe Damascus will agree. As for the SEA, they will be understanding; after all, this can buy us time..."

As soon as Frederick finished speaking, David Owen, who was hailed as the youngest Foreign Secretary in British history, sneered:

"Constrain the SEA? Murray, have you forgotten how Lee assessed the Americans at the Commonwealth Conference a few years ago, when Nixon was making a humiliating withdrawal?"

While asking the question, David continued:

"The White House has tied the hands and feet of the military and then sent them to win a war. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for the military to win. So, its principle is very simple—once a war breaks out, there is only one principle: do everything in your power to win. Fighting is the business of generals, not politicians who are micromanaging while smoking cigars and drinking coffee."

David's rebuttal immediately made Jim's face turn ugly. Wasn't he just micromanaging? He was not only micromanaging Britain, but also the Allied forces.

"That means they're going to bomb Damascus!"

James looked at David with some nervousness and said:
"Are they going to use Tomahawk missiles? To decapitate him directly?" Almost instinctively, he thought of a "decapitation strike," a tactic that the SEA was most adept at, and they would definitely do it.

"I do not know."

David shook his head, looked at the silent Defense Secretary Frederick, and said:
“I’m just a diplomat, but I know that this war has already begun, and the Syrians have no idea what kind of enemy they’ve messed with.”

"It's those terrorists."

Frederick explained that he seemed to want to distance himself from Syria, not because he had any special relationship with Damascus, but because he did not want the war to escalate further.

"That's not important. What's important is that they sheltered those terrorist organizations, and whoever planned the terrorist attacks on London, they will pay the price."

When he mentioned the cost, David emphasized it, and then he said:
"Moreover, Mr. Prime Minister, although none of us want to see war break out, we all know that war has already broken out. That terrorist attack cost Britain far too much, and the British people are eager for revenge!"

How could one not yearn for it?
A terrorist attack claimed the lives of 792 Britons and injured 915 others.

The UK has only 5590 million people. What does that mean?
For every 4000 people, one is an Englishman who is injured or killed; for every 10,000 people, one is an Englishman who dies.

"This is Britain's darkest hour, and we must take revenge, Mr. Prime Minister!"

David remained steadfast in his opinion, looking at the Prime Minister and saying:

“We must send more troops to the area, otherwise any retreat we make will give Thatcher a handle to attack us.”

The infighting among politicians never stops, and even after Britain suffered the worst terrorist attack in history, politicians are not united.

Meanwhile, Thatcher was eyeing Downing Street intently, ready to introduce a vote of no confidence at any moment to remove Callaghan from the prime minister's seat.

"The British are thirsty for revenge..."

Callahan sighed helplessly, and then said:

"The British are eager for revenge, but let's not forget our unemployment rate, our jobs. Right now, they're talking about revenge, but what will they say when they're unemployed?"

As the leader of the Labour Party, Callaghan knew those people all too well. After all, he had been a guild official long before World War II and had been dealing with ordinary people for many years.

He knew very well what was most important to ordinary people.
It's just like during World War II. Even if Churchill awakened British patriotism with his speeches, so what?

Resource rationing, war-related deaths, and high taxes. Just a few years later, Churchill and his Conservative Party were abandoned by the British people.

It was precisely because of this that the Labour Party won their first victory.

Ordinary people only care about bread. As for the glory of the British Empire...

They might care about those things for a while, but only for a short time.

In the long run, when he was deceived by the public's desire for revenge and committed British resources to the war on terror,
Each funeral held in Britain for soldiers further diminished his approval ratings. The financial difficulties resulting from unemployment would cause him to lose even more support.

The grim domestic unemployment rate and the resentment of the widows will inevitably drive him out of Downing Street.

The last person to pay the price for this was Churchill, and he didn't want to repeat the same mistake. So, faced with David's persuasion, Callahan paused for a moment, then said:

“We will take our revenge, and we will let them see our troops attacking terrorists and our soldiers fighting bravely there, but... I think the scale of our deployment is sufficient now.”

Although he had quoted Churchill's speech, Callahan made his choice after weighing the pros and cons.

That is limited participation.

(End of this chapter)