Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2494 If You're Going to Fight, You Have to Make Them Submit (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

A rescue operation.

It's not something worth making a big deal out of in itself, since there were some unexpected events along the way. However, because the people being rescued were so special, it still attracted worldwide attention.

After Halberstam was rescued, the news was reported all over the world, including the British Army's "Eagle Falls into the Valley" incident.

The British military, which had hoped to make a name for itself on the world stage, ended up making a huge embarrassment. Of course, there are various official explanations for this.

However, all I need to do is maintain my usual arrogance. After all, as long as you're not embarrassed, it's others who will be.

In fact, people are not only concerned about the life or death of the renowned journalist David Halberstam, but also about the future of this war on terror.

"As is well known, terrorists do not have fixed targets; their operational targets are likely the PLO forces in Lebanon and the Syrian army in the north."

The outside speculation was accurate. The target of this war on terror was not a particular terrorist organization. If it were, there would be no need for such a large-scale operation, mobilizing troops from all over the world. In less than a month, the SEA deployed more than 150,000 troops from the air force and navy to Lebanon. With the addition of troops from the UK and other allies, by December 15, there were more than 180,000 coalition troops in Lebanon!
Where are their swords pointed?
Gu Changchuan, the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, once again stood in front of the map. He stared at the large map, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

Hundreds of armed factions, hundreds of training camps, and a complex web of warlord spheres of influence. Even in northern Lebanon, which is nominally controlled by Syria, there are more than a dozen refugee camps in just the Bekaa Valley—the most fertile land in Lebanon. Each refugee camp has more than one training camp, some controlled by the PLO and others by its factions.

"There isn't a single real manager!"

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Gu Changchuan clenched his fist in frustration, but it felt like he was punching cotton, completely powerless.

Or rather, they couldn't exert their strength.

Actually, what is his best playing style?
The strategy is to directly destroy them with overwhelming force, first by destroying their command structure, and then by defeating them one by one. This is the tactic that the SEA army excels at.

But now, he is facing a chaotic place with hundreds of organizations and factions, a place that even Syria itself cannot control.

"Terrorists are like weeds; they can't be extinguished by wildfire."

Staring at the intricate distribution map, after a moment's thought, Gu Changchuan muttered to himself:
"Since that's the case, then this is the only way to do it..."

How to do?
Silently smoking, Gu Changchuan stared at the map. In the end, he focused his attention on Syria. There was no other way; when it comes to war, there always needs to be a specific target, and Syria was undoubtedly the most appropriate one.

"Yes, to catch the thief, catch the leader first. Let's deal with them first, and leave the rest of the stragglers to them!"

After making this decision in his heart, all that was left was to report to Chang'an. Although Li Yi'an insisted on the principle that politicians should provide support for launching wars and soldiers should only be responsible for winning the wars, and that they did not need to consider the political and other implications, it was still necessary to report to the official residence before launching a war.

After receiving Gu Changchuan's report, Li Yi'an did not speak. Instead, he stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the blue sky and white clouds for a while.

At this moment, what came to his mind was the experience of American intervention in the Middle East, which involved more than a decade of investment and countless expenses. With this precedent, he was naturally unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

In particular, they are unwilling to get bogged down in a counterinsurgency war, and Gu Changchuan's current plan is precisely based on this stance.

The goal is to avoid direct involvement in counterinsurgency operations.

He pondered for a moment, then said:
"I think his plan is excellent... We'll first break the bones off Lebanon, and leave the remaining scraps to the Lebanese themselves. As for what they can do and how far they can go, that's their own business. But I still maintain that if we're going to fight, we must go all out and not hesitate. If we only limit the war to Lebanon, Damascus will definitely not compromise, so..."

Looking back at Qian Shangqin, Li Yi'an said:
"We will target Damascus in the first round of strikes to directly paralyze their command center, while focusing our efforts on the Syrian army in northern Lebanon, including the PLO. Our ultimate goal is to expel them all from Lebanon and control southern Syria."

The reason for controlling southern Syria is for oil exports. With that region, Iraqi and Gulf oil can be transported to the Mediterranean via pipelines in the future, preventing them from being cut off from oil supplies during a war with Iran.

"Your Excellency, considering the mountainous terrain of Lebanon, our operations may result in heavy casualties. After all, mountainous terrain is easy to ambush and also more conducive to the concealment of militants."

This experience taught the British military a lesson: helicopters are vulnerable to attack in mountainous terrain.

Chief of Staff Qian Shangqin offered a timely reminder: in fact, the General Staff had already made calculations—the number of casualties could exceed 10000!
This will be the most brutal war the SEA has ever faced.

"Mountainous areas..."

Mountainous terrain is indeed very difficult to manage. Just think of the experiences of the Soviet Union and the United States in Afghanistan. Even though they had the world's first and second largest military forces, in such mountainous terrain, it was like punching cotton; they couldn't exert any force at all.

This is precisely the fundamental reason why caution is necessary in complex terrain.

Li Yi'an nodded and said:

"Mountain warfare is indeed very complex, which is why we were able to defeat them swiftly, accurately, and decisively. Only by breaking their spirit in one battle can we prevent them from getting bogged down in counterinsurgency warfare in the future. And so-called counterinsurgency warfare cannot continue without foreign aid!"

This is the truth about counterinsurgency. Could the Vietnam War have lasted for ten years without the million-strong North's southward advance and the massive financial support from major powers?
Without the massive financial contributions of Middle Eastern tycoons, amounting to billions of dollars, and without the covert assistance of the United States and other major powers, the Soviet Union would not have shed tears in the Afghan War. As for the later American defeat in Afghanistan, that's another story.

In short, any guerrilla force, without external assistance, cannot sustain itself on ammunition, food, and medicine. Eventually, its resources will be gradually tightened, and it will be strangled.

This has long been proven; guerrilla warfare... is not a panacea.

Even in areas with extremely complex terrain, there were no weapons, no ammunition, no food, no medicine, and not even personnel replenishment.

How can the guerrillas continue the war without reinforcements?

"And who are Lebanon's neighbors? Israel and Syria. Israel will naturally not support them, so it's Syria. If we don't subdue that lion, there will definitely be endless troubles in the future."

In fact, if it weren't for the need to avoid a strong reaction from Middle Eastern countries, Li Yi'an would have been quite willing to use Israel as a weapon, and Israel would likely be very happy to send troops. Establishing a buffer zone is an option, but it shouldn't be done; doing so would only provoke hostility from Middle Eastern countries.

Israel is just a buyer, but Iraq is an ally!
We need to take care of their feelings.

"Your Excellency, that lion is very tenacious; it will not easily submit."

Hearing Qian Shangqin say this, Li Yi'an smiled and said:
"You don't understand,"

He waved his hand, then walked to the map, pointed to the map of Syria, and said:

"That lion will eventually give in, because it's his only option."

Speaking of this, Li Yi'an naturally thought of Saddam Hussein, the so-called "strongman of the Middle East" in another world. Why did he act so tough in the face of the United States' threats at the beginning of his invasion of Kuwait?
However, after 100 hours of ground fighting, Saddam Hussein immediately and decisively backed down.

This Middle Eastern strongman, who fought Iran for eight years without backing down, just like that, backed down.

They accepted the various harsh conditions proposed by the United States.

From UN embargoes to US-established no-fly zones, and then to bans on the possession of offensive weapons.

It's basically equivalent to sliding on your knees.

Why did Saddam Hussein kneel down so quickly?
Thinking of this, Li Yi'an walked from the window to the desk, then took out a cigar, cut off the other end with a cigar cutter, lit it, took a puff, and then said:
"rule!"

He emphasized the words when he said them.

"For all of these Middle Eastern strongmen who came to power through military coups, their most important core principle is not how powerful their countries become, but how to maintain their rule."

Why does the lion, despite its repeated defeats, refuse to make any concessions on the issue of Israel?
And they refuse mediation from various countries?

After listening to your question, Qian Shangqin pondered for a moment, and then said:

"It's to divert domestic attention, to give Syrians a hostile target so that they will ignore his defeats in the war."

Hearing his answer, Li Yi'an smiled and then said:

"It's not just that. That place is different from ours; they are heavily influenced by tradition, take religious sects for example."

They appear to be one family, but in reality, they are divided into several different factions, which are irreconcilable with each other, and each faction has a different population in each region. In the past, the coups in Iraq were carried out by a minority faction. Because they were in the minority, they did everything they could to suppress the majority faction and the Kurds in order to consolidate their power. In Syria, the Lions, representing a small percentage of the population, control the country's power. To maintain this power, they need to divert domestic attention by creating Israel as an external enemy, so that the majority will ignore them..."

When it comes to the chaotic situation in the Middle East, Li Yi'an can only feel helpless. It is a magical land, and one of the most magical things is that some countries, in order to divert their internal attention, regard Israel and Western countries as their mortal enemies.

These countries all share a distinct characteristic—they all came to power through coups, and there is severe internal factional division. Often, the side that came to power through a military coup is smaller than the number of soldiers.

"Therefore, for them, the core principle of all their rule is—rule! As long as they can maintain their rule, they are willing to make any concessions to external enemies, even if it means ceding territory and paying reparations!"
This is their instinct, or rather, their natural selection to maintain their rule.

When Li Yi'an mentioned "ceding territory and paying reparations," another country flashed through his mind.

Qian Shangqin stated directly:

"Isn't this just like the Manchu Qing dynasty!"

That's exactly what the Manchus were like.

(End of this chapter)