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Chapter 2509 The Price of Disobedience (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

"This is just a routine naval mobilization!"

Although Moscow is making such pronouncements to the outside world, everyone is well aware of the decisions the Kremlin has made, based on the previous statements published in Pravda.
It's likely that the Soviet Union announced that the final destination of their Minsk aircraft carrier group was to head to the Northern Fleet base.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is nothing more than a smokescreen. Once they pass through the Bosphorus Strait and enter the Mediterranean, they will adjust their course at any time according to orders from Moscow.

Will this be the start of a new round of confrontation between the East and the West?

The world was in an uproar. Media outlets around the world warned that the military standoff in the Mediterranean could spiral out of control, using headlines such as "A New Mediterranean Crisis" and "The Cold War Escalates to a Tipping Point."

People were deeply worried: the arrival of the Soviet fleet would not only provoke a confrontation between them and the Allied forces, but would also inevitably trigger a strong counterattack from the United States and its NATO allies.

In the narrow waters of the Mediterranean, US and Soviet warships faced off at close range. Any miscalculation, an overly aggressive radio exchange, or even the accidental surfacing of a submarine could become the spark that ignites war.

The United Nations convened an emergency meeting, calling for a negotiated solution to the Syrian crisis, but diplomatic efforts proved futile amidst the rumble of military deployments. Global financial markets were in turmoil, and gold prices soared…

Basically, every crisis like this causes fluctuations in the financial markets; it's an old trick from the Cold War.

The world was watching the movements of the Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk.

Chang'an, the official residence.

Li Yi'an was also there, looking through the aerial photos he had just acquired.

"Minsk..."

Almost subconsciously, the image of the aircraft carrier that had been transformed into a maritime playground flashed into Li Yi'an's mind.

However, unlike the other world, in this world, the Minsk has become a real aircraft carrier.

It has two steam catapults!
Such a Soviet aircraft carrier never existed in history.

Later, some people, in an attempt to save face for the Soviet Union, claimed that high-latitude regions were not suitable for catapults because they would freeze.

Therefore, Soviet-style aircraft-carrying cruisers were not suitable for using steam catapults. However, in reality, the pipes inside a steam catapult need to be heated to 180-200°C before the catapult launch begins. The surface temperature of a steam catapult also reaches 50°C, so its use in high-latitude regions is perfectly feasible.

The core reason why the Soviet Union did not use steam catapults at the time was the opposition from the top leadership to aircraft carriers.

However, things have changed somewhat. They not only built aircraft carriers with steam catapults, but also adopted the MiG-29 as their carrier-based aircraft—which was somewhat unexpected.

This was actually expected, since the Su-27 will have to wait a few more years.

So now comes the problem.

Will the Russians still sell the Minsk as scrap metal 20 years from now?

Will we have another chance to see that aircraft carrier theme park then?
Thanks to the butterfly effect, the Soviet Union not only acquired aircraft carriers more than a decade ahead of schedule, but they also possessed true aircraft carriers equipped with steam catapults.

What kind of impact will that have on the future?

Looking at the Minsk aircraft carrier in the photo, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Li Yi'an's mind.

He even thought about the Kuznetsov, wondering what kind of aircraft carrier it would evolve into in the future.

It might be a supercarrier with a displacement of over 8 tons.

So, will it be nuclear-powered?

The thought had only just crossed his mind when Li Yi'an immediately dismissed it.

The Soviet Union couldn't build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers!

Because he never solved the problem of mounting large nuclear reactors on ships.

Even the SEA, although it imported nuclear reactors from the United States, was only used for submarines.

Of course, the Soviet Union could have forced its way onto the project like France. However, limited by the power of the nuclear reactor and the purity of the fuel rods, it would have ended up being a Soviet version of the Enterprise—but the problem was that the Soviet Union couldn't afford it.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, even if the Soviet Union were to build aircraft carriers within the next 10 years, they would likely be conventionally powered.

"In other words, the Kuznetsov they are building in the future is very likely to be a supercarrier with a displacement of over 8 tons..."

Li Yi'an tapped his fingers lightly on the table, somewhat looking forward to their next-generation aircraft carrier.

After all, when that day comes, it will most likely still be sold as scrap metal, since the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable, and Ukraine could neither build nor maintain an aircraft carrier.

"Your Excellency, the Russians are sending their aircraft carrier group at this time to put pressure on us and support Syria, so we must prepare a countermeasure."

Qian Shangqin's reminder interrupted Li Yi'an's thoughts. He nodded and then said:
"Yes, in the previous encounters with the Russians at sea, we were well-rested and ready. But this time? They are closer, and they seem to have the advantage over us."

Hearing him say that, Li Yi'an shook his head and said...

"We were able to win the confrontation not because we were close enough."

Rather, it's because we know very well where their bottom line is, and more importantly, we know where our bottom line is.” At this point, Li Yi'an was even somewhat speechless when it came to criticizing Russia.

They are always very sloppy in their work.

"Just like during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Moscow was building missile bases in Cuba, it never considered whether it could fully counter the United States' counterattack when it launched a full-scale attack."

Or, to put it another way, are they willing to go to war with the United States over deploying missiles in Cuba?

Upon hearing what you said, Qian Shangqin shook his head and said:
"There's no wind in Moscow; he won't go to war with the United States over Cuba."

"Therefore, he will not go to war with the United States because of Cuba, nor will he go to war with us because of Indonesia or Siam."

That's the problem... No country in the world would risk destroying the world to fight for another.

This is the fundamental reality of the world. Just like the security guarantees that several major powers once provided to Ukraine, what did they do when Ukraine was finally invaded?

This means economic sanctions and military aid.

Is it possible to expect NATO countries to fight Russia to the death for Ukraine's survival?

Even if those politicians were willing, the people wouldn't be, let alone the fact that the politicians aren't crazy.

"Then Syria..."

Qian Shangqin looked at you and tentatively asked:

What is our position?

"Syria is just a bargaining chip."

Li Yi'an said it bluntly.

"We cannot fight to the death with Moscow over Syria, nor can we go to war with Moscow over Syria, so... in the end we will resolve the Syrian issue through negotiations."

Taking a puff of his cigar, Li Yi'an added:
"Of course, this does not mean that we are going to make concessions on the issue of Syria. No, from the beginning we have been demanding that Syria withdraw from Lebanon and then ensure our control over Lebanon."

But since Syria did not accept our ultimatum, it must be attacked, and in doing so, it must pay a price…

As soon as Your Excellency finished speaking, Qian Shangqin continued:
"So, Your Excellency, this is why we support the independence of southern Syria?"

As the Minister of National Defense, Qian Shangqin was certainly aware that intelligence agencies and special forces were carrying out secret missions in southern Syria.

Its purpose is to separate southern Syria from the rest of the country.

"cost--"

Li Yi'an nodded, and then said:

“All countries must pay the price for their actions. The same applies to Syria. They must pay the price for their actions, after all, we gave them the best option, but they chose to refuse.”

If they don't pay the price, then one country after another will challenge international rules in the future, which will only keep us running around in circles.

Therefore, they must pay the price for their actions.

Although the SEA is not the rule-maker of international rules, as a beneficiary of these rules, it has always been very supportive of them, and these rules have not been misinterpreted.

Just now, when the United Nations is calling on all parties to respect Lebanon's sovereignty, it is clearly ignoring one point—the training of terrorists by armed groups came first, and then the terrorist attacks on Western countries by these groups occurred.

National borders must never become havens for terrorists.

That's why the SEA is called the last bastion of conservatism.

Would this have happened in the 19th century? Like how World War I was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by terrorists, which directly led to the war.

Essentially, this is the way to deal with the problem, but what about now?

Those thugs, on the contrary, use the rules to protect themselves.

Li Yi'an's attitude towards those rule-breakers is very clear.

Rules are meant to protect countries that follow them. Since you haven't followed the rules, you naturally won't be protected by them.

"cost!"

Li Yi'an emphasized once again:
“Those people must pay the price for their decisions, and they must understand that there are rules in this world.”

Qian Shangqin nodded. He said:
"Your Excellency is quite right. We make rules to protect those who abide by them, not to protect those who abuse them. Hmm... Now, there's one more question."

Looking at you, Qian Shangqin said:

"Cambodia..."

(End of this chapter)