Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2514 Winning Two Wars Simultaneously (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

A strategic victory.

In competition between nations, a single strategic victory is more important than 100 tactical victories.

Just like the United States in Vietnam. They won every battle, but when hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at the Washington Monument in a continuous anti-war protest, America's defeat was only a matter of time.

What did the US military learn from that war?
The key is to maintain good relationships with journalists while controlling their access to information, ensuring they only appear where they are allowed to and only receive the news they are required to receive.

Yes, that's the biggest lesson.

After all, no country can carry out a war to the end amidst a wave of anti-war sentiment. Since the war cannot be carried out to the end, the side with greater determination will surely win the final victory.

His victory was not due to winning the war, but because the other side could not bear the pressure of the war and withdrew from it.

SEA learned from this experience very early on, implementing news control, official identity verification, and other similar controls, all for one goal—to win!

Even now, without ASEAN directly entering Zhenla at the official level, ASEAN Command has implemented strict news control.

They ensure that every journalist is under their control.

"Such controls were in order to ensure victory in the war."

In a noisy bar not far from the border, reporters sat and chatted amongst themselves.

Because they were not allowed to enter the war zone, they could only kill time in bars and hotels.

"Like the Vietnam War, right?"

Clans from the United States said:

"Many people say that the reason the United States needed this war was directly related to the reporting of journalists. We are the ones who made the United States lose this war."

"Is not it?"

Xiao Yongsheng countered with a question.

"Before the war broke out, 80% of Americans advocated intervention in Vietnam. At that time, American media such as CBS, NBC, and ABC sent war correspondents to Saigon. While soldiers were fighting there, the reporters directly pointed their cameras at the battlefield and used satellite live broadcasts. Americans could sit in their living rooms and see how their children were bleeding and sacrificing on the front lines."

For the first time, ordinary people witnessed the bloodshed and cruelty of war firsthand—burning villages, wounded soldiers, and the cries of civilians—completely changing the public's perception of war.

The three major US television networks devoted an average of 40% of their daily news time to the Vietnam War, and over 80% of the public learned about the war's progress through television. This "war in the living room" ultimately sparked a massive anti-war movement within the United States, becoming a significant factor that forced the government to withdraw troops.

Xiao Yongsheng looked at his colleague and asked in return.

“We have all experienced war. Based on our personal experience, the brutal scenes on the battlefield would give even soldiers nightmares, let alone ordinary people. He shattered all illusions—illusions about heroism, illusions about romanticism.”

After taking a sip of beer, Xiao Yongsheng looked at the thoughtful-looking Clans and said:
"If you had focused your cameras on the ordinary people killed by the guerrillas, the villages they burned down, and the ordinary people who were displaced, you would have fought to the very end in Vietnam."

Upon hearing Xiao Yongsheng's words, Klay said:

“We spent a lot of money there, and a lot of people died. The war simply couldn’t continue.”

"So what happened in Saigon after you withdrew? Millions were imprisoned, and millions fled the prison by throwing themselves into the raging sea."

The blood of tens of thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Saigon soldiers was shed in vain.

The speaker was not Xiao Yongsheng, but Owen from the UK, a BBC reporter who lived in Chang'an year-round.

They naturally know what happened there after the Saigon Incident.

"When they themselves don't know how to cherish their own destiny, it's a waste of effort for outsiders to provide any help."

Shrugging, Krans refused to accept the accusation, then turned his gaze to Xiao Yongsheng and said:

"So that's why you're pointing your cameras at those refugees?"

He said this because the vast majority of television news in SEA (Seoul National Airport) depicted the suffering of refugees in Cambodia.

"Shouldn't we have done it this way?"

Xiao Yongsheng countered with a question:

"Are we just going to turn a blind eye to the suffering they endured and instead exaggerate the bravery of the so-called 'guerrilla fighters'? What did those strong-willed guerrilla fighters you once praised actually do?"

Xiao Yongsheng's visit left Krans speechless. Indeed, back then they had praised those people while criticizing their own country's army.

"When those guerrillas you call the future occupied Phnom Penh, many Western journalists there cheered their victory, believing they would create a new world. What kind of new world did they create?"

Xiao Yongsheng pointed out the window towards the refugee camp and said:

"It's about driving millions of people out of the cities and sending them to concentration camps. That's what you call the new world."

Xiao Yongsheng's accusations left Klein speechless. He didn't know how to defend himself. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything. After all, what had happened in Saigon and Phnom Penh was something they had never dared to imagine before.

"Sigh, who would have thought they would turn out like this?"

At that moment, Irving said:
"Just like in Phnom Penh, for the organization that seized power, the first thing is to establish a government, but in practice they did not publicly announce the existence of their government until 2010. Even then, they only announced a framework."

"Yes, that framework is meaningless because there is no government at all."

Chris agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "In some ways, it's no different from a warlord country. Its top leadership and local leaders are like warlords, each with their own territory and henchmen."

Irving sarcastically remarked:

"When the old regime was abolished, a new regime was not established. There were no laws. The laws depended on the will and mood of the officials. The country was like a country that constantly imposed extreme martial law, where officials had the final say on the fate of their members... Even a minor crime like stealing potatoes could easily lead to someone's execution."

"Just like Maxim."

As Irving finished speaking, Clans said.

“A few months ago, he was granted permission to interview Anka in Phnom Penh, which many people said was the pinnacle of his life. Unfortunately, he argued with Anka during the interview and was subsequently shot in Phnom Penh.”

"It wasn't just Maxim; there were several other journalists as well."

Xiao Yongsheng said sarcastically in a contemptuous tone:

"So I'm curious, when he was about to be executed, did he still remember all the praise he had given Phnom Penh?"

After taking a sip of beer and a drag of his cigarette, Xiao Yongsheng turned his gaze to the distance.

For a moment, everyone fell silent, especially Clans, who had once harbored many beautiful fantasies.

Reality is so cruel that it shattered all his illusions.

After an unknown amount of time, Clans seemed to have thought of something and said...

"What now?"

Clans looked at Xiao Yongsheng and asked in return.

"Now. What do you mean?"

"I mean right now, Hanoi is launching an attack on Phnom Penh, and in the future, Hanoi may very well occupy the entire Chenla, which will inevitably threaten you... or rather, the Eastern Alliance. So, in order to resist Hanoi's expansion, will you reach a compromise with the Chizhen and even provide them with aid?"

Krans asked this question not only out of journalistic curiosity, but also out of a sense of "salvation," seemingly trying to use the question to cover up his past praise of them.

"That will never be possible."

Xiao Yongsheng shook his head directly, then said in an extremely affirmative tone.

"We are different from you."

He then pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said...

"No, it should be said that Chang'an's attitude towards international affairs is completely different from Washington's. For Washington, interests always come first."

For Chang'an, however, we value the rules even more.

We firmly believe that civilization is civilization, and barbarism is barbarism. We cannot compromise or back down for the sake of temporary gains—yes, as you said many years ago—to condone barbarism is to betray civilization. To condone violence is to desecrate one's conscience.

so……"

Xiao Yongsheng looked at Clans in front of him and said in an extremely certain tone.

“You will see—you will see us provide more assistance to the government forces, and we will choose to cooperate with the government forces instead of others…”

As he finished speaking, Clans and the others silently recited that phrase: "To tolerate barbarity is to betray civilization. To condone violence is to desecrate conscience."

At this point, they seemed to understand why the SEA was called the right hand of the free world.

Because they never condone barbarity, nor do they condone violence.

This is the biggest difference between them and many other countries.

"That's right, SEA's stance has always been very clear."

While agreeing, Irving then asked:

"So, will you join this war?"

In fact, everyone was very curious about Chang'an's attitude in this war.
Will they join the war?
Hearing the question, Xiao Yongsheng said in a very helpless tone:

"We are now fighting another war in another country, and in this situation, it is unlikely that we will be directly involved in another war."

After all, we all know very well that throughout history, no country has ever won two wars simultaneously.

His viewpoint naturally garnered the approval of many.

Fighting on two fronts is often the beginning of defeat, therefore, fighting on two fronts has always been a major taboo in military strategy.

Under these circumstances, it is naturally impossible for SEA to send troops here again.

"So, does this mean SEA is going to take action and occupy Zhenla?"

When asked by others, Zhou Yongsheng simply shrugged and said:
"This is something I don't know about."

(End of this chapter)