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Chapter 2518 The Great House of Cards (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
The end of the year and the beginning of the new year often signify a new beginning, hope, and the future.

Everyone has various hopes and aspirations when the New Year arrives.

However, just as people's fates differ, so too do the fates of nations.

For some countries, what they are competing for is simply a better life.

A better economy, higher incomes, and a better life.

In the end, everyone will live a good life.

Of course, for some countries, this is just a dream.

They didn't dare to even dream of a bright future, because for those countries, survival was already an extremely difficult thing.

That's how it was for Zhenla.

As a nation, the Republic of Chenla has essentially disappeared from the world, after all, its capital had been occupied three years ago and its president had gone into exile.

However, in theory, this country still exists, for example, through the United Nations. The government-in-exile still represents this country.

In fact, the Republic of Chenla remains the legitimate government recognized by 99% of the world's countries. Therefore, theoretically, the Republic of Chenla remains the legitimate representative of the country, and for this reason, its embassies and consulates in the vast majority of countries around the world continue to exist and operate normally.

Unlike its embassies and consulates in many countries, the Zhenla representative office in Chang'an had a very special status.

Because it was the location of the exiled government of the Republic of Chenla.

In theory, this representative office is a symbol that Zhenla still exists in the world.

That is why he has become a thorn in the side of some people, so in the past few years, armed military police and even armored vehicles have been stationed near the representative office to prevent it from being attacked.

Moreover, Chang'an also warned Phnom Penh through special channels that any attack on the representative office would be considered an attack on the SEA!
The implication is self-evident.

The reason for issuing such a warning is that you can never predict what they will do, so it is necessary to issue a warning in advance.

In an unassuming five-story red-brick apartment building not far from the representative office, sunlight streams into the room through the windows of the top-floor attic.

The air was filled with the soft hum of cooling fans from electronic devices and the aroma of coffee. Monitoring operator Chen Siqiong, wearing black headphones, gently slid her fingers across the mixing console, adjusting Su Jinkui's voice to the most suitable volume.

At that moment, he was giving a speech to his country. Of course, everyone knew perfectly well that only a very small number of people in Zhenla could hear his speech, since not everyone owned a radio.

But things still have to be done; after all, theoretically, he is still the president of Chenla!

Clear sound came from the speakers. Chen Siqiong pressed the record button expressionlessly and simultaneously typed rapidly on the computer, converting the conversation into text in real time.

The cursor on the screen moved, fixing those words filled with fantasies of power one by one.

Although Chang'an has always been a protector of the government-in-exile, it does not mean that it will let them have their way. The wiretapping of the representative office has never stopped.

For the staff at the listening station, their daily work is very simple: to record the actions of the representatives accurately and then convert them into text.

The intercepted content is then sent to the Security Bureau via a secure email address over the internet. After being analyzed by a professional analyst at the Security Bureau, it is then forwarded to the relevant department.

This information is often sent to intelligence and diplomatic departments.

However, things have changed recently. The encrypted file was quickly transmitted to the Legislative Council's secret intelligence room via a dedicated line. After undergoing three layers of security verification, it was printed out as a document still warm from the ink and delivered to the desk of Legislative Council Chief Executive Lee Yik-hin.

This is the official residence's request to send some intelligence directly to Li Yixuan for processing. Now, everyone in SEA is well aware that His Excellency is gradually handing over power, or rather, is letting the eldest son handle more affairs in preparation for his future succession.

In his office on the sixth floor of the Legislative Council, morning light streamed through the blinds, casting long, thin strips onto Li Yixuan's desk. He wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, a fountain pen between his fingers, and casually flipped through the wiretapped records. When he saw the sentence, "I am the president, Chang'an needs me," he scoffed, the pen nib leaving a faint mark on the paper.

“This so-called 'president',”

Li Yixuan tossed the documents onto the table, leaned back in his large leather swivel chair, and said with barely suppressed contempt, "..."

"He probably thinks the Chang'an representative office is the presidential palace in Phnom Penh, still living in the dream that 'titles are everything.' He doesn't understand at all what is truly important in this world."

Standing at the desk, assistant Xiao Chengyu followed his gaze to the document, where the name "General Chen" was circled in red. Originally a university professor of international relations, he had served as Li Yixuan's foreign affairs assistant for many years and had long understood his superior's thought process. He immediately replied respectfully:

"It's strength, sir."

"That's right, it's strength."

Li Yixuan sat up abruptly, his fingers striking heavily on the passage about "General Chen's imminent recapture of Battambang Province," and then he said:
"What does this Su Jinkui have besides the title of president? A bunch of subordinates who only drink coffee in their apartments, not even a bunch, just a dozen or so. And what about General Chen?"

He opened the drawer and took out a thick report with the word "Top Secret" printed on the cover.

"Over the past three and a half years, he has repeatedly thwarted the Chizhen's offensives and taken control of the western border region—where more than one million people now live!"

His army now numbers over 100,000, equipped with rifles, mortars, and armored vehicles provided by us, and the soldiers' morale is very high.

Li Yixuan's tone gradually became serious as he looked at the report and said:

"What Chang'an needs is not a 'president' who can shout slogans, but a leader who can stand firm on the battlefield and stabilize the situation after the war."

"Yes, Mr. President. But we also need to be aware of one thing—"

Xiao Chengyu nodded:

“Sukkhwi has consistently emphasized his ‘legitimacy,’ and that the UN seat is still in the hands of his government-in-exile.”

"legality?"

Li Yixuan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He picked up the wiretapped record, waved it around, and said:

“Without our support, his so-called legitimacy is meaningless! As for the UN representative? If we nod, he'll be General Chen's man tomorrow; he's just a president, and a three-year-old one at that. He can be replaced anytime needed.” He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lawn in front of the Legislative Council in the distance. The sun was shining brightly, and there were quite a few people on the grass.

“Our support has always been conditional. General Chen needs legitimacy to solidify his position, and we need a steadfast ally to safeguard our interests in the Indochina Peninsula—this is essential for consolidating the overall security of ASEAN.”

As Li Yixuan finished speaking, Xiao Chengyu thought for a moment and said:
"President, General Chen's legitimacy is not in question at all—he is a general of the Republican government, and his greatest legitimacy lies in the fact that he has always stood firm there, protecting the people there. That is the source of his legitimacy. As for Su Jinkui and the others, they are just a bunch of runaway dogs. Although we need them to a certain extent, they are not indispensable. We must make Su Jinkui understand this."

Listening to Xiao Chengyu's suggestion, Li Yixuan said:

"Make him understand this...you mean, we should continue to support him, right?"

In response to the president's question, Xiao Chengyu replied:

“Not only him, but we should also support General Chen. My suggestion is that the future republican government should have Su Jin Kui as president and General Chen as prime minister. Only with such a structure can they always be under our control.”

"control……"

Li Yixuan pondered for a moment and said:

"You mean, to use both of them to achieve a balance of control!"

"Correct!"

Xiao Chengyu nodded and said:
"Zhenla is different from Siam. Although the Chinese have a certain influence in the area, their population is small, and most of them had already evacuated before the fall of Phnom Penh. They are unlikely to return to Zhenla in the future."

Therefore, what we need is to control their high-ranking officials. Having an alternative is better than having only one option. Our goal in controlling Cambodia after the war lies in the struggle between them. If one side is disobedient, we can replace it at any time..."

When Xiao Chengyu spoke of all this, his tone was calm, as if he were mentioning a trivial matter, but his words implied the replacement of a high-ranking official in the country.

This is actually a perfectly normal scene in the world of great powers, just like in Washington, Moscow, and Chang'an.

Nodding slightly, Li Yixuan said:

"I see."

Then, Xiao Chengyu turned and left. As he reached the door, he heard Li Yixuan pick up the wiretap record again and mutter something under his breath:
"A false reputation can mislead people..."

Li Yixuan was the only one left in the office. He picked up his pen again, circled Su Jinkui's name, and then circled General Chen's name.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting interplay of light and shadow on the documents. It was at this very moment that the future government structure of Zhenla was decided.

Such decisions always have an unknown side—a person only needs a pen to decide the future of a country.

After deciding on the future of a country, Li Yixuan was there reviewing reports. As the president of the Legislative Council, he always had all sorts of things to do, from communicating with people in the constituencies of legislators to handling domestic and foreign affairs. All sorts of complicated matters made his office, to some extent, a "mini official residence".

Actually, these tasks were not the president's responsibility, but rather at Li Yi'an's behest. According to his plan, Li Yixuan would take over the official residence and begin to wield the highest power in SEA in ten years at most, while he himself would step down behind the scenes.

It can be called something like consulting on policy.

Therefore, during this process, Li Yixuan needed to learn little by little how to govern and how to handle various affairs. As a result, a team centered around him was formed in the Legislative Council President's Office to help him handle various affairs.

While reviewing the reports delivered to the office, Li Yixuan raised an eyebrow slightly after opening one report and muttered to himself:
"We really should go and take a look."

This report recommends that Li Yixuan visit the Beirut military camp in the near future to see the frontline officers and soldiers.

This is a very normal practice. From Malaysia to Siam, and then to Iraq and Indonesia, during or after every military operation, Li Yi'an would go to the war zone to visit the officers and soldiers on the front lines, give them speeches, praise their actions, and commend his courage.

This has long been established practice. As the supreme commander, you can't always stay in the bunker and "personally command." Sometimes, you should be on the front lines. This has nothing to do with courage, but with responsibility.

"Recently..."

I glanced at the calendar; it's just past New Year's Day, so going there now would obviously be pointless.

"We should choose a more important day."

Thinking of this, Li Yixuan flipped through his schedule. Although his schedule was always handled by his secretary, he also had control over his own schedule. Looking at the densely packed schedule, many journeys had already been arranged and could not be changed.

Li Yixuan thought for a moment, then pressed the intercom on the table and said:

"Secretary Liu, please arrange my itinerary before the Spring Festival. I will go to Beirut on New Year's Eve."

Sometimes, politicians need to make appropriate sacrifices, after all, they need to handle things from a political perspective.

Although I can't get away for New Year's Day, I can still do it for the Spring Festival. Besides, that holiday is more important.

He then picked up another report, and upon seeing its contents, his brows immediately furrowed, and his fingers involuntarily tapped lightly on the table.

"Iran, something really bad is going to happen—"

As he uttered those two words, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Looking at the report, Li Yixuan felt that the pressure he was under in this House of Cards, this house of cards in which a great power controls the world, was unimaginable to outsiders.

The situation in Iran has deteriorated over the past year, and what about now?

The most critical moment has arrived. At this crucial juncture, what choice will SEA make?

As he stared at the report in his hand, Li Yixuan's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He pursed his lips and muttered to himself:
"It seems that the final moment has truly arrived."

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the phone on the table...

(End of this chapter)