Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2528 New Year, New Look (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
"Please, have mercy on us, don't drive us away!"

At this moment, an old woman emerged. She was dressed in black and wore a black shawl. She stepped out from the crowd, looked at the soldiers, and said loudly:

"Sir, we have always lived here. We will obey your orders and pay your taxes. This is our home!"

The old woman's words brought a sarcastic smile to the faces of the militiamen, but beneath the sarcasm lay even more anger!
“That church…”

The officer pointed to the church in the distance and said:
“It was established here more than a thousand years ago. Our ancestors grazed their livestock and made wine here. This vineyard has the oldest grapevines…”

The officer picked up a grape leaf and said:
"This place has the world's best wines. As early as Roman times, our ancestors sold their wines in Rome. They lived here, made wine here, went to church to pray on weekends, used wine as holy blood, held weddings in churches, baptized their children there, and celebrated their joy there, drinking their own homemade wines..."

The officer spoke in a low voice, as if reminiscing about the past or recalling history.

But there was an undisguised sadness in his voice!
Or perhaps it was sadness; he silently pursed his lips, seemingly unwilling to continue. Then, his gaze softened slightly as he looked at the people and said:
"You have only one choice—leave this place immediately. This is our last act of mercy!"

The officer emphasized again, then said in a cold tone:

Please do not test our patience.

The scene was silent. The expressions of the people at the village entrance varied. The men's eyes were filled with hatred, and the women seemed to be crying, but their faces also showed hatred.

They were clearly unable to accept all of this, after all, they had been living here for the past few years.

The old woman also joined in the shouting.

It seems to be saying that the war made her lose everything that once belonged to her: her husband, her children, and even her grandchildren. She also lost her home, the place where she was born.

"I've lost everything, all I have left is this place..."

The old woman turned and walked towards the stone house on the hillside. She said:
"This is my home. No matter what, this is my home. This is mine..."

The old woman muttered to herself, ignoring the soldiers by the tank, and walked past them. The men and women around her cheered her on, shouting for her bravery.

The people at the village entrance were excited for a moment.

They were moved by the old woman's courage and cheered for her bravery.

"Heaven is my witness, none of you can take my house away. You robbers, even the most savage robbers, cannot take it away..."

The old woman opened her arms and walked toward the house. On the stone pillar of the house's gate was a damaged statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue was damaged by a bullet, but it was still clearly visible. It was a sculpture more than a meter tall. The owner of that courtyard was a devout believer.

Where is its owner?
Where did he go?
Did the Virgin Mary protect them when their home was taken away?

Nobody knows.

In the end, all that remained was that stone carving riddled with bullet holes. The erosion of time had not taken it away, but the bullets had ravaged it, leaving only a few barely discernible marks.

Just like the church in the distance, it has also changed its appearance.

The officers and soldiers simply watched it all unfold.

They only saw an old woman walking in that direction—and telling everyone that she was the owner of the house.

She won't leave there!
Her actions at this moment, or rather, her actions in guarding the house, excited the people in the village.

Yes, they are the true owners of this land and this village.

They want to go back to their homes!

However, they merely shouted and cheered for the woman; they did not leave the village entrance. Some even looked at the soldiers with mocking eyes, seemingly laughing at them.

The officer merely watched the scene coldly, then turned his gaze to the soldier beside him. The officer nodded, and the soldier raised his rifle, resting it on his shoulder, his left eye narrowed into slits, while his right eye aimed at the man.

"Are you aiming at her?"

the officer asked.

"Yes, sir."

The soldier replied that he was still aiming:

“I can hit her in the arm or calf, and that will stop her.”

"We're not here to waste bullets."

The officer shook his head and said:
"We're not here to stop the robbers, we're here to make them get out of the house they stole. If they don't leave, we'll kill them!"

The soldier pursed his lips, then closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said:

"I can hit her..."

The officer nodded and gave the order:

"Then shoot!" The soldier pulled the trigger. The recoil of the rifle shook his shoulder. He opened his eyes, put the gun back, and saw that the target was lying down—lying on the ground with his limbs spread out, his body still twitching.

The scene was instantly stunned.

The officer looked at the people at the village entrance; although their eyes were filled with hatred, he simply surveyed them and said:
“I have said, do not test our patience, and do not try to deceive our mercy. You must understand one thing—the merciful Lebanese have all been killed by you!”

Now, this is your last chance! You must understand that in any other era, we would be engaging in dialogue with a different voice.

January of that year was not a pleasant month for the people living in Lebanon; they were forced to leave their homes and, under the watch of militia groups, head north along the highway.

Where are they going?
No one cares.

What will their future look like?
Nobody cares either. The problem now is that the owner wants to drive out the outsiders who have taken over their home. As for the fate of those outsiders, who cares?

No one cares.

Of course, it's not that simple. Soon, this expulsion attracted the attention of the international community, and accusations against the Lebanese authorities were endless. Western media called on the coalition to intervene, while some accused the coalition of supporting it.

In response, the press officer of the coalition command simply gave the most basic answer—we are merely clearing out breeding grounds for terrorist activities.

The Lebanese authorities' response was very simple—if you feel sorry for them, then please take them in. Subsequently, the Lebanese authorities did indeed make a formal appeal through official channels to the governments of Western countries such as France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, requesting that they accept these "poor people," and specifically asking the journalists and members of the public who spoke out for them to show their generosity and compassion by taking these people into their homes.

Faced with such a request, everyone was speechless for a moment; they had never expected the other party to do this.

"Dear Ms. Gloria Steinem, in light of your consistent appeals to the world to pay attention to Lebanon's expulsion of foreigners and to treat them with compassion, in response to your philanthropy, 395 foreigners wish to come and live with you in your home. We hope you can extend your compassion and accept these unfortunate people..."

Looking at the image on the television, Wang Jianguo couldn't help but burst into laughter. He pointed at the woman being pointed at by the television camera and said:
"Haha, Lao Yang, look at her face, it's really ugly."

"How could it not look bad? The Lebanese ambassador brought dozens of reporters to her event and made this request to her. Believe it or not, if she agrees, the Lebanese people will actually send those people to her home."

Yang Song said in a sarcastic tone:
"These people, just like Zhang Yunlei said, are only generous and righteous when it comes to other people's money, but when it comes to their own sacrifices, they immediately show their selfish and self-serving side."

"That's true,"

Wang Jianguo nodded and said:

"Just like that French female journalist, what was her name, I think it was Marie? She accused the militia of shooting civilians, but when government officials took her to the village where the massacre had occurred, she acted as if she didn't see it. How can people do that?"

How can one condemn violence while turning a blind eye to it?

Wang Jianguo's words made Yang Song nod. Then he silently lit a cigarette and said:

"Perhaps this is the complexity of human nature!"

As he spoke, he stood up and looked out the hotel window at Beirut. For the past twenty days, they had been interviewing there, and unlike the Western journalists who were always looking for some "big news," they were citing official press releases.

Of course, those references were about military operations. They also went out to conduct interviews, interviewing many locals. They learned a lot from those locals that they had never known before, such as how they lost their homes and fled to Beirut, and what they had gone through.

Everything was completely different from what they had known before, and in addition to being extremely shocked, they also discovered that this place was more complicated than they had imagined.

"Now, this place seems to be gradually coming back to life."

Holding a cigarette in his hand, Yang Song said:
"Just as the coalition commander said—today, he returned Beirut to the Lebanese people!"

This is the speech given by the coalition commander to the Lebanese people in his New Year's address, after he returned the city to them.

Only those who know this place can understand the weight of these words.

"Next, he will return this country to the Lebanese people."

Wang Jianguo picked up where Yang Song left off, and then he also went to the window. Beirut outside the window was completely different from when they first arrived. Back then, the nights in Beirut were dark, with only a few streetlights and lights shining from the windows of buildings, reminding people that this was a modern metropolis.

But now?
The city was already showing signs of prosperity – dazzling neon lights illuminated the night sky, and businesses were rapidly recovering in the areas near the port and airport, with vendors and bars everywhere.

The arrival of the allied forces not only brought order and restored peace to the city, but also boosted its commerce.

During their interviews, they witnessed firsthand how the Lebanese people expressed their "resistance" when faced with these "aggressors." People used all sorts of words to praise them and the coalition forces, believing that they brought peace and hope to the region.

Thinking back to the locals I met during the interviews, they all fell silent.

And so, the two of them stood by the window, looking at the city outside, at the city's bustling night view. What came to mind were the two completely different states of the people in this city before and after the New Year.

Before the New Year, the people here were filled with fear and anxiety, and saw no hope whatsoever.

And what about after the New Year?
The people here smiled, and their eyes shone with hope.

And these are the changes that the coalition forces have brought to this place—they have brought light to everyone's eyes!
Looking at the distant sea, Yang Song said softly:

"Perhaps this is what a truly new year should look like..."

(End of this chapter)