Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2572 Opportunities in War (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

On the eve of our rise!
Who are we referring to here?

After Philip left, the Duke, leaning back in his chair, once again turned his gaze to the biography on the table.

The biography was written by Leon Edel, a renowned American biographer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. However, the Duke had no interest in Henry James; what truly interested him was—"The Miracle of the Equator: From Merchant to King."

"From merchant to king...it's really hard to imagine!"

Looking at the well-worn book, the Duke's gaze was extremely complex, because the path Li Yi'an had walked was exactly what he longed for.

But most of the time, he only thought about it.

But who would have thought that there would be a person who, in the most unexpected era and in the most unexpected way, would possess his country and lead it to become a great power.

"More importantly... everything there belongs to him personally. It was never a country, but a tycoon, a tycoon who owns a country."

Although the author expressed his concerns and anxieties about "state-owned tycoons" in the biography, the Duke was agitated.

"It's such a pity..."

The Duke felt it was a pity because he had missed such an opportunity.

But at the same time, the Duke also saw a new opportunity—an opportunity to rise to power.

Once upon a time, when American conglomerates rose to prominence, at the end of the 19th century, these monopolistic conglomerates controlled enormous wealth and influenced power through that wealth; for a few years, they practically owned a country.

That was the eve of their rise.

But who would have thought that the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, along with a number of subsequent antitrust laws, would stifle the rise of monopolistic tycoons.

Then, in just a few decades, wars broke out one after another in Europe. Although the wars took many lives, they also turned countless riches into ashes.

But unlike ordinary people, the Duke and his friends amassed far greater wealth, quietly building the world in their own way while the Allies built it in their own way.

Their maps are different from those of politicians and generals; their maps have no borders, just like money, which is fluid and has neither borders nor countries.

After the war, their wealth multiplied several times over, and they expanded to a extent that even they themselves found unbelievable. But the world knew nothing of this.

Despite their constant accusations in Moscow that Western politicians are the mouthpieces of capitalists, they cannot name a single specific example.

But the Duke knew very well that he and his friends had proxies, who, as in the past, remained hidden behind the scenes.

Originally, it should have always been like this, just like money, everyone knows it's important, and everyone thinks they will get it and control it.

In reality, most people spend their entire lives chasing money, and in the end, they gain nothing.

Money will always be owned by only a very few people.

Ordinary people may know, but they don't know who actually possesses wealth, because wealth is different from power; it is fluid, hidden, and can be concealed.

In the Duke's view, he would have been hidden away in some corner, just like money.

Just like for the past few centuries, they chase after money and try to amass enormous wealth.

There was a time when he truly thought that way, but who would have thought that with the rise of SEA, that person would come into his view?

At first, the Duke didn't notice him, but later, no one could ignore SEA's presence.

What's even more deadly is that that person achieved the perfect combination of power and money—the ultimate form of capital!
How could the Duke possibly ignore all of this?
"The perfect combination of power and money..."

Once again, as he murmured the word, the Duke's eyes were filled with envy and jealousy, but even more so with longing.

He longed to have what Li Yi'an possessed—a combination of power and wealth.

His ancestors were like that—possessing both power and wealth.

However, later on, they lost everything, including their titles, which were not passed down.

As for the Duke... it's just a habit.

Therefore, despite still possessing wealth and influence unimaginable to outsiders, he was no match for everything Li Yi'an had created.

A certain longing flickered within him.

I hope that one day I can have the same power as him.

No, it should be described as a perfect combination of power and wealth.

Ultimately, after years of planning, he set his sights on Lebanon, not only because his family had a centuries-old influence in Beirut, but more importantly... only there did he have a similar opportunity.

He stood up from the large table, walked across the room to the glass window, and stared at the people and vehicles moving about in Beirut's business district below.

This is an extremely ancient city. The old town has been destroyed by wars many times, and its owners have changed constantly, from the earliest Phoenicians, to Alexander the Great, to the Romans, then conquered by the Muslims, then recaptured by the Crusaders a few centuries later, then conquered by Saladin, then returned to the Eastern Roman Empire, and later conquered by the Mamluks...

For hundreds of years, conquerors have conquered and ruled this land, but what has remained unchanged?
The believers here still stubbornly adhere to their faith, as do merchants from Genoa, Venice, and other places.

But no matter how time changes things, a city may be destroyed, but it will soon be rebuilt, and after each reconstruction, it will be rejuvenated with even greater vitality.

“This is it…” Gazing out the window, the Duke’s lips curled into a smile. Now all he needed to do was cleverly use the power of capital to conquer this land, and ultimately, he would realize his dream on this land.

Combining capital with power.

"This is it..."

As he murmured this softly, a fleeting glint of light flashed in the Duke's eyes. Then, he returned to his desk, pressed the intercom, and gave the order:
“Sofia, contact the Presidential Palace. I need to visit the President… well, to discuss the port reconstruction.”

This is the opportunity in war.

By investing in post-war reconstruction, one can gain both financial rewards and greater influence, which is precisely where the power of money lies.

At first, people may ignore it, but when it accumulates to a certain point, it becomes difficult for people to ignore it, and they may even be unable to resist its power.

This is precisely what the Duke learned from Li Yi'an, and it is the fundamental reason why he wanted to create this opportunity. Or rather, to create opportunity by creating war.

……

There are always too many opportunities in war.

Lebanon, for example, presents numerous opportunities, even with just the few hundred thousand coalition troops living and working there.

As with every war, when the army arrives in a region to fight, merchants will follow, since the profits on the battlefield are far greater than in ordinary areas.

There are always too many opportunities here, and for many people, they want to enter but don't know how. But as long as you look, you can always find business opportunities.

Opportunities are always there; it's just a matter of how you find them.

"Here, all you need is a picture of a house full of children and grandchildren to turn strangers into best friends."

In a bar in Beirut, Sun Shaoming looked at his friend with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

The highest denomination banknote in SEA is $500, signifying a large family with many children.

Because of its large face value, with one note equal to more than $300, it has always been popular in the underground market and is often used in underground economic activities.

This is also common in the business world. Sun Shaoming was certainly aware of this, but as someone who had just arrived in Beirut, he needed a stepping stone.

His friend's words made him frown.

"But you can't just hand it to a stranger, can you? That's not how you do things."

Zhou Ruizhe, dressed in military uniform, grinned and burst into laughter.

"In any country like this, bribery with money is inevitable."

He looked at his friend and said in a serious tone:

"That's usually the case."

"But we don't know each other. Would he accept the gift? Besides, how do we even get him to open the door? Old classmate, how about another whiskey?"

Before Zhou Ruizhe could answer, Sun Shaoming poured him two more glasses of wine and then asked:

Do you have any good suggestions?

"suggestion?"

Zhou Ruizhe smiled, took a sip of his drink, and then pointed to the customers in the bar, saying:

"Look at those people, guess who they are..."

"who?"

Looking at the other customers in the bar who resembled him, Sun Shaoming thought for a moment and said:

"They are not businessmen."

"They are definitely not businessmen..."

Zhou Ruizhe nodded: "But the opportunities they represent are unimaginable to outsiders."

"USAID?"

“That’s right, it’s the Agency for International Development (SAID). The military came here to fight, but to truly eliminate terrorists, we need them. We come in, and they follow right after. Right now, the largest number of SEA personnel here are, of course, the military, followed by SAID. We’re here to restore order, and they’re here to rebuild the country, so…”

Turning his gaze to them, Zhou Ruizhe said:
"The opportunities you're looking for are right here with them. The number of projects they have is far beyond your imagination."

"You mean...to show them some respect?"

Before Sun Shaoming could finish speaking, Zhou Ruizhe opened his eyes wide and said:
"Are you out of your mind? Don't you know what the attitude is towards bribery in China? Even multinational corporations operating overseas outsource their work to foreign third parties. You dare to offer bribes, but they wouldn't dare to accept them. What I mean is... influence!"

Turning his gaze to those people, Zhou Ruizhe said in a serious tone:
"Because they have all sorts of projects, the officials here value their opinions highly. All you need to do is leverage their influence to get things done, understand? To rebuild a country, everything needs to be rebuilt. As long as they are willing to help, you certainly won't have come for nothing. The only question is... what kind of business do you want to do?"

(End of this chapter)