Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2585 The Price of Naïveness (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
April 1st, April Fools' Day.

On this day, under the bright sunshine on the lawn in front of the official residence, Li Yi'an stood there. In front of him were not only journalists from various countries, but also representatives from many other countries.

However, the main character at this moment was not him, but the Cambodian woman who was speaking, telling the outside world about her and her family's experiences.

From the "evacuation" from Phnom Penh to the subsequent labor as "newcomers," and so on, but even more so the human tragedies that have unfolded in that country over the past few years.

As she recounted everything, everyone was stunned. The reporters never imagined that such a return of people to forests would happen in modern society.

In fact, after the government forces launched their offensive, journalists from various countries used their cameras to capture many horrifying images, which have already spread around the world.

Even so, they were still shocked when they heard the experiences of those who had gone through it.

Among those sitting in the front row were not only people from Zhenla, but also several people from Saigon. Among these people, Zhang Rucan's identity was the most special.

He was neither an official of the government-in-exile nor an ordinary citizen; even he himself found it quite surreal that he was sitting there.

As the representatives of Cambodia recounted their misfortunes, Zhang Rucan's fists clenched and unclenched intermittently. What was he thinking?

It is his country.

What is happening to his country now?
Finally, after the representative from Cambodia finished speaking, Li Yi'an stood on the podium again. He looked at the people below the stage and at the cameras, paused for a moment, and then said:

"Today, with deep remorse, I apologize for SEA's inaction over the past four years..."

Almost the moment the word "apology" came out of Li Yi'an's mouth, everyone was astonished. They stared at His Excellency standing on the stage, their eyes filled with disbelief.

This, why is this?
“I should have led the international community to stop this tragedy—millions were expelled and killed, and we stood by and did nothing. This is not a policy mistake, but a betrayal of human conscience…”

In this world, politicians never make any decisions without a purpose, especially in international politics.

As he spoke, suppressed sobs rose from the crowd. Li Yi'an paused slightly, as if reflecting on the guilt that had been four years overdue:

“We once said that authority is above all else, but when we needed to put this belief into practice the most, we were bound by the shadow of borders; we had the power to stop everything, but we chose to stand by because ‘it’s their choice.’”

Four years ago, when Phnom Penh fell to the black-clad fighters, I and the entire international community believed it was the choice of the Cambodian people. We naively thought they would keep their promise to bring a better future to the Cambodian people.

But what happened next completely overturned human cognition, and also overturned human conscience…

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the tearful faces. Only they themselves knew what they had endured over the past four years.

"No matter how we try to justify ourselves, we and the entire Western world cannot avoid the reality that our inaction is not a mistake, but cowardice; not negligence, but betrayal—a betrayal of the commitments made under the UN Charter and a betrayal of the common conscience of humanity."

"Some people ask, what is the point of a belated apology?"

I cannot help those who lost loved ones find their families, I cannot erase the trauma of the living, and I cannot bring back the lives of the millions of innocent souls buried beneath that land.

Li Yi'an's voice was low, even somewhat hoarse, but at the same time, his voice also rose:

“But I must stand here and, on behalf of SEA, acknowledge that we have failed you. While the whole world is saying ‘never again,’ we have allowed the horrors of Nazi concentration camps to be repeated in a more brutal way, and not just in Zhenla.”

He paused slightly, then turned his gaze to Zhang Rucan and the few people from Saigon.

“We must recognize that the same tragedy is unfolding elsewhere. It is happening in Saigon, where more than a third of the population has been sent to concentration camps, millions have suffered inhumane treatment, and more than 150 million Saigon residents have drowned and become refugees.”

It's Saigon!
In an instant, all the reporters widened their eyes, gleaning a special signal from His Excellency's speech.

Meanwhile, on the high plateau of East Africa, in the camp of the 81st Parachute Special Forces, everyone was stunned. From Fan Wenxun to ordinary soldiers, everyone stood there, and someone nervously asked:
"Yes, you mean Saigon?"

"Yes, that's right, we're talking about Saigon!"

"Really? I didn't hear that wrong, did I...?"

"Shut up and listen to what you have to say next?"

Amid the soldiers' shouts, Fan Wenxun also stood up. He nervously put his hands on his hips and looked at the television, at His Excellency on the screen. At this moment, his expression was solemn, and the eyes of the whole world were on him.

Almost everyone was watching him, waiting for him to speak, with brief pauses as frequent as in the past few years:

"Yes, we cannot change the past, but I promise: SEA will make up for our mistakes with action - we will support Cambodia in repelling the invaders and in their post-war reconstruction, and we will push for the implementation of the UN's 'responsibility to protect' principle so that no country can use 'sovereignty' as an excuse to ignore the massacre that is taking place."

At the same time, we will make up for our previous strategic mistakes—demanding that the Thang Long army not only cease its aggression and withdraw from Phnom Penh within 72 hours, but also immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Saigon, back to areas north of 17 degrees north latitude, and strictly abide by the Paris Peace Treaty!

In an instant, everyone was deeply shocked! What was this?
Is this just an apology?

Of course not, this is an ultimatum!

This is an ultimatum to Thang Lung!
72 hours!
Not only were they required to cease their aggression and withdraw their troops from Phnom Penh, but they were also required to immediately and unconditionally withdraw their troops from Saigon and return to areas north of 17 degrees north latitude, strictly adhering to the Paris Peace Treaty!

This is practically the outbreak of another war!

Zhang Rucan also stood up, and as he stood up, some people began to look at him.

Some reporters even recognized him—the Minister of Justice of the Southern Liberation Front and the Provisional Government. Like many others, he came from a wealthy Southern merchant family and betrayed his family at a young age to embark on the path of resistance. He was not only imprisoned but also endured the hardships of guerrilla warfare under the bombing of B-52 bombers. However, after the victory, he felt utterly disillusioned. This high-ranking cadre eventually chose to become a boatman and flee to the SEA. History is full of such merciless mockery.

And now he's standing there, what kind of expression is on his face?
Is it the same anger they felt when they were young, when they heard about foreign interference in their internal affairs?

Or will he stand up and passionately condemn the SEA's imperialist behavior?
Surprisingly, he just sat there, his expression calm yet somewhat agitated.

The calmness is due to age, while the excitement is due to an irrepressible joy.

This joy comes from seeing hope.

After issuing the ultimatum, Li Yi'an did not answer reporters' questions but turned and left. After he left, the official spokesperson answered several questions from reporters, the core of which was – was this a declaration of war?

The spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office gave a very direct answer: His Excellency's speech has already explained everything, and Thang Long has 72 hours to make a choice.

This is definitely a declaration of war.

Although not a single word was mentioned about war, everyone could smell the gunpowder in it.

After the press spokesperson finished answering the reporters' questions, the reporters swarmed around Zhang Rucan.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, is there anything you would like to say?"

"Mr. Zhang, what is your opinion on the 72-hour ultimatum?"

"Mr. Zhang..."

Faced with everyone's questions, Zhang Rucan recalled the words the liaison officer in the official residence office had told him when he received the invitation—something big was about to happen.

This is what they call a major event.

But his thoughts were quickly pulled back by the reporters' questions.

Faced with reporters' questions, Zhang Rucan didn't know how to answer, or rather, he didn't know whose question to answer first.

There was a moment of silence.

Then, Zhang Rucan said:

"Everyone who knows me knows that I was born into a wealthy merchant family, and when I was young, I believed that we had to get rid of French colonial rule."

And in the days that followed, I devoted myself to this cause. Later, I came to believe that the Saigon authorities were puppets of the Western countries.

This is the root cause of the division. Therefore, I continued to dedicate myself to the cause I believed in. During this time, I was imprisoned, I joined the guerrillas, and many of my friends gave their lives for our shared beliefs.

We thought—

Looking at the reporters in front of him, Zhang Rucan's voice became somewhat low, and even his expression became somewhat bitter.

"Back then, we were young and naive, thinking that this was the best choice, and the only choice. Just like the day Saigon fell. People once embraced the North with joy, but what happened next overturned our understanding."

It also made us, in our naivety, finally feel the cruelty of the world, and more importantly, it made us pay the price for our naivety.

While repeatedly describing himself as naive, Zhang Rucan's tone and expression carried an undisguised irony.
This satire comes from the heart; they are not satirizing others, but themselves.

Reality cruelly mocked him, mocked his choice back then, and mocked his naivety back then.

Ultimately, everyone paid the price. And so it was.

Zhang Rucan suddenly became somewhat agitated:
"And now we have a new opportunity, a chance to start over. In 72 hours—we will truly be reborn!"
Saigon can only be Saigon for the people of Saigon.

(End of this chapter)