Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2602 Shattering the Illusion of War (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
You must first break down your own barriers!

Li Yi'an said this because of the unique characteristics of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union's "technological mummification" was not without reason.

And this mummification is, in most cases, due to a very unique reason—military use!
The Soviet Union's economic system was different from that of any other country. You cannot look at its economic problems with ordinary economic perspectives because it was not simply an economy at all.

Since the Iron Age, that country has focused its technological development on the military field, and most of its technological breakthroughs have been centered on the military domain.

After World War II, they devoted all their efforts to the military field, even directly linking it to the survival of the nation.

Under this "survival pressure of being at war at any time," the Soviet Union naturally forced its scarce precision production capacity and talent to be directed to military projects, leaving the civilian sector with only surplus resources, or even just scraps. This not only caused resource misallocation but also seriously affected the Soviet economy.

For the rest of the time, Li Yi'an and Natasha talked about the Soviet economy and technology in the study.

And the impact of the Soviet Union's natural technological barriers, such as its military-first approach and its blockade of civilian technology, on the Soviet economy. As he recounted all this, Natasha's brows furrowed, her expression grave. At that moment, many things that had seemed normal to her in the past now appeared almost absurd.

"Shouldn't a nation prioritize its survival?"

In response to Natasha's question, Li Yi'an said:

"A nation should prioritize development. Only through development can a nation survive better. The economy is the foundation of everything. Without a sound economy, how can there be a strong military? Blindly pursuing a strong military while neglecting economic development, or emphasizing military priority while ignoring the development of the civilian sector, is putting the cart before the horse. Ultimately, the difficulties faced by the people will be reflected in the implementation of military buildup."

After a slight pause, Li Yi'an emphasized again:
"We cannot prepare for war at any cost for a war that may never break out. For example, in the past thirty years, the Soviet Union has produced enough weapons to fight several world wars, but what was the point of having so many weapons?"

It was simply constantly depleting the Soviet Union's social wealth.

Seeing that Natasha was about to object, Li Yi'an waved his hand and said:
"Let me finish. In the age of nuclear weapons, the very existence of nuclear weapons is a deterrent. No country is willing to risk a nuclear war. The peace brought about by nuclear peace will last."

"If that's the case, why do you devote all your resources to preparing for war?"

When Li Yi'an said these words, he thought of the misconceptions held by many experts in later generations. Although many experts and scholars said that the Soviet Union disintegrated because it lost the arms race with the United States, and that the United States tricked the Soviet Union into embarking on the path of an arms race with the Star Wars program.

But what is the biggest absurdity of this statement?
Since World War II, the Soviet Union has been continuously strengthening its military. Soviet military production did not stop after the war ended, but rather expanded. Although the Soviet army carried out post-war demobilization, its number of aircraft and tanks continued to increase.

While the United States was disarmament and rebuilding in Europe, and while they were neglecting their military buildup, the Soviet Union was constantly strengthening its military.

It's as if war could break out at any moment.

On the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Army was enormous—55000 tanks, over 100000 infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles, over 5000 self-propelled artillery pieces, 30000 towed artillery pieces, and 5500 fighter jets and bombers of various types…

What did this largest army in history ultimately do?
No!

Its existence was merely an existence; instead, it drained the Soviet Union's wealth.

To maintain such a massive conventional military force, the Soviet Union had to spend tens of billions of rubles on weapons maintenance—and the maintenance of the equipment itself required a large sum of money.

The seemingly massive steel torrent appears to have brought unprecedented pressure to Europe, but what is the reality?
Instead of intimidating Europe, the Soviet Union gradually depleted its own wealth during the decades-long standoff.

Of course, Li Yi'an did not delve deeper into this issue, because these were not problems that Natasha could change, and what he needed was...
Natasha used her own advantages to open a gap in the clear distinction between military and civilian use in the Soviet Union. This was not to help the Soviet Union develop, but to gain access to Soviet military chip technology and chip design, thereby promoting the development of SEA's electronic technology.

After all, technical exchanges can promote technological progress.

Why was Natasha able to break down this barrier? Because—she was not only the daughter of a marshal, but her father, Marshal Kozverev, was himself the deputy minister in charge of military industry.

Even the head of all military technology departments, as long as he nods... can still make things easier.

The only question is whether he's willing to open that convenient door to help his daughter; of course, that requires some motivation.

"This, I, I..."

Natasha said:
"I don't know how to answer that question, but you know, there's nothing I can do to change it."

Li Yi'an smiled and then said:
"No need to change anything, just understand. In the next few days, you should take your child around to see the place, to really understand it... actually..."

Looking at the woman in front of him, Li Yi'an sighed inwardly. If he had known Natasha's identity a few years earlier, he would have definitely asked her to study here, and of course, for their reunion.

Unfortunately, the time has already passed.

But that's alright, after all, there's still time.

"Time is still on our side..."

Li Yi'an silently cursed himself, then smiled and said to her, "Alright, we've been chatting for so long without realizing it, and we've forgotten about the important matter. Today, I'll introduce you to your family in a small group."

Then they left the study and went to the living room, where there was already laughter, from adults but mostly from children.

Today is a family gathering.

……

In the study, Li Yixuan looked at his father and asked:

“Father, it seems you have other plans for Natasha and Andrei.”

Nodding slightly, Li Yi'an said:

"As we've discussed before, the collapse of the Soviet Union was almost inevitable. What awaited them at that time? A devastating collapse,"

Then, turning his gaze to the window, Li Yi'an silently took a cigar from his cigar case, cut off one end with cigar cutters, lit it, took a puff, and said:
"This may be the future they face, and when that behemoth collapses, who will be in control of everything?"

Hearing his father's question, Li Yixuan thought for a moment and then said:

"It's still those high-ranking bureaucrats, or at least some of them."

"It is a considerable part of it."

Li Yi'an nodded, then continued:

"Yes, no matter how the situation changes, in the end, the vast majority of them will remain marshals, generals, and those in power will remain in power. There won't be much change. The only problem is..."

Li Yi'an took a puff of his cigar, paused slightly, and then looked at his son and said:

"The appearance of Natasha and Andrew might bring new opportunities. If the timing is right, perhaps in Moscow or Kyiv in the future, we will have new opportunities, and these opportunities..."

Although his father didn't finish his sentence, Li Yixuan already knew the answer. He weighed it in his mind for a moment, and then said:

“Father, this could indeed change a lot of things, and if that happens, we will gain a very steadfast ally.”

Li Yi'an nodded slightly, then asked:

"By the way, do you know where Natasha was born?"

"Although she was born in Moscow, her father was Ukrainian and of Russian ethnicity, and her mother was Ukrainian."

Li Yi'an smiled and said:
"So, she's a typical Soviet person. Whether in Kiev or Moscow, she's the kind of person who's acceptable. The only question is... how far she can go."

Although Li Yi'an very much hoped that she could go further and was willing to provide corresponding assistance in the process, sometimes, many things do not necessarily go according to people's plans.

However, some things always need to be planned. After all, on the other side of the Iron Curtain, there is currently no more suitable candidate than Natasha.

Perhaps this is an unexpected surprise.

Hopefully, she will truly bring surprises in the future. Perhaps her appearance can open a door, promoting technological exchange between the two sides, and in this exchange, perhaps humanity can go further.

"Hopefully."

Li Yixuan nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said:
“Father, this morning I met with the Soviet representatives, who declared that our blockade of Thang Long was unacceptable and accused us of a military invasion that violated international law. They will take this issue to the United Nations.”

His son's words made Li Yi'an laugh heartily, and then he said:

"It doesn't matter. They're willing to engage in verbal battles in that kind of setting because they can't afford the cost of further action. This only exposes their true colors. In that case, we should just intensify our efforts on the other side."

It's almost time to escalate the intensity, and the military has a corresponding plan. They've broken down the 100-day mission, with specific tasks to be completed in each phase.

Those guys think what they're suffering now is war? They're incredibly naive. They have no idea what real escalation is, or what real war is. Real war is about ruthless destruction, annihilation, and the complete erasure of a nation from the face of the earth.

That is the truth of war.

And what about those people? They seem to have been fighting a war for over a decade, but in reality, they have never experienced the cruelty of war.

It's time to shatter this illusion.

(End of this chapter)