Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2673 The Art of Maximum Pressure (First Update, Please Subscribe)
"Justice comes at a price."

His father's voice wasn't loud, but when it reached Li Yixuan's ears, it made him pause for a moment. Then he looked at his father, who continued to walk forward.

Li Yixuan looked at his father's retreating figure and said:

"cost?"

"Yes, that is the price to pay for upholding justice. Even if the sky falls, this ancient proverb will be engraved on the benches of all our judges. This is our promise to the people of SEA."

He paused briefly, and Li Yi'an seemed to pause as well, before continuing:

"In fact, this is also telling everyone that achieving justice comes at a price. Sometimes, it may be the end of the world."

"Father……"

Li Yixuan, standing beside his father, looked puzzled. He was familiar with the proverb. Like many SEA students, he had visited the courthouse when he was in elementary school and had even played the role of a prosecutor or citizen jury in the school court.

He naturally knew the meaning of those words and was well aware of their significance.

However, no connection was made to the cost of justice.

"Justice never falls from the sky; justice comes at a price. Even the goddess of justice holds scales in one hand and a sword in the other. How can justice be without a price?"

Li Yi'an's expression was quite serious. Many people talk about "justice" at every turn, but they don't know that justice comes at a price.

Then he continued:
“We do need to uphold justice, not to show how different we are, but because our consistent policies over the years have determined that we cannot associate with those kinds of people.”

In fact, although Li Yi'an had imagined "being with tyrants," he ended up living a completely different life—standing on the opposite side of them. There was no other way; the rewards of striking down such people were greater.

Of course, at this point, the interpretation of the so-called "tyrant" rests with me.

"The only question is... whether we can afford the price!"

Faced with his father's question, Li Yixuan fell silent. "The price," compared to justice itself, the "price" is the most important. Any country that wants to interfere in foreign affairs, no matter what excuse it uses, will have to pay a price.

After figuring this out, Li Yixuan realized how naive he had been when he mentioned justice. Justice is important in law, but in international relations, justice is just a gimmick. It can be used to show off, but it cannot be pursued. If one blindly pursues justice, one will inevitably pay the price.

After figuring this out, he said:
“I understand, Father. If we rashly take military action against Tehran, it will only incite the local people’s dissatisfaction with us, which will only consolidate their rule. Moreover, in theory, we have no obligation to intervene in the area.”

Nodding slightly, Li Yi'an asked:

"Then how do we demonstrate our righteousness and support for justice?"

This is the assessment.

Li Yixuan thought for a moment, recalling his father's methods of handling various matters over the years, and then said:

"Well, although we cannot take military action, we still need to do some things. In view of the humanitarian disaster that has occurred in Tehran, the official residence has decided to withdraw the representative office and refuse any level of official contact with it. This is just the first step."

Now, with the situation deteriorating, it is necessary to strengthen corresponding measures to force Tehran to stop its atrocities.

Li Yi'an's lips curled into a slight smile at his son's explanation. Well, now at least his son has some of his true skills.

Even their speech is so high-sounding and dignified.

"Therefore, I believe the next step should be economic sanctions, namely a comprehensive embargo against Iran, requiring any SEA company or individual to refrain from economic dealings with the sanctioned entity. Furthermore, we should invoke sanctions legislation to require the cooperation of companies and entities in other countries..."

The "Sanctions Act" is a law passed by the SEA many years ago. It is not targeted at any particular country, but is a systemic law that not only binds SEA companies and citizens, but also any business entities that have economic dealings with the SEA.

If a company uses specific technologies of the SEA, such as certain software, patents, or components, it may be penalized for violating SEA export controls, even if it is located in a third country.

This kind of long-arm jurisdiction has not been very useful in the past.

Because in many cases, before sanctions are even imposed on one side, the SEA will launch a flurry of attacks and take them down. Although it played a role in imposing sanctions on Indonesia and Syria, it mainly restricted Western companies.

Western companies are already used to being "controlled" in this way, after all, there is the precedent of COCOM.

"Economic sanctions..."

Li Yixuan pondered for a moment and said:

“It should have some effect. Such sanctions can put pressure on Tehran from the international community, thus curbing its actions.” “No,”

Shaking his head, Li Yi'an said:

"If we simply want them to restrain themselves, then we are using sanctions to force Tehran to back down, thus allowing them to smoothly seize power. This is tantamount to helping them, and what does that have to do with justice?"

After asking the question in return, Li Yi'an continued:

“I said a long time ago that economic sanctions are essentially a weapon. If you’re going to play this card, you have to make the most of it. Why was that cult leader able to gain support? It was precisely what he was so proud of that helped him seize power—that huge group of believers from the lower classes. Yes, that’s the foundation of everything.”

Beyond the traditional support of his followers, what was even more important? It was his promise to distribute oil revenues to every family and to provide free water and electricity. That represented the Iranian people's yearning for a just and prosperous life.

"It's just empty promises."

"The problem is that he did make empty promises to some extent. However, he never cared about the well-being of the Iranian people."

That's true, because they did say that.

After that man seized power, Iranians were also forbidden from waving their national flag, Cyrus the Great's tomb was no longer open to his subjects, and even Iranian patriotism was considered a serious "apostasy." He specifically criticized:
We don't worship Iran, but... patriotism is another name for paganism. I said, let this land (Iran) burn. I said, let this land turn to ashes, as long as... we can achieve victory elsewhere in the world.

This is why Iran is creating its so-called "Arc of Resistance." Don't be presumptuous and think it's anti-American; it simply wants to build an earthly paradise. As for Iran, it's merely a blood bank for realizing this dream.

Li Yi'an didn't say these things to his son. After all, these anthropomorphic words are hard for outsiders to imagine until the son himself says or does them. So, he simply said:

“What he cares about is his rule and his faith. And he seized power with the support of a large number of grassroots believers, which means that his support is broad. Everything he did in Tehran... was actually supported by the local people. Under such circumstances, no matter what we do, it is impossible to bring about real change.”

Li Yixuan nodded in agreement:

"Indeed, no external force can bring about change if it does not come from personal will; change must come from their internal will... but this takes a long time."

"It will take time,"

With a slight smile, Li Yi'an said:
"So we need to help them speed up this process, which is sanctions—comprehensive sanctions, thorough ones. Didn't he promise to distribute oil revenues to every family and promise free water and electricity?"

So, we'll cut him off at the source—make sure he can't get even a single dollar from oil!

At this point, Li Yi'an's tone became more forceful, and a sarcastic sneer appeared on his lips.

“Even now, when everyone in the cities stands against him, the poor in Iran’s vast rural areas, the strongholds of the conservatives, still support him and will stand by his side. In the eyes of traditional believers, it is a challenge to tradition by those who have become Westernized, but—in the end, nothing can beat bread.”

bread!

Li Yi'an emphasized:

"Our discussion of sanctions is not just lip service; it's about fundamentally stopping them from exporting oil. What will happen to them if they don't export oil?"

It's no longer about secularization or tradition; the problems they face are inflation, currency devaluation, and bread disappearing from their tables.

When bread disappeared, even the most obedient and devout lower-class people no longer cared about whether their headscarves were properly worn; they were more concerned about whether their families would starve to death.

For the religious leader, the most dangerous enemies are often not those who have always opposed him, but those who once supported him but now cannot survive.

this is the truth!
When Li Yi'an said these words, his tone was calm, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. Hearing his father's words, Li Yixuan was stunned.

He had thought about upholding justice, but he never expected his father to give this answer, which sounded extremely cruel.

"By then, he will have nothing to offer, no free bread, no free water or electricity, only hunger. Once these basic grievances arise, they will seek change on their own, and they will yearn for the bread of the Pahlavi era. And this is more deadly than any external sanctions, because fortresses are often breached first from within."

After a slight pause, Li Yi'an added:

"When that time comes, the time will be ripe. Of course, in order to achieve this goal, we will continue to increase the pressure and create internal turmoil by constantly increasing the pressure."

However, history tells us that, without physical annihilation, external conflicts often make a nation-state cling even tighter. But... given enough pressure, nothing is insurmountable. When external supply lines dry up due to sanctions and oil price fluctuations, internal poverty surges in like a tidal wave. Even if grand narratives of resisting external enemies are used to mask economic failures, these narratives will crumble instantly when hunger knocks at the door.

With a slight smile, Li Yi'an turned his gaze to the distance and said:
"So all we need to do is keep applying pressure."

(End of this chapter)