Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2682 A Belated Compensation (First Update, Please Subscribe)
In August, Kunming, the "Spring City," no longer experiences the sweltering heat of midsummer, but instead carries a hint of autumn coolness.

The autumn sun was gentle, shining through the tall black pines onto the asphalt road next to the embassy district. Riding a slightly worn bicycle, Li Jianguo rode at a leisurely pace, finally coming to a steady stop in front of the Chuncheng Hotel.

This building, with its distinctive Eastern architectural features, was specially built a few years ago to accommodate foreign dignitaries from various countries. Because it is adjacent to the embassy district and has the city's top Western restaurants with an ample supply of international cuisine, it has always been the first choice for diplomats to hold private gatherings.

Because the hotel mainly caters to foreign guests, when Li Jianguo parked his bicycle and arrived at the hotel entrance, a waiter approached him and asked him to show his credentials.

"This is from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they're meeting with foreign guests here."

Li Jianguo took out his work ID from his pocket, handed it to the waiter, who carefully checked it before stepping aside to lead the way and whispering a reminder:
"Comrade, the Western restaurant is on the second floor, on the east side."

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator and turned the corner, Li Jianguo caught a glimpse of Bai Side sitting by the window.

The other person was wearing a gray suit and drinking coffee. When he saw him coming, he immediately raised his hand and waved, a smile appearing on his face.

"Director Bai."

Li Jianguo strode over and sat down opposite him. The waiter promptly refilled his tea, and then tactfully retreated to a distance.

Bai Side spoke first:

"Director Li, it's been a long time. I'm sorry to bother you again."

His words were very polite.

"Old Bai, there's no need for such formalities between us. It's just that every time I get a call from the British Embassy, ​​I wonder if it's you or someone else, and I have to guess for a while."

You say, you're a great nation, yet you're living under someone else's roof—that's not good. In recent years, this place has become increasingly lively; countries from all over the world are vying to come here, and new pavilions are frequently opening. If you don't come now, you might not get a good spot.”

Li Jianguo had a slight smile on his face and spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he were chatting about everyday things. When he mentioned this matter, his tone was even more teasing.

His tone was teasing, but his eyes were full of expectation.

However, Descartes just smiled and didn't respond. He took a sip of coffee and then looked out the window.

He was used to this kind of work, just as they had always worked inside the British embassy. He chose to remain silent on the topic.

Sometimes, when a question cannot be answered directly, silence is the best option.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Li Jianguo realized that there was no way to continue the conversation on this topic, so he said:

"Old Bai, you called me in such a hurry, there must be something important to tell me?"

Because there are no diplomatic relations between them, every meeting can only be conducted in a private capacity, and extra caution must be exercised in their words.

Bai Side put down his coffee cup, his expression gradually becoming serious, and he leaned forward slightly.
"There is indeed something I would like to request your permission for."

His tone was extremely cautious.

In contrast to his caution, Li Jianguo appeared very magnanimous, stating directly:

"Oh dear, do we need to be so polite between us? Just say what you want to say."

Then, Desmond slowly revealed the reason:

"As you know, in our past, from the search team to the later garrison, the vast majority of our officers and soldiers came from Tangshan."

As he recounted all this, his tone was calm, but his eyes were fixed directly on the other person.

Hearing him say that, Li Jianguo echoed:

"Yes, that's why we're blood relatives, much closer than other Western countries, don't you think?"

Although the other party raised a question, Desmond did not continue the conversation, but instead stated directly:
"War inevitably results in the sacrifice of soldiers, and their families were mostly in Tangshan at the time, but were affected by the war and communication disruptions."

Although we did our utmost to notify the vast majority of people, some soldiers' death notices never reached their families back home.

Hearing Bai Side's words, Li Jianguo's expression also became serious, and he asked:

"So what do you want?"

His voice trailed off, without directly stating the other person's thoughts. Desmond replied:

"Now that we have opened up family visits to each other, which means that the original obstacles no longer exist, we hope to send people to your country to find the families of these dead, deliver the death notices to their families, and provide them with appropriate compensation."

Then, Bai Side added sincerely:

"Of course, everything will be done with your assistance, and we will not overstep our bounds."

Li Jianguo paused, his hand holding the teacup still, his mind becoming more cautious. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then a sudden realization dawned on him—this matter was likely the first truly official contact between the two sides, and its significance was extraordinary.

It could even be a breakthrough; only after this breakthrough can further work proceed.

He looked up at Bai Side, his tone tinged with a hint of probing:

"Mr. Bai, is this an official level of cooperation?"

Bai Side nodded without hesitation:
"Yes, it was entirely an official arrangement, and the participants were all government officials, not non-governmental organizations."

A hint of surprise flashed in Li Jianguo's eyes, and he raised an eyebrow slightly:

"As far as I know, your side has always been reluctant to have direct official contact with us. Why have you suddenly changed your attitude?"

This statement was less of a question and more of a curiosity. Because he was very clear about how cautious the other party, represented by the person in front of him, could be on certain issues.

They were not merely cautious; one could even say they were extremely careful, or...

But now, they have taken the initiative to offer to have official contact on some issues, which is absolutely unexpected.

That's why he put away his slightly teasing smile and asked his question in an extremely serious tone.

"Different situations require different approaches."

Bai Side shook his head slightly and looked at the other person, saying:

"For decades, the families of these victims have been waiting for definite news, which is a source of comfort for many families and cannot be delayed any longer."

He looked at Li Jianguo, and his tone became extremely earnest:

"Therefore, we hope you can give us a reply as soon as possible. The Prime Minister's Office is paying close attention to the progress of this matter, and the domestic search team is ready to depart at any time."

Li Jianguo gazed silently out the window, where the black pines along the roadside swayed slightly in the wind. He knew the unusual significance of this matter; if the official residence was paying close attention, then it was definitely a major event.

On the other hand, this is also an opportunity to break the deadlock.

He turned his gaze to Bai Side: "Old Bai, I will report to my superiors immediately and give you an answer as soon as possible."

A look of relief appeared in Bai Side's eyes as he raised his coffee cup in a gesture of respect.

"Thank you very much, then I will wait for good news."

……

Some things are easier said than done, and there are many problems to solve in practice. For example, the Office of Veterans Affairs is facing one new problem after another.

"First of all, according to the law, active-duty military personnel are not allowed to travel to countries with which they have no diplomatic relations."

At the very beginning of the meeting, Song Yuancheng raised a very practical question directly.

Active duty military personnel are not only prohibited from traveling to countries with which they have no diplomatic relations, but there are also many other countries they are prohibited from traveling to, which involves security and other issues.

"This is not a trip, it's an official business trip, and they entered with official passports."

Okay, the legal issues are resolved.

"However, this could leave some potential problems, and my suggestion is that this task be performed by civilian employees."

The defense department also has some civilian employees who are not bound by active duty personnel, so this suggestion is both legal and very practical.

His suggestion was met with opposition as soon as it was put forward.

"How can this be? There has always been a specific procedure for delivering death notices. We can't do what the Americans did in the Vietnam War, having taxi drivers deliver death notices. They are our predecessors and must be given the respect they deserve."

When Feng Dingbang, the office manager, said this, he appeared very serious.

After all, when the US military got involved in the Vietnam War, they were completely unprepared for war. They even had taxi drivers deliver death notices at the very beginning of the war.

This choice naturally provoked dissatisfaction among many people. It also became a source of ridicule and mockery for Americans from the outside world.

After all, no country in the world has ever been so absurd—talking about respecting fallen soldiers but actually doing nothing?
It means having a taxi driver deliver the death notice.

Simply because it's cheap enough.

"Alright, that's enough about that. We can just follow the rules. What's the next question?"

They then discussed one issue after another, but the real issue arose after Song Yuanzheng raised the issue of compensation.

They faced a new dilemma.

"...The company's compensation standards are different from the current compensation standards. We need to determine what standards we should use to pay them compensation, and this also involves the issue of insurance company compensation."

Song Yuanzheng took out a document and then said:

"The insurance company had already paid their death benefit at the time, and that money has been kept in a special account at the Ministry of Defense."

Then he said in a very helpless tone.

“At the time, 1 yuan was a huge sum of money, but now it’s nothing. Even with interest, it’s not much money at all.”

That's the most practical issue. Giving people the respect they deserve isn't just lip service; it requires real financial investment.

Faced with this extremely real problem, everyone in the conference room fell silent for a moment.

They all knew very well. This was a very simple question, and one that could not be avoided.

How can providing pensions based on standards from decades ago possibly soothe people's hearts?
Faced with this real problem, everyone fell silent for a moment. After all, it involved real money.

"This is indeed a very tricky problem."

Feng Dingbang made a sound, then said:

"My suggestion is to stick to the current standards. After all, the inflation over the years has been evident, and paying according to the current standards can ensure fairness to the greatest extent possible."

He paused slightly, then continued:
"And this is the greatest respect and compensation we can give them, after all, their families have been waiting for news of them for the past 30 years."

No one would object to such a suggestion, but it is not a decision they can make; they can only propose corresponding solutions, and the final decision will be made by the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister's Office.

While Feng Dingbang proposed this solution, new problems arose.

"Besides the standards for paying compensation, another issue that arises is the resettlement of the families of soldiers."

In his office at the official residence, Cheng Lixuan looked at the gentleman and said:

“We can make up the difference and pay the pension according to the current standards, but... correspondingly, there are currently no relevant regulations for the resettlement of the families of military personnel.”

Cheng Lixuan brought up this issue because the families of those soldiers all live in another country.

Currently, there is no corresponding legislation to provide them with adequate care. If they are given financial assistance according to the current standards, then a natural question arises: how can their families be further cared for?
"You mean that by current standards, there's no way to resettle their families?"

Li Yi'an certainly knew how the families of those fallen soldiers were settled back then. In addition to the corresponding compensation, they were also helped to come to Southeast Asia.

At that time, all immediate family members of fallen soldiers could come here. He personally participated in formulating a series of resettlement measures to ensure that everyone was properly resettled.

At the time, there were a series of measures to help the families of fallen soldiers.

It is clearly impossible to have the same resettlement conditions as back then now, and to some extent, such resettlement would even violate relevant immigration laws.

Although SEA is an immigrant country, its immigration policies are becoming increasingly stringent.

"Yes, Your Excellency, the resettlement methods for the families of military personnel back then conflict with the current laws. Now we are very strict about the entry of ordinary immigrants, and there are various conditions and restrictions. If we follow the current standards, they would not be able to come here."

But...their family has had a very difficult time over the years.

As Cheng Lixuan recounted all of this, his tone appeared very calm, but his expression was very serious.

He knew very well how difficult those people's lives were; after all, just imagining it was enough.

That's why he pointed this out so clearly.

Li Yi'an nodded in response, then said earnestly:
"Yes, their lives are indeed very difficult. The elderly have lost their children. Wives have lost their husbands. Children have lost their fathers... This is precisely why we need to take care of them, um..."

After thinking for a moment, Li Yi'an said:
“I’ll handle this problem… Hmm, I’ll sign a new order!”
In short, we must provide them with sufficient assistance; this is a promise we've made to them, and it's what they deserve.

Li Yi'an paused slightly, then continued:
"Actually, this has been our oversight all these years. We could have done so much more and avoided so many regrets. Now it's time for us to make up for it all."

After expressing such sentiments, Li Yi'an immediately signed a new order...

(End of this chapter)