Korean TV series: King of Peninsula 1997

Chapter 479 You are too weak

(For some reasons, the name of the young player was changed)

The atmosphere of the meeting with Quan Douguan was almost the same as what Li You had imagined.

This former president, who is now being scolded by the people of the Korean Peninsula, does not have the bureaucratic air that Li Youchang has seen. Instead, he is somewhat similar to those gangsters in society.

In this secret Zen temple, the retired Quan Douguan, wearing a monk's robe, met Li You, who was dressed in a suit and tie. The two men's clothes seemed a little different, but judging from the environment, it should be that Li You was a little out of place here.

The air froze for a few seconds. Quan Douguan had a strong aura, and even his eyes were sharp. He looked directly at Li You through the lenses of his glasses like an eagle, taking in the young chaebol leader.

Li You also looked back in an almost scrutinizing manner. His eyes seemed to see through people's hearts, and the slightly upturned corners of his mouth concealed an unfathomable smile.

The air between the two was filled with invisible electricity, which was both a test and a contest.

Apart from the two of them, the remaining space in the room is very limited.

In the entire Zen room, there is a light wooden table placed across the middle, with wood grain still remaining on the tabletop.

Quan Douguang chuckled twice, shook his old body from the cushion and stood up. His monk robe swayed slightly as he walked.

After he sat down at the small table, he raised his head and looked at Li You again.

As time passed, the staring between the two became less intense than at the beginning, and their expressions were not so tense.

Quan Douguan chuckled, breaking the brief silence. He watched Li You walk over and sit down, nodding slightly with a smile on his face.

In response to the other person's laughter, Li You unbuttoned his suit to make the jacket less tight.

"President Li," Quan Douguang laughed and took the initiative to extend his hand to Li You, without any intention of secretly competing with him, "I have heard of your name for a long time."

The wooden tabletop was polished to a shine, reflecting the equally calm expressions of the two people.

After the two men let go of each other's hands, Quan Douguang stretched himself and took out a cut cigar from his monk's robe.

But he didn't create a spark to light it. Instead, he put it in front of his nose and slowly sniffed the faint smell of cigar smoke. "What a pity."

Quan Douguang said with some regret, "I've been sick recently and can't watch the smoke curling in the air."

Li You raised his eyebrows and looked at him twice, "General Quan, you should take good care of your health."

Hearing Li You's address, Quan Douguan curled his lips and made a "tsk" sound.

However, he was not arrogant at all, but rather had some emotion.

"I haven't heard this title for a long time." Quan Douguan felt a little nostalgic. He waved the sleeves of his monk's robe. Just because of this title, his expression softened a lot and he put away his sharp edge.

"It is my fault that I failed to entertain you formally during your visit to Shanchuan County this time," Quan Douguan bowed and slowly performed an informal etiquette.

Quan Douguang shouted to someone outside and asked them to bring some hot tea.

After two cups of hot tea were placed on the small table, he smiled and gestured for invitation, "I can only treat you with a cup of tea. That's all I can do now."

Quan Douguan does not have those politicians' problems. Those politicians, even including the current Li Lianchang and Li Mingxue, speak slower and slower unconsciously. This is not the case with Quan Douguan at all. His heroic aura can be seen from his speech, but the meaning he expresses is not that heroic.

Li You's eyes flickered, and he even realized that Quan Douguang was talking about his shortcomings in his words and deeds, and he seemed to be shirking his responsibilities and didn't want to get involved.

"In fact, you are also a legendary figure in certain fields," Quan Douguang grinned.

"Your current strength reminds me of the gangs on the Korean Peninsula many years ago," Quan Douguang twisted his neck and shook his head, "No"

"You are better than them," he actually admired Li You, "You have truly done something they have never done."

Li You would not think that General Quan in front of him would really invest in him immediately just because of his verbal praise.

Li You chuckled and said, "It's still a long way from General Quan."

Quan Douguang laughed, "Of course!"

He laughed for a long time, just like he had returned to the high-spirited General Quan, but he soon calmed down, "I'm afraid the only thing we have in common is that there are many unspeakable, bloody and cruel things in it."

“Strictly speaking, we are on two completely different paths,” Quan Duguang said, sipping his tea. “The path you are on now seems to be very suitable for the Korean Peninsula today.”

"People nowadays are less aggressive and easier to deal with."

Quan Douguang looked up at Li You for a while, then said in a low voice with some sigh, "But I still feel a little sorry. I wish you could continue in the Marine Corps."

"The current army lacks a leader like you, and they are becoming weaker and weaker." Quan Douguang lowered his eyelids and drank his tea attentively. He had no such rules about what should be discussed and what should not be discussed.

"Shouldn't this be the General's fault?" Li You also picked up the teacup and drank it slowly.

Quan Douguan reacted for a while, then started laughing wildly, and some tea spilled out of the cup in his hand.

"You're right!" Quan Douguang put down his teacup and slammed the table. "It's because of me that they are afraid and their army is becoming weaker and weaker!"

Li You suddenly felt that the man in front of him would become tough when he mentioned the army.

Quan Douguang smiled for a while, then shook his head with a hint of regret. "But people always have things they cannot accomplish, otherwise everyone can succeed. Compared to most people, I have done well enough."

Li You felt a little emotional. He did a good job indeed, but his methods were indeed violent. No one thought he was good, and instead scolded him harshly when they caught him.

In fact, when Quan Douguang was in office, he began to gradually withdraw the government's intervention in the industry and instead used a tight monetary policy to stabilize prices at the time and ensure that the people had enough food to eat.

Externally, it reached an agreement with the World Bank to expand market openness and implement liberalization policies.

A very important point is that this liberalized economic policy can be stable in the long term because of his authoritarian rule.

Measures such as sharp interest rate hikes, zero-based budgeting, restrictions on wage increases, and cancellation of financing preferences for chaebols caused dissatisfaction among almost all parties at the time, even within the government.

These are all measures that are beneficial to the economy and people of the Korean Peninsula.

The all-Kaka while suppressing the opposition voices, even asked those officials who wanted to dissuade him to attach their resignation letters along with their proposals.

These policies achieved remarkable results under the circumstances at the time.

From 1980 to the end of his administration in 1987, South Korea's economic growth rate recovered from negative percentage to 13%, while the price increase on the Korean Peninsula fell from nearly 30% to 3%.

Even industries such as automobiles, electronics, and shipbuilding have made rapid progress, and Daying and Shunyang have continued to benefit from them, with the per capita national income doubling.

It has to be said that although Quan Kaka is nepotistic and corrupt, his ability to make money far outweighs his ability to make money.

During his term of office, due to the correctness of these economic policies, the economy of the Korean Peninsula during this period was the fastest growing period in the history of the Korean Peninsula until long into the future, and the Han River Miracle also came to fruition during this period.

Strictly speaking, what he has done, together with the future leaders of the Korean Peninsula, is only worse than one or two people.

However, this rapid economic growth, while bringing a good life to the people, did not completely eliminate public opposition. In fact, because they ate well and slept well, protests demanding an end to the dictatorship became more developed and never stopped during his administration.

This is also one of his shortcomings.

Many people who opposed him at the time only thought that eating well and sleeping well were the result of their own efforts.

He is too tough, which makes him accustomed to governing the country in a military style, resulting in him not caring too much about the influence of public opinion.

That's not true. His control over public opinion is reflected in another aspect. He would directly send people from the security headquarters to forcibly close those newspapers.

For example, if you participate in a march or protest, there is a high probability that the Sanqing Education Team will come to your house and beat you up, which is very damaging to your reputation.

Especially since he committed this kind of white terror incident, he did not dare to strangle the source of these propaganda, that is, the politicians who created public opinion.

Also, because the governance time was too short, he offended those chaebols and politicians in the process. These people all attach great importance to public opinion, and he did not have time to deal with the negative information about the regime in a timely manner.

But now, the politicians and chaebols who were offended by Quan Kaka in the past hold power, and hostility towards him has become politically correct. Even the current President Li Lianchang is unwilling to personally help introduce Li You, and even wants to use this incident to bury the nail in his hands.

The good things that Quan Kaka did were that after the rapid economic growth, the people of the Korean Peninsula could have enough food to eat, and even live a good life as long as they did not actively participate in those troublesome activities. It was easy to buy a car and a house, and various industries on the Korean Peninsula were developed, increasing trade.
No one mentioned these.

All that was mentioned was his brutal side, and the fact that he sent out air transporters to educate the citizens of Gwangju.

In fact, if anyone really compares life now and then, they will find that as long as you don't cause trouble at that time, you can really live a very comfortable life.

"What's going on outside," Quan Douguang was silent for a while, then sighed softly, feeling a little disappointed, "Thank you, President Li, for your help."

This was the first time he spoke to Li You using honorifics since they met and greeted each other.

He also knew how bad his reputation was now, and he knew that he would probably not be able to get rid of this reputation for a long, long time in the future.

"What do you think I did wrong?" Quan Douguang stared at Li You. "What did I do wrong?"

Li You smiled, put down the empty teacup, looked up and looked at him, "You are too weak."

(End of this chapter)