Reborn in 1950: Shorting the Federal Reserve at the Start

"On what grounds?"

Faced with President Peng's overwhelming questioning, Shen Jinghong did not rush to defend herself.

He simply stood there quietly, letting the battle-hardened veteran scrutinize him with his gaze.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. In the army, the last young man who dared to "go against" General Peng like this would probably have been relegated to the mess hall as a scapegoat.

President Peng did not stop because of Shen Jinghong's silence.

He strode to the table, grabbed the well-worn intelligence summary, and slammed it onto the table in front of Shen Jinghong.

"Snapped!"

Paper flew everywhere.

"You're not going to say anything? Fine, then I'll speak for you!"

General Peng's voice was hoarse, yet it carried a heartbreaking heaviness:

"According to intelligence, a U.S. infantry division has a strength of 18,000 men."

"They have seventy-two howitzers with calibers of 105mm or larger! And over one hundred and forty tanks! Even infantry squads are equipped with radios!"

"What about us?"

General Peng stretched out his large, calloused hand and made a pitiful gesture:

"Our entire army, with over 30,000 men, aside from a few mountain guns captured from the Kuomintang that we have to use sparingly, is entirely equipped with mortars!"

"There are even rifles!"

"That was a 'hodgepodge' of weapons! There were Hanyang rifles, Zhongzheng rifles, Type 38 rifles, and even homemade guns from who-knows-when! Some soldiers only had a few hand grenades!"

As President Peng spoke, he became more and more emotional, and his eyes had already reddened without him noticing.

He turned around, his back to the crowd, his shoulders trembling slightly.

This tough guy, who sheds blood but not tears on the battlefield, had a slight sob in his voice at this moment:

"Young comrade, do you know what this means?"

"This means that once war breaks out, our soldiers will have to use their flesh and blood to withstand the enemy's overwhelming force!"

"That means that under the constant barrage of artillery fire, we could only hide in the tunnels and take the hits, unable to even lift our heads!"

"I, Peng Shichuan, have fought my whole life. I am not afraid of death! Nor am I afraid of defeat!"

He turned around abruptly, his tiger-like eyes brimming with tears, staring intently at Shen Jinghong:

"But I'm scared!"

"I'm afraid that if I take these hundreds of thousands of young children out, I won't be able to bring them back!"

"They were all born of parents, the pillars of their families! If they were to die so inexplicably due to insufficient firepower, how could I face their parents in the afterlife?!"

These words were like the mournful cry of a cuckoo.

The conference room was deathly silent.

Several old generals quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of their eyes.

The great man sat in his chair, the cigarette burning his fingers, yet he was completely unaware.

this is the truth.

A stark and bloody reality.

The spiritual atomic bomb can indeed create miracles, but the lack of material resources is the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of every volunteer soldier.

Besides firepower, there is an even more deadly logistical burden.

"And air superiority."

Another leader in charge of logistics also stood up, sighed, and added:

"The American planes swarmed like locusts, and our supply lines were like sitting ducks for them."

"Winter is just around the corner, and it's incredibly cold in North Korea, with temperatures dropping to minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius. But we haven't gathered enough cotton-padded coats yet, and many soldiers are still wearing light clothing from the south."

"The food was even worse; all we had was fried noodles. There was no hot water, so we had to swallow it dry, and my stomach was burning with pain."

"This battle... is going to be tough."

Each sigh was like a giant boulder, pressing down on people and making it hard to breathe.

Shabby.

That's too shabby.

To risk everything against the world's strongest nation with such resources is not just courageous; it's downright a tragic, suicidal charge.

Shen Jinghong listened quietly the whole time.

He looked at General Peng's weathered face and at the worried eyes of the leaders present.

His heart was trembling.

The faces frozen by ice and snow, the "ice sculptures" in charge stances, from his past life's history books, became incredibly clear in his mind.

That is a pain that will forever remain in the hearts of the Chinese nation.

But in this life.

Now that he's here, now that he's brought that "warehouse" that leads to the future...

He would never allow history to repeat itself!

"General Peng, esteemed leaders."

Shen Jinghong finally spoke.

He was no longer as arrogant as before, but instead full of respect, even with a hint of heartache.

He stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the intelligence papers scattered on the table one by one, arranging them neatly.

"I know all of this."

"We are poor, we have a weak foundation, and we are truly risking our lives."

Shen Jinghong raised her head, straightened her collar, and a light like never before burned in her eyes behind her glasses.

That's confidence.

It is also a promise.

"But that was yesterday."

He put the organized documents aside and then pushed the black briefcase he had brought in front of General Peng.

"President Peng, the Shenzhou Bureau has made up for your concerns about insufficient firepower."

"The air superiority you're worried about, Shenzhou Bureau will take it back for you."

"Your concerns about cotton-padded clothing, food, and logistical supplies..."

Shen Jinghong patted the briefcase; the sound, though soft, was like metal striking the ground, resounding and powerful.

"The China Bureau has taken care of everything!"

All-inclusive?

These three words, seemingly light and airy, carry the weight of a thousand pounds.

President Peng was stunned.

He looked at the excessively young bureau chief in front of him, and at his confident and somewhat arrogant demeanor, and his brows furrowed even more.

"You've covered everything? That's quite an ambitious statement."

General Peng scoffed, clearly unconvinced. "Do you know how many people we're going to send? Hundreds of thousands! Do you know how much that costs?"

"Even if you bring back those few planes and cannons, what good will they do? Do you expect me to use these prototypes to intimidate the Americans?"

In General Peng's view, the things Shen Jinghong brought back were invaluable as scientific research samples, but as war consumables, they were simply a drop in the ocean.

"Sample item?"

Shen Jinghong smiled.

He shook his head, a mysterious smile curving his lips.

"President Peng, it seems you still lack a direct understanding of the term 'Shenzhou Bureau'."

"Since words are not enough, let's see for ourselves."

As she spoke, Shen Jinghong turned around and took out a strangely shaped, dark iron box from her handbag.

That was a portable projector.

Of course, it has been "modified" by the system. The outer shell is made of painted iron sheet from this era, making it look like a bulky old-fashioned slide projector, but inside it is equipped with 21st-century high-definition lenses and chips.

"What is this?" Marshal Nie asked curiously.

"A peep show."

Shen Jinghong casually made up a name, quickly placed the machine at the end of the conference table, plugged it in, and pointed the lens at the snow-white wall.

"Gentlemen, please turn off the lights."

The guard did as instructed and turned off the lights.

The conference room was plunged into darkness instantly, except for a bright beam of light shooting out from the lens of the metal box.

The beam of light shone on the wall, and instead of a blurry black and white shadow, it produced a highly clear color image!

"Whoa!"

A gasp of amazement rang out from the darkness.

These days, even color films are rare, let alone "slides" of this clarity.

"General Manager Peng, distinguished leaders."

Shen Jinghong stood in the interplay of light and shadow, holding a pointer in his hand, pointing at the image on the wall, his voice carrying the exhilarating feeling of a grand curtain being drawn back:

"Everyone was complaining about being poor just now, saying that our firepower is meager."

"Now, please enjoy a sci-fi movie from the future."

"Look at what our Shenzhou Bureau has prepared for the volunteer soldiers—our real resources!"

The screen flashed.

The previously still screen suddenly started moving.

That's not a photo, that's a video!

Moreover, it's a high-definition live-fire exercise video that's been edited and accompanied by rousing background music!

The first frame is a close-up of the 155mm heavy howitzer, its menacing and imposing form against the setting sun.

The enormous muzzle seemed to be pointed directly at everyone in the conference room.

"this……"

General Peng's eyes widened instantly, his body involuntarily leaned forward, and his breath caught in his throat.

What kind of cannon is this?

How come it's even bigger than the one he saw at the Soviet Union?

Shen Jinghong didn't give him time to think and pressed the play button directly.

"boom--!!!"

Even in a conference room without sound system, the visual impact was so powerful that it was as if one could hear the deafening sound of cannons.

The show is about to begin.