However, this is not the time to concern ourselves with what kind of person Jiao Xiafei is.

Li Xiangdong and Chun Shuwei didn't even have time to catch up before the three of them were hastily summoned to a very secluded villa for a meeting.

The content of the meeting was similar to what Liu Donglai had told him.

Li Xiangdong even knew about this in his previous life.

That is, they want to buy back the aircraft carrier "Varyag" that was given to Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union, under the guise of being businessmen.

At that time, the Varyag aircraft carrier was more than half completed. If it had been assigned to Russia, it would certainly have continued to be built and entered service with the navy.

However, Ukraine's financial resources do not allow the Varyag to continue construction, and dismantling the Varyag would conservatively cost $250 million.

Therefore, whether it's demolition or construction, it's a heavy burden for Ukraine.

After a period of mediation and appeals, the Ukrainian government finally decided to sell the Varyag!

However, the Ukrainian government set a strict condition to prevent other countries from obtaining the aircraft carrier technology.

That means the Varyag will only be sold to individuals, not to countries.

In addition, there is another rule that cannot be made public, but is an ironclad rule: Western countries absolutely will not allow Ukraine to sell the "Varyag" aircraft carrier to China.

However, acquiring the "Varyag" aircraft carrier was something China was determined to do and had no choice but to do.

We don't have the time or the capacity to develop aircraft carrier technology from scratch.

The Chinese navy is far too weak.

The West has an unparalleled naval advantage.

Moreover, the "Strait Crisis" broke out at the beginning of this year, two years earlier than in the previous life.

In February 1993, tensions across the Taiwan Strait suddenly escalated due to Li Moumou's visit to the United States.

In April 1993, the Chinese Navy conducted a large-scale military exercise in the relevant waters to deter relevant forces on the island.

Just then, the United States intervened.

The US Nimitz carrier strike group is blatantly sailing in the strait.

This is an absolute disgrace to us!

How can our country tolerate such bullying?

Therefore, in response to this threat from the United States, our country conducted its third military exercise.

This military exercise was very large in scale, with hundreds of thousands of army soldiers gathered, and the navy and air force mobilized almost all available units. The Second Artillery Corps also entered full combat readiness.

It's possible that our country's response made the United States feel provoked.

Three days later, the US Nimitz carrier strike group and the USS Independence carrier strike group once again entered the strait and began a standoff with the Chinese navy.

This is the "Strait Crisis" that has been recorded in history.

And now, only two months have passed since this crisis.

"To be honest, we have absolutely no chance of winning this crisis."

An elderly man with white hair and beard sat in the main seat and said to Li Xiangdong and the other two, "Unless we fight a nuclear war at all costs."

The room fell silent.

The veins on Chun Shuwei's forehead were bulging, and his blood vessels were throbbing, indicating the turmoil in his heart.

Jiao Xiafei, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, maintaining her dignified demeanor.

As the only person who had ever fully understood the "Strait Crisis," Li Xiangdong knew that the old man was absolutely right.

At that time, my country's air force equipment was very poor. Although it had more than 4,400 fighter jets of various types, first and second generation aircraft accounted for as much as 84%.

At this time, the US military had already begun to use information technology throughout its armed forces and was fighting beyond visual range warfare, while the J-5 and J-6 fighters of the Chinese Air Force were still undertaking close-range combat missions.

If this war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, the only aircraft that can truly put up a fight against the US Air Force are 570 J-7s, 130 J-8s, and 24 Su-27s.

Even if the US military doesn't intervene, the advanced third-generation fighter jets imported from the US and France by forces on the other side of the strait possess beyond-visual-range strike capabilities, completely overwhelming the performance of my country's air force.

Not to mention the F-14 Tomcat, F-18 Hornet, and EA-6B Prowler fighter jets that the U.S. Air Force has deployed to the Strait.

This disparity is disheartening.

Faced with a gap that seemed insurmountable, our tactic was to trade eight for one.

The idea was to use eight J-8 fighters as human shields, allowing the enemy to fire all their missiles and creating opportunities for their comrades behind them.

Such tactics are tragic, yet filled with a deep sense of helplessness.

Major countries and military organizations around the world have conducted simulations of possible naval battles.

All the deductions point to one result:

That is, two US carrier strike groups can defeat the Chinese navy with zero casualties.

During this Taiwan Strait crisis, due to the lack of large surface warships in the Chinese navy, we had to urgently requisition more than 2,000 fishing boats and attach army tanks and artillery to them to make up for the lack of firepower at sea.

This helpless choice made the opposing forces laugh their heads off.

In their view, this was suicide.

We naturally know that mounting land-based artillery on ships was a last resort.

But why should we do this?

We want to show the United States and the hostile forces on the other side that we are not afraid to die!

Even if it means death, we are determined to defend our national sovereignty and territory.

The soldiers who participated in the military exercise all wrote their wills; they went there without intending to come back alive.

We are militarily weaker than you, but we are not afraid to die.

For China, territorial integrity is the bottom line, and it must be defended no matter the cost.

Ultimately, this desperate, suicidal standoff shocked the United States. Fearing that we would recklessly drop nuclear weapons, they voluntarily withdrew 270 nautical miles.

With this, the Taiwan Strait crisis was officially resolved.

"This sense of helplessness and tragedy is something that none of you here would want to experience again."

The white-haired old man said in a low voice, "If we want to catch up, we must do whatever it takes."

Chun Shuwei was the first to respond, "Mr. Huang, please feel free to make arrangements as needed."

The old man's gaze swept over Li Xiangdong and Jiao Xiafei, who immediately responded, "We will follow the organization's arrangements!"

"good!"

The old man gently patted the table. "The reason we chose the three of you is a decision we made after careful consideration."

Five years ago, Chun Shuwei moved to Hong Kong with his family and founded a business company called "Hengshi".

In just five years, Hengshi Company has become one of the leading companies in Hong Kong.

Since Jiao Xiafei brought her son Miao Peng to Hong Kong, she has quickly established herself in the financial and trade sector thanks to her considerable funds.

Only Li Xiangdong, a country bumpkin who had just come from the village, had a pittance in his pocket that was really not enough compared to Jiao Xiafei and Chun Shuwei.