Chapter 483 This World Is Too Crazy: Let Us Thank the President

In 1998, in the emerging world of the internet, if anyone could be called the number one internet influencer, it would undoubtedly be the President of the United States.

He's self-taught and, in the absence of any tutorials on how to become an internet celebrity, he's mastered the art of generating online traffic.

In a short while, he showcased America's advanced weapons one after another, letting people around the world witness what it meant to have warships being massed like dumplings and planes flying like swarms of bees, eliciting cheers from military enthusiasts.

Soon after, American media outlets began citing insider information, reporting on decapitation strikes, regime change, and a series of operational plans.

The latter, coupled with the former's large-scale and high-profile troop buildup in the Gulf region, is truly chilling.

Everyone felt the immense pressure; war was imminent.

The international community has gone mad.

Iraq was a traditional sphere of influence of the Soviet Union, and now Russia, as the successor to the Soviet Union, naturally has to protect it.

The Russian president attended the United Nations and strongly condemned the US military action, threatening to take further necessary measures.

According to media reports, these dangerous measures include secretly sending "volunteers" to Iraq and providing crucial intelligence.

Some international military and political experts also analyzed that Russia is likely to create incidents in other hotspots, such as Kosovo, to exert restraint.

However, Yang Tao believes that Kosovo doesn't need to create trouble at all; it already has a lot of trouble. On February 28th of this year, local Albanian militants clashed with Serbian police in a bloody conflict, and since then, the fighting has continued unabated.

It is said that by August, the number of Kosovo refugees had reached more than 200,000.

Everyone thinks this data is conservative.

There are at least 200,000 people who regularly go to the Bucharest container market to buy goods to sell in Yugoslavia. Kosovo is already in complete chaos.

Just throw a little fire into it, or even no fire at all, and it will crackle and pop on its own.

Good heavens, who could have imagined? Just ten years ago, that land was the renowned socialist glory—the real Yugoslavia.

With Tito gone, Yugoslavia was finished.

It is clear that for ordinary people, powerful leaders may be the real blessing in this world.

Of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia stands unequivocally in opposition to the United States.

The remaining three permanent members—

In response to the US military action against Iraq, China, in accordance with its consistent style, reiterated the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes on occasions such as the United Nations and called for respect for national sovereignty.

On the surface, it appears to be a neutral stance, unbiased and impartial.

But in reality, not supporting it at this point is tantamount to opposing it, and it's clear that they don't want to see the US actually invade Iraq.

As for Britain, as an old imperialist country that was completely devastated by World War II, although the Labour Party led by Prime Minister Blair had a strong anti-war tradition, the special diplomatic relationship between Britain and the United States forced Britain to not directly express its opposition, but it also did not show much enthusiasm for the response.

In contrast, French President Jacques Chirac had a much better life than the British Prime Minister; at least he didn't have to struggle with his own internal conflicts.

Because France in 1998 still inherited the legacy of Gaullism, strategic autonomy was in their diplomatic DNA.

Moreover, it has deep economic ties with Iraq, is one of Iraq's largest European creditors, and has huge oil interests in Iraq through the "Oil-for-Food" program.

It seized the opportunity to label itself as "the rational voice of the international community" and a check on "fervent American hegemony."

Looking at the French president and foreign minister frequently appearing in the media, Yang Tao felt that France's presence in this crisis was actually stronger than that of Russia, which was the first to jump out, and China.

She felt a little incredulous when she talked about this on the phone with her boss.

Wang Xiao laughed: "That's France for you. When it comes to playing tricks, it wants to get everyone's attention. There aren't many countries in the whole world that can outdo it."

Russia's opposition is indeed fierce. The Russian national character doesn't really know how to use rules or how to leave people speechless.

Just like its nickname suggests, it's a polar bear that only knows how to conduct military deterrence in a crude manner.

The French are so cunning. Even though they were completely defeated in World War II, it didn't stop them from reaping benefits after the war.

Their opposition is sophisticated, systematic, and strikes at the heart of the legitimacy of American actions.

Look at them! First, they didn't hesitate to threaten to use their veto power at the United Nations to block any resolution authorizing the use of force. Then, they actively united with Russia and China to maintain a unified stance on this issue.

In addition, it spearheaded various alternative proposals, such as strengthening weapons inspections and establishing no-fly zones. If the French government doesn't generate at least three headlines a day, it's likely they haven't met their KPIs.

Even if you realize that they are just using the guise of solving a problem to delay the process and expose America's impure motives, there's nothing you can do about it now.

Can't you see that the British government is holding back right now?

The French pointed their fingers at Britain and cursed it, saying that Britain was a vassal state of the United States, and Britain still had to put up with it.

Wang Xiao said with a laugh, "Just you wait and see, this time, no matter what the outcome, France won't suffer any losses."

It positions itself on the moral high ground of anti-war sentiment, and could become an indispensable pole in a multipolar world in the future.

If it succeeds in blocking or seriously questioning the actions of the United States, it will severely damage the United States' international credibility and leadership.

Moreover, by cooperating with Germany and isolating Britain, it will consolidate the Franco-German axis as the sole core of Europe and promote Europe toward greater strategic autonomy.

Even if the war could not be stopped in the end and continued in flames, France's firm opposition gave it important leverage in the postwar arrangements, and the United States would be forced to make concessions to France in the distribution of postwar interests.

This is a way to benefit without actually fighting or lifting a finger, without completely overturning the table.

When it comes to playing politics, before the West was completely fooled, they were all shrewd and calculating.

Wang Xiao reminded Yang Tao: "If you're interested, take a closer look. The struggle may manifest differently in different contexts, but its essence has never changed."

Yang Tao immediately agreed, then asked the boss again, "Aren't you coming? You really aren't coming when the bell rings?"

The so-called bell-ringing ceremony is the listing ceremony on Nasdaq.

Yang Tao found it unbelievable. Although she had never participated in the stock market in China, her common sense told her that it was not an easy task for any company to issue stocks and raise funds.

Otherwise, wouldn't the stock market be in chaos?

When they got to the US, the Nasdaq stock market was like crazy. There was so much money and so few people, it was like they were rushing to list their websites so that it would be easier for them to put their money in.

Wang Xiao laughed, with a hint of regret: "Never mind, I won't go. You guys have been busy from beginning to end, and you're the ones who should be showing your faces."

Okay, she is actually curious; she's never rung the bell at Nasdaq before.

But when it comes to survival, curiosity doesn't seem to be that important.

That's right. Although she often acts recklessly and seeks thrills, she is actually very afraid of death.

She's acting out of guilt! Since she tricked the US president, she shouldn't go to his territory to provoke him.

How can this not be considered a form of respect? She's such a good person.

Yang Tao was a little disappointed, but she couldn't force her boss, so she said, "Boss, when you have time, you can come over and give us some guidance on our work."

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "There's nothing to guide you on. You guys are the experts in this area right now. To grow bigger and stronger in the future, we'll need your experience."

Even after hanging up the phone, Yang Tao still felt guilty.

What experience could they possibly have? Absolutely no experience; they were simply pushed forward by the craze.

Honestly, the frenzy surrounding the Nasdaq index, or rather, the frenzy in the United States, frightened her.

Logically speaking, war should cause people to feel panicked and lead to a depression in the financial markets.

But in reality, every time the US deploys its military and unveils a new weapon, the US stock market surges.

If the Dow Jones Industrial Average is still within a normal range of increases, then the Nasdaq is acting like it's gone mad. No invasive species in the world can match its frenzy.

During the meal, Yang Tao spoke with Zhou Liang, first telling him that the boss was busy and wouldn't be coming, and then, when talking about the frenzied atmosphere in the United States, she couldn't help but frown: "I originally thought that the Republicans would at least try to stop it, and that there would be anti-war protests in the United States!"

Just like during the Vietnam War, anti-war protests came one after another.

Zhou Liang shook his head: "Most Republicans are hawks in foreign policy. The last president was a Republican who fought the Gulf War."

This is also what he found most interesting about the American president the more he thought about him.

His move effectively united the enemy, preventing them from directly refusing; at the same time, it annoyed his allies, who were hesitant to directly turn against him, as it seemed they hadn't reached that point yet.

Everyone is in pain, everyone is suffering, everyone feels incredibly stifled, yet they have to hold their noses and endure it.

If you keep enduring it, it might actually become a habit.

Yang Tao touched her nose: "Is it because it's summer vacation now? American college students are busy working or going home, so it's not convenient for them to gather together for a protest! It's unusually quiet right now."

That's really cunning!

She suspected that the Washington president had deliberately chosen this particular time.

Zhou Liang swallowed a piece of braised beef and smiled as he continued, "I actually discussed this issue with President Tang. He said that there are very few doves in the world; most are hawks. Those who advocate for peace are just afraid of losing a war."

Are American soldiers any good at fighting? Absolutely not! During World War I, they were a liability; nobody dared to rely on their fighting ability.

Even during World War II, they managed to stay afloat thanks to their weaponry and drug use.

So why didn't the Americans initially oppose the Korean War? It was because their victory in World War II gave them confidence.

It wasn't until the Korean War turned into a complete mess and the Americans got bogged down that anti-war protests began to erupt in the country.

The same situation occurred during the Vietnam War.

Because they couldn't win, because they were bogged down in the war, and because Americans and their families and loved ones were at risk of being dragged to the battlefield—God, even a fool like Forrest Gump went to the Vietnam War, which shows how scarce American manpower was at the time.

That's why Americans fear and loathe war.

Things are different now.

The last time the US military shocked the world was in the Gulf War, which directly rewrote the world's war landscape, defeated and disintegrated the Soviet Union, and made the United States the true king of the world.

It can be said that they reaped substantial profits from the war.

Moreover, even before this, Americans did not realize the importance of this war.

Now, as the Republican and Democratic parties engage in a war of words over the president's sex scandal and each claim credit for the booming economy, the widespread discussion online about the significance of the end of the Cold War has made people realize the value of this war.

Humans are creatures of experience; if you can win a battle and reap so many benefits, why not fight another one?

The tougher the White House's stance in Washington, the more inflated the confidence of the American people become. It's a silent threat—Yes, we are the kings. If you don't agree, let's fight!

So, something extremely strange happened: the latest polls show that the scandal-ridden US president's approval rating has once again surpassed 50%. His approval rating is rising very rapidly, especially among young people.

It is clear that in the face of self-interest, so-called morality and conscience, like the love of peace, are false propositions.

Yang Tao felt she had ample reason to suspect that even if the war were to end now and the impeachment process were to resume, the US president could still win this victory.

Because public opinion has quietly shifted with the start of this war.

It was halted, and supporters will believe that it was forced by the president's political enemies in order to forcibly end the state of war in the United States so that they could continue to impeach the president.

After Yang Tao finished explaining her analysis and speculation, she shook her head and said with a wry smile, "He really is the president; he's no ordinary person."

Zhou Liang took a sip of soup, his attitude becoming more cautious: "Let's see the results of the midterm elections in the fall. If the Democratic Party doesn't lose all its seats, maybe he really can make it through."

Yang Tao gave a wry smile: "If we can't get through this, even the Nasdaq won't allow it."

Look at the Nasdaq's crazy surge, the whole market is going crazy.

Can you believe it? "WoBuy.com" goes public with a market valuation of $1.5 billion.

OK, that's understandable. It's very popular. Moreover, thanks to the spread of the US president's scandal, "WoBuy.com" is now approaching the popularity of Yahoo and Amazon, and is on par with eBay.

But what about their soon-to-be-listed portal? It doesn't even have operating revenue, sufficient brand recognition, or a large number of active internet users, yet it has already been valued at $1 billion by the market based solely on the concept of cryptography.

When Yang Tao saw this result, she was convinced that the market had gone mad.

The only remaining question is how long it will go crazy, and just how crazy it can get.

That's 1 billion US dollars. If you put the same size sheet of white paper on a table, its weight would be enough to crush a huge conference table.

But now, it's just a line of flimsy numbers.

Yang Tao rummaged through the rice in her bowl and asked Zhou Liang with a puzzled look, "You said Americans often spend money like water, is it because they often use credit cards, so they don't feel the reality?"

Like her now, if you put a billion dollars in front of her, she would definitely be completely stunned.

But because it was a number, her reaction was simply two calm words: "Crazy!"

"I can't really say," Zhou Liang shook his head. "I just feel that the world will undergo a huge change, like the Gulf War in 1990, which directly destroyed the entire existing military-industrial complex. It's going to happen too fast."

After sighing for a while, he remembered to ask the key question, "Boss, did they mention when we can go back?"

Yang Tao shook her head: "He didn't say, but I guess it'll be soon."

Because once the stock market rises, especially with the Dow Jones Industrial Average following the Nasdaq, it becomes difficult to find undervalued companies. So far, apart from EDA, she hasn't successfully acquired any other projects, and even her plans to recruit talent have stalled.

They're doing just fine in the US, why would they want to go to China?

Zhou Liang comforted her, "It's alright, President Tang has recruited quite a few people from South Korea."

Why did Comrade Tang Yicheng's work progress so smoothly? Was it because their young brother Tang was exceptionally talented and had boundless personal charm?

Well, he's quite willing to brag about this, but the truth is that the South Korean economy isn't doing well.

At the beginning of the year, many people still fantasized that once the IMF entered the scene, South Korea, with its advanced productivity and highly skilled workforce, would quickly escape its economic quagmire.

For some reason, after six months, the situation didn't seem to improve much; in fact, you could even consider it worse.

In July of this year, Samsung, known as South Korea's largest conglomerate, finally decided to lay off a large number of employees, causing widespread distress.

Immediately afterwards, the other conglomerates breathed a sigh of relief and hastily began their own layoffs.

Even when the employees threatened to go on a hunger strike, the chaebols pretended not to see it.

With the economic situation showing no signs of improvement, the Blue House claims that the old guard is obstructing the government's reform efforts. However, the opposition counters that the IMF's policies are rigid, failing to consider South Korea's realities and are simply a rigid application of foreign models, completely unsuitable for the country.

What will the argument ultimately lead to? Only God knows.

Anyway, taking advantage of this favorable wind, Tang Yicheng has been recruiting a large number of professional talents.

It has to be said that panic is contagious; large-scale layoffs are far too easy for employees to seriously doubt their self-worth. People who would never have considered working in what they considered a backward country like China were forced to agree, even if it meant accepting the generous salaries.

He was busy until September before he finally left South Korea and returned to Hong Kong.

Oh dear, after more than a year, his return to Hong Kong wasn't really because he missed the food. He's gotten used to it, and he can even eat Korean food now. Besides, if you have money, you won't eat too badly anywhere.

What truly forced Brother Tang to return was that he needed to deal with a piece of land.

The situation with this land is that it's a piece of collateral.

In June 1997, Tang Yicheng did indeed clear out all the land and real estate he owned so that, as his boss requested, he could invest all the money in Southeast Asia to short sell and make money.

The problem is, if you're in Hong Kong, you're bound to have financial dealings with others. Back then, someone borrowed money from him using a piece of land as collateral, and kept delaying repayment day after day.

Because the money was borrowed and put into the stock market, and the borrowers are reluctant to take it out.

Then tragedy struck.

Last year, before Soros ended up in the ICU, didn't he lead Wall Street speculative capital to attack the Hong Kong dollar? In an effort to protect the Hong Kong dollar, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised interest rates sharply, which directly led to a stock market crash, leaving a lot of investors trapped and unable to get out.

The guy who borrowed the money was one of them.

Even more tragically, the plunge in Hong Kong stocks led to a decline in market confidence, further impacting the already struggling housing market due to rising interest rates, resulting in a continued sharp drop in housing prices.

As is well known, housing prices are positively correlated with land prices. When housing prices fall, land prices will certainly not stabilize, and the value of the land will shrink rapidly.

Finally, when the US stock market crash triggered another drop in Hong Kong stocks, the borrower couldn't take it anymore and jumped off a building.

The debts remain even after a person dies. The property he had previously mortgaged cannot be returned to his family by the creditors just because he jumped off a building.

Tang Yicheng was certainly not that kind of saintly father.

Even though a piece of land has temporarily plummeted in value, if you hold onto it, it might appreciate in value later.

After all, Hong Kong's situation is different from Japan's. Japan has no one backing it up, and the United States cannot take over for it.

But Hong Kong is backed by the mainland, a mainland with a huge population.

Tang Yicheng estimated that, in the long run, land prices in Hong Kong would continue to rise.

But he never expected that this long period would be so short.

It has only been six months since Hong Kong property prices plummeted to rock bottom, and prices have already begun to rebound.

He initially treated this situation as a sporadic occurrence, but in the following months, Hong Kong property prices began to rise one by one, just like a full-scale recovery.

As we all know, house prices rise because people live in them; houses without people living in them cannot truly appreciate in value.

Given that even after Hong Kong's return to China, there are still strict restrictions on mainlanders traveling to Hong Kong, the only people and money flowing into Hong Kong can be foreign capital and foreign investors.

It was only at this point that Zhou Liang belatedly realized that Hong Kong had once again become a safe haven for international finance; that not everyone was cheering for the US attack on Iraq, that they too were afraid of instability and chose Hong Kong, which they perceived as safer and more stable.

Because the Hong Kong dollar held up during the previous Southeast Asian financial crisis; it never depreciated.

This is crucial for financial investors seeking stability. Nobody wants to invest in interest only to have their principal wiped out by currency devaluation.

Tang Yicheng stroked his chin, finding the matter increasingly interesting.

He felt he could take this opportunity to attract more funds to use the land he acquired as collateral to create greater value under the guise of semiconductor high technology.

After all, the political systems are different, and the educational and mindset patterns are also different. In terms of attracting international high-tech talent, Hong Kong has its own unique advantages over the mainland.

An announcement came over the airplane's intercom: "The plane is about to land. Please fasten your seatbelts."

The flight attendants, with their impeccable makeup, were checking the seatbelts of each passenger.

Tang Yicheng put down the newspaper in his hand, took one last look at the proud American president, and sincerely thanked him in his heart: Thank you!

If it weren't for your actions, Hong Kong's economy might not have recovered so quickly.

That's just how the United States is; with just a little movement, the earth trembles.

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[Sigh] My cold is worse than I thought, and it still hasn't gotten better. I have a headache, runny nose, sore throat, and to make matters worse, I even have a stiff neck. Utterly miserable! [Cracking face]