I'm the boss because I have a harem of anime characters.

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Since Qin Shan adopted a laissez-faire attitude, Washington naturally knew what its admiral was thinking. The marriage ship and the admiral were of one mind, so she did not take any action and let Clinton do his little tricks, through layers of authorization to load nuclear bombs onto F117A stealth bombers (the same kind that bombed our embassy), in order to give the Iranian army a little surprise.

Parallel universe number eight, September 16, 1997, 2:11 AM.

A U.S. F-117A stealth bomber dropped a 400-kiloton nuclear bomb east of Chabahar, a coastal city in southeastern Iran, northeast of the Gulf of Oman.

When the nuclear cloud rose, the whole world fell silent, and everyone stared in stunned silence at the scene.

The US has gone mad, Iran is finished—that's the consensus worldwide.

This will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions. What will other nuclear-armed countries think? The US government has opened Pandora's box, turning the clock of doomsday forward. No one knows what will happen next.

But this war will definitely end. The Iranian government will collapse under a nuclear strike, and then the US can save face... Holy crap! Iran, what are you doing, Iran!

"Fight! Fight! Fight! The people of Iran, the warriors of Iran, the warriors of Allah! Only through fighting can we survive! Nuclear bombs cannot intimidate us! Even if the United States were to drop all its nuclear weapons on Iran, it could not destroy our country!"

The situation quickly slid into the worst possible scenario for the US government. The Iranian government was not deterred but chose to continue its offensive. The Iranian soldiers on the front lines were not intimidated either; on the contrary, they launched an even more frenzied attack. Mushroom clouds rose over the US positions, but they were not nuclear weapons; instead, they were various types of thermobaric bombs.

Thermobaric weapons for individual soldiers, thermobaric bombs, and thermobaric rockets are incredibly useful for simple defensive fortifications. Furthermore, after the US military pioneered the use of nuclear weapons, Iran no longer adheres to any rules of war. If the US uses nuclear weapons, then whatever Iran uses is justified. Thermobaric weapons combined with autogenous phosphorus incendiary bombs are far gentler than your nuclear weapons.

"Damn it, why are they still able to fight? Why?!"

Inside his White House office, Clinton, his eyes bloodshot, was yelling furiously at his advisors.

He couldn't accept this outcome. Nuclear weapons are powerful, invincible, and an unquestionable force on Earth. No one can resist them. Why can Iran still fight? Why? By what right?

This is the mindset of imperialism; they believe that interests are everything. But for the Iranian people, this is a matter of life and death. As long as the troops on the front lines do not collapse and continue fighting, they have no reason to back down and must support their country's soldiers, because without their perseverance, only more nuclear bombs will fall on Iranian soil.

Logically speaking, most countries would beg for mercy at this point, and those with a bit of backbone would seek mediation from other countries to back down with a relatively dignified step. Iran has already proven that its conventional military strength is enough to make the United States wary.

But who would have thought that Iran would stand its ground and declare that it would fight the United States to the death? If you have the guts, drop all your nuclear bombs on Iran. We'll fight you to the death. I want to see how many nuclear bombs the United States has to drop.

After you've used up all your nuclear weapons, plenty of people will want your lives.

The United States certainly cannot commit all of its nuclear deterrent to a war against Iran; that would be foolish. But now they have no other choice. Should they admit defeat to Iran? After using nuclear weapons, the United States admitted defeat to Iran.

Don't be ridiculous. If that happened, the US government would become a laughing stock worldwide and wouldn't be able to control anyone.

Therefore, we cannot admit defeat, at least not at this point. On the contrary, we must continue fighting, we must...

"This war has already threatened world peace and the continuation of human civilization. As a responsible and committed major power, Xinhua will stop the war from continuing, especially to prevent the outbreak of nuclear war."

Yes, at this time, Xinhua stepped in and told the United States and the world directly: If you want to fight, you can, but don't drag the whole world down with you. We are all people trying to make a living, and peace and development are the main themes right now.

Other countries strongly agreed with these words. From European and American street light fixture manufacturers to Russian comprador oligarchs, everyone firmly stood on Xinhua's side and supported Xinhua's contribution to world peace. The UN Secretary-General even publicly stated: "This is a great country doing a great thing for human civilization."

The US government suddenly found itself seemingly on the opposite side of the entire world.

In fact, it wasn't just other countries; the United States also experienced serious internal divisions. Don't forget, the country that produced a series of post-apocalyptic films and introduced the concept of a nuclear wasteland was the United States, which was part of the nuclear intimidation tactics against the Soviet Union.

They successfully intimidated Soviet bureaucrats, as well as their own citizens and other allies.

Nuclear weapons are falling, and everyone goes crazy with Mad Max.

No, you can't!

The elites at the top want an idyllic pastoral life, not a wasteland hymn sung with a bunch of bizarre offspring. America's current behavior is like deciding to burn itself and everyone else as a sacrifice after seeing the Soviet Union go. You've had enough, but we haven't.

Soon, people started taking walks in front of the White House. At the same time, both parties in the United States reached a consensus: Clinton could not be allowed to continue like this. He had to give everyone an explanation, even if it was just him giving an explanation.

If Clinton's previous nuclear offensive had succeeded, the problem would certainly have become insignificant, because the American people can accept an inglorious victory. But you lost, and it's really like a competition: being bad is the original sin, no explanation is accepted, and you have to commit suicide to atone for your sins.

And so began a full-scale coup attempt within the United States.

Section 51: Then cover it up with an even bigger problem.

Clinton was removed from office not because he lost control of his zipper, but because of mental health issues.

This is already a very respectable outcome; it only ended his political and social life, not his physical life.

Wall Street and the US government chose to give the world an explanation, or rather, they felt that such an explanation was sufficient, and the rest could be resolved more gracefully. In any case, it wouldn't be resolved with nuclear weapons, since they couldn't possibly continue to drop nuclear bombs on Iran, because the US military had already surrendered completely, and 400,000 US troops had been dispersed by the Iranian government and sent to various cities within the country.

To put it bluntly, they are hostages. Nobody knows where they are being hidden, but if the US government dares to bomb them, they will definitely die.

Then, conversely, one could slap on the label that "the US government is massacring its own soldiers." Considering the "fine tradition" of the US military, the American public is quite willing to believe that friendly forces were killed.

When it comes to being inhuman, the American people have always firmly believed that the US government is inhuman.

The shadow of nuclear war has once again dissipated, but the world can never go back to what it was before. At least Iran has proven one thing: for a country of its size, as long as it is willing to sacrifice and fight, the US military is just a slightly larger elite.

Actually, there are elements of cheating involved, player-controlled advantages, and other things that others are unaware of.

Xinhua is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, having defeated the five permanent members of the UN forces. Iran defeated the United States, and even if it doesn't become a permanent member, it is at least the first among the permanent members. It is more convincing than Germany and Japan. It really annihilated more than 400,000 American troops, and it did so while under the threat of nuclear weapons. Japan's two nuclear bombs back then did not have the yield of one of its bombs. Moreover, Japan's war was a fascist war of aggression, while Iran's war was a war of resistance against aggression.

A great victory, a truly great victory, a victory that has inspired great enthusiasm in the Third World.

The subsequent negotiations were completed with Xinhua's mediation. The Iranian side was arrogant and completely disregarded the US government, asking directly: "How much does the US government think 400,000 soldiers are worth? How much are the losses we Iranians have suffered worth? We can give you a chance to make an offer, but you only have one chance. If the US government's offer does not meet our expectations, then the 400,000 American soldiers can work in Iran to pay off their debts. Don't worry, we won't make them work twenty hours a day like workers during the British Industrial Revolution."

This is a blatant slap in the face, but facing Iran, which holds the lives of 400,000 American soldiers in its hands, the US government simply cannot stand firm. Moreover, Iran has proven with its own persistence that it is fully capable of continuing to confront the United States even in the face of nuclear war.

I'll say it again: if you're so capable, then really bomb Iran flat. Otherwise, we'll fight to the death. We Iranians may not be able to boast about other capabilities, but we can certainly sabotage America's Middle East strategy.

Who told me Iran is in the Middle East? Can you move me away? *Sigh*

The US government, which was passive throughout the negotiations, performed very poorly. Even the personal intervention of a veteran diplomat like Kissinger could not reverse the situation. After Iran presented its conditions, it stated that it would not conduct any further negotiations until the US government agreed to them. As for the American soldiers, we will broadcast their labor process live.

To put it bluntly, this is a way to put pressure on American public opinion, forcing the next US president to solve this problem. This isn't just a hot potato anymore; it's molten lava.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that the US government would not be satisfied with demands that would satisfy Iran, but the US people would certainly not agree to demands that would not satisfy Iran. Either way, the US would lose some public support, affecting its approval rating and subsequent election votes. In short, it's a difficult situation.

Continuing to fight is fine, since Xinhua's main goal is to prevent nuclear war, but the problem is, damn it, we can't win.

Iran has gone mad, especially after annihilating 400,000 American troops. The entire country is filled with a fanatical atmosphere, and the newly appointed General Secretary, the spokesperson for the red Quran, has become the sun in the hearts of the Iranian people.

Victory is always very important, especially the kind of victory that turns the tide.

Players have become the most radiant group in Iran, able to wield the nation's power at will wherever they wish. This is their deserved authority and a consequence of the founding benefits of the Iranian Revolution.

The most idealistic, powerful, and authoritative generation; no one can question their determination.

This land, which once gave birth to a brilliant civilization, is once again bursting forth with a power that chills to the bone.

The US government is in a state of panic, and they even hoped that Xinhua could help put pressure on Iran, but Xinhua flatly refused.

For Xinhua, this is Iran's way of fighting the U.S. and aiding Korea. In terms of victory over the United States, Xinhua and Iran belong to the same community of interests. Even the European Union will stand by Iran at this time to cause trouble for the United States. This is a good opportunity for Europe to break away from the control of the United States. Once the United States' military power in the outer seas is severely weakened, it will be unable to continue to cause trouble. This is crucial for the peace and stability of Europe.

What? The US is the big brother of the Western world?

The eldest brother is meant to be a shield, and since he's the eldest brother, how could he not hold the line in crucial moments?

Go forth, America, God bless you.

"We must find a way to divert the attention of our own people and other countries!"

Albert Arnold Gore Jr., the former U.S. Vice President who ran alongside Clinton and is now the newly appointed President of the United States, is discussing with his staff how the U.S. should respond to the current situation.

Fun fact: After Clinton came Al Gore, who competed with George W. Bush for the presidency.

Although he was just a transitional president who was forced into the role and would likely have to take the blame, he was still president after all. Everyone has dreams, and what if they come true? If he does achieve them and really does it, then his re-election is guaranteed.

Therefore, Albert Jr. is very concerned about the Iranian issue and hopes to resolve it gracefully.

"Mr. President, in the short term, we are afraid we do not have enough power to take any action against Iran."

Albert was heartbroken by his staff’s reply, but he quickly came up with other solutions.

If the problem can't be solved, then cover it up with an even bigger one. What America needs now is a victory, no matter which country it's against. As long as it wins, everything will be OK.

Shifting the blame is a great strategy.

So the question arises: where do the new points of conflict lie?

Little Albert's gaze swept across the globe, finally settling on the Balkans.

Section 52: They can still reason with each other.

(Third update! La la la!)

Turning the pages of European history, especially modern history, the Balkans have a very strong presence.

To be precise, any region with multiple countries, ethnicities, and religions is prone to becoming a powder keg, unless there is a strong dominant ethnic group and religion; otherwise, it will inevitably become a single country.

Does the Balkans have a dominant ethnic group?

Yes, but it's not very useful, because in addition to the dominant ethnic group, there also needs to be a dominant belief. Both are indispensable. If you are a Muslim and I am a Christian, if you don't eat pork and I don't eat lamb, then you might start fighting over some trivial matter.

Human beings are more prone to splitting into "you" and "me" than to unite.

Since the modern era, as Europe has become the center of the world, the surrounding areas have naturally become hotspots. Just as other countries pay close attention to whatever the five permanent members of the UN Security Council do, Europe has been fully qualified to do so since the 18th century, and this attention has continued into the 21st century.

A landmark event was the outbreak of World War I, followed by the establishment and expansion of the Soviet Union, which led to anti-Soviet and anti-communist sentiments throughout Europe. The simplest way to stop the Soviet Union was to establish a blockade line from north to south.

This can be considered version 1.0 of the Iron Curtain.

But Nazi Germany failed, and the Soviet Union broke out of Eastern Europe and threatened Western Europe. However, there was still an independent regime in the Balkans, namely Yugoslavia. This became the place where the intelligence agencies of the United States and the Soviet Union clashed during the Cold War. That was also the golden age of Yugoslavia. Tito’s left-right divide and non-intervention allowed the country to experience the happiness of peace and development until Tito’s death.

The golden age ended. Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union collapsed together, followed by the collapse of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In the end, only Montenegro and Serbia, which had effectively lost Kosovo, remained.

However, the situation in the world of the eighth is different. Due to the strong rise of Xinhua, the United States’ attention has been drawn away. A series of chain reactions followed, which led to the United States being violently kicked off the throne before it could even put on the crown, leaving it in a sorry state. Even its basic base in the Middle East began to collapse, which in turn caused the Balkans to continue to lose its popularity and become a place that is not being paid attention to.

It's not that no one is paying attention, but compared to the power struggle between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, it can only be a minor issue in the newspapers.

However, for small countries, it is a good thing not to be coveted by large countries. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which includes Serbia and Montenegro, also known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for those born in the 1990s, still exists peacefully, but its economy is not very good. When the economy is not good, internal conflicts cannot be effectively suppressed, and it is easy for things like fighting to happen, which is something no one wants to see.

Don't forget that the Balkans have been ruled by several major powers. The major religious beliefs here include Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Islam, and other branches of faith are even more chaotic. If it could be divided, it could be completely divided into a new era of the Holy Roman Empire. Even the Electors of the Warhammer World Empire said that it was too decentralized.

Qin Shan's assessment of Yugoslavia was: "Its economic development is poor, but it can still be divided."

The current Yugoslavia is naturally unaware of how miserable its counterpart in the other world is. However, they now have access to the sea, which is a very fortunate thing, unlike Serbia in the mainland world, which is a completely landlocked country. This is a huge blow to Serbia; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they are surrounded and killed.

Fun fact: On May 30, 1992, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 757, imposing sanctions on Yugoslavia.

The sanctions are still in effect. The UN sanctions against major powers are a joke, but they are very effective against small countries. Yugoslavia has neither the strength to retaliate nor the strength to save itself. It is in a state of being like a deliveryman at Big Ben, with people being sent out while others are busy.

Furthermore, the state of Yugoslavia remained unstable. For example, the Kosovo issue did not suddenly erupt in 1998, but rather began to accumulate from the moment Tito died and the centrifugal forces in Yugoslavia increased, eventually erupting in 1998 and evolving into the Kosovo War. With the aim of controlling key hotspots and weakening the attractiveness of the EU's business environment, the United States once again intervened and stirred up trouble.

Now, the United States has set its sights on this troubled land once again.

Unlike previous instances in the world, the United States is now trying to divert attention from internal conflicts rather than acting as a superpower and bullying others. In particular, when the United States began pushing the United Nations to pay attention to human rights issues in Yugoslavia, it privately contacted a representative of Xinhua News Agency, hoping that Xinhua would also join the United States in focusing on this issue.

To put it simply, it's about communication. Despite not having the upper hand in any aspect, the United States is still very reasonable.

Even when forced to reason, it's still reasoning. Look at the attitude the US has now; it's even quite respectable.

"Xinhua is currently involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and we do not want world peace to be challenged."

Ambassador Li Ba's attitude was very clear: he was telling the United States that it was their business how they wanted to do things, but Xinhua's plans could not be affected. If they were affected, well, our eighteen aircraft carrier battle groups were not just decorations.

Despite Xinhua's apparent withdrawal from the United Nations, its treatment here remains unchanged. Other countries take the initiative to greet Xinhua representatives, and various arrangements and receptions are provided. After all, if you don't give gifts when others are doing so, wouldn't that make people remember you?

Xinhua's response left the US government somewhat disheartened, after all, war is a merciless affair.

But as long as Xinhua doesn't directly get involved and put themselves in a difficult position, everything is fine. For this operation, the US government has decided to only deploy air power and absolutely not the army. After all, 400,000 of the most elite army troops are still in various cities in Iran, sweeping the streets in shackles. They can't send the National Guard, can they? The states won't listen to the federal government's orders; those are the troops of the governors.

In the following days, the US government continued to hype up the human rights issues in Yugoslavia, stating that the "just," "kind," "fair," "free," and "democratic" United States could not stand idly by while tragedy unfolded, and that Yugoslavia must seriously and respectfully address the Kosovo issue.

For Yugoslavia, the US statement was like a family feud where the younger brother was demanding a division of the family property. So the older brother, considering the overall interests of the family, slapped the younger brother a few times. Then a group of thugs broke into the house, smashing things and saying that bullying the younger brother was an unforgivable crime and must be punished.

Even the bandits said this was too bandit-like.

But the US doesn't care. It can't afford to offend Xinhua, it can't deal with Iran, and it can't handle a tiny Yugoslavia!

Chapter 53: The Kim Dynasty

"As soon as fighting breaks out in Yugoslavia, the business environment in the EU will deteriorate, and then a large amount of capital will flow to the United States, provided they can actually get there."

Qin Shan has ample resources to scheme against the United States. It doesn't matter where the capital from outside goes, but it's crucial that it doesn't go to the United States. If you insist on going there, your soul and faith can go, but your funds and technology cannot.

The old man took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Therefore, the United States will suffer a defeat in Yugoslavia."

"Why does it have to be Yugoslavia? The enemy has their plans, and we have ours. There's no need to follow the enemy's lead."

Qin Shan took out a throwing knife and tossed it toward the map beside him.

The throwing knife landed on the Korean Peninsula.

The old man immediately understood Qin Shan's meaning and said bluntly, "You're planning to attack South Korea, which will force the United States to open up more fronts."

"That's just the open market." Qin Shan pointed to the area below, which was Ryukyu.

The Potsdam Declaration also stipulated that Japan must relinquish control over the territories it had invaded. Now, however, actual control of Ryukyu and its surrounding areas is in the hands of Xinhua.

Because Qin Shan did something even more outrageous: he created a movable artificial island.