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

Page 122

If life is the currency of the government, then the US government must really enjoy throwing money away.

In the race for short-term gains, American capitalists have truly united as one, doing everything in their power to turn the entire country into their money-making machine. After all, these financialized entities don't care about the state of the country; they can easily change bodies to parasitize. If they have no other choice, supporting Russia is also an option.

What's that saying again: The US government is the one who loses face, while American corporations make money. The perfect capitalist world.

However, for now, they still have to struggle from the perspective of the US government. After all, they can't move freely yet. The global internet era hasn't arrived yet. It's only 1997, and the only super-internet powers in the world are China and China's NATO trading partners. This is a place that external capital can't enter no matter what. So even if the US falls, it can't fall now. It must fall according to their plan, in a way that best suits their interests.

Currently, more than 400,000 US troops are trapped in Iran, having lost air superiority and without supplies.

This is the most terrifying thing, because once the US military runs out of supplies, morale will plummet. If 400,000 US troops surrender to Iran, it will be a disaster for the United States for at least the next half century.

Not long ago, Iran purchased a global projection screen live streaming service from Xinhua News Agency. Now the whole world is watching the US aircraft carrier fleet being utterly defeated and its army suffering a crushing defeat. This is being broadcast live! What do you think these countries will think?

Regardless of what others think, the US government's face has already been thoroughly humiliated.

For example, Iraq, which was originally a bitter enemy of Iran, is now daring to stand up and speak loudly to the United States. Moreover, intelligence indicates that Iraq is secretly providing aid to Iran, albeit on a small scale, which is a dangerous sign.

Once the myth of hegemony reveals its weaknesses, it ceases to be a myth.

Moreover, it's not as simple as just showing a health bar now; they've been beaten to the point of vomiting blood by a combo attack, with billions of people around the world watching. In their hearts, the seed of "the US military can also be defeated" has been planted.

"This is all an Iranian conspiracy. They purchased Xinhua's services and then fabricated these images to spread disinformation around the world. The US carrier strike group is still there, our offensive continues, and Iran's time is running out!"

The White House spokesperson for the US government made up such nonsense in front of reporters from all over the world.

Anyway, as long as I don't admit it, this never happened.

Regarding Xinhua's services, the US government stated that this is all an Iranian conspiracy to undermine its friendly neighborly relations with Xinhua, and hopes that people will not be deceived by rumors.

Honestly, many countries are shocked that the US government can be so shameless. After all, before Xinhua developed such advanced global live streaming technology, other countries at most knew some of the bad things about the US, but they had never personally experienced this shamelessness. However, now they have indeed experienced it, and it has been exposed to them face to face.

When it comes to shamelessness, the US government's level of expertise puts many countries to shame.

The highest level of blatant lying is to tell lies in front of the whole world.

If the atmosphere at the scene had been more conducive, journalists from various countries would have wanted to ask the US government: "Do you want to listen to what you're saying?"

Whatever, it doesn't matter. Reality can't be changed by empty talk. As long as your US government is happy, we're pretty happy too. This will be on tomorrow's front page, right? I have to buy a copy of the newspaper. Not only can I keep it as a collectible, but I can also have some fun. Even Kennedy would be laughing his head off.

"Alright, gentlemen, we must resolve this crisis immediately, do you hear me? Immediately!"

Meilianzong is now like Chen Rui touching an electric gate and eating peppercorns, losing so much that he's completely numb.

Foreign journalists can be fooled, but domestic public opinion cannot. Behind the 400,000 American soldiers trapped in Iran are more than a million family members. If they cause trouble, he can forget about being re-elected.

But the even harsher reality is that the US military is truly helpless. The US military has already lost four aircraft carriers in combat readiness, and the others are either on duty or undergoing maintenance. Forcibly sending them out now would not only be less effective, but more importantly, they wouldn't be able to keep up. Even at full speed, it would take at least half a month. In half a month, the landing US troops would run out of food. Under these circumstances, expecting those 400,000 troops to compete with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is a pipe dream.

"Our aircraft carrier will be deployed, our air force will be deployed, we will mobilize all our forces. Let our young men hold on, just half a month, just half a month is enough. Hold on firmly, and we will find a way!"

Amid Clinton's rant, the entire American war machine began to start, and the plan to save 400,000 soldiers officially began. It is believed that this will become a very good subject for an American blockbuster in the near future.

The premise is that at least the entire Dunkirk can be recovered. If the French army is completely wiped out, then the only option is to save the cat.

However, given the current social environment in the United States, rescuing cats is probably not a viable option.

But if you ask the United States to accept the fate of 400,000 American troops being wiped out, they would absolutely not be willing to do so, and they would definitely fight to the death for it. They didn't even go all in once like that on the Korean battlefield.

“If this pressure continues, the United States may very well use tactical nuclear weapons. Iran is not like North Korea, which is surrounded by mountains.”

Qin Shan naturally heeded the old man's advice, and he was already prepared for it.

"If they actually use nuclear weapons, things will actually be simpler."

"You're not planning to provide Iran with nuclear weapons, are you?"

"There's no need for that, but I'll give them plenty of thermobaric bombs."

As long as it's not a nuclear weapon, things won't get too out of control, and the old man breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he would soon find out exactly how many "enough thermobaric bombs" Qin Shan was referring to.

Yes, the US government has indeed considered using nuclear weapons, but this is a trump card that cannot be immediately revealed. Instead, it needs to deter first, and deterrence is for the purpose of negotiation. The US government is still willing to respect powerful adversaries.

"We cannot accept the complete annihilation of 400,000 American soldiers. If such a thing were to happen, the U.S. government would take all necessary measures to save our soldiers."

This was a private negotiation between the US and Iranian governments, the kind held behind closed doors.

What the US government doesn't know is that the so-called "pro-American Iranians" sitting in front of them have long been replaced by players, and these players don't care about the US government's attitude. On the contrary, they seem to thrive on chaos.

"Just say you're going to use nuclear weapons, fine, go ahead and try. Seriously, I'm curious whether your American nuclear weapons can really destroy the whole world, and nuclear weapons can't scare the Iranian people."

The negotiations quickly reached a stalemate, with Iran showing no intention of compromise from beginning to end, determined to annihilate the US military.

What's even more frustrating for the US government is that, initially, Iran didn't seem to have any such intentions. However, after the US government threatened them, Iran became very enthusiastic about annihilating the US military and quickly launched an attack.

This time, the US military was surrounded by enemies on all sides. All kinds of weapons seemed to have sprung up from the ground and began to pour ammunition on the US military. Many fanatical Iranians even charged under the heavy machine gun fire of the US military, completely disregarding whether their attack was meaningless.

Due to the loss of air superiority, the US military's most proficient air-to-ground combat tactics have become meaningless. Now, it is the US military itself that is being suppressed and beaten. Their machine gun and artillery positions have to move back and forth. Sometimes, as soon as they fire a shot, Iranian aircraft come down from the sky to attack, and they are all F-14s.

This has become a real mystery: how many F-14s does Iran actually have?

If we go by the US military's records, Iran alone has lost more than 500 F-14s. Some of these planes were even piloted like disposable missiles, crashing directly into US positions. Heaven knows why Iran has so many F-14s.

Despite their reluctance, the US military has had to admit that it is highly likely that Iran has mastered the technology to produce F-14s.

It's outrageous, utterly outrageous, but this is the only plausible explanation. We can't exactly say that aliens gave it to them, can we?

Who would have thought? You desert camel, you've been hiding your true abilities all along! Where did you learn this hidden skill from?

Under the relentless attacks day and night, the fatigue of the US troops began to increase rapidly, and the consumption of food, medicine and ammunition also rose sharply. The plan to hold out for half a month now seemed to be able to last for three days at best.

Section 49: The Temptation of Re-election

War is about logistics, attrition, and national strength.

These explanations are all correct, but how the actual battle unfolds depends on the performance of the commanders and soldiers. Clearly, the US military's ability to withstand pressure is somewhat lacking when logistics and air power are at zero.

It's not that all American soldiers have poor stress tolerance, but rather that most American soldiers, after the front lines collapse and without machine gun warnings from their superiors, will choose to use the French salute in a very short time.

It's a pity their national flag isn't a tricolor flag, otherwise they could just cut it out and use it.

"This is position number 19, requesting backup!" "The enemy is closing in, we can't hold out!"

"Where are our planes? Where are our aircraft carriers?!"

"Retreat! We can't hold this place!"

The players' relentless attacks, day and night, have severely depleted the energy of the US military. Moreover, the players leading the teams are all Level 1 superhumans. Just saying that doesn't give you a sense of the scale, but if you were to give each player an AK47, they could run and accurately fire bullets into the heads of US soldiers a hundred meters away within effective range. Then you would understand how desperate the US military's situation is right now—truly, death is imminent if they show their faces.

These are players who are fighting and charging on the front lines. If you include the "sixth man" in the rear, there are many who have an effective sniping range of over 1,500 meters. If they can't hit their targets, it's a problem with the gun, not the player's skill level. Because every "sixth man" here is a professional soldier, and they can suppress all light and heavy weapons on the US military positions.

Some players even carried a bunch of cannons during the assault, and after running out of cannons, they would immediately exchange them for new ones to surprise the American troops. As soon as one player broke through the American position, a bunch of players would rush in, and during this process, the artillery bombardment would not stop, even if it hit their own people.

Krieg's real-life version of Death Charge is a prime example.

Yes, not all players are good at assault tactics or can coordinate in a three-on-three formation. But when they launch a charge at a speed of 100 meters per second, the US military becomes the one in a panic. It's like having a guy weighing at least 100 pounds charging at you at 72 kilometers per hour. Except for a heavy machine gun to smash him, you have no way to stop him with your assault rifle in a short time. And once you collide, regardless of whether the other person is dead or not, you will definitely die.

Besides their speed, the players also wear a lot of equipment, such as thick heavy bulletproof vests. This doesn't affect their speed. The full set of heavy bulletproof vests is a two-layer configuration. Combined with the body of a superhuman, even the US military's Lao Gan Ma (a popular Chinese chili sauce brand) can't kill them instantly. If you add a thick defensive shield, they can really advance while being hit by Lao Gan Ma.

And don't forget, there's not just one enemy on the battlefield, but many players with this setup. A heavy machine gun can kill one or two fearless warriors, but it can't suppress all the youthful Astartes charging with rocket launchers.

They will retaliate, perhaps with rockets or even thermobaric weapons.

In an open environment, the thermobaric rounds cannot achieve their maximum effect, but they are enough to destroy a machine gun position.

The US military didn't have enough time to build a reinforced concrete offensive here, and under the cover of the players, the attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian National Army could be described as overwhelming.

They also hate the US military, they are also capable of fighting, and they are also capable of killing.

Given a chance to get close to U.S. troops, these fanatical fighters wouldn't mind taking a few American soldiers with them by self-destructing.

Therefore, many Iranian soldiers attacking US positions carried explosive packs on their backs and assault rifles in their hands. They followed the player into the US positions, unleashing their artistic brilliance before dying, and engaging in a fierce battle with the American soldiers.

The American troops were quickly demoralized by the brutal fighting. Enemies were everywhere, and people were calling for help everywhere. Even with a force of 400,000 men, the American troops were being divided and surrounded, cut and chopped, just like the war that took place on the Korean Peninsula in 1948, except this time the enemy was the Persians.

The defenses were torn apart, and American soldiers fell in droves. Some of the more astute French Americans made the right choice in the life-or-death moment, raising their hands or waving their white shorts.

The calls for help from the front lines have reached the White House directly, but the overwhelmed White House is unable to do anything.

Other carrier strike groups are still en route, and the redeployment of US military bases will take time. Clinton is not an archbishop and cannot teleport troops there. At this time, the only things that can quickly reach the battlefield, besides strategic bombers and transport planes, are various types of missiles. If the goal is to achieve destructive power, then it is missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

The president's advisory group quickly provided a professional analysis.

First of all, it is unrealistic to expect to organize the Iranian army with a single bombing, and the US military does not have that many bombers right now.

Secondly, it is unrealistic to expect transport planes to transfer 400,000 people; there are not enough planes, and there are no large airports where they can land.

Finally, relying on Middle Eastern allies is just a waste of resources. Israel is too busy to reach Iran, and the fighting capacity of other Middle Eastern countries is only slightly stronger than that of the African region. Besides, why would they help the US military? They would love for the US government to be humiliated so that they can force the US to cede more benefits.

There were pitfalls all around, at most one bottomless pit and another with a barely visible bottom. But Clinton didn't want to fall into any of them.

Either of these two options would mean the end of their political careers, banishing them from politics altogether. For a "good person" who wants to be re-elected as President of the United States and make more contributions to the American "people," this would be a living hell.

Fun fact: In the parallel universe #8, the US president can be re-elected multiple times. However, before Clinton, only Roosevelt successfully served four terms, while others served a maximum of two terms. There was even a period when the US didn't have a US president. This is a special historical detail of the parallel universe, different from the native world.

Similar subtle changes include the timing of Hitler's suicide and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The exact dates are not exactly the same, and the accumulation of these "errors" will eventually make the historical development of the parallel world completely different from that of the native world, becoming an independent world with some similar histories.

However, the history of this world is very similar to that of the native world, so it is a parallel world.

Another explanation is that parallel worlds are worlds similar to Earth, and their specific appearance doesn't matter, but these are all definitional issues and won't be discussed further. Anyway, Clinton just wants to be re-elected.

The fact that a president can only serve two terms versus three terms is of great significance to the US president.

Many policies have a lag effect after implementation, requiring a long period of fermentation before the public can see the benefits. This period is generally five to ten years. In other words, the benefits enjoyed by the US president are basically the benefits left to him by the previous term. Otherwise, if the US president cannot create visible short-term benefits once he takes office, in the eyes of the American people, this president is a dispensable and transparent person.

How could someone who climbs to the position of President of the United States lack dreams? Even Clinton, who couldn't control his zipper, had an American dream in his heart. The American dream of the American elites is still the American dream. After all, everything they have depends on the existence of the hegemonic entity that is the United States. If the United States falls, it will not benefit them at all. Just look at the fate of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States is strong, and then its hegemony gives them a share of the benefits. This is the most perfect motherland in the hearts of the American establishment elites.

"Your Excellency, we do not have many options at the moment, so please make a decision."

The staff's meaning was clear: it was now a choice between amputation and certain death. If they could handle it decisively and handle the funeral with a positive attitude afterward, the bad thing might turn into a good thing. But if they kept dragging it out like this, even a cold could kill someone.

"I know, let me think about it, let me think about it."

Clinton gritted his teeth, his expression gradually turning ferocious.

Chapter 50: It finally exploded!

"That's it, Admiral. Clinton is ready to take a gamble."

Having already gained control of a large amount of high-level resources, Washington could naturally contact Xinhua's top leadership in a very direct way that would not arouse suspicion from anyone. All of Xinhua's documents were delivered to Qin Shan through Lexington and Saratoga, so as long as Washington took the initiative to contact her, the other party would definitely know that she was a ship girl.

At worst, Washington can come themselves. It's no big deal. What can the US government do to a ninth-tier superhuman?

The reason she isn't coming over now is to help the admiral more effectively. Washington in the United States is more valuable than Washington in Xinhua. As a main battleship ship girl, Washington has her own pride.

So how did she know that Clinton wanted to take this risk?

It's simple. The major American capitalist families all have their own advisors in the White House. These advisors can naturally provide intelligence when needed. It's an unspoken rule in American politics. After all, the stock market guru is on Capitol Hill.

With Washington's power, and having already integrated the resources of two upper-class families (and later added another), they could easily smuggle things out of the White House in front of the president, let alone intelligence.

"That's very much in line with the style of an American president. Clinton is a typical American president," Qin Shan said with a smile.

What is a standard US president?

Roosevelt was a minority, and the founding fathers of America who were driven by faith were also a minority. The real American presidents were those who talked about ideologies but were all about business. They could serve the country but wouldn't sacrifice their own wallets. Between the individual and the nation, they chose the individual first, then the nation.

It's not surprising. Just think about what kind of people made up the American political scene in its later stages. It would be a miracle if they could be united.

An organization united solely by shared interests will inevitably descend into internal strife due to disputes over the distribution of spoils.

After Qin Shan and Washington connected, they could communicate at any time. Qin Shan also granted Washington system access, and they would definitely have a family gathering to celebrate afterwards.

"Hopefully the Americans' fireworks won't be too boring."

Qin Shan doesn't care about a nuclear war with American imperialism. Even in the most extreme case, if the two sides really start dropping nuclear bombs on each other, Xinhua will at most rebuild itself, but the United States will definitely disintegrate and never be able to rebuild.

Trying to compete with Xinhua in terms of cohesion is suicidal.

Moreover, Qin Shan has no need to worry about nuclear war, because the missile defense system is ready. It not only intercepts missiles in the traditional sense, but also intercepts them with laser weapons. With the high-energy laser weapons that use superhuman power as a technological extension, it can detonate ballistic missiles in the blink of an eye, just like in the animation. The radar can also keep up with the speed of the ballistic missiles and lock on.

Not only the United States, but the entire Western world's nuclear deterrence has failed, and Xinhua has completed the deployment of high-energy laser weapon stations in the sky. Next, it will build a long-term self-gravity space station to completely blockade space.

Once this step is completed, a large-scale purge of all reactionaries can be carried out directly.

The nuclear weapons that Clinton ordered to be used will become America's death knell.

The reason is simple: if the US military uses nuclear weapons and Iran continues its offensive without any sign of stopping, and even manages to break the US military, then the morale of the US military will completely collapse. Because any army they encounter in the future might fight them to the death under the nuclear cloud, even if the probability is very small. But as long as it happens once, the US military will collapse on its own. That's why it's said that the best place for nuclear weapons is the launch pad.

Before a weapon is launched, its power and intimidation can be used to their advantage by citing the unknown. But once launched, if the enemy realizes that you are nothing special, then the matter will never end. Imperialist countries cannot tolerate a protracted war, and the United States is no exception.

The fall of a nuclear bomb would render the current social order a complete joke. Capitalists cannot afford to gamble on this price, nor can they afford to lose it, because losing it would mean losing everything.

However, Qin Shan hopes that the United States can be "manly" and personally tear off the cloak of nuclear weapons, unseal Pandora's box, make the world re-understand nuclear war, and make people around the world understand who is more afraid of nuclear war.