I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 322



Only Noblemtl

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (322)

‘I wonder if someone is trying to take my life?’

This is Yan’an,

Wang Guiying, the leader of Lianxiang, was troubled by anxiety.

Although he was a hero who had survived 17 years of chaos amidst the warlords, his current sense of anxiety was difficult to control with any kind of comfort.

The biggest cause of anxiety symptoms is that research on dictatorship is actively being conducted worldwide, and historically, when dictatorships were in power, research and criticism of dictatorships were also consistently conducted.

At that time, the specific details were roughly as follows.

[Democratization began in earnest in the 1980s against the backdrop of the third wave. The problem is how to ‘implement’ that democratization, and the results of the ‘implementation’ in many countries that were swept up in the third wave were very diverse.]

Just because democracy has emerged, it doesn’t mean that the society has gained freedom.

A good example is Korea,

Although democracy was realized through the recent general elections, the ‘illiberal’ situation led by the ruling party still persists.

What is interesting is that this dictatorship, far from collapsing, is showing stability. Korea has been under a dictatorship for over 40 years, but it is not shaken.

So how did scholars interpret this?

Scholars before the 1930s defined dictatorship only as the acquisition of power through illicit means other than elections.

But the emergence of totalitarianism and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis broke this common sense, breaking the common sense of scholars.

Did the Nazis seize power by illegitimate means?

The Nazis came to power through a strict election system, and the rise of the Nazis became an opportunity for the academic world to divide the concept of dictatorship into totalitarianism and authoritarianism.

From this time on, the country’s ruling system was classified into democracy – authoritarianism – totalitarianism, but it was unable to escape the dichotomous classification of democracy vs. dictatorship.

Going a step further, recent theories by Barbara Geddes and Jennifer Gandhi have subdivided dictatorships into military dictatorships, one-party dictatorships, and personal dictatorships.

But can’t these appear in one country at the same time?

That’s Korea.

The head of state of Korea is a person who has experienced everything from military dictatorship, one-party dictatorship, and personal dictatorship, and has achieved personal dictatorship by taking control of the military and the party.

Scholars argue that the fate of such dictatorships depends on the abilities of the leaders, and that even if a dictatorship has absolute power, if it is not competent, it will eventually collapse.

[Dictators are always tested in their abilities. Will they suppress or embrace the opposition? The decision depends on the relationship between the leader and the opposition or the size of the available land (resources or land).]

So how much resources does the Korean enemy have available?

All he had available was a small piece of land in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, a small grant from the United States, and a small amount of tax collected from poor farmers.

What power would a dictator have in such a situation?

If he had been a dictator with ordinary abilities, he would have collapsed already, but Marshal Park Sang-geun expanded his available territory as much as possible by relying on the power of the United States.

Even if Korea is a poor country, wouldn’t it be powerful if it controlled all of the country’s real estate, other resources, and even political parties?

With the power of 20 million people concentrated in one place, Korea grew rapidly, won the Song-Ho War, and laid the foundation for becoming a world power.

That is why a dictator should not make concessions.

If you have to draw on all the country’s available resources to maintain power, what can you gain by compromising with the opposition?

Marshal Park Sang-geun knew this very well and had monopolized everything in Korea for the past 40 years.

This is the reason why the Korean dictatorship will never collapse. Some scholars may criticize this, but if you look at it from the perspective of ‘governance’, it is not like that.

Doesn’t it mean that individuals control everything in society?

If this is a skill, then it is a skill.

Marshal Park Sang-geun is a dictator who has reigned unwaveringly for 44 years, and scholars have also concluded that his abilities must be acknowledged to this extent.

Then what about Wang Guiying, the ruler of Lianxiang?

This guy is also a dictator, but he’s only half as good as Marshal Park Sang-geun.

Did Lian Xiang control everything in Yan’an? Lian Xiang had an army of 680,000 men, but it was not enough to control the Chinese population of 400 million.

The only reason we are holding on is thanks to Korea’s halo effect.

Could Lian Xiang have taken control of the warlords in China without Korea’s help? The same goes for economic development, with the cash blitz from Korea and the US boosting economic growth.

This is the background of Wang Guiying becoming the ruler of Yan’an, but he is lacking in many aspects to become a dictator.

First of all, the problem is that there is too little available land. Yan’an is 224km wide from west to east, and about 136km from north to south, and the city area is about 11,000 square kilometers.

The population living in the city is 15 million,

The remaining 390 million people are effectively outside the jurisdiction.

Not being able to properly utilize a population of 400 million is a force that is worse than when Korea first gained independence from Japanese colonial rule.

When Korea became independent, its population was about 20 million, but the Korean leader placed all of this population under his influence.

Naturally, the power that a dictator exerts will also differ.

Even if Lianxiang had a population of 400 million, its national power is less than 1/30 of that of Korea.

South Korea is a country with a population of 140 million, all under the rule of the Korean government, and has more than ten times the available manpower of Lianxiang.

Not only in population, but also in various social infrastructures and technological prowess, Korea has an overwhelming advantage, so it is nearly impossible for Lianxiang to catch up with Korea.

South Korea has a population of 140 million that is fully operational, while Lianxiang has only 15 million. As time goes by, the national power will only grow further.

And while this reality is stimulating Wang Guiying’s anxiety, will Lian Xiang be able to maintain his dictatorship in the future?

In the past, the democracy movement took place and the world was turned upside down, and now Wang Guiying is facing a political test.

Experts say that while he was a warlord leader, he showed considerable ability, but he lacks the ability to establish a unified government.

In the end, Wang Guiying is in a position where she has to make a choice.

Should we unite 400 million people and develop Lianxiang into a powerful nation? Or should we only protect our own safety and maintain a population of 15 million?

The image he has shown so far is that of a warlord who is holed up in the city, and that is why the people of Yan’an are disappointed in Wang Guiying.

The last riot was successfully suppressed, but will it happen again in the future?

Wang Guiying admits that he is incapable of uniting the continent.

They chose the path of pursuing annexation with Korea and ensuring security.

***

“Sir, we have a guest.”

“Tell them to come in.”

This is Gyeongseong, Korea.

Park Myeong-ui, the representative of the Zhongdao New Party, welcomed the guests from Yan’an.

The main character is Wang Huizheng, who has been confirmed as the next leader of Lianxiang. He also suppressed the Yan’an rebellion in place of his father and is a capable politician in his own right.

The problem is that Lianxiang’s situation is not so good. Although it has recorded an economic growth rate of over 5% every year for the past four years, it has not been able to monopolize it.

Strictly speaking, it is an obvious result that the funds invested in Lianxiang are foreign capital and will be collected by investors when the time comes.

The US’s massive dollar support to Lianxiang was also intended to gain profits through currency manipulation, and Lianxiang’s economic growth is close to an illusion achieved with other people’s money.

The economy is developing, but the system is stagnant.

If this situation repeats itself, Lianxiang will eventually fall prey to the democratic forces.

Why do dictators reject economic development? Because if the economy develops, its power should be used solely for the dictator’s benefit, and that is not the case.

As the economy develops, large corporations will emerge, and as these forces increase one by one, they will threaten the dictator’s available resources.

Scholars believe that if Lian Xiang’s power is 10 as of now, the power of the people is about 3.5, and in 7 to 10 years, it will narrow down to 12 to 8.

Does that mean we won’t achieve economic development?

If that happens, Lianxiang will forever be a closed country with a population of 15 million, and in the meantime, Korea will develop even more and eventually devour Lianxiang.

If it’s an obvious fate, it’s better to surrender while it’s worth it.

However, Park Myeong-ui was cautious about merging with Lian Xiang.

“South Korea is also putting a lot of effort into controlling its population of 140 million. It’s already difficult, so will it be possible to control a population of 400 million?”

“Aren’t you saying too weakly? Korea could definitely do it. If we just control them, Korea could completely overtake the United States.”

Queen Hui Zheng’s words are not wrong.

However, we must assume that China’s 400 million people are completely controlled, and then Korea must maximize its available resources.

How many available resources does Korea have at present?

Since Korea does not have a government, judging by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s available resources are approximately 240 trillion won.

So are we going to draw resources from the enemy’s headquarters?

The budget deficit is already at its limit, and the fact that the Korean government is running on 27 trillion won every year is because the budget deficit is taking on a lot of burden.

In that case, we have no choice but to collect more taxes from the people.

Korea’s middle class numbers 60 million people, and if we collect just 1,000 won more from each person, we can secure 60 billion won.

If you combine it with the existing budget, it will be 27.6 trillion won. Taking 1,000 won more from the people does not increase available resources.

It is a proven fact worldwide that stealing money from ordinary people does not make any money, and such large-scale projects must be carried out at the corporate-national level.

Will the Yuan Shao government pour all of its available resources of 240 trillion into completely taking control of China?

To be honest, the Wonsoo Department is in no hurry.

Korea will continue to develop by mobilizing its 140 million available human resources, and as time passes, the national power of Korea and Lianxiang will grow.

By then, we will easily take control of Lianxiang.

But if that happens, Wang Guiying and Wang Huizheng, the father and son who led Lianxiang, will have to pay their own price.

What if the Wang family breaks away from Korea’s influence and reaches out to the United States?

The United States is also pouring dollars into Lianxiang and exerting its influence, so Korea must also hurry.

Fortunately, Lian Xiang’s heart was leaning towards Korea, and Park Myeong-ui concluded that if he missed this opportunity, he would not be able to seize continental hegemony.

“Okay, I will speak to your Majesty.”

“That’s great. I’ll be waiting for good news.”

The Zhongdao New Party calculated the cost of Korea taking over Yan’an.

It is not exact, but it is a large-scale project that will cost at least 30 trillion won, which is more than the annual budget of Korea.

Can the enemy handle this?

You might be wondering what kind of nonsense an organization with 240 trillion won is talking about, but most of that 240 trillion won has already been invested.

Daehan Transportation also has branches in the US and Japan, and must continuously reinvest to maintain its social infrastructure.

The actual available resources that can be mobilized are estimated to be around 18 trillion won, and Park Myeong-ui himself is fully aware of this information as he is an official at Daehan Transportation.

In the end, does this project have to be withdrawn?

However, Representative Park Myeong-i continued to consult with the Marshal’s Office and find a solution.