[Chapter 924: The Lion Has Already Awakened, Yet You Still Pretend Not to See It.]
William White was feeling somewhat idle, thinking not only about where to casually make a quick buck but also about how to navigate the Asian financial crisis. Soros started to stir, resembling a lone old wolf wandering in the wilderness. He was no longer strong; his fur was dull, and he wasn't as fast as before.
Don't underestimate him. Everyone in the grasslands knew the most dangerous beasts were precisely these old predators. They wouldn't attack recklessly; they were too old and knew failure could mean death. So, they always waited, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
As for the group of Asian countries, they were completely unaware that a sharp knife had already pierced their hearts.
There's a legend that if the knife is quick enough, you don't feel pain. Instead, you feel a warm sensation. Some say it's the gift of the grim reaper, others say it's God's mercy. But all that talk is nonsense. The truth is, when blood rushes to your internal organs and you lose blood too fast, your body can't supply enough oxygen, so you don't feel pain because you're about to die.
That was exactly the situation for the Asian nations--they didn't feel the pain, and some even fleetingly felt a moment of joy.
Soros calculated many things but missed one: or rather, they weren't worried about the Great Rabbit's response.
That's really stupid. The Rabbit wasn't any pushover. Even after the Industrial Revolution, when it came to GDP, the Great Rabbit was still the top dog.
Old John Bull struggled for a long time, but in the end, the money just went back. The Rabbit nation was a strange case--your industrial goods didn't impress them, but you couldn't do without their artisanal products.
Unfortunately, if it weren't for that group of foolish shepherds...
The Rabbit nation was a sleeping lion. Once it woke, it'd shock the world. Better not disturb it; let it keep sleeping!
This phrase was originally from Napoleon when John Bull wanted to sell opium, but the Great Rabbit disagreed.
Well, Napoleon wasn't exactly well-intentioned either. He meant, since they were ignorant and backward, why bother waking them up? John Bull didn't listen, and neither did Napoleon's descendants.
So, they ended up as second-rate countries. In truth, Napoleon's words were shared by a certain little mustache--he certainly didn't support poking the lion. Otherwise, how do you think German firearm technology came about?
Of course, that little mustache wasn't pure-hearted either. His thinking was the same as Napoleon's: don't wake the sleeping lion. Great nations don't die permanently. But unfortunately, the little guy didn't listen, bullying the Great Rabbit terribly and even getting beaten badly by the Eagles.
"Not afraid of a god-like enemy, but afraid of pig-like teammates."
If you had two such teammates, you'd know what it meant to be in hell. When the little mustache crouched in the corner crying before ending his own life, he must have been full of rage.
I imagine that when he pulled the trigger, his hatred for those pig teammates far exceeded that for his enemies. Maybe he was so wicked that heaven deliberately punished him. Honestly, if they had fought solo fights, they might not have died so miserably.
When the little mustache heard about Pearl Harbor, he was furious, cursing John Bull as selfish and dumb--a boar walking into a trap. An Italy messed up the Barbarossa plan; a John Bull messed up the entire World War II. Haha, that's the price of bad company.
John Bull angered the Eagles and woke the sleeping Rabbit. You see, the song goes, "Awake after a hundred years of slumber."
The Rabbit woke up and saw that anyone dared to bully him, he'd go all out to knock you down.
Being bullied by barbaric nations wasn't a one-time thing. After living comfortable lives for so long, any man would slack off. The Eagles only had two hundred years of history; from the Rabbit perspective, that was probably their last glory.
Three hundred years--about that timeframe. When a new dynasty began, it was always ambitious. But two hundred fifty years later, as the ancient records showed clearly, it was nearly done for.
Soros's plan considered everything--everything except the Rabbit's stance. Don't think a couple of rickety ships coming over would make the Rabbit back down. Try stepping ashore if you've got guts.
"Young Master, things feel off. From the intelligence gathered, this is a strategy targeting all of Asia."
"You noticed? Not bad. So, will it succeed?"
"Difficult. John Bull has no reason not to act. They're the main creditor, and if systemic risk happens, their investments will be worthless."
William White smiled, a bit sinister. So what if investments turn to dust? They're used to it. Whenever the US gets annoyed, they'll come over to knock some sense into John Bull.
"John Bull will be unhappy but won't resist--that's their nature. You see all those creeps on subways? Mainly because there's no resistance. Do that in the US, you'd be sued bankrupt. But in Rabbit nation, you'd get beaten to death. As for India? Well, many might join in."
Tanner stared speechless at the unreliable Young Master. The intelligence truly shocked him. If this went wrong, it'd be war.
William White seemed unfazed and even took time to comment on international perverts.
"Young Master, does this mean John Bull will compromise? And since Rabbit nation's economic base is weak, will they also compromise?"
"Ha! What a joke! The Opium Wars were ages ago. Plus, any new dynasty is ambitious at the start. If only economic, it's about internal circulation. But if it involves military threats--well, it's that simple if you can't win."
Since the advent of firearms, the efficiency of human slaughter skyrocketed. World-class wars caused millions of deaths.
And yet, it was still somewhat restrained. Everyone had big weapons, so better go easy. If they had to fight, a sparring match would do.
"These folks are something else. Isn't current life decent?"
"Tanner, it's always been like this. Before, it was two great powers fighting, trying to pull sides whenever possible. By the end of wars, it was about resources and population.
Now, one nation dominates, but the others behind them--numbered one to five--they're all our opponents. Same deal: if possible, better stir them up to fight each other."
Tanner couldn't understand why stir up trouble for no reason when so many hungry people needed help. Besides, the small Southeast Asian countries combined couldn't match the Rabbit.
Even William White didn't get it. No one knew what the bigwigs thought; the final outcome of this Southeast Asian financial crisis would surely disappoint them.
The Great Rabbit was basically unscathed, Hong Kong's impact was minor, and after '99, large amounts of capital started flowing into the Rabbit nation.
Clearly, the original plan wasn't designed for this. Including John Bull and the Rabbit, originally, they expected a long economic crisis of wailing. If they behaved, they'd get a little help to tide them over.
Yes, in the US's eyes, the Rabbit's labor force was abundant, and their global role was to produce clothing and footwear. That way, they could buy very cheap goods.
Too bad the US miscalculated. The Rabbit wasn't India, nor John Bull, nor the Black community--their ancestors had always been wealthy. The resilience of the Rabbit people was beyond what outsiders could understand. Indeed, the cultural gap was huge.
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