The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 347: Chapter 347: A Supremely Intelligent Person

Tanaka Kenichi looked confused. ”We’re a developed nation now. Our economy is second only to the United States.”

Kuno Hiroo sneered, ”So what? Do we have autonomy? Do we have an army to defend our country? When our economy threatened that of the United States, they ganged up on us, signed an accord, and reaped the benefits while holding us back.”

”The drawbacks of that accord are already showing. It will cause our country to stagnate for twenty years. If we don’t find new room for growth, we might just wither away on that island.”

”That backward Hua Country you look down on may have lagging technology, underdeveloped cities, and a low standard of living right now, but they have something we yearn for and do not possess.”

Tanaka Kenichi shook his head. ”In my heart, I know we are stronger than Hua Country. How could they possibly have something we want but don’t have?”

Kuno Hiroo smiled, a hint of mockery in his eyes. ”They have independence and autonomy. They have an army that completely obeys orders! They have abundant resources, a vast landmass, and strategic depth.”

”The Hua Country you despise was just a semi-feudal, semi-colonial agricultural nation back then, and they drove out our industrialized country.”

”Their current ruling party drove out the Nationalist Party regime that the United States supported, and now the Nationalist Party can only hole up on an island.”

”Not long after the country’s founding, they dared to brazenly go to war with the United States and the UN coalition army. And they won. They drew the 38th parallel, and the mighty U.S. military we so admire surrendered and didn’t dare cross that line.”

”In ’62, their defensive war against India almost turned into an invasion. They pushed straight through, nearly reaching Delhi.”

”When the Soviet Union wanted to station troops in Hua Country, they chose to break ties rather than lose their independence, even at the risk of war, just to defend that principle.”

”Think about all that. How can we compare to Hua Country? Americans in Japan and South Korea act like they’re a cut above, doing whatever they please. Who can control them? But look at how well-behaved they are when they come to Hua Country. Do they dare cause trouble? Even the guards at their embassy are assigned by Hua Country; the United States isn’t allowed to send its own soldiers to protect it. Could we do that?”

Tanaka Kenichi’s initial confidence slowly crumbled after hearing Kuno Hiroo’s words.

But he was still stubborn. ”If we went to war right now, I’m sure we could beat Hua Country!”

Kuno Hiroo was dumbfounded when he heard that. It was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

”Your father sent you to college, and I hear you were a top student. What kind of books were you reading out there? To think you could say something so foolish!”

”Hua Country may be poor, but you must remember, they have atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs! They may not have as many as the Soviet Union or the United States, but they have enough to blow up the world.”

”Maybe Hua Country’s nukes can’t reach Europe and America, but you think they can’t reach Japan, just a few hundred nautical miles away? Your idea is idiotic, pure fantasy. It would be the death of our country.”

”Even if we had nuclear weapons and traded blows with Hua Country, they have strategic depth. They could lose their entire coast and still have their northwest. What do we have? The bottom of the sea?”

Tanaka Kenichi pressed his lips together. ”But the French won’t forgive us, because... well, you know! If we transfer technology and manufacturing to Hua Country now, won’t we stand even less of a chance when they become strong? Thinking about it that way, shouldn’t we be locking down our technology?”

Kuno Hiroo spoke such good Chinese and traveled between the two countries so often that he was, of course, well aware of the anti-Japanese sentiment in Hua Country.

”You think if we don’t invest in the Hua Country market, the people from Europe and America won’t? Is our technology really more advanced than theirs? Since they’re all coming to invest, make money, and capture the market, why shouldn’t we, being so close, take advantage of our proximity?”

”We can’t even beat Hua Country now while they’re weak. What difference does it make to us if they get strong? We still won’t be able to beat them! Let’s focus on making money and capturing the market first!”

”As for the hatred, there will always be ways to solve that later! Spend enough money, and you’ll always find people in Hua Country willing to speak well of our country. The world’s top dog can be the United States, the Soviet Union, or even Hua Country, but it will never be our turn.”

”If Hua Country really does develop, the United States will be more anxious than we are. If Hua Country manages to surpass the United States and become number one in the world, we can just kneel to them then!”

Tanaka Kenichi clearly couldn’t accept this line of reasoning. ”Cousin Hiroo, have you no backbone? Is this what business is all about?”

Hearing Tanaka Kenichi’s somewhat mocking words, Kuno Hiroo shrugged. ”Don’t think that just because you served two years in the army, you’re invincible.”

”Backbone? Does our country even have a backbone anymore? The foreign troops stationed on our soil have already broken our spine! All we can do now is fight for more room to survive!”

”It’s no disgrace to kneel to the world’s number one. It’s not like we haven’t done it before in history. Aren’t we still calling ourselves the inheritors of the Tang Dynasty’s culture? Does anyone think that’s a bad thing? You’re still young. Read more history books. And I mean real history books, not the censored versions published back home. Then you’ll understand what I’m saying.”

’This nephew of his had just graduated from college and served in the army; his brain had gone rusty. No wonder my brother-in-law sent his son to me.’

’If he keeps thinking the way they indoctrinate people back home, he won’t even know what hit him when he dies. The family would be doomed to perish, becoming nothing but cannon fodder!’

Tanaka Kenichi’s eyes were filled with confusion. ’It feels like all my efforts are useless. Does that mean I shouldn’t even try?’

”Alright, you won’t get it right away, so just talk less and read more. By the way, have you studied Chinese?” Kuno Hiroo asked.

”No!” Tanaka Kenichi answered. ”I don’t want to.”

Hearing this, Kuno Hiroo rolled his eyes. ”If you don’t know Chinese, then go back home, or go to Europe and America. This place isn’t for you!”

Tanaka Kenichi retorted, ”But plenty of people who don’t know Chinese do just fine here in Hua Country, don’t they? There are lots of people who can translate for us. There’s no need to learn Chinese at all.”

Kuno Hiroo shook his head. ”If you don’t understand their language, how can you ever truly understand the people here? If you’re only here to do business, you might make money by leveraging your technological advantage, but that’s all it will be—just money. You won’t gain anything extra.”

”You know English, so maybe you can use it to learn more about Europe and America. A person can’t be an expert in everything, but you must master at least one area to make yourself more valuable.”

”If you want to stand out in the Tanaka family, you need to understand this. I’m your uncle, and I’m only telling you this because your mother is my sister. If our relationship were any more distant, I couldn’t be bothered to say a word.”

Tanaka Kenichi was stunned. ”Uncle, is this why you’re about to become the heir to the Kuno Family?”

Kuno Hiroo thought for a moment, then nodded. ”You could see it that way, I suppose. In any case, delving deep into Hua Country is the focus of my future work. As for Europe and America, let the stubborn fools handle that—the ones who don’t study or understand history! Hotheads just like you!”