Free Web NovelA restaurant in Euljiro.
“Unbelievable... What kind of bastard does something like that?!”
Office workers who had gathered in small groups after work were clinking glasses and cursing about the National Security Advisor’s classified information leak.
“The country’s really going to hell. This is what happens when you cozy up to those red bastards. I never liked all that friendly nonsense with North Korea either!”
A flushed man emptied his glass and muttered angrily.
The man sitting across from him refilled his empty cup and replied,
“You know as well as I do. It’s all fabricated. Fabricated. The NIS has pulled this kind of stunt before. You’re really going to believe everything they say?”
“Hey! Are you insane? You think the President would fake a spy charge against his own National Security Advisor unless he’d gone mad? That’s your problem.”
The two men, politically polar opposites, began bickering over the same issue.
Like their table, conversations throughout the restaurant revolved around the National Security Advisor.
And slowly, almost imperceptibly, hostility toward China began seeping into the public.
“Anyway, it’s those Chinese bastards. They never change.”
“Well, look at that—we actually agree for once. The Japanese and the Chinese, they’re all the same trash.”
The Korean government summoned the Chinese ambassador and lodged a strong protest.
The Chinese government flatly denied everything. Not only that, they summoned the Korean ambassador and protested in return—turning the accusation back on Seoul.
As a result, diplomatic relations between the two nations spiraled toward extremes.
President Yoon Changho ordered a full audit of all Blue House secretaries and staff. More aides and officials were discovered to have sold information to China and Japan.
The Blue House disclosed everything without concealment.
The opposition party blasted the Yoon Changho administration, calling it a catastrophic personnel failure.
Even the ruling party expressed regret over the incident.
At that point, no one yet knew how far the situation would escalate.
* * *
“Welcome, Chairman Murdoch.”
“Haha, it’s been a while, Charlie.”
Murdoch had entered Korea.
“Sorry for making you come all the way here. I’m not in a position to travel at the moment.”
“It’s quite all right. Since I’m here, I’ve arranged separate meetings with Korean journalists anyway. No need to worry.”
I nodded and led him to his seat.
“So this is your office, Charlie?”
“A bit small, isn’t it?”
To Murdoch’s eyes, the Myeongdong office must have looked rather shabby.
Sure enough, he nodded.
“For someone of your ability, it’s modest.”
“Everyone keeps telling me to move somewhere nicer, but I’m used to this place. It’s comfortable. You’re not about to start nagging too, are you?”
“Of course not. Sometimes familiarity is better. My personal office in Britain is quite small as well.”
We chatted idly over tea.
Once the atmosphere had relaxed, it was Murdoch who brought up China first.
“I hear the Chinese companies Dream High Investment backed are facing comprehensive pressure.”
“You already know. It’s probably retaliation for attacking Premier Li Feng through you.”
“The damage must be considerable.”
“Not yet. It’s hardly damage at this point. But the Chinese government won’t stop here. That’s why I called you.”
Starting with Alibaba, then Tencent, pressure was mounting against the companies I had invested in.
“You seem intent on going all the way. This isn’t an attack on a single corporation, Charlie. I know better than anyone how capable you are—you shook Japan’s economy to its core—but this is worrying.”
For a brief moment, the memory flickered of Japan’s surrender, forced by holding its economy hostage.
Murdoch’s expression was serious.
“Yes. But China is different. It’s not a normal country. It practices an opening policy, but it’s still a one-party dictatorship. A half-capitalist state.”
I agreed with him. China could not be judged by ordinary standards.
A prime example was how China defended Hong Kong during the Asian financial crisis. The measures they took were something no other nation could have executed.
We had made enormous profits then—but Wall Street and global investors had suffered devastating losses.
China was a country where the state controlled the economy.
“Even so, they value national pride over economics. The same kind of pressure you used on Japan won’t work.”
That was true. A direct assault wouldn’t defeat China.
It would cost too much money. Too much time.
“You can’t beat the Chinese government through conventional means. So I intend to change the method. Your role is critical, Chairman.”
“You know I’m always on your side, Charlie. Let’s hear the plan.”
I slid a black briefcase across to him.
He took it reflexively and frowned.
“Charlie, what’s this?”
“Files documenting corruption among high-ranking Chinese officials.”
“Oh.”
His eyes lit up with unmistakable interest as he looked down at the bag.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing on the very top leadership. But there’s plenty on major figures from the Shanghai faction, the Taizidang, and the Communist Youth League. Release them one by one.”
Chinese media was controlled by the Communist Party. Without Party approval, no outlet inside China could publish such material.
But Murdoch’s media empire was strong enough to withstand external pressure.
“This time, use proper mainstream outlets. Not just your papers—share the information with the New York Times, the Washington Post, and others.”
Yellow journalism attracted attention—but it had limits.
Murdoch looked reluctant.
“A shame to share such good material.”
But he did not object.
“Very well. I’ll meet with the major outlets and distribute the information.”
“Don’t release everything at once. That would dull the impact. Stretch it out. Make it a series.”
Murdoch grinned mischievously.
“That’s our specialty. But this alone won’t make the Chinese government blink.”
“You’re right. But international capital will see it differently. You know this better than anyone—nothing scares investors more than an untrustworthy government.”
“Indeed. That’s why investors were hesitant about China in the first place. Until Dream High began investing heavily and changed the mood.”
“And what do you think would happen if, amid that flood of corruption stories, Dream High announced its withdrawal from China?”
Murdoch’s eyes widened.
“That would rattle them. Dream High—boasting a 100% win rate on Wall Street—pulls out of China. And at the same time, allegations of high-level corruption keep surfacing...”
“There will be investors who follow us out. At that point, the Chinese government can’t ignore it.”
Murdoch nodded gravely.
If Dream High withdrew alone, Beijing might not even flinch.
There were always investors eager to enter China.
“Your manipulation of public opinion is terrifying, Charlie. Using the power ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ of the herd...”
“I can’t collapse China’s economy. But I can slow its growth. The more capital that exits alongside us, the greater the damage.”
“But even if foreign investors leave, the overseas Chinese won’t.”
“That part’s beyond my control.”
I shrugged.
“But they’re not enough. Without foreign capital, China couldn’t have built special economic zones and absorbed global money the way it did.”
China’s growth had been coastal. Foreign capital had fueled its port cities and driven expansion.
“There’s also an internal power struggle at play. Jiang Zemin already handed over formal positions to Hu Jintao, but he still wields enormous influence. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao are on good terms with me. If Hu maintains high growth rates, Jiang’s people will be pushed out at the next Party Congress.”
It was a conclusion based on knowledge from my previous life.
Hu Jintao had once been dragged around by Jiang Zemin—but ultimately used high economic growth as a weapon to sideline Jiang’s Standing Committee allies.
And right now, China’s growth was accelerating even faster than before.
“Jiang Zemin probably thinks this is his last chance. You know better than anyone how obsessed he is with power.”
“There’s no one who knows that better than I do. I’ve run dozens of exposés on him. He’s the embodiment of ambition.”
“Exactly. If we can’t shake him from the outside, we shake him from within.”
Hu Jintao wanted to use me to attack Jiang Zemin.
But I had no intention of playing on his board.
I glanced at the briefcase now in Murdoch’s possession and let one corner of my mouth curl upward.
If you want something, you must be prepared to stain your own hands.
“The opening move will be North Korea.”
“North Korea?”
Murdoch tilted his head.
“You’re aware that China has threatened North Korea by leveraging aid shipments?”
“I’ve heard. But isn’t that routine pressure?”
“It is. But if North Korea refuses Chinese aid, it stops being routine.”
“The North Korean government would have to be insane—ah. Don’t tell me that’s also your idea.”
I nodded.
Murdoch looked almost tired of being surprised.
“Jang Songthaek is pro-China.”
“He used to be. But after consolidating power, his thinking changed. He realized that if North Korea keeps being dragged by China, it has no future.”
“This is getting interesting.”
“South Korea and North Korea will stand together against China. And Russia will align with us.”
“This is getting dangerously large. I suppose it’s entertaining for me to watch.”
A mischievous smile played across Murdoch’s face.
“Not yet. It begins after Prime Minister Koizumi visits North Korea. That’s when China will realize something has gone wrong.”
North Korea and Japan would normalize relations. North Korea would reject Chinese aid.
Aid would then flow from Japan and Russia instead.
The Sinuiju development project with China would be halted.
Jiang Zemin likely hadn’t even considered that North Korea might respond aggressively.
“Continue publishing negative stories about China—especially regarding economic uncertainty. You’re the vanguard, Chairman.”
“I like that. To stand at the front of such an entertaining battlefield! An honor. Retirement just became exciting again.”
Murdoch was exhilarated rather than frightened. No wonder his media empire had grown so formidable.
“If we’re doing this properly, I’ll need to acquire the Wall Street Journal.”
“The Wall Street Journal?” freewēbnoveℓ.com
He hadn’t bought it until the late 2000s in my previous life.
Murdoch continued,
“Talks are already underway. The price is the issue.”
“Don’t worry about the price. Acquire it. Dream High will invest whatever funding is lacking.”
“That would suit me nicely. They call me the king of yellow journalism now. But if I acquire the Wall Street Journal, they won’t say that anymore.”
The Wall Street Journal was owned by Dow Jones, creator of the Dow Jones Industrial Average—one of the three major U.S. stock indices.
Alongside the New York Times and the Washington Post, it was one of America’s premier newspapers. In economics, it rivaled the Financial Times.
“Is Dow Jones officially for sale?”
“Not exactly. But the Bancroft family is short on cash after some failed investments.”
“The Bancroft family short on cash...”
“Yes. And Dream High was deeply involved in those failed bets. They wagered against you.”
So the timing had accelerated.
I nodded faintly.
“That works in our favor.”
“Indeed. So I have one favor to ask.”
“Funding is not an issue.”
“Not money. Do you know about the local broadcast ownership cap currently being pushed in the U.S. Congress?”
I shook my head, and Murdoch sighed.
“It’s a bill to prevent a single broadcaster from owning more than 35% of regional stations. If passed, it will affect us.”
Clearly targeted at him.
“Our subsidiary Fox TV owns stakes above that threshold in multiple regional stations. I need you to stop it.”
“Aren’t lobbyists already working on it?”
“They are. But no lobbyist is as effective as you, Charlie. I’m asking.”
Before I could respond, Murdoch lowered his head in a slight bow.
