Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

After declaring war, I began rearranging the board.

My enemy was not the entire Chinese leadership.

I would limit it strictly to the Shanghai faction. Even if I couldn’t uproot them completely, I would at least reduce their power.

One by one, I began moving the pieces I had prepared.

The first to act was Jang Songthaek. Using China’s repeated delays in economic aid as an excuse, he halted the Sinuiju development project.

The Chinese government protested immediately, but Jang Songthaek did not stop.

He sent all Chinese personnel in Sinuiju back across the border and blocked every route connecting China to the city.

He did not completely close the border with China, but even this act alone delivered a severe shock to the Chinese government.

[North Korea–China Relations Head Toward Collapse Day by Day]

Like South Korea and the United States, North Korea and China are bound together in a relationship that cannot easily be severed.

The Korean War that broke out on the peninsula was a war between North and South, but it also took the form of a proxy war between the United States and China that lasted three years.

The United States supported South Korea, while China supported North Korea. In the end, the war concluded not with victory for either side, but with an armistice.

For decades afterward, the Cold War continued, and ideological confrontation persisted.

The Korean Peninsula stood at its center.

South Korea grew with the support of the United States and the Western world, while North Korea grew with the support of China and the Soviet Union.

(Excerpt omitted)

Because of this incident, the international situation has become as unpredictable as dense fog.

I folded the newspaper carrying the front-page article from Goryeo Daily.

Jang Songthaek had carried out my request exactly as I asked.

Of course, he had also done it because he believed it benefited him—but it was still a tremendous help.

If China’s position in North Korea weakened because of this conflict initiated by Jiang Zemin, then Jiang Zemin would inevitably suffer internal damage.

While checking other newspapers, Chief Ma entered the study.

“Boss. They say it succeeded.”

I nodded with a satisfied smile at his report.

“Is he dead?”

“They were unable to confirm.”

“Well... even if he didn’t die, it should serve as a warning. Tell them to observe the situation and decide how to proceed afterward.”

This was more than enough of a gift for the Chinese ambassador who had shown me such disrespect.

“What about Hu Jintao?”

“Hao Xun reported that President Hu Jintao will make a state visit to Moscow next year.”

“Then I can meet Hu Jintao at that time.”

While Chief Ma continued reporting the progress of our operations, my phone rang.

Chief Ma pulled the phone from his pocket and looked at me.

“Answer it.”

With my permission, he picked up the call.

But as he listened silently, his expression changed by the second.

What is it? What could make Chief Ma look that serious?

After a moment, he ended the call and reported in a dark voice.

“Boss... President Hu Jintao has been attacked.”

“What?”

The shocking words made me jump to my feet without thinking.

Of course, Hu Jintao would face assassination attempts several times.

But those events were still far in the future.

“Is President Hu Jintao safe?” freёweɓnovel.com

“We don’t know that yet.”

“Explain what happened. Properly.”

I barely calmed myself and sat down again.

Once I settled into the chair, Chief Ma began speaking.

“After receiving the position of Chairman of the Central Military Commission from Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao had been touring military units across the country to solidify his control over the armed forces.”

That part had already been reported to me.

As Mao Zedong famously said, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

In China, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission—the commander-in-chief of the military—holds the ultimate authority.

That was why Deng Xiaoping had held onto the military commission chairmanship until the very end even after stepping down from everything else.

And why Jiang Zemin had handed over the positions of Party General Secretary and President to Hu Jintao but stubbornly clung to the military commission chairmanship for years.

Eventually Hu Jintao did receive the position.

But even now, key posts within the military commission were still dominated by Jiang Zemin’s faction.

It would take at least another year before Hu Jintao could replace them with his own people.

So before that, Hu Jintao had been conducting inspections to make it known that he was now the commander-in-chief.

“I already know that part. Don’t tell me there was a coup?”

“No. While visiting the Northern Fleet, he boarded a newly commissioned missile destroyer for inspection. At that moment, two nearby warships suddenly fired their naval guns at the destroyer carrying Hu Jintao.”

“...Damn.”

A headache stabbed through my temples.

I knew about this incident already.

Because it was supposed to happen later.

But now it had occurred two full years earlier.

In my previous life, Hu Jintao survived.

But this time... who knew?

“Did the destroyer sink? Did Hu Jintao... die?”

“The destroyer quickly turned its stern and left the training zone. Since then, Hu Jintao’s whereabouts have been completely unknown. No one knows whether he is alive or dead. Beijing is controlling all information and has declared a state of emergency. Our informant has been instructed to stay hidden for now.”

A wise decision.

If we moved recklessly, the HUMINT network that had already been shaken once might collapse entirely.

But now bold action was required.

“Even if the newly built intelligence line collapses, we must confirm whether Hu Jintao is alive or dead. No matter what.”

“I’ll pass that order along, Boss.”

Still... attacking a destroyer carrying the commander-in-chief of the military.

Even in China—where the Party controls the army—this was an extraordinary situation.

“Who ordered the attack?”

“That hasn’t been revealed yet.”

This incident—later known as the Yellow Sea Assassination Attempt on Hu Jintao—had originally been orchestrated by Jiang Zemin, with Northern Fleet Commander Zhang Dingfa carrying it out.

I suspected the same thing had happened again.

“Contact Hao Xun. No matter what.”

If anyone could know Hu Jintao’s fate, it would be Hao Xun.

As Chief Ma picked up his phone to leave, my own phone rang.

I gestured quickly for him to contact Hao Xun and answered the call.

“This is Kim Muhyuk speaking. Medvedev.”

― President Kim Muhyuk. Troops from China’s Northern Theater Command are moving toward the North Korean border.

The situation was apparently urgent, because Medvedev skipped greetings and went straight to the point.

“What? They sent troops to the border?”

― Yes. That’s what we’ve been informed. By now the United States and South Korea have likely received the same report.

Had Jiang Zemin completely lost his mind?

With Hu Jintao’s whereabouts unknown, he was making such aggressive military moves?

“How many troops are moving?”

― The 39th Group Army. We haven’t confirmed the exact numbers yet.

The 39th Group Army was the closest unit to Sinuiju.

If they moved, they could reach the border in less than half a day.

“Will they cross the border?”

― Our analysis says fifty–fifty. We have no idea what President Hu Jintao is thinking. If things continue like this, it could give the United States an excuse to intervene.

Russia still didn’t know Hu Jintao had been attacked.

“Medvedev. It isn’t Hu Jintao.”

I briefly explained that Hu Jintao was currently missing.

When he heard the destroyer carrying Hu Jintao had been attacked, Medvedev was shocked.

― If it isn’t Hu Jintao, then Jiang Zemin must be acting through the vice chairman of the military commission. This situation is getting very complicated.

“What is Russia planning to do?”

― For now we are observing the situation. All troops stationed along the Chinese border have been placed on standby.

“You must intervene.”

― But—

If Russia remained passive, there was no telling how this situation would unfold.

I spoke firmly again.

“They must not cross the border. If they do, our entire plan collapses.”

― Hmm. I’ll report it.

“I’m not asking for military action. Just pressure the Chinese government. Or talk with Jang Songthaek and deploy troops to Rason as we previously discussed.”

Medvedev sighed softly.

― That method exists... but it ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) will take several days. If they cross the border before that, it will be meaningless.

“Then at least send a warning to the Chinese government not to cross the border. And... announce that the planned oil pipeline project is being temporarily suspended.”

― Wasn’t that something planned for later?

The suspension of oil and gas pipelines between China and Russia was one of the cards I had prepared to pressure China.

“The situation changed suddenly. We don’t know how far Jiang Zemin will go.”

― Understood. I will report that as well.

“Thank you. Contact me again if anything new comes up.”

― I will. Goodbye.

After ending the call with Medvedev, silence filled the study.

Alone in the quiet room, I organized everything in my mind.

An assassination attempt on Hu Jintao.

Simultaneously, Chinese troop movements.

What comes next?

I hadn’t expected China to react this violently just because North Korea signaled distance from them.

No... actually, this might be better.

The more recklessly Jiang Zemin moved, the harder the backlash would hit him if things went wrong.

Still, a sense of unease lingered.

Am I missing something?

Then a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Did they do all this to short the stock market?

It seemed possible.

If China acted like this, fear of war across East Asia would erupt instantly.

And the stock markets would collapse.

But that wasn’t the priority right now.

First, the war had to be prevented.

I quickly called Myungsoo.

― Hey. Muhyuk, I’m busy. Let’s talk later.

“Because the Chinese army moved?”

― How do you know faster than I do? Where did you hear that?

“Medvedev called me. And Hu Jintao was attacked too. Consider that when discussing countermeasures.”

― What? Is that true? Wait a moment.

I heard hurried footsteps and a door locking.

― Okay. Muhyuk, tell me everything.

Only then did I tell him Hu Jintao had gone missing.

― ...Hu Jintao is missing, and the army is moving? Who the hell is giving orders? This is insane. I heard the President got an emergency call through the Pyongyang hotline. He’s probably on the phone right now.

“What about the United States?”

― Nothing yet. They only shared the troop movement. After that, no information.

Without American assistance, this situation couldn’t be stabilized.

“Alright. Call me immediately if anything unusual happens.”

― Got it. Talk later.

As I ended the call with Myungsoo, Chief Ma returned.

“What about Hao Xun?”

“We couldn’t reach him.”

“Could something have happened to him?”

Had Hao Xun been arrested?

“That’s unlikely. He should be hiding.”

“That’s good... but still.”

Hao Xun was a powerful card against Hu Jintao.

If the secret relationship between the vice leader of the Black Dragon Society—one of the most powerful underworld organizations—and China’s top leadership became public, the impact would be enormous.

But to use that information, we needed solid evidence and testimony.

And the best way to secure that was to control Hao Xun himself.

“The Chinese army is moving toward the North Korean border. This situation may escalate further.”

“Considering Hu Jintao was attacked and the military moved immediately afterward, everything seems like a carefully arranged plan.”

Chief Ma was right.

Each piece fit together like a puzzle.

So perfectly that it was impossible to guess when it had all been prepared. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

“Boss, have you contacted Wen Jiabao? He might know something.”

I shook my head.

If I were Jiang Zemin, I would be watching Wen Jiabao closely.

“Premier Wen won’t be able to move. Even if Hu Jintao is alive. The moment he moves, he’ll be exposed to an even greater assassination risk.”

What kind of madness was this struggle for power?

“If Hu Jintao is dead, everything collapses. There will be no one left to restrain Jiang Zemin.”

Right now, no one else could check Jiang Zemin.

Wen Jiabao lacked enough support from the Communist Youth League.

The Princelings lacked the strength to oppose the Shanghai faction.

If Hu Jintao had truly died...

The Shanghai faction could end up seizing complete control of China.

“He must survive. Hu Jintao absolutely cannot die.”

I desperately hoped he was alive.

My head was spinning, but I couldn’t just sit and wait.

I had to do what I could.

Fortunately, the Chinese army did not cross the border.

They claimed it was merely scheduled military training—complete nonsense.

No one believed it.

Just as I expected, Han Kyungyeong informed me that several forces on Wall Street had placed massive short bets days earlier.

“Those crazy bastards.”

It was only circumstantial evidence.

But Jiang Zemin must have leaked the information beforehand.

He had clearly decided to fully join hands with Baltiche.

And because of this incident, Dream High had also suffered major losses.