Awakening the Daily Intelligence System

Chapter 475: 178, Chen Sang, we are in big trouble!_2

However…

Both officials had not anticipated why they should halt imports from Japan effective immediately.

For America, Japan was merely one of its many vassal states, a relatively large son at that. Even if Japan dared to protest, there was Korea in Asia as well.

Let these two sons compete with each other.

But if they abruptly stopped importing fish, oil, and natural gas from Japan, it would inevitably lead to a scarcity of these items at home.

Scarcity begets value, and essential goods would certainly see a price increase.

Take oil prices, for instance, they could very likely see a surge of thirty or even fifty percent in a short period.

The oil companies, whether they have ample reserves or not, would surely not pass up this opportunity for a justified price hike. Who would say no to reaping profits?

However, for the newly appointed Duke, a price increase in these necessities would inevitably lead to public discontent or, in other words, a drop in his approval ratings.

Never mind that the Duke could serve for four years, anyone who has come this far wants reelection, not just a four-year term.

The two officials exchanged glances. The energy official ventured, “Your Grace, if you proceed with this…”

Johnson Hester certainly knew what they were about to say, and not to mention anything else, he had already thought of this when Lin Mo outlined his plan.

There was no choice now. Even if the losses were great, they had to follow Lin Mo’s demands.

Otherwise, without the support of the Abyss Organization, he wouldn’t just be worrying about his chances of reelection, but rather whether he could stay alive at all.

History is not devoid of examples where dukes, stripped of protection from major families and then abandoned, met their ends in the open streets.

“Do as I say, do not ask any questions,” Johnson Hester said sternly. “If you want to maintain your current positions, you must unconditionally obey all my commands.”

“Now go execute it. I’m giving you one week for self-examination, but the halt on commercial imports starts now!”

“Leave.”

With things having come to this point, both knew better than to say more and obediently backed out of the office.

Standing at the door, they both let out a huge sigh of relief.

The official responsible for resources said shakily, “F**k, that scared me. I don’t remember the last time I was this tense. France, what the hell do you think this bastard is up to?”

France, too, wiped the dense cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head, “Only God knows what he’s up to.”

“I suddenly feel like he isn’t targeting us, but it seems like he’s aiming at Japan instead.”

“I remember that Japan doesn’t have much business with the Johnson family, right?”

The two chatted while quickly exiting the noted palace, continuously speculating about Johnson Hester’s real intentions.

For a senior official, it’s not scary to make a mistake or to be corrupt; what’s worrisome is not understanding the intentions of a superior, which is a very dangerous sign.

However,

just as they were leaving the palace’s grand entrance, they noticed several people walking towards them: the officials from Foreign Affairs, Taxation, and the American Commander stationed in Japan.

Seeing their arrival, France was certain, “The Commander stationed in Japan is here, it seems something from Japan has really irritated our Duke.”

“Now we’ll have a scene to watch!”

The head of the Resources Department was also relieved and said with a smile, “As long as the fire doesn’t burn us, let it burn wherever he wishes.”

“Let’s go and discuss who to push out as the scapegoat!”

….

Johnson Hester kept summoning officials related to Japan and demanded of them in the same manner, first using their vulnerabilities against them, and then ordering a series of actions against Japan.

Of course,

These actions, on the surface, did not appear to be aimed at Japan, merely internal adjustments within America, but a closer inspection would reveal that they were all killing moves.

…

Japan, Capital.

America’s action was immediate and tangible.

After the commander stationed in Japan had accepted the summons, a document was quickly delivered to Japan’s official channels.

When Ichiro Toyota saw the contents of the document, his face turned deathly pale, and he did not dare to delay, hastily calling his driver and rushing to Chen Shanhe’s residence.

He had been thoroughly marginalized, but Ichiro Toyota didn’t actually care much about that.

As long as his family could hold office in Japan, being the nominal King was enough for him.

If he really had to deal with Japan’s major families on his own, he truly lacked the strength to handle so many troubles.

With a mastermind behind the scenes, he was actually quite content.

In this respect, Ichiro Toyota was quite similar to Johnson Hester, both of them quite willing to be puppets.

After all, these days, even wanting to be a puppet required some strength, otherwise one couldn’t even attain that position.

Having arrived at Chen Shanhe’s estate, Ichiro Toyota ran into the hall to find Chen Shanhe sitting on a couch, sipping tea.

He hurriedly said, “Chen Sang, we have big trouble!”

Chen Shanhe was unaware of the changes in America and said with a smile, “Mr. Toyota, if the sky falls, there is a tall one to hold it up, why the panic?”

As he spoke, Chen Shanhe also took the document.

When he saw the content of the document, Chen Shanhe’s brows also unconsciously furrowed.

He had thought it was some trivial matter, but the content actually stated that America had decided to withdraw its troops stationed in Japan.

This…

This was no small matter!

An important reason Japan could stand in Asia was the presence of American troops on their soil.

Regardless of the strength of these troops, as long as this force existed, no one dared to have the slightest thought against Japan, even Grand Xia would have to think twice before moving on Japan’s cake.

If the troops were withdrawn, it meant that Japan would no longer be under America’s protection.

Then the status of Japan would plummet,

And let’s not forget, America doesn’t have just one son in Asia; not far away is Kore Country, also a dear son.

Moreover, compared to Japan, Kore Country, facing greater threats, is more reliant on America, bluntly speaking, more obedient.

Chen Shanhe asked gravely, “When did you receive the notification?”

Ichiro Toyota quickly replied, “Just now, about half an hour from now, America has not given a specific reason!”

This…

It didn’t make sense.

Chen Shanhe remembered very clearly that he had increased the treatment of American forces stationed in Japan this year and had taken the initiative to settle the entire year’s military expenses, so how could this result have come about?

He took out his phone, ready to call the commander stationed in Japan to ask for details, but the call showed the phone was turned off.

“Prepare the car, I’m going to America’s Office, we must deal with this today!” Chen Shanhe was a bit panicked because he was now the actual controller of Japan, one might say tied to Japan’s destiny.

If something unexpected happened to this country, or if its national fortune declined, it would be very troublesome for him to continue squatting in the nest.

Those families bowed to him on the surface also because there was profit to be made; if one day there was not enough benefit to share, the consequences were unimaginable!

Ichiro Toyota nodded and said, “Chen Sang, my car is at the door, when I was coming over, I had already asked, the commander stationed in Japan has already returned to his country, now only the Consul General at the Office is still here.”

“He should know something!”

Chen Shanhe nodded, no longer speaking, and prepared to walk outside.

His thought was that Kore Country had come up with this idea to degrade Japan’s status and elevate Kore Country’s authority in Asia.

However,

Before Chen Shanhe could leave the living room, he saw Chen Ze rush in from outside, looking tense as he said, “Bad news, Dad, I just received a message, America has announced a ban on importing our oil and natural gas, and now the major families have started to panic.”

“Many family heads are looking for you, wanting to know what exactly happened!”