Yes, Prime Minister of Japan

"How are you planning to mess with South Korea?" Natasha asked curiously from the side.

"Territory."

Having dealt with the Dokdo sovereignty crisis last time, it's time to teach the South Koreans a lesson. Li Xinghe has realized he's developed a path dependency: whenever he faces trouble, he goes to South Korea to boost his own performance.

The author says:

Author's Note: Thank you all for your support. 5100 words. I'll be able to update on time tonight because I wrote 7000 words in one go. I'm exhausted.

Chapter 678: I Help China Reclaim Its Maritime Borders, Li Xinghe: A Born Bad Seed (5500 words)

Yokosuka Port.

Li Xinghe set off without hesitation, but encountered a small problem. Although he had notified the Maritime Self-Defense Force a few days in advance, it was clear that the Maritime Self-Defense Force at Yokosuka Port had just finished celebrating the New Year and had not made serious preparations. As a result, while Li Xinghe had already set sail with the Takao, Hosho, Ryujo and Shiiro, the First Escort Fleet had only followed the Izumo and Maya, and the following ships were still moving in a sparse manner.

“Chief of Staff Yagi…” Li Xinghe looked at Yagi Koji.

"Forehead……"

Koji Yagi was also very anxious, but he really had no choice. He had just taken over the mess left by Satoshi Saito, and it was already a miracle that he could pull the Izumo light aircraft carrier out of the water, as there were still several F-35Bs on board.

"Forget it, I guess there are quite a few people in the Maritime Self-Defense Force who are unhappy with me. As long as they don't fire rockets at me, it's fine."

Li Xinghe waved his hand, pretending he hadn't asked about it.

Natasha and Minami Yoshino boarded the ship as support personnel, while former Self-Defense Force medic Nakazabayashi Yuko served as the fleet's deputy commander, temporarily assisting Li Xinghe in managing the command authority of the directly subordinate fleet, and headed to Osaka Prefecture.

It wasn't until the following morning that the main fleet managed to muster a meager 5 light carriers, 8 Aegis-equipped ships, and a dozen or so general-purpose destroyers. With the light carriers and the localized air superiority provided by the F-35Bs, they suppressed the South Korean Navy.

At this time, Li Xinghe's main fleet, judging from its combat strength on paper, was already among the top ten in the world. However, upon closer inspection, one would find a bunch of large sampans carrying outdated helicopters, with most of their missile vertical launch systems empty and only their naval guns still functional.

Even Li Xinghe had his doubts:

"With our current capabilities, is it appropriate for us to go to Jeju Island?"

"It's alright, the South Korean army performed even worse."

Lin Youzi's words of comfort were quite effective, but they also inadvertently made the faces of several chiefs of staff turn black with disgust.

At this moment, Li Xinghe and several chiefs of staff were on the same side.

The defection of the Self-Defense Forces has damaged their reputation, and the new group supported by Li Xinghe lacks prestige within the military, so they need at least a nominal victory to solidify their position.

"As expected, direct confrontation is not an option, and of course, I have no intention of starting a war. We should focus on provoking conflicts between South Korea and major powers to establish our prestige."

"Yes, but the problem isn't that big, but it's not small either."

Asuka Nagumo, in charge of strategic planning in the staff office, nervously pointed to the disputed area on the map:

"Look here, this is Suyan Reef, a long-hidden point of conflict."

China and South Korea have significant disputes over economic issues in the East China Sea.

Because China believes the East China Sea continental shelf belongs to China, it considers the entire East China Sea continental shelf its economic zone, and wants to extend the maritime boundary line to Jeju Island, essentially slapping it on South Korea's face. South Korea believes it should be divided according to the median line, half for each side, but it subtly adjusts the median line benchmark, always trying to claim more reefs.

For example, Suyan Reef, located 150 kilometers southwest of Jeju Island, is a reef with no value under maritime law, but South Korea claims it as its own territory and has built a research tower there. Currently, the coast guards of China and South Korea are fighting over it. China has built three steel fishing grounds near the dilapidated research station built by South Korea.

Ah, don't ask why they're building steel baskets in the far reaches of the East China Sea and calling it a fishing ground. I say it's a fishing ground, so it is. The South Korean Coast Guard and research team wanted to send people over to investigate, but they were scared away by the fishermen and navy wielding knives.

Besides Suyan Reef, Jeollanam-do in the north also controls the disputed Ilyang Reef, which is only 47 kilometers away from the South Korean mainland's Heuksan Island, practically right next to the South Korean mainland.

Misaki Nagumo quickly stood next to her sister and pointed to a sea area north of Suyan Reef:

"There is also Hyuga Reef here, which is almost on the edge of the South Korean mainland."

The historical ownership of these reefs is difficult to ascertain, and it's highly likely that no one has cared. However, this is a time of economic competition, and the continental shelf delineation method is advantageous to China, so we should adhere to it. Just as Chiang Kai-shek's map aggressively drew lines to expand China's territory, and China later found a way to build artificial islands on the borders of Southeast Asian countries, as long as the ownership of the reefs is truly secured, building an island or a fortress is not a major issue.

South Korea is a rather shameless country after World War II, particularly adept at causing trouble on these rocky islands. The Dokdo sovereignty crisis was a result of South Korea shamelessly seizing the opportunity to do so. They also attempted to take Tsushima Island, but were refused by the US military.

History doesn't matter; what matters is the present.

Chief of Staff Koji Yagi then realized Li Xinghe's thoughts. He hurriedly cooperated, but missed the point:

"The Chinese are very hypocritical when it comes to maritime issues. In the East China Sea, they insist on dividing the waters according to the continental shelf, wanting to extend the exclusive economic zone to Jeju Island in South Korea and Okinawa in China... cough cough, the Taiwan Strait, and they argue about it endlessly. But in the South China Sea, they change their tune, saying that the waters cannot be divided according to the continental shelf, but should be divided according to historical tradition, and that the exclusive economic zone should still be drawn to the border of other countries."

The Vietnamese often bring this up: you insist on the continental shelf in the East China Sea, so why don't you insist on the continental shelf demarcation in the South China Sea? The answer is simple: if we divide it according to the continental shelf, then we will lose the Spratly Islands, and I'm not happy about that.

"Ahem. We should talk about China and South Korea now."

Li Xinghe stopped the interruption and got back to the main topic.

What is double standards? We have always been the victims of neighboring countries' infringement on our maritime territory.

Anyway, as long as you're thick-skinned, let others stick their coastline on your face; if they have the guts, they can fight back.

The importance of Suyan Reef and Rixiang Reef is like the difference between stepping on your left foot or your right foot when you go out. When they are not in opposition, you can go out upside down without any problem; when they are in opposition, even the slightest bit showing when you go out is a sin.

The Japanese once referred to it as the 'spark of territorial conflict between China and South Korea'.

The word "spark" itself suggests that the controversy surrounding these two reefs is still in a state of simmering tension, about to erupt but not yet fully realized.

Lin Youzi pondered and explained to Li Xinghe:

"If control of these two reefs were to change hands and be taken back by the Chinese, it would indeed infuriate the South Koreans and cause the South Korean navy to be in danger in its own adjacent waters."

Domain operations are restricted.

Li Xinghe made his decision by tapping the shore:

"Then let us help ignite this anger."

At this moment, Li Xinghe resembled a malicious Japanese man, deliberately provoking territorial disputes between China and South Korea.

Normally, you shouldn't act so recklessly.

However, in 2029, when the economy is in a bad state, and South Korea is experiencing a series of crises due to its deep involvement in the US stock market, from cryptocurrency to shipbuilding, and the country's economy is effectively in recession, stirring up conflict between China and South Korea can not only consolidate Lee Sung-ha's control over Japan, but also prevent Chinese capital from investing in South Korea.

Li Xinghe's desired outcome is to quickly bring Chinese capital to Tokyo and bring it under his control.

Of course, returning the two reefs would also earn the friendship of the people of Jiangsu.

The chiefs of staff simply couldn't keep up with Li Xinghe's wild ideas; their minds had become rigid, and they could only nod and agree.

Will the Chinese follow our lead?

China's strategy has always been to maintain the status quo but create new ones. If the other side occupies a reef, China will build new artificial islands to counter-encircle it. A similar strategy is used on the Socotra Rock issue: if you build a research station, I will build three iron cage fishing grounds to surround it. The main approach is a jagged, step-by-step advance.

They are very cautious about directly seizing strongholds and rarely take the initiative to throw punches.

Li Xinghe was unconcerned about their voices:

"Like I said, let's do it first and talk about it later."

The recent discussion between Li Xinghe and Wu Jianzhong is still worth revisiting. It's time to utilize the second route of international organizations to indirectly achieve our desired goals, rather than acting conservatively.

If it's inconvenient for China to take matters into its own hands, then I, Lao Li, will lend a hand.

With the US-Japan joint fleet anchored in Osaka Bay, Li Xinghe summoned the captains of the ships and read them a passage of classical Chinese text:

"During the Warring States period, the State of Qin was at war with the State of Han and cut off the road to Shangdang. The people of Shangdang used the surrender of Zhao as a strategy to drive Zhao into a battle with Qin at Changping."

Whether they understood or not, Li Xinghe didn't care; his main goal was to cultivate an image of profound knowledge.

……

Under the same bright moon, on the island of Ryukyu.

Chinese signs are everywhere, Chinese language tutoring centers are expanding, and Naha City is filled with Chinese goods all over the island.

The bottom-ranked hottie, Yui Koshiyama, held her phone, completely bewildered by the message Li Xinghe had sent:

"I can't understand this classical Chinese."

Zhang Xiaoqian, too, only had a partial understanding.

Fortunately, Li Xinghe didn't actually speak in riddles. Instead, he sent Zhang Xiaoqian and He Yang a secret action plan, instructing them to prepare for the fight.

"Suyan Reef? Hyuga Reef?"

The burly He Yang and the clever and reliable Zhang Xiaoqian didn't understand where this place was, but since Li Xinghe had given the notice, they decided to go and do it.

This seems to be a territorial dispute, which looks very serious. Surely he couldn't have done it without the approval of his superiors?

There should be, right?

Two small armed boats quietly headed north from Naha City.

As the night fell, they advanced, gradually approaching Socotra Rock, which South Korea calls the 'Ieodo' research station.

This is a steel-structured research station built on a reef 4.7 meters below sea level, with a helicopter landing pad on top. Due to its extremely precipitous location, the people on board did not expect that the Chinese would dare to climb directly up the steel support structure.

He Yang, like a nimble fat fox, swung the hook rope and climbed up in a flash. After covering his face with the national flag, he suddenly kicked open the door of the South Korean research station and stepped on the South Korean flag on the ground.

"Who?"

The staff at the research station looked completely bewildered.

The research station was under surveillance, but instead of destroying the surveillance system, the attackers used a crowbar to violently strike the faces of the research station personnel in front of the monitors, knocking out all their teeth and breaking their ribs, all while cursing and beating them.

The attackers openly spoke Japanese, beating and cursing the staff at the research station as they did so.

"You bastards who stole our islands! I'll crush your balls!"

He Yang and his gang weren't lying; they really did crush everyone's eggs with their big leather shoes, causing the yolks to leak out.

After smashing the teeth, breaking the ribs, and folding the genitals of 15 employees three times, and kicking their testicles, He Yang and his accomplices threw them onto a small boat, drove 100 kilometers north, dumped them on Maro Island, and then ran away.

Another small reef, Xiaorixiang Reef, was also attacked by Zhang Xiaoqian.

Another 'Chinese attacker,' speaking fluent Japanese, brazenly began using a crowbar to smash the genitals of a South Korean man right under the camera's lens.

"When have you Koreans ever set foot on a ship? Even Toyotomi Hideyoshi could easily land on it. You're just American lackeys. You don't even have a U.S. Navy stationed here. What kind of strong military are you pretending to be? You're just trash."

Another 15 researchers had their testicles and genitals destroyed by the tornado. The little tits were left crying and grieving on a nearby black mountain island, and the attackers then fled.

The research stations on these two reefs then removed the South Korean telecommunications equipment, threw away all the South Korean flags and other items, replaced them with Chinese flags, and set up anti-aircraft machine gun positions and anti-aircraft missiles.

It wasn't until dawn, when the 30 disillusioned researchers, their pants tucked in and faces streaked with tears, finally found Koreans on the island to help them, that the news finally got out.

Shocking Asia!

South Koreans woke up overnight to find that they were doomed: Suyan Reef and Hyuga Reef were lost!

Moreover, the matter is very simple and clear.

Li Xinghe sent two groups of people to seize their research station.

They blatantly and deliberately disguised themselves as Chinese and beat up the 30 South Korean marine workers who were occupying the two reef research stations. They beat them so badly that their thighs were broken, their ribs were broken, their penises were bent into three pieces, their testicles were shaken until they were shattered, their testicle skins were cut into patterns, and their toes were broken.

Let alone Koreans, even Chinese people are bewildered when they wake up in the morning.

The people of Jiangsu woke up one night to find that, with Li Xinghe's help, their territory had extended all the way to the reef research station 47 kilometers west of the South Korean mainland.

At this point, they didn't know how to evaluate Li Xinghe, who was supposedly from Jiangsu.

Is he from Gangboning, Nanjing, or from another place?

However, the overall assessment of the three kingdoms is consistent.

Li Xinghe, you truly are the king of stirring up trouble in East Asia!

On this morning, across the different territories of China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea, the same voice resounded:

"What the hell? Li Xinghe, are you even human?"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry held an emergency meeting, while hundreds of thousands of voters wept and criticized the South Korean government for its incompetence, saying it couldn't control Lee Sung-ha or China.

The officers on the joint fleet hurriedly praised Li Xinghe for his "brilliant strategy" and said that "the plan for Shangdang has succeeded."

That's too vicious, too shameless.

Even ordinary Japanese people can easily guess that Li Xinghe sent people to vandalize the research station and then frame China. Look, it's all Chinese people watching; they've even raised the Chinese flag!

But this is an open conspiracy.

The 'disguised Chinese' personnel at the two research stations are constantly sending signals to the Jiangsu Coast Guard, urging them to come and support them and take over the two iron tower research stations.

Are you going to answer or not?

The closest point to Hyuga Reef is only 47 kilometers away from Kohokusan Island on the South Korean mainland!

47 kilometers!

It's only the distance a helicopter can reach by mounting a rocket.

If 750mm rocket launchers were placed on the artificial platform at Hiyang Reef, they could directly cover all parts of Seoul, South Korea with long-range rocket artillery fire, and could even cross the 38th parallel in one go, bombing the flowers and plants in front of the general's house.