Yes, Prime Minister of Japan

“I’m in South Korea promoting agricultural products for my fellow Shandong natives. Is it appropriate for you to criticize me here? You’re a K-pop fan? Which K-pop female star are you a fan of? I’ll invite her to karaoke to sing and dance for me today.”

A petition from South Koreans appeared on the South Korean president's website and quickly rose to the top of the list:

"Please, go to the Music Bank backstage and pick any female stars you want to have fun with. Stop ruining Korean farmers! You've already driven Japanese farmers to their deaths!"

Li Xinghe also replied:

“I didn’t drive Japanese farmers to their deaths; it was the Japanese agricultural cooperatives that reduced their numbers to just over a million. I didn’t drive Korean farmers to their deaths either; it was the Korean agricultural cooperatives that reduced their numbers to just over a million. If you think I would drive people to their deaths, then tomorrow I’ll send a Kwano to your house to show you what it means to drive someone to their death.”

The petition was immediately withdrawn, and the person who started it was reported and arrested the next day. It turned out that the Korean Agricultural Cooperative had instructed its subordinates to secretly manipulate the petition's ranking.

Netizens from China, Japan, and South Korea were amazed by Li Xinghe's energy; he always managed to accurately respond to criticisms, leaving those who criticized him speechless.

"The battle was exhilarating!"

The author says:

Author's Note: Thank you all for your support. Here's 4900 words. Today is the last day of March, and I've already updated 290,000 words this month. I've really put in my best effort. I'll try harder next month and adjust the update schedule a bit.

Chapter 694: Beating the Unruly People and Beating Guanyin (4600 words)

March has only just passed.

After three distinct military coups, the Korean Agricultural Cooperatives, stubborn as ever, managed to gather only about 20,000 influential farmer leaders in the vicinity of Gyeonggi Province, who then drove tractors into Seoul. Not daring to approach the Yongsan-gu or Gwanghwamun areas, they instead headed towards Gangnam District, intending to put on a show in the chaebol's territory.

As for what will happen to South Korea's major distributors, agricultural cooperatives, and agricultural cooperative financial institutions after imports are opened up, nobody knows right now.

However, under pressure from the government and with the public opinion that prices are expected to drop, South Korean consumers, restaurants, supermarkets and other businesses are actually looking forward to the new policy. They are all waiting for Lee Sung-ha to be blamed for breaking the political correctness of "body and land are inseparable" so that they can enjoy selling foreign products.

And below the Longshan base.

As the Special Operations Commander, Su Yumin convened the newly formed Presidential Guard, which had been drawn from other units.

The captain of the 101st Special Operations Battalion is Park Jin-hee, the Hansan man who fought Lee Dong-ho in Bukhansan. He doesn't really like Lee Sung-ha, but after Park Jung-hwan tricked him by dividing the power of the provisional government, he had no choice but to join Lee Sung-ha.

"Special Forces 101, prepare for deployment!"

Everyone had just enjoyed a delicious Chinese meal, and the thought of being able to eat meat every meal in the future filled them with joy. They gripped their batons tightly, wanting only to strike with blurry movements.

To give them a send-off, hundreds of cups of Mixue Ice Cream milk tea were placed on the table in front of the soldiers. Li Xinghe had ordered these for them to express his gratitude to Kaka.

I didn't put any alcohol in the bottle because I was going to drive on the highway, and if I got into an accident while drunk driving, I'd be in big trouble.

But unexpectedly, the combat mission assigned by Su Yumin was a surprise attack:

"Our mission is to arrest Marine Corps Commander Jeon Jin-gu and Colonel Lee Dong-ho. We will rush straight to Pyeongtaek, arrest them, and then leave. The operation is limited to two hours. After the arrests, we will immediately bring them back to the Presidential Palace in Yongsan."

These two guys are still hiding at the naval headquarters in Pyeongtaek.

Li Xinghe couldn't allow them to take the South Korean warships to any strange places; those were all his ships.

"Do you have the determination?!"

"Have!"

Special Forces 101 immediately set out, speeding south in vans. They entered Pyeongtaek City in less than 40 minutes via the highway, then stormed into the Navy Headquarters and arrested the two drunkards.

After the news spread, South Koreans realized that a minor incident during the coup—the killing of Yang Yongmo by Jeon Jin-gu—had not yet been dealt with.

Quan Zhenjiu and Li Donghu were arrested and brought to court. Quan Zhenjiu will likely be charged with "premeditated murder" or "manslaughter," sentenced to a few years, and discharged from the military. Li Donghu, on the other hand, was transferred to the 101st Special Forces as deputy battalion commander because of his bravery in combat.

South Korean media were initially pleased to discover that Special Forces 101 had not targeted civilians.

This shows that democratic forces are overwhelming the military government.

But little did anyone know that the 101st Special Forces unit returning from Pyeongtaek City had taken the same route from south to north: south of the city, south of the river, and south of Yongsan.

Right there on the Han River Bridge, the 101st Special Forces van was stopped by a protest convoy of farmers' tractors.

The two sides met by chance on the Han River Bridge. When the soldiers saw the anti-Li banners on the opposite convoy, they were furious.

Before Park Jin-hee could even get out of the car and say anything, the squad leader threw down his milk tea, pulled out his baton, and led his men forward:

"Damn it, how dare they disrespect Kaka? This is no ordinary farmer!"

The peasant leaders on the tractor were also full of questions. They had already tried to avoid them, so how did they still run into these damned guys?

But there was no time to think, because the military batons came down like phantoms. One blow made you dizzy, two blows made you spin, and three blows made the sky collapse. The soldiers, with milk tea in one hand and military batons in the other, created a series of afterimages, like Shaolin monks practicing on the drill ground.

A reporter accompanying the team was seen scratching his head and screaming on the roadside:

What is this?

The soldiers, one hand holding milk tea or fruit tea, the other wielding military batons with fierce force, naturally answered the reporter's questions:

"This is Mixue Ice Cream's 'Bangda Fresh Orange'."

"Nobody asked you about milk tea!"

The 101st Special Forces soldier's answer was perfectly natural:

"Oh, this is called beating up troublemakers."

"..."

The resistance that the Korean Agricultural Cooperative had just organized was quickly broken up in such a sorry state.

They fled to surrounding cities and prefectures, preparing to rely on their respective autonomous cities to carry out economic resistance against the importers.

The 101st Special Forces, known for their swift and powerful batons, are also associated with the Mixue Ice Cream brand and military batons due to their famous scenes of beating up troublemakers. This is said to be the most suitable badge for the 101st Special Forces.

Meanwhile, Li Xinghe and Zhao Juhuan took advantage of Quan Zhenjiu's arrest to hold another press conference on military reform.

Zhao Guhuan announced a pay raise for the soldiers:

"The military will consider adjusting the salaries of ordinary soldiers in the South Korean army, increasing them by 33%-50% each, and adjusting officers' salaries by 50%-75%. Basic salaries and benefits for technical personnel and military doctors will be increased, rank allowances will be adjusted, and meal allowances will be increased to 6000 won..."

Why were Jeon Jin-gu and Lee Dong-ho arrested before the announcement of improved treatment for South Korean troops was made?

This naturally requires establishing authority before bestowing favors.

If they were to grant favors first and then arrest people, it would only make the South Korean army appear to be superior to Li Xinghe.

Even with such a significant pay raise for all ordinary soldiers in the South Korean military, the overall increase is not substantial, as the base salary was already quite low. In the end, the increase amounted to just over 700 billion won, less than half of the double pay Lee Sung-ha gave to the coup soldiers.

Faced with the reporters' debate, Li Xinghe kindly joked about the US military:

"Is it a lot? Not really. Based on the current USD-KRW exchange rate, it's only a little over 30 million USD in extra expenditure, which is less than what South Korea pays to the US annually."

This represents 3% of the US military's approximately $10 billion budget. In other words, the cost of gasoline alone for US troops stationed in South Korea each year is far greater than the cost of increasing the basic salaries of all soldiers. One could even argue that the food waste left over from the 2.8 US troops stationed in South Korea each year could potentially cover the amount of this pay raise.

Otherwise, where would the army stew come from?

Of course, Li Xinghe was just joking.

Because South Korean military officers have relatives who manage their mess halls, and US military officers also have relatives who manage their mess halls, it is assumed that US troops stationed in South Korea eat well.

Well, the mess halls of the US military stationed in South Korea and Japan are huge money pits. American generals also have many relatives who need to be taken care of, and they are paid according to the level of corruption in the United States.

There are envoys from various countries everywhere, but the South Korean military's envoy can only eat the leftovers of the US military envoy stationed in South Korea.

Seeing that the reporters still didn't understand the magnitude, Li Xinghe began to use analogies:

"No joke, it costs South Korea about $5 to maintain one US soldier, but less than 2% of that cost to maintain one South Korean soldier. Can one US soldier fight 50 South Korean soldiers? They'd be exhausted running away by then. I think the White Tiger Division is very fierce, and some soldiers even dare to fight and bite trucks. I don't think the treatment of South Korean soldiers is that low. At the very least, make sure everyone is well-fed and clothed and not bullied."

At this moment, Li Xinghe looked charming and cheerful, his smile as lovely as early spring plum blossoms, and he spoke eloquently about policies that benefit the people and the military.

The soldiers watching the press conference cheered and celebrated the brilliant and brave Li Kaka and Zhao Kaka.

If we disregard the fact that the 101st and 707th Special Operations Battalions are currently out there chasing after the South Korean Agricultural Cooperative with batons, Li Xinghe actually seems like a pretty good person.

In addition, Zhao Juhuan announced a second piece of good news regarding military reform:

"Currently, as North and South Korea have begun initiatives to end the Korean War, the war and the 38th parallel will be a thing of the past. Therefore, the Presidential Office and the National Assembly will consider abolishing universal conscription. The suffering associated with two years of imprisonment will no longer plague the South Korean people. For this reason, the South Korean military will also begin contract-based reforms, gradually raising the salaries of South Korean soldiers to the level of civilian wages, effectively training special forces to defend the country!"

In order to silence those who had already served in the military, Zhao Guhuan also said:

“For citizens who have completed their military service and are still between the ages of 18 and 35, a special certificate will be issued, and a supplementary pension of approximately 25 to 100 million won will be awarded based on the length of their service.”

The reporters witnessed Li Xinghe's shrewdness.

Not only did they bribe the army, but they also bribed all the young men and a few retired female soldiers!

Now, the military, all young men, and some women with nationalist sentiments who are willing to join the army have all received salary increases and subsidies from Li Xinghe.

Would they still specifically oppose Li Xinghe?

Hard to say.

Moreover, Li Xinghe didn't spend much.

To reiterate, compared to the money supplied to the US military, raising the salaries of the South Korean military, or even providing a small welfare benefit to the entire population after abolishing conscription, would be a huge expense to boost Cho Gu-hwan's approval ratings.

The Pacific Arms Supply Company, which Li Xinghe obtained from the conglomerate, has already begun urgently ordering aerial bombs, and the profits from this order will cover such expenses.

It's not that Lee Sung-ha is too kind; it's that South Korea used to exploit its military, treating soldiers like slaves and abusing them terribly.

At this time, South Korean social media platforms were filled with trending topics expressing gratitude to Lee Kaka and Cho Kaka.

Men across South Korea burst into tears, praying that the exemption from military service they had longed for for so many years had finally been realized by the military government that staged the coup.

Do you support it?

Do you like it or not?

South Koreans close their eyes and seem to see a good president who is dedicated to doing things, not fighting and tearing each other apart in parliament every day, who works hard for the people, dares to make bold reforms, and takes large-scale measures to clean up the country's ills.

But when he opened his eyes, he saw Lee Sung-ha, a playboy who was hugging and touching the buttocks of a Korean pop star.

This sense of disparity left everyone feeling helpless.

Perhaps this is fate.

……

The next day.

Li Xinghe and Zhao Juhuan went to the army to comfort the soldiers. This time, they chose the 36th White Tiger Division, which was personally led by Zhao Juhuan, to ensure that all the soldiers were their own.

When we arrived, it was lunchtime.

The army had recently hired a large number of cooks from Shandong to prepare the food, so the soldiers were devouring their bowls piled high with rice and meat. Upon seeing Li Xinghe and Zhao Juhuan, they all stood up and shouted:

"Click-clack! Loyalty!"

The deafening display of loyalty throughout the canteen was the best reward for Li Xinghe's efforts to increase the soldiers' salaries and provide them with extra meals.

Li Xinghe quickly went on stage and told everyone to continue eating, saying with a smile:

"Over the years, the South Korean military has made many mistakes under the leadership of Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan, and Roh Tae-woo, one great scoundrel and three former presidents. For example, the Jeju Island massacre on April 3 and the Gwangju Uprising on May 17."

Mentioning the past, the soldiers felt a pang of unease; this was the original sin of the South Korean army.

But Li Xinghe continued:

"But the past is the past. We must make substantial changes to reverse the military's reputation. First, we must ensure that all South Korean soldiers have warm housing and warm meals every day, with boiled eggs. We must strictly adhere to the 6000 won meal standard for duty-free imported products in RMB to ensure that everyone eats and sleeps well. Only in this way can we prevent coups or unrest from happening again."

A few sophistry words linked increased benefits with reflection on the past, making the South Korean soldiers feel the warmth of spring for the first time.

He made the soldiers cry.

The soldiers, while munching on bowls of rice and fried pork, shouted with snot and tears streaming down their faces:

"loyalty!"

The soldiers in the mess hall clapped their hands vigorously, applauding Li Xinghe's speech with all their might.

Journalists and left-wing commentators were furious about this.

"This is what it means to keep thugs."

What else?

Is it possible to change everything by torturing the South Korean military like the South Korean left wing, colluding with South Korean military leaders to "justifiably humiliate" ordinary soldiers, turning military service into imprisonment?

After inspecting the army's accommodations, reminding officers against corporal punishment, and emphasizing the need to improve the army's treatment, Li Xinghe's reputation soared.

As they prepared to leave, the soldiers chased after the pickup truck, wishing they could drag Li Xinghe down to have dinner with them.

"Kamsamita!"

Li Xinghe waved goodbye to everyone.

Just then, a soldier suddenly emerged from the crowd, brandishing his rifle as he climbed onto the pickup truck and then dragged himself up the edge of the vehicle.

The surrounding security forces were taken aback.