Yes, Prime Minister of Japan

After much deliberation, Vance could only consult with the Liberal Party members who were politically aligned with him.

The leader of the Liberal Party caucus is, of course, Rubio.

Six hours later, Rubio's plane landed at Reagan Airport.

When Rubio, the "Ball-Exploding Elite," was carried off the plane on a stretcher, he angrily told Vance:

“We must form a strike force that is completely subservient to the Liberal Party caucus! Even the Florida National Guard could be easily breached by Li Xinghe’s special forces, which shows that he is no ordinary madman. If even he can do bad things, I don’t even dare to think about what the Democratic Party organizations in the country can do.”

When he's not acting crazy, Rubio is actually a very normal political elite.

He has come to a deep understanding of the current predicament of the United States. The US military is simply unable to produce any strategic deterrence. Faced with Li Xinghe, a crazy man who is not afraid of the United States in either finance or military matters, the Vance government is helpless, and even the Democratic Party at home cannot stop him.

Vance agreed, but he countered with a question:

"Yes, you're right. We must create our own stormtroopers, to make the Liberal Party's stormtroopers the president's bodyguards. But we don't have the money. Even if we use up the entire $5 trillion debt ceiling, the Treasury's current funds are still not enough to cover our expenses."

So how do we make money?

While Vance is indeed backed by tech visionaries like Peter Thiel, it doesn't mean he receives full financial support from these tech oligarchs. These oligarchs aim to establish a state within a state on American soil, creating a cyberpunk city completely autonomous in terms of law and technology.

Vance can approve it, but if he does, Democratic politicians will tear him apart.

Rubio, however, had a solution:

"We must control the power of approval."

Yes, approval.

This is what Chinese people are very familiar with: a written approval document.

Today in America, the shipbuilding industry is a mess, aircraft carriers are waiting in line for repairs, the military industry is in a terrible state, and artillery shells are incredibly expensive.

Although Rubio's egg had a problem, his mind analyzed the situation more clearly:

"For example, during the Los Angeles wildfires, the California fire department's vehicles were in very poor condition. They had already spent a lot of money to buy new vehicles, but the production schedule for these new vehicles was far off. Or, for example, in San Francisco, the approval process for new houses takes 4-5 years... So you need to have control over the allocation."

Contrary to popular belief, the United States, which claims to be free, open, and democratic, actually exhibits foolish bureaucratic control in its institutional structure. Ubiquitous approvals, various bureaucratic processes, and sluggish, lengthy multi-departmental stamping are ever-present in people's lives.

You'll see that building a city toilet requires approval from seven departments over three years, with everyone from lawyers and legal professionals to civil servants getting their hands dirty. You'll also see people having to conform to regulations and buy their fences from designated stores, otherwise they're considered "disrespectful to the community" and will be ostracized or even driven away by community leaders. Although this bullying is disguised under the guise of "environmental protection," "city appearance," and "landscape shaping," it is essentially still about the power of approval.

Not only does this place have the absurd rule that 'four chickens is capitalism, five chickens is vandalism and crime,' but it also has the long-standing, intractable problem of taxing even rainwater. Understanding America helps us better understand why Israel has a reason to tax Palestinians' rainwater.

Currently, everything in the United States is in a state of sluggishness, characterized by insufficient supply, long queues, and people waiting for approvals.

Vance understood Rubio's request.

Because during Trump's administration, the president's approval powers were significantly expanded.

But Rubio's suggestion is even more terrifying.

Mr. President, we need to be able to get down to the minute details, like which fire station should be assigned to the newly produced fire trucks!

The president should also be able to micromanage things down to which army a brand-new, refurbished M2 tank should be assigned, who should receive newly manufactured firearms and ammunition, and who should be prioritized for receiving welfare benefits squeezed out of the Pentagon.

To block the approval process for US military-industrial companies, Boeing's sixth-generation fighter jet, the F-47, should have been investigated long ago. At the very least, it should have been renamed the F-48 to highlight Vance's presidential status, outstanding abilities, and unparalleled brilliance.

Rubio was already planning on the way back, and now he was even more eager to suggest Vance:

"We also need to control the approval process for ship construction and overhaul, as well as the power to grant customs import exemptions. Take the Navigation Act, for example—that damned… cough cough, the bill drafted under your wise leadership to promote the development of the American shipbuilding industry has actually caused a large number of American shipping companies and other shipbuilding companies to go bankrupt. If we could grant them tariff exemptions, wouldn't they be able to survive?"

Even the order of aircraft carrier maintenance and the retirement age of warships must be subject to the approval process by the president.

For example, the USS Kennedy must be repaired immediately and should be stationed in Yokosuka Port to deter Li Xinghe and avenge the egg-bursting incident.

Vance was in high spirits, feeling as if he had been incited by Rubio to the point of ecstasy. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

These two worthless individuals, having come together, began plotting their grand scheme to expand their power.

Although it sounds absurd, it is precisely this kind of power when production and supply are insufficient and everyone is queuing up.

Even an imported thong, if it has unique value, should be subject to approval. Whether it's given to Vance's wife first, or to President Vance himself, is a matter of power—a reward bestowed upon a subordinate.

Approval procedures and written approvals—classic features of the planned economy era—have now fallen upon the shoulders of the great United States.

Soon after Japan's 'surrender,' the White House began issuing new executive orders that expanded its powers:

"The business plans of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) must be approved by the White House..."

"Approvals from the Congressional Budget Committee, the Congressional oversight committees related to the military and judiciary must be submitted to the White House for approval..."

According to Trump's "single executive power theory," Vance could freely decide to bring the businesses of all major American financial, healthcare, and military companies under presidential approval. Without presidential approval, these companies cannot freely sell or resell their products.

Want to sell?

There are ways.

Everyone has relatives, everyone has friends, everyone has at least 10 lobbying firms on K Street in their phone book, everyone has one or more 'sons/brothers/sisters', everyone happens to start a company related to their work field, everyone happens to receive orders from large companies, and everyone happens to need some approval assistance.

Want a cop?

Come to the White House!

Faced with such a bizarre Vance, companies all over the United States were stunned.

If you want money, just say so!

Now that the approval process is stalled and even fire trucks require micromanagement, how can this business still be done?

Anyway, Vance doesn't care; he just keeps reviewing and approving, and every approval requires a huge sum of money to be donated to the White House to help President Vance complete the great cause of American revival.

Vance?

Ten thousand batches!

……

Faced with Vance and Trump now, and looking at Li Xinghe across the Pacific, even Americans have to admit that they are losing control of Japan in the political struggle.

The world no longer dares to underestimate this handsome young man who came to power with low legitimacy and has become stronger with each coup attempt.

He dared to demolish the Yokota base; he's something else (thumbs up).

If he dares to send a special forces company to airdrop into Florida and rescue the Trump family from Mar-a-Lago in 1 hour and 20 minutes, then he can be transferred from the Bahamas to Cuba and hide them. He is truly amazing.

While the whole world was praising Li Xinghe, he was actually a little flustered.

What if I really get beheaded?

So he hurriedly convened a meeting at the Joint Operations Command to discuss expanding armaments and being vigilant against American attacks.

Li Xinghe pointed at the people in the Defense Equipment Hall:

What stage has the Shinano project reached?

The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) hurriedly replied:

"If we cut the steel plates and proceed at the fastest speed, we can complete the hull assembly in a year. However, we lack sufficient avionics equipment, and the ship's LM-2500 gas turbine main engine also needs to be licensed by General Electric and then manufactured by Ihi Corporation."

Li Xinghe immediately halted the strange technical approval process:

"Forget about the GM license, just start producing 2500 gas turbines! The more we build, the more orders we'll get in the future."

Seeing that Li Xinghe was a little anxious, his subordinates hurriedly presented their new achievements:

"The second AESA destroyer has been launched. Moreover, this ship is heavier than the Kaohsiung, reaching 1.5 tons, and its ship's generators are more powerful. Although... it can still only operate one shield, we have modified both ships to add port power supply equipment, which can activate the full function of Aegis when plugged in at port. However... like the Kaohsiung, it does not have vertical launch missiles and can only be sealed up for now."

Japan's AESV program was originally intended to build two ships, essentially placing the land-based Aegis system, which the Japanese refused to install, on board. The first ship was seized by Li Xinghe and named the Kaohsiung. It has yet to be equipped with vertical launch missiles and is essentially a radar station plus a luxury cruise ship.

The second Aegis destroyer has now been launched. Compared to the Kaohsiung, the only improvement is the maintenance of its power supply system to prevent occasional overload and power outages. However, in reality, the Aegis radar can still only operate on one side, unable to unleash its full firepower.

As is customary, this ship will be handed over to the Joint Command Fleet as another of Li Xinghe's largest destroyers in the world.

Li Xinghe felt slightly relieved and stroked his chin:

"How should we name it? Maya? Toriumi? Atago?"

These three ships are sister names to the Kaohsiung-class heavy cruisers.

The subordinates responded cautiously:

"All three names have been used and are currently for advanced missile destroyers."

"Which names haven't been inherited yet?"

Everyone was discussing it animatedly:

"Um... Nachi hasn't inherited it yet."

Nachi, the second ship of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers, was an ordinary heavy cruiser sunk by Lexington in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Li Xinghe made the decision:

"Then this one will do."

In any case, Li Xinghe can be considered the owner of a super fleet, which, after being pieced together, already has a displacement of nearly 10 tons.

The fleet under the Joint Command is just a bunch of crippled good-for-nothings.

The two 30,000-ton light patrol boats, the Hosho and Ryujo, are civilian standard sampans converted from ocean patrol vessels. In reality, they are only equipped with a few armed helicopters, and the F-35Bs have to be borrowed from the Self-Defense Forces. The two mid-section anti-missile interceptors, the Kaohsiung and Nachi, although ranging in tonnage from 12,000 to 15,000 tons, do not have vertical launch missiles and are instead moored in the harbor as radar stations with a naval gun attached to them.

The only Ticonderoga-class cruiser in normal combat condition, the USS Shiloh, was a half-wrecked ship damaged by the skull of the USS Kennedy. It was given to Li Xinghe as a bargain. It only had a few Standard Missile 2s and old Tomahawk missiles on board.

However, in terms of publicity, Li Xinghe's fleet is incredibly impressive.

The world's two largest 3-ton light aircraft carriers and the world's two largest 1.4-ton destroyers are awesome.

Regardless of its actual level, just tell me if it's the world's largest!

After achieving his goal, Li Xinghe emphasized:

"Note: Prioritize connecting the port power supply to the Takao and Nachi ships. Ensure that at least one ship's Aegis radar is always operational to fully monitor the surrounding waters and prevent Tokyo from being attacked by unidentified individuals."

The subordinates were very happy:

"Are we guarding against China?"

Everyone thought that Li Xinghe had finally remembered that he was a powerful figure in Japan and was going to do something serious.

Li Xinghe rebuked them:

"Defend against your mother my ass. If I needed to defend against China, would I need you guys?"

When the glorious sunset arrives, can these small fry of the Self-Defense Forces hold out? With the Self-Defense Forces' current military capabilities, even letting an airborne brigade in would turn Japan upside down.

Therefore, Li Xinghe gave them a very serious warning:

"We occasionally guard against South Korea, but our main concern is the United States."

Chapter 736: A Righteous Official, a Giant Aircraft Carrier, and a Mind-Bending Fighter Jet (4800 words)

"Attention Tokyo residents! Latest update: Yokota airspace restrictions have been officially lifted. Haneda International Airport and Narita International Airport will begin renovations. Please check your updates for renovation schedules..."

"The U.S. Fifth Air Force will gradually withdraw from Yokota Air Base and relocate to Jeju Island Air Base. In the future, U.S. airspace over Tokyo will no longer exist..."

The city radio broadcast good news that cheered up Tokyo residents.

For years, the problems of US military aircraft disturbing the peace and airspace control that have plagued Tokyo residents have remained unmoved despite countless impassioned criticisms from lawmakers. The US military flies as it pleases and crashes as it pleases, without any regard for the feelings of Tokyo citizens.

From the year before last until now, US and Self-Defense Force aircraft have bombed many graves in Aoyama Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Tokyo. As a result, Li Xinghe simply expanded the cemetery on the same site, desecrating the graves of many famous Japanese figures. Now that the Fifth Carrier Corps and Yokota have withdrawn, things have finally calmed down.

For Tokyo residents, the biggest benefit is that the lifting of Yokota's airspace restrictions has reduced fuel consumption and lowered airfares to Tokyo. Many people's ancestral graves in the Aoyama Cemetery have been preserved.

A plane flying from Shanghai back to Tokyo slowly landed at Haneda Airport.

Upon hearing the news, the people on the plane began a heated debate:

“We’ve argued countless times before to no avail, but when Li Taige’s tanks ran over us, the Americans suddenly became reasonable.”

"It is clear that the weapon of criticism is far less effective than the criticism of weapons."

People praised Li Xinghe with mixed feelings.

Those who hate him and those who like him will always find reasons to evoke opposing emotions in him. He's like a psychedelic, synthetic monster; aside from fans who are attracted to his looks (like mom fans, girlfriend fans, and gay fans), there's no group that absolutely supports or absolutely hates him.

There were only a few women in the first-class cabin of the airplane.

"The plane has finally landed."

A petite but elegantly dressed young woman gracefully rose to her feet. This was Li Daiyao, who had been constantly traveling between Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing this year. She had just returned to Shanghai and discussed many work matters with her superiors.

"Yes, compared to Shanghai, Tokyo's steel jungle definitely looks more familiar."

Another woman, who didn't look particularly attractive but was very intelligent, also stood up, and several female bodyguards around her picked up their bags.

As the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito, and who was originally the heir to the throne but lost her right to succession because of her female identity, Queen Aiko has also ended her business trip to Ryukyu and Shanghai. After meeting with national leaders in Shanghai, she embarked on her journey back to Tokyo.