The news that the THAAD system was breached was not reported on a large scale, but it is obvious that this vital information will not be missed by those capitals at the top.
As a result, a shocking news began to circulate on Wall Street:
The THAAD system originally planned to be deployed in the island country was broken through.
The one that broke through it was the already famous DF-17.
It is said that in the face of DF-17's attack, THAAD's interception success rate does not exceed 10%.
This means that this missile defense system, which we were originally proud of, has almost lost its meaning.
And what signal does such a failure send to the capital market?
No one dares to say it, but everyone knows it.
In the island country, in the same tavern, the same two people, the same two glasses of sake.
Lin Zecheng sat opposite Taro Nakayama, with a relaxed expression and casual movements.
He first drank the sake in the cup in one gulp, and then said:
"So, we have long said that whether it is our own THAAD system or the THAAD system sold to you by the Americans, it will not actually cause any change in the so-called 'power' comparison."
"What we care about is just how much this system is worth and whether we can successfully sell it to you."
"This is a business, right?"
Taro Nakayama smiled in agreement and replied:
"Indeed, this is just a simple business."
"There has been no positive reply to Lin Sang's proposal before. The main consideration is our own economic strength and technical strength, but there is absolutely no disrespect intended."
"I hope Lin Sang can understand this."
"Understood, understood."
Lin Zecheng nodded without saying anything.
In fact, from Taro Nakayama's attitude during a meeting, he had basically guessed what these islanders were thinking.
It’s just that they feel that the great Eastern countries are in the spotlight now, and they can gain greater benefits by relying on us.
But on the other hand, they are worried that cooperation in such a key area may lead to the breakdown of their own relations with the United States, so they plan to wait for a while and continue to bet on both ends to obtain the best solution.
However, they want time, and Americans are not going to give them time.
The entire U.S. economy has reached a precarious level. If at this time, the news from our own side is allowed to ferment, and the expectation that "U.S. military exports have suffered a heavy blow" is allowed to solidify, it will be too late to save it.
So, they have to be fast.
They must take countermeasures in the shortest possible time and expose China's lies with a thunderous gesture.
Therefore, a "THAAD interception experiment" became the best publicity window.
In particular, they already have plans to deploy THAAD in island countries, and the radar in Aomori Prefecture is also ready.
Driven by a series of seemingly mature conditions, they hastily launched this experiment.
——
China, on the other hand, keenly seized this opportunity.
Aren’t you going to take the THAAD test?
Just in time, help us test our missiles by the way.
Let’s see which one has the stronger defense capability of our THAAD, or the stronger penetration capability of my DF-17.
The answer is obvious.
If it were in actual combat, the THAAD base deployed in Aomori Prefecture would have been penetrated by DF-17.
Seeing that Lin Zecheng's tone was perfunctory, Nakayama Taro quickly lowered his posture further.
He held the wine bottle in one hand and took Lin Zecheng's glass with the other. After filling him with a full glass of sake, he continued to ask:
"So, you are indeed planning to sell China-made THAAD system to us this time?"
"Of course, if it's a joke, why do we spend so much time on you?"
Lin Zecheng's tone was a little impatient.
Although the person opposite has a high position, now that he is the representative of the entire country, there is really no need to act neither humble nor arrogant in front of the other person.
The exchanges between the two countries are inherently based on status. If you insist on making a friendly gesture, it will be easy for the other party to look down upon you.
Sure enough, after hearing Lin Zecheng's words, instead of being dissatisfied, Taro Nakayama quickly lowered his head and said:
"I thought wrong, sorry!"
"However, since it is a cooperation, can I know some details of the cooperation from Lin Sang in advance?"
"For example, if we want to buy this THAAD system, what is the approximate price? When is it expected to be delivered? After delivery, do we have independent management rights?"
"Do we need to obtain this system at the expense of information exchange?"
"Wait a minute!"
Lin Zecheng raised his hand to interrupt the other party's words, and then said seriously:
"Mr. Zhongshan, I'm not here to discuss specific cooperation plans with you. All I need to do is confirm your intention to cooperate."
"As for the cooperation plan, we will slowly start talking about it after the intention is confirmed."
"Yes, these issues you mentioned must be solved one by one, but it will inevitably require a long discussion. Do you expect to get answers from me?"
"I can only give you some simple answers now."
"For example, this system is not cheap, and it will definitely not be cheaper than the system sold to you by the Americans."
"Its delivery time will not be too early, at least three years later."
"In addition, we do not need or intend to cooperate with you on military information. There is no need."
Hearing Lin Zecheng's answer, Nakayama Taro said "Hi" and sat up straight at the same time.
After adjusting his facial expression, he said:
"Lin Sang's answer has solved most of my confusion, thank you very much!"
"In this case, I think I can give a preliminary answer to Lin Sang's cooperation proposal."
"In the future, please give me your advice!"
Lin Zecheng had a satisfied smile on his face, but out of caution, he still asked:
"you sure?"
An imperceptible bitterness flashed across Taro Nakayama's face.
I am sure? What is this problem? !
Can I be unsure?
We just accepted dad's "assistance" and got a set of AN/TPY-2 radar from them.
As a result, on the first day of the radar startup test, you actually dropped the missile on our heads!
In this case, do we dare to be uncertain?
If I refuse to buy your THAAD system and buy my father's instead, will you really dare to install the missile on the warhead next time and then send the system we just installed back to the manufacturer for repair?
You must be thinking so!
Where is the THAAD system I bought?
This is the protection fee paid! ——
However, there is one benefit to protection money.
That is, after handing it in, it's really not that easy to get beaten.
Thinking of this, Taro Nakayama straightened the smile on his face, and then said:
"Hi! Lin Sang! I'm sure!"
On the other side, in a small office on Wall Street.
John Paulson is making final preparations for his unprecedented investment spree.
He mobilized all the funds and selected the riskiest CDS products to continue selling short. In order to implement this idea, he even sold his only house and rented it in a nearby apartment.
In the eyes of others, he is already a complete madman.
However, only he himself knows whether it is him or the world that is crazy.
this is too scary.
Obviously there have been so many negative expectations, and there is obviously bad news one after another, but both housing prices and CDS prices can still remain above the horizontal line!
This is absolutely unreasonable.
And behind all unreasonableness, there must be a major logic hidden.
So what exactly is it?
For this piece of logic, Paulson has been thinking hard for a whole year.
However, it was not until this morning that he completely cleared up his thoughts.
The process of clearing up ideas is also extremely dramatic.
As he walked into the office today, he overheard several senior investment managers exchanging gossip.
Most of the news is nothing more than "Congress is preparing to cut interest rates again, and housing prices will further increase", "The default rate is stable and the market is healthy", "The scale of CDS has expanded again, and it is said that so-and-so has bought a new yacht" and this category is not nutritious at all. words, but there was one piece of news that caught his attention.
"I heard that the Chinese missiles broke through our THAAD system. How could they suddenly become so powerful?"
This was just a casual sentence, but the moment he heard it, Paulson had a strong premonition in his heart.
That premonition even made his hair stand on end.
So, he walked up to the two investment managers and asked them about the details of the matter.
Although the other party didn't know much about it, based on their information, this matter was actually true.
China's missile breaks through the THAAD system. What does this mean for Wall Street?
Paulson's brain was spinning rapidly, and he quickly connected with the rumor that had caused turmoil in the market before.
Regarding the information that the U.S. military export economy may be hit hard.
The focus of controversy at that time was the THAAD system.
And now, news about it has appeared again, and it is extremely unfavorable news for the United States.
Obviously, the previous suspicions have been confirmed.
The unprecedented bad news has arrived, and the boots are falling, but most people have not noticed the falling boots yet.
Fortunately, I noticed it myself.
Moreover, Paulson also figured out the "logic behind it."
The reason why house prices do not fall and why CDS does not fall, in the final analysis, the reason cannot be found in the financial market.
Instead, you should look for it on the sea and in the sky.
We are already in a confrontation.
And any instability will make us fall into complete passivity
That’s why Congress is holding on to it because they have no choice.
A smile appeared on Paulson's face.
He doesn't care where the country is going.
He just wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a lot of money.
So, he took a deep breath and checked the final balance in his account.
$74,000.
This much money was enough for him to complete his final plan.
He called his assistant, handed the bank card into his hand, and then said:
"Take my card and take out all the money in it."
"Then, do something for me."
"Distribute that money to everyone you meet on the street, and then tell them that the Chinese missiles are coming and we can't be saved."
"Of course, you can do some processing on the wording, but remember, you must express all the meaning I want to express."
"That is, our end has come."
The assistant listened to his words dumbfounded and almost subconsciously shook his head in rejection.
"No, Mr. Paulson, I can't do it."
"You know, I'm an investment manager, not a clown."
"Perhaps you should find someone else to do this kind of performance art."
"No, it can only be you."
Paulson said seriously.
"Actually, if I could, I would definitely play in person."
"I don't want to miss this historic moment."
"But the problem is, in the eyes of most people, I am already a lunatic, so no matter how crazy I act, no one will take me seriously."
"But you are different, you are still a normal person."
“When you’re crazy, everyone subconsciously tries to figure out why.”
"And that's exactly what I wanted."
The assistant was still hesitant, but Paulson's expression became more determined.
He looked directly into the assistant's eyes and asked word by word:
"Tell me, why did you come here?"
"Is it for your ridiculous self-esteem, or is it to make enough money one day to pave the way for your own future with countless dollars?"
"I think someone should have told you from the first day you entered the industry that self-esteem is worthless on Wall Street!"
"We have reached the most critical moment. For this moment, we have paid nearly 10 billion in costs and countless lonely nights."
"We even withstood the ridicule of most people on Wall Street. The purpose is to win in the end!"
"Now, victory is about to come, and you, are you going to back down?"
The assistant listened to Paulson's words blankly. After a long time, he tentatively asked:
"Mr. Paulson, are you saying that if I do this, the price of CDS will start to fall?"
“It’s not just CDS.”
"The property market, the stock market, the real economy... everything will fall into recession."
"And we're going to be going backwards in the recession."
The assistant took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and said:
"I'll do it!"
"But if this is really the case, aren't we sinners?"
"Mr. Paulson, what are you doing this for?"
Paulson smiled and shook his head and replied:
"No, my boy."
"We are definitely not sinners."
"My purpose is just to destroy Wall Street."
"And destroying him is absolutely the right thing to do."
A few hours later, a madman showed up on Wall Street.
At this time, no one realized that there were doomsday words hidden in those crazy words.
And in just a few days.
The whole Wall Street went crazy.
Desperate madness.
(End of chapter)
