Even though coal was no longer necessary, it was truly astonishing to embark on such a voyage covering thousands of miles during this era.
As for whether the war was just or not, history is always written by the victors.
The American people were somewhat bewildered by England's troop deployment. In their impression, this cousin was quite a weakling, but they didn't expect that when pushed to the wall, he still had the strength to retaliate.
Sending two nuclear submarines to block a port was one thing, but dispatching an expedition fleet was quite another. To be honest, this was not something America could muster at the time.
...
"Jason, what are your plans after graduation? Want to come help me?"
"What can I do?"
"How about MTV? Just get the hang of it first."
"Sure, I can't handle a big mess anyway."
"Ha ha, it's not too big yet, just hasn't really taken off."
William White knew his good friend was quite talented in management. While he might not be great at exploration, he could maintain these ventures without much trouble.
There were many like him in William's companies, especially in the software and gaming firms. He didn't need much groundbreaking work; just following a routine was quite good.
...
Smoke was thick in the battles over the Falklands, and the desert regions were also unstable. The Soviets were holed up in caves, fighting bandits. Unfortunately, while occupying Afghanistan cost few lives, the counterinsurgency warfare was only escalating, with mounting losses.
Economically speaking, both the Soviets and England were engaged in losing battles. It's strange how they couldn't resolve their disputes peacefully when both were nearly broke, constantly wanting to fight and kill as if they were the world powers.
Britain began self-praising, boasting from Nelson to Churchill. They saw themselves as the pioneers of modern civilization.
Okay, that's just what they thought. As for civilization, they were destroyers more than anything.
Regarding evidence, just look at the British Museum's collection -- it's all loot.
Watching the expedition fleet on TV, William White was a bit entranced. Being able to gather such a fleet was indeed impressive.
But, was such mindless praise truly a good thing?
National pride was necessary, but if it grew too inflated, it could become dangerous. Just blowing steam was one thing; thinking anyone would care was another. By the time these relics returned, they'd probably just be sold as scrap metal.
People got so used to bragging that they sometimes even believed it themselves. William White knew it wouldn't take long before they got a reality check.
...
Due to William White's meddling, a group of bandits began re-dividing their interests. At this point, no one cared about Motorola chips anymore, which was quite nonsensical.
The lack of comparison showed how outrageous the call charges were. Despite having more advanced equipment, various reasons prevented its adoption.
And those so-called setup and monthly fees.
In this world, monopolized businesses were always good deals. In sectors related to people's livelihood, making a profit was a challenge you couldn't avoid.
"William, I really admire your guts."
"Oh, you mean that bunch of bandits? Ha ha, George, you're overestimating me. If I dared to meddle, they'd team up against me."
"Ha ha, the scene that day was entertaining: a bunch of furious old folks almost came to blows."
"You see, there's a bigger piece of the pie attracting them, and they quickly forgot about little ol' me."
"Sigh, I didn't expect such audacity. But then, there aren't any major profits in telecommunications after the breakup, right?"
William White looked at the fool with surprise.
"Oh come on, just say what you mean. I don't understand -- it's okay to ask for help, isn't there a saying about not being ashamed to ask?"
"Stop, stop, you better not use proverbs around me."
"Okay, okay, how about teaching me? With increased competition, how could there still be the same benefits as before?"
"George, today's telecommunications look more like a government agency, with no efficiency at all. After the breakup into joint-stock companies, efficiency will be completely different."
"I admit that point, but won't it lower costs?"
"What? You really believe that kind of talk? Don't kid around."
"But aren't there some regional telecoms too? They must have an easier time."
"Ha ha, George, in essence, this behemoth is strong. Its predecessor was Bell. Even though it's broken up, those smaller companies are still Bell, no difference whatsoever. If they didn't split, fine. Once they do, those guys are finished."
William White didn't really need to talk so much nonsense with this fool. His family wasn't even in this industry.
He was just curious about who sent this fool to fish for information. He couldn't believe that the fool genuinely cared about these matters.
"Geez, so the profits must be big?"
"Are you joking? Any company broken off would outperform my comic company, so imagine the profits. Even a fool could see it. Do you think there's profit?"
"Mm, I get it, based on what you're saying, Citibank got really burned by you."
"Ha ha, you really think I'm the only one stirring the pot?"
Although Bush Jr. was unsophisticated, he wasn't an idiot. William White merely seized the moment to ignite underlying tensions.
"Enough about that. Do you think England could lose?"
"Ha ha, what a joke! If it were soccer, I couldn't say. But as for a war, there's no way they could lose."
"Man, we're so unlucky. Losing to the monkeys? What's that about?"
"There's always an explanation. The more backward a region, the more invincible it is. We couldn't do it, and neither could the Soviets."
"You talking about the Afghan guerillas?"
"What else? The Soviets will have a tough time. In those places there's nothing you can do -- cut off their transportation? They don't even have it to begin with! Communications? Still nothing. It's just caves, endless caves."
The world at that time felt truly confusing. Aside from Japan and Germany, other economies were struggling. To say people with insight weren't worried would be a lie. It really resembled the pre-WWII scenario.
Despite the Jewish consortiums being on edge, they were a bit scared. To provoke America over material gain would be extremely foolish.
What did you say? How does William White equate to America?
Of course, he doesn't. But what about the public opinion?
*****
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