Chapter 17: The Timing of Declaring War (Three)
(Three)
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Against the backdrop of green hills and facing the vast ocean, Mumbai, the capital of India's Maharashtra state, is now in the midst of a twilight hour with lanterns just lit.
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This city, with an area of over 534 square kilometers and a population of 14 million, is India's largest city. It is known as the "Commercial Capital" and "Financial Capital" of India, accounting for 50% of India's cash flow, 70% of stock transactions and 60% of container throughput nationwide.
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Sitting in his stretched Cadillac luxury van, 48-year-old Ratan Tata, the head of India's largest business conglomerate, the Tata Group, was watching with great interest the sprawling slums outside the window.
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Modern Mumbai still has over 5 million people living in slums near the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in north Mumbai. The majority of these residents are migrant workers who have come to the city since the 1980s, and their rapid increase is a result of urbanization. Since the 1980s, the municipal government has planned to clear out the slums, and the Municipal Corporation has passed legislation to remove illegal encroachments on public land. However, progress has been slow so far.
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"Since the New Delhi war against ASEAN, our company's turnover has increased by 18 percentage points. By the end of the war, we can at least take out $6 billion from the government's pocket." Sitting opposite Ratan Tata was Jamshed Tata, Ratan Tata's younger brother and the second-in-command of the Tata Group. This young and arrogant capitalist was boasting to his older brother about his achievements while flipping through a stack of photos of new Bollywood actresses, planning his evening activities.
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"It is time for New Delhi to offer peace terms to ASEAN nations."
Lai Si Te glanced at his somewhat arrogant younger brother and said in a low voice.
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The Tata Group is one of India's largest conglomerates, with 91 companies under its umbrella. It has a monopoly in various sectors such as information and communication technology, engineering, materials, energy, consumer products, chemicals and services, with an annual income of over $25 billion, accounting for about 4% of India's GDP. The company employs 2.2 million people, has 32 listed companies, and has over 20 million shareholders, making it the largest market capitalization among Indian private sector enterprises.
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Like all global financial groups, the Tata Group also started from war. The founder of the Tata Group used to supply military supplies for the British army and would say "Tata" (goodbye) after each transaction, and eventually "Tata" became the surname of his family.
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And this time, in the war against ASEAN countries, Tata Group has even monopolized all Indian government orders. Making a fortune from the war. "Why? The war has only been going on for less than two weeks, and subsequent orders will continue to come in."
Jia Mu casually picked out a photo of a female star and handed it to her brother who was not talkative.
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"India is not a real power yet. If we continue to fight, it will inevitably hurt our muscles and bones. We should stop while the going is good in order to maximize our interests."
Lai Si Te looked at the photo in his hand and nodded in agreement.
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Indeed, the Tata Group has operations in over 40 countries and exports products and services to over 140 countries around the world. Overseas sales account for 23% of its total sales. Africa and Southeast Asia are also major markets for it, while making a lot of money in domestic production. Ratan Tata also needs to consider losses in overseas markets.
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Another important factor is that Lister recently received a series of mysterious prophecies from his private astrologer, Mark Su, which made Lister fearful of the disasters that would be triggered by the continuation of this war. Every Indian has to deal with an astrologer at least four times in their lifetime: birth, coming of age, marriage and funeral.
Mark Zuckerberg's personal astrologer is also a well-known figure in Indian astrology.
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In New Delhi, the triumphant Manmohan Gandhi cabinet was celebrating the progress of the front-line situation. With the two "Gandhi"-class helicopter carrier battle groups that had been waiting for a long time in the Strait of Malacca entering into amphibious operations as the main force, the situation on the Malay Peninsula was turning completely in favor of India.
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The Indian Navy's "Gandhi"-class helicopter carrier was built on the model of the British Royal Navy's British "Ocean" helicopter carrier. The full-load displacement is 22,000 tons; the ship is 210.43 meters long, with a waterline width of 28.50 meters and a draft depth of 6.60 meters. It can carry and use a squadron of 12 "Sea King" or "Lynx" light helicopters to support India's amphibious forces while carrying an assault battalion of marines, including 850 troops and their vehicles, weapons and ammunition.
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Two were built, named after the second and third generation leaders of the Gandhi family, "Indira Gandhi" and "Rajiv Gandhi".
Named after Rajiv Gandhi, the INS Viraat led the amphibious assault on Pulau Run. Along with the Indian Navy's MARCOS, the Indian troops quickly ended the fighting on the island. By 22 December 2007, Indian troops had largely secured Pulau Run.
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In the 13-day battle, the first batch of Indian Navy commandos suffered nearly 600 casualties, accounting for one-third of the total number of troops participating in the war. In contrast, the Malaysian army lost more than 2,000 people. However, as a striking force, the Indian Navy commando had almost lost its combat effectiveness. In subsequent wars, the Indian military could no longer use it as a trump card.
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In New Delhi's political map, Penang occupies an important position. The Indian government hopes to establish several pro-Indian political regions at the northern tip of Malacca, apart from Sumatra's Bangka Belitung. Penang is another ideal choice in the eyes of New Delhi.
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The state of Penang is the one with the most Indian immigrants among all administrative regions in Malaysia. In the eyes of New Delhi, Penang has become a Sudetenland of Malaysia. At the same time as the "Indira Gandhi" helicopter carrier fleet set sail for the waters off Port Klang to prepare for an amphibious landing at Port Klang, the Indian government also sent diplomatic envoys to Kuala Lumpur to seek a separate peace with Malaysia.
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The road ahead for Malaysia is simple: either accept India's harsh terms of peace or suffer the fate of Kuala Lumpur falling. And once Malaysia makes a separate peace with India, the alliance of ASEAN countries will collapse by itself.
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"This is the peak of crisis." Looking at his own student - the fifth generation leader of the triumphant Gandhi family, Manmohan Gandhi, the silent brain of the Gandhi family,
"India's evergreen politician" Jaswant Singh suddenly reminded: "Our army, although winning battle after battle, has now inevitably shown signs of fatigue. If we are attacked by a third party at this moment, the consequences will be unthinkable."
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Jasper slowly stood up and said in a low voice: "In the 1950s, the powerful US Marine Corps defeated the North Korean army equipped with Soviet equipment in Busan and advanced to the Yalu River. In the 1960s, our situation in Shannan was also progressing smoothly. The reason why the cheetah is so fierce is not only because of its own strength, but also because it will choose the right time to attack."
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Just as Jaswant Singh finished speaking, a secret note from the Chinese Foreign Ministry was placed before Manmohan Gandhi. "China hopes that Indian troops will cease their attack on Malaysian territory?"
Manmohan Singh Gandhi looked at the simple message on the telegram.
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At this moment, he had only one feeling, which was a lingering sense of unease on his back.
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