Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1171: Make something big (third update, please subscribe)
How important is food?

It is so important that it can bring down a country!

The most famous example is the Soviet Union, which was tripped up by food.

In fact, the Soviet Union was not tripped up by food problems after the 80s. Even during the Steel Age, the Soviet Union’s food problem was very severe.

From the surplus grain collection system to collective farms, the essence of all these was to solve the food problem.

However, the Soviet Union's constant efforts destroyed everyone's enthusiasm. The farmers no longer owned the grain they grew, so they just farmed as they pleased?
For example, the "bald planting method" was popular in the Soviet Union at that time. Since all the crops grown by farmers would be taken away, they didn't care about the harvest at all. They would do whatever they could to fool people, and every link was mainly a performance. Whether it was sowing or fertilizing, they mainly did it carefully in the fields, and the more they did it, the more foolish they became. When it came to the harvest season, the problems were exposed. The crops grew like bald heads. Only those places where fertilizers were carefully applied grew well, and most of the places were bare.

After Khrushchev came to power, this was no longer done. For example, the burden on farmers was reduced, collective farms were abolished, and the purchase price of agriculture was increased. Farmers benefited from this, and they were not fooled as before. Grain output increased significantly. In addition, large-scale land reclamation was carried out. From 4000 to , the government invested billions of rubles in land reclamation and mobilized hundreds of thousands of volunteers to settle in the eastern region, reclaiming a total of million hectares of land. The survival of agriculture in the Soviet Union and even in Russia today has a lot to do with this land reclamation.

But even so, the Soviet Union's food problem was still very serious - because the Soviet people needed to eat meat, the workers in the cities needed to eat meat, and the farmers also needed to eat meat.

The only problem is - the meat is fed with grain.

So in the Khrushchev era, the Soviet Union's food problem was still very serious, so serious that it even had to consider using gold to import food. You know, ten years ago, the Soviet Union was still exporting food to post-war Europe!

But now that grain production has increased, we still need to import grain. This is simply... unbelievable!
In fact, the reason is very simple - because the Soviet people need to eat meat.

Ever since the introduction of "goulash with potatoes" in the Khrushchev era, Soviet leaders have had a strong obsession with meat, eggs and milk. This is easy to understand. After all, since the living standards of ordinary people are strongly related to meat consumption, it is hard to say that the living standards of ordinary people would be very high if they eat meat once a year.

Therefore, the Soviet leaders really wanted to solve this problem. Especially Khrushchev, who cared more about agriculture than any other Soviet leader. That is why, after discovering the great granary in Africa, he would ask Brezhnev every once in a while: How is our granary?

No, I should say, how is the liberation of Ethiopia going!

No matter what happened, he was afraid that the leader was watching him from behind. Once he was watched, he would definitely be punished if he failed to meet the leader's requirements. So, once again, Brezhnev came to Lubyanka to meet Shelepin.

As soon as he saw Shelepin, the head of Lubyanka, Brezhnev asked.

"How's our work going over there? You know, Nikita has always been very concerned about this."

In response to Brezhnev's question, Shelev answered without hiding anything.

"Everything is progressing. If nothing goes wrong, they will start the operation soon. However, there is a problem now."

"Problem? What problem?" Brezhnev asked anxiously:
"Do you need anything? Weapons or funds?"

"No,"

Shelepin shook his head and said:
"In Congo, the Congolese security forces launched a mutiny demanding the removal of Belgian officers and improved treatment. This action was quickly responded to by workers and police, and its scope has now expanded to the entire country. In order to safeguard its colonial interests, Belgium has decided to suppress it with force. The United States is seeking our support and trying to pass a resolution to send UN troops to Congo in the name of the United Nations to ensure its independence. But you know, the Americans will never send troops, they will provide funds, and the Ethiopian emperor has always intended to expand his influence in Africa. He is likely to send troops to Congo, and the most likely possibility is to send the Royal Guards, and Mengistu Newey relies on the Royal Guards, and he must rely on them to launch a mutiny."

Since the KGB launched its operation in Ethiopia, Mengistu Newe and his Royal Guard have been the linchpin of the operation and the result of their 20 months of work.

"Without this army, everything is just talk, Comrade Brezhnev."

Listening to Shelepin's report, Brezhnev said:

"So, what do you mean?"

"We have to delay events in Congo."

"But you should know that we can't let Belgium restore its rule in Congo. Destroying the British and French colonial empires in Africa is our established strategy. Now that France can no longer maintain its rule in Africa, Africa will usher in a wave of independence, and we must maintain this result. It is difficult for us to convince Nikita to sacrifice our principles on this issue. After all, our principle is to help them gain independence."

Both the independence of Congo and the subsequent disintegration of French colonies were achieved through the joint efforts of the United States and the Soviet Union. For them, destroying the colonial system of Britain, France and other European countries was the most important thing. After all, only by destroying the old system can a new system be established.

Faced with Brezhlev's refusal, Shelepin spoke directly.

"It's not about blocking, it's about delaying. We need time. Now, our operation in Ethiopia is at a critical moment. We need the entire Royal Guard to participate. Without them, it will be difficult for Mengistu to succeed."

In fact, in another world, Mengistu took advantage of Haile Selassie's visit abroad at the end of the year to launch a military coup. Because the main force of the Royal Guard was in Congo for peacekeeping, it could not arrest important figures at the same time. After the coup broke out, Haile Selassie immediately interrupted his visit to Brazil, flew to Sudan via Liberia, and quickly contacted the anti-government leaders. Under the joint attack of the First Army Division and the Air Force, the coup was easily crushed. The failure of another world can only be said that Mengistu was too rough in his work. Not only did he not understand the principle of catching the thief first, but he even hastily launched a mutiny without sufficient troops. If he didn't fail, who would fail?

But the KGB would definitely not make such a mistake. After all, they are experts in doing this kind of thing.

"Well, Ethiopia is very important and it is also a place that Nikita pays close attention to..."

How can I not pay attention!
That place was the granary of the Soviet Union. Even in Nikita's plan, Ethiopia's grain had already been taken into account! If he failed to do this job well, he would probably lose his trust, which was obviously unacceptable to Brezhnev, who had just been promoted to a senior position.

After thinking for a while, Brezhnev said.

"So, now is there any other way for us to delay this matter?"

"There is only one way!"

Shelepin looked at Brezhnev and said:
"Divert attention, Comrade Brezhnev, we need to divert the attention of the Americans, and even the world, from Congo. We need to create a big event."

"Making a big event?"

Brezhnev looked at Shelepin in surprise. Would this guy want to kidnap Southeast Asian or American tourists?

“Those tourists…”

Shelepin spoke before Brezhnev finished.

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid! I'm talking about overseas, in other countries, maybe we should..."

Leaving his desk and walking to the wall, Shelepin stood in front of the world map, pointing to a location on the map and said.

"Comrade Brezhnev, look here!"

Looking at the position of Shelepin's finger, Brezhnev was surprised.

"Here? Is there something big going on here?"

"Not yet, but as long as we want, a big incident will break out there at any time!"

Shelepin pointed to several locations on the map and said:

"Over the past few years, they have been seeking our help to help them achieve the reunification of the country."

"But they've already failed once."

Looking at the map, Brezhnev said:

"If he fails again, that guy might even lose everything."

"So, he didn't act impulsively like last time. In the past few years, they have been trying every possible means to make the enemy let down their guard, and at the same time magnify the contradictions between them, provoke conflicts between them, and magnify the distrust between them. Facts have proved that they are successful. According to the intelligence we obtained from the local area, the time is basically ripe, but they are still hesitating-"

Looking at Brezhnev who seemed to be thinking deeply, Shelepin said:
"They need our support. If they get our support, they will definitely launch an attack. When they launch an attack, the whole world will turn their attention there, and the United Nations will definitely hold an emergency meeting to discuss this incident. What we need is to express our support for them at the joint meeting. This is also the fundamental reason why they have dragged on until now. They need the support of major powers, and the Congolese affairs will not be noticed by the outside world for the time being, and Mengetus's Royal Guards will not be transferred to Congo..."

Turning his gaze to the map, Shelepin went on to explain:
"Moreover, this will also help our operations in Ethiopia. After all, when the world's attention is attracted to this place, no one will pay attention to Ethiopia anymore. When people turn their attention there again, a brand new country will appear before the world!"

After Shelepin finished speaking, Brezhnev's eyes kept scanning the map, as if he was planning something. After a while, he spoke.

"It seems like a good option, but we need to convince Nikita."

In fact, it was not difficult to convince Nikita... because food is very important! Because the Soviet people need meat!
A grain of food can bring down a country. Sometimes, a grain of food can destroy several countries. No one knew at this time that the world had entered the wonderful 1960s!
(End of this chapter)