area51novel Chapter 503: National Hero
Chapter 503: National Hero
Soon, all the major media outlets and newspapers in Australia were frantically reporting on Zhang Lei, the newly arrived philanthropic tycoon.
Zhang Lei attended a series of friendly exchange galas at various levels in Australia, and on the spot donated one billion US dollars to establish a charitable orphanage fund and a desertification control fund in Australia. He also invited experts, talents, and ordinary laborers from all over the world to help control desertification, giving the Australian leadership hope for population growth.
Under the onslaught of money, almost everyone in Australia, from the general public to the highest levels of government, became familiar with Zhang Lei, the generous Chinese-American philanthropist. Zhang Lei also leveraged his connections to invite wealthy individuals from around the world to invest and develop in Australia, significantly boosting the local economy. However, the Australian leadership was unaware that these wealthy investors were all pawns planted by Zhang Lei around the globe.
Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
News of war suddenly arrived, plunging the entire country of Australia into chaos. A small Southeast Asian nation had suddenly mobilized nearly 100,000 troops to attack Australia across the sea. The world's attention was instantly focused on this. The Australian leadership was outraged, vowing to deliver a heavy blow to the invading enemy.
Zhang Lei sat in his seaside villa in Melbourne, listening quietly to news from the front lines. Zhang Zhiqiang stood beside him, reporting on the progress of the war.
Zhang Lei smiled faintly: "What were the reactions in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia?"
Zhang Zhiqiang calmly replied, "Everyone is watching and waiting, and the general consensus is that Australia will win. After all, while 100,000 troops may seem like a lot, it's a long-distance, cross-sea operation, which puts immense pressure on logistics."
Zhang Lei nodded and smiled, "As long as they don't interfere, it's fine. These 100,000 people are ostensibly sent by the Demon Kingdom, but 50,000 of them are elite special forces we've deployed."
The reason the Transgender Kingdom dared to attack the Kangaroo Kingdom was entirely due to Zhang Lei's behind-the-scenes manipulation. Otherwise, the unexplained deaths and injuries of the Kangaroo Kingdom's high-ranking officials would inevitably have attracted a thorough investigation. But once war broke out, with both sides sending spies to assassinate each other, everything would have been perfectly logical.
Moreover, in order to ensure victory, the Kangaroo Kingdom will definitely recruit soldiers on a large scale, which is the best time for Zhang Lei's people to smoothly join the Kangaroo Kingdom's army and take control of military power.
Zhang Lei looked at Zhang Zhiqiang and said with a smile, "Continue to promote the strength of our Kangaroo Country, make all the people believe that Kangaroo Country will win this war, and raise everyone's confidence even higher."
At this moment, Ye Shuqin walked over to Zhang Lei with the washed fruit and asked softly, "Husband, why are you doing this?"
Zhang Lei reached out and touched Ye Shuqin's chin, smiling as he said, "Of course, it's to create a contrast. The higher the prestige of the Kangaroo Kingdom's leadership is now, the more severe the public's condemnation and distrust will be after their defeat. When our people take power and turn the tide, tell me, who do you think the entire Kangaroo Kingdom will favor as their leader?"
Ye Shuqin smiled and looked at Zhang Lei: "Honey, I've noticed you're getting more and more cunning."
Zhang Lei feigned displeasure and laughed, "Is that so? Politics is the most sophisticated way to kill without shedding blood. Aren't you afraid of being punished for talking about your man like that?"
Seeing Zhang Lei's expression, Ye Shuqin quickly begged for forgiveness: "Honey, I was wrong. How about... you find some foreign girls? I really can't take it anymore."
Zhang Lei smiled at her timid appearance. "Alright, I'll let you off this time. But you won't just be the Empress of this country in the future; you'll be an influential leader. You know my plans; this is all paving the way for our future children. If it were just for ourselves, being rich anywhere wouldn't matter, so why go through all this trouble here?"
Ye Shuqin nodded and said with a smile, "Honey, you've worked so hard. How about I find you a few marriage partners? That way, you'll not only have our own people supporting you, but also the support of local families in Australia."
Zhang Lei rubbed her head and laughed, "No need, I'm not used to riding a foreign horse."
Soon, the war officially broke out.
Everyone thought it would be a one-sided crushing defeat, but as soon as the war began, the Land of the Transgender displayed astonishing military strength. Various warships and heavy artillery took turns attacking, instantly engulfing several of the most prosperous cities in the Land of the Kangaroo in a hail of bullets.
This scene was unacceptable to the entire nation of Australia.
After all, they were a victorious nation during World War II, and now they've fallen to this state, causing a huge psychological shock. The entire country quickly descended into turmoil and instability.
Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Lei infiltrated another five million people into Australia. Combined with the personnel he had continuously transferred from his spatial storage over the past three years, the total population of Australia is now close to forty million, of which a full thirty million are his people.
The top brass of Australia are deeply troubled by this, but they are at a loss for what to do.
Only Zhang Lei's people secretly gloated – even so, they only occupied one-third of the seats in the upper echelons of Australia.
When news of Australia's defeat arrived, not only were its own people stunned, but European countries also found it unbelievable, especially the United States. After all, Australia had been its colony, and the British Royal Family was still Australia's nominal spiritual leader.
Zhang Lei immediately instructed Zhang Zhiqiang to contact the spies planted in Britain to try and prevent British intervention in the war. Just as various countries were contacting the top brass of Australia to inquire about the need for assistance, a series of assassinations occurred among the country's high-ranking officials. Suddenly, everyone in the leadership was in a state of panic, and many, to save their lives, relinquished their power and fled abroad.
Beset by internal and external troubles, Zhang Lei, as the leader of the Alliance Party, stepped forward, actively attending parliament and focusing his efforts on foreign war efforts. This gave the people of Australia, who had long been depressed due to defeat, a glimmer of hope.
At Zhang Lei's urging, the number of people enlisting in the army nationwide quickly exceeded one million. He also personally funded the purchase of a large number of advanced weapons and equipment from the United States, and the war situation quickly reached a stalemate.
Taking advantage of their initial advances, the Transvestite Kingdom had already occupied large swathes of coastal cities in Australia. Inside the Prime Minister's office in Australia, Zhang Lei sat upright in the chair symbolizing the highest power in the country, while Zhang Zhiqiang, as his secretary, stood beside him, pointing to the conquered areas on the map and smiling, "Prime Minister, Australia has lost 90% of its core talent in the political and economic fields."
Zhang Lei nodded calmly: "That's not enough. These places can be rebuilt after they're destroyed. What I want is for our people to have complete and absolute control over this country. Continue to have our people in the Demon Kingdom cooperate in advancing the war, and ask them to reinforce their troops. We'll retreat to the second line of defense and completely surrender the first line of defense."
Zhang Zhiqiang frowned slightly: "In this way, our losses will be very heavy, and the subsequent reconstruction will also cost a lot of money."
Zhang Lei shook his head: "It's alright. Things can be rebuilt slowly if they're destroyed, but if the internal hidden dangers aren't completely eliminated, they'll rise again sooner or later. Don't underestimate any opponent. I want this country to be completely ours."
Soon, a large number of advanced weapons and fighter jets provided by the Eagle Nation were shipped out, but sea transport would take some time. Taking advantage of this window of opportunity, the Transgender Nation reinforced its troops by another 100,000, quickly capturing more cities in the Kangaroo Nation and executing many important local political and economic figures.
Six months later, the American weapons finally arrived in Australia.
Looking at the devastated state of the coastal city, Zhang Lei simply smiled and then delivered a passionate national speech.
Despite the ongoing war, the economy of the Kangaroo Kingdom, under Zhang Lei's series of measures, not only did not decline but steadily improved. The original Kangaroo Kingdom citizens within the first line of defense were all classified as refugees and sent to the desert region, and their wealth was looted by the soldiers of the Transgender Kingdom.
The original local population of over ten million has dwindled to only eight million, who are now forced to engage in heavy manual labor such as mining, as arranged by Zhang Lei.
Meanwhile, the more than 30 million people brought by Zhang Lei live comfortably in second-tier cities with abundant resources.
After resting, Zhang Lei commanded a million-strong army to launch a full-scale counterattack, bombarding the positions of the Transgender Kingdom. The Transgender Kingdom's army suffered a series of defeats, and the balance of power completely tipped in favor of the Kangaroo Kingdom.
Nearly 90% of the 100,000 native soldiers of the Demon Kingdom were killed in action, while Zhang Lei's 100,000 special forces suffered only 10% casualties.
One month later, the war ended.
The Kangaroo Kingdom won a great victory, and Zhang Lei led the team to demand war reparations from the Transgender Kingdom. Ultimately, the Transgender Kingdom paid three billion US dollars in compensation, marking the complete end of the war.
The coastal cities were completely taken over and rebuilt by Zhang Lei's forces, and all the original assets were seized by his faction. Fueled by international public opinion, Zhang Lei was hailed as a national hero in Australia.