The Tyrant Billionaire

Simultaneously, Indonesia sent a message to the British government, demanding an official stance on the matter, as Hardy’s Dominion was a British territory. They wanted to know whether Britain intended to engage in war with Indonesia.

Indonesia also lodged a complaint with the United Nations, accusing Hardy’s Dominion of initiating war, while secretly reaching out to Moscow for assistance.

The news of Hardy’s Dominion dispatching hundreds of aircraft to bomb Indonesia spread quickly, grabbing global attention. Many wondered if another war was about to erupt in the Far East.

Previously, it was the civil war in China. Then came the Korean Peninsula conflict, which had ended just over a year ago. Now, Hardy’s Dominion and Indonesia were embroiled in a new conflict.

Detailed reports revealed that Hardy’s Dominion had gained the upper hand by sending aircraft to obliterate Indonesia’s naval and air forces. Without these, Indonesia had essentially lost its ability to wage war abroad, rendering its larger army irrelevant.

Indonesia attempted to gain international sympathy by releasing information about the situation. However, its propaganda efforts paled in comparison to Hardy’s. Hardy’sGlobal Times, now a leading global newspaper, painted a damning picture of Indonesia. Over the past year, the paper had published numerous critical articles about Indonesia, highlighting economic exploitation, lack of freedom, unfair laws, and the riots involving arson and looting, further tarnishing Indonesia’s image in the eyes of Western audiences.

Meanwhile, Hardy’s Dominion launched its own propaganda campaign. TheGlobal Timesprovided a detailed account of the conflict, portraying Hardy as the victim. According to the paper, the tensions began with Hardy’s investment company. The Indonesian government, seeking to seize assets, implemented a series of exploitative laws that Western audiences perceived as outright theft—worse than robbery.

The riots were framed as a government-orchestrated attack on Hardy’s Dominion. The destruction of Hardy’s properties and the death of its citizens led to demands for justice, which Indonesia ignored. Hardy’s investigation concluded that the riots were indeed government-planned.

Subsequent events unfolded with the HD Mercenary Company retaliating by attacking a military camp in Surabaya, targeting the instigators of the riots. In response, Indonesia blockaded the Strait of Malacca, restricting the passage of ships from Hardy’s Dominion, Hong Kong, and Japan, causing significant economic harm.

The bombing of Indonesia’s naval and air bases by HD Mercenaries was described as a "small warning."

TheGlobal Times’ portrayal of this "small warning" left readers incredulous—34 warships and 67 aircraft destroyed constituted Indonesia’s entire naval and air force capabilities.

At the United Nations, Indonesia’s representative demanded compensation and a proper explanation, threatening war otherwise. The British representative, however, calmly stated, "Our investigation shows this incident is unrelated to Hardy’s Dominion. It was the independent action of the HD Mercenary Company."

Britain supported Hardy for strategic reasons. Hardy’s Dominion was British territory, and Hardy himself was the son-in-law of the British Royal family—a fact known worldwide. Allowing Indonesia to attack Hardy would be a blow to Britain’s pride. Despite its decline, Britain was still far superior to Indonesia militarily.

Britain’s representative warned, "Penang, Malacca, and Singapore are British territories under our protection. Any Indonesian aggression will be considered a declaration of war against Britain, and we will not stand idly by."

Frustrated, Indonesia realized that the international stage offered little recourse. The Western powers, especially Britain and the United States, were firmly aligned with Hardy. The United States offered a diplomatic statement, emphasizing regional stability and urging restraint while implicitly signaling its support for Hardy.

By the end of the UN meeting, no resolution had been reached, but it was evident to all that Hardy’s Dominion enjoyed the backing of the West, leaving Indonesia in a precarious position.

Even a fool could understand the attitude of the United States.

Not long after, the Soviet Union issued a statement expressing its intention to fully support all Indonesian actions, even hinting at the possibility of dispatching warships and fighter jets if necessary.

At the time, First Secretary Khrushchev, known as the "Corn Madman," had a fiery personality. Responding to Indonesia’s plea for assistance, he issued this stern warning.

However, shortly after the Soviet Union’s warning, Britain and the United States also issued responses the following day.

The British declared that any military action against British territories would be considered a declaration of war against the British Empire, and they would spare no effort to intervene.

Churchill, unfazed by threats, stood firm.

The United States, on the other hand, expressed serious concern over developments in Southeast Asia, urging all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalating the conflict further.

At the same time, the U.S. publicly ordered its military bases in Japan and Korea to prepare for a potential outbreak of war.

This move was clearly directed at the Soviet Union.

The message was simple: If the Soviet Union got involved, the United States would undoubtedly follow suit.

In an instant, the small Hardy Dominion became the focus of global attention. Some newspapers even speculated that if the situation were mishandled, it could potentially spark another world war. @@novelbin@@

But Hardy remained unperturbed.

This wasn’t the Korean Peninsula. The war on the peninsula lasted so long only because the Soviet Union wanted to bring China into its camp, which led to its involvement. The Soviet Union by no means wanted to start a fight with the wealthy Allies over a territory so far from its borders.

Even in China, the Soviet Union made loud threats but ultimately decided against deploying forces, limiting its support to providing weapons and equipment, and sending pilots to participate in the fighting—though not under the Soviet flag. As a result, the Soviet Union never officially joined that war.

Why was this the case?

Because the Soviet Union, too, wanted to avoid direct confrontation with the United States.

As for Southeast Asia? There would be no unlimited Chinese cannon fodder to exhaust the Allies’ ammunition, and the Soviet Union was geographically distant—unlike the United States, which had military bases in Japan and Korea. Deploying large-scale troops was out of the question for the Soviet Union.

Currently, the U.S. had approximately 300,000 troops stationed in Japan and Korea, along with dozens of warships and even an aircraft carrier group. For the Soviet Union to assist Indonesia, it would require a much larger force—far more than 300,000 troops. However, the Soviet Union lacked the capacity for such an overseas deployment.

Their domestic situation was already challenging.

So who else could help Indonesia?

No one.

This was why Hardy was unconcerned.

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While the superpowers might engage in heated debates, they ultimately wouldn’t take action. The final outcome would depend on Hardy and Indonesia.

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