The story of the Trojan Horse is universally famous. Whether it's referred to in Chinese as "Trojan" or in English as Troy, or any other language, the term almost always evokes thoughts of the corresponding historical event and its extended meanings.
The Troy Plan Simon recently devised, as the name suggests, is all about infiltration and penetration.
This idea was sparked by a conversation with James during a recent meal, where he mentioned sending Philip Raybould to the U.S. Treasury Department for experience.
Who controls America?
This has always been a hot topic.
Leaving aside absurd conspiracy theories, America is actually controlled by its elite class.
The American elite class is not just the wealthy, though those who belong to it certainly aren't poor. More accurately, this group includes individuals who control the nation's politics, economy, military, culture, and other key sectors.
The Westeros system already has strong influence in America's economy and culture. However, its influence on politics and the military is relatively weak. These two areas, in particular, can exert substantial pressure on the fields the Westeros system operates in.
Addressing this shortcoming can't simply be resolved by supporting a few congressional candidates.
James's plan to send Philip into a non-elected position in the Treasury Department made Simon realize that he had overlooked a crucial aspect of U.S. power—the vast number of non-elected officials, especially in the U.S. presidential cabinet.
These officials, spread across Washington, D.C., and local governments, hold vast influence over various policies. More importantly, since they are directly appointed by the White House or Congress and do not go through elections, their positions are easier to obtain, attract less media attention, and are not limited by term limits. In fact, some of these positions can even be passed down through generations.
Of course, there are drawbacks.
If they're not careful, they can be replaced by their superiors. This is why it's common to see news of U.S. officials being fired or resigning over some controversy.
However, as long as someone has enough power or backing, these drawbacks don't really matter.
At worst, they can take a break and move to a different department. Many veteran politicians in America have followed this pattern.
They can even use their time off to cash in on the rewards of years of service to their benefactors by joining private companies. For example, after leaving office, Richard Cheney—who had no business management experience—somehow became CEO of the energy company Halliburton. Though the company struggled in recent years, Cheney still enjoyed an annual salary in the millions.
Similarly, one of the board members of Gilead, a pharmaceutical startup that the Westeros system is investing in, followed the same path.
As long as they benefit the Westeros system, Simon wouldn't hesitate to offer the same perks in return.
This year happens to be an election year.
Last time, Simon didn't have the energy or the resources to pursue these opportunities, but now he's determined to secure some key positions in Clinton's cabinet. Congress shouldn't be overlooked either. Many sensitive departments in Washington, like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), are actually under congressional control.
Then there's the military.
Simon realized he had fallen into a trap of thinking.
The U.S. military, no matter how noble its mission appears, largely serves the interests of America's elite groups.
The wars that took place around the turn of the millennium are prime examples.
Now that the Westeros system is one of America's elite groups, Simon can use this force instead of going through the trouble of building a private army. After all, forming a private military is risky.
Simon isn't about to abandon his plans because of this realization. However, he will start infiltrating the U.S. military with the Westeros system's influence.
Simon plans to tackle this from two angles. One, he will pursue civil positions within Washington's military establishment, leveraging the White House and Congress to secure these appointments. Two, he'll look for representatives within the military ranks, using his personal military assistant, Celia Miller, as the key to implementing this strategy.
At first, Simon considered whether to cultivate representatives from the bottom up but ultimately decided against it—not because he lacked the time or patience, but because it wasn't necessary.
Just look at Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense who currently serves on Gilead's board.
If others can do it, it's even easier for Simon.
The Westeros system has no shortage of well-paying board positions.
And with the continuous expansion of Cersei Capital's three subsidiaries—especially BlackRock Asset Management—the number of associated companies is practically endless. Simon could easily offer positions, even one as significant as Halliburton's CEO.
It's a well-known fact in the U.S. that high-ranking officials often join private companies after leaving office. This makes it very convenient to implement.
Even if someone wanted to attack the Westeros system in the future, they wouldn't easily use this as a pretext, as it would mean jeopardizing everyone's livelihood. Car accidents and "suicides" aren't out of the question when the stakes are that high.
The Troy Plan Simon has been working on is about deeper infiltration into America's political and military sectors.
At the Greenwich estate.
Simon and Sophia were sitting together on the couch in the living room. The TV was on quietly in the background as Sophia flipped through Simon's scattered notes on the two plans. She said, "So the issue now is how to choose the right people and ensure their loyalty to the Westeros system, correct?"
Simon, holding her gently, nodded but then shook his head slightly. "Choosing the right people is a bit tricky. My goal isn't to ensure absolute loyalty but to get them to align with the Westeros system, to make them feel a sense of recognition and belonging."
In the original timeline, Bill Clinton unexpectedly defeated George H. W. Bush to win the presidency in the 1990s. After over 20 years in power, by the time Hillary Clinton ran for president, the Clinton family was no longer political upstarts. Before the election had even begun, Hillary's cabinet was already planned out.
In stark contrast was a certain real estate mogul who, as a complete political outsider, struggled to fill his cabinet even as his first term came to an end.
This is the difference that comes from a lack of political foundation.
Since Simon has only been in the game for about ten years—starting from 1986—and his political efforts didn't ramp up until the 1992 election, his foundation is still weak. The Troy Plan aims to penetrate these deeper layers.
Since Simon's political base is still developing, it would be unrealistic to demand absolute loyalty. Simon never placed much faith in so-called loyalty anyway; he believes more in aligning interests. Drawing inspiration from a shooter game with a zombie mode, he recognized that when players "turn," they immediately switch sides and attack their former teammates. This is a raw display of human nature under extreme conditions.
What Simon needs is for the people he supports to recognize their position as part of the Westeros system.
Sophia nodded in understanding. "So, what do you need me to do?"
Simon replied, "I've been thinking about this since last year. When I wanted to meet with Iger, we had to borrow someone else's club space. You know, I don't like that. So, the Westeros system should have its own elite clubs where our people can gather and network."
Sophia nodded again. "I've actually thought about that in the past. I know you're not keen on socializing, and you haven't joined any clubs, so I didn't bring it up. But now's the perfect time. We already have plenty of resources we can use. For example, every Christie's auction is practically a club event. Then there's the military-themed park you're building in Ukraine—it could be used as a venue to host regular events. And don't you control a real estate company in New York? I remember that company has casinos and golf courses, all very useful. Starting a club is really about screening members. Many people care about that; they don't want to mingle with those below their status. And regular events are what will help foster the sense of community you're looking for."
Seeing how easily Sophia outlined her thoughts, Simon smiled. "Looks like you've really given this some thought. I'll leave it to you, then."
Sophia agreed but added, "This isn't something that can be rushed. You're clearly not just thinking of starting one club—you want to create different circles, and that requires careful planning."
"Of course, there's no rush. Selecting the right people for the Troy Plan is already a huge task. Take your time with it; by the end of the year will be fine."
"It won't take that long," Sophia said. "I think we can start by categorizing the people you already have within the Westeros system. Once the plan is set, we can get started immediately. But that means you'll need to attend more events."
"I'm not planning on joining every club."
"Of course not. But you need to make sure people know who's behind the club. Once it's running smoothly, you won't need to show up for a year or two."
Simon realized she was right and nodded in agreement.
The two discussed a few more details before Sophia flipped through Simon's notes and found a black-and-white group photo printed on an A4 sheet of paper. It featured around 20 to 30 people. She turned the file sideways and immediately recognized one of the figures at the center. "Is this… Einstein?"
Simon glanced at the photo and nodded. "Yes."
He then pointed out each of the other famous figures in the picture.
Aside from
Einstein, the photo featured Marie Curie, Schrödinger, Planck, Lorentz, Bohr, and many other renowned physicists and chemists who had revolutionized modern science.
After Simon had finished naming each person, Sophia, eyes wide, said, "This is… unbelievable. I can't believe they all gathered together like this."
The 1927 Solvay Conference photograph, widely circulated online in Simon's previous life, featured a gathering of legendary scientists. It surpassed any celebrity photo in significance. However, Simon had to put in considerable effort to find this picture. The internet of this era wasn't as comprehensive as it would be a decade later.
After marveling at the photo, Sophia flipped to the next page and found two beautifully handwritten words: Solvay Plan. She glanced at Simon.
Simon reached over to turn the page and explained, "Do you remember last year when I mentioned getting involved in cutting-edge fields like space and nuclear energy?"
"I remember. ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project—$50 billion. The newspapers said you were going to sponsor it. What happened?"
"I got disappointed."
"Huh?"
"I genuinely wanted to sponsor the project. But after researching the current state of the field, I was so disappointed that I shelved the idea." Simon continued, seeing Sophia still puzzled. "These fields—space exploration, nuclear energy—have been monopolized by governments for a long time. Private enterprises aren't barred from entering, but the costs are prohibitively high. They can't keep up without government funding. As a result, bureaucratic inefficiencies, red tape, and a lack of incentives have caused these sectors to stagnate. Many technologies in space and nuclear energy are still stuck at 1950s or 1960s levels. Take the ITER project—if I invested $50 billion, I'd find out it's not worth that much. The result would be no better than throwing the money into the sea."
"So," Sophia gestured at the document in front of her, "the Solvay Plan?"
Simon nodded. "Yes. I used to believe in the idea that history is created by the people. But over time, I realized that's a joke. The so-called history created by ordinary people is just a repetitive cycle. Real history is made by geniuses, like the people in this photo. They're the ones who, in the span of a hundred years, propelled humanity out of the agricultural era we'd been stuck in for millennia and into the steam, electrical, and information ages. Now, with the end of the Cold War, humanity is entering a new era of peace. But without a shared belief or opposition, society stagnates. That's dangerous."
Sophia, listening intently, frowned in confusion. "Isn't peace a good thing? Where's the danger?"
Instead of answering directly, Simon asked, "Have you heard of the Kardashev Scale?"
Sophia shook her head honestly. "No."
Simon explained, "It's a theory proposed by a Soviet astronomer, Nikolai Kardashev. He categorized civilizations into three levels. A Type I civilization can harness the energy of its entire planet. A Type II civilization can harness the energy of its entire star system. A Type III civilization can harness the energy of its entire galaxy. So, what level do you think we're at?"
"Obviously, a Type I civilization."
"You're wrong. Based on our ability to utilize Earth's resources, we're only at 0.7. We won't reach Type I until we achieve controlled nuclear fusion and have theoretically unlimited energy." Simon said this before Sophia could ask another question. "Each civilization level has its own survival limits, and at the core of it is resources. For thousands of years, humanity was stuck in a cycle because we hadn't broken through our civilization level. Now, though we've entered the information age, it's merely an extension of the electrical age, which in turn followed the steam age. The resources we can tap into now are not much different from those available a hundred years ago. Over the past century, we've had two world wars and a Cold War that lasted half a century. At the root of all this, what do you think the cause was?"
Sophia thought for a moment. "Fighting over survival resources?"
Simon nodded. "Exactly. In the end, it's always about survival resources. Because we're still at a 0.7 level civilization, the resources we can access are limited. That's why, for over a century, we've been in constant conflict and periodic economic crises. These crises force us to optimize our use of resources. When economic crises can no longer serve as a pressure valve, war breaks out to reduce the population and ease resource consumption. So, while we may seem to have entered a peaceful era, we're still stuck in the 0.7-level cycle. After several economic crises, when optimization no longer works, war will come again. And this time, since we have nuclear weapons, it'll likely result in humanity's self-destruction. Don't think humanity is rational enough to avoid nuclear war. If we were that rational, we wouldn't have had two world wars or a half-century-long Cold War."
Sophia stared at Simon for a moment, then reached out to touch his face. "Simon, you're such a pessimist."
Simon leaned into her hand. "What about you?"
"Now I'm feeling pessimistic too," Sophia replied. She then asked, "How much time do you think we have?"
Simon shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe 30 years, maybe 50. Maybe even less."
Sophia's attention shifted back to the document. "So, the Solvay Plan is about creating a new generation of geniuses, like Einstein and the others, to break through technologies like controlled nuclear fusion and help humanity reach a true Type I civilization?"
"Exactly. Some studies suggest that the percentage of people born with a high IQ is actually quite significant. Some believe that over 2% of the population is born with an IQ of 130 or higher. But most of these people never realize their potential due to environmental constraints. The Solvay Plan is about finding these geniuses early, guiding and educating them, and ultimately producing the minds we need to change the world."
Sophia voiced a concern. "Won't this cause controversy?"
Manipulating a child's entire life—let alone a group of children—could be seen as inhumane by some. Many people believe that children should grow up free and happy, pursuing their own paths in life.
Simon dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "Pay them enough."
"..."
Sophia rolled her eyes but agreed that this was probably the best solution. She then asked, "And after that?"
"After what?"
"Once we reach Type I civilization. What happens then? Do you think everything will change?"
Simon shook his head. "No, it might just be a higher-level cycle. But it's still better than where we are now. All I'm doing is creating the possibility. Once we achieve controlled nuclear fusion and have unlimited energy, we'll be able to easily break free from this planet's constraints. We could even colonize Mars. As for the people on Earth, they can do whatever they want. If they destroy themselves, it won't matter to me."
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