Dense clouds do not rain, self in the western suburbs.
This is a hexagram in the I Ching, which is meant to indicate that things are brewing in secret, but the results of the development have not yet been revealed.
That's what happened in some cases.
For example, many media outlets today are citing foreign media sources:
North Korea has sent troops!
If this is true, then isn't that exactly what Putin wants?
Half a month ago, as the head of one of the world's military powers, he endured the ridicule of various princes and condescended to visit the DPRK and signed the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty" with Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of the DPRK.
In this treaty, which Putin called "breakthrough", it is clearly stated:
The other Party will provide assistance to any of the Parties in the event of aggression.
Now, with the assistance of Western countries, Ukraine's artillery fire has not only covered the four eastern regions of Ukraine and the Crimea region, which Russia regards as its own territory, but even Russia itself has been attacked and infiltrated by the Ukrainian armed forces from time to time.
Although the Russian side has always defined this conflict as a "special military operation", in reality everyone knows that Russia is facing a long-delayed war.
Isn't Russia suffering from "aggression" and attacks?
So, Putin's expectations for this treaty are obvious:
Morning Soldiers!
The latest news revealed by foreign media is that North Korea has officially sent an engineering unit composed of 20,000 soldiers to the front line to assist Russia's military operation in the Donetsk region.
Even a more precise timeline was given, saying that the North Korean engineering unit is expected to arrive on the front line of operations this month.
Whether it is directly participating in the battle or logistical support, as long as the troops are dispatched, they are essentially participating in the war.
Therefore, this news still aroused strong public opinion.
But so far, there has been no confirmation of the news about North Korea's dispatch of troops to Ukraine, both Russia and North Korea.
But it is understandable, how can this kind of news be made clear in front of everyone? Do you see that Western countries support Ukrainian weapons, although they have long been ironcladly proven, do they still deny it?
The United States seemed to have received some intelligence, and they immediately stood up in strong protest and threatened that no matter how many troops North Korea sent were nothing more than "cannon fodder on the battlefield in Ukraine".
South Korea is also quite excited, directly stating that it wants to threaten Russia! By threatening Russia to join forces with North Korea, they will increase their actual support for Ukraine.
By the way, here. It is unclear whether the troops sent by North Korea to the front line are cannon fodder, but South Korea does have the ability to give Ukraine greater support.
Before North Korea sent troops, South Korea only symbolically provided tens of thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine under pressure. This scale is not even drizzle compared to Western countries.
But if South Korea produces shells at full capacity, it will be a real disaster for Russia. Don't underestimate South Korea, you must know that they started by providing all kinds of artillery shells to the United States back then. At present, there is a ranking of the strength of artillery shell production in the world, and South Korea is firmly in the top three.
To quote the original words of the media:
Some military experts have assessed that South Korea's current annual output of 155mm howitzer shells is about 200,000-300,000; In the case of opening all mothballed production lines, the annual output of artillery shells can reach 600,000; In extreme cases, South Korea can produce 2 million shells per year.
Therefore, if the South Koreans were not seriously stimulated, they would not have changed their previous attitude of being submissive and openly threatened Russia!
From the degree of reaction of the United States, South Korea and other countries, it can probably be guessed that the appearance of North Korean soldiers on the front line of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield in a few days is not a small probability event.
Geopolitically speaking, North Korea and Ukraine have no enmity in the long run, and no grievances in the near future, so why lie down in troubled waters?
The answer is simple, "price" can be said in two ways.
In the first aspect, Putin has made monetary conditions that cannot be refused.
Putin is said to have promised $800 a month for each of the North Korean soldiers who are on the front lines. For North Korea, whose average annual income does not exceed $700, there is no doubt that this is a huge wealth that cannot be refused.
Moreover, for North Korea, according to tradition, a considerable part of the "huge sums of money" earned by these fighters will provide strong help to countries that are "desperately short of money."
You must know that the rise of the Koreans back then, in addition to making artillery shells to make money, sending troops to engage in logistics was also an important step to earn extra money for the country.
It is worth mentioning that the DPRK explicitly demanded that salaries must be paid in dollars, refusing to accept the Russian ruble, which has depreciated to the limit. In this way, it is guaranteed that the wealth that 20,000 soldiers exchanged for their lives is real wealth, and not a ruble that is useless and like waste paper.
Why should North Korea refuse the opportunity to make money when it can make a lot of money, and it is real money that can improve one's life immediately?
In the second aspect, Putin has given the North Korea the sense of security it wants.
Objectively speaking, it is difficult to describe the international image of the DPRK in the international community, and once a war breaks out in Northeast Asia, the DPRK will not be able to play many international cards. Therefore, possession of nuclear weapons and self-respect is the biggest trump card of the DPRK at present.
But no matter how poor a person is, he needs a few relatives to help him, so why doesn't North Korea want to have a thigh to hold and a big boat to take advantage of?
Therefore, Putin's "shared chariot" gift package is very attractive. What could be more attractive than a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty that is deeply tied to military security?
Moreover, the price of riding this Russian tank, just a mere 20,000 engineers?
The outside world has always tended to use "pragmatism" and "flexibility" in evaluating the DPRK's military foreign policy.
If North Korea's troops do show up on the battlefield, there is no need to be surprised. Because it must have been Russia that gave the conditions that people could not refuse.
But those grand narratives are always used by the big people to point the way and tell gripping stories.
For every thin individual, they need a plain and straightforward narrative to record their faint lifeline.
In this war, some people get a huge amount of dollars and reputation, but some people only get a small tombstone.