Munitions Empire

Before long, they arrived at the fish pond and sure enough, there was a white tent by the pond, with a young man squatting on the edge, carefully examining the schools of fish swimming within.

The fish had grown much larger since they were first put in, their schools a pleasing sight. The man known as Liu Lao Si stood by the young man, his face covered in a blissful smile.

He was a southerner, having spent his childhood in Chu Country, living off fishing along the river; his father was a fisherman.

Later, when his father passed away from illness and the nobility of Chu Country took over the river and forbade him from continuing to fish, he was left with no choice but to become a vagrant.

Following the other migrants northward, he eventually arrived in Tang Country, and then was sent into the territory of Qi Country, where he was settled in this village.

Passing through Zheng Country's old lands, Liu Lao Si had traveled north by train, an experience that opened his eyes.

Alongside the railway, he saw fish ponds in some of the Tang Country's villages, which he memorized. Once he settled down in Qi Country, he brought up the idea with the officials from the aid group.

Naturally, some people supported his idea, and with an experimental nature, the aid group waived many fees and enthusiastically helped him forge a new path to prosperity.

For the university students within the aid group, this was also an accumulation of experience. It was their graduation projects, as well as a record for their future governance or technical research, which is why they were so eager.

With both sides having their needs met, the collaboration was naturally pleasant. Seeing the governing official approach, Liu Lao Si immediately went up to greet him, and his eagerness was apparent, "Governor, how come you're visiting such a dirty place... be careful where you step, Village Chief... don't get your shoes dirty."

"I'm here to see your fish pond! Very good, knowing to choose a new path is excellent," the young governor said, maturely patting Liu Lao Si's shoulder.

Although Liu Lao Si was seven or eight years older than the governor, due to long-term malnutrition, he was quite a bit shorter. When the governor reached out to pat him, it looked as if an elder was encouraging a younger one, which seemed quite harmonious.

The young man squatting by the fish pond now stood up and greeted the governor with a salute. The two talked for a while, discussing some details of fish farming, and then the governor was ready to conclude this inspection.

Upon hearing his intention to leave, Liu Lao Si quickly stepped forward to insist, "Sir! Since you've come, you must have a meal before you go! I've scooped up a few fresh fish! You must try them, you really must!"

In this regard, many peasant migrants were painfully seasoned; their life experiences had twisted their relationship with officials into believing that officials' accepting bribes was the norm, and they were willing to pay for it.

"Don't! I'd still like to keep my head for my next meal," said the young governor hastily, waving his hands as he did not want to let this meal turn his year-end performance rating from B1 to C3 or even C4.

If things went poorly, the city's governing office might even call him out for a critique in a separate meeting, which would probably make him infamous in the Nanye region.

"You're being too polite, Sir. There's no one else here; just eat one fish from me. I, Liu Lao Si, can afford it. You and Brother Zhang have given me a new lease on life; accepting this fish from me, Liu Lao Si, is giving me face," insisted Liu Lao Si sincerely, as he tried to retain the governor once more.

He truly wanted to repay those who had given him a chance to live; without them, he'd probably still be living as he had in Chu Country. He felt grateful and obligated to offer these benefactors a fish.

The young governor shook his head, declining Liu Lao Si's insistence once again, "I know I could accept a fish from you today, and you could afford it. But desires are inexhaustible. Today I take a fish from you; tomorrow, I might demand a car, and you couldn't afford that! So it's better not to start and refuse this fish. That way, both you and I can be at ease."

"Get out of the way! Think you're the only clever one? Just properly grow your fish. If you become wealthy yourself, both I, the Governor, and the Village Chief will be happy! Understand?" The Village Chief was much more straightforward as he was the actual supervisor of the village. Liu Lao Si often dealt with him on regular days and, naturally, was more open with him.

After the Village Chief scolded him, Liu Lao Si indeed shrank back and rolled away without saying another word. The governor smiled, gave a few more instructions, and headed toward the head of the village.

...

Li Ping was somewhat dizzied by the sudden stroke of fortune, as a few Tang Country diplomats had unexpectedly arrived and, in principle, had agreed to Dahua Empire's request to ban the use of white phosphorus bombs in exchange.

"His Majesty The King of Tang Country harbors benevolence, and Li Ping admires him unreservedly!" When Li Ping got the response he wanted, he naturally did not hesitate to praise the King whom he had never met, as flattering words cost nothing.

"I hope your country will send a dedicated person to negotiate as soon as possible. May we reach an agreement quickly, preventing the soldiers at the front line from losing their lives in vain," the Tang Country diplomats said, elevating the issue of killing to a matter of saving lives with much professionalism.

Li Ping indeed hoped to finalize the matter directly, but the other party wanted to submit a formal treaty, so he had no authority to proceed further.

He was simply a general of the Dahua Empire, without the power to conduct foreign relations. Besides, he was only a "special envoy" sent by Feng Kezhi himself, and could not represent the Dahua Empire in signing any agreements.

Thus, Li Ping naturally could only go back to report first, and then send someone else to come back to conclude the treaty. He didn't know this was Tang Country's stalling tactic, so his mood was naturally ecstatic.

"Before concluding the treaty, both sides should exercise restraint, and with fair principles and humanitarian spirit, address this matter," the diplomat from Tang Country said with noble righteousness, as if there was a dazzling light radiating from behind him.

Li Ping very much agreed with this direction of conversation. As long as the other side started to talk about morality, the use of White Phosphorus Bombs would be shelved, which was definitely good news for the Dahua Empire.

Indeed, what the diplomat from Tang Country said next made Li Ping feel as if he were under a lucky star, "Before any agreement is reached, our side promises… as long as the Dahua Empire does not bomb and harass the southern oilfield facilities, our side will cease the use of White Phosphorus Bombs against the Dahua Empire."

"Thank you, thank you..." Li Ping felt as if he had been bathed in the righteous light of the Great Tang Kingdom. Besides saying thanks, he didn't know what else he could say.

After Li Ping brought the news back to Fengjiang City, the noble rhetoric sounded very different to General Feng Kezhi's ears.

"Tang Country is afraid we'll continue to harass and bomb the southern oilfields!" This was General Feng Kezhi's first reaction after hearing the news that Li Ping had brought back.

The second message he discerned from Tang Country's response was that Tang Country was prepared to firmly follow this path of righteousness. They had cast themselves as the victims, as the invaded party, yet even so, they were determined to seize the moral high ground.

When it came to righteousness, Tang Country had clearly played its cards well. Nowadays, anti-war sentiments had already begun to surface within the Dahua Empire.

Some recluses who normally weren't very useful, but who had good reputations among the common folk, had also flocked to Tang Country, speaking on its behalf.

Issues of this sort began to trouble the court of the Dahua Empire. Coupled with repeated defeats at the frontline, the Dahua Empire's court and public had already lost patience and confidence in the war.

Although General Feng Kezhi had his own thoughts, he had no choice but to play ball with Tang Country's overture. It might be said that the soccer team of Tang Country wasn't great, but the diplomatic department's skill at playing the ball was very high.

This belonged to the category of open strategies, the kind the Dahua Empire had to grudgingly accept: Tang Country had taken the moral high ground, from which they were invincible in battle. Any resistance would earn the label of evil treachery, making the situation frustratingly powerless.

General Feng Kezhi's original plan was to lure Tang Country onto a moral pedestal from which they could not easily descend. If Tang Country remained reluctant to give up the White Phosphorus Bombs as a weapon, they would lose their moral standing.

But who could have anticipated that Tang Country would stand firm, reversing the roles and instead involving the Dahua Empire, rendering their harassment of the southern oilfields unjustifiable.

Back and forth, it seemed the Dahua Empire was losing more.

General Feng Kezhi gave a glance at Li Ping, who was still in the dark, and sighed with a gloomy expression, "You may step down now!"

After Li Ping had left, General Feng Kezhi began to reckon whether he could endure a few more bombings by White Phosphorus Bombs and continue airstrikes to the southern oilfields...

In General Feng Kezhi's eyes, since Tang Country was willing to forego White Phosphorus Bombs rather than allow the southern oilfields to continue being bombed, it meant that those oilfields were more important to Tang Country!

He grabbed the phone and suddenly stopped in his tracks. A few seconds later, he replaced the receiver on its cradle.

Originally, he had intended to call Sword Pavilion for another discussion with Zhao Chen, to continue bombing the southern oilfields.

But on second thought, he felt this matter seemed to offer no benefit to himself: As the Great General of the Empire, he was no longer trusted by the Emperor. If the situation in Fengjiang City worsened further, His Majesty The Emperor would likely deal with him first.

Trading the bombing of Fengjiang City with White Phosphorus Bombs for a victory at Sword Pavilion... seemed like a bad deal for General Feng Kezhi personally.

After struggling for a moment, he picked up the receiver again, hesitated for a while, and then hung up irritably. He knew his heart was in turmoil! He was annoyed because in such a state, he no longer had the desire for victory, the pride in seeking to win, leaving only a high-positioned person's selfishness.

In such a state, let alone competing with the powerful Tang Country for victory, it was even uncertain whether he could maintain the current situation and let the Fengjiang campaign end with dignity.

Grinding his teeth and steadying his emotions, he finally picked up the phone again. He felt he had to conquer himself; this was the pride of a warrior! It was the honor he must defend: "Hello! Connect me to Sword Pavilion!"

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Here's an extra chapter.