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墨書 Inktalez
After Zhang Qiu contacted Bai Jingwei, he returned outside the venue, where Prince Banan's meeting was still in progress. Zhang Qiu and Lucia quietly waited outside the door. After an unknown amount of time, a group of people orderly exited from another room and walked past Zhang Qiu towards the venue, including the mayor who had suggested peace talks during the discussion.
The main door of the venue swung open from the inside, and a group of generals marched out with great momentum, causing those outside to quickly step aside. The White-Bearded Man approached Zhang Qiu and said, "The second meeting is about to start; aren't you going in?"
Zhang Qiu shook his head. "We won't be participating."
The White-Bearded Man nodded and entered the venue, while others followed suit, causing the main door to slam shut. Lucia moved from one side of the corridor to the other, observing the main door of the venue. Suddenly, she remarked, "I'm curious how Prince Banan will handle those civil officials advocating for peace."
Zhang Qiu smiled and replied, "Don't use your American way of thinking here; Prince Banan doesn't need to appease them—he just needs to issue orders."
"Alright," Lucia shrugged.
When the main door opened again, Zhang Qiu and Lucia both turned their attention to the entrance. The civil officials exiting the venue mostly wore expressions of anger, leaving Zhang Qiu uncertain whether this anger was good or bad. Once they had all left, Zhang Qiu and Lucia entered the venue.
Prince Banan was still seated at the head of the conference table, with the White-Bearded Man sitting beside him as they conversed. The White-Bearded Man's position faced the entrance; upon seeing Zhang Qiu and Lucia enter, he automatically ceased his conversation and shifted his gaze towards them. Prince Banan turned slightly and pointed to a nearby chair. "Come sit."
Zhang Qiu and Lucia each pulled out a chair and sat down. Before they could speak, Prince Banan eagerly exclaimed, "We succeeded!" Without giving them a chance to respond, he continued, "Your proposal was excellent; it perfectly resolved the conflict between the two factions. My generals are about to head to the front lines to reinforce defenses and ensure we do not lose an inch of land, while my civil officials will begin researching future systems."
"What measures are being taken at this stage?" Zhang Qiu focused on the current situation.
Prince Banan exchanged a glance with the Chief Administrator, who immediately straightened up and stated, "First, we will strengthen defenses in cities adjacent to Southeast and prepare for war actively; second, we will recruit young people across all regions for military service to cultivate reserve forces; third, to avoid large-scale casualties, residents in bordering areas will migrate north; fourth, we will inform the world about what is happening here to seek international sympathy and assistance."
"That's great!" Lucia exclaimed with a fist pump.
"Indeed," Prince Banan said with a pleased expression. "The explosion at the airport obliterated any last hope for peace talks; even those civil officials advocating for peace have changed their stance and insist on fighting to the end. However, war will inevitably bring suffering to my people." In the end, Prince Banan shook his head; from the moment he prepared to confront his father, he had mentally prepared himself for countless sacrifices.
"Sacrifice is unavoidable, but we can certainly minimize it," Zhang Qiu thought once again of Uncle Agari. Many had already given their precious lives for a better future, and many more would follow. Prosperity brings suffering to the people; destruction brings suffering to the people—this has been true since ancient times.
"Do you have another good idea?"
Zhang Qiu nodded. "I have an idea; whether it's a good one remains to be seen."
"Speak quickly!"
"When I was in school, I memorized a saying: 'With one strong effort, it will weaken; with two, it will exhaust.' I find it very reasonable. The current situation is unfavorable for us; we are outnumbered. We must avoid engaging in prolonged large-scale warfare with the South, as that would only drag us into the quagmire of war. Therefore, we can only concentrate our limited forces and aim to deal a heavy blow to the South through one or several major battles, thus avoiding more extensive or larger-scale conflicts and achieving the goal of winning without fighting." Zhang Qiu sat at the table, pointing out strategies with a commanding presence, as if an army was already roaring into the enemy ranks.
"Are you suggesting we take the initiative?" Prince Banan nodded, somewhat understanding.
"Exactly! The king would never expect us to take the initiative. Therefore, we need to catch him off guard."
"But we don't have enough troops! We need to send heavy forces to defend the front lines, and maintain order in various cities; we really can't spare too many troops." Prince Banan frowned deeply, as he had to oversee all affairs in the North without missing any detail.
"The National Defense Force has twice the manpower of the New Army and twice the territory. We need Civil Defense to guard; they need it too. In a short time, having more territory is not an advantage; it will instead tie down our forces. Now is the perfect time to launch an attack." Zhang Qiu felt that given the current situation, they had no choice but to take a gamble; being overly cautious would lead nowhere. If the king established a long-term foothold in the South, relying on geographical and numerical advantages, the North would eventually be swallowed up.
"I admit your reasoning is sound; a general proposed a similar plan during our meeting. However, I've only seen such tactics in movies; our troops have not received corresponding training." Prince Banan smiled bleakly, feeling powerless. No matter how good an idea was, what use was it if it couldn't be implemented?
"Doesn't the New Army have any?" Zhang Qiu asked.
"No."
"…"
Zhang Qiu was speechless; he had not realized this point at all. He sensed that the National Defense Force's discipline was lax and combat effectiveness weak, but the New Army was different; it had been trained by European instructors. If things were as Prince Banan suggested, then the New Army wouldn't be much better off.
"Your Highness, I have a bold idea." The Chief Administrator, who had been quietly sitting aside, finally spoke up.
"You!"
All three turned their gazes toward the White-Bearded Man. Although he had received permission from the prince, he still hesitated, his gray-white beard trembling with his mouth's movements. Finally, he steeled himself and said, "Since the jade pendant is so magical, could we possibly harness its power?"
"That might not be good," Lucia expressed her concern. "We don't have a deep understanding of the jade pendant and don't know how to control it."
"If that won't work and this won't work either… then we only have one option left: request International Aid." Prince Banan was at his wit's end, repeatedly patting his head as all his earlier enthusiasm from the meeting faded away.
“International Aid, let's not get our hopes up too high,” Zhang Qiu said, reluctant to add to Prince Banan's worries, but this was the truth. “In the end, we can only rely on ourselves.”
“Do you have any other methods?”
Prince Banan looked at Zhang Qiu eagerly, and when Zhang Qiu nodded, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.
Zhang Qiu said, “We won't know if there's a way until tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
Zhang Qiu shared his concerns about the palace's safety, his relationship with Bai Jingwei, and the application for the Special Operations Team with Prince Banan. He concluded, “If Professor Bai can secure this team for us, we will have a sharp weapon to strike at the enemy's heart!” Zhang Qiu paused for a moment and added, “I just hope you won't blame me for making decisions without consulting you first.”
“I won't!” Prince Banan waved his hand. “This is indeed a good plan. Bring me the Satellite Phone; I will wait with you.”
Prince Banan ordered someone to fetch the Satellite Phone. The four of them sat around the conference table, staring at the Satellite Phone, waiting until sunset without any sign of activity. Zhang Qiu felt sore from sitting too long and got up to stretch.
Prince Banan checked the time and said, “Let's have dinner in the conference room.”
The servant immediately instructed the kitchen to prepare food, and soon exquisite dishes were served. Time passed slowly; no one had an appetite. As night approached, their anxiety grew. Prince Banan felt it especially keenly; since the crowd had gathered outside the palace, he found himself suddenly opposing his father despite being inclined toward reform. He had been unable to eat or sleep well for days, and with the burden of imprisonment and sudden reform weighing on him, he felt like he was on the verge of breaking down.
A quarter past seven, Bai Jingwei finally contacted Zhang Qiu. Everyone present held their breath in anticipation of this moment. Zhang Qiu gripped the Satellite Phone tightly and asked, “Professor Bai, how is it?”
There was a long silence on the other end before Bai Jingwei slowly spoke: “Zhang Qiu, this matter is serious. After careful discussion, they have agreed to your request. The combat team you wanted is now en route; their call sign is ‘Instant Noodles’ and ‘Tea Egg.’ Now repeat the call sign back to me.”
“Instant Noodles, Tea Egg.”
“Very good. Additionally, I have something else to remind you about regarding the War Maniacs in Tanzania; try to avoid contact with them as much as possible. Understood?”
“Not understood!”
“It’s fine if you don’t understand; just remember this: the combat team sent will not engage with them unless absolutely necessary. This is for the greater good; you must comply!”
A loud rumble echoed from a distance during the call, and the entire room began to shake. Zhang Qiu, who grew up in the Pacific Ring of Fire, instinctively thought, an earthquake!
“It’s an earthquake, run!”
Zhang Qiu shouted as she grabbed Lucia's hand and ran outside, only to be pulled back by Prince Banan.
Prince Banan shouted, “Stay here! This room can withstand a magnitude ten earthquake!”
The shaking continued violently, with water bottles rolling back and forth on the conference table. Black-clad bodyguards rushed in from outside, aiming for the prince's position and using their bodies to provide an extra layer of protection for Your Highness.
The intense shaking lasted a long time before it finally stopped, and no one in the room was injured. Lucia peeked out from under Zhang Qiu, still shaken, and asked, “Is the earthquake over?”
“It’s over.”
Zhang Qiu got up from the triangular area next to the conference table and pulled Lucia toward Prince Banan. The sudden earthquake was undoubtedly a setback for the current situation. Prince Banan issued several commands in quick succession, sending people to investigate the source of the earthquake and assess casualties in various locations.
In the Satellite Phone, Bai Jingwei shouted, “Hello, hello, Zhang Qiu, what’s happening over there!”
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