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墨書 Inktalez
The development of the war unfolded as Azure Hawk had predicted, with the New Army advancing rapidly, easily capturing territories without intense battles. The morale of the National Defense Force plummeted, nearly reaching a breaking point. Two days later, in the afternoon, a Telegram was sent by the king from his Temporary Residence in the south. Upon receiving the Telegram, Prince Banan immediately convened a State Council Meeting, inviting Zhang Qiu, Lucia, and Azure Hawk to attend.
Prince Banan, dressed in a black suit, stood confidently at the conference table. The table was surrounded by military and political officials, all sitting upright with determined expressions. Clearing his throat, Prince Banan raised the Telegram and announced loudly, “Today, I have good news to share with everyone. I know many of you are already aware of this news. However, it is still worth celebrating once more. Our military and political officials have worked tirelessly, and our soldiers on the front lines have fought hard; we have finally achieved victory.”
As soon as Prince Banan finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room, lasting for a full minute. As the applause gradually subsided, Prince Banan continued, “The king has agreed to abdicate but has put forth several conditions. Another purpose of this meeting is to discuss these conditions.”
“First, the title of king will remain unchanged, and he will still be treated with royal courtesy. Second, there will be no accountability for any mistakes made by the king during this war; third, after abdicating, the government will allocate funds annually for the king's living expenses. Fourth, the king's private property will be protected by law; fifth, the national defense will maintain a guard of one hundred men; sixth, Prince Banan will personally go south to sign the agreement.” Prince Banan read out each condition from the Telegram. “These are the conditions proposed by the king. What are your thoughts?”
After Prince Banan finished speaking, the administrative officials began whispering among themselves and discussing back and forth. As he scanned the room, an elderly general with white hair and numerous medals on his chest stood up and addressed Prince Banan: “Your Highness, I believe that points five and six in the conditions cannot be accepted. Firstly, allowing the king to have a guard of one hundred men could be a hidden danger. Additionally, having Your Highness personally go south may not be wise. The Southeast has not been fully recovered yet; if any unforeseen circumstances arise, we would find it difficult to take effective measures.”
After the general spoke, Prince Banan nodded in agreement as another Civil Official stood up. Although he had changed into different attire, Zhang Qiu recognized him as the mayor who had previously advocated for peace talks. The mayor said: “I also believe that point five must be abolished; regardless of numbers, we cannot allow the king to hold military power again. As for Your Highness going south to sign the agreement, I think that is feasible.”
Immediately someone else stood up to oppose: “Your Highness cannot go south to sign that agreement; it must be a trap!”
“Yes, Your Highness, you must not go!”
More voices joined in opposition, turning what had been an orderly meeting into chaos. Despite the confusion, their general sentiment was clear: there was almost no dissent regarding the first four conditions proposed by the king; however, point five was overwhelmingly rejected. The contentious issue was whether or not Prince Banan should personally travel south to sign the agreement.
“Everyone quiet down!” Prince Banan raised his hand to signal for silence and looked at the mayor. “Please explain why I should personally go south to sign this agreement.”
“Your Highness's policies are widely popular among the people and have a broad base of support. In this war, Your Highness has been the commander of all northern regions. After unification between north and south in the future, Your Highness will undoubtedly be the leader of our entire nation. Therefore, if Your Highness goes personally, it can show our citizens that we value this matter highly and boost morale among our frontline soldiers while strongly deterring any remaining forces in the south.”
“Are you disregarding Your Highness's safety?” a bald politician stood up pointing at the mayor.
“If we do not sign this agreement, do you intend to continue fighting?” The mayor brushed off the attack against him without concern. “Do you not realize that the king is Your Highness's father?”
The bald politician retorted: “When Your Highness was imprisoned, was he still your father?”
“Enough!” Prince Banan shouted angrily; his relationship with his father had always been a painful subject for him that he did not wish to discuss.
The room fell silent immediately as military and political officials ceased all conversation and turned their attention to Prince Banan. The mayor and the bald politician quickly apologized to him for their remarks; fortunately, Prince Banan did not pursue it further. He then turned to Zhang Qiu and asked: “What is your opinion?”
Zhang Qiu said, "There is an ancient saying in China: 'You cannot catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den.' Does the king have any other choice besides surrender?"
"Your suggestion is to go?"
"Of course, and we must go!" Zhang Qiu turned to face the military and political officials present. "This is the best opportunity for Prince Banan to establish his prestige nationwide. The peace talks between the north and south are drawing national attention, and Prince Banan will be a hero of Tanzania."
Many agreed with Zhang Qiu's words, but there were still voices of concern. A general asked Zhang Qiu, "How can you guarantee Your Highness's safety one hundred percent?"
Before Zhang Qiu could respond, Azure Hawk, who had been silent until now, stood up and said, "I can guarantee Prince Banan's safety."
"Can you absolutely guarantee it?"
"Under the protection of the White Wolf Special Assault Team, Your Highness will face no danger."
Azure Hawk spoke with great confidence, locking eyes with the general without backing down. Perhaps sensing the strength emanating from Azure Hawk, the general nodded in agreement.
Finally, Prince Banan said, "Then we agree to conditions one, two, three, four, and six proposed by the king. As for the fifth condition, we will nullify it. Oh, and we need to add one more thing!"
Everyone turned to look at Prince Banan as he slowly continued, "In the Southeast earthquake disaster area, our side will send personnel for rescue and related follow-up work."
As Prince Banan finished speaking, applause erupted in the conference room. He looked at Zhang Qiu and asked, "Are you interested in joining me for the peace talks in the south?"
"I was just thinking about that."
"Can I come along?" Lucia asked.
"Of course! How could we do this without Lucia?"
With the meeting reaching a conclusion, it was time for deployment. The military and political officials returned to their respective posts, and the plans discussed were immediately sent to the king by relevant departments.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia couldn't contribute much, so they went to the rooftop of the palace to enjoy the view. The deep green vegetation spread out under the blue and white clouds from afar, while houses of varying heights dotted every street in the city. From the radio, they heard news about the peace talks; once again, the public gathered in front of the palace grounds. Men and women dressed in various ethnic costumes danced and cheered. The banners that had previously been displayed were replaced with ones proclaiming "Long Live Prince Banan" and "Long Live Tanzania." The palace guard units removed roadblocks and pointed their guns skyward, watching the public with appreciative eyes as they enjoyed themselves on the open ground.
In the evening, Prince Banan sent word to Zhang Qiu and Lucia that the king had agreed to the revised plan and would depart the next day. Zhang Qiu and Lucia went to bed early, and at seven in the morning, after freshening up, they gathered in the palace's first-floor hall. Six members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team were fully armed, dressed in khaki camouflage uniforms, adorned with tactical gear.
A red carpet was laid from inside the palace to an open area outside, where two vehicles, a Land Cruiser and a Jeep, were lined up at the end of the carpet. Prince Banan, dressed in a suit, led accompanying officials as they entered the Land Cruiser under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Zhang Qiu and Lucia followed Azure Hawk and others into the Jeep.
The convoy moved smoothly along its route, with locals who had heard the news stepping out of their homes to stand by the roadside, waving colorful streamers. Upon arriving at the airport, a multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft was parked there.
Azure Hawk and his team were already on high alert. As soon as the door of the Land Cruiser opened, they quickly surrounded Prince Banan to escort him onto the plane. Before boarding, Zhang Qiu glanced back at the vast airport, which was nearly empty except for a few lonely staff members and several large aircraft parked nearby.
The plane glided down the runway toward the south and slowly ascended into the air. The landing gear retracted, and soon it disappeared into the clouds. Half an hour later, it landed at a makeshift military airport in a city in the southeast.
Through the window, Zhang Qiu saw a flattened dirt road covered with a layer of dust. A dozen listless musicians stood on either side of a carpet laid out on the ground, while weary-looking officials in suits stood at one end. Azure Hawk was the first to disembark from the plane; after surveying his surroundings, he signaled for Prince Banan to get off. Media reporters rushed forward as Prince Banan descended from the aircraft under the protection of several team members, waving to the journalists who had come to cover the event.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia followed behind an attendant official; before they could step off the plane, chaos erupted on-site. At that moment when Prince Banan stepped onto the red carpet, Azure Hawk sensed danger sharply and lunged toward him. Sure enough, a bullet struck the ground beside Prince Banan, sending up a plume of yellow smoke.
Members of the White Wolf Special Assault Team immediately drew their weapons and began searching their surroundings as musicians and officials scattered in panic. Some bold reporters raised their cameras to capture this historic moment. Zhang Qiu pulled Lucia's hand and crouched at the cabin door, reaching behind his waist to retrieve a handgun he had brought with him.
Police sirens blared as two white police cars with flashing red and blue lights rushed into the airport. In the distance, a military truck was approaching with a machine gun mounted on its roof.
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