Chapter 497: Open Guns and Hidden Arrows
Chapter 497: Open Guns and Hidden Arrows
”How can it not be our business?”
Li Ke, who was ridiculed, was not panicked at all, but laughed and retorted.
”No matter how small the son’s matter is, it is still a big deal. Didn’t you come all the way here?”
Cohen didn’t react at first, but soon recovered from the double meaning of the word, and his face became gloomy.
Son can refer to the Golden Lizard Kingdom or the Weilante people.
A century and a half ago, there were no Weilante people on this planet. All Weilante people were the predecessor of the academy, that is, the technical department of the post-war reconstruction committee, and they were super soldiers designed through genetic modification engineering at the request of the Ministry of Defense.
As a captain of ten thousand men, he certainly couldn’t be unaware of the origin of the Weilante people, but he didn’t care even if he knew it.
The pride and glory of the legion did not come from any ancient history, but from the road that stretched infinitely forward under their feet.
However, not caring is not caring. Being
ridiculed is another matter.
Chu Guang looked at the B-level researcher with a little surprise.
When he saw players chatting on the forum before, he thought those nerds were dumb.
But now it seems that the dumb ones are only the grassroots operators who can’t speak in a roundabout way. Seeing
the four parties standing still in the wheat field, the sarcastic words were getting more and more aggressive, and King Menggot couldn’t help but feel a tingling sensation on his scalp.
After all, this is his doorstep.
In the end, he couldn’t stand the uneasiness in his heart, and Menggot dared to come out to smooth things over.
”… You all came from afar and had a hard time on the way! Why don’t you follow me to the castle to rest first, and then discuss future matters further? After all, this is not a place to talk…”
Cohen glanced at the old man lightly and gave a look to the guard next to him.
The guard nodded respectfully, turned around and returned to the “Bison” all-terrain armored walker behind him, and stepped through the open hatch. The
huge steel body slowly rose, and the airflow brought up a gust of wind, blowing a field of wheat ears.
Satisfiedly appreciating the series of expressions of surprise, fear, etc. on the faces of the ignorant, Cohen walked straight past the king with a group of level 30 guards and passed through the gate of the river bank.
This is a vassal state of the Legion.
Coming here is like going home, and he doesn’t need to be invited by others.
Whether it is the king, nobles or ordinary residents, everyone in this oasis is his slave. How can a servant invite the master home as a guest?
Realizing his abruptness, King Menggot lowered his head and dared not breathe, and the other nobles around him were the same.
The alliance’s attitude towards them was too kind.
So much so that they almost forgot that they were vassal states.
Only the Earl of Krenway had a gleam of ambition in his eyes, thinking about how to please the suspected new master.
He had already offended the administrator of the alliance.
This time he couldn’t mess it up again…
”Fuck, this NPC is really good at pretending.” Staring at the back of the person who called Cohen to leave, Ye Shi whispered in the communication channel.
Kuangfeng touched his nose and said calmly.
”A five-star commander of ten thousand men…Except for the marshal and the legion commander, there should be no one with a higher status than him in the entire legion.”
In other words.
He is standing here on behalf of the legion’s marshal, fully responsible for everything in Luoxia Province, and even has the autonomy to fight.
This guy is obviously much more difficult to deal with than that Griffin.
Especially outside the battlefield.
Chu Guang stared at the governor’s back for a while, and then cast his eyes on Wu Changnian standing next to the Orca transport plane.
The middle-aged man’s face has regained a spring breeze smile, and he also looked over in a friendly manner.
”Nice to meet you, the manager of the alliance, I have wanted to visit you for a long time…You are younger and more promising than the media propaganda.”
”Mr. Wu, you are too kind.”
”No, this war can be won thanks to you,” Wu Changnian shook his head and continued with a slight smile, “But our war has just begun, hasn’t it?”
Chu Guang knew what he meant.
The fruits of the soldiers on the battlefield need to be consolidated at the negotiating table.
This time, Triumph City actually sent a five-star captain to serve as the governor of Luoxia Province. This ceasefire negotiation may not end simply and hastily.
”You are right. If it is convenient, I would also like to know the position of the Council.”
Wu Changnian showed a happy smile on his face.
”I am planning to discuss this matter. How about a word with you?”
Chu Guang also said with a smile.
”That’s what I meant.”
The two of them walked towards the city gate, talking and laughing.
Only some players who had not seen enough of the excitement were left at the scene, the upright “Bison” all-terrain armored walker, the enterprise’s transport aircraft and commando soldiers, as well as King Menggot and a group of nobles behind him.
Standing next to the long shuttle-shaped aircraft, Li Ke was embarrassed for a while, and had to walk to King Menggot and cleared his throat.
”I am from the academy.”
King Menggot came back to his senses and said politely.
”Excuse me, sir, what do you want me to do?”
”Find me a place to live… closer to those people.”
Pointing at Chu Guang and Wu Changnian who had already walked away, Li Ke emphasized with a serious face, “The academy has a seat in this ceasefire negotiation. Do you understand what I mean?”
Although he had no idea what the academy had to do with this war, King Monggot knew that such a behemoth was not something that a defeated country like him, whose army had even been disbanded, could offend, so he nodded quickly.
”I understand! I understand!”
”That’s good.”
Li Ke looked at this guy with satisfaction, took the two bionic bodyguards beside him, and walked through the city gate contentedly.
…
Although the friend from the Wandering Swamp made a fool of himself as soon as he appeared, thanks to this, the tense atmosphere between the enterprise and the legion was eased.
Looking at Li Ke’s indifferent look, it didn’t seem like he took it to heart at all, and didn’t care what Cohen said at all.
But think about it.
The gift of farsightedness is not only extreme materialism, but also result-oriented.
Ordinary explorers have no right to know the details of the negotiations. Even if the “Dr. Conclusion” knew the details, he might not care whether his subordinates were embarrassed.
As long as the ultimate goal is achieved.
As long as the cost is acceptable…
However, the ceasefire negotiations did not go smoothly.
Although it was expected, the tough attitude of the representative named Cohen was still beyond Chu Guang’s expectations.
The castle in the center of Falcon City.
In the spacious conference hall, representatives from the legion, enterprise, academy and alliance sat.
Under the watchful eyes of the guards, the servants in the castle trembled as they poured tea and water for these big guys, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Cohen knocked on the table with his hand, and the aggressive momentum fully reflected the rude and unreasonable characteristics of the Willant people.
”If you really have the sincerity to cease fire, withdraw your troops from Oasis No. 2 immediately! This is the premise for restoring peace!”
”This is unrealistic.”
Not frightened by the aggressive momentum, Chu Guang interrupted him without giving in.
”The Alliance’s military operations will only end after the ceasefire agreement takes effect.”
Cohen raised his eyebrows, feeling a little surprised by the Alliance’s tough attitude.
In the battle reports sent to Triumph City before, the Legion and the Alliance had won and lost.
Although Griffin, who was isolated and helpless, was at a disadvantage due to the support of the enterprise, his troops still caused considerable casualties to the Alliance.
Especially a legendary follower who killed and injured thousands of Alliance
members by himself! Logically speaking, even if the battle reports sent from the front line contained some bragging, at least a small part of it could be believed.
Before getting off the airship, he was sure that the Alliance would not be able to hold on, so he took an aggressive attitude right from the start.
However, now…
the Alliance’s tough response was beyond his expectations.
For a moment, Cohen was unsure whether the man in front of him was bluffing or the situation on the front line was not as optimistic as he imagined.
His thoughts turned quickly, but Cohen’s attitude on his face did not change, and he said he would settle for the next best thing.
”Then at least your people should withdraw from the Horn Fort and keep a buffer distance of 50 kilometers from our people.”
This is a reasonable request.
However, what he didn’t expect was that the man sitting opposite still refused.
”The defenders of Horn Fort have not surrendered yet. There are 50,000 legion soldiers stationed there. We can’t just ignore such a big threat. We won’t go anywhere until they surrender their weapons or the ceasefire negotiations make progress.”
Just kidding.
How could Chu Guang agree to such a condition?
Cohen may not know the supply situation in Horn Fort, but he heard it clearly from the battlefield man.
The defenders in Horn Fort not only lack water, food and ammunition, but also are on the verge of mental collapse due to the harassment of planes in turn, and have been forced to the brink of internal strife.
Once they retreat 50 kilometers, it is impossible for the Skeleton Corps and the Lion Kingdom’s army to completely cut off the supply like they are now.
And if someone accidentally lets the ammunition into the fortress, there will probably be another fight.
Looking at Cohen, who obviously hasn’t figured out the situation, Chu Guang said in a calm tone.
”Mr. Cohen, I don’t know if you have heard this saying, what you can’t get on the battlefield, you can never expect to get at the negotiation table.”
Cohen narrowed his eyes dangerously.
”Do you mean see you on the battlefield?”
The air in the conference room seemed to be frozen.
The moment he heard Cohen’s words, Li Ke, who was sitting at the negotiation table, suddenly became nervous.
Wu Changnian’s expression did not change, but he kept winking at Chu Guang, suggesting that he should not push Kaixuan City too hard.
The smell of gunpowder on the negotiation table was more pungent than ever before.
Chu Guang did not look at anyone, and still stared at Cohen intently.
”I mean, please put forward more practical demands.”
The sights of both sides seemed to be like sharp swords colliding with each other, and sparks flew on the negotiation table.
Although the Legion’s power was obviously stronger than the Alliance, in terms of personal bravery, Cohen, who was just an ordinary person, was obviously inferior to Chu Guang.
Knowing that the confrontation would not produce any results, Cohen snorted coldly, pushed away the tea on the table, and stood up from the conference table.
Startled by his action, Li Ke, who had not said a word from beginning to end, quickly spoke up to smooth things over.
”Everyone, please talk nicely, or we can each take a step back–”
”It seems that you don’t have the sincerity to talk nicely,” Cohen completely ignored the B-level researcher and squinted his eyes at Chu Guang who was sitting opposite him, “Let’s stop here today.”
Chu Guang just smiled faintly at the threatening tone and said calmly.
”It seems that you didn’t get enough rest on the way.”
”Then as you wish, let’s talk tomorrow.”
He knew why Cohen did this.
The Arbiter had just arrived in Luoxia Province and didn’t know the real situation on the front line. And with the East Expansion Faction’s style of painting cakes, the war report sent to Triumph City must have been whitewashed.
Maybe in the Triumph Newspaper, Griffin is fighting with the Alliance, and Cohen, who has just arrived, will naturally be confused by the Alliance’s toughness.
It would be good to let him understand the current situation of Horn Castle.
After leaving the meeting room, Cohen immediately called Joseph who was guarding the Arbiter.
”Can you contact Griffin?”
”Can’t contact them… The communication is abnormal. The Alliance’s aircraft destroyed the signal tower of the fortress. There may be other faults.”
Cohen nodded silently.
This “other fault” made him hear a hint of meaning.
Joseph is from the army system and is also the confidant of the Eastern Legion Commander Saren. He obviously knows the style of the Eastern Expansionists better than himself.
Maybe…
this guy has found something from some clues.
”General Joseph, are you loyal to His Majesty the Marshal?”
The person on the other end of the communication channel answered without any hesitation.
”Of course, my loyalty to His Majesty the Marshal is unmatched. Why do you suddenly ask this?”
Cohen said in an unchanged tone.
”Nothing, I hope that every choice you make next will be worthy of your identity and the trust of His Majesty the Marshal in you.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication channel this time.
”I see.”
After the call was hung up.
The elevator of the Arbiter was lowered, and two motorcycles were deployed on the surface, rushing towards the direction of the Horn Castle without stopping.
Before tomorrow’s negotiations begin, they need to understand the true situation of the Horn Castle.
And what exactly does Griffin want to do…
At the same time, Chu Guang, who had just left the meeting room, was pulled into the next room by Wu Changnian.
Before he could speak, Wu Changnian said anxiously.
”Anyway, the Legion only has 50,000 troops stationed in Luoxia Province, and you have also promised to withdraw from Oasis No. 2. Why don’t you follow the words of that big nose?”
Looking at the anxious Deputy Minister Wu, Chu Guang patiently comforted him.
”My friend, you don’t know the front line, so it’s normal to think so. This is not a matter of the army taking two steps back. If we retreat 50 kilometers, it is equivalent to opening the pocket of Griffin, which is equivalent to giving up the bargaining chips in our hands before the ceasefire negotiations begin… Can you understand?”
”The 50,000 surrounded troops and thousands of officers are the biggest bargaining chips in our hands! If you don’t understand, you can call Yi Chuan. I have already discussed this with him in advance.”
Wu Changnian said with a wry smile.
”You are still thinking about this…”
The Council did not expect to get any benefits from the group of poor ghosts in the west. The territory that the Willant people were proud of was worthless in their eyes.
This was not because of arrogance, but because the Willant people had never seriously governed the territory they had conquered. Most of the time, they simply and roughly took it and the people as spoils of war and packaged it to many junior officers.
There are things like Lost Valley and Qingquan City everywhere in the territory of the Legion, and they actually didn’t solve any problems.
”Of course.” Chu Guang’s idea was different from Wu Changnian’s. Dinars could also buy some good things. “We can give up Oasis No. 2, but that is a bargaining chip for exchange at the negotiation table, not to show so-called sincerity and unilaterally give the positions that have been obtained to those Willant people.”
Wu Changnian couldn’t help asking.
”Aren’t you afraid of becoming the fuse of a full-scale war?”
Chu Guang shook his head.
”This kind of thing can’t be solved by fear. We hope for peace, but we have never imagined that peace can be achieved through compromise.”
Wu Changnian pressed his index finger on his forehead.
”Bargain… Do you still expect the Legion to give you compensation?”
Chu Guang said as a matter of course.
”Why not?”
As if he guessed what this guy would say, Wu Changnian sighed.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
”How about this… One billion Cr, we will pay you in the form of aid as compensation to the Alliance.”
The Council gave him a certain degree of autonomy.
When the ceasefire conditions cannot be negotiated, it is also an option for the enterprise to compensate the Alliance for part of the war expenses.
At least it would be less costly than a full-scale war across the Central Continent.
Chu Guang smiled when he heard about the 1 billion Cr aid.
”I’m so sorry.”
Wu Changnian resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Sorry, you should refuse it!
Of course, Chu Guang would not refuse such a benefit that was delivered to his door.
He coughed lightly and continued seriously.
”We can give up demanding war reparations from the Legion and its vassals. As you said… that is indeed unrealistic. After the ceasefire agreement takes effect, our troops will immediately withdraw from Oasis No. 2. But as I said before, we will not withdraw our troops before the ceasefire agreement takes effect. We also hope that you will fully cooperate with us at the negotiation table. This is not only for us, but also for you.”
Wu Changnian nodded.
”I have no objection. Our demands are only for a ceasefire, Shelter No. 0, and the safety of all the crew members on the Pioneer.”
Chu Guang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he stretched out his right hand.
”Happy cooperation.”
”I hope so.”
Wu Changnian shook Chu Guang’s right hand and then let go. Suddenly, he thought of something and spoke.
”By the way, this is a personal suggestion. Have you ever considered… uh, setting up a private account in Ideal City?”
Chu Guang was stunned when he suddenly heard something that had nothing to do with the negotiation.
”…Private account?”
Wu Changnian nodded.
”Yes, it’s not very troublesome. You can register even if you don’t have the resident status of Ideal City. Many nobles in Giant Stone City have it.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Guang immediately understood what he meant, and then leaned back in his chair, smiled and shook his head.
”No need.”
Wu Changnian did not give up and explained patiently.
”Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bribing you… It’s just that according to the current situation, the risk of a full-scale war is not zero. A deposit can at least leave you a way out.”
So far, the Legion has not used all its strength to invade Luoxia Province, and the company is also carefully controlling the scale and rhythm of the war.
If nothing unexpected happened, the ceasefire negotiations should have been held in the capital of the Lion Kingdom. As for Oasis No. 3, which originally belonged to the Honey Badger Kingdom, the Council had even made plans to give it to the Legion.
No one expected the Alliance to be so powerful.
They pushed Griffin back to his hometown in one wave.
Now the situation has developed beyond the expectations of the Supreme Council. If it really comes to the point of all-out war, he hopes to at least keep the leader of the ally.
This is also the Council’s intention.
However, Chu Guang’s answer was beyond Wu Changnian’s expectations.
”I don’t need that kind of thing. Even if there is such a day, I will not go anywhere, but stand with those who trust me.”
Wu Changnian looked at him blankly, and for a moment he couldn’t see through the young man in front of him.
His expression was a little regretful, but he still nodded.
”Okay. By the way, this is just a personal suggestion… It has nothing to do with the Council.”
Chu Guang smiled and nodded.
”I understand. What I said just now will not affect our cooperation.”
…
The first day of the ceasefire negotiations ended unhappily, and the negotiations on the second, third, and fourth days also did not make any substantial progress.
The ceasefire negotiations have temporarily reached a deadlock.
The academy did not play a role in mediation at all, and the governor from Triumph City did not want to deal with the B-level researcher.
As for the enterprise.
Wu Changnian did give a lot of support to the alliance, but the nature of the council determined that he could not have too much independent decision-making power. He could only make decisions after asking the council for instructions and discussing many things at the council.
In particular, the arrival of the academy was completely beyond his expectations.
A killer whale transport plane flew back overnight just to bring the news back to the communication range of Ideal City in the shortest time.
Chu Guang thought that the mediation of the academy would make the negotiations go more smoothly, at least as a bargaining chip to put pressure on the legion.
But now it seems that this has added variables to the negotiations.
But Chu Guang is not in a hurry. No matter
how strong the legion is, the initiative of this negotiation is in the hands of the alliance occupying Falcon City, which just gives him plenty of time to complete the “transformation” of the Falcon Kingdom.
The most anxious people at this moment should be the 50,000 defenders who were cut off from water and food in the Horn Fort, and General Cohen who hoped to get the prisoners back at the lowest cost.
Chu Guang has successfully changed the ceasefire conditions from “the Alliance and enterprises withdraw from Oasis No. 3” to “maintain the borders before the outbreak of the war”.
The only dispute now is the town of Bicester.
The Falcon Kingdom has given up this town. After all, this town was not originally in Oasis No. 2. It was completely an action fortress built by the Legion to march eastward.
But Cohen insisted that even if this town was not within the boundaries of Oasis No. 2, it was still built by the Willant people.
”It seems that we have to have the fifth round of negotiations.” Seeing that he could not convince Cohen, Chu Guang sighed with regret and pushed the notebook on the table, but did not close it.
Looking at this man who did not take him seriously, Cohen narrowed his eyes slightly, and clenched and unclenched his fists on his knees.
He really couldn’t afford to delay.
According to what Joseph learned, the situation of the garrison at Fort Horn was not optimistic. Although the Alliance’s planes had stopped air raids, they were running low on food and fresh water.
The worst thing was that the Alliance’s planes were specifically targeting their kitchens, making pots and pans almost scarce.
Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the conference room, and soon a Willant soldier walked in from outside with a serious look.
Everyone sitting at the table went over there, trying to see a clue from the man’s stern expression.
Li Ke from the academy was even more direct. He simply took out a pair of headphones that seemed to have a volume-enhancing function from his pocket and put them on his ears.
Obviously, he treated everyone else as a fool and thought that no one noticed his little move.
Chu Guang’s eyebrows jumped, and he couldn’t help but have a boring thought in his heart. If he suddenly shouted into this guy’s ear, would he send him away?
However, that clever friend was destined to be disappointed. The soldier did not lean over to Cohen to whisper, but handed him a note.
Cohen took the note and took a look at it, and his face suddenly changed.
He stood up with his hands on the table, glanced at the people in front of the conference table, and then hurriedly threw down a sentence.
”The negotiations today end here.”
After saying that, he walked out of the conference room without looking back, regardless of the stunned voices and surprised faces in front of the conference table.
Wu Changnian quickly looked at Chu Guang.
However, to his disappointment, Chu Guang also looked puzzled.
Is this guy’s house on fire? He
rushed back so quickly…
His previous words were just to show that the alliance didn’t care about a few more talks, and he didn’t really intend to disband today’s meeting.
”Do you have any news?” Li Ke took off the loudspeaker and looked at Chu Guang, and couldn’t help asking.
”No.”
Chu Guang shook his head.
Li Ke hesitated and was about to say something.
At this moment, the VM on Chu Guang’s arm suddenly vibrated, and a small light blue window that only he could see was projected on the screen.
The moment he saw the line of words, he held his breath.
Noticing the change in Chu Guang’s expression, Wu Changnian asked immediately.
”What happened?”
Chu Guang pondered for a while and spoke.
”Griffin is dead.”
The moment the words fell, the air in the entire conference room seemed to freeze, and the expressions on the faces of everyone sitting at the table were different and wonderful.
”Dead…”
Wu Changnian was stunned on the spot.
He didn’t expect that the old fox who galloped across the desert would end his life in such a mediocre afternoon.
He didn’t know whether to be happy or regretful for a moment.
”That guy is dead…”
Li Ke’s face was also full of surprise, but more of it was gloating.
That guy hung up his phone before he died. Although he was not a petty person, he didn’t forget this.
Haha.
Good death!
The stupid and arrogant Willant people should die in obscurity in a humble corner… There is no better ending for this madman than this.
And once that guy died, the stalemate ceasefire negotiations should soon have a result.
Li Ke is now only curious about how Griffin died.
King Menggot, who was listening, sighed softly. That Griffin respected him… at least more than Kras and McLen.
Chu Guang was in a mixed mood.
He had thought that this guy could hold on for a while longer, at least until the ceasefire negotiations were over, but he didn’t expect him to leave like this…
What a pity.
He had promised McLen before that he would reunite with Griffin…
(End of this chapter)
