Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1233 Hard to accept

"There are also preparations for new weapons and reserves of logistical supplies," Su Zhengyang continued to turn the pages, "and the economic losses caused by the threat of war..."

His tone was still calm, as if he was just discussing today's weather: "Total, 34 million gold rubles."

Sergei felt his throat dry. This figure was almost equivalent to the annual military expenditure of the Tsarist Russia.

"Of course," Su Zhengyang closed the account book, "this is just a preliminary statistic. The specific figures still need to be recalculated by the Ministry of Finance."

He looked at Sergeimer, whose face had turned pale, and smiled gently: "After all, this is a war imposed on us by Tsarist Russia, isn't it?

Sergei put down his teacup and forced himself to calm down: "Mr. President, war is something neither side wants to see."

He looked Su Zhengyang straight in the eye and said, "We have also paid a huge price under the threat of this war. The mobilization of troops, logistical supplies, border martial law...these costs are no less than those of China."

He paused: "Besides, we have agreed to return the territory. This so-called compensation... is a bit too much."

"Child's play?"

Su Zhengyang suddenly smiled, but this smile made Sergei feel a chill.

"Minister Sergei," Su Zhengyang put down his teacup, "You said we were joking?"

He stood up and walked to the window: "Let me ask you, who was the first to violate the treaty and seize our territory? Who obstructed us at every turn when we asked for its return? Who would rather believe Seckt's empty promise than admit his mistakes?"

Turning around, his eyes became sharp: "If it weren't for your arrogance, if it weren't for your stubbornness, how could you have come to this point today?"

"You're saying both sides have suffered losses now?" He sneered, "Minister Sergei, are you kidding me?"

Zhang Luanyu put down a document at the right time: "This is your battle report on the Western Front. Three divisions were lost in one month, and the military expenditure exceeded 34 million gold rubles. And we..."

"We didn't even fire a single shot," Su Zhengyang took over the conversation, "and we made you agree to the conditions. Who will suffer the most, Mr. Minister, don't you know?"

Sergei opened his mouth to speak, but found himself speechless.

"So," Su Zhengyang sat back in his seat, "the compensation of 34 million gold rubles is already a lenient offer from us. Do you want me to ask the Ministry of Finance to recalculate the actual losses?"

There was dead silence in the office.

Sergei finally realized how ridiculous his words were. Playing diplomatic rhetoric in front of this young man was like showing off one's skills in front of an expert.

&34;Mr. President,&34;

&34;With all due respect, these territories were not acquired in violation of the treaty. They were taken from the Shuiqing Empire...&34;

"Robbered?" Su Zhengyang suddenly interrupted him, his voice suddenly turned cold, "Minister Sergei, are you showing off to me how you took advantage of the situation and snatched territory from a declining empire?"

Sergei's words stopped abruptly.

"Let me think about it," Su Zhengyang stood up and walked to the wall where the map was hung. "What did you do back then? You took advantage of the internal and external troubles in Shuiqing and sent troops to force them to sign an unequal treaty?"

He turned around, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Do you think this kind of robbery can be the basis for your legal occupation of the territory?"

"This..." Sergei was speechless.

"So," Su Zhengyang's voice became colder, "Don't talk to me about the territory obtained from Shuiqing. It was nothing but naked plunder. And now..."

He sat back down in his seat: "We're just taking back what belongs to us. As for the compensation..."

He tapped the account book on the table and said, "This is the price you paid for your resistance. If Minister Sergei thinks 34 million gold rubles is too much, we can solve it in other ways. For example..."

He glanced meaningfully out the window: "Let the army handle it?"

Sergei felt suffocated. He finally understood that in the eyes of this young man, the "glorious conquest" of the Tsarist Russia was nothing more than a shameful act of robbery.

Now, the robber not only has to return the property to its original owner, but also has to pay the price for his resistance.

The sun was still shining outside the window, but Sergei felt cold all over. For the first time, he realized so clearly that this was not an ordinary diplomatic negotiation, but a settlement of the old order in a new era.

The person who led this liquidation was a young man of only 26 years old.

Sergei took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "Mr. President, this amount of compensation is unacceptable no matter what."

He looked directly at Su Zhengyang: "According to our intelligence, China actually only mobilized the Northern Division and part of the Air Force. The so-called Skull Division and Mountain Eagle Division were not deployed at all."

His tone became firm: "Fifty million gold rubles in compensation is totally inconsistent with the actual situation. This figure... is totally unreasonable."

When Su Zhengyang heard this, a half-smile appeared on his face.

"Old Zhang," he said softly, "bring the transfer order from the military."

Zhang Luanyu immediately handed over a stack of documents.

"Minister Sergei," Su Zhengyang slowly flipped through the documents, "You are right, the Totenkopf Division and the Mountain Eagle Division did not go out. But..."

He pushed one of the documents in front of Sergei: "This is their combat readiness order. Every division, every unit, is on a war footing. Do you know how much it costs to maintain this state?"

"Logistics supply, ammunition reserves, fuel allocation..." He pointed out one by one to Sergei, "Just to keep these troops ready to go to war at any time, the daily expenditure is more than 34 gold rubles."

Sergei was speechless for a moment when he saw those shocking figures.

"Moreover," Su Zhengyang continued, "Do you think that not sending out troops means no cost? It is precisely because of the existence of these troops and the threat of their ability to attack at any time that you have to agree to our terms."

He closed the document, his eyes sharp: "This is the price of war, Minister Sergei. It's not about who fired more shots, but about who paid a higher price to maintain the war situation."

"So," he tapped the table lightly, "34 million gold rubles is the lowest number after taking various factors into consideration. Unless..."

He paused meaningfully: "Unless Minister Sergei wants to see these troops actually deployed? In that case, the number would probably be more than 34 million."

"Mr. President," Sergei shook his head and his tone became tougher. "Returning the territory is already the biggest concession made by Tsarist Russia. This compensation..."

He stood up and said: "This is a completely rude request!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature in the office seemed to drop suddenly.

Su Zhengyang paused as he put down the teacup, and the gentleness in his eyes disappeared in an instant: "Rude?"

He stood up slowly, his voice as cold as the Siberian wind: "Minister Sergei, who are you calling rude?"

"Is it the Tsarist Russia that forcibly occupied other countries' territories that is rude, or is it the Chinese that demanded the return of the territories that is rude?" He walked towards Sergei, "Is it the Tsarist Russia that refused to return the territories and played diplomatic tricks that is rude, or is it the Chinese that gave you a chance to resolve the issue peacefully that is rude?"