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

Chapter 1130 Not necessarily a bad thing

Late at night, the English Embassy in China was brightly lit.

Chesterfield, Silva and Romanov sat in the conference room with serious expressions, opposite Du Bois, the French representative, and Wilson, the American representative.

"Three days?" Wilson frowned. "This crazy Su is still so resolute."

"The problem is," Chesterfield wiped the sweat from his forehead, "we don't have the capital to resist now. The armored forces of the Bird Empire have advanced to the outskirts of Paris, and we are already overwhelmed on the European battlefield."

"What's worse," Dubois sighed, "is that China's military technology is incredible. Their Canglong tanks are far superior to any of our armored vehicles, even Bird's latest Leopard tanks are far behind."

Silva smiled bitterly: "Do you remember how Fuso was destroyed? Just three months ago, the entire Far East First Fleet was bombed to pieces overnight by China's unprecedented new weapons."

"Su Zhengyang is a lunatic," Romanov gritted his teeth, "He actually wants us to return the Far East! That's 1.5 million square kilometers of land!"

"But what choice do you have now?" Wilson analyzed calmly, "Your main forces are fighting against Bird on the Western Front, and the Eastern Front is almost undefended. And those weapons of China..." He shook his head, "Even our intelligence department can't figure out how they were developed."

There was an eerie silence in the room.

"Everyone," Chesterfield said solemnly, "we must face reality. China today is no longer the clean country it once was. They have the most advanced weapons and equipment in the world, and even the Bird Empire cannot catch up with that technology."

“The scariest thing,” Dubois added, “is that no one knows how they developed such advanced technology in just a few years. Our experts say some of these weapons are at least 20 years ahead of us.”

"This is the most disturbing part," Wilson nodded. "A country with such advanced military technology is now asking for the return of its territory. What reason do we have to refuse?"

Silva leaned back in his chair dejectedly: "So our choice now is to either hand over Hong Kong City and Macau City obediently, or..."

"Otherwise, the tragedy of Fuso will repeat itself," Chesterfield said. "We all saw that the 'Crazy Su' is a man of his words."

“But three days…” Romanov tried to struggle.

"That was very merciful," Wilson interrupted. "Have you forgotten that he executed the opposing representatives during the concession negotiations, and then sent in those terrible new weapons within a day to forcibly take over all the concessions?"

The conference room fell silent again. Everyone understood that in the current world situation, they had no capital to confront China. Bird's steel torrent was raging in Europe, and China was like a giant dragon with future technology, ready to show its fangs in the Far East at any time.

"I think," Chesterfield finally broke the silence, "we have no choice. We must do what he asks, otherwise..."

He didn't finish, but everyone understood what he meant. In this war-torn era, no one wanted to face an opponent known as "Crazy Su", especially when this "crazy man" possessed the most advanced military technology in the world.

Wilson pulled a cigar from his pocket and slowly lit it. The blue smoke curled under the light. He took two deep puffs and suddenly said, "Maybe this isn't such a bad thing."

"What?" Chesterfield and Silva turned to look at him at the same time, their eyes full of disbelief.

"You are talking without any concern!" Chesterfield slammed the table and stood up. "Hong Kong City is our most important strategic stronghold in the Far East!"

Silva also said angrily: "Yes, you Americans have many military ports in the Pacific Ocean, so you can easily give up. But Macau is the last Far East territory for us Portugal!"

Wilson flicked the cigar ash calmly and said, "Everyone, please calm down. What I mean is that under the current situation, letting China control these areas may not be a bad thing for our anti-Will Alliance."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Du Bois became interested.

"Think about it," Wilson blew out a puff of smoke, "Now that the Bird Empire is in full swing in Europe, we need a strong ally to contain them. And China has just the strength to do so."

"But the relationship between China and Bird..." Romanov hesitated.

"It's just superficial peace," Wilson sneered. "How can two powerful countries really coexist peacefully? Sooner or later, there will be a conflict of interest."

Chesterfield laughed in anger: "So you are suggesting that we sacrifice our own interests in exchange for a possible future?"

"This is not a sacrifice," Wilson said solemnly, "This is a strategic retreat. Everyone, open your eyes and look at the reality! Even if we don't want to give it, can we stop that 'Crazy Su' from taking it? Instead of waiting for him to take it by force, it is better to hand it over decently and save some face."

"Face?" Silva sneered, "Have you forgotten that your American colonies in the Far East have long been occupied by Fuso? You are saying these high-sounding words now only because you have nothing to lose!"

Wilson's face darkened. "It is precisely because we have lost that we understand better what to fight for and what not to fight for. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is changing, and we must adapt to this change."

"That's easy to say," Chesterfield gritted his teeth, "Why don't you cede the Hawaiian Islands to China?"

"If China really wants to take it," Wilson suddenly showed a meaningful smile, "I'm afraid we don't have much choice. You have also seen that those weapons and equipment are ahead of their time..."

The room fell silent again. Although Wilson's words were harsh, they revealed a cruel reality: in the face of absolute strength, all struggles seemed so pale and powerless.

"Fuck the strategic considerations," Silva said angrily at last. "You Americans are just watching the fun and making trouble."

Wilson took another noncommittal puff of his cigar, letting the smoke dissipate slowly in the air.

The air in the conference room was filled with a strong smell of cigar smoke and a sense of powerlessness.

"It's getting late," Wilson checked his watch. It was already two in the morning. "You should go back and think about it carefully. After all," he paused meaningfully, "you only have two days and twenty-two hours left."

Chesterfield glared at him fiercely. The American guy didn't give any substantive suggestions from beginning to end, but instead made sarcastic remarks.

"Let's go," Silva stood up tiredly, "I can't think of any good solution if I sit down any longer."

Romanov staggered to his feet, his face even paler than when he arrived. One million and a half square kilometers of territory, this number weighed on his mind like a mountain.

The three envoys dragged their heavy feet towards the door, their backs looking extremely desolate. They all knew that after this night, the world situation would probably undergo another huge change.

"Wait," Chesterfield suddenly stopped and turned to look at Wilson who was still leisurely smoking a cigar, "If...if China really takes back these territories, what are you going to do in the United States?"

Wilson smiled in an unfathomable way. "Don't worry about that. But I suggest you be more sincere when giving your answer. That 'Crazy Su' is not a good-tempered person."

"Humph," Silva snorted coldly, "You Americans just wait and see the show."

The three of them walked out of the embassy gate. It was already dark. In the distance, they could hear the sound of military drills. It was the Chinese army conducting night exercises. Those mysterious new weapons cast strange silhouettes in the moonlight.

"Gentlemen," Romanov said with a wry smile, "it looks like we will all be remembered in the history books."

"Yeah," Chesterfield sighed, "'A coward who surrenders without a fight,' that's probably what it would say."

"It's better than 'a diplomat executed by a crazy Su'," Silva tried to make a joke, but his smile was uglier than crying.

The three of them got into their cars and disappeared into the darkness of the night. They all knew that the next two days would be a difficult decision. But what was even clearer was that this was not a choice at all.

In front of the man known as "Crazy Su", in front of those terrifying weapons that were beyond their time, in front of this turbulent era, their struggles were nothing but futile.

At this moment in the Presidential Palace, the man who made envoys from all over the world tremble in fear was probably elegantly sipping the last cup of tea of ​​the night, waiting for the choice these poor guys had to make.