Three days later...
Olipexi was brought across the Two Realms Spring and became a captive of the Northern Territory.
Both sides formally ceased hostilities.
It was rumored that besides Zhang Wei and others, many people with extraordinary talent had obtained Ink Tokens, including several commanders from the Cloud Kingdom.
Carriages and horses stretched to the horizon...
These were the spoils of war for the Northern Territory allied forces, looted from dozens of cities.
After deducting war loans, logistics expenses, and casualty compensation, the remaining spoils of war would be divided into two parts.
One part would be used as startup capital for the government to implement its policies.
The other part would be distributed in the form of rewards, commissions, and the like to the contributing factions, including the Northern Territory heroes and the Black List.
In a large room.
The Northern Territory heroes, led by Zhang Wei, presented their terms to the Cloud Kingdom's diplomat.
"Firstly, the Cloud Kingdom's military system must be completely disbanded, and no large group armed forces shall be retained."
"To ensure the security and stability of the Cloud Kingdom, the existence of an armed police force is permitted, which is the greatest concession from the Northern Territory."
The Cloud Kingdom's ingredients were of high quality with unlimited potential.
The first thing Zhang Wei wanted to do was disarm them.
The Cloud Kingdom diplomat's face turned pale. He understood that if the army was not disbanded, the Northern Territory people might flip the table immediately and eliminate the Cloud Kingdom's remaining forces on the spot.
And the armed police force...
"Secondly, the Cloud Kingdom will accept military garrisons from the Northern Territory."
"The Northern Territory garrisons will not affect the local political situation, nor will they have contact with the common people of the Cloud Kingdom. Any violations of discipline will be dealt with by military law."
"However..."
"The Cloud Kingdom will need to pay the expenses for maintaining the army."
"After all, the purpose of this army's existence is for the prosperity and stability of the Cloud Kingdom."
It was shameless.
It was hypocritical.
But what kind of morality existed between nations?
Zhang Wei felt no guilt in proposing these terms.
If the Northern Territory had failed, the outcome would have been far more tragic.
"Thirdly..."
Zhang Wei paused and said, "Establish consulates, civilian trading markets, and designate the Two Realms Spring as a special administrative region, managed by a governor dispatched by the Northern Territory government."
"From now on, the Cloud Kingdom can trade its specialty fruits and vegetables with Northern Territory merchants for various daily necessities."
"Including meat... fabric... lumber... iron... handicrafts..."
"This will ensure the living standards of the Cloud Kingdom's residents and prevent them from being as destitute as before."
Capital transaction.
The Cloud Kingdom's specialties were top-selling goods, priceless.
What were a few looted items compared to that?
The right to trade was the cash cow. With free civilian trade, the tax revenue from the Two Realms Spring alone would make the Northern Territory government count money until their hands cramped.
And the price of the trade was merely some unsellable inventory from the Northern Territory...
By controlling this market, at least two million jobs could be provided for the Northern Territory.
"Anything else..."
The Cloud Kingdom delegation looked numb.
At this point, they could only be at the mercy of others.
"Fourth, release all prisoners from Mo City, and those who caused their deaths must provide adequate compensation."
"Fifth, declare the several commanders responsible for the surprise attack on Mo City as war criminals. The deceased are irrelevant; the living will be handled by the Northern Territory."
After all, this was the reason for the war, and it had to be mentioned.
"The final point, Olipexi will still be the Emperor of the Cloud Kingdom, but his power will be delegated."
"The future Cloud Kingdom will implement a constitutional monarchy, with multi-party rule based on votes... all power will belong to the people, and no organization or individual shall violate the will of the people."
Another grand and shameless stratagem.
Waving the banners of democracy and freedom to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Supporting multiple parties and factions would keep the Cloud Kingdom perpetually bogged down in internal strife, preventing it from focusing its attention on the Northern Territory behind the scenes.
Unless... a party could unify all forces with overwhelming power.
Becoming the sole voice of the Cloud Kingdom.
However, the Northern Territory would never allow such a thing to happen.
The meeting ended.
The Cloud Kingdom delegation recorded Zhang Wei's words verbatim and took them back for execution.
At this moment, they were like the claws of the Northern Territory, oppressing their own compatriots.
But they were also sacrificing for the Cloud Kingdom. If they did not execute Zhang Wei's demands, the Cloud Kingdom would pay an even greater price.
The delegation...
They were doing their part to protect the Cloud Kingdom while also bearing eternal infamy.
There was nothing more absurd than this situation.
...
Afterward, there was an internal meeting of the Northern Territory.
Those attending were the Northern Territory heroes and high-ranking Black List members.
"A spoils distribution meeting... Heh heh..."
As he walked into the conference room, Tian Zui yawned, looking bored.
Zhang Wei said, "What, didn't get enough rest?"
"Eh, don't mention it. I hate these things the most. So annoying."
"What about your side?"
Tian Zui pulled out a piece of paper from his waist. "Here... these are the requests from those old men. They asked me to do my best to secure them."
Zhang Wei didn't even look at it.
He directly put the paper into his embrace.
"Alright, I promise."
"Huh? So straightforward?"
Zhang Wei said, "I'm leaving the Northern Territory soon. Everything here doesn't have much to do with me."
Tian Zui grinned, "I knew you were a straightforward guy!"
With that, he snatched the paper back.
Tore it into confetti.
"Those old men are obsessed with power and wealth. Listening to them makes me sick. You can handle this however you see fit, I fully support you!"
...
12 hours later.
Mo Du issued a public notice in the name of the Speaker.
It detailed the future division of interests.
The Two Realms Spring must be under the jurisdiction of the Northern Territory government, allowing private forces like the Black List to form business associations to jointly develop the Cloud Kingdom.
Black Flag Business Association - belonging to high-ranking Black List members.
Iceberg Beauty Business Association - belonging to Zhang Wei and Mo Du's forces.
Azure Rose Business Association - jointly operated by the Northern Territory heroes.
These three business associations would completely divide the profits from the Cloud Kingdom's fruits and vegetables.
And the so-called Iceberg Beauty Business Association was composed of two parts.
First, the original team of the Wine and Beauties Joint Post Station, and the team developed by Mo Du after becoming Speaker.
Second, was the Great Glacier - the Century Collection Association, which Zhang Wei intended to subdue.
Both of these teams were extremely weak. Even when integrated, they were the weakest among the three business associations, with less than a tenth of the manpower of the others...
But this business association had to be established. With the support of this business association, the Food Bank could be successfully established.
"Sigh, it seems our foundation is still severely insufficient."
"The development has been too rapid."
"But with sufficient profit support, I don't think there will be too many problems."
Mo Du stood beside Zhang Wei. "Brother, what do we do next?"
"The Northern Territory United Government is in your hands now. From now on, I can only help you in terms of military force. The rest will depend on yourself."
"Don't worry!"
Mo Du's gaze was firm.
"Should we continue to collect ingredients..."
"Of course, that's the most important thing."