Gu Bai Shun's appointment as deputy mayor quickly spread through the streets and alleys of The Dragon City Rises. The people had mixed opinions, some indifferent, some angry, and others uneasy.

While The Dragon City Rises was undergoing a series of administrative adjustments to maintain stability, the first military meeting between Wang Dingyuan and Santos on the Old Mo government army side also concluded successfully.

The meeting did not immediately produce results satisfactory to both sides. Wang Dingyuan had to return to the Western Expeditionary Army to make adjustments and prepare for what was to come.

After the meeting, Zhao Weihu privately sought out the young commander, Santos, and communicated with him for a long time.

Ultimately, Santos decided that before the war came, he would try to meet with Mode Amon, the warlord representative of the local government, for a candid discussion.

If stability could be achieved within Old Mo, Santos was willing to pay a certain price, although the chances of that happening were slim.

The message was sent, and Mode Amon quickly replied, agreeing to meet.

However, since both were heads of state, negotiations could not take place on either's territory. Therefore, they agreed to meet at a neutral public location.

At that time, the two would have a brief meeting under the surveillance of their respective troops.

Santos only brought Zhao Weihu, Fei Pingsheng, and three core generals, in addition to himself. Meanwhile, Mode Amon sent five representatives to the talks.

...

Soon, the appointed day arrived. Under the protection of guards, Santos and his party boarded a helicopter and headed to the negotiation site.

Sitting in the helicopter, Santos looked into the distance, his mind recalling information about Mode Amon.

This most powerful warlord within the Old Mo government army was about the same age as his father, around sixty or seventy years old.

Since the resurgence of resources in the Old Mo region, it had been in a state of war, with the flames never ceasing. During this time, Mode Amon began to rise, leading a team to fight his way out, slowly gaining his own armed forces.

Moreover, Mode Amon was one of the first to respond to the Old Commander, following him in the Southern and Northern Wars, making great military achievements, and considered a veteran general who had gone through life and death.

The reason he brought his troops to join was to have a territory of his own. And the area controlled by Mode Amon had always been under his management.

In fact, not only Mode Amon, but the entire Old Mo region was almost like this. Under the large government, there were countless small political entities, warlords in power, each governing their own territory.

This chaotic situation was beyond even the Old Chief's ability to resolve. Because that was their internal situation, and he needed to rely on the power of these warlord families, so he could not order their elimination.

In addition, the Old Mo government army still had an external enemy like the rebel army, which made the Old Chief cautious, fearing to destroy the foundation and give the rebels an opportunity.

With the Old Chief's strategy, he was unable to solve this problem in the end. Until his death, he had no choice but to leave the problem to his son.

Thinking of this, Santos could not help but sigh in his heart. He knew very well that this Mode Amon was very likely to rebel after his father's death.

After all, it had long been rumored in the Old Mo region that Mode Amon had been in contact with Area One in secret many times. However, once the war started, blood would inevitably flow like a river, and what he could do now was to try to change all this peacefully.

...

At around six o'clock in the afternoon, both sides arrived at the agreed-upon Arumas River bank.

A military tent was set up on the river bank, and the guards from both sides went in first for inspection.

Inside the tent, there was only a table and a few chairs.

After confirming that it was safe, the representatives from both sides stepped in. After all, they were old acquaintances, so they shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Mode Amon was an old man with gray hair, a thin figure, no smile on his face, and quite dignified.

Santos, on the other hand, was more active. After meeting, he greeted him very politely, "Respected General Mode Amon, my dear uncle, I am very happy to meet you. It has been a long time since we last met, and I miss you very much."

Mode Amon looked at the young commander who resembled the Old Chief by seventy or eighty percent, said nothing, and just nodded slowly.

After exchanging greetings, everyone pulled out their chairs and sat down.

Mode Amon sat there, with his legs crossed, smoking a cigar, and said in a somewhat rough voice, very calmly: "Santos, my child, you know that my health has not been very good in recent years. I regret that I did not attend your inauguration ceremony as the chief, nor was I able to personally crown the new king. But, I am very happy that I can feel the people's support for you, and the support of various regions for your accession."

Santos nodded and said, "Yes, dear uncle, I know you are not well, so I brought you a gift this time."

As he spoke, a nearby officer took out some prepared tonics and placed them on the table.

Santos said with a smile, "I sincerely hope that you can recover your health as soon as possible. I believe this is also my father's wish."

During this process, Zhao Weihu and Fei Pingsheng sat next to him, without saying a word, silently watching the two regional leaders talk.

Mode Amon did not pay attention to the gift, but looked at Santos, took two puffs of his cigar, and said with a deep look in his eyes: "Speaking of your father, his death, and your succession, remind me of many things. Back then, your father, in order to unify the Old Mo region, led us old fellows to conquer such a large territory. I clearly remember when he accepted our support and became the chief… We all knelt on the ground and gave him the salute of a king. Believe me, child, those were really wonderful days."

Saying that, Mode Amon slowly put down his cigar, looked at Santos, and said meaningfully: "That's why, in these days when I followed him in the Southern and Northern Wars, I have always been bending over. So many years have passed, and I often dream of the scene when he took the stage. I was kneeling under the stage, looking at your father, he was so majestic, so dazzling."

Fei Pingsheng and Zhao Weihu heard the hidden meaning in these words, and could not help but look at each other, frowning.

At the same time, Santos, who originally had a smile on his face, was stunned after hearing these words, and then his eyes changed slightly as he stared at Mode Amon.