"Your Majesty, I have failed. The peace talks have fallen through," Shan Luan said gravely.
A roar came from the other end of the phone. Shan Luan quietly endured the scolding before being dismissed with orders to find a way to make the peace talks succeed.
Shan Luan gave a self-deprecating smile. He knew his own son well; he was sure he had already thoroughly offended the other party. What could he possibly do?
Shan Luan sighed heavily but had no choice but to follow the Emperor's orders and search for other solutions.
Yes, they could no longer afford to drag this out. The existing domestic economy could not sustain a prolonged conflict, or they would fall far behind other nations.
There were many factions within the country. If one avenue failed, Shan Luan would try another.
However, he was met with closed doors everywhere.
Upon receiving the message from his subordinate, Zuo Bin let out a cold laugh, his face filled with disdain. "Nowadays, almost all influential powers are in the hands of my fellow disciples. Unless our master relents, he wants peace talks? Dream on."
Shan Luan's repeated setbacks initially felt like bad luck, but slowly, he began to sense something amiss.
Had they, perhaps, all conspired together?
While Shan Luan was attempting peace talks, Zuo Bin was not idle. His offensive grew fiercer, pushing the enemy back step by step.
Eventually, they were forced to the border, and one more step would mean exiting the country's boundaries.
Dongying (Eastern Ying) had always valued face above all else. To be driven out like this would bring them international infamy, a tarnished reputation, a disgrace.
Shan Luan could maintain his composure at first, but as the situation worsened, he grew anxious. In the end, he abandoned all pretense of pride and personally sought out Zuo Bin to sue for peace.
Zuo Bin leaned back lazily in his chair, casting a languid glance at Shan Luan. He spoke slowly, "What a rare visitor! Mr. Shan, what brings you to such a humble place like mine?"
Shan Luan's face darkened, a flicker of hatred in his eyes, but he forced a fawning smile. "Mr. Zuo, you are too kind. Your place is one that countless people wish to visit! I was fortunate to finally get the opportunity to come here."
Zuo Bin raised an eyebrow, speaking sarcastically, "Mr. Shan, you speak much more eloquently than your son. If you had spoken like this earlier, perhaps this war would have ended long ago. It's a pity, though..."
Zuo Bin sighed softly, causing Shan Luan's expression to contort further. That unfilial wretch. If he had any other son, he would have long since disowned him for the greater good.
"Yes, that child is indeed ignorant of proper conduct. That is why I have come in person to apologize," Shan Luan said with a smile. "How about this! As long as Mr. Zuo can persuade them to compromise and agree to the peace talks, our Dongying nation will be your most loyal ally."
Zuo Bin chuckled, but his smile did not reach his eyes. "On what grounds?"
"What?" Shan Luan looked genuinely surprised. He felt he had already made concessions, and he hadn't expected such a reaction from Zuo Bin.
Zuo Bin continued, looking coldly at Shan Luan, "I said, on what grounds?" On what basis did he think they would compromise when they held all the advantages?
Shan Luan's face also turned cold. As a warrior, his dignity would not allow him to retreat further.
"Have you thought it through? If this continues, even if we lose, your losses will not be small. Your economy will lag for at least several decades," Shan Luan threatened coldly.
Zuo Bin appeared indifferent. "I admit, what you say is true. But what of it? An economy can be rebuilt. However, through this war, we can ensure that no one will covet our territory again. That is enough."
Shan Luan saw the determination in Zuo Bin's eyes and his expression softened. He took another step back. "How about this! I, on behalf of His Majesty, have decided that we will not seek any strategic compensation from you."
Zuo Bin's face broke into a mocking smile. "Mr. Shan, please leave!"
An ordinary person could not endure such humiliation, let alone Shan Luan, who had always stood at the pinnacle of power. He left in a huff, and a new round of war erupted.
But even with the Dongying soldiers resisting with all their might, they were still destined to be driven out of this land.
However, they did not stop there. Instead, they did as the enemy had done and advanced to the enemy's doorstep.
Xing Yuan's research had been very fruitful during this period. Although there was still a gap between it and the world's most advanced technology, it was sufficient to deal with Dongying.
Everyone said that present-day Huaxia was a barbarian land. Then, they would simply be barbarians. What did barbarians know of rules? They only knew that they had been bullied and needed to retaliate.
Thus, several missiles whistled down into Dongying territory. Weapons know no borders; they treated all life equally as nothing. Several cities were reduced to ruins under the barrage of missiles.
By the time Dongying recovered, they immediately condemned Huaxia on the international stage with great fanfare.
Huaxia: "Mmm-hmm, you are right." "What? We can't launch missiles? My apologies! We are a barbarian nation and didn't know!"
Huaxia's shameless declaration infuriated Dongying, yet they could not refute Huaxia's statement. After all, over the years, their channels of communication with the outside world had been almost entirely sealed off. If they claimed ignorance, Dongying truly had no grounds to argue.
But they were unwilling to swallow this bitter pill. They wished to return these missiles, but Huaxia had anticipated their move. They made a great show of learning the rules on the international stage and then published a short article of apology.
The article claimed to express regret, but it was filled with perfunctory excuses. It focused solely on one point: they did not know that launching weapons of such destructive power at an enemy was wrong and would be ostracized by the international community. They knew now and would be careful in the future.
This short article was spread far and wide through special means, reaching even some colonial territories, where whispers of the news were heard.
Dongying: "..." Could they still claim ignorance now? Taking action was easy, but dealing with the aftermath was difficult.
With no other recourse, they swallowed this bitter pill and turned to economic pressure against Huaxia.
But who would have thought that Huaxia would suddenly develop a high-tech chip applicable to various technological products? It was small in size and required little energy.
No matter how powerful Dongying was, it was still a small nation, incomparable to the truly powerful countries. The value of this chip even attracted the attention of several of these major powers.
These countries tentatively approached Huaxia, and upon confirming the chip's performance was genuine, they were immediately enticed.
Considering various factors, Huaxia ultimately chose to cooperate with the United States. That was Dongying's benefactor, the nation it had relied on for its rise. How could it dare to oppose its benefactor?