Great Power Reclamation

The day after the fifth anniversary celebration of the founding of East Africa, at six o'clock in the morning.

Yesterday's celebratory ribbons still hang in the streets around "Unity Square," but the underground command center of Kilimanjaro is already tense and silent.

Yang San stayed up all night, with three reports spread out in front of him:

A detailed search record from the Seventh Steel Company of eleven raided strongholds;

A summary of the overnight interrogation of the prisoners by the intelligence department;
The last document came from top-secret intelligence obtained by Ye Fei through special channels—information about the intense disagreements within the EU regarding its East Africa policy.

"General." The chief of staff pushed open the door and entered, his eyes dark and swollen.
"Of the twelve prisoners, three have spoken out. They admitted to being employed by a 'Fund for Sustainable Development in Africa' registered in Brussels, which is actually controlled by Hans Berg, the former deputy director of the EU's Directorate-General for Competition."

Yang San didn't look up, his finger tracing a line of text on the report:

"The foundation has transferred €1.2 million to East Africa over the past three years, of which €4300 million went to projects labeled as 'democracy education,' but was actually used to fund separatist groups in five former countries."

“Hans Berg,” he read the name, “where is he now?”

"Yesterday afternoon, four hours before the attack, he left Nairobi on a European Commission plane, transiting through Dubai on his way back to Brussels."

The chief of staff retrieved the flight records, stating, "We have requested the EU's cooperation in the investigation through diplomatic channels, but they have refused to provide further information on the grounds of 'diplomatic immunity'."

Yang San sneered. He stood up, walked to the holographic sand table, and pointed his finger at the European plate:

"Tell the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that since they talk about 'immunity,' then we will talk about the 'principle of reciprocity.' Starting today, all EU aid projects, corporate investments, and diplomatic activities in East Africa will be subject to security reviews. During the review period, all formalities will be suspended."

"General, this could trigger a diplomatic crisis..."

"Crisis?" Yang San turned around, his bloodshot eyes flashing with a cold light:

"Yesterday, when 300,000 people and the two queens stood in the square, seven man-portable air defense systems were aimed at them. That's what a crisis is. And now—that's what a response is."

The chief of staff silently recorded the orders.

“Also,” Yang San added, “send Hans Berg’s name, photo, and evidence of his connection to the attack to Ye Feng. Have him use the influence of the Brothers Group to ‘spread the word’ on Wall Street and in the City of London.”

He understands the logic of capital all too well—when a company's executives are exposed for funding terrorist activities, the stock price will crash within half an hour. And what happens when this logic is extended to the national level?

The encrypted terminal vibrated at that moment. It was a message from Ye Feng, concise and powerful:
"Three offshore companies under Berg's name have been locked down. Within an hour, their related shares in Frankfurt, London, and New York will begin to trade abnormally. The EU's Directorate-General for Competition is expected to receive at least twenty inquiries from multinational companies today."

Yang San replied with a single word: "Okay."
-
At the same time, in Brussels, at the EU headquarters building.

Hans Berger sat in his office, trying to remain calm. Outside the window, the overcast sky of Brussels mirrored his current state of mind.

Four hours earlier, he received an urgent diplomatic note from East Africa;
Two hours ago, "bad news" about him began circulating on Wall Street;
Now, his personal phone has received three text messages from ministers of different EU member states, all with strikingly similar content:
"Explain the situation in East Africa immediately."

There was a knock on the door. It wasn't the secretary who entered, but a senior official from the European External Action Service, along with two security personnel.

“Mr. Berg,” the official said coldly, “the committee has decided that you are suspended indefinitely, effective immediately, to cooperate with the internal investigation. Please hand over all your credentials and encryption devices.”

“This is a frame-up!” Berg stood up, his voice sharp with emotion. “My work in Africa is all for the benefit of the European Union, to promote our values…”

"Do your 'values' include funding assassinations of democratically elected heads of state?"

The official interrupted him, slamming a document on the table—a list of weapons seized by the Seventh Steel Company from the raided stronghold, with each weapon labeled with the flow of procurement funds, all ultimately pointing to the foundation controlled by Berg.

Berg's face turned pale instantly.

“The committee has made its decision,” the official continued:

"In order to maintain the long-term relationship between the EU and the African Union, and to demonstrate that the EU has no connection with terrorist activities, we will provide the East African Republic with a 'goodwill compensation' – including €5 million in grid upgrade assistance and support for the East African Republic to become the leading country in the 'African New Energy Alliance'."

He paused, looking at Berg's trembling hands:

"As for you, Mr. Berg, your personal fate will depend on whether the East African side is willing to accept this 'compensation' and whether it is willing to not take this matter to the UN Security Council."

The door closed. Berg slumped into his chair, looking out the window.

He knew he was finished—not by legal judgment, but by being sacrificed in a larger political deal.

This is the EU's rule of the game: when one person's mistake could harm the interests of the entire group, that person becomes a disposable pawn.

And the starting point of all this was that newly established country in Africa, and its iron-fisted Commander-in-Chief.
-
Royal Palace in Kilimanjaro.

Ye Rou and Ye Mei were listening to Premier Yang Da's report. Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating their slightly tired but still determined faces.

"...The EU has expressed its 'deepest apologies' and proposed a compensation plan."

After reading the document, Calond looked up and said, "Your Majesties, from a political perspective, this is the best outcome we can achieve. If we insist on internationalizing this matter, it may completely enrage the EU and affect our much-needed new energy investment and technology transfer."

Ye Mei looked at her sister. Ye Rou was silent for a moment, then asked, "What is General Yang San's opinion?"

"The general stated that militarily, the threat has been eliminated; politically, he respects the decisions of both His Majesties."

Yang Da cautiously added, "But he added, 'Compromise is acceptable, but the other side must pay a sufficient price, so they remember—East Africa's guns are not pointed inward, but outward, they show no mercy.'"

Ye Rou walked to the window. Outside, the city was waking up; students were heading to school, workers were going to factories, and vendors were setting up their stalls. This was the everyday life she and her sister had built over five years—ordinary, yet precious.

“I will accept compensation from the EU,” she finally said, “but with three additional conditions:
"First, the compensation amount has been increased from 5 million euros to 8 million euros, and it must be paid in a freely convertible currency; equipment deductions will not be accepted."

"Second, the EU must complete visa facilitation reforms for all East African students studying in Europe within three months. Third—"

She turned around, her eyes sharp: "The EU's Directorate-General for Competition must publicly commit that it will not launch any form of 'antitrust investigation' or 'unfair competition charges' against East Africa's new energy industry for the next three years."

Calond quickly jotted down notes: "These conditions are very demanding, and the EU might refuse..."

“Then let them refuse,” Ye Mei replied, her voice even colder than her sister’s.

"Then we will make public all the evidence we seized yesterday—every record of the flow of funds, every photo of EU officials with the attackers, the serial number of every weapon. Let the world see what some people have done under the guise of 'democracy' and 'human rights'."

After the Prime Minister left, the two sisters sat facing each other in silence for a moment.

“Sister,” Ye Mei said softly, “sometimes I wonder if we’ve become too… hard-lined. Five years ago, we talked about cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness. Five years ago, no one was targeting our citizens with missiles.”

Ye Rou held her younger sister's hand. "Ye Mei, Father taught us: kindness needs teeth, otherwise it is weakness. East Africa can be open, cooperative, and inclusive—but the premise is that the other side must respect our right to survival."

She looked out the window; the sunlight had already bathed the square. The bullet holes and bloodstains from yesterday had long been cleaned up, as if nothing had ever happened.

But something has changed—the country, and those who rule it, have come to understand a cruel truth: in the jungle, the docility of the antelope cannot buy the mercy of the lion.

The encrypted terminal beeped. It was a collective communication request from the "Root" group.

Ye Rou clicked to answer. Six scenes unfolded simultaneously—a New York morning, a Beijing noon, a Kyiv morning, a Moscow morning, and East Africa where they were. Ye Yuze's image was in the center, with a greenhouse on a Boston farm in the background.

"Everyone's here," came the father's voice, calm yet powerful.

“I know everything that happened yesterday. Now, I need each of you to tell me two things: first, the loss; second, the gain.”

After a brief silence, Ye Feng spoke first: "Losses: International financing for the Eastern European project may be delayed by three months, and some EU investors are beginning to hesitate."

"Benefits: Brothers Group took the opportunity to acquire the core technology patents of three European new energy companies at low prices. These technologies are exactly what the East African power grid upgrade needs."

Ye Mao: "Losses: China's annual trade negotiations with the EU may be affected, and other countries have expressed new concerns about the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa."

"Benefit: We successfully put the issue of 'opposing external interference in Africa' on the agenda of the BRICS summit and gained the support of many countries."

Marshal Ye Jianying: "The loss: Some pro-European members of parliament in Ukraine have begun to question whether cooperation with East Africa 'may damage Ukraine-EU relations'."

"Benefit: I used this incident to push through the 'Agricultural Technology Export Protection Law' in parliament. In the future, Uzbekistan's high-quality seeds and technologies will be prioritized for export to partner countries with 'low political risk'—such as East Africa."

Ye Fei: "Loss: My credibility with the Russian General Staff has been affected to some extent, and some people think that the Ye family's actions in East Africa are 'too aggressive'."

"Gains: I gained access to a higher-level intelligence interface, which allows me to provide early warnings of similar threats. In addition, General Vasily privately indicated that they are willing to conduct secret cooperation with East Africa on 'uranium mine-for-battery technology'."

It was Ye Rou and Ye Mei's turn.

Ye Rou took a deep breath: "Losses: one civilian died of a heart attack in yesterday's chaos, and three soldiers were wounded. More importantly, this country's naiveté—the naiveté that the world would reciprocate our kindness—is lost forever."

She paused, her voice becoming firm: "The takeaway: We have proven that East Africa is capable of defending itself. We have shown our people that their Queen will not back down in the face of threats."

We've shown the world that this young nation has teeth and knows how to use them. And—we've gained an opportunity to redefine our relationship with the outside world: no longer a beggar, but a negotiator.

In the holographic image, Ye Yuze nodded slowly. His gaze swept over each child, finally settling on Yang San's image—the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armed Forces had remained silent.

"Yang San, what about you? What were your losses and gains?"

Yang San raised his head. The lights from the command center shone on his face, making the bullet wound particularly clear in the shadows.

"Losses: None." His voice was like the clash of steel. "Seventh Company: zero casualties, three wounded, all with minor injuries, expected to return to the unit within a week. All attackers: thirty-seven killed, twelve captured, none escaped."

"And what did you gain?"

For the first time, a genuine, almost gentle smile appeared on Yang San's lips:

"The takeaway was that yesterday afternoon, I visited the wounded soldiers at the hospital. One of them, a 19-year-old lad from the former Luzon, had been shot in the chest, but a bulletproof plate saved his life. The first thing he said to me after he woke up was, 'General, I didn't let the Steel Seventh Company down, did I?'"

In the command center, all the staff officers stopped what they were doing and listened quietly.

“I told him, ‘You are a hero of East Africa.’ Then he laughed and said, ‘Then when I get discharged from the hospital, can I get my sister’s autograph? She idolizes the two queens and says they are the stars of Africa.’”

Yang San paused for a long time, so long that everyone thought he had finished speaking.

Then he continued, his voice a little hoarse: "So my takeaway is that the country's army finally has a unified soul, a soul for which they are willing to shed their blood. This soul is not called any old nation. It is called 'East Africa.' And my mission is to ensure that this soul lives on forever."

In the scene, Ye Yuze closed his eyes and nodded gently. When he opened them again, his eyes were a little red.

“Children,” he said, “yesterday, you were baptized in fire. Some people wanted to destroy you with fire, but you—you used that fire to forge steel.”

He stood up, and in the greenhouse behind him, plants from all over the world were stretching their branches and leaves in the morning light.

"Remember this day. Remember the innocence you lost, remember the steel you gained. And then, move on."

“Because building a country is like planting a tree—storms will come, pests will come, and some people will even try to cut it down. But as long as your roots are deep enough, as long as you grow a little taller every year, then one day, all the people on this land will be able to enjoy the shade of your tree.”

Communication ends.

Ye Rou and Ye Mei stood side by side by the window, watching the sunlight completely dominate the city.

“Sister,” Ye Mei said softly, “I suddenly remembered five years ago, when we decided to merge five countries, a European journalist asked us: ‘What makes you think that five countries that have been at war for half a century can become one peaceful country?’”

"How did you answer?"

“I said: ‘Because this time, we are not merging to compete for resources, but to create resources. We are not unifying to rule others, but to no longer be ruled by others.’”

Ye Rou smiled: "Now, we can add a sentence: 'Also because we've learned to protect this choice with an iron fist when necessary.'"

In the distance, bugle calls echoed from the direction of the fortress—the start of morning drills. The sound reverberated through Mount Kilimanjaro, clear and resonant, like the heartbeat of this young nation.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, in New York, Beijing, Kyiv, and Moscow, the other members of the Ye family continued to weave that network spanning three continents on their respective battlefields.

This net, once soft, is now embedded with steel wire.

It was once hidden, but now it is beginning to show itself.

It used to be just for survival, but now—it's starting to define new rules.

In the morning light, the flags of East African nations flutter atop every building in Kilimanjaro. Against a deep blue background, golden peaks and soaring eagles seem to proclaim an ancient yet ever-new truth:

On this land that was once torn apart, the strongest unity comes not from forgetting differences, but from jointly safeguarding a tomorrow worth fighting for.

And tomorrow has already begun. (End of Chapter)