I built an armada.

"We absolutely cannot accept such unreasonable terms!"

Harper said, word by word.

Zhang Zhaoxin sneered.

"It seems that some people have been domineering for too long and have lost sight of the world!"

Zhang Zhaoxin's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Isn't the existence of your country's military bases the most direct and brutal threat to our country's security?"

“General Anderson,” Zhang Zhaoxin tilted his head slightly, “you are the commander, you know better than me how long it takes for an F-35 to fly from the base to the East China Sea oil and gas fields?”

How easy is it for an aircraft carrier based at a military base to block sea lanes?

"If we sailed our warships to your doorstep, wouldn't you be clamoring to fight us to the death? In that situation, are we not allowed to consider these bases a threat?"

"But this is a bilateral arrangement between us and Donghuang!"

Harper emphasized.

“It used to be so,” Zhang Zhaoxin corrected calmly. “But now, the new government of the Eastern Wilderness may have realized that over-reliance on the military presence of a single country can lead to an imbalance in foreign policy and ultimately cause disaster.”

"Perhaps they now hope to rebalance, but balance requires making choices."

“This is extortion,” Harper said coldly.

“Extortion?” Zhang Zhaoxin’s voice was equally cold. “If your country can deploy military bases on our doorstep and threaten our core interests, then why can’t we demand that these bases be withdrawn?”

The negotiations have reached a complete deadlock.

Harper glanced at his watch; it was 10:47 p.m. They had been talking for over six hours.

“We need to adjourn,” Harper sighed. “These issues are beyond my authority.”

“Okay.” Zhang Zhaoxin nodded.

"But please note, Director Harper, that the new government in the Eastern Wilderness is awaiting the outcome of the negotiations."

"Perhaps every day of delay will lead to unacceptable consequences."

Harper nodded expressionlessly and stood up.

He did not shake hands, but instead led his team directly out of the negotiation room.

After the door closed, Chen Tao said in a low voice, "They are very likely not to accept the base's restrictions."

"It's hard to say." Zhang Zhaoxin stood up, while Kato Taro, the representative of the Eastern Wilderness, lagged behind by half a step, following closely.

Zhang Zhaoxin ignored Kato Taro and turned his head to talk to Chen Tao beside him.

"But they don't dare to really overturn the table. After the coup in Donghuang, their alliance system in the Asia-Pacific region has been cracked, and everyone around them is watching. If they break with the new government of Donghuang at this time, the price will be to completely hand over the first island chain to others."

“They absolutely cannot tolerate this.”

"What about the compensation?" Zhao Liming asked. "Would they really just sit idly by and watch their interests be harmed?"

"of course not."

"How could a jackal spit out meat that's already in its mouth?"

"Therefore, they will most likely launch a new round of exploitation of the Eastern Wilderness in order to seek more benefits."

Zhang Zhaoxin turned around and looked at Higashihara Taro.

"So if the Eagle Tribe wants to protect its interests, you're probably going to have a tough time."

"Then what do we do now..." Kato Taro looked like he was humbly seeking advice.

"Wait," Zhang Zhaoxin uttered softly.

"Wait for their internal squabbles, wait for Harper to consult Congress, wait for the Octagon and the White House to wrestle, wait for the reaction on Capitol Hill, and we need to prepare our next move."

Taro Kato listened attentively.

He knew that a devastated Eastern Wilderness, plagued by economic collapse and social unrest, was definitely not something Longxia wanted to see.

The chaotic Eastern Wilderness was of no use to Long Xia; on the contrary, it was a hot potato right at his doorstep.

Only when the society of Donghuang is stable and the economic situation is relatively good can it become a dumping ground for Longxia's goods and bring Longxia enough benefits.

The Eagle Tribe, on the contrary, never cared about the life or death of the Eastern Wilderness.

Given how things have developed, a chaotic and turbulent Eastern Wilderness might actually be more in line with their interests.

At least this Eastern Wilderness can attract Long Xia's attention, forcing Long Xia to focus his attention on the Eastern Wilderness, lest the Eastern Wilderness turn right when it has nowhere else to go, bringing even more trouble to itself.

"Yes, so during this period, is there anything we need to cooperate on?"

Zhang Zhaoxin shook his head slightly.

"No need. You just need to remain still and stabilize the domestic situation. You and I both know that a stable Eastern Wilderness is in the best interests of both of us."

Kato Taro looked like he had learned something, bowing slightly and nodding repeatedly.

As the event drew to a close, Taro Kato finally sighed tentatively and asked:
"Um, may I ask, Mr. Zhang, what kind of chips were you referring to earlier?"

Taro Kato desperately needs a reassurance right now.

He couldn't put his mind at ease, not knowing what Long Xia had up his sleeve.

Zhang Zhaoxin did not answer directly, but turned around and asked, "Did Chief Engineer Su successfully complete the system-wide integration test?"

"The news came in the early hours of the morning that everything went smoothly," Zhao Liming said.

"Then," Zhang Zhaoxin nodded, "the media reports about the major progress made in the construction of my country's new generation of maritime equipment should be released soon, right?"

"It's already been released, it was released two hours ago."

Zhao Liming handed over a document, which Zhang Zhaoxin glanced at and then burst out laughing.

"As usual, they didn't mention specific models, only that they've reached world-leading levels in certain areas."

"Let the Eagle Tribe's intelligence department guess, assess, and calculate."

Taro Kato glanced at it secretly, and his mood immediately lightened a bit.

What the group didn't expect was that the media had captured the exact moment when Taro Kato stood at the door, behaving with utmost respect towards Zhang Zhaoxin.

Especially at night, the overhead light shining down on Zhang Zhaoxin's face made him appear somewhat superior.

Kato Taro, standing to the side, only had half his body visible in the light, making him appear incredibly humble.

Although it was night, the lights at the entrance were not dim at all. With this composition and a little color adjustment, a perfect photo was born.

In particular, Zhang Zhaoxin's smiling face with his hands behind his back, enhanced by the use of color palettes, exudes an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The photo first appeared on Donghuang News the following day, and was subsequently cited by major media outlets. The video footage from the scene was shared and forwarded countless times. The Eagle Tribe media's headline was blunt and scathing: "New Order: Donghuang Leader Bows Down."

European media were relatively understated: "Yokohama Moment: A Visualization of the Power Grid in East Asia."

However, a report from a certain European troublemaker was somewhat meaningful: "A picture is worth a thousand words of treaty."

The changes in the world order over the past few decades can be glimpsed from this one photo.

But on social media, the real storm was just beginning.

Just half an hour after the photo was posted, the hashtag #KatoBows rose to the top of the global trending list.

On social media platforms around the world, all sorts of political commentators, international relations scholars, former diplomats, and even completely unrelated self-media bloggers are trying to jump on the bandwagon.

Almost everyone is interpreting this photo.

Most people were laughing, saying that this was the inevitable posture that defeated countries had to face.

However, some colonists, even in the current situation, still manage to find a way to praise the Eastern Wilderness, saying that it reflects the pragmatic spirit of mature politicians, which is truly laughable.

A video by a self-media blogger known for his sharp tongue and incisive remarks quickly went viral across the internet.

"...Brothers, do you know what the problem is? It's not that Kato bowed his head, but that Zhang Zhaoxin didn't even turn to look at him. Absolute power doesn't even need to look at its followers!"

"Without a doubt, after the defeat in the Eastern Wilderness, Long Xia's strength is beyond question!"

“In Longxia, there is a saying called ‘sitting in a well and looking at the sky,’ which refers to a frog sitting at the bottom of a well and looking at the sky. It is used to describe people with narrow vision.”

"Now, I want to say that those frogs in a well have a different view of the world. It's time to take a fresh look at the world and get to know Longxia again. It is definitely not an ignorant and backward country!"

"Because an ignorant and backward country can never produce diplomats with such temperament!"

After Zhang Zhaoxin's photos went viral online, a group of fans of Zhang Zhaoxin actually appeared on foreign websites!
To be fair, although Zhang Zhaoxin is indeed not young, he is, after all, a soldier from the military, and his physique and temperament are absolutely top-notch.

Having honed his skills in this department for a long time, he naturally exuded an aura of authority without needing to be angry.

Furthermore, the atmosphere created on set, thanks to the photographer's superb skills, truly captured Zhang Zhaoxin's imposing presence as an imperial dragon.

It's no wonder that so many people are captivated by his charisma and become his true fans.

Meanwhile, the online space within Longxia presented a different kind of revelry.

The photos went viral across various social media platforms.

"I'm familiar with this pose; I do it when I listen to my boss speak (funny)."

"A century of humiliation, wiped away in a single day!"

"Representative Zhang's aura is so powerful, even I feel weak in the knees just looking at the screen!"

"The oppressive aura of the Imperial Dragon!"

"This is the Dragon of the Empire. Do you dare to look him in the eye for three seconds?"

What's even more outrageous is that some businesses are really good at capitalizing on trending topics.

Less than 24 hours after the photo was released, T-shirts with his profile printed on them were already being sold online!

Even more surprisingly, on a certain shopping platform, the number of products with the tag "Zhang Zhaoxin's suit" increased by countless overnight, and related searches surged by 4,000%.

What's most baffling is that even the online literature industry is trying to get a piece of the pie.

A cold-hearted man falls in love with me; a reborn diplomat gets the Eastern Wilderness to spend 50 billion on me with just three sentences…

Overnight, more than a dozen online novels based on Zhang Zhaoxin appeared.

Although most of them were of extremely poor quality, some people actually managed to make a considerable amount of money by taking advantage of the hype.

But amidst this clamor, the real eye of the storm is quietly forming in Washington, London, Canberra, and New Delhi.

Eagle Tribe, Washington.

National Security Advisor Jacqueline Williamson, 54, a former deputy director of the CIA, shared her views in a lengthy post on social media.

"...This is not some so-called diplomatic etiquette at all; it is a symbol of Longxia's display of its hegemony to the outside world! For the elected leader of a sovereign country, even if he came to power through a coup, to show such a posture in front of a representative of a major power sends a completely subversive message."

"We even have reason to believe that this was done deliberately by Long Xia, as a demonstration to the world!"

"...The order we have built in the Asia-Pacific region over the past few decades is built on two cornerstones: military presence, and more importantly, shared dignity."

Our allies don't need to kneel before anyone; they only need to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. But now, I regret to inform you that Long Xia is using this photo to tell all onlookers: a new order has arrived, and within this new order, there are hierarchies!

Such a powerful article, especially coming from a former high-ranking intelligence official, naturally attracted a lot of attention.

The chief of the Eagle Tribe also liked the article, which is tantamount to the Eagle Tribe officially expressing its opinion on the photo.

Soon after, numerous self-media political bloggers expressed their opinions on the article, refuting this person's so-called "Dragon Xia threat theory" with facts!
It must be admitted that the Eagle Tribe remains as shameless as ever, even uttering such a brazen statement as "sharing dignity."

Being an enemy of the Eagle Tribe is dangerous, but being an ally of the Eagle Tribe is even more deadly!

Any blogger with a modicum of sense and a reasonably balanced perspective would do their utmost to ridicule this article.

However, this article is also regarded as gospel by some people whose stances are completely skewed.

The two sides were hurling insults at each other, creating quite a scene.

Meanwhile, at the White House.

"Our negotiations at the base in the Eastern Wilderness have reached a stalemate. Longxia's appetite is even bigger than we imagined!"

"Can Harper hold on? The longer it goes on, the better."

Secretary of State Robert Olson began by asking the question.

“It’s possible in the short term,” David replied, “but it probably won’t be long. Longxia should be moving on to the next step soon.”

"We believe that what Longxia needs is a submissive Eastern Wilderness, not a prosperous one."

"Therefore, we believe that in order to maintain their authority, they will act as quickly as possible to completely expel us from the first island chain!"

The conference room fell into a brief silence.

“Therefore,” the chieftain said slowly.

"Is Longxia using the Eastern Wilderness to establish its authority? Is this photo a propaganda ploy they deliberately released?"

"Based on our analysis, it was not entirely intentional, Mr. President."

Claire pulled up a set of images, which were satellite infrared scans of the area around the hotel.

"The photographer was probably from Donghuang News. Longxia probably anticipated that there would be media, but they probably didn't expect this angle, or even that this photo would become a global sensation."

"But the important thing is..."

She paused. (End of Chapter)