I built an armada.

"Regarding the issue of reducing military bases, what is your opinion?"

Harper took a deep breath; to be honest, he had no idea how to handle the situation that was about to unfold.

The old men on Capitol Hill have been arguing back and forth, and there's still no result.

In theory, many members of Congress on Capitol Hill are in favor of reducing military bases.

The reason is simple: with so much military spending every year, there isn't much tangible benefit, so it's better to cut it.

The funds saved in this way can be diverted to places where they are "more needed".

The fact that the expenses of military bases outside are mostly borne by local tribes is selectively ignored.

Because the congressmen are just looking for an excuse to cut military spending; they don't care about the facts at all.

The military representatives naturally disagreed with cutting military spending, and the two sides went back and forth for a long time without reaching a final conclusion.

Ultimately, it was up to Harper to make the difference.

After all, the Eagle Tribe's military base is fundamental to geopolitics.

The two sides initially engaged in a round of probing exchanges, but the results were not satisfactory.

At this crucial moment, Taro Kato, who had been keeping a low profile, finally spoke up.

"First of all, regarding the issue of reducing military bases, I think you two should consider our opinion from Donghuang."

Taro Kato said slowly.

"We can accept Longxia's conditions, but for the sake of territorial security, we believe that we should retain some military bases to deal with potential threats!"

Zhang Zhaoxin glanced at Kato Taro, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I don't think there's a possibility of territorial security issues in the Eastern Wilderness."

Taro Kato looked serious.

"If we really abandon all our fleets and only retain the simplest self-defense force, then who will take care of our maritime security?"

Zhang Zhaoxin said slowly and deliberately.

"If you are willing to pay, I think we can guarantee the safety of the sea routes in Donghuang."

Harper's expression changed, and he was about to speak when he was interrupted by Taro Kato.

"Representative Zhang is joking. You don't really think we would entrust maritime security to a tribe that just defeated us, do you? There is absolutely no room for negotiation on that!"

"If this is your attitude, then I regret that I cannot agree to such negotiation terms."

Taro Kato said with absolute certainty.

A hint of joy flashed in Harper's eyes. He hadn't expected that Donghuang would give him such a perfect assist at this crucial moment.

The Eagle Tribe's advisors had considered the possibility of bringing Eastern Wilderness together to fight against Dragon Xia.

However, after analysis by intelligence personnel, they unanimously concluded that the Eastern Wilderness people had already had their backbone broken, and without sufficient military strength, they were utterly ineffective.

They believed that the people of the Eastern Wilderness would not dare to refuse any of Longxia's conditions during negotiations.

In addition, the domestic disputes were already giving Harper a headache, so he naturally wouldn't waste any more time considering negotiating with the Eastern Wilderness.

Zhang Zhaoxin's attitude remained as firm as ever, showing no intention of backing down.

However, Taro Kato displayed a surprisingly tough stance at this moment, stating that if Ryūsha did not agree to retain the military base, they would refuse to pay any compensation.

Taro Kato even declared, "We will never be afraid to start another war!"
Of course, this war will require the Eagle Tribe to take action themselves.

As he said this, Taro Kato glanced at Harper.

Harper's lips twitched.

If he could, he would love to deny it three times in a row.

Nobody wants to fight Long Xia again!
But now that he's been put on hold by the Eastern Wilderness, he has no choice but to agree.

"Well, cough cough, talking about war is a bit too radical, but if necessary, the Eagle Tribe will also step in to protect our allies..."

Harper's attitude toward this is rather ambiguous; it's not that fighting is out of the question, but if possible, it's better to avoid it.

He knew, of course, that a weak attitude at this moment would only make the Eagle Tribe appear to be afraid of Longxia.

The problem is, nobody wants to start a full-scale war with Longxia at this time.

Everyone in the Eagle Tribe, including Harper, had no doubt about Longxia's stance.

In fact, the Eagle Tribe had already fought a battle with the Dragon Xia, but it was not a full-scale war, but rather a localized skirmish.

To put it another way, the Eagle Tribe wants to wage a proxy war.

No matter how much the Eagle Tribe provoked him, Long Xia always maintained an attitude of being willing to fight, and if it came to fighting, it would be a full-scale war.

The Eagle Tribe only wanted to have a friendly spar with their neighbor, but who would have thought that the neighbor would lay out all their weapons in front of them, as if it were a fight to the death? Who would dare to fight them?
In fact, adopting this attitude was a helpless move by Long Xia.

Anyone who has been bullied knows that when you fight back, you don't need to defeat everyone. Just catch one person and beat them to a pulp, and soon the others won't dare to lay a hand on you anymore.

This is a helpless act by the weak when faced with an attack from the strong.

Unfortunately, Long Xia was this weakling before.

If you dare to fight me, I will fight you to the death, and even if I can't win, I will still take a piece of your flesh!

Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Let's fight! Who's afraid of who!

Long Xia was willing to fight to the death, but the elders of the Eagle Tribe were not, so the two sides only had minor skirmishes and did not actually fight.

Previously, the world was divided between the Eagle Tribe and the White Bear Tribe, and Longxia was not even within the Eagle Tribe's sights.

Even after the relationship between Longxia and the White Bear tribe soured, the Eagle tribe took the initiative to ease tensions with Longxia.

The purpose was to win over the Longxia tribe in Asia to fight against the Baixiong tribe.

But now that the White Bear tribe has fallen, Longxia has become a thorn in the side of the Eagle tribe.

But who could have imagined that the Longxia tribe would rise to power so quickly?

Now that things have come to this point, if a real war breaks out, it's no longer a question of how many losses the Eagle Tribe will suffer.

However, within the territory of the Longxia tribe, the Eagle tribe would most likely be no match for Longxia.

Long Xia no longer needs to put on a show of wanting a decisive battle. Want to have a friendly spar? Then come on, I'll deploy my nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle group, along with hypersonic missiles and all sorts of new weapons. If we really want to have a match, the winner is still uncertain.

Therefore, the Eagle Tribe could only pretend not to understand the Dragon Summer Tribe's appearance and was unwilling to even have any real conflict with the Dragon Summer Tribe.

As long as there is no friction, the Eagle Tribe can maintain the illusion of being invincible and continue to act arrogantly.

Once a beast is at a disadvantage in a conflict, the wolves that are eyeing it from all sides will not let such a weak beast go.

Harper wasn't ignorant of diplomatic tactics; rather, he dared not, and could not, gamble on the possibility of Longxia launching a war. The risk was too great. Even if the probability of Longxia actually launching a war was only one percent, he wouldn't dare to gamble.

With that in mind, Harper kept trying to give Taro Kato meaningful glances.

Taro Kato seemed to have misunderstood Harper's meaning, and his attitude became increasingly arrogant and aggressive.

But this very attitude seemed to make Zhang Zhaoxin hesitate.

Harper's mind raced, and she quickly realized the problem.

Long Xia seems to have mistakenly believed that the Eagle Tribe and the Eastern Wilderness Tribe had reached some kind of agreement in private.
"Yes, that's absolutely right. We don't want to go to war with the Longxia tribe, and I'm sure the Longxia tribe feels the same way. They don't dare to take the risks of war!"

Thinking this, Harper's eyes brightened, and his attitude became slightly firmer.

However, he still left himself a lot of room for maneuver, and if he saw any bad signs, he would immediately distance himself from the situation.

After several rounds of exchanges, Zhang Zhaoxin's attitude finally softened.

Harper pressed on relentlessly, eventually offering his own opinion.

"Regarding the base adjustments, we believe that some auxiliary facilities at some air force bases could be closed, and the troop deployment could be reduced."

"However, bases located in places such as Naha must be retained. Also, some sub-bases can be converted to dual military and civilian use and shared with the Higashi-Sara Self-Defense Force."

"As for the reconnaissance aircraft activities at bases in Misawa and other locations, we can promise not to enter within 20 nautical miles of the disputed airspace in the East China Sea, but military bases in places like Koga must maintain full functionality. This is the bottom line!"

Zhang Zhaoxin stared at the map, his face cold.

He stood up, walked to the map, picked up the electronic pen, and drew a circle around the location of Naha.

"Your location and base here were built during the Cold War to blockade the First Island Chain and contain the White Bear Tribe's Pacific Fleet."

"Now, the White Bear Tribe has disintegrated, and Longxia is no longer the White Bear Tribe. We have no ambition to dominate the world, and we have no plans to deploy fleets in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean."

"We have only one very simple demand: to live in our own backyard, without having guns pointed at us!"

He turned to face the Eagle Tribe delegation: "Closing the Naha base is not asking the US military to leave the Western Pacific, but asking you to move your guns away from our doorstep. Is that too much to ask?"

Zhang Zhaoxin looked at Kato Taro with a cold face.

"If both of you agree, then I think there's no need for us to continue this discussion."

Anderson couldn't help but speak up: "Representative Zhang, military deployments are based on capabilities, not intentions! Your country's military strength is growing so rapidly, we have the right to take necessary defensive measures!"

"Defense measures?"

Zhang Zhaoxin sneered.

"General Anderson, if a new neighbor moved in next door, and this neighbor didn't throw stones at your windows or try to climb over your fence, but simply built a sturdy garage in his yard to store his tools, would you immediately mount a machine gun on the wall and claim it as a 'necessary defensive measure'?"

“International politics is not a neighborly relationship!” Anderson immediately retorted.

"But the basic principles are the same."

"All we want is a sense of security, but that sense of security cannot be built on the insecurity of others."

Zhang Zhaoxin returned to his seat.

"If you believe that maintaining a strong offensive military presence on our doorstep is a necessary measure, then can we also consider that, in order to maintain our sense of security, we can also send our fleet to your doorstep?"

This question left Anderson speechless.

"Our position remains unchanged."

Zhang Zhaoxin said calmly.

"The military base in Naha must be closed, and reconnaissance activities must be clearly restricted..."

Zhang Zhaoxin's demands appear to be a concession, but there is no fundamental change.

The two sides clashed again on this issue.

Zhang Zhaoxin's attitude finally softened, and he agreed that the Eagle Tribe could retain some military bases. In return, the Eastern Wilderness would have to pay more in compensation.

At the same time, Longxia demanded that within the territory of the Eastern Wilderness Tribe, it possess the same rights as the Eagle Tribe.

In other words, since the Eagle Tribe can station troops in the Eastern Wilderness, the Dragon Xia fleet must also be able to enter and leave the Eastern Wilderness at any time to ensure the safety of its territory.

As for the fleet's losses, needless to say, those will naturally be covered by the Eastern Wilderness.

This result was beyond Harper's expectations, and he was very tempted to agree.

But Taro Kato's attitude made Harper hesitate.

It is obvious that with its current economic strength, Donghuang is absolutely unable to support the military expenditures of two major powers at the same time.

Even if it's only a portion, not to mention the enormous compensation that the Eastern Wilderness still needs to pay.

Taro Kato stated that while Higashihara could accept this condition, military spending could not be increased further.

If the military expenses of Longxia are to be covered, then the expenditure on the Eagle Tribe military base will have to be reduced by a large portion.

Even after deducting the costs of the closed military bases, Taro Kato was no longer able to cover the expenses of the Eagle Tribe's other military bases in the Eastern Wilderness.

They say they'll only cover a portion, but compared to before, this expense is practically nothing!
Harper hesitated for only a moment before gritting his teeth and agreeing.

Being able to retain some military bases in the first island chain is already considered an extra task he has accomplished. As for funding... that's not something he needs to worry about!
The general direction of the negotiations has been reached; what remains are some details.

Ultimately, all three parties were satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.

Some might think that retaining some military bases is a sign of weakness, but that's exactly what Longxia aims for!

How is the Eagle Tribe's economy doing now? Not very well, especially after losing the huge resource of the Eastern Wilderness and the friction with Longxia, which resulted in the loss of Longxia's massive market, their situation is even worse.

The debt problem alone is enough to give the Eagle Tribe a headache, and now there is an additional expense from the military base, which will only make the Eagle Tribe's financial situation worse!

As for the potential threats posed by those military bases... don't be ridiculous, Dragon Summer's father is laughing.

Believe it or not, if your Eagle Tribe even considers taking action, Dragon Xia's hypersonic missiles could sink all your military bases in less than ten minutes!
If possible, Long Xia would be more than happy for the Eagle Tribe to continue increasing its military investment in the Eastern Wilderness! (End of Chapter)