I built an armada.

Chapter 918 Hardcore Negotiations: The Dominance Lies in Long Xia's Hands

At this point, Zhou Qinglei suddenly looked at the vice-captain and asked, "Don't you think so?"

"Yes."

The deputy captain responded with deep agreement.

If they achieve a good start in the battle, it will greatly help the peace talks between the two sides.

To be fair, compared to the sudden conflicts in the waters off Dongzhou, the expeditionary fleet led by Zhou Qinglei faced far greater pressure. They were dealing with traditional naval powers, and not just any naval powers, but major powers!
But when the fight actually started, Zhou Qinglei wasn't afraid at all, because for them there was no way out, so they had to fight to the death!

Even though they do not have any advantage in the number of ships, and they do not have the powerful weapon of aircraft carriers to provide air support, since the establishment of the navy, which of the many battles they have experienced has not been a victory of the few over the many and the weak over the strong?

It can be said that the navy has never had a favorable situation; it has always been a disadvantageous one. There is nothing that can be done about it, since the navy was built on a very poor and backward foundation.

We used to lose more than we won, but starting this year, everything has changed.

The navy's equipment has been greatly upgraded, and the confidence of the navy soldiers has increased accordingly. The victory after victory has brought about a complete renewal of the navy's morale!
Therefore, even though they had penetrated deep into the enemy's lair and faced a combined fleet of over two hundred warships of various types from seven nations, they still did not feel any fear, much less become cowards.

Moreover, the soldiers seemed eager to put on a fighting stance and engage in a battle with these traditional great powers!
Especially after learning that the naval fleet left behind at their doorstep had fought a battle with the combined fleet led by the Eagle Tribe and won, forcing the other side to sit down and negotiate, they felt an even stronger desire to fight!

Although the Eagle Tribe's aircraft carrier fleet ranks first in strength on Earth, the aircraft carrier fleets of the seven European nations are also formidable and renowned, ranking second in overall strength!
If the combined naval fleet of the seven nations were severely damaged, especially in the Atlantic Ocean, even if the expeditionary fleet were completely wiped out, the Dragon Xia Navy would have established a formidable reputation and would deter the other nations of the Blue Star.

At the very least, their sacrifice was worthwhile and did not tarnish the reputation of the Longxia Navy!

Even in the face of such adversity, every naval soldier was in high spirits and full of fighting spirit.

The combined naval fleet of the seven nations was unaware that they had been targeted, and that a ferocious beast with its jaws wide open was quietly lurking there, waiting for its prey to come to them.

In the main control room of the aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth, Captain Blackett put down his binoculars, turned to the first officer, and asked, "Have the reconnaissance planes found any trace of the Dragonxia Navy yet?"

"No news has come back yet," the vice-captain replied truthfully.

Blackett then asked, "Did the Eagle Tribe's satellite capture any images of them?"

"Reporting to the captain, not yet."

Upon hearing the vice-captain's words, Blackett frowned deeply, filled with doubt: "Damn it, can the Dragonxia Navy turn invisible? It's been so long, and we still haven't found them?"

The vice-captain shrugged and said, "The Atlantic Ocean is just too big. It's not easy for us to find even one of our own warships, let alone when they deliberately conceal their tracks."

“The people of Longxia are always very cunning. They might have even turned back. Didn’t we receive intelligence earlier that the situation in the Eastern Continent’s waters was unclear due to the conflict? It would be reasonable for them to go back to provide support.”

After a slight pause, the vice-captain continued, "Of course, we can't be so sure that they've definitely returned home. Maybe they know they can't beat us, so they're deliberately avoiding us?"

He had been keeping a close eye on various news sources, trying to locate the Longxia Navy, but their reconnaissance equipment disappeared without a trace after the Longxia Navy expeditionary fleet entered the Atlantic Ocean.

This made them very uneasy; not being able to find any trace of the Longxia Navy was extremely dangerous.

Of course, they were still very arrogant and did not take the Longxia Naval Expeditionary Fleet seriously at all, thinking that they were still very powerful.

"So, does that mean we came here empty-handed?"

Blackett instantly became very unhappy. "Fuck, the situation is very unfavorable for us. The damned White Bear tribe is suddenly causing trouble in the north. We can't afford to waste too much time here!"

"Whether the Longxia Naval Expeditionary Fleet has returned or is deliberately hiding, it's bad news for us!"

Before the vice-captain could speak, he continued, "The north can't hold out for long. If the losses are too great, things will be very difficult for us. We have to reconsider."

The vice-captain remained silent, but his expression was very solemn.

He knew very well that war had suddenly broken out in the north. The White Bear tribe had launched a surprise attack on them, catching them completely off guard. Now, all they could do was worry anxiously.

Blackett wanted to defeat the Dragonxia naval expeditionary fleet as soon as possible, then turn around and rush to the north to completely push back the White Bear forces.

"Hey!"

After letting out a soft sigh, Blackett turned to the communications officer not far away and ordered, "Immediately contact the nearby friendly forces and ask them if they have located any trace of the Dragonxia Navy."

"Yes, Captain."

The communications soldier immediately sprang into action after receiving the order.

It wasn't long before the communications soldier received the relevant information and immediately reported it.

"Reporting to the captain, Captain Adriano of the Charles de Gaul aircraft carrier in Gaul says they have not found any trace of the Longxia Navy."

"Reporting to the captain, Hans's fleet commander said he also found nothing."

"Reporting, Captain..."

Soon, the commanders of the remaining six fleets all replied, and their answers were almost unanimous: they had not found any trace of Longxia Navy warships.

This was hardly good news. Blackett's heart sank, and he even had a very ominous premonition. "Damn the Dragon Summer Navy, I hope they don't deliberately set us up and waste our time. Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious," Blackett said, clearly annoyed.

The vice-captain looked surprised and said, "It probably won't come to that, will it?"

"That's hard to say."

Blackett replied earnestly, "This information is public; we know it, and the Dragonxia people know it too. The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it is for them, and it's the best way."

The Dragonxia Navy sent only the latest generation of warships, which were generationally different from the warships used by the combined fleet of the seven nations. Moreover, their radars were more advanced and had a longer detection range, which made Blackett extremely unhappy.

So much time has passed, and they still haven't caught any trace of the Longxia Navy ships. They're like a group of blind men with their eyes covered, completely unaware of any information, which is making them very frustrated.

The first mate remained silent. Blackett once again picked up his binoculars and peered out the porthole at the distant sea, muttering to himself: "Dragonshire Navy, where are you all? Why haven't we caught you yet? Can't you just show yourselves?"

That's right, he's starting to get anxious. If things continue to drag on, he suspects he'll really go crazy!

On the other side, in the main control room of the 10,000-ton destroyer of the First Combat Corps in the eastern waters of Longxia.

Captain Chen glanced at the radar display and found the surroundings calm and peaceful, with no unusual activity, but he occasionally scanned the Fukuno aircraft carrier drifting on the sea.

"Sir, why hasn't the tugboat sent by headquarters arrived yet?" Captain Chen asked curiously.

The communications officer quickly reported, "Captain, it will take another two hours."

"Two more hours? That long?" Captain Chen frowned.

No matter what, the Fukuno is an aircraft carrier, and it's the last aircraft carrier of the Eastern Wilderness Tribe. If it's repaired and sold, it'll make money.

He felt uncomfortable if he didn't pull it back as soon as possible; he was just too envious.

In fact, the navy had already begun to take action after both sides agreed to the peace talks, sending high-powered tugboats to tow the aircraft carrier Fukuno back.

"Fine, let's wait two hours then. I believe Chief Su will arrive around the same time." Captain Chen waved his hand, accepting the reality.

As he said this, Captain Chen's mind was already racing, considering which country would sell the Fukuno after it was repaired.

The oil-rich nation in the central region has acquired an aircraft carrier, which was purchased from the Longxia Navy. It originally served in the Eastern Wilderness tribe.

The Tesa tribe also has an aircraft carrier, which was purchased from the Longxia Navy and previously captured from the Qianfo tribe.

If the Fukuno-class aircraft carrier is acquired, it would essentially be the third one, and it will likely end up being bought by an oil-rich country in the central region. After all, they have the money and a strong desire to buy an aircraft carrier as a large-scale toy.

No matter what, this aircraft carrier could sell for five or six billion US dollars. Although the navy is not short of money at present, who would complain about having too much funding? With more funding, more advanced weapons and equipment can be developed, further enhancing the navy's strength!
"By selling this aircraft carrier, we will have successfully sold three aircraft carriers."

Captain Chen remarked with deep emotion, "These aircraft carriers used to be obstacles in our way. Things have changed so much; life is unpredictable."

"When has our navy ever been so rich, damn it."

In the past, both funding and military equipment levels were extremely low, but in just a few years, the navy's equipment has been completely transformed.

As national strength grows, the navy will definitely become stronger and stronger in the future!
As time went on, the peace talks between the Longxia and Xiong Ying tribes, which had attracted much attention from many countries, finally began.

Originally, Eagle Tribe's Foreign Affairs Chief Carterwell and Four-Star General Kurila had prepared multiple contingency plans and made predictions about various situations in order to deal with the harsh conditions that the Dragon Summer Tribe's negotiating representatives might put forward.

However, Kurila never expected that Liu Huaming would raise the issue of compensation right at the start of the negotiations.

Kurila was clearly stunned for a moment, then all her rationality instantly dropped to the lowest point, and she almost flew into a rage and slammed her fist on the table.

But before he could even get angry, Liu Huaming slammed his fist on the table and said, "Let's have another fight!"
Fighting another match would be like having his Achilles' heel. If they could win, would there be any need for peace talks? It almost made him explode with anger.

He really wanted to point his finger at Liu Huaming and say, "Damn it, if we hadn't been at the disadvantage in the conflict, if we had deployed more military forces near the front line, and if the White Bear Tribe had suddenly launched a surprise attack in the north to tie down our forces, would I have needed to sit here and negotiate with you?"

But he would never say such a thing, nor would he dare to say it!
The current situation is already unfavorable to them, and the outcome of the battle is already decided. Even if he were to speak out, it would be meaningless. Apart from being humiliated again, there would be no benefit whatsoever.

Kurila isn't stupid; he would never give such an opportunity to the opponent, so it's impossible for him to make a mistake in this regard.

Seeing that the peace talks had just begun and the top naval officials of both countries were about to get into a fight, Foreign Minister Carterwell quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, both sides should stop fighting. Our peace talks this time are based on an agreement reached between our Chief and your senior officials. Therefore, there is no need for either of us to hold a grudge over this."

"Let's talk this out calmly. Getting angry won't solve anything, will it?"

Ambassador Chen also offered words of comfort: "Comrade Huaming, calm down. We suffered no losses in this conflict; in fact, we inflicted heavy damage on the other side, didn't we?"

While seemingly comforting Liu Huaming, it actually highlighted once again the huge defeat suffered by the Eagle Tribe coalition in this naval battle, infuriating the five-person negotiation team from the Eagle Tribe, who all looked as if they had swallowed fly droppings.

General Kurilla from the military, in particular, clenched his fists, looking like he was about to explode. If Carterwell hadn't gently patted him to remind him to be careful, he probably would have flipped the table.

Damn it, is it really necessary for one of us to play the good cop and the other the bad cop to disgust us? This is blatant humiliation! Don't we have any dignity?

That damn bastard is giving us the cold shoulder!
Liu Huaming nodded slightly and said calmly, "You're right. This peace talk is based on strength. Apart from losing some missiles, our ships are all in good condition. Forget it, it's not worth getting angry over these lost missiles."

(End of this chapter)