I built an armada.

"I understand! Thank you for your guidance, Commander Su!"

Zhang Zhaoxin gave Su Dingping a solemn salute as he walked away, then left the military factory in high spirits and with a brisk pace.

He already knew how to deal with those Eastern Wilderness representatives who were about to arrive and were destined to have ulterior motives.

One must be tough on the enemy and have a firm mind – this is the most valuable "truth" he learned on this trip.

The smoke of battle in the waters off Dongzhou has temporarily dissipated, but the invisible game has only just begun.

Longxia Tribe Time: 1 AM.

The night remained dark, as if a giant beast had opened its blood-red maw and swallowed up the entire narrow strip of land belonging to the Eastern Wilderness tribe.

In the brightly lit office of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Eastern Wilderness Tribe, the head of the department, Taro Kishida, was constantly wiping the fine beads of cold sweat from his forehead with a velvet handkerchief.

The red, encrypted phone in front of him, which connected directly to the foreign affairs department of the Longxia tribe, seemed like a silent, ferocious beast, filling him with both anticipation and fear.

Over the past dozen hours, he had dialed this number no less than ten times, only to be met with either a long busy tone or a cold, formulaic "Please wait for notification" from the operator.

The silence from Longxia was like a tightening noose, making it hard for the entire Eastern Wilderness leadership to breathe.

Now, four hours have passed since the ultimatum deadline, and the other side of the sea remains deathly silent, with no expected artillery fire and no new information.

This unknown calm is even more tormenting.

Taro Kishida took a deep breath as if using all his strength, picked up the receiver again, and tremblingly dialed that familiar number.

This time, unlike the long waits before, the call was answered almost instantly after dialing.

"beep--"

After just one notification tone, a steady, clear male voice with a northern Longxia accent came through: "This is the Foreign Affairs Department of the Longxia Tribe. I am Ambassador Chen."

Taro Kishida's heart skipped a beat, almost leaping out of his throat.

He quickly composed himself and said in the most humble and respectful tone possible, "Ambassador Chen, good evening. I apologize for disturbing you. I am Taro Kishida, the head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the Donghuang Tribe."

“Mr. Kishida, it’s the middle of the night.”

Ambassador Chen's voice was flat and emotionless, yet it carried an invisible pressure: "What brings you here?"

Taro Kishida swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Regarding the announcement we previously released... we hope to discuss the specifics with you as soon as possible."

"Would the next three days be convenient for you?"

He held his breath, waiting for the other party's response, his mind already rehearsing countless scenarios of being rejected, mocked, or even having the phone hung up on him.

However, Ambassador Chen's reply was unexpectedly straightforward: "You can suggest a specific time. But we emphasize that the key is sincerity."

“As long as the Eastern Wilderness tribes come with one hundred percent and unquestionable sincerity, then the exchange can even begin immediately—after dawn.”

Kishida Taro was stunned for a moment, then a huge, almost exhausting joy surged up within him!

The other party did not refuse!

It even gave such a positive signal!

"Understood! Completely understood! Thank you, Ambassador Chen! We will certainly act with the utmost sincerity!" Kishida Taro assured him repeatedly, fearing that the other party might change his mind.

The two sides then had a very brief exchange on the level of initial contact and general direction, which lasted no more than five minutes.

When the call ended and the busy tone came on, Taro Kishida realized that his back was completely soaked with cold sweat. He slumped into a chair, panting heavily, but a smile that looked more like a grimace appeared on his face.

It's a success! At least, the first step was a success!

Kishida Taro dared not delay and immediately reported this "good news".

Emergency meeting room on the top floor of the Cabinet Building in Kyoto, the capital of the Eastern Wilderness Tribe.

Although it was already past midnight, the place was still brightly lit and filled with smoke.

The cabinet chief and all the key ministers were gathered here, their faces etched with exhaustion, anxiety, and undisguised panic.

No one was in the mood to rest; the looming threat of the Longxia Navy made them feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.

The atmosphere in the conference room was as tense as solidified glue; every time the phone rang, it drew alarmed glances from everyone.

"What exactly do the Longxia people want? They accepted our surrender announcement, but they haven't taken any further action yet?"

"Could this be a delaying tactic? To lull us into a false sense of security before launching a surprise attack?"

"What if they back out at the last minute? After all... we dragged it out until the last minute, which might have angered them."

"We've already announced our surrender, but we haven't formally informed the Longxia Tribe's Foreign Affairs Department. It's really worrying. This feeling is so damn annoying, damn it!"

Various worst-case scenarios swirled in everyone's minds, spreading a sense of unease among them.

Just then, the conference room door was flung open, and an intelligence officer, Kisami Taro, rushed in, his face pale. Without even having time to salute, he hurriedly reported, "Your Excellency! Gentlemen! The military intelligence department has just intercepted and deciphered a radio communication between Longxia naval warships!"

Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him.

"What's the content?!"

The cabinet chief stood up abruptly, his voice hoarse.

Shugami swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "The decoding results show that... some combat units of the Longxia Navy planned to launch the first round of missile attacks on our mainland at 23:45 last night, which is fifteen minutes before the deadline of the ultimatum!"

"what?!"

"23:45?!"

"They really are going to make a move!"

"Is this information from a legitimate source? Has it been deciphered?"

After being repeatedly confirmed by the man in the tree, the meeting room erupted in uproar, and the ministers' faces turned deathly pale.

The cabinet chief was trembling with rage, slamming his fist on the table: "Baka! This is outrageous! They've already accepted the surrender, yet they're still preparing to attack behind the scenes! They have no sincerity whatsoever!"

"Is this information accurate?" a relatively calm minister questioned. "The Longxia Navy's communication encryption level is extremely high. How could we have intercepted and deciphered such a crucial instruction so easily?"

"Moreover, their communication channels and encryption systems change frequently. Could this be a deliberate smokescreen to scare us?" another minister also expressed his doubts.

Treetop Farm wiped his sweat: "Well... there are indeed some suspicious points in the decryption process. The signal source and encoding method are different from before. But the content itself... logically matches their previous threats."

"What time is it now?" someone suddenly asked.

"12:15 AM!"

"So, if their plan is true, the attack was launched more than half an hour ago? Why haven't we felt anything here?"

"Quickly! Contact the defense department immediately! Contact observation stations in various locations! Inquire if there are any signs of a missile attack!" the cabinet chief hurriedly ordered.

The meeting room was in chaos, with all sorts of phone calls going through, and inquiries and reports mingling together.

A few minutes later, preliminary feedback came in: no signs of missile attacks were found nationwide, nor were any abnormal atmospheric reentry objects or explosions detected.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, unsure whether to feel relieved or even more terrified, the conference room door was pushed open again.

This time, it was Kishida Taro's second-in-command who came in, and he had a relieved look on his face.

"Your Excellency! Good news! Commander Kishida just finished a phone call with Ambassador Chen of the Longxia Foreign Affairs Department! Longxia has agreed to hold specific negotiations with us! The time is set for... this afternoon! The preliminary location is Longxia Naval East China Sea Base!"

This news was like a ray of sunlight piercing through thick, dark clouds.

The cabinet chief let out a long, long sigh, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted, and slumped back into his chair. He waved his hand, signaling that the farmer in the tree and his adjutant could leave.

"It seems... we were overthinking it."

The leader's voice was heavy with exhaustion, "The Dragon Xia Navy... since they're willing to negotiate this afternoon, they can't possibly launch a midnight bombardment against us just hours before the negotiations, can they? That's not in their interest."

Upon hearing this, the ministers' expressions all improved.

Although the process was thrilling, and we may have even been tricked by the other side with false information, the final result was ultimately good.

"The best outcome is one that can be negotiated."

"At least, the most dangerous moment has passed. The weight that was hanging over us can finally be lifted."

"Gentlemen, go back and rest. Get your energy ready, as we have a tough battle to fight this afternoon," suggested a wise and experienced minister.

Everyone nodded in agreement; the continuous high level of tension had indeed left them physically and mentally exhausted.

At this moment, getting a good night's sleep has become the most luxurious wish. As for the possibility that Long Xia might have tricked them, no one has the energy to investigate that now.

As his colleagues filed out, the cabinet chief could only console himself: "It's good that we can talk, it's good that we can talk... At least, the country is temporarily saved."

As dawn broke, after a few hours of brief rest and emergency consultations, the Eastern Wilderness Cabinet convened again to determine the plenipotentiary representative to travel to Longxia for negotiations.

Almost without any suspense, all eyes were on one person—Kato Taro.

Taro Kato, a special advisor to the cabinet, is not a career diplomat, but his in-depth research on Longxia's history, culture, and especially its political landscape in recent decades, as well as his relatively smooth and pragmatic style, have made him a valuable asset.

He was repeatedly entrusted with important tasks related to sensitive matters concerning Longxia.

Most importantly, before the Eastern Wilderness tribes were defeated and surrendered, it was he who was sent by the then-Cabinet Chief to Longxia for preliminary contact.

"Kato-kun."

The cabinet chief looked at the gray-haired old minister and said in a complicated tone, "You are aware of the situation. This negotiation concerns the fate of the nation and carries a heavy responsibility."

"You are the person in my tribe who understands Longxia the most and is the most experienced. This time, I still need you to make a trip."

"We hope that you can be neither arrogant nor humble, and do your best to secure the best interests for our country."

His meaning was clear: minimize compensation, or even avoid it altogether, in order to prevent the Eastern Wilderness tribes from suffering heavy losses!

Kato Taro sat at the lower end of the table, his face expressionless upon hearing this, though a deep sense of helplessness and self-mockery flickered in the depths of his eyes. He bowed slightly: "Yes, sir!"

He sighed repeatedly after receiving the order.

It's truly ironic that this kind of task, destined to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame, has fallen on his head time and time again.

He couldn't help but recall a few days earlier, during the ultimatum period, when he was ordered to go to Longxia to try to "explain" the situation. As a result, the Longxia tribe directly refused entry to all planes from the Eastern Wilderness tribes. His private plane circled over the high seas for a long time before finally having to return home in disgrace.

This time, at midnight on the second day after the Longxia tribe issued its surrender announcement, it reopened the special plane channel to the Donghuang tribe, although it was limited to specific routes and personnel designated by the Longxia side, while other civilian passenger planes and other channels remained blocked.

This at least ensured his safe arrival, avoiding the embarrassment of being turned away again.

The formalities were completed quickly. Kato Taro boarded the somewhat old official plane with only an assistant and a few necessary entourage members.

The plane took off, heading west towards the vast country that evoked such complex emotions in him.

Inside the cabin, Taro Kato leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest, but his furrowed brows revealed that his inner state was far from calm.

"Surrender again... Am I, Taro Kato, destined to be inseparable from the word 'surrender' for the rest of my life?" he thought bitterly to himself.

Although the last surrender negotiations eventually resulted in an agreement, the process was extremely difficult. The representatives of Longxia refused to budge an inch, especially on issues involving war responsibility, reparations, and territorial disputes, practically rubbing the dignity of Donghuang into the ground repeatedly.

What left a deeper impression on him, and even left some psychological scars, was Su Dingping, a very young technical and negotiation consultant on Longxia's side at the time.

The young man appeared refined and cultured, but when it came to specific technical specifications, industrial compensation, and patent transfers, he displayed precision, sharpness, and uncompromisingness.

They even directly bossed around the old chief, leaving them speechless, making them a truly formidable opponent.

Even he, a self-proclaimed seasoned veteran, found it difficult to cope, and was repeatedly rendered speechless by the questions, suffering a major setback at the negotiating table.

"Won't I run into him again this time?" Kato Taro thought worriedly.

Su Dingping's position in the Longxia tribe's military-industrial system is now at its zenith, and he seems to be mainly responsible for the research and development of the most advanced weapons and equipment. Logically speaking, he should no longer be appearing in this kind of diplomatic negotiation occasion.

He was naturally unaware that Su Dingping simply didn't have the time to attend meetings of that level.

Wouldn't it be better to use that extra time to do more research?

However, Kato Taro was filled with unease and wild thoughts. Who could predict the actions of the Dragon Summer people? (End of Chapter)