Chapter 497 Overt Spears and Hidden Arrows (1/2)

"Why is it none of our business?"

Li Ke, who was ridiculed, did not panic at all. Instead, he laughed and said back.

"No matter how small your son's matter is, it is still a big deal. Didn't you come all the way here?"

Cohen didn't react at first, but soon came to his senses from the pun, and his expression darkened immediately.

The son can refer to the Kingdom of Golden Lizards or the people of Wilant.

A distant century and a half ago, there were no Waylanders on this planet. All the Waylanders were the predecessors of the academy - that is, the technical department of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, approved at the request of the Ministry of Defense Super soldiers designed through genetic engineering.

As a captain of ten thousand men, it was of course impossible for him not to know the origin of the Weirant people, but he just didn't care if he knew it.

The pride and glory of the legion does not come from any ancient history, but from the infinitely extending road under their feet.

However, if you don't care, you don't care.

It's another thing to be taken out and laughed at.

Chu Guang glanced at the B-level researcher in slight surprise.

When he saw the players chatting on the forum before, he thought those nerds were stupid.

As a result, it now seems that the only ones who are dumb are the grassroots officers who cannot speak the language of Cheluolun.

Seeing the people from all directions standing motionless on the wheat field, the smell of gunpowder getting stronger and stronger inside and outside the sarcastic words, King Mongoth couldn't help but feel numb in his scalp.

After all, this is his doorstep.

In the end, unable to hold back the uneasiness in his heart, Mengge boldly came out to smooth things over.

"...Everyone has come a long way, and you have had a hard time along the way! Why don't you come with me to the castle to rest first, and then further discuss future matters? This is not the place to talk after all..."

Cohen glanced at the old man indifferently and gave a look to the guard next to him.

The guard nodded respectfully, turned back to the "Bison" all-terrain armored walker behind him, and stepped through the open door.

The huge steel body slowly lifted up, and the air flow it brought stirred up a gust of wind, blowing a piece of wheat.

Contentedly admiring the series of expressions of surprise, horror, etc. on the unseen faces, Cohen led a group of level 30 guards directly past the king and across the river embankment. gate.

This is a vassal state of the Legion.

When he comes here, it's like he's going home and doesn't need anyone else to invite him.

Whether they are kings, nobles or ordinary residents, everyone in this oasis is his slave. How can a servant invite his master to go home as a guest?

Realizing his abruptness, King Menggot lowered his head and did not dare to take a breath, as did the other nobles around him.

The league was too kind to them.

So much so that they almost forgot that they were a vassal state.

Only the Earl of Cromwell's eyes shone with ambition, and he was thinking about how to please this suspected new master.

He has offended league administrators.

We can't screw it up again this time...

"Damn it, this NPC is really good at pretending." Staring at the back of the man who asked Cohen to leave, Ye Shi muttered in the communication channel.

Kuangfeng touched the bridge of his nose and said calmly.

"The five-star captain...except for the marshal and the legion commander, there should be no one with a higher status than him in the entire legion."

In other words.

He is standing here as the marshal representing the legion. He is fully responsible for everything in Luoxia Province and even has the autonomy to fight.

This guy is obviously much more difficult to deal with than Griffin.

Especially outside the battlefield.

Chu Guang stared at the governor's back for a while, and then turned his attention to Wu Changnian who was standing next to the killer whale transport plane.

The middle-aged man's face had regained its spring-like smile, and he looked over with the same friendly attitude.

"Nice to meet you, manager of the alliance, I have wanted to visit you for a long time... You are younger and more promising than the media has promoted."

"Mr. Wu, thank you very much."

"No, this war can be won thanks to you," Wu Changnian shook his head and continued with a smile, "But our war has just begun, hasn't it?"

Chu Guang knew what he was referring to.

What soldiers achieve on the battlefield needs to be solidified at the bargaining table.

This time Triumph City actually sent a five-star ten thousand captain to serve as the governor of Luoxia Province. I am afraid that this ceasefire negotiation will not simply end hastily.

"You're right. If it's convenient, I'd also like to know the council's position."

Wu Changnian had a happy smile on his face.

"I'm planning to communicate this matter, how about taking a step to speak?"

Chu Guang also said with a smile.

"I think so too."

The two walked towards the city gate talking and laughing.

There were only a few players left on the scene who had not seen enough excitement, including the "Bison" all-terrain armored walker standing upright, the company's transport aircraft and commando soldiers, as well as King Mongot and a group of nobles behind him.

Standing next to the long shuttle-shaped aircraft, Li Ke was embarrassed for a while and had no choice but to walk in front of King Menggot and clear his throat forcefully.

"I'm from the academy."

King Mongoth came to his senses and said politely quickly.

"May I ask what your orders are?"

"Find me a place to live...close to those people."

Pointing at Chu Guang and Wu Changnian who had already walked away, Li Ke emphasized with a serious face, "The academy has a seat in this ceasefire negotiation. Do you understand what I mean?"

Although he had no idea what the academy had to do with this war, King Mongot knew that such a behemoth could not be offended by a defeated country that had even disbanded its army, so he nodded quickly.

"I understand! I understand!"

"As long as you know."

Li Ke glanced at this guy with satisfaction, took the two android bodyguards beside him, and walked through the city gate with satisfaction.

…

Although the friend from the Wandering Swamp made a fool of himself when he appeared on the scene, thanks to this, the tense atmosphere between the Enterprise and the Legion has eased.

Looking at the indifferent look on Li Ke's face, he didn't seem to care at all and didn't care at all about what Cohen said.

But think about it.

The gift of farsightedness is not just extreme materialism, but also consequentialism.

Ordinary prospectors have no right to know the details of the negotiations. Even if the "Doctor of Conclusions" knows the details, he may not care whether his subordinates are embarrassed.

As long as the final goal is achieved.

As long as the cost paid is acceptable...

However, the progress of ceasefire negotiations has not been smooth.

Although it was expected, the tough attitude of the representative named Cohen was somewhat beyond Chu Guang's expectations.

The castle in the center of Falcon City.

In the spacious meeting hall, representatives from legions, companies, colleges, and alliances were seated.

Under the watchful eyes of a group of guards, the servants in the castle cautiously poured tea and water for these big men without daring to show any signs of neglect.

Cohen knocked on the table with his hand, and his aggressive momentum fully reflected the rude and unreasonable characteristics of the Wilante people.

"If you are really sincere about the ceasefire, immediately withdraw your troops from Oasis No. 2! This is a prerequisite for restoring peace!"

"This is unrealistic."

Not frightened by the aggressive momentum, Chu Guang interrupted him without giving in.

"The coalition's military operations will only end once the ceasefire comes into force."

Cohen raised his eyebrows, feeling a little surprised by the alliance's tough attitude.

In the battle report sent to Triumph City, the legion and the alliance had a winner and a loser.

Although Griffin, who was isolated and helpless, was at a disadvantage due to the support of the enterprise, his troops still caused a lot of casualties to the alliance.

Especially a certain legendary retinue who single-handedly killed thousands of people in the alliance!

It stands to reason that even if the battle reports sent from the front line contain bragging, at least a small part of them can be believed.

Before getting off the airship, he knew that the alliance could not survive, so he adopted an aggressive attitude as soon as he got off the airship.

But now...

The alliance's tough response caught him by surprise.

For a moment, Cohen was not sure whether the man in front of him was bluffing, or whether the situation on the front line was not as optimistic as he imagined.

Thoughts were running rapidly in his mind, but the attitude on Cohen's face remained unchanged, and he settled for the next best thing.

"Then at least your people should withdraw from the area around the Horn Castle and maintain a fifty-kilometer buffer distance from our people."

This is a reasonable request.

However, what he didn't expect was that the man sitting opposite still refused.

"The defenders of Fort Horn have not surrendered yet. There are 50,000 legionnaires stationed there. We cannot leave such a big threat alone. We will not go anywhere until they hand over their weapons or the ceasefire negotiations make progress."

joke.

How could Chu Guang agree to such conditions.

Cohen may not know the supply situation in the Horn Keep, but he heard it clearly from the warlord.

Not only were the defenders in the Horn Castle short of water, food and ammunition, but they were also on the verge of mental collapse from being harassed by planes in turn, and had been pushed to the brink of internal strife.

Once they retreat fifty kilometers, it is impossible for the Skeleton Corps and the Army of the Lion Kingdom to completely cut off supplies like they are now.

And if someone accidentally sends ammunition into the fortress, there will probably be a fight.

Looking at Cohen, who obviously hadn't figured out the situation yet, Chu Guang said in a calm tone.

"Mr. Cohen, I don't know if you have heard this sentence. What you can't get on the battlefield, you can never expect to get it at the negotiation table."

Cohen narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"You mean, see you on the battlefield?"

The air in the conference room seemed to be frozen.

The moment he heard Cohen's words, Li Ke, who was sitting at the negotiating table, suddenly became nervous.

Wu Changnian's expression did not change, but he kept winking at Chu Guang, hinting him not to push Kaixuan City too hard.

The smell of gunpowder on the negotiating table has never been more pungent.

Chu Guang didn't look at anyone, still staring at Cohen intently.

"What I'm saying is, please be realistic about your demands."

The eyes of both parties seemed to be clashing with each other, and sparks flew off the negotiation table.

Although the Legion's power is obviously stronger than that of the Alliance, in terms of personal bravery, Cohen, who is just an ordinary person, is obviously inferior to Chu Guang.

Knowing that there would be no results if the confrontation continued, Cohen snorted, pushed away the tea on the table, and stood up from the conference table.

Li Ke, who was startled by his actions and didn't say a word from beginning to end, quickly spoke up to smooth things over.

"Let's all talk nicely, or else we all need to take a step back -"

"It seems that you are not sincere in talking about it." Ignoring the B-level researcher completely, Cohen squinted his eyes and stared at Chu Guang sitting opposite, "That's it for today."

Regarding the threatening tone, Chu Guang just smiled lightly and said calmly.

"It seems you didn't get enough rest along the way."

"Then as you wish, let's talk tomorrow."

He knew why Cohen did what he did.

The Arbitrator has just arrived in the Luoxia Province and does not yet understand the true situation on the front line. And with the eastward expansion faction's painting style, the battle reports sent to Triumph City must have been whitewashed.

Maybe Griffin is at odds with the league in "Triumph", and Cohen, who has just arrived, will naturally be confused by the league's toughness.

It would be a good idea to let him know the current situation of the Horn Castle.

After leaving the conference room, Cohen immediately called Joseph who was on board the Arbitrator.

"Can you contact Griffin?"

"They can't be contacted...the communication situation is abnormal. The alliance's aircraft destroyed the fortress's signal tower, or there may be other malfunctions."

Cohen nodded silently.

This "other malfunction" made him hear something meaningful.

Joseph is a member of the Army system and a confidant of Saren, the commander of the Eastern Army. He obviously understands the style of the Eastern Expansionists better than himself.

perhaps……

This guy has found out something from some clues.

"General Joseph, are you loyal to His Majesty the Marshal?"

The other end of the communication channel replied without any hesitation.

"Of course, my loyalty to His Majesty the Marshal is unparalleled. Why do you suddenly ask this?"

Cohen said without changing his tone.

"It's nothing. I hope that every choice you make next will be worthy of your identity and the trust His Majesty the Marshal has placed in you."

This time there was a slight silence on the other end of the communication channel.

"I see."

After hanging up the phone.

The elevator of the Arbitrator was lowered, and two motorcycles were deployed on the surface, speeding towards the Horn Fort without stopping.

Before tomorrow's negotiations begin, they need to know the true situation at the Hornburg.

And what exactly does Griffin want to do...

At the same time, Chu Guang, who had just left the conference room, was pulled into the next room by Wu Changnian.

Before he could speak, Wu Changnian said irritably.

"Anyway, there are only 50,000 troops left in the Luoxia Province. You also promised to withdraw from the No. 2 Oasis. Why don't you follow that big nose?"

Looking at Deputy Minister Wu who looked worried, Chu Guang comforted him patiently.

"My friend, if you don't understand the front line, it's normal for you to think so. This is not a matter of the army taking two steps back. If we retreat fifty kilometers, it will be equivalent to opening a pocket surrounding Griffin. It is equivalent to ceasefire negotiations. He took the initiative to give up the chips in his hand before he even started... Can you understand? "

"The surrounded 50,000 troops and thousands of officers are the biggest bargaining chip in our hands! If you don't understand, you can have a phone call with Yi Chuan. I've already vented my anger on him about this matter in advance."

Wu Changnian said with a wry smile when he heard this.

"You are still thinking about this..."

The council had no hope of getting anything out of the hands of the paupers to the west. The proud territory of the Valantians was worthless to them.

This is not because of arrogance, but because those Wilantes have never seriously managed the territory they have established. Most of the time, they simply and roughly treat them and the people as trophies, packaging and dividing them among many lower-level officers.

Existences like Lost Valley and Qingquan City are everywhere in the Legion's territory. In fact, they have not solved any problems.

"Of course." Chu Guang's idea is different from Wu Changnian's. Dinar can also buy some good things. "We can give up Oasis No. 2, but that is as a bargaining chip at the negotiation table, not to show so-called sincerity." , unilaterally giving the acquired positions to those Weirant people."

Wu Changnian couldn't help but ask.

"Aren't you afraid of becoming the trigger for all-out war?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"This kind of thing cannot be solved by fear. We hope for peace, but we have never imagined that peace can be obtained through compromise."

Wu Changnian pressed his index finger between his eyebrows.

"As a bargaining chip... do you still expect the legion to pay you compensation?"

Chu Guang said matter-of-factly.

"why not?"

As if he guessed what this guy would say, Wu Changnian sighed.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke.

"Let's do this... One billion Cr, we will pay you in the form of aid as compensation for the alliance."

The council gave him some autonomy.

When ceasefire conditions cannot be negotiated, one option is for companies to compensate the alliance for part of its war expenses.

At least it would be less costly than an all-out war across Middle-earth.

Hearing the aid of one billion Cr, Chu Guang showed a smile on his face.

"How embarrassing."

Wu Changnian resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

I'm sorry you refused!

Of course Chu Guang would not refuse this kind of benefit brought to his doorstep.

After coughing slightly, he continued seriously.

"We can give up asking for war reparations from the Legion and its vassals. As you said... that is really unrealistic. After the ceasefire agreement takes effect, our troops will immediately withdraw from the No. 2 Oasis. But as I said before Yes, we will not take the initiative to withdraw our troops before the ceasefire agreement takes effect, and we hope that you will fully cooperate with us at the negotiation table. This is not only for us, but also for you."

Wu Changnian nodded.

"I have no objection. Our demands are only for a ceasefire, Shelter 0, and the safety of the crew on the Pioneer."

Chu Guang breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and stretched out his right hand.

“A pleasure to work with.”

"hope so."

He held Chu Guang's extended right hand and shook it. After Wu Changnian let go, he suddenly thought of something and spoke.

"By the way, this is a personal suggestion. Have you ever considered... uh, setting up a private account in Ideal City?"

Chu Guang was stunned for a moment when he suddenly heard words that had nothing to do with negotiations.

"……private account?"

Wu Changnian nodded.

"Yes, it's not very troublesome. You can register even if you don't have a resident status in Ideal City. Many nobles in Boulder City have it."

Upon hearing this, Chu Guang immediately understood what he meant, then leaned back on the chair, smiled and shook his head.

"No need."

Wu Changnian did not give up and explained patiently.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not bribing you... but judging from the current situation, the risk of all-out war is not without. A deposit can at least give you a way out."

So far, the legion has not used all its strength to invade Luoxia Province, and the enterprise is also carefully controlling the scale and pace of the war.

If nothing unexpected happened, the ceasefire negotiations should have been held in the capital of the Lion Kingdom. As for the No. 3 oasis that originally belonged to the Honey Badger Kingdom, the council had even made plans to give it to the Legion.

No one expected the league to be so capable.

A wave of direct push Griffin back to his hometown.

Nowadays, the development of the situation has exceeded the expectations of the Supreme Council. If it really reaches the stage of all-out war, he hopes to at least keep the leaders of the allies.

This is also what the Council means.

However, Chu Guang's answer was beyond Wu Changnian's expectation.

"I don't need that kind of thing. Even if one day comes, I will not go anywhere, but will stand with those who trust me."

Wu Changnian looked at him blankly, and for a moment he couldn't understand the young man in front of him.

His expression was slightly regretful, but he nodded.

"Okay. By the way, this is just a personal suggestion...it has nothing to do with the council."

Chu Guang smiled and nodded.

"Understood. What you said just now will not affect our cooperation."

…

The ceasefire negotiations broke up on the first day, and no substantive progress was made in the second, third, and fourth days of negotiations.

Ceasefire negotiations have temporarily reached a deadlock.

The college did not play a mediating role at all, and the governor from Triumph City did not want to talk to the B-level researcher.

As for the business side.

Wu Changnian did give a lot of support to the alliance, but the nature of the board of directors determined that he could not have too much independent decision-making power. He could only make a decision on many matters after consulting the board of directors and discussing them at the board of directors. Make a decision.

Especially the arrival of the academy was completely beyond his expectation.

A killer whale transport plane flew back overnight, just to bring the news back to the communication range of Ideal City in the shortest possible time.

Chu Guang originally thought that the college's mediation would make the negotiations go more smoothly, at least as a bargaining chip to put pressure on the Legion.

But now it seems that this has added variables to the negotiations.

But Chu Guang was not in a hurry.

No matter how strong the Legion is, the initiative in this negotiation is still in the hands of the alliance occupying Falcon City, which just gives him plenty of time to complete the "transformation" of the Falcon Kingdom.

The most anxious people at the moment should be the 50,000 defenders who are surrounded by the Fort Horn with no water or food, and General Cohen, who is hoping to get the prisoners back at the minimum cost.

Chu Guang has successfully changed the ceasefire conditions from "the alliance and enterprises withdraw from the No. 3 Oasis" to "maintaining the boundaries before the outbreak of the war."

The only dispute now is Bicester Town.

The Falcon Kingdom has given up on this town. After all, this town was not originally located in Oasis No. 2. It was a mobile fortress built by the Legion to march eastward.

But Cohen insists that even if the town is not within the boundaries of Oasis No. 2, it was still built by the Willant people.

"It seems that we are going to the fifth round of negotiations." Seeing that he could not convince Cohen, Chu Guang sighed with pretense of regret and pushed the notebook on the table, but did not close it.

Looking at this man who didn't take him seriously, Cohen narrowed his eyes slightly and clenched and unclenched his fists on his knees.

He really couldn't afford it.

According to what Joseph learned, the situation of the defenders at Fort Bugle was not optimistic. Although Alliance aircraft stopped air strikes, they no longer had much food and fresh water.

The most terrible thing is that the alliance's planes are specially focused on their kitchens, causing pots and pans to become scarce.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside the conference room, and soon a Valantian soldier walked in from the outside with a serious expression.

Everyone sitting at the table moved over there, trying to get some clues from the man's stern expression.

Li Ke from the academy was even more direct. He simply took out a pair of headphones that seemed to have a volume-enhancing function from his pocket and put them on his ears.

Obviously, he treated everyone else as fools and thought that no one noticed his little action.

Chu Guang's eyebrows twitched, and he couldn't help but have a boring thought in his mind. If he suddenly shouted into this guy's ear, would he send him away like this?

However, the friend who was playing tricks was destined to be disappointed. The soldier did not lean over to Cohen to whisper, but handed him a note.

Cohen took the note and took a look at it, and his face suddenly changed.

Standing up with his hands on the table, he glanced at the people in front of the conference table, and then hurriedly threw down a sentence.

"Today's negotiations end here."

After that, he didn't care about the stunned voices and the surprised faces in front of the conference table, and walked out of the conference room without looking back.

Wu Changnian quickly looked at Chu Guang.

However, to his disappointment, Chu Guang also looked puzzled.

Is this guy's house on fire?

Hurrying back in such a hurry...

His words just now were just to show that the alliance didn't care about a few more talks, and he didn't really intend to disband today's meeting.

"Do you have any news?" Li Ke took off the loudspeaker and looked at Chu Guang, and couldn't help asking.

"No."

Chu Guang shook his head.

Li Ke hesitated and was about to say something.

At this moment, the VM on Chu Guang's arm suddenly vibrated, and a small light blue window that only he could see was projected on the screen.

The moment he saw the line of words, he held his breath.

Noticing the change in Chu Guang's expression, Wu Changnian asked immediately.

"What happened?"

Chu Guang pondered for a while and spoke.

"Griffin is dead."

The moment the voice fell, the air in the entire conference room seemed to solidify, and the expressions on the faces of everyone sitting at the table were different and wonderful.

"Dead..."

Wu Changnian was stunned on the spot.

I didn't expect that the old fox who galloped across the desert would end his life in such a mediocre afternoon.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to be happy or regretful.

"That guy is dead..." Li Ke's face was also full of surprise, but more of it was gloating. That guy hung up his phone before he died. Although he was not a petty person, he did not forget about it. Haha. Good death! The stupid and arrogant Willant people should die in obscurity in a humble corner... There is no better ending for this madman than this. And once that guy died, the deadlocked ceasefire negotiations should have a result soon. Li Ke is now just curious about how Griffin died. King Menggot, who was listening in, sighed softly. That Griffin still respected him... At least more than Kras and McLen. Chu Guang's mood was a bit complicated. He thought that this guy could hold on for a while, at least until the end of the ceasefire negotiations, but he didn't expect to leave like this... What a pity. He had promised McLen before that he would reunite with Griffin...