Chapter 237 The World's True Color Is the Worship of Strength
"Go to hell!"
Hearing the ceasefire conditions offered by Galan, everyone on the bridges of the Xianyang and Chang'an united, all raising their middle fingers.
Lu Yuan sighed.
He wasn't angered, nor did he find these conditions absurd.
He now understood that the so-called ceasefire agreement was a method of problem-solving used by civilized people before the cataclysm, but it had now become synonymous with "unequal treaties."
Want peace in this post-disaster world?
Then you can only beat the enemy until they are utterly convinced!
And now, Galan, despite suffering two major military defeats, had not reached the point of willingly surrendering.
This was a bit surprising, because the entire population of Galan had never given the impression of being "tough"; on the contrary,
one could say they were a bunch of complete cowards.
Lu Yuan firmly believed that a people would have a government and a leader to match.
From this perspective, Prime Minister Nadi would not be the "tough guy" he outwardly proclaimed to be, but rather a hypocritical villain.
So, why exactly did he propose such ceasefire conditions, as if he had won?
Lu Yuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Was it like Omar before, thinking he still had a heavyweight trump card? Or was it simply a bluff?
He wasn't a person who liked to bluff, but sometimes, he had to admit that this world had its own operating rules, and it didn't change based on personal preferences.
People who immediately reveal their bottom line in negotiations will not gain any advantage.
Lu Yuan walked over to Ran Ge and took the communicator from his hand.
"This is Cangyuan, we can return the prisoners of war for free."
Nadi's heart filled with joy.
He had thought that Cangyuan, with its limited company size, had already exhausted too many resources and energy in the war, and was on the verge of collapsing under the high war-weariness.
Immediately, Lu Yuan's tone shifted.
"However, the prisoner exchange must take place in public, and media from all Star Alliance factions can report freely. Furthermore, we will not pay any compensation, and your war reparations need to be increased by 1000 times based on the current amount."
On the other end of the call, Nadi fell silent.
It's over, the other side isn't falling for the trick!
At this moment, he sat in his Prime Minister's office, with various members of Congress standing opposite his large desk.
His loyalists were worried, while representatives of the opposition glared at him, their thoughts clearly written on their faces.
You idiot!
Let's see what you do now!
"—This is impossible."
About a minute later, Prime Minister Nadi finally replied.
"1000 times—that's three trillion star alliance credit points, do you know how much money that is? That's equivalent to Galan's annual GDP!"
Lu Yuan smiled.
Three trillion might be a bit too much, but Nadi's recent wording clearly hinted that this price was negotiable, and there was a lot of room for negotiation.
"That's your problem to solve, not ours. You can decide how a war begins, but we are the ones who can decide how it ends."
Lu Yuan said.
"Prime Minister Nadi, I believe we will negotiate again on the issue of war reparations in the future, but today's lowest offer is something you will never hear again. The longer it drags on, the higher the offer will be.
"The combat objective you set for the Third Fleet before the war began was to massacre Cangyuan's home planet, and this has been conveyed very clearly repeatedly by your victory propagandists; you need not quibble.
"Therefore, we hereby formally inform you, Prime Minister Nadi, that as long as you do not meet our ceasefire conditions, Cangyuan's future combat objective will certainly be an equivalent retaliatory extinction, which is the most basic courtesy.
"When your capital turns into a sea of fire, Prime Minister Nadi, you will find that the price of three trillion is actually very affordable."
After speaking, Lu Yuan hung up directly.
The Prime Minister's office erupted.
Numerous members of Congress pointed fingers at Nadi and cursed him, accusing him of not bluffing, some demanding he find a way to raise war reparations as soon as possible, some suggesting he meet with Cangyuan's diplomatic mission in New Hope to issue a formal apology for today's remarks,
and others remained silent, preparing to take all their family and property and immediately withdraw from the planet Batra, leaving the aftermath behind.
Ran Ge gave Lu Yuan a thumbs up, expressing his approval.
"Awesome, I feel like the other side has peed their pants."
"Haha, this is extortion without guilt. Anyway, let's say some harsh words first and see how the other party reacts."
Lu Yuan returned to the captain's position.
"We'll proceed as planned, do what we need to do, and begin boarding the space station."
"Okay, so should we apply for docking?"
Lu Yuan thought for a few seconds.
"Don't dock yet, the situation in New Hope is still hard to say, and certainly not everyone welcomes us. Don't forget that Apollo's headquarters are also here, even though they are currently behaving very quietly—"
"Okay. Then I'll have Lou Lan bring the Tianwen over to pick up personnel."
"Mhm, some people will take the Tianwen, and then we'll borrow a few shuttles from New Hope to escort the prisoners of war over. I think Station Chief MacMillan should be willing to help us with this."
"Yes!"
At the highest point of the dock area, in the port control tower, the dispatcher lady found that the pilot of the "tianwen" had not lied earlier.
She had indeed witnessed a good show from her workstation!
Without time to savor the shocking war scene from earlier, she followed orders from above, guiding three of New Hope's newest and best 100-person capacity shuttles to the Cangyuan fleet hovering three kilometers above the dock area.
The players dared not be negligent, comprehensively scanning these three shuttles and, after confirming they contained no explosives, began transferring the first batch of 200 prisoners of war from the two warships.
The remaining nearly 300 people were still imprisoned in Li Star's Oasis City.
"Boss, are you also boarding the station?"
Ye Xing, the vanguard, asked Lu Yuan.
"Of course, since I'm here, I have to go up and take a look. I'll take the Tianwen with you."
"Okay!"
Ten minutes later, the Tianwen and three shuttles were granted space station transit privileges, bypassing the dock area and docking directly in the port area, entering the space station through the luxuriously decorated VIP boarding gate.
The boarding bridge was already crowded with reporters and citizens, and Ye Xing led several other Investigator players to clear the way, carefully checking the safety of the path with scanners.
Ran Ge, Guo Li Cheng, and Ma Lou played the roles of "senior corporate executives," forming a diplomatic delegation, while Lu Yuan, wearing power armor, acted as a security escort, quietly accompanying them.
The prisoners of war shuffled along behind, heads down, like a group of walking dead.
Only Anya knew that Lu Yuan himself was visiting New Hope; Ran Ge had informed her of this news in a private office where no one else was present.
In other words, if a second person in New Hope were to look for Cangyuan's Executive Officer, no matter who they were, it would indicate that Anya was not entirely trustworthy.
This was also a kind of "character" test.
Finally, the Cangyuan delegation passed through the gangway and officially boarded the station, where a spectacular sight unfolded before them: a cylindrical habitable space with an internal height exceeding 100 meters and a circumference of over 10 kilometers.
Whoosh!
Applause, cheers, and whistles erupted, as Cangyuan was warmly welcomed by the citizens gathered in the plaza and along the streets!
These cheers came from thousands of Free Trade Alliance merchants who had spontaneously gathered on the station; in their eyes, anyone who could give the Jialan a good beating was a hero!
Behind the merchants stood the local residents of New Hope, their faces also adorned with approving smiles, giving thumbs up to the Cangyuan diplomatic team,
expressing their welcome.
"This is really strange," a player couldn't help but complain in the public communication channel, "I thought we'd be booed as invaders who almost destroyed the space station!"
"They worship strength."
Ran Ge's answer was concise and to the point.
In the Star Alliance space after the apocalypse, no matter how hard it outwardly tried to "disguise" itself with the remnants of the golden age, it was essentially still a wasteland jungle society where the strong preyed on the weak.
Strength and toughness were always the most valued qualities.
Galan's long-term bullying of weaker factions, while accumulating much dissatisfaction and hatred, still gained official recognition from mainstream society and the Star Alliance Council, being widely recognized as the second most powerful force in the Star Alliance. The reason for this was that they always won battles and always demonstrated their "powerful" side.
"Is that guy being escorted the Jialan's national hero, Vice Admiral Sige?"
Soon, the reporters spotted their target of interest.
"Someone check Sige's photo."
"Yes! It's this guy! The Galan government is a bunch of liars! He didn't return to the country, he was captured by Cangyuan!"
"Quickly tell the TV station to send people to the foreign exchange market, the Galan currency is definitely going to plummet again! This is also big news!"
Hearing the reporters' exchanges, the Free Trade Alliance merchants burst into another round of cheers.
What a beautiful day!
What they didn't know was that there was even greater fun waiting for them ahead.
The Cangyuan visiting team wasted no time, briefly thanking the welcoming reporters and citizens, and then moved towards the most prosperous area of the port, where the Jialan had previously held their victory propaganda.
"Folks, I missed you all so much!"
Ye Xing, walking at the very front, waved vigorously.
Cangyuan's headquarters and branch finally successfully rendezvoused in New Hope.
"Oh! Why are there so many Jialan squatting on the ground, all bruised and swollen?"
"We had a little chat with them in the only language they understand. Just before you arrived."
Ran Ge spread his hands.
"Good, good! It would have been even better if they could have been beaten to death on the spot!"
Ye Xing patted his shoulder, smiling as he looked at the Jialan victory podium decorated with brocade.
At this moment, this useless thing itself was the most powerful mockery of the entire Galan Commonwealth.
"Alright, make all the prisoners climb up there! Make them give one last good speech to the cameras of our reporter friends!"
"Hahahahaha!! Well done!"
The Free Trade Alliance merchants who had followed them saw this scene and immediately laughed so hard they couldn't stand straight, wishing they could clap their hands raw.