Darkstone Code-Chapter 843 - 841: Supplying Shells

The soothing music in the room cannot conceal the raging storm within people’s hearts.

Gafura’s diplomat was quite right; when one becomes accustomed to using simple methods to deal with issues, the further it goes, the less inclined they are to use complex approaches.

Even thinking seems to have become a burden.

It’s just like Gafura in previous years; they were invincible, and no one in the world could defeat them at sea. They were causing trouble everywhere around the world.

Attacking a port based on a rumor or masquerading as pirates to plunder at sea.

Unreasonable, and increasingly unreasonable.

Because Emperor Gafura found that reasoning not only tired him but failed to achieve their expected gains, it also incited anger.

So, why bother reasoning?

The bay is blocked, shells loaded — either apologize and pay up, or attack the port.

The loss from the destruction of a port far exceeds the extortion by Emperor Gafura, so just pay him!

Precisely because he believed this method could quickly accumulate wealth and resources, the Gafura people became dangerous. They began to invade other countries actively, triggering a global war.

The most aggravating part was that they ended up as the victors; a group of villains won the war, where justice lost to evil.

Now, the Federation is treading the old path of Gafura. Unlike a few years ago, when they would first send official diplomatic notes for any issue, negotiating to resolve problems even if it meant suffering some losses.

If negotiations couldn’t resolve the issue, they would find a third-party mediator to reconcile conflicts and try to resolve them.

War?

Force?

Impossible, impossible!

But now, they have changed.

"I agree with Count’s view; this is a very dangerous signal."

Speaking is Gafura’s staunch follower, actually a country initially threatened and extorted by the Gafura people. Unable to fight them and unwilling to incur undue losses, they joined Gafura’s ranks.

This process of joining after paying protection fees, being unable to resist, is how the alliance with Gafura as its core developed. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Some joined because they couldn’t resist; some joined thinking they couldn’t resist.

Some countries might be for self-preservation; others purely hoped to exploit such an opportunity to profit using Gafura.

The speaker, sporting two small mustaches, was tall and thin, "We must make the Federation realize that peacefully resolving problems is the only solution; using force does not align with the current international trends."

"We’re no longer in wartime, and must consider the international peace environment!"

Others were expressing their views as well at this moment, mostly agreeing with Gafura’s diplomat, noting that if the Federation tastes sweetness through hard-line measures, they might not stop.

That evening, several embassies voiced their stance externally. Of course, everyone’s statements were very tactful.

They didn’t deny or criticize the actions of the Federation Government but explored whether there were other ways to resolve conflicts beyond retaining the use of force initially, such as... through amicable, polite negotiations, multi-party talks, and the likes.

Not necessarily does every problem require force to solve; sitting down to talk still holds the hope of resolution—

If the Gafura people understood this principle earlier, the global war involving over a million deaths wouldn’t have erupted; truly a disastrous folly!

Several countries close to Gafura issued statements; the originally panicked Suge diplomat suddenly calmed down.

Now everyone is on his side, and he suddenly feels empowered; the Federation doesn’t seem as frightening anymore...

But...

At night, Suge’s diplomat looked at the newspaper on the table, at the burlap bag-covered heads in the newspaper, suddenly having an indescribable intuition.

These people... aren’t they those gang members?

He didn’t know where this feeling came from; suddenly, he shivered, fully able to imagine that this was possible.

Suge’s failed reform has led to a disconnect between the central and local government; warlordism is rising, and locally there’s already a notion that "it’s better to have a gun than power."

If it really was a powerful gang, their fighting strength might not be weaker than the police; if they had some weapons in hand, they could even confront local troops.

Such a gang, one daring to strike foreigners fatally, couldn’t be easily resolved, right?

He walked over to the liquor cabinet and opened a bottle, a high-proof spirit — he needed to calm down.

Due to the "dissatisfaction" caused by the Federation’s recent stance, many people didn’t sleep well all night, thinking about how to resolve these issues.

Early the next morning, while still in bed, the President called Mr. Truman, requesting a meeting as soon as possible.

Mr. Truman had to first go to the President’s Mansion, as the President residing there seemed quite natural.

When he met the President, the President hadn’t fully gotten up yet. He was sitting on a chair in the reception room, wearing pajamas, with a glass of wine on the small round table in front of him.

He was staring blankly out the window, his facial expression betraying none of his inner emotional fluctuations at that moment.

Mr. Truman knocked on the door, and he snapped back to attention, "Come over, I’ve been waiting for you."

Mr. Truman smiled as he hung his coat on the coat rack by the door. There used to be a cloakroom here, but some idle people believed that the President shouldn’t have a cloakroom for storing various things, as he wasn’t meant to enjoy or flaunt wealth by living in the President’s Mansion.

A few suits in the wardrobe were deemed enough for the President, and if he really wanted those miscellaneous clothes, he could easily go home to change.

So the cloakroom was replaced with a wardrobe and a coat rack.

"Want some?", the President pointed to the bottle of wine on the table.

Mr. Truman considered it for a few seconds, then nodded, "Sure, but not too much, there’s still plenty of work this morning."

The President seemed to have anticipated this, pouring Mr. Truman just a little, not even thumb-width high.

"I didn’t sleep well last night. Things are going in the worst direction; they’re colluding. The pressure on me is immense!"

The President didn’t start by complaining or blaming anything; he only mentioned the pressure he was under.

Mr. Truman was silent for a few seconds, "Actually, you might view their collusion from another perspective..."

"Oh?", the President, holding his wine glass, looked at Mr. Truman, "From what perspective?", he said, taking a sip.

The alcohol relaxed him; he didn’t feel as anxious as when he first heard the news last night.

"They’re uniting because they’re afraid of us. They believe that’s the only way to confront us."

After listening, the President didn’t immediately express an opinion; he thought seriously for a moment before nodding, "An interesting perspective, but the question is how do we solve this issue, rather than what angle we view it from."

Mr. Truman was clearly prepared for this question, "We don’t need to do anything; we can ignore their clamor. They’re not involved in these matters, so there’s no need to let them in."

"Moreover, I received some news, Mr. President, that those people in our pictures aren’t the real culprits of the crime..."

The President’s eyes lit up, "Are you saying they indeed deceived us?"

He quickly followed up, "Do we have evidence?"

Mr. Truman had talked to Lynch last night and learned about it. Some evidence was slowly being released, and people were also informed that those criminals hidden by the Suge Government had already been executed.

Yes, according to Lynch’s account, those Suge people who killed Federation citizens had been entirely sheltered and hidden locally. There were interests between them, and they even irresponsibly exaggerated the discovered content, possibly under the Suge Government’s direction.

Their aim was to reduce the number of Federation people in Suge, which would help solidify their rule.

At times, Mr. Truman wondered if Lynch understood concepts like "moral baseline" as he seemed to have none. He would dare to do anything as long as it achieved his goals, even framing others.

But admittedly, the evidence Lynch provided this time was very significant, which was why he dared to keep confronting the situation.

Mr. Truman nodded resolutely, "I’ve already received a list. These people are all alive."

The President finally breathed a sigh of relief, downing the remaining bit of wine in his glass, "I’ll leave this matter entirely to you, any problems?"

"No problem, Mr. President..."

The President was very satisfied, pointing to the glass as he stood up, "I’m going to change clothes. Finish your drink before you leave..."

At this moment, the President finally made up his mind. Even the most patient of people would get angry when repeatedly pressured.

The President was truly angry; domestic people were making things difficult for him, and so were international people.

When someone like Mr. Fei Qi calls him, he can’t do anything. When the Emperor of the Gafura Empire calls him, he can’t do anything either. But why should diplomats from small countries demand he "sit down for negotiations"? Who gave them the courage?

At this point, he felt Mr. Truman had a valid point: these people are colluding because they’re afraid, so what is there for him to worry about?

At 8 o’clock, the "Federal Times" began its nationwide publication. Today’s front page headline was filled with pictures of certain individuals, along with their names and descriptions of their activities in Suge, as well as their involvement in the Mike murder case.

These photos... appeared to have been taken recently, suggesting that everything the Suge people said before was false.

Simultaneously, the Federation’s Ministry of International Affairs’ First Minister, Mr. Truman, officially invited the media to attend a 10 o’clock press conference. He stated that he had something to announce...