Picking Up Supreme Treasures in the Dream Realm-Chapter 436 - 318, The Temptation of 12 Million Square Kilometers of Land_2
Thin, transparent ice silk strands rapidly emerged from the ice mosquito, changing its appearance entirely in an instant.
After just one breath.
The ice mosquito completely vanished without a trace, replaced by a delicate bear’s head made of ice crystals.
Su Yuxuan blurted out, "Bering Kingdom!"
The national flag of the Bering Kingdom features a white bear emblem, making the white bear a symbol of the Bering People internationally.
Staring at the delicate bear’s head, Su Yuxuan suddenly realized a possibility: "Is something about to happen in the Bering Kingdom?"
Yang Fan smiled, "The Bering Kingdom territory in the east is likely about to face trouble."
The Bering Kingdom spans a vast territory, with a total area of an astonishing eighteen million square kilometers, straddling two continents.
However, its population does not exceed three hundred million, making it sparsely populated.
The development within the Bering Kingdom is extremely uneven.
The five million-plus square kilometers in the Western Hemisphere is the essence of the Bering Kingdom, gathering 90% of its economy and 80% of its population.
Over ten million square kilometers in the Eastern Hemisphere mostly constitute a harsh land with significantly lagging economic development and a large impoverished population.
The two territories are typically referred to as "Western Bering" and "Eastern Bering."
Su Yuxuan immediately inquired, "Are our northern Eastern Bering people about to be unable to hold on?"
Great Xia borders directly with the Bering Kingdom; to the north of Great Xia lies the Eastern Hemisphere territory of the Bering Kingdom.
Since the Age of Calamity, Eastern Bering has become even worse off, with many places struggling just to find food.
In a significant number of small towns, villages, and even small cities in this harsh land, starvation has become commonplace.
And with the national strength of the Bering Kingdom, there’s no way to aid or relocate Eastern Bering’s populace like Great Xia can.
Yang Fan nodded, "The Bering Kingdom has effectively abandoned Eastern Bering, and in one or two months, there will be mass starvation in the north."
Su Yuxuan couldn’t help but say, "People online say the Bering People are bear-like, but I don’t see it."
Yang Fan laughed, "The Bering People have fallen victim to the ’resource curse.’"
With a vast land rich in resources, the Bering People have grown accustomed to living off resource sales.
Compared to the effort of developing high technology, selling resources is far easier.
This is the classic "resource curse."
Su Yuxuan tentatively asked, "You’re not thinking about targeting Eastern Bering, are you?"
Yang Fan responded with a question, "Why not?"
He explained, "Eastern Bering still has tens of millions of people; it’s a shame for them to die out needlessly.
"Eastern Bering has become thoroughly disappointed with the Bering Kingdom, presenting a very good opportunity."
Su Yuxuan was shocked, struggling to formulate words, "This... this plan is astounding."
The Bering Kingdom is a large nation, considered strong in the eyes of many.
Even the Carmenians would not dare to think about partitioning Eastern Bering, but he’s daring to consider it.
Indeed, he’s worthy of respect!
But Su Yuxuan had to admit, the plan was incredibly enticing.
After all, it’s over twelve million square kilometers of land, larger than Great Xia’s current territory, with untold resources hidden within.
While the development difficulty is extremely high, having it is better than not.
Yang Fan sighed, "Looking back over two thousand years, the ancestors of the Great Xia People once herded livestock beside an inland sea called the Northern Sea.
"The Great Xia People had once had opportunities to acquire lands further north but missed those chances again and again.
"Beneath the vast northern snowy forests lie unimaginable resources, yet we lost them."
"Now, this opportunity once again presents itself to the Great Xia People. What do you think they should choose?"
Su Yuxuan swallowed hard and suddenly calmed down, "Eastern Bering is indeed a good place, but firstly, the climate is too harsh, making resource extraction difficult despite large deposits.
"Secondly, given the Bering People’s nature, they would rather let Eastern Bering’s people perish than see Eastern Bering fall into Great Xia’s hands."
She paused and emphasized, "Doing so would provoke a war between the two nations!"
Yang Fan chuckled, "Am I that foolish?"
He immediately laid out a plan: "The leadership of Great Xia should subtly push from behind the scenes, allowing Eastern Bering to self-determine without having to appear openly.
"Nominally, Eastern Bering would still be part of the Bering Kingdom, only shifting to a semi-independent autonomous state.
"The Bering Kingdom is currently facing enormous economic challenges, and no matter what, they need supplies from Great Xia.
"Even if the Bering People are very dissatisfied with Great Xia, under the current circumstances, they can only endure it.
"Once Eastern Bering’s independence becomes a fait accompli, Great Xia can slowly advance and ultimately make it part of Great Xia."
Su Yuxuan seemed convinced, "Your plan seems highly feasible!"
According to this plan, if a war were to break out, it would be a conflict between Western and Eastern Bering.
Even if Western Bering eventually wins, the Bering Kingdom would pay a heavy price, potentially losing its status as a great power.
Overall.
No matter the outcome, it would be a good thing for Great Xia.
Su Yuxuan had another question, "Great Xia is already confronting the Carmenia Federation on the Oil Peninsula, now initiating the Eastern Bering Plan as well; this risks a two-front war. Shouldn’t we delay the Eastern Bering Plan a bit?"
Yang Fan shook his head, "No, now is the optimal time."
Su Yuxuan couldn’t comprehend.
Yang Fan did not elaborate further.
In fact.
The Oil Peninsula Plan and the Eastern Bering Plan, although seemingly unrelated, are essentially the same thing.
The key is—Youde Decoction.
This miraculous Summer Medicine created by the ninety-year-old Xia Medical ties the two plans together like a needle.
Once the Youde Decoction is deployed on a large scale, its miraculous effects will surely astonish Canglan Star.
The reason is simple—the Youde Decoction can aid the Canglan People in developing resources in the high cold regions.
If Eastern Bering has not yet become independent, the Bering People would undoubtedly launch a war without hesitation, sparing no effort to seize Eastern Bering.
Yang Fan smiled, "Report the Eastern Bering Plan to the higher-ups."
Su Yuxuan responded immediately, "Yes!"
Yang Fan felt he’d strolled enough and said, "Let’s head back."
Soon.
The two left the Lantai District.
Two security guards stepped out of the security room, standing at the entrance watching them walk away.
They would never have thought that a plan destined to change Canglan Star was conceived in this old community.
*
Luotuo Kingdom.
Landeya.
After the self-service dinner ended.
Major Lin returned to his room to rest and suddenly heard an urgent knock at the door.
"Bang! Bang!"
Major Lin paused, then quickly stepped over and opened the door.
The figure standing at the door was none other than Major General Ahmed.
The general urgently said, "Major, there’s been a coup in the neighboring Daman Kingdom; the entire Damman Royal Family has been massacred by rebels, and intense gunfire has erupted in the Daman Capital, with countless casualties unknown."
Major Lin was dumbfounded.
He had not yet received information from his homeland and was unaware of this major incident, so he was momentarily unresponsive.
But the Major quickly grasped the significance of the situation, "Will the internal turmoil in Daman Kingdom soon affect the Luotuo Kingdom?"
Ahmed nodded forcefully, "The rebel leader claims that the oil buried beneath the Oil Peninsula should be equally distributed among all the Peninsula’s countries. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"The rebels intend to forcibly seize a portion of the oil fields from our country and are demanding compensation of 500 trillion Carmenia Dollars."
Though the Oil Peninsula indeed has vast quantities of oil, its distribution is uneven.
Due to geographical factors, Luotuo Kingdom occupies 40% of it, and most are high-quality oil fields with low extraction difficulty.
Major Lin immediately realized, "Someone must be secretly aiding Daman Kingdom behind the scenes."
Ahmed nodded again, "We suspect the same."
The General sincerely said, "Major, we need Great Xia’s help."
The whole world knows that Luotuo Kingdom’s army consists of a bunch of dilettantes.
No matter how advanced their equipment is, it’s hard to make them effective in combat.
