Darkstone Code

Chapter 1228 - 1226: Peace Talks

The Prime Minister of the Gafura Empire rubbed his temples, feeling like his brain was about to explode recently, but he never regretted his decision.

The strength of the Peng Jieao Empire made him realize that the current Federation system must undergo reform, necessary and urgent.

If the Emperor were a highly capable emperor, they wouldn’t mind following his decisions, but the current Emperor isn’t so wise.

He has many faults: brutal, cold, easily angered. These are his character flaws, and they ensure he cannot and should not become a dictator, as this would lead the entire country to ruin.

Therefore, no matter what, Gafura has reached a point where reform is necessary; otherwise, the whole country will continue to deteriorate.

Being surpassed by those small countries they once dominated, overtaken, and left far behind!

Only by reform can there be a chance to stand atop the world again.

Nothing can alter the course of reform, not even a war that is unlikely to break out.

From the Gafura Prime Minister’s perspective, he is acutely aware that this conflict may not necessarily escalate into a war; his sharp political instincts have already detected that peculiar air of hypocrisy only known by politicians.

But at this moment, he must do something, as there’s an internal conflict happening in Gafura.

External matters must not influence internal decisions, so the Prime Minister decided to intervene in this conflict as a third party.

"I understand, yes, I understand, you are not at fault; it’s all the Peng Jieao people’s problem," he first affirmed the Federation President’s viewpoint.

All these issues are the fault of the Peng Jieao Empire, unrelated to the Federation, and he continued, "Sometimes when luck is bad, a stray dog might bite you; scolding or hitting them is enough. There’s no need to bite the dog back."

"Now is not the best time to start a war; additional time and patience are needed. Enduring does not mean we’ve retreated; this is the wise choice!"

"Once we’ve resolved some issues, let’s deal with them together!"

The Prime Minister spoke very earnestly, expressing his thoughts with all his might. Wait a bit longer, and together we can tackle them.

The President looked at the writing pad on the desk and continued, "What you said makes some sense; now indeed isn’t the best time to start a war. We still have many things left undone."

"I have an idea..."

The Prime Minister felt tense; when demanding others to execute your idea, you should be prepared to pay a price for it.

"Tell me, I’m listening!"

"Here’s the situation..." The President cleared his throat, "Our Navy lacks some experience, whereas Gafura possesses the world’s finest sailors and the most robust fleet."

"I believe both parties should engage in deeper exchanges in this area, providing friendly mutual assistance and sharing in technical problems related to some ships and shipborne weapons. What do you think?"

This was an open fact laid before the Prime Minister, letting him know that he could do as Lynch said, but they also wanted benefits.

In fact, Gafura has nothing that the Federation is interested in, except for the Navy and sailors.

In the technology of constructing large warships, Gafura people still hold a certain lead, and sailors respond quickly to various emergencies.

Without assistance, the Federation would take a long time to gain these experiences through various "losses."

Every piece of experience is precious, representing a substantial loss incurred by someone over that experience. Without suffering losses, relevant experience cannot be gained.

It’s like a young couple having a child before they are ready to be tied down by family, acquiring experience, passing it down, preventing their child from facing the same situation at their age.

War experience is more critical than ordinary life work experiences. The Federation people who haven’t experienced many wars do not possess the ability to acquire this knowledge.

But now they have an opportunity.

The Prime Minister was silent for a while, took off his glasses, closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and after a long pause, said, "No problem, it’s natural for us to help each other as long as we’re on the same side!"

After some detailed negotiations, the Prime Minister hung up the phone.

He really didn’t want to stand in alliance with the Bail Federal; he simply had no choice.

This time the Federation extorted them, and he would remember that, believing that he would have the opportunity to do the same eventually.

After a brief rest, he placed a call to the Premier of the Peng Jieao Empire, having a chat.

Several years ago, the two sides fought bloody battles, but now the phone conversation seemed very earnest and sincere, with both parties exchanging a lot of information. Eventually, the Gafura Prime Minister brought up the "misunderstandings" between Peng Jieao and Bail.

"I cannot bear to see world peace being disrupted by misunderstandings; each and every one of us needs peace..."

The Peng Jieao Prime Minister was quite clear why Gafura’s real ruler wanted to discuss these matters with him, organizing his thoughts.

"I agree with your viewpoint, but the Federation people are so arrogant and self-centered. We can’t bow on certain issues; it’s not our fault."

"Moreover, you started the disputes first, it’s not our fault!"

He was referring to the embargo issue, where Peng Jieao relied on imports for important parts, and now those people stopped exporting, which was frustrating and resulted in the following friction and conflict.

The Gafura Prime Minister internally started swearing foul words, always aware of the Peng Jieao people’s arrogance, for they truly are the most arrogant ones.

He endured and said, "You initiated the tariff issue first..."

"But we did not impose an embargo..."

Extremely unreasonable, from any perspective, this person is unreasonable. Yet the Gafura Prime Minister knew well that whether it’s reasonable or unreasonable, both are politically necessary.

He paused, "We can negotiate, as some things will not affect our current work and life."

After hearing this, the tone from the other side softened, "I will convey your opinions to His Majesty..."

After hanging up the phone, the Prime Minister became even more exhausted, sighing heavily.

Five years ago, he never worried about these problems.

If anyone disagreed with Gafura’s decision, their fleet would appear at the part of the country nearest the ocean and fire a few shells at their coastline, solving all the issues.

But now, times have changed, as Gafura wasn’t defeated by Peng Jieao but was instead toppled by a long "patient" Bail Federal.

Who would have expected that Bail Federal, always appearing incompetent in the international community, had accumulated such strong power?

No one expected this, nor did he, so the era changed.

Gafura’s enemies changed from one person to a group of people, now becoming two groups.

This increasingly urged him to quickly resolve the domestic opposition, realizing that Gafura doesn’t have much time to waste. They must swiftly achieve some form of unity and revival.

That night, the Prime Minister went to the Secretariat.

Despite the clear skies over the Gafura Imperial Capital, internally, people felt heavy clouds!

In the following days, the conflict between the Federation and Peng Jieao eased considerably due to Gafura’s sudden involvement.

Both those advocating for war or opposing it breathed a sigh of relief.

No one genuinely desires a war’s outbreak; if someone does, they definitely aren’t from the lower or middle tier of society.

In a war, those truly harmed are these people, whereas the upper echelon, not affected much by war’s destruction, could potentially profit from it.

Nevertheless, the war clouds seem to recede, and the Federation’s skies turned bright again.

On such a day, Lynch turned twenty-five.

October, a golden autumn, Penny took the initiative to organize Lynch’s birthday party. Recently, she’s been in the spotlight.

After "Jinghai Qihang" was released, it achieved tremendous success, not only generating substantial box-office revenue but also garnering unanimous acclaim in terms of reputation and artistic quality in the industry.

There was no helping it; Fox Film Corporation offered not only substantial amounts but a wide array. Whether they were influential film reviewers in media or renowned pioneers in the art world, they couldn’t refuse to give a positive review.

Even if some people genuinely disliked this film, they only provided an average review without any attack or negative feedback.

This film aimed at facilitating Fox Film Corporation’s smooth listing, and giving it a poor review not only trampled Fox Film’s reputation but also targeted their stocks.

You can curse a capitalist with the most vicious language, and they won’t much care, potentially ignoring it altogether.

But if you infringe upon their interests, they’ll resort to killing, in various senses of the word.

Angering them at this moment is decidedly unwise.

The outstanding film also sparked a wave of capital frenzy, with masses flooding into cinemas, boosting box-office numbers. Fox Film Corporation’s stock nearly doubled its value shortly after listing, and every role in the film benefited greatly.

Actor’s worth is more direct than other professions; just check the payments.

Penny has obtained the remuneration of a top actress, with only some status lacking.

After all, she’s still too young.

However, these issues are never problems for women.

People won’t necessarily acknowledge what you’ve done or own in assessing a woman’s status; they’ll consider who stands behind her.

Hosting Lynch’s birthday party is a statement.