Chapter 1816 - 1816
"Uh... I..."
Long Bo was momentarily at a loss for words, but quickly recovered and said forcefully, "Ruan Juhai wants revenge? Let him come then; am I afraid? Wabei's power, hehe... is enough for those bastards of the People's Army to drink a lot. People's Army sounds impressive, but isn't it just warlord soldiers in new skin? Given Wabei's terrain, what can they do to me?"
Xue Manzi laughed heartily and said, "Commander Long, you're still too superficial, hehe... Chi Zhongshui's army procurement ability and ideological armament capacity might make the Goa Army attack your Wabei Army wholeheartedly, and within half a year, your entire Wabei could fall. By then, your fate would be predictable! Fighting here and there, aside from the ruin of rivers and mountains, your life won't be spared, right? You might as well consider another path, hehe..."
Even though Long Bo had a hot-blooded mind, words from a big warlord like Xue Manzi still managed to influence him.
He paused for a while, then said, "What path are you talking about?"
"Send a communiqué to all of Vallebang, stating that the Wabei District submits to the Xue Family's Wazhong Region while achieving high autonomy. With me, Mr. Xue, here, if the Goa Army dares to attack you, my troops will immediately push eastward, hitting them chaotically from front to back. This way, everything balances out. They won't dare attack you, and you can protect yourself. With an alliance between our two families, we can hold that mad dog Chi Zhongshui in Goa for a lifetime."
"You..." Long Bo suddenly became indignant, "So, you want to swallow my territory? Xue Manzi, you are so black-hearted!"
"No, no, no, it's not annexation. Your communiqué is only nominal. Actually, Wabei remains yours; you are its king, holding the power over life and death, all income is yours. Isn't that good?"
"This..." Long Bo was puzzled again and suddenly threw out a question, "Xue Manzi, why are you getting involved; what's in it for you?"
"Heh heh..."
Xue Manzi chuckled slyly, secretly thinking this guy wasn't entirely a fool!
However, he said, "My biggest benefit is to strengthen our alliance, forming a real coalition between Wabei and Wazhong. If one day the time is ripe, with strong troops, going east, we could swallow up the Goa Region and eliminate Chi Zhongshui; going west, our alliance can make the Peng, Zhao, and Bi families' warlords tremble. The immediate benefit is maintaining a strong balance so that no one dares have designs on the other, understand?"
Long Bo took a deep breath and said, "Your explanation sounds quite good! What should be done next? When should I send the communiqué to the entire nation?"
"Listen to me, send the communiqué to the whole nation tomorrow. Meanwhile, on my side, I will initiate the deployment of a large army to move closer, entering Wabei..."
"What? No way!!!"
Long Bo exploded immediately, "Your army is entering my territory; what on earth are you trying to do?"
This is a major taboo between warlords!
Xue Manzi remained calm and said, "Commander Long, don't get excited. I do have inside information; the Goa Army plans to mobilize soon and then directly march north to liberate Wabei. My army coming over is merely to assist in your defense. Your defense line will retreat 50 kilometers, taken over by me. In case of war, my men will hold the front, and there's no need for your men, avoiding bloodshed for you. Isn't this approach enough to demonstrate my commitment and that of my alliance? With me fighting the enemy at the front, you won't be happy to shoot me in the back, do you find this arrangement unsteady?"
"Ah, uh..."
Long Bo's throat blocked up, unsure of what to say, but upon thinking, it wasn't a bad deal!
Yet he was still a bit uneasy, saying, "If your army comes in, couldn't they encircle me? Not letting them in, I can manage, but once inside, I can't withstand the Xue Family Army!"
"Sigh, buddy, saying this is meaningless! My Xue Family Army is vast and powerful; this cooperation is only for long-term balance. Is my long-term goal just Wabei? That would be petty. Forming allies requires joint development and fighting, eventually dividing Vallebang. You'll be in the north, I'll be in the south, with the Valle Mountain Range as the boundary. Don't you find this satisfactory? Once my army enters and occupies the defense line, aiming fully at the Goa Region, your forces will be stationed 50 kilometers behind mine, with cannons aimed at me. Wouldn't this work?"
Damn, Long Bo was persuaded again.
Thus, Long Bo completely agreed to the terms.
"Fine, I agree to your plan! But when your army moves north, I won't be courteous; guns and artillery will be aimed until you move to the Goa Defense Line. Also, I have some demands."
"Alright, go ahead, go ahead..."
"Your men coming over must be no more than 30,000, and you must handle all logistical support yourselves. Don't expect a single bullet or thread from me. Furthermore..."
"..."
The two negotiated for a while, eventually reaching a phone agreement for cooperation.
In the end, Xue Manzi stated that a written agreement would follow for both sides to sign and validate it. But this agreement would be executed once the army was in place.
Long Bo agreed to this too.
In truth, after the call, Xue Manzi was thrilled.
Long Bo, you dare let my army in, directly counterattack and wipe you out with 30,000 troops. Though there will be some casualties, it will surely be a shameful defeat for you.
Indeed, Old Man Peng anticipated Xue Manzi's moves early. Warlords understand each other best!
Except, this time Xue Manzi needed some outside forces to orchestrate, namely Chi Zhongshui's Goa Army.
Therefore, early the next morning, Liu Zhizhong was still in dreamland when Xue Manzi called.
"Haha... Chairman Chi, you returned to Goa yesterday? I wanted to invite you for a meal to sign the arms agreement, but that's not possible now, right?"
Liu Zhizhong thought to himself, this big guy calling so early, what's going on?
Of course, Liu Zhizhong replied, "The Goa People's Government has just been established and there's a lot to handle, so I can't stay away. Commander Xue's dinner invitation will be attended sooner or later. As for the arms contract, directly go to the headquarters of the trade company for negotiations and placements; the company will wholeheartedly serve you."
"Alright, alright. Chairman Chi certainly is dedicated to Goa, outstanding! For business, I will send people to negotiate today. But there's another major task requiring your cooperation, Chairman Chi!"
"Oh? What's the situation?"
"Please have the Goa People's Army deploy 10,000 troops to the Wabei border, forming an attack stance, just a stance without actual fighting. Transport soldiers and supplies, bring logistics over, with artillery in tow, and that's about it."
"Oh? Commander Xue, this... what do you mean?"