Chapter 1900 - 1900: 1900
After Liu Zhizhong returned to the Wale Republic, he of course started implementing his own side's plan.
First of all, he had to get in touch with the Evil Luo Country, and he had to call their foreign minister in person.
Liu Zhizhong had a real gift for languages, but he had never studied the Evil Luo Language.
In academic circles, as long as you know the Kekistan language, learning the Evil Luo Language isn't that difficult, and in most cases you can understand Evil Luo.
But people who speak the Evil Luo Language can't necessarily understand some Kekistan languages.
So this time, when Liu Zhizhong called the foreign minister of the Evil Luo Country, the man known as "Donkey-hide Face" La Guerlov, he spoke directly in English: he hoped the other party would communicate with him in English.
La Guerlov had originally been a bit pleased with himself, seeing that it was a personal call from President Chi Zhongshui of the Wale Republic. But as soon as he heard Liu Zhizhong's request, he lost some steam, because he was notorious for his terrible English.
With no other choice, La Guerlov could only summon an English interpreter to sit beside him and do simultaneous interpretation.
Thus, the first conversation between Liu Zhizhong and La Guerlov began.
To be honest, in this conversation, the Evil Luo People thought the advantage was on their side, and were feeling very comfortable inside.
After all, the president of the Wale Republic, who had supported their enemy, was now personally and shamelessly calling them.
Didn't that prove that the role of Weng Xingban could really be put to good use? Using him to squeeze Kekistan and the Wale Republic would be a walk in the park!
La Guerlov said, "Heh heh, thank you, President Chi, for calling in person, we are very happy to speak with you. Regarding the new situation in our two countries' diplomatic relations, Your Excellency must have many things you want to say, right? After all, regrettably, General Weng Xingban is now in our hands!"
Liu Zhizhong sneered inwardly. Idiot old donkey, you really think you can pinch me with this?
He said, "General Ong charged forward for justice and civilization, but was unfortunately captured. I am very sorry about that!"
"Heh heh… What do you mean, 'justice and civilization'? I'm afraid you are misunderstanding something, Mr. President. Your Wale Republic has merely been deceived by the West. Standing together with the Evil Luo Country is your only way out! I hope you will reconsider very carefully!"
"I really did reconsider carefully about establishing diplomatic relations with the Evil Luo Country, that's why I'm talking to you. Before establishing relations, I need to confirm whether General Weng Xingban is still alive, and whether he is still alive and well. Can Your Excellency manage that?"
"Ah? This matter…"
On La Guerlov's end, he was instantly a bit dumbfounded.
Because the real situation with Weng Xingban was: he was very strong-willed and very brave, in a semi-hunger-strike state, and if they didn't send him back, he would rather die than submit.
A War God in a semi-hunger-strike state—his body would definitely be a bit weak, and his appearance wouldn't look too good.
Liu Zhizhong's demand put the Evil Luo People in a real bind.
Liu Zhizhong said, "Oh? Minister, does this feel tricky to you? You've laid out a whole pile of conditions, all about what Kekistan is supposed to do, what the Wale Republic is supposed to do, and you won't allow us to set any conditions?"
La Guerlov said stiffly, "You don't need me to tell you how much General Ong means to the Wale Republic, or to you personally, Mr. President, do you? Right now, the one qualified to set conditions is really not you, Mr. President, but us. It's us, not you. It's us, understand?"
Liu Zhizhong said, "Minister, isn't that statement just a little bit too arrogant? Of course, I know the Evil Luo People have always been overbearing and unreasonable, and I can understand that now as well."
Being mocked, La Guerlov looked very displeased. "Mr. President, did you call specifically to discuss establishing diplomatic relations with me, or to pick a fight? Given the current situation, I hope Your Excellency will recognize reality, rein in at the brink of the precipice, and stop insisting on hurtling toward destruction and degradation!"
Liu Zhizhong laughed loudly and said, "Mr. Minister, you're losing your cool already? You should put on that posture you had at the United Nations, that posture where you thought you were the embodiment of justice. Quarreling with me and trying to threaten me won't do you much good. You only see what General Weng Xingban means to our Wale Republic and to me personally, but you've overlooked another issue."
"What issue?"
La Guerlov was instantly led by the nose by Liu Zhizhong, and pulled into his rhythm.
"You never thought about the backgrounds of those 15 generals captured by Kekistan, did you? Those second-generation offspring of Evil Luo Country tycoons, politicians, and high-ranking officers—pull any one of them out at random, and they're pretty distinguished, aren't they? The fact that you don't seem to remember them—does that mean you don't care? Did you not mention them at all in your negotiations with Kekistan? A single one of our General Ong is worth your 15. Heh heh, I'm quite honored!"
"You… you…"
La Guerlov was stunned speechless for a moment and really didn't know how to respond to Liu Zhizhong.
In the end, he said, "What exactly does Your Excellency want to do?"
Heh, now we're back on topic, aren't we?
Liu Zhizhong said calmly, "First, the Wale Republic's diplomatic personnel are not yet fully in place, so the matter of establishing diplomatic relations with your country will still take some time. Second, I must personally see General Weng Xingban; at the very least, I must get in touch with him and conduct a video call, before I'll proceed to discuss establishing diplomatic relations with you. Third, after we establish diplomatic relations, regarding the oil and gas resource agreement, I don't need to go to your country to sign it. Instead, I hope your country will send people to our side to negotiate and sign."
La Guerlov listened in silence for quite a while, apparently discussing something with those beside him.
After a while, he said, "Very well, the time for establishing diplomatic relations will be about half a month from now. Is that acceptable?"
Liu Zhizhong said, "That's basically fine. Acceptable."
"Your video call with General Weng Xingban—one week from now. Is that acceptable?"
Liu Zhizhong immediately said, "Not now? Not this week? Why does it have to be one week later?"
He was worried that in case they had abused Weng Xingban, they wanted a week to let him recover or to patch something up.
La Guerlov immediately started playing diplomatic Tai Chi Boxing. "General Ong is an important prisoner of war. If you want a video call with him, we also have to go through very strict procedures on our side. In the end it still has to be submitted to our President Puerjing for approval before such communication can take place. Mr. Puerjing handles state affairs day and night and is extremely busy. Who knows when he'll have time to review the report and give instructions? On this point, I ask President Chi Zhongshui for your understanding and patience!"
Liu Zhizhong gave a cold laugh and said, "Is it really that complicated? Mr. La Guerlov, I suspect you're playing a delaying tactic."
"No, no, no, Mr. President, you're overthinking it. I'm just following the rules, there's no delay involved."
"Rules? The Evil Luo People are talking to me about rules now? If you people followed rules, would this war have happened? Would all this innocent bloodshed and sacrifice have happened?"
Liu Zhizhong's tone turned a bit colder, and his voice grew heavier…