I Can't Refuse You, No Matter What (aka: Vile Scoundrel)

So much happened that day that it was overwhelming.

People assumed that Emperor of Gefra would be furious and launch a new war to wash away the shame, which was exactly the impression Gefra Emperor had always given people.

He always boasted that his Invincible Fleet would wash away his shame when he was in a bad mood, but in reality, he was not the one who was truly humiliated. His arrogance seemed to have become a label firmly attached to him!

If Gefra were to actually wage war, it wouldn't be entirely unacceptable. What's interesting is that Gefra's ambassador to the Federal, when interviewed by Diplomatic Ambassador at the embassy, vehemently denied this fact.

"Federal?"

"They defeated our Invincible Fleet?"

His tone was comical, incredulous, almost joking, with an upward emphasis and the arrogance that had always been present in the Gefra people. "That's impossible. I must correct some of your misconceptions."

"First of all, we have never fought a naval battle with the Federal, so there is no possibility of total annihilation. If they, and you, believe this to be true, then produce the evidence."

"I believe you have no evidence, because if you had evidence, you wouldn't be here asking me for verification, but instead you'd be all over the world publishing pointless articles mocking our failure!"

"No naval battles, no defeats!"

The statement from the Gefra Diplomat and the silence from Gefra's own country suddenly brought a moment of calm to the excited crowd, followed by a second press conference held by the Federal Secretary of Defense.

At the press conference, the Secretary of Defense announced to the world's media that they had consulted with the people of Gefra and obtained some new information.

The Gefra did not send any warships to the neutral waters; their First Fleet was undergoing repairs in Gefra's military port, and they provided very clear evidence to prove this.

The battleships Triumph Princess and Knight Captain Commander, symbols of the First Fleet, are transiting the Eberil Strait towards Amelia Region, accompanied by six frigates and several destroyers. They are currently undergoing maintenance at an open port, where people can verify information with local officials or individuals at any time.

The Secretary of Defense believes that the misjudgment may have been due to intelligence failures, and the final result will be determined by the salvage team. By salvaging the sunken warships, they will be able to easily identify their origins.

At the same time, the Secretary of Defense issued a new Wanted Order to the International Community for a pirate Leader named "Preton Groot," and announced the Leader Preton.

In addition to common crimes such as piracy, robbery, and murder, there are also more serious crimes such as subversion of state power.

In order to uphold justice and peace on the world's oceans, the Federal Government has the responsibility and obligation to eradicate evil completely. It will dispatch fleets around the world to continue to capture the remnants of the Preton Pirate Group. It also hopes that ports in some countries can provide the Federal fleet with the convenience of docking and resupply when necessary.

Some things change so fast that some news articles written by journalists in the morning are already outdated by the afternoon before they can even be sent out. But this also makes people realize that a new hegemonic power has "come online".

However, people do not find it unacceptable. Firstly, there is the precedent of even more domineering hegemony like Gefra, whose actions have made people dare not speak out against them.

The Federal's attitude is much better than that of the Gefra, and they are not difficult to approach. Although their current approach is following the old path of the Gefra, it is easier for them to accept than the Gefra.

It's like a woman walking alone through a dark, secluded alley in the dead of night encountering a bad guy.

Not only Gefra a scoundrel ugly and vicious, but he also has an unbearable body odor. Even if a woman has to submit to him for her own safety, she will surely be filled with hatred and anger.

But the Federal is different. The Federal's system gives the country a lot of flexibility. If the villain Gefra is a despicable robber, then the Federal is a gentleman.

Perhaps the woman who is about to be violated will not only not resist, but may even want to actively cooperate to obtain greater pleasure.

A Gefra that only plunders and demands is far inferior to Federal, while taking, also provides some equal benefits.

Meanwhile, today, the Bayer Federal Industrial Index saw another huge increase, with Shep Shipbuilding and Vipai Industries rising by more than 200 percent, an unprecedented figure. Vipai Industries, in particular, saw its stock price surge from 1.13 to 3.81.

The new torpedo, known worldwide as the "battleship killer," has demonstrated its new dominance on the seas. The Federal Navy has placed a huge order with them, putting the entire Vipai Industries into high-speed operation.

They even opened two brand-new torpedo production lines to meet the needs of the Department of Defense's orders, and this was reflected in their stock price.

The changes in stock prices also brought about some changes at the bottom of society. The people of the Federal were absolutely convinced that they had defeated the invincible navy of Gefra, even though neither side had confirmed this.

But people believed it, and spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate, to march—this time it was a good march, people were cheering for becoming citizens of a powerful nation.

More importantly, if the Federal can defeat the Gefra in naval battles, then happiness and the future are not far away from us.

Lin Qi, who was standing by the window, let go of the curtains, which had been drawn back, and walked back to the table, sitting down in a chair. "Look, this is what we need: victory."

"Boosting morale requires victory, revitalizing our nation's industry requires victory, establishing the Federal's international standing requires victory, even breathing freely..." He smiled and tilted his head slightly, "Requires victory, a victory that breaks the established order!"

"In people's eyes, the Federal and Gefra should have become two opposing sides, but who would have thought that the President would personally call the Emperor of Gefra and discuss some cooperative matters in a very cordial and friendly manner?"

Mr. Truman, sitting across from Lin Qi, also found the events of the past twelve hours... he didn't know how to put it, a bit astonishing, a bit fantastical, but also more ironic.

The President and Gefra Emperor had a brief phone call in the morning, and there was no expected outburst of anger.

Gefra Emperor did not offer his usual greetings to the female members of the president's household, nor did he hurl insults or threats. The two sides discussed things calmly and even touched upon some issues of cooperation.

The battle broke out, and then it gave everyone an unexpected outcome—neither the Gefra nor the Federal President expected that after the Gefra surrendered, the fleet Commander would still order an annihilation. This was too unexpected and exceeded everyone's expectations.

This seemingly irreconcilable conflict actually became the basis for their secret Peace Talks. Neither side wanted the situation to escalate beyond their control, so they were determined to keep it firmly under their control.

If one person or one country cannot control it alone, then two people or two countries should work together to control it.

Going to war now would be an unbearable loss for any country, so the situation must be stabilized! It sounds fantastical; Gefra has been attacked, and their emperor has to help the Federal clean up the mess...

"What will happen next?" Mr. Truman was curious, because Lin Qi clearly had a completely different view on the occurrence and changes in international affairs.

For example, he believed that war would not break out, but a confrontation between major powers would occur. However, Lin Qi gave them a solution that they could not refuse, which directly gave both sides the basis for Peace Talks. After stabbing the Gefra people in the stomach, they could still Peace Talks. It can only be said that Lin Qi had touched their weak spot.

Yes, the problem in the Amelia Region is Gefra's Achilles' heel.

He stated this viewpoint during a private conversation between Lin Qi and the president and other key Cabinet Member.

At this stage, the interests of the Amelia Region far outweigh the military retaliation by Gefra against the Federal. Military retaliation will not yield any further gains than demonstrating that they can maintain a certain balance with the Federal militarily; on the contrary, it will expose more problems.

On the contrary, stabilizing the interests in the Amelia Region would be more constructive for the development of the entire empire.

The President also raised this point during the phone call, stating that the Federal supports the sovereignty of the Gefra Empire in the Amelia Region internationally and is willing to assist the Gefra Empire in maintaining its rule over its overseas territories.

This statement... is roughly equivalent to a powerful alliance, and geographically, the Federal's support would be easier to achieve than the Gefra's method of gaining stable rule through force, and it would not exacerbate the conflict between the ruling and the ruled classes.

After the meeting, Mr. Truman had a short break. The president had given him two hours, so he came here to talk to Lin Qi about what would happen next.

He wasn't trying to answer anyone's questions with Lin Qi's answers; it was purely out of curiosity and a desire to combine Lin Qi's predictions with his own to make a more accurate judgment on the future changes in the international landscape.

"What's next?"

"We'll all make money, make a lot of money, and then when the next war breaks out, we'll fight each other to the death!" Lin Qi said, laughing heartily. "As long as there's no war between us and Gefra, the world order won't be in chaos anytime soon."

"We will be able to obtain more resources, better cooperation conditions, and more preferential policies, but we will also be secretly hostile to more countries. We will replace Gefra as the target that people want to catch up with or even eliminate."

"Until... the outbreak of the next World War!"