It couldn't be denied: patriotism had an appeal in every era.
And in a country like the New Song Kingdom, a hegemonic power in its river system, its advanced social welfare system meant that national identity ran especially deep.
The label of "invader" would undoubtedly make future rule much more difficult.
As for the expert's concern that the Black Stone Kingdom's fleet was not strong enough, Wang Dong hadn't taken it to heart.
Even without the Sky Peng Horizontal, simply deploying the Tianpeng Territory's directly controlled fleet would be enough for the Black Stone Kingdom, with its current strength, to face the New Song Kingdom head-on. The New Song Kingdom had been severely weakened by internal and external wars, after all.
And besides, the Armored Cuirassier was there to hold the line—a Death Starship!
This also made it clear that although the expert had joined the core advisory group, his clearance level was evidently still insufficient.
He still didn't understand the Black Stone Kingdom's true strength.
But his performance just now had successfully made Wang Dong remember his name—Sun Gongyou.
He might have been a little rigid, but Sun Gongyou's principles on matters of national importance were beyond reproach.
People like him had their limitations, but they were just as irreplaceable.
For a country like the Black Stone Kingdom, which leaned more toward a benevolent rule, Sun Gongyou could serve as a stabilizing anchor.
He could keep the Black Stone Kingdom from straying from its overall course.
After Sun Gongyou finished speaking, Wang Lei fell into thought.
Clearly, Sun Gongyou's words had hit the mark.
After a moment, Wang Lei said, "Mr. Sun, setting aside the strength of our fleets, is there any way to avoid being branded 'invaders'?"
Sun Gongyou was slightly taken aback.
Like everyone else present, Sun