At those words, the entire room fell silent for a full thirty seconds. Then the conference room sank once more into a heart-wrenching silence that was difficult to describe.
It wasn't that the Commonwealth's cabinet ministers wanted to give their boss a hard time. They were still utterly loyal to President Nishita. The problem was that the president's words were so abstract that, for a moment, none of them could quite process them.
"Do you even know what you're saying? We're inferior in national strength, military power, and technology. We've only managed to maintain a stalemate thanks to the troops on the front lines giving everything they've got. Now, if we're the first to express an interest in peace talks with the Empire, how is that any different from surrendering?" The hot-tempered labor minister, Mr. Bai, almost let loose a string of curses, but managed to bite them back at the last possible moment.
Mr. Bai Yantang looked at Mr. Nishita, who had lost a considerable amount of weight. His eyes were sunken, his cheekbones sharply defined, and his eyes bloodshot. Even a hard-bitten man like him couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy.
Whatever the case, Nishita was the president and head of state of the Commonwealth. They had to show him some respect. Besides, considering what he'd been through lately, they couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
President Nishita's cheek twitched. He forced an awkward smile. "I understand what you're saying. The war has reached this point, and both sides have played all their cards. Now it comes down to willpower. We can't be the first to show weakness."
Chairman Maxwell exchanged glances with the others, then replied in a clear voice, "That's right. The songs of Earth's people are songs of courage and willpower. Even when facing