"As for the appointments of ministers to the three new departments-the Ministry of National Education and Literacy, the Ministry of Industrial Planning and Development, and the National Security Committee-I will issue a separate document later to..."
Sankara had yet to finish speaking.
"Creeeak-"
The two guards stationed outside pushed open the doors to the conference hall.
Then,
Meyev hurried in from outside, and everyone turned to look at him.
"Mr. President!"
He walked over to Sankara, bent down, and whispered into his ear:
"The French ambassador is here. He wishes to see you!"
"..."
At the words "French ambassador," Sankara's gaze gradually grew grave. Only after a moment of silence did he reply:
"Take him to the reception room and tell him I'll be there shortly!"
"Yes, Mr. President!"
Meyev nodded, then turned and left.
"Whew-"
Sankara took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, then turned his gaze back to everyone in the conference hall and said with a smile:
"I had a great deal more to say to you, but I have something more important to attend to now. It seems I'll have to find another opportunity to have a proper talk with you!"
"Let me emphasize one final point!"
"Please make sure you remember what I said at the beginning. I don't want this to be the last time I see you at a high-level government meeting."
"All right, that's enough for today!"
"Meeting adjourned!"
Before his words had faded, Sankara rose and left the conference hall.
As they watched Sankara's retreating figure,
the people in the conference hall wore all sorts of expressions-curiosity, excitement, disdain, and gloom!
The reception room.
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!"
A blond man sitting on the sofa spat the tea he had just drunk back into his cup and complained in French with a look of disgust:
"This tea tastes worse than the swill my grandmother boiled with her old leather shoes! Don't they have so much as an ounce of decent tea?"
"Their former president certainly knew how to enjoy himself!"
Just then,
"Good morning, Mr. Ambassador!"
Before he had even set foot through the door, Sankara's booming voice had already reached the blond man's ears.
Sankara entered the reception room, extending his right hand toward the blond man as he walked, and continued with a broad smile:
"I've long heard that Mr. Adrian has beautiful blond hair and is very handsome. Now that we've met, you're even more handsome than I imagined!"
"Hahaha..."
At Sankara's words, a smile instantly appeared on Adrian's face as well. He rose and reached out to shake Sankara's right hand, replying:
"Mr. President, you certainly have a more pleasing way with words than your predecessor! I hope our conversation later will be just as enjoyable as this!"
"Is that so?"
Sankara smiled without offering much of a reply. Instead, he withdrew his right hand and made an inviting gesture, saying:
"There's no rush. Let's sit down and take our time!"
Only after Adrian had sat back down did Sankara, who had also taken a seat, continue:
"May I ask what urgent business has brought you to see me so early, Mr. Adrian?"
"If there is anything, just tell me!"
"As long as it's within my capabilities, I, Sankara, will make sure it's properly arranged!"
Perhaps because he had not expected Sankara to say this, a smile appeared on Adrian's face this time-a heartfelt smile.
At the same time, however, a trace of disdain flashed deep in his eyes.
Picking up the teacup he had tossed onto the table earlier, he took a small sip. Only after remarking, "This really is excellent tea," did Adrian answer:
"I do indeed have some very important matters to discuss with you, Mr. President!"
"I believe you must be aware!"
"To maintain the friendly relationship between your country and mine, my country signed quite a few treaties of friendship with your previous presidents."
"Now, although your country's political situation has experienced some slight upheaval,"
"I imagine that should not become a reason for relations between our two countries to suffer?"
Adrian had not spelled it out, but he had already made himself clear.
As long as Sankara was not a fool,
he would understand what Adrian was talking about.
So, was Sankara a fool?
Those so-called treaties of friendship!
Put plainly, they were actually all manner of unequal treaties that the Fourth French Republic had forced the Republic of Burkina to sign.
These included, but were not limited to, unilateral tariff exemptions and concessions, extraction rights to strategic resources, and monopoly rights over the energy industry.
To put it even more bluntly,
for every 100 North African francs the French Republic earned on the Republic of Burkina's soil, the Republic of Burkina could receive only one franc-and even that was a handout the French gave only out of an abundance of charity.
And the Republic of Burkina still had to share that one franc with its people, all crying out to be fed.
When even 500 grams of rice cost 100 North African francs, what could one North African franc do?
Converted into the currency of Sankara's former world, that one North African franc was worth less than five fen-and that was five fen in the 2020s!
It probably would not even buy a sheet of paper to wipe one's ass!
This-this was the fundamental reason thousands of people starved to death every day in the Republic of Burkina!
It was also something Sankara could not tolerate!
But...
"I was wondering what it could be!"
"So you came all this way so early over such a trivial matter, Mr. Ambassador? Couldn't you simply have sent someone to let me know?"
"Rest assured, no matter what political upheaval our Republic of Burkina experiences, it will not affect our friendly relationship with your country!"
"The treaties signed by the previous presidents are as good as signed by me, Sankara!"
"If necessary, I can also sign a few more treaties with your country to preserve the friendship between our two nations!"
Reality left Sankara no choice but to endure it!
The Fourth French Republic was indeed weak!
In the last world war, it had even become a so-called victorious nation while holding its white flag high.
But that weakness depended on whom it was being compared with!
Before the Red Giant Bear and the White Giant Eagle, France was as weak as a babbling infant. A single punch could send it bawling for its parents!
But against the Republic of Burkina, with an army of fewer than a hundred thousand men, only a handful of tanks and armored vehicles, not a single aircraft, and, as a country with no coastline whatsoever, no navy to speak of,
the Fourth French Republic remained a world power with a million-man army, thousands of tanks, thousands of aircraft, over a hundred warships, and nearly ten aircraft carriers.
On the soil of North Africa, it could even be called the undisputed hegemon!
"..."
A trace of surprise flashed in Adrian's eyes at Sankara's answer. He had never expected such a response.
The way Sankara presented himself at this moment was completely different from what Adrian had read in the intelligence department's files.
He had already prepared himself for Sankara to make snide remarks, or even curse him out, before finally throwing him out of the presidential palace, after which he would shout a few warnings that Sankara would surely pay the price.
But now...
Adrian rose with a smile, took the initiative to extend his right hand to Sankara, and said:
"Then may the friendship between our two countries endure forever!"
Sankara also rose and shook Adrian's hand, replying with a smile so broad it seemed his face might split:
"If the opportunity arises, I believe I will certainly visit your country in person, to demonstrate the nearly century-long friendship between our two nations!"
Yet deep in Sankara's eyes was a coldness like the depths of winter!
Yes!
Nearly a century!
A total of 98 years of "friendship," from colonization by the Fourth French Republic to the seemingly independent present!
He would certainly find an opportunity to discuss it properly with the French!