The South China Sea City-State Alliance, with a ring bridge at its top.

Grand Secretary Yuan Lingyi burst through the door and strode into the government compound, angrily exclaiming, "What a ridiculous demand! You're truly insatiable!"

He is almost fifty years old, but he is agile, healthy, looks very young, well-mannered, and has a refined demeanor.

There are a total of five Grand Secretaries in the South China Sea.

Yuan Lingyi is the youngest of the five.

Inside the Executive Yuan, four elderly men, all with white hair and beards, sat upright.

Chen Chizhang, leaning on his cane, sat in a chair. He had a long white beard and looked very old. He said, "The desert people want us to exempt them from commercial taxes, otherwise they are unwilling to send troops."

"Hmph, we haven't even questioned them about the hydrogen battery issue yet, but they're not backing down at all." Jiang Beilu leaned against the table, dressed in a black suit. He was tall and slender, but also over 70 years old.

Ren Pingsheng yawned: "Now, those mountain people won't wait for us to be ready. In the end, we'll still need to join forces with Lingbi."

“Does it mean we can’t win without joining forces? We’ve been planning military buildup in the South China Sea for years. This battle must be bloody. We can’t let our subordinates mess around anymore.” Zhang Shinan shook his head. He wore glasses and an ochre robe. He was short and slender with a ruddy complexion. He was huddled on the sofa and was actually a disabled person with both legs broken.

“The Wolf King is a Great Transcendent Being. Who among you can subdue him? Even if we win, we still cannot contend with him,” Chen Chizhang sighed.

Yuan Lingyi said with a stern face, "The finances have already slipped to the bottom line. If things continue like this, even if we can defeat the mountain people, we won't have the strength to reform. Moreover, the desert people are targeting taxes. If we open this door, how will we explain it to the people below?"

"We absolutely cannot back down now!"

“That’s right, we can talk slowly. Lingbi isn’t unreasonable.”

"Dividing the land is already the biggest concession. The allied forces still need the Rock People and Desert People... I heard that the ruler of Lingbi is also a Great Transcendent. He might be able to control the Wolf King."

The senior officials discussed the matter animatedly.

Jiang Beilu squinted and scanned them.

Yuan Lingyi only came to power a few years ago and has a high level of prestige. She is a leader of the new generation and a well-known hawk in the Executive Yuan.

Zhang Shinan was in cahoots with him because Yuan Lingyi's teacher was Zhang Shinan's colleague. He has since passed away, but Yuan Lingyi's entry into the cabinet has greatly boosted the hawks' support.

Chen Chizhang, a dove, has been suppressed and has been keeping a low profile recently.

He holds considerable power over reforms and restructuring, and may be waiting for the war to end so he can implement sweeping changes.

Ren Pingsheng... a cunning old fox, has now donned the clothes of a dove again, because that is most advantageous to him. Besides him, the beneficiaries of the reforms are also the entire faction of interest groups he represents.

This battle will be tough; some hope to lose, while others hope to win.

Chen Chizhang suddenly turned to look at him and asked, "Old Jiang, how exactly was the hydrogen battery technology leaked?"

Upon hearing this, the discussion abruptly stopped, and everyone looked at the two of them.

Jiang Beilu shook his head and said, "We have investigated everything. There is no possibility of any leak within the system. The secrets are tightly sealed. We cannot rule out the possibility that it was made by the people of Lingbi themselves."

“That’s unlikely…” Chen Chizhang frowned and pondered.

Jiang Beilu is in charge of most of the scientific research projects in the South China Sea. The antimatter energy group is shared, but the hydrogen battery is something that Jiang Beilu's faction worked hard for many years to finally obtain.

The desert people now also have hydrogen batteries, which will seriously affect the interests of the Jiang faction.

In fact, Ambassador Mo Laowu was dispatched by Jiang Beilu to investigate the true nature of the desert people.

“Mo Laowu has already met the ruler of Lingbi. He’s very young, even younger than you,” Zhang Shinan said with a smile, pointing at Yuan Lingyi.

"I heard he's only in his early twenties? That's amazing..."

"Young people these days are truly terrifying."

"Logically speaking, such a powerful superhuman should not be born in the desert, which has been a dead land for centuries."

“Psionic particles are scarce and are absorbed by the underground energy group to support those underground shelters. Heh... It’s a pity that the ‘Reboot’ plan failed, and the ancestors’ arrangements have been interrupted.”

Hearing their discussion, Yuan Lingyi remained silent until she suddenly spoke up: "Gentlemen, are we still discussing this matter?"

Ren Pingsheng chuckled and said, "Of course, what brilliant idea do you have?"

"Continuing to negotiate is tantamount to doing nothing and will not benefit the war in the slightest. Now that we have decided to carry out major reforms, I hope that you gentlemen will not give up halfway. I know this road will be difficult..."

Before Yuan Lingyi could finish speaking, someone interrupted, "It's not just difficult, there's a lot to do. We don't have the financial resources to maintain it. In recent years, the World Chamber of Commerce has drifted further and further away from us, and their business has expanded to the Central Plains. It's almost impossible to seek their help."

It was Zhang Shinan who interrupted.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chizhang also suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is it because of the Central Plains War?"

"The Mechanical Cult is fighting to the death with the Iron Beast Kingdom. Recently, it seems that several major events have occurred on the front lines. The Mechanical Cult has suffered heavy losses and is planning a counterattack. I wonder what kind of deal they reached with the Merchant Guild and how they received their full support." Zhang Shinan said with a grim expression.

"This is a challenge we face."

"Without the support of the Chamber of Commerce, those arrogant mountain people will become even more demanding."

“Recently, several of our caravans have been detained by the mountain people, and they were even carrying the flag of the Chamber of Commerce.”

"Hmph, the wolf king is getting bolder and bolder! Fine, we'll all perish together!"

"Hey, Grand Secretary Zhang, calm down. Don't say such things."

Yuan Lingyi remained silent for a long time before asking, "After searching around, we can only ask those desert people for help. If they want to defeat the mountain people, they will have to pay a huge price. This requirement doesn't seem too high now."

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