On the dry, yellow desert, endless sandstorms rage, the sky tilts, and starlight adorns the horizon. Crossing a hill, below lies an endless oasis, with lakes, trees, and grasslands lush and green. A bustling city sits within it. Two lakes formed by tributaries of the Yangtze River in old Nanjing have merged into one after many years of upheaval in the old world.
The ancient name has long been forgotten, but this lake has never dried up. Two hundred years ago, the Lingbi Kingdom gave it a new name—
Emerald Lake.
Over the past two hundred years, human settlements have grown and developed here. After several wars, they have gradually formed a super-large federal government composed of countless ethnic groups, city governments, merchants, and adventurers!
Oasis Alliance!
The city was built around Emerald Lake, forming a landmass encircled by the lake. When countless desert dwellers first arrived here, they could not contain their excitement and fervor. Looking out, they saw boats fishing and wandering in the depths of the lake, and the flags of the Alliance Palace fluttering in the wind, standing tall and proud in every corner of the city.
embassy.
Qin Guan stood with his hands behind his back in front of the French windows. The leaves fluttered in the wind, and the courtyard garden was full of colorful flowers. In one corner of his vision, as if looking into the distance through a lens, was the most beautiful side of Emerald Lake. Boats moved slowly, and there was a small dock near the embassy on the lake, where a small motorboat was moored, rising and falling with the ripples on the lake.
After years of operation, Qin Guan is no longer the mere tycoon of the Forest Group he once was.
In addition to his position as ambassador of Lingbi City, Qin Guan also holds the position of deputy minister in several departments of the Alliance Government. He controls the fishery resources and a large portion of the grain resources of Emerald Lake. In particular, the latter has been secretly supported by Yuan Lin, the number one shareholder and chairman of the Forest Group, for many years. Qin Guan has been managing and distributing profits and accumulating wealth in the Green Alliance. He is the biggest person in charge of 80% of the farmland irrigated around the lake.
The Lingbi Ambassador is just an outer shell.
Qin Guan understood the importance of power, and coupled with the uniqueness of the alliance system, he was adept at navigating both sides. He not only accumulated considerable prestige among the people, but also gained the support of many within the government and government offices. These high-ranking officials all shared the same fate as Qin Guan and followed his lead.
In addition, Qin Guan was related to the governor of the alliance by marriage. He arranged for his son to marry into the governor's family and become a member of the local nobility. He also became a close friend of the governor despite their age difference.
During the governor's tenure, he had influence in various aspects of administration, economy, and military affairs, and wielded considerable power.
Everything was clearly moving in a positive direction.
As long as Yuan Lin could enter the Elders' Seats and gain support from the city council's upper echelons, the snowball effect would only grow larger and larger... until recently, when devastating news came from Wall One—
Yuan Lin is dead.
Qin Guan didn't believe it at the time.
He sent people to the western desert to gather intelligence several times, but each time the merchant caravans returned, they brought back the same news.
Confirmed.
Yuan Lin has been secretly executed by the Awakening Agency, which is directly under the city council, and many of his confidants, including Meng Jingyuan, have been purged. The biggest beneficiary of this incident is Qin Che, a newcomer who has just risen to prominence in Sand Castle. He currently serves as an advisor to the Awakening Department. After killing Yuan Lin, he was supported by the Fu Party and rose to the position of elder in the council, where he holds a very important position.
This person is not only clear-headed and powerful, but also a transcendent being.
Qin Guan knew that things had come to this point, and anger and hatred were useless. It was better to stay rational and think about what to do next.
He spent only one day weeping for Yuan Lin.
From that day on, Qin Guan began a two-pronged approach, starting his layout within Green Union and planning his next steps.
...
The door was pushed open, and Qin Guan's secretary, Li Chengfeng, walked into the office with a steady gait, bowed, and said, "Master, Huang Shiyao, the first commander of Fortress No. 21, has arrived and is downstairs."
Qin Guan turned his head and grunted, "Take him to the office."
"yes."
A short while later, Li Chengfeng walked in with a middle-aged man.
Qin Guan sized him up. The man was over 50 years old, wearing black military boots and a finely woven cloak. He was holding an officer's cap and walked in slowly. There was a tattoo on the back of his left index and middle fingers, the number '21'. His eyes were deep and his wrinkles were like engravings. He exuded a murderous aura. If you got close, you could almost smell the blood all over his body.
Only border guards possess such imposing presence.
Looking across this entire desert, there wasn't a single city whose officers regularly fought against the radioactive aliens in the pit zones.
They displayed the might of the human race, their eyes flashing like lightning; they were all renowned generals of their time.
Without saying a word, Huang Shiyao tossed his officer's cap onto the wooden coat rack behind him, successfully hanging it up. At the same time, he took off his cloak and hung it on the coat rack as well. Calm and composed, he walked slowly to Qin Guan and said, "Ambassador Qin, it has been three years since we last met."
Qin Guan smiled and said, "Yes, please sit down."
Huang Shiyao pulled out a wooden chair and sat down opposite the desk. "The people you sent to our fortress have already had preliminary negotiations with me. This time, it just so happens that I'm coming back to report on my work. I want to hear from you personally how the preparations are going."
Qin Guan placed a pen neatly next to the vertical line of the paper, carefully aligned it, then crossed his hands on the smooth table and smiled, "I just met with His Excellency the Governor. Today, the Governor's Office will officially announce at the meeting that the Oasis Alliance has completely severed diplomatic ties with Lingbi City, including all exchanges in terms of food, river goods, population, diplomacy, and so on."
"At the same time, I also drafted a military alliance agreement. Thirty-six cities in the northern desert will successively become independent and be incorporated into the Green Alliance system. In addition, the Green Alliance's army will clear out independent violent organizations and mercenary groups in the northern desert within forty days, focusing on getting these people to voluntarily submit. Of course, those who oppose the amnesty will bear the consequences themselves."
"The Governor will voluntarily resign and officially take office as the Alliance's Chief of General Affairs. The Green Alliance will also provide food, combat equipment, and weapons to your Fortress 21, and recognize the independent government of Fortress 21. General Huang himself will take office as the head of Fortress 21, in charge of administration, economy, and military affairs. The Green Alliance will make some concessions."
Huang Shiyao narrowed his eyes, staring at Qin Guan, trying to read something from his expression.
Qin Guan simply smiled and met his gaze.
Huang Shiyao regained his composure and said, "With major cities declaring independence, this battle seems inevitable."
Qin Guan said, "The leader only needs to hold off the alien invasion from the pit zone; the rest is up to the Oasis Alliance. In fact, this is just a trivial civil war. The factional strife in Lingbi City is intense, and the conflicts are irreconcilable. This is the perfect time to start a war!"
"I can guarantee that the war will end within three months!"
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