Yao Yunli sat in the council hall and slammed his fist on the table, a surge of anger rising in his heart.
...
"That's how negotiations are. This is only the first day. Maybe he'll come to his senses in a couple of days."
"This is normal. Cooperating with us is an opportunity for Zibao, and he must seize it to maximize his profits."
"But that was clearly an outrageous demand, made without any thought."
The three left by car and returned to the embassy, where they continued to discuss the matter.
"Should we send a telegram to Advisor Qin?"
"Absolutely. You must report to Advisor Qin every day: Are you ready for tomorrow's negotiations?"
"It's estimated that Yao Yunli won't personally come out."
"Hehe, it doesn't matter whether he comes out or not. As long as you and I know in our hearts that he absolutely does not want to see the negotiations break down, that's enough."
Zhou Sen, who was standing to the side, said calmly, "What if he gives up and does something reckless?"
"What do you mean?" Wu Ming asked.
"What if we anger Yao Yunli and he mobilizes his troops to attack the old city directly? Wouldn't that be very awkward for us? We would not only fail to complete Advisor Qin's orders, but also cause him trouble."
After thinking it over, Wei Tuozhi said, "It's fine to be tough on the issue. If we report this to Advisor Qin, we'll have a point. But has Yao Yunli gone mad? He wouldn't dare to start an invasion. Otherwise, their internal conflicts would erupt before the old city is even captured."
Wu Ming raised his hand and said, "Now is not the time to talk about these things. We should prepare a negotiation plan for tomorrow and try to gain more benefits."
Just as the three of them had predicted.
Yao Yunli did not appear during the negotiations on the second day, the third day, and the following days.
He sent a diplomatic team to make contact with Wu Ming and others.
As time went on, the two sides reached an initial consensus, made concessions to each other, and signed the first agreement.
"I have a feeling that something is not right."
Is Yao Yunli preparing a major surprise?
“He has kept a low profile these past few days, and our intelligence team has not found any unusual activity from him.”
"Hey, maybe he's just admitting defeat and surrendering, but he feels ashamed, which is why he hasn't shown up at the negotiating table."
Inside the embassy,
The three are discussing negotiation matters.
Wei Tuozhi shook his head and said, "I don't think things are that simple. He definitely has another trick up his sleeve."
Wu Ming said, "Don't overthink it. The conditions we offered aren't bad at all."
Zhou Sen laughed and said, "Oh, you mean forcefully interfering in the Purple Fort Military Design Plant? Wow, if they agree, I'll turn my head away."
Wu Ming rolled his eyes: "I won't agree with that, I admit it, but that's also the art of negotiation, you understand?"
“They will never agree to our involvement in the military design plant. At that time, we can conveniently propose a compromise, asking them to send technicians to the eastern region to help us train personnel. Then they will think, ‘Hmm, this is acceptable,’ and we will have achieved our goal.”
Zhou Sen said, "So, technical personnel are what we really want?"
"You could say that."
Suddenly, Jiao Mu, the leader of the sheep rams, burst through the door, shouting in a panic, "Something's happened!"
...
A march swept through countless alleyways and streets of Zibao.
People launched a strike to protest the diplomatic activities in the Purple Castle and the Old Town, targeting Yao Yunli and three others, including Wu Ming.
It caused quite a stir, and I heard that Zibao even deployed troops to carry out a small-scale violent crackdown.
From upstairs, the crowd below looked like a surging sea, raising various banners of resistance and shouting slogans in unison.
"Oppose the new arms treaty!"
"Oppose war! Oppose the military regime in the old city!"
"Get out of Purple Castle! Leave now!"
Not only at the foot of the government building, but also at the entrance of the embassy, a crowd of people packed up, making it impossible to pass through.
With his hands in his pockets, Wei Tuozhi looked down through the floor-to-ceiling window, frowning, and asked, "What do you think?"
Wu Ming was also looking down, his expression solemn, and said, "Just a flock of sheep being driven by sheepdogs."
"So, who is the sheepdog?"
"Whoever's interests are harmed by this cooperation, that person will be held responsible."
Wei Tuozhi laughed and said, "Those raw material suppliers, as well as the manufacturers and ammunition groups..."
“They are all Yao Yunli’s men,” Zhou Sen said.
While cooperating with Sandcastle to expand into the eastern market was ostensibly helping Ziguang open up sales channels, in reality, Sandcastle supplied materials such as crude oil and steel. Li Jiuyuan also had many arsenals and manufacturing plants in the eastern region, and the existence of these factories had seriously affected the interests of those people.
If we allow them to cooperate.
Ultimately, Ziguang will indeed become Zibao's flagship product, but it will no longer originate from their factories and mines.
Of course, those people wouldn't just stand by and watch the cooperation be finalized.
Wu Ming said, "I really can't understand it. This is also beneficial to Yao Yunli. The expansion of Ziguang will become the most outstanding achievement in his governing career. Doesn't he want that?"
Wei Tuozhi: "The Yao family has been nobles of Zibao for generations, top figures. Even without this report card, he and his children would have become leaders of Zibao."
Zhou Sen said, "So that's not what he needs."
Wu Ming sighed: "Opposing for the sake of opposing? What can he gain?"
"Wasn't the first negotiation already very clear?"
"He wants more."
Wu Ming snorted coldly, "Do you really think we're made of clay? Do you think you can stop negotiations by staging a few protests? You're just playing house!"
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