The sudden drop in temperature made many places become cold, and the snowflakes were flying, covering all the dust under the vast snow.

There was talk of the Gulf War everywhere.

It was thought that with Iraq's home advantage and a million-strong army, the war against the multinational forces would inevitably be a protracted and evenly matched war.

I never expected that the war had just begun and then it came to an end.

It's like a dream.

Many people even suspected that this one-sided war was another movie made by Americans.

after all.

Where to put the Star Wars example.

Americans are really good at acting.

However, soon after the air strike began, Baghdad's external communications were completely cut off. Instead, three reporters from CNN, including Bernard John Herriman, reported on the air strike from Baghdad for 17 consecutive hours.

It's numb!

At this moment! American cable TV network was completely numb to receive the honor.

This moment.

There was a hairy bear drinking vodka in big gulps, and his head was numb from drinking it.

This moment.

The rabbit with red eyes and long ears was smoking a cigarette, and his hands were so numb that he could no longer feel the heat of the cigarette butt.

Kyoto.

A heavy snow came, and the whole city was covered in silver.

Under the eaves of every household hangs a rare long string of icicles, as thick as a baby's arm, crystal clear, and refracting the light into colorful colors.

The air was freezing cold and the wind was howling.

In this kind of weather, drinking a cup of hot tea is definitely a rare enjoyment.

Nao Nagano holds a cup of tea.

Pour the water into the cup and you will immediately see a cloud of mist rising into the sky.

The tea leaves in the cup float in the air, dancing in the water, like souls swimming in it.

After a while, it slowly sank and fell slowly like the snowflakes outside.

Light smoke is floating.

The house is filled with peace.

Stretching my lazy body, I immediately felt a strong aroma, like acacia red, sweet and delicate.

To be honest.

I used to drink tea.

Tea.

It's tea.

After taking a sip and quenching my thirst, I couldn't find any trace of the Tao.

Now! I feel purified after taking a sip of tea.

Filter out the impetuousness, and what is left is deep thought, a kind of mood, and a kind of cultivation.

"There are some immortal products, tea is a precious herb, and its reputation in cups and bottles is the glory of tea."

“Strong tea soothes the body, light tea nourishes the spirit, scented tea soothes the stomach, and clear tea filters out dust; these are the virtues of tea.”

"Oolong Hongpao, Huangsufeng, Tieguan in the south, Changqiyun in the north, Longjing Green in the east, Huangxianglin in the west, all of them are tea."

"There are six types of tea, and the taste can be evaluated a thousand times. Drinking can relieve dryness, and slowly sipping can entertain the mind. This is the fun of tea."

"This tea is of the highest quality that I bought from China at a high price. It is so interesting and can improve your mood. Sakurako, why don't you have a cup?"

Nagano Nao offered him a cup of tea and said calmly.

Ikeda Sakurako gritted her teeth secretly.

She was also a tea lover, but she had never found the tea ceremony to be really annoying.

Damn it! This guy's serious look is really damn annoying.

Damn! Such a thing as showing off.

Nagano Nao is actually not good at it.

I saw those beautiful eyes staring at me with anger.

then.

Nao Nao said solemnly: "The silence of wanting to speak but not being able to; the loneliness after the bustle. Tea is a collection of memories. Drinking tea in any season can help you remember everything in the past. Sakurako, you don't drink it because you are afraid that my majestic figure will occupy your heart?"

Can't I drink it? Ikeda Sakurako rolled her eyes, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Tea should be savored slowly. If you drink it like this, Yingzi, you're just like a cow chewing a peony!"

"You are not surprised at all by this result?!!!"

"What do you think?"

“.”

Ikeda Sakurako used the gaze skill, and her cold temperament and deep eyes came over with a huge sense of oppression.

But Nagano Nao didn't seem to feel it at all. He picked up the teapot and poured water. The series of movements were so smooth that there was a wonderful charm.

My heart was shocked.

She discovered that, without her noticing, Nagano Nao had become the host and the wooden house seemed to have become his home.

And she, the real owner, seemed to have become a stranger.

What's even more terrifying is that I don't know when my teacup has already fallen into Nagano Nao's hands! Having been trained in political tactics and psychological intimidation since childhood, Ikeda Sakurako knows all too well what's going on.

People have aura.

It can also be said that it is spiritual power.

Can't see.

Can't touch.

But it really exists.

When a person's mental strength is strong enough, he or she can influence others unconsciously.

Anger in the heart makes people feel scared.

When you feel happy in your heart, people around you will feel relaxed.

One look is enough to make people terrified.

Just a shout can make people follow you crazily.

One action can make people obsessed and unable to concentrate.

But those who can possess this kind of spiritual power are all in high positions and have been cultivated since childhood. But it just happened that his mind was taken away unconsciously just now and he lost consciousness for a moment.

If I hadn't discovered that the teacup was in Nagano Nao's hands, I wouldn't have realized that my mind had been affected.

This feeling is really terrible.

All along, Sakurako Ikeda has been the main person in the communication between the two, and the initiative of the conversation between the two is also in her control of the rhythm.

But now.

My mind was intimidated, and I didn't realize that my thoughts were being led by Nagano Nao, and all the questions and answers were controlled at his pace.

hateful!

How did this guy become so scary! He looked so calm, but I felt a huge pressure I had never felt before.

But the war ended in such an incredible way, why didn't he look surprised at all!

Or is this guy pretending to be mysterious, but actually laughing secretly? No!

If you let him lead you by the nose like this, you will be conquered by him.

Just at this moment.

Nagano Nao seemed to sense Ikeda Sakurako's thoughts. He raised his head, smiled and said, "Sakurako, are you looking at me like this because you are shocked by my strong heart?"

"It's just good luck, but luck is not always on your side." Ikeda Sakurako showed her usual strong confidence, her edge was exposed, and her eyes were not dodging or evading.

Nagano Nao shook his head: "It is so subtle that it is invisible; it is so mysterious that it is silent, so it can control the fate of the enemy.

I don’t know where I will fight. If I don’t know, the enemy will prepare more. If the enemy prepares more, the number of people I will fight with will be small.

Therefore, if you prepare for the front, the rear will be weak; if you prepare for the rear, the front will be weak; if you prepare for the left, the right will be weak; if you prepare for the right, the left will be weak; if you prepare for everything, everything will be weak.

Moreover, the five elements have no permanent victory, the four seasons have no permanent position, the day has shortness and length, the moon has death and birth, so what is so strange about this? "

“.”

But what does it mean?

Ikeda Sakurako's face showed an expression that said, "Actually, I knew this a long time ago," but her eyes quickly looked away, her brain racing to figure out what this meant.

However, after the event, Zhuge Liang came to the conclusion that even a real female Zhuge Liang could not have guessed what it meant.

Thought about it for a long time.

Still confused.

A strong sense of frustration arises spontaneously.

Did this guy become smarter, or did I become worse? But it doesn't matter if I can't figure it out!

It is not something to be proud of for a man to be stronger than a woman. Besides, he is only slightly stronger than me this time! Figure this out.

Ikeda Sakurako immediately perked up.

"So straight man, you feel that you are confident and not relying on luck, but even so, it's only a 50-50 outcome!"

While drinking tea, Ikeda Sakurako pretended to know the answer without dodging or evading her eyes, as if she was acting as if your expectation had already been anticipated by me, and I was just testing your confidence.

Nagano Nao was almost deceived.

If he hadn't seen the woman's eyes flicker and she looked obviously surprised before,

What a competitive woman!

Feel like laughing.

I just wanted to laugh but I also felt that I was quite ridiculous.

Why would a grown man bother with a woman? After all, no matter how smart a woman is, she is still just a woman.

The pressure that once made him feel insignificant was gone. Knowing that the woman was curious, Nagano pretended not to notice anything, poured tea, and explained: "It's almost 50-50. But most people ignore the issue of morality."

"You mean invasion?" Sakurako Ikeda's eyes lit up, feeling that she had grasped the point.

Nagano Nao took a sip of tea and said, "That's right. If I'm not mistaken, the Iraqi army in Kuwait might have surrendered without a fight. After all, it was an invasion of another country's territory, which is morally untenable.

So the home advantage in the general sense does not exist. On the contrary, because of the invasion, Iraq’s military morale is difficult to unite, and I am afraid there is no fighting spirit at all.”

"That's true. There were many people prepared but few fighters. Iraq's defeat was not unfair."

"Not only that! Sakurako, you are a girl, so you may not know much about weapons. As far as I know, the fighter planes of the United States, France and Britain are several generations more advanced than those of Iraq, and have stealth capabilities, so the Iraqi ground-to-air equipment is completely useless.

On the other hand, didn't you notice that Iraq's communications were jammed and blocked since the airstrikes began? The army without a commander was like a pile of loose sand, with poor equipment and moral pressure. It was not surprising that they were defeated in a short period of time. "

These words make sense.

Seriously speaking, although all countries go to war for their own interests, morality is the foundation of human existence.

Just like the rebellions in ancient times, even if everyone knew it was for power, they still had to use the slogan of clearing out the emperor's entourage and punishing traitors.

Or, the tyrannical Qin Dynasty should rebel.

For the sake of the people of the world and so on.

In reality, however, the new rulers may be more cruel to their own people than the foreigners.

But morality is morality after all.

Iraq's invasion of Kuwait this time is completely morally unjustifiable. It invaded Kuwait after failing to pay its debts, causing siege and having already lost the support of the people.

Kuwait has no military power and is a weak country. The multinational forces led by the United States help the weak to deal with the invaders, just like the Allied forces fought back against the German-Japanese alliance during World War II, both of which are on the side of justice.

Without a doubt.

It is no exaggeration to say that this war was a victory of justice over evil.

"Oh! I didn't expect that you, a straight guy, have become so powerful. But what you said is indeed right. I am a girl and I don't know as much about weapons and equipment as you boys. But after this unprecedented war, the world will change." Ikeda Sakurako sighed, looking as if she had lost all hope in life.

Nagano laughed: "Not really! Every man has his own strengths and weaknesses. It is precisely because men and women have their own strengths and weaknesses that this world becomes more interesting!"

"But, Sakurako doesn't like this shortcoming, so please let me learn more about your weapons now!"

Ikeda Sakurako said this and stretched out her hand.

Nagano Nao was caught off guard by the attack and screamed: "Yamedie."

"Xiao Ye! Come over here and help!"

“.”

It's so embarrassing.

I thought I could show off today.

But he never expected that someone would hold a sword to his neck.

The skin became particularly sensitive due to the coldness of the sword.

So close to death.

Nagano Nao had no choice but to give up all resistance and looked at Ikeda Koba with a look that showed that a warrior could be killed but not humiliated.

Same as usual.

Ikeda Koye still had that infertile look on her face.

However, when Ikeda Sakurako started to study the strengths of a ruler, Ikeda Koye's eyes were also attracted to her.

A strange look appeared on his usually expressionless face.

"Wow. Your head is about to be chopped off, and you are still so energetic even though you are a straight man. You are really a pervert!"

"Sakura, don't go too far!"

"Oh! Speaking of which, I really hate boys' bodies, but I don't seem to hate straight guys like you. It's just that since you don't like straight guys, but Yingzi really wants to study them, so... Xiaoye, please cut this off!"

"Sister Xiaoye, don't be impulsive!"

“.”

"Ikeda Sakurako, Ikeda Xiaoye, are you planning to be widows from now on?!!!!"

“.”

whoosh.

Nao Nagano fled in panic.

Looking at the guy's panicked back, Ikeda Xiaoye was still unwilling to give in, and said hatefully: "This bastard is so evil, he actually said such shameless words, it's better to chop him off."

"Xiao Ye, do you really think so? But with your sword skills, if you want to chop, who can stop you?"

"It's because you are just teasing him, miss!"

"Really? Isn't it because you, Xiaoye, are worried that you will be a widow in the future?"

"How is that possible! I will never allow a man to touch my body in my life."

"Hey, hey, hey! You didn't dare to look me in the eye while you were talking, and your face turned red. And just now you were secretly looking at me, Xiaoye, you are not behaving well!"

"That's not the case! I'm going to chop him down right now!"

"Xiao Ye, you don't have to react so strongly. Actually, we are like sisters. Isn't it more fun to play together?"

“.”

like.

That makes sense. Bah! How can you have such a despicable thought?

Men are all bastards!

Next time, I must not let that bastard have an easy time. A new week passed quickly.

Because the news about the end of the war in the Gulf region continued to ferment over the weekend, and several major US oil companies demonstrated a comprehensive breakthrough in shale oil technology.

Monday morning trading.

International crude oil futures opened 7 percent lower, rebounded quickly, and then fell like a waterfall.

one day.

Two days.

Half a month passed.

The market has only just digested the news of the lifting of the blockade in the Gulf region and the huge negative impact of breakthroughs in shale oil technology.

However, the U.S. Energy Administration has released another forecast. Based on current technological advances, it is expected that in 1998, the United States will change from an importer to an exporter of crude oil.

The market was shaken again.

The crude oil price, which had been stable at $20, continued to plummet and soon fell to $13, with no sign of bottoming out.

"Mito-kun, my friend's ship has arrived at the port, please come and inspect the cargo!"

“.”

(End of this chapter)