"Excuse me, what are the Four Southern City-States?"
At this moment, Wei Lun suddenly asked this question, almost causing the armored man to lose his balance and fall.
This guy doesn't even know about the Four Southern City-States. No wonder he attacked Cai Zhenshao. You have to know that there's a behemoth above the settlement—the Four Southern City-States.
“Boss Wei, I’m telling you this very seriously, there are dozens of settlements under the four southern city-states, and the sixth settlement is one of them.”
"In other words, the Sixth Settlement is a subordinate agency of the Four Southern City-States, and you must all obey the management and will of the Four Southern City-States!"
The man in spiked armor said smugly, but inwardly he harbored more malice towards Wei Lun.
This guy has been a boss for so long and he doesn't even know who his superior is?
Qin Mutong is also innocent. Although she was in charge when Wei Lun was away, who would bother to investigate whether there were other people above her?
In the end times,
It's not a disorganized mess as one might imagine; in order to survive, forming power circles is inevitable.
The original sixth settlement was the sixth-ranked settlement among the four southern city-states, but Cai Zhenshao and his group never made it public, only privately offering food and other gifts.
This Southern Four City-State is no small entity; its base is located in this city, and it radiates influence to countless surrounding settlements and strongholds, making it arguably the leading power in Changhan City.
"Oh? Now that you mention it, I understand. But what is your purpose?"
Wei Lun said slowly, "Although there's a larger settlement above managing things, the guns in my hands aren't just for show."
"Purpose? Boss Wei, I'm afraid you haven't realized your place."
"Now all we need to do is send out a message, and the city-states might send a massive army to the border. Do you think you can hold them off with just a few guns?"
"Besides, all we want is an explanation. Do you still acknowledge the agreements we signed before? And as a member of the city-state, will you obey its rules?"
The man in spiked armor launched into a long, boastful speech, but his main purpose was to subjugate Weren.
The purpose of submission is to obtain resources. In this apocalypse, the goal is survival. With resources, one can naturally survive!
After thinking for a moment,
Wei Lun whispered a few words in Qin Mutong's ear, and then Qin Mutong seemed to go off to do something.
After a while, Qin Mutong returned.
"Honey, the investigation is complete. There is indeed a Southern Four City-State, and it's not too far from our settlement."
"If they send troops over, it will only take half an hour. It seems they have several thousand soldiers and are the largest gathering place in this area."
Qin Mutong whispered in Wei Lun's ear, "So they just went to investigate this so-called Southern Four City-States."
Knowing that this city-state had several thousand soldiers, they realized that their side would definitely suffer losses if a war broke out.
Most importantly, war inevitably involves losses. What if the guards win but are crippled? What are the benefits?
It's best not to do things that offer no benefit whatsoever.
"Have you thought it through, Boss Wei? Give me an explanation. I don't want to wait any longer."
The man in spiked armor, with an air of superiority, was issuing an ultimatum. If Wei Lun couldn't provide an explanation at this point...
Next, the city-state will deploy its troops to launch a military attack on the sixth settlement.
I wonder what methods the city-state has. What if it has some advanced weapons? Wouldn't this place be destroyed?
It was already a city that had been destroyed by nuclear bombs. If a battle were to take place there, it would probably be a scene of devastation and ruins everywhere.
"Don't rush, brother, have a seat first, let's talk slowly."
Wei Lun smiled and then poured the man a cup of tea.
"Please use it."
Wei Lun gestured with his hand.
The man in spiked armor snorted coldly, then sat down in the pavilion.
He picked up the teacup, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes; it was actually top-quality tea.
After taking a large gulp, the man in spiked armor had an expression of disbelief in his eyes.
"Excellent tea!"
Unable to resist letting out a gasp of surprise, the man in spiked armor's expression softened considerably.
Wei Lun smiled. He had specially brought these tea leaves from the modern world. In the apocalypse, there wasn't even a single tea sapling, let alone tea leaves.
"Well then, firstly, regarding the renaming of our settlement, this is an internal matter. We were unaware that there was a city-state managing it beforehand. But since the name has already been changed, we can only apologize. In addition, we can offer a pound of tea as a token of our apologies."
Wei Lun smiled slightly, then took out a pound of tea leaves from under the stone table and handed them to the man in spiked armor.
These tea leaves were originally intended as gifts. Wei Lun knew that tea was very precious in the apocalypse, so he had instructed Qin Mutong to prepare some tea leaves by the pound long ago.
The man in spiked armor looked at the tea leaves placed before him with great excitement.
If I take these tea leaves back to offer as a gift to my superiors, I'm afraid I'll get promoted and given a higher rank in the future, since they're a treasure in this apocalyptic world!
"That's fine, it's just a name. But will you continue to honor the agreements you signed before?"
The man in spiked armor continued, this was the crux of the negotiation.
Well, the aftermath is finally here. An agreement? What agreements were signed? Wei Lun has absolutely no idea. Are they going to raid Cai Zhenshao's house again?
"Brother, we don't know much about this agreement. Let's talk about it. If there aren't any major problems, it can still be extended."
Wei Lun didn't want to directly sever ties, after all, his Guardian Group had only just begun to develop, and internal strife among humans was simply a foolish act in this era.
The best solution would be a win-win situation, but it's unclear whether the spiked armor-clad men think that way; they clearly crave a superior position.
"The agreements signed in the past covered a range of issues, including armed forces, commerce, and resource allocation."
A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the man in spiked armor. These were all matters concerning the survival of the settlement; any agreement would be an exploitation of the Guardian Group.
"For example, in terms of armed forces, the armed forces in the settlements must obey the orders of the four southern city-states, and must be available at a moment's notice if there is a need for mobilization or combat!"
This was the first question raised by the man in spiked armor, and Wei Lun was quite displeased to hear it. His own guards were serving someone else?
However, Wei Lun remained silent, his face expressionless, seemingly unconcerned.
"Regarding commerce, you must open up foreign trade, which means that all our goods, as well as goods from other gathering places, can be sold here, and they are tax-free! No taxes are allowed to be levied!"
This is the second question the man in spiked armor asked. Goodness, this is a classic sycophantic treaty! Others come and don't pay taxes, but your own people have to pay taxes?
Wei Lun's brow twitched slightly, but he remained calm and did not speak.
The man in spiked armor continued speaking, eloquently listing all sorts of terms and conditions.
Weren was furious, but he couldn't simply reject them, since he didn't want a civil war either!
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