Chapter 1156
Energy Supply Cutoff! Long Xia Holds the Line
"and."
The intelligence officer lowered his voice even further, with a barely perceptible tremor of fear.
"We intercepted a near-explicit communication screenshot from within the Longxia Navy—tell the Great Emperor of the Bear Family that if you want to test the power of the new toy that powers weapon modules with the Tenglong-1 reactor running at full capacity, our border firing range is ready to oblige! ...Your Majesty!"
This is not a provocation! From a technical standpoint and considering the capabilities they demonstrated, it's more like... a declaration!
This is a declaration that they truly possess and dare to use it! If we launch a conventional retaliatory strike, it is highly likely to trigger a localized response in this system!
The consequences... we can't afford them!
The emperor was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.
He stared at the red dots on the screen that symbolized destruction, then suddenly looked up to the east, as if trying to pierce through the vast ice plains and see directly into the unfathomable depths of Longxia's underground defenses.
The anger receded like the tide, replaced by a sense of powerlessness, as if gripped by a cold reality, and... a deep fear of weapons beyond our comprehension.
"Suspend...all retaliatory strike orders."
In just a few minutes, his voice became as hoarse as if rubbing against a piece of rusty iron.
"Order the troops to defend the area...maintain the alert level. Contact the Longxia foreign affairs department through secret channels, emphasizing that this was just an unfortunate exercise that strayed into a conflict, and stating that...the Russian Navy is willing to unconditionally withdraw all ships from the area..." He spat out the last few words through gritted teeth, carrying a strong sense of humiliation and self-deception.
He waved his hand sharply, as if to dispel the invisible pressure in the air.
"Get out! Everyone get out!"
Step 5.
A firm concession! A silent declaration!
Longxia Central Hub.
When news arrived that the Russian retaliatory forces on the border had shifted to a defensive posture and that its remaining navy was retreating in disarray like a tide, along with the heavily disguised explanation of the "misunderstanding" conveyed through special channels, the invisible tension in the massive command center, which was as hard as an alloy, seemed to have found a release vent.
"call--"
The white-haired general let out a long sigh of relief, took off his military cap, revealing gray-white hair that was also soaked with sweat, and his wrinkled face showed the exhaustion of being relieved of a heavy burden, but his eyes were sharper and brighter than ever before.
"This vicious bear... thankfully didn't go completely insane."
He can't afford the consequences.
He rubbed his tense temples.
"But we can't afford to really overturn the table. War, in the end, is about money, food, and lives; it's about burning through the hard-earned resources. If we can avoid war, no one wants to fight!"
The screen clearly displayed the astonishingly large ground force on the border, with the menacing muzzles of new main battle tanks and self-propelled artillery raised high, and a forest of long-range rocket launchers pointing straight to the sky.
Furthermore, some unprecedented, futuristic-looking armored artillery vehicles lay quietly lurking behind the bunkers. Like cold, solid rocks, they exuded a chilling sense of power in the dim light of dawn—this was the source of Longxia's latest and most advanced confidence.
Further away, a massive, awe-inspiring cluster of newly constructed fortresses loomed in the distance. Deep underground, the eerie blue light emanating from the Candle Dragon superconducting energy storage ring was powering the prototype giant railguns known as the "Sea-Stabilizing Needles."
This is no longer a secret weapon, but an open and undisputed deterrent—a straightforward response to any threat of force.
Fight? We'll fight to the bitter end! The consequences are simply too great for you to bear!
The leader stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the image of soldiers and horses on the screen. His deep gaze seemed to pierce through the buildings and reach towards the distant eastern horizon.
There, the sun is about to pierce the darkness before dawn.
He spoke slowly, his voice calm and even, yet containing a power capable of shaking the world.
"Is the Great Emperor of the Russian Bear still roaring angrily on the balcony of his Kremlin? He can't understand it, and he absolutely can't comprehend it."
The backward era he remembered, one that relied on their technical support, has long been crushed by the wheels of history. We have built a Great Wall of steel and a cutting-edge technological dagger with the blood, sweat, and wisdom of generations!
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over every general and decision-maker in the command center—some weary, some excited, and some still on edge.
"The days when we had to look up at the back of the Russian bear, could only breathe heavily in their shadow, and could only maintain our national defense by buying their weapons and imitating their technology are gone forever!"
This confrontation not only broke the Western chains in semiconductors and nuclear fusion, but also, in the skies and seas, with our own dragon scales and teeth, fiercely tore off the imprints of the old era! We are no longer the little brothers who carried Mosin-Nagant missiles and watched their T-34 torrents pass by!
"We are descendants of the Han Dynasty, children of Yan and Huang!"
The generals straightened their backs in unison and uttered a deep oath.
"Longxia! Longxia!"
Without needing further words, this brief declaration, like an invisible shockwave, swept across the entire space.
A tangible flame seemed to ignite in the commander's eyes. He waved his hand forcefully, his voice suddenly rising in pitch and resounding.
"Tell them! Now and in the future, whoever wants to force us to bow down with guns and cannons? Let them try! Let's see if we bend our knees first, or if their cannons and tanks will turn into dust in the face of this Great Wall of Steel and the Nova of Destruction!"
……
The Kremlin's Roar and the "Gifts" from the East
Deep within the palace in the Russian capital, renowned for its sturdiness and majesty, a violent gust of wind nearly ripped the roof off. The crisp sound of shattering porcelain echoed throughout, and expensive Persian carpets were splattered with strong vodka.
The emperor's face, which usually carried a certain disdainful expression, was now twisted and flushed red with extreme anger, and the veins at his temples throbbed.
His knuckles were white from gripping the phone so tightly, like steel clamps, and the roaring sound almost shattered the receiver.
"Fools! Scoundrels! Traitorous trash eagles! Where is your fleet?! You ran away like stray dogs before our hammers even fell?! Are you going to let my sons of the Russian bear face the cannons of the Dragon Xia people?!"
This is the unbreakable partnership you promised? Bullshit!
This is fucking betrayal! Utter betrayal!
In the white house far across the ocean, Chief Eagle held the telephone receiver far from his ear, listening to the rapid-fire, Slavic-style angry roar on the other end. His brows furrowed, his face a mixture of embarrassment and barely perceptible annoyance.
He truly didn't want to get involved in the Russian bear's impulsive confrontation with the Dragon Xia; preserving his strength, observing from the sidelines, and reaping the benefits was the wisest choice. However, the Emperor's unseemly and undignified outburst made him lose face.
“Listen, Vladimir, this is a complete miscalculation! The hidden strength of the Longxia people is beyond our expectations! We withdrew because…”
"For what?! To watch the mighty Soviet warships turn into floating scrap metal! To highlight your accurate strategic assessment?!"
The Emperor abruptly interrupted, his spittle seemingly flying through the microphone. "Enough! Drop your damned lies! You're nothing but a bunch of deserters, hyenas fit only for scavenging bones! Immediately! Take that black bird claw off our sacred territory!"
Your people, get out! Close the embassy immediately! Go back to your damned white house and lick your wounds! I never want to see a single eagle feather in the Kremlin again!
The roar abruptly stopped as the phone was slammed onto the inlaid wooden table with a dull but startling thud, sending fragments flying everywhere.
The emperor's chest heaved, like a trapped beast that had been thoroughly enraged.
After venting his anger at the eagle, the immense sense of frustration and the chilling reality did not subside.
He stared at the satellite images of his crippled fleet, a pitiful sight, like rows of lifeless steel fish with their teeth pulled, and his heart bled. Repairs? No spare parts! Replicating it himself? The time and technological hurdles were utterly insurmountable!
He thought of a fellow sufferer—the Eastern Wilderness Tribe. Not long ago, their fleet seemed to have been severely lashed by Long Xia's electromagnetic whip.
An encrypted call was quickly connected to the palace in Eagle City.
"Lord Noda Taro!"
The emperor's voice still carried the majesty of a ruler, but his hurried tone betrayed his urgency.
"Tell me the truth! After your fleet was attacked by the Longxia people's... electromagnetic pulse, how did you manage to restore your navigation capabilities and return to port in such a short time?"
On the other side of the screen, the Eagle Clan Chief Noda Taro, whose face usually wore a humble smile, now revealed a hint of embarrassment and helplessness that was hard to detect.
He bowed slightly.
"I am very sorry to learn of your predicament, Your Excellency Vladimir. We... yes, we did pay a considerable information consulting fee to purchase an emergency module from the Longxia tribe's trading company in a very short time that could temporarily repair the core power and navigation control system."
"Emergency module?"
The emperor's brows furrowed even more deeply.
"They actually sell this kind of thing?!"
"Profit drives everything, Your Excellency."
Noda's smile carried a hint of bitterness.
"Merchants from Longxia seem to never refuse real money."
Although expensive, it at least ensured that the fleet wasn't completely stranded on another country's doorstep... This was a matter of the tribe's reputation and its subsequent strategic mobility.
The emperor fell silent. Face... follow-up strategic maneuvers... every word felt like a needle piercing his heart.
The people of the Eastern Wilderness can spend money to save face, but does the mighty Russian bear just let its fleet be paralyzed and become a laughing stock of the world?
Damn it!
He slammed his fist on the sand table beside him, sending metal war game models flying. An intense sense of resentment burned within him like poisonous fire. He and Long Xia had just been locked in a tense standoff at sea, and now he was begging to buy their rescue modules?!
What's the difference between this and publicly slapping yourself in the face?! But... we can't do without the fleet!
That's a symbol of the maritime frontier! And one of the cornerstones of his domestic power!
The immense humiliation almost tore him apart.
Ultimately, reason prevailed over anger and pride.
His face was ashen, and he forced out orders through gritted teeth at the foreign affairs officers and military representatives beside him who dared not even breathe, each word seeming to drip with blood.
"Notify Longxia's Foreign Affairs Department... We need to purchase a batch of electromagnetic attack disaster emergency recovery modules! Quantity... double the number of units they've crippled! Price? Ha, give them to them! Let their appetites go to hell!"
The unexpected bumper harvest at the military factory and the bustling activity in the eastern wilderness
When the news reached the Longxia Military Supplies Department, Old Zhao, the middle-aged man in charge of the warehouse, was drinking tea from a thermos when he almost spat it out.
"What? Even the Russian bear wants to buy the Turtle Breathing Treasure?"
He paused for a moment, then put down his cup, his wrinkles curving into a smile like a chrysanthemum.
"Ha ha!
Those Russian bears! They were baring their teeth and threatening us on the sea, and now they're slinking away, spending money to buy our life-saving medicine? Great! It's even better than drinking two ounces of liquor!
He grabbed the encrypted phone on the table and shouted it out in a powerful voice.
"Hey! Is this Li, the head of the Jiazi and Gengwu assembly plants? The bears are sending money! Yes, yes, yes! It's that batch of Guixi Bao that we asked you to prepare urgently when we were preparing for the war last time! Pack it all up! Send me as much as you can! It's just sitting in the warehouse."
"Get everything out there! Make sure it's spotless! They paid for express delivery! Remember to charge me a hefty depreciation and storage fee, plus a 'compensation for emotional distress,' saying it's a specially tailored 'friendly and VIP package' for them! Treat our returning customers well!"
Inside several large military electronics assembly plants, the lights were blazing. The workers' expressions were incredibly varied when they learned that the "Turtle Breath Treasures" they had worked overtime, even in shifts, to produce in preparation for a potential large-scale conflict were now being sold to the Russian bear, an enemy they had just been considering going to war with.
There was astonishment, disdain, and a kind of absurd and funny smugness.
"Boss, we made too many spare modules because we were worried the Russian ships would be too strong, right? But now..."
An experienced worker was nodding and shaking his head at the workshop director.
"Hey, so now they're selling it to them at a high price to save their lives? What kind of nonsense is this?"
The workshop foreman was checking the labels on a box of finished products, a sly smile on his face.
"This is called cause and effect, retribution is inevitable! You think it's because we can't beat them? It's because the higher-ups see it clearly! Once this thing of ours makes its appearance, whether it's an eagle or a bear, whoever gets close will be paralyzed!"
We rushed this out in the first place to be prepared for any eventuality, so we could cripple anyone who messed with us and then calmly watch them cripple! Now, it's all good; we've saved ourselves the trouble of fighting and even made a fortune off them!
This is called strategic foresight! Got it? Get to work!
This batch is the VIP exclusive edition, wrapped in two extra layers of gold foil packaging! It shows we value our customers exceptionally!
A massive logistics transport plane roared into the air from the military airfield, carrying this valuable batch of "friendly packages" to a distant Russian military port.
Longxia made a fortune from this deal, while also causing the Russian treasury to shrink considerably.
In a subtle way, it once again humiliated the Russians in front of the whole world, making their proud military power and arrogant emperor lose face—not only were they defeated, but they also had to swallow their pride and pay their opponents for "crutches" just to get back up! They were extremely frustrated!
The Emperor harbored a deep hatred for Long Xia. (End of Chapter)