Mr. Qian is truly adept at whitewashing his actions. He clearly intends to drag the people of Chuan Yu from their happy lives into the water, yet he stands there with righteous justifications. I ask you, is it reasonable for us in Chuan Yu to risk our lives for Dian Province? Lu Xibai then inquired.
Qian Bufei said in a deep voice, "The three regions of Yun, Gui, and Chuan are like brothers. Sir, by actively severing the ties between Chuan Yu and Dian Province, are you not attempting to fracture the bonds of brotherhood between our regions?"
Qian Bufei had just placed a heavy accusation on Lu Xibai. Such a charge of division was something one could not bear, for the accusation was too grave. No one had ever dared to carry such a stigma. Thus, Lu Xibai, with a darkened face, attempted to defend himself.
"You are utterly slandering me! When did I ever say such a thing? Be quiet at once!" Lu Xibai said urgently.
There are certain rules in a debate. One must not become agitated. Once agitated, it is easy for one's anger to be exploited as a weakness by the enemy, who can then strike hard. Currently, Lu Xibai had become agitated and even spoke without thinking.
When everyone witnessed this scene, they understood that Lu Xibai had been persuaded. Yang Ye then spoke, "Lu Xibai, you may sit down."
Lu Xibai took a deep breath. He still had many things he wanted to say, and if he could articulate them, he was sure he could refute the other party. However, he had succumbed to agitation. With just a few words from the other party, his emotions had been stirred, and he had fallen into a disadvantageous position. Now, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only sit down and hand over the task of debating to someone else.
Yang Ye looked at another subordinate. A man named Xiao Yufang stood up. This young man appeared to be only in his early twenties, but in the apocalypse, those who were heavily relied upon were never simple individuals. They always possessed unique strengths, which is why they were valued.
Xiao Yufang then spoke, "Mr. Qian, you repeatedly claim that this is for the good of the people in Dian Province and Chuan Yu, which is why you made this difficult decision. However, in my opinion, this is entirely unnecessary. If you could truly deal with the mutated insects, you would not be seeking our help. Let's be frank and straightforward. Don't speak of empty platitudes, because they are meaningless. This is the apocalypse. In the apocalypse, there is no talk of sentiment; it is all about interests. You should understand this!"
Xiao Yufang did not intend to dwell on the other party's intentions. If he were to discuss such superficial matters, he could talk for three days and three nights without end. He did not want to accuse the other party or smear their name, as it was also meaningless. Instead, he directly addressed the issue of interests. If they wanted them to act, it was simple: provide sufficient benefits, and they would definitely help persuade the City Lord. However, if they could not offer enough benefits, then it was another matter.
Qian Bufei took a deep breath and said, "I have a USB drive here. Inside this USB drive are various maps of Dian Province, including transportation maps, resource maps, and troop deployments. If you want to talk about interests, I believe these extensive interests are more than enough to persuade you!"
Xiao Yufang frowned and then said, "Words are not proof. Simply using a few maps to explain your intentions is not enough, in my opinion!"
Qian Bufei looked at him seriously and said, "Since we are to discuss interests, let us clarify every matter. We can hand over the population and resources of Dian Province to you for management. Are these interests not sufficient? If they are not enough, we also have the plains to the south and numerous coastal outlets! I don't understand one thing: with so many resources and interests laid out before you, you are not tempted. Are you truly so short-sighted that you can only see your own small plot of land and not a more far-reaching plan?"
Xiao Yufang continued, "This sounds simple. We in Yuzhou have no foundation for rule in Dian Province. When we send out a large number of our soldiers to help you resist the invasion of mutated insects, and after the war ends, our soldiers suffer heavy losses, what if you turn against us and directly drive us out? Wouldn't that be a wasted effort? We cannot bear such a risk."
"Where the people's hearts are, there is no obstacle. Once your Yuzhou soldiers are stationed on our territory, we will provide you with ample food and weapons. During this process, you will clear out the mutated insects and gain the recognition of countless people. At that time, you will be the will of the people, supported by countless individuals. How could we possibly drive you away? If you are unwilling to take any risks but still want to gain more benefits, that is nothing short of a fool's dream. From what I know, when Fengshen wanted to support Rongcheng, many people were also trying to stop him. But what was the result? In over a year, you have almost assimilated the entire Chuan Province, gaining vast plains and many heavy industrial production bases. If you hadn't taken risks back then, would you have achieved all this?" Qian Bufei said earnestly.
Xiao Yufang was momentarily speechless. He realized he had shot himself in the foot. He had proposed that they discuss interests, yet he found himself unable to out-argue the other party on this matter. Dian Province indeed possessed abundant resources, including hydropower, oil and gas, and even southern coastal outlets, all of which were incredibly tempting. It was difficult to justify abandoning such tangible benefits.
Xiao Yufang then said, "Let me think about it first. You others continue."
After saying this, Xiao Yufang sat down and fell into contemplation.
Qian Bufei breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to say something more, but Lu Xian had already stood up. He could be considered part of the military, commanding a large number of soldiers and participating in many battles. Now, he was prepared to speak.
"If we are discussing interests, I am no match for you. However, I want to point out one thing: combat is merely a couple of words in your mouths, but for us soldiers, it requires countless soldiers to fight to the death. In this process, who knows how many young faces will die? These people also have their parents, their wives, and their children. To let them die in vain like this, my heart cannot bear it!" Lu Xian said.
Seeing Lu Xian stand up, Yang Ye's face immediately lit up with a smile. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect the military to stand with us. Then our leverage will be even greater!"
Upon hearing these words, Qian Bufei understood that the true test had arrived. If he could not provide a perfect answer, he would be seen as treating human lives as worthless, and he would not be welcomed by others. Why should the soldiers of Yuzhou fight for Dian Province? They were not currently facing a crisis caused by insects.
However, after some thought, Qian Bufei had an answer. He then said seriously, "In fact, everyone detests war, and I am no exception. How could I stand by and watch these young faces die on the battlefield without any concern? I certainly hope there will be no war in the world, so that everyone can live peacefully and develop human civilization. But it is impossible, and I believe you understand this deeply. After all, I heard that Lord Fengshen's slogan is to end the apocalypse. If that is the case, then in order for people not to suffer war in the future, we must strive to end the war in our hands, isn't that right?"
"So, you mean that the sacrifice of these soldiers is necessary?" Lu Xian asked.
Qian Bufei slowly replied, "If it can ensure the continuation of humanity in the apocalypse, if it can allow people to survive in the apocalypse, then unity is necessary. Even if there are some sacrifices for this goal, it is worth it. If necessary, I will also go to the battlefield, and I will disregard my own life! I will not hide behind and cower; I will charge forward!"
Lu Xian sneered, "You say it so easily. What is your single life worth? I have tens of thousands of soldiers under my command, and they do not want to go to war..."
Just as Lu Xian was about to continue his rebuttal, he was suddenly signaled by Yang Chang beside him. Cao Fuli was also making eye contact, so he immediately stopped speaking and sat down.
Qian Bufei was still thinking about how to persuade the military representative, but then the other party sat down. He was immediately relieved, thinking, "What a stroke of luck. This fellow's eloquence doesn't seem to be very good, so he stopped talking halfway and sat down on his own."
Lu Xian whispered to Yang Chang beside him, "What are you doing?"
Yang Chang did not answer. After all, many people present were ability users, and even if they spoke in low voices, their conversations might still be overheard. He dipped his finger in wine and wrote a few characters on the table, "The City Lord is in the corner."
After writing the characters, he casually wiped them away with his finger, leaving no trace.
Lu Xian saw these characters and was immediately startled. He thought, "The City Lord is truly cunning. I didn't expect him to be eavesdropping from the side at such a critical moment. He said earlier that he wouldn't interfere, but now he's here. Will my recent words be interpreted by the City Lord as being afraid of death and unwilling to fight?"
At this moment, Yang Ye prepared to take action himself. Seeing that his subordinates were unable to persuade Qian Bufei, he stood up and said, "Mr. Qian, I have a question I'd like to ask you. Would you say it's better for a place to develop peacefully or to be dragged into the abyss of war?"
Qian Bufei replied, "This needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. If there is a choice for peaceful development, no one would choose war. But there are always unexpected situations. You may not wish for war to happen, but war always finds its way to you. For example, the attack by mutated butterflies that you previously encountered, isn't that such a situation?"
Yang Ye smiled and then said, "Then this matter is much simpler. I suddenly remembered something. Although our Chuan Yu region has always had wars, they were generally small-scale. We mostly just killed zombies, mutated beasts, and mutated birds. We basically never encountered attacks from mutated insects. The only mutated insects we encountered were mutated butterflies from the south. This means that as long as we ignore the wars outside, our Chuan Yu region can continue to develop, and our population can grow. So why should we bring trouble upon ourselves?"