Chapter 475 Cruel
There was silence in the conference room.
Li Tianlan said that it was possible to see w.a.n.g Tianzong tonight.
Everyone knew the meaning of this sentence.
In this era, the name “w.a.n.g Tianzong” bought almost suffocating pressure on everyone.
No one wanted to be the enemy of w.a.n.g Tianzong.
But in the general trend, they had no choice at all.
Li Tianlan tapped his fingers on the table unconsciously and remained silent for a long time.
Then a voice sounded.
“Your Highness, what about other forces?”
It was Sun Mengran, the deputy commander of the Thunderbolt Battalion. He was at the same level as Li Zonghu in the Border Control Corps and was extremely low-key in the Snowdance Corps. He served as the a.s.sistant of Li Zonghu with all his heart, but he was a little bit quiet usually. However, as soon as he spoke, he immediately caught everyone’s attention.
“Other forces.”
Li Tianlan repeated it instead of raising a question.
“The Heroes’ Club, Shadow Throne, Men in Black, Dark Knights, Vatican, and Fantasy World.”
Sun Mengran said, “These are the biggest forces. In addition, the information shows that the Morton family and the Violet family are also on the move. And the forces that have secretly sneaked into Recchi City are innumerable. Recently, in Recchi City, we are very low-key, but other forces are very active.”
Li Tianlan nodded and suddenly looked at President Reeker. “Are the senior officials stable?”
Reeker thought about it for a while. This question was very serious, and a bad answer would cause very serious consequences. Reeker went through all the high-level officials in his mind, and then said, “There will be no problems for the time being.”
Today, except for Prime Minister Reeker, who was clearly standing next to Li Tianlan, the att.i.tudes of senior officials of Wulan State were more subtle. They may not be 100% loyal to Zhongzhou State, but they would not be drawn over by other forces in a short time. Since Li Tianlan woke up, that was less likely to happen. However, whether the high-level officials of Wulan State would change their positions depended on Li Tianlan’s actions after waking up.
“For the time being… Well, for the time being…”
Li Tianlan nodded. “That is to say, after a long time, the senior officials will be unstable? In this case, then…”
There was a sudden knock at the door.
The sleepy-eyed Dongcheng Rushi walked into the meeting room.
She rubbed her eyes, holding the phone in her hand, and said softly, “A phone call.”
She walked to Li Tianlan, and in public, her address was also formal. “From Minister Dongcheng.”
Something occurred to Li Tianlan. He took the cell phone, stood up, and walked to the door of the conference room.
As he was about to go out, he suddenly turned back to look at Qin Xilai and asked, “What does the Qin Clan say?”
“We will do our best to stop the power of the Morton and Violet families,” Qin Xilai responded calmly.
That was undoubtedly a very challenging task. Both the Violet and Morton families possessed Invincible Realm experts, and the underlying resources of the worst Rekvia were by no means comparable to those of them. If the two joined forces to enter Recchi City, it would be difficult for the Qin Clan alone to resist them. But in the current situation, only the Qin Clan could shoulder the responsibility of stopping the Violet and Morton families.
Li Tianlan thought about it and glanced around the conference room.
Tostel, the new patriarch of Rekvia and also the second in charge of Wulan State now, was not in the meeting room.
Li Tianlan said, “Contact the Rekvia family.”
Qin Xilai nodded, but his look was not at all relaxed.
That was what many people wanted to say but never said.
With Li Tianlan occupying Wulan State and Rekvia, the position of Tostel, the new patriarch of the Rekvia family, could be said to be very firm. Yet, the change of Rekvia’s highest position was not smooth. After the death of Patriarch Schenker, the entire Rekvia family was in turmoil. Tostel’s move just seized the opportunity, but it may not be able to convince the others. With the major forces entering Recchi City, as the former dominator of Wulan State, the Rekvia family would naturally be wooed by all forces. Tostel’s position remained the same, but no one was sure what the rest of the figures with the real power in the Rekvia family were thinking now.
Li Tianlan could not fail to know this.
However, he still wanted to draw the Rekvia family to the Qin Clan’s side, which showed that his thinking was still very clear. To resist foreign aggression, there must be internal stability. Given Li Tianlan’s behavior, it seemed that he was about to make a move on the Rekvia family.
A cleaned-up Rekvia might have a big drop in strength, but its foundation as one of the four major Eastern European families still remained. If Rekvia cooperated with the Qin Clan completely, it would be easier for the Qin Clan to face the Violet and Morton families.
Li Tianlan continued, “By the way, make an appointment for me with Holy Virgin Angel and Aresis of the Vatican.”
Cool Breeze said, “Just leave it to me.”
Li Tianlan glanced at him and suddenly remembered the rumor between Tribulation and Angel.
He nodded thoughtfully and continued, “Finally, send a notice to the major forces in the name of the Snowdance Corps. I don’t care whether they are the Heroes’ Club or Men in Black. A week, I’ll give them a week. All the forces must get out of Recchi City within a week. Otherwise, I don’t mind taking the Snowdance Corps with me to talk to them.”
The atmosphere in the conference room changed abruptly.
Li Zonghu laughed, enraptured.
Even Prime Minister Reeker’s face was flushed with excitement.
To let all dark forces get out of Recchi City within a week.
How could it be a notice? It was clearly the final warning.
It was a nice thing to follow such a marshal.
Li Tianlan was still calm.
There was not an emotional ripple in his heart.
In his opinion, Recchi City was already his domain, and the major forces were not his welcome guests, so letting them get out was a matter of course.
He turned around and got out of the conference room, going directly to the study in the Office of the President.
No one had used the study since the death of Carlos, but the room was very clean. Li Tianlan turned on the screen in the study, connected his phone, and made a video call to Dongcheng Wudi.
Dongcheng Wudi had been waiting for Li Tianlan’s call.
As soon as Li Tianlan made the video call, the smiling face of the previous G.o.d of Ma.s.sacre of Zhongzhou State appeared in front of him.
“Marshal.”
Li Tianlan raised his hand and saluted solemnly.
“What are you doing? Don not stand on ceremony.”
Dongcheng Wudi smiled with his eyes narrowed and looked at Li Tianlan, who was energetic. His smile was pleasant and satisfied. “How about your injury?”
“It is nearly healed and doesn’t affect my combat capability.”
Li Tianlan told the truth. His injury was still a short way from complete recovery, but with the half-damaged Wind and Thunder Veins, his speed, strength, and sword intent could barely be compatible.
In other words, if Li Tianlan did not pursue the ultimate perfection, he could already abandon the Wind and Thunder Veins and used the other to help him break through to the Invincible Realm after his injury had healed. The potential of Li Tianlan in this state may decline, but his actual combat capability would be slightly better than it was before his injury.
“That’s good.”
Dongcheng Wudi nodded. He looked at the composed Li Tianlan in a military uniform in the video, his eyes a little blurred. He seemed to remember something.
Dongcheng Wudi’s voice grew softer, and he spoke with undisguised admiration, “You handled the affair of Wulan State very well. It couldn’t be better.”
Li Tianlan nodded and asked, “Have you talked to Reeker?”
Before he fell into a coma, he demanded compensation from Wulan State and an apology from Reeker, all of which were nothing.
What really mattered was the negotiation between Zhongzhou State and Wulan State.
Compared to those of his requirements, standing on Wulan State’s standpoint, Reeker’s negotiation with Zhongzhou State really humiliated the country and submitted its sovereignty, which was a sign of the benefits to come for Zhongzhou State.
Although Li Tianlan could represent Zhongzhou State, he was not good at such negotiations.
Prime Minister Reeker killed Carlos, and Rekvia went into the embrace of Zhongzhou State. In this case, Wulan State’s bottom line had reached a level where there was no bottom line. How to squeeze out the interests of Wulan State to the greatest extent? As a matter of course, he threw such a question at the high-level officials of Zhongzhou State.
It had been ten days since he fell into a coma. At this time, the negotiations between Zhongzhou State and Wulan State should have been settled.
“Yeah.”
Dongcheng Wudi’s smile grew broader. “Reeker has agreed to share all resources of Wulan State with Zhongzhou State, provide permanent garrison bases, and offer trillions of compensation in Zhongzhou State’s currency. In addition, Wulan State’s political position also made a significant adjustment and began tilting toward Zhongzhou State. The treaty will be signed soon. After the signing of the treaty, the citizens of Zhongzhou State do not need to apply for immigration to Wulan State, and people in both countries can marry freely…”
His smile was a little weird. “There are so many beauties in Wulan State. Boy, you’ve created welfare for those single guys in the Border Control Corps.”
Li Tianlan took a deep breath and wanted to laugh, but he was so shocked that he could not speak.
Not to mention the other conditions, the first one alone was scary enough.
To share all resources of Wulan State with Zhongzhou State.
And it was unconditional.
Wulan State was a country with abundant resources and had a land area that was second only to that of Snow Country and was equivalent to that of France in the whole of Europe. This country abounded in more than just beautiful women. This fertile land was almost full of resources, for example, oil, natural gas, minerals, metal, and the most important food…
Wulan State was going to share these with Zhongzhou State. What did that mean?
If people in the two countries could marry freely, who could be sure whether the people walking in the streets of Wulan State were from Zhongzhou State or Wulan State one hundred years later?
Dongcheng Wudi asked with a smile, “Got it?”
Li Tianlan nodded silently. For a while, he didn’t know how to express his feelings.
“Wulan State has always been the sore point of Zhongzhou State. This time you handled the hot potato, and we took all the investment back in Wulan State at one time. Now the entire Wulan State is related to the development of Zhongzhou State in the next century. All these situations are created by you, Tianlan. It’s really a great achievement. On behalf of Zhongzhou State, I would like to say thanks to you and the Li family.”
Dongcheng Wudi’s expression gradually became serious.
He stood up and saluted Li Tianlan with a solemn expression.
Li Tianlan shook his head in reply with a bitter smile, and after remaining silent for a while, he asked, “When will the treaty be signed?”
Dongcheng Wudi said slowly, “A week later, and you will definitely be present at that time. President Li Huacheng of Zhongzhou State will personally arrive at Wulan State to sign a treaty with Prime Minister Reeker. You must keep Mr. President safe at that time.”
Li Tianlan nodded and answered, “Okay.”
Dongcheng Wudi sat down and lit a cigarette, saying calmly, “There’s one more thing. There is a large-scale delegation following the president, and I will send you a list later. You can contact with most of them. Rushi knows them, and she will introduce you to them by then.”
Li Tianlan froze and looked at Dongcheng Wudi’s expression carefully.
The screen in front of him was very clear. Across the screen and thousands of miles, Li Tianlan faintly saw the faint exhaustion and joy in Dongcheng Wudi’s eyes.
“Marshal…”
At this moment, Li Tianlan had thousands of words in his heart, but he could not express them.
Even if he were a fool, he could understand the meaning of Dongcheng Wudi’s words.
Wulan State was jointly occupied by Li Tianlan and the Snowdance Corps.
Li Tianlan was a candidate who was strongly supported by the Giant Group. Dongcheng Wudi’s most elite troops, except for the part that must be sacrificed due to the deal, the rest were left to Li Tianlan.
When Li Tianlan entered Eastern Europe this time, the Giant Group took unprecedented risks, and its investment was also unprecedented.
Now Li Tianlan succeeded in occupying Wulan State.
When it was time to share the fruits of victory, most of this big piece of cake would naturally belong to the Giant Group.
Wulan State belonged to Li Tianlan, Zhongzhou State, as well as the Giant Group.
That was the naked interest.
That was why the Sword Emperor w.a.n.g Tianzong could not let go of Wulan State.
In the current situation, whoever occupied Wulan State had the right to divide up the interests of Wulan State.
Li Tianlan was paramount in Wulan State.
The Giant Group naturally became the biggest winner.
The other groups may intend to have a finger in the pie, but to put it plainly, they were not qualified.
Even if they bit the bullet and partic.i.p.ated in forcibly, Li Tianlan was still here, and the interests were in his hands. He was the one who could decide whom to give the benefit to.
So Li Tianlan could imagine the position of the delegation that would follow Li Huacheng to Wulan State.
Perhaps not everyone in the delegation belonged to the Giant Group.
But most of them definitely belonged to the Giant Group.
That was the most basic rule.
Li Tianlan was in Wulan State. This was a feast Li Tianlan fought for the Giant Group.
It was his return to the Giant Group and the Dongcheng Clan.
But Dongcheng Wudi now intended to send this list to Li Tianlan, and he even asked Li Tianlan to make more contact with these people in Dongcheng Rushi’s company.
The meaning of this sentence was vague.
But it was equally clear.
Was he going to choose Li Tianlan as his successor and ask the latter to replace him to take over the entire Giant Group?
Li Tianlan had complex feelings.
If everything went well, when the chaos in Eastern Europe ended and he returned to Zhongzhou State, he would become the most powerful person in Zhongzhou State whether he was still the marshal of the Snowdance Corps or not.
What was his ident.i.ty of being one of the helmsmen of The Six in Zhongzhou State?
Li Tianlan was silent for a long time, and then he began to speak dryly, “Marshal, I… I don’t seem to be ready for this.”
“It’s OK.”
Dongcheng Wudi laughed. No matter internally or externally, from the Dark World to Zhongzhou State’s Army Headquarters, Marshal Dongcheng Wudi of Zhongzhou State impressed everyone with calmness, majesty, energy, decisiveness, and toughness. That was everyone’s impression of Dongcheng Wudi.
But with his smile now, Li Tianlan clearly felt the oldness and warmth under Dongcheng Wudi’s smile.
“Tianlan, it’s a great opportunity. If Eastern Europe is a piece of cake and you are a baker, everyone must observe your face if they want to eat the cake. They are certainly the best to be in touch with when they need you. In the future, you’ll own the Giant Group. At present, it is the best opportunity for you to fit in. And it’s not just about fitting in. It’s about leading them. You have to make them feel that if you go into the Giant Group, you are their leader.
“Relax, the Giant Group is big and loose, and this time, the ones who will follow the president to Wulan State are mostly the trusted subordinates of our three families. Since they recognize me, they will recognize you. You may not be ready to take over the Giant Group from me right now, but it’s time for you to impress them.”
“I will help him.”
Dongcheng Rushi’s voice was loud and clear.
Dongcheng Wudi looked at Dongcheng Rushi and then at Li Tianlan, and finally, he couldn’t help laughing.
His laughter was cheerful and hearty, like spring rain that soothed Li Tianlan in his heart.
“I’ll send you the list right away.”
Dongcheng Wudi laughed. “Tianlan, we don’t need to stand on ceremony. And don’t say thanks to me, I don’t like it. We all wish you and Rushi a bright future. Treat her well. She’ll help you when you need her.”
Li Tianlan nodded with complicated feelings.
He had long thought about the day, in the final maneuver of the Sky Academy.
But he did not expect it to come so soon.
Dongcheng Wudi couldn’t wait to send the Giant Group to him, give him power and position, and help him rise.
If all this were Dongcheng Rushi’s dowry, it would be far too abundant.
Moreover, Dongcheng Wudi said, “We all wish you and Rushi a bright future.”
Obviously, “We” did not refer to the elders in the Dongcheng Clan.
It referred to the three families—the pillars of the Giant Group.
The Dongcheng Clan, Zou family, and Bai family.
Although the three families were very close, Li Tianlan couldn’t figure out why the Dongcheng Clan recognized him and the other two recognized him as well. When the Dongcheng Clan wanted to send the Giant Group to him, he had not even heard a word of objection from either family.
Were they really so generous?
The video call that was bound to have a far-reaching influence ended in silence.
In the Army Headquarters’ office, Dongcheng Wudi put out the cigarette in his hand, and there was still an irrepressible smile on his face.
General Bai Qingzhao, the deputy secretary of the Army Headquarters, asked softly, “Do you want to ask Tianlan to take over the Group now?”
There was no objection in his tone. He merely seemed a little hesitant. “You seem to be in a hurry.”
“No, I’m not.”
Dongcheng Wudi shook his head. “It’s the best opportunity.”
Bai Qingzhao said, “The opportunity is good, but if you do this, aren’t you afraid to stimulate w.a.n.g Tianzong and Gu Xingyun? Even the people in the Prince Group can’t sit still, I’m afraid.”
Dongcheng Wudi was silent for a while and then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
He slowly said, “Even if I don’t stimulate them, they will do what they want to do. These so-called stimuli will not affect any of their decisions at all. And… no matter what, Tianlan will win.”
“What if anything happens?”
Bai Qingzhao lowered his head and took a drag on the cigarette, his voice a bit vague.
Dongcheng Wudi was silent for a while, and then he said lightly, “If anything happens, I will resign as the standing minister of Army Headquarters.”
Bai Qingzhao froze for a while, then shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “You think too simply. How could it be so easy?”
“It’s not necessarily difficult. The point is that I never thought about the worst case.”
Dongcheng Wudi looked at his brother-in-law and said calmly, “Relax, nothing will happen.”
It wasn’t until Dongcheng Rushi pulled Li Tianlan’s palm that he reacted suddenly.
The video call in front had been hung up.
Dongcheng Rushi stood beside him, gazing into his eyes and whispering, “Are you unhappy? Why?”
“How could I be unhappy?”
Li Tianlan reached out and pinched Dongcheng Rushi’s delicate nose. “I was just a little overwhelmed. It’s hard to describe how I feel now… In a word, it is complicated.”
“It’ll be all right.”
Dongcheng Rushi held Li Tianlan’s palm. “I will help you.”
Li Tianlan smiled. He was about to speak when there was a knock on the door of the study.
Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows and said, “Come in.”
The door was pushed open.
The calm Prime Minister Reeker came in and said respectfully, “Your Highness.”
Li Tianlan nodded and said in surprise, “What’s the matter?”
Reeker reported softly, “Carlos’s wife and daughter are dead.”
Li Tianlan froze in place, and after a while, he said, “Huh?”
“There was a fire in their temporary residence, and after investigation, it was an accident.”
Reeker’s tone was a bit erratic.
“Oh,” replied Li Tianlan, his tone a bit erratic too.
Carlos’s family had previously lived in the Office of the President. After Carlos died, they all moved out. It was only a few days…
“Take good care of his…”
Li Tianlan spoke halfway and suddenly found himself unable to continue.
He squinted his eyes and looked at the stiff face of Reeker, without speaking for a moment.
Reeker continued with his dull voice. “Your Highness, Carlos has no family member left. He had a younger brother doing business in Wulan State. One week ago, we discovered that he was suspected of serious tax evasion. When we were summoning him, his bodyguards resisted with guns. He then tried to flee to England with his family, but the three of them were shot dead on the spot.
“Carlos’s mother couldn’t take the blow. She had a heart attack and died five days ago.
“Today is Carlos’s mother’s funeral. After the funeral, Carlos’s wife and daughter also had an accident…”
His voice was calm as if he was giving a work report.
But Li Tianlan’s complexion gradually turned pale.
He didn’t feel that he was soft-hearted.
But after a fierce game, the results of the victory and defeat were presented to him for the first time so clearly and cruelly, but the impact brought to him was extremely fierce.
His brother’s family of three, his wife, daughter, and mother…
With Carlos’s death, all these were completely torn apart by the world.
It was cruel and cold, without any temperature.
Li Tianlan suddenly had some fear because he thought of himself.
He could be sure that if he failed in Eastern Europe and died in Recchi City or anywhere in Eastern Europe, everyone in the Li family and Dongcheng Clan, including Dongcheng Wudi, Dongcheng Rushi, and Bai Qingqian, would end up even worse than Carlos’s family.
The mountains were high and the roads were precipitous.
People standing on high ground were often shouldering too much.
So Li Tianlan couldn’t lose!
He stood beside Dongcheng Rushi, his body trembling slightly.
But he looked at Reeker with a pale and expressionless face.
Reeker lowered his head, lower and lower.
It was a long time before Li Tianlan nodded and said blankly, “I see. You go out.”
Reeker bowed deeply to Li Tianlan and turned to leave.
When he came to the door, Li Tianlan suddenly said, “Wait.”
Reeker turned and looked at Li Tianlan in confusion.
Then he heard the question from Li Tianlan.
“How many more troops can you mobilize in Recchi City?”