It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 60｜Inhumane?
Veronica spoke frankly and stated her purpose with a sharp look.

She went straight to the point and said, "Mr. President, I sincerely apologize to you. The trade restriction order issued by the previous president has had a negative impact on our country. I would like to know your attitude towards it."

The commander-in-chief nodded and said, "Ms. Veronica has come all the way here in person. We can appreciate her sincerity, but I don't think we should rush to lift the export restrictions."

“Is this your personal opinion or the opinion of the entire upper echelon?”

"All."

"I think you have a big misunderstanding of us. We are working hard to restore our glory. Cooperation can be carried out between the two countries."

"Revival, if this revival is achieved entirely through violence, then I think it is inappropriate."

The intentions behind Ivan Ross's series of actions were obvious, and the top leaders of the Grand Federation were well aware of it.

Veronica said seriously, "Mr. President, I am indeed considering non-peaceful means, but this is not my original intention. My subjects have endured humiliation for many years. We need victory, otherwise we will be forever degraded."

The commander-in-chief pondered, "Conflicts between major powers involve too many people and can easily get out of control."

Veronica felt that he seemed to be wavering, so she pressed the issue, "We will try to control it. In fact, we just want to take back what we lost twenty years ago and take off the hat of loser. Morally speaking, this makes sense."

She expressed her attitude eagerly.

As she spoke these words, her eyes revealed an eager glint, and the hall seemed to be shrouded in a chauvinistic atmosphere.

The commander-in-chief, with a calm expression, simply said, "It's not that simple. The British are also trying to get involved."

"At best they serve as a diversion."

“It’s hard to believe.”

"Mr. President, I didn't mean to deceive you."

After a long silence, the Grand Commander changed the subject and said frankly, "You've said a lot. Let me also share our country's perspective."

He half-raised his hand and gestured, then said calmly, "As a matter of principle, our country doesn't interfere in your affairs, but we still want to see harmony. The last war killed over 20 million people, and it didn't end well. If we have to fight again, then these 20 years will have been wasted."

The national policy of the Grand Federation has not changed for the time being. Its main goal is to further disintegrate the power of the old European colonial empires and seize the market to dump industrial products.

In this regard, the two republics on the east and west coasts of the Pacific can actually be considered to be on the same front.

As for Europe being plunged into war again, this is both a good thing and a bad thing for the Grand Federation - the good thing is self-evident; the bad thing is that Europe may be unbalanced as a result, and Hungary, as a bridgehead for its own power to penetrate into Europe, may be destroyed.

Hearing this, Veronica sneered in her heart, trying not to show it.

Want to see harmony? Which country sold strategic resources to both sides during the European War?

How did Varland acquire hundreds of thousands of tons of nickel and copper? Also, from which country did Ivan Ross purchase over one million rifles, over 3,000 field guns, and over 20 million rounds of ammunition?

Hypocritical Khitans! Smiling but treacherous warmongers!
The meeting process was obviously not smooth, and there were some differences between the two sides during the exchange of views.

Next, the second topic officially began to be negotiated in a bargaining manner.

The export restrictions approved two years ago had a clear target, targeting industrial products related to economic and military construction, including trucks, excavators, cranes, tractors, lathes, milling machines, plate bending machines, rolling mills, hydraulic presses, transformers, steam locomotives, aluminum, cement, alloy steel, viscose fiber and hundreds of other types.

From a long-term perspective, now is definitely not a good time to lift the restrictions.

Therefore, the Grand Commander rejected almost all of the Queen's requests, especially those related to metal processing equipment, leaving no room for negotiation.

"...This train, too, won't do. Trains can not only carry people and goods, but also troops and ammunition. It's inappropriate."

Veronica suddenly felt that coming to negotiate in person was a very cheap thing to do, almost like begging.

She had no choice but to swallow her anger and patiently persuade him, "Mr. President, please reconsider this. We really hope to use these items for civilian use."

The commander-in-chief waved his hand and laughed, "Then let's rest for now. We'll talk later. Have some tea. There's no need to be so nervous."

The meeting entered a temporary break at this point, and the two men stood up and left one after another to discuss privately with their accompanying staff.

Frankly speaking, the top leaders of the ruling government do not want to give in even a little bit.

But it would seem rather callous to have them return empty-handed after having come all this way in person. Furthermore, without an export destination like Ivan Rus in the past two years, some industries have experienced slower-than-expected recovery and even contraction due to a lack of sufficient orders.

Only the Deputy Minister of Industry was present today, and he warned, "Your Excellency, if our estimates are true, cement production this year will definitely not recover to the desired 80 million tons. The same goes for acetate and viscose fiber, which are showing weak growth."

The commander-in-chief nodded and said, "These things are not powerful enough, so we should pay more attention to them. I see that the little girl has come all this way, and if she goes back empty-handed, it would seem that we are being unkind."

The president of the Federal Government Council agreed, then said with a helpless smile, "We can exempt some of them, like cement, synthetic fibers, and transformers. However, it seems unreasonable to exclude the machinery as well."

"Then we'll also loosen up two items, excavators and cranes, and set a limit."

"That's good."

A few people decided the issue in no time.

Soon, the meeting continued.

The concession from the Grand Control Federation was unexpected. Veronica was so overjoyed that she forgot to say thank you and continued to ask for other things tirelessly.

What she wanted most was various metal processing equipment, but all of them were ruthlessly rejected.

Alas, this little girl is not smart, she is climbing up the pole. The president sighed in his heart.

At the end of the meeting, the Grand Commander became more serious and told Veronica the bottom line of the Grand Command Federation regarding the European war - any one-sided situation is unacceptable.

To put it bluntly, it means that the destruction and annexation of a country are not allowed.

At this point in the meeting, the top leaders of the Controlling Government had already determined and tacitly accepted that war in Europe would break out soon.

Finally, the two finished the formal topic and chatted briefly.

The commander-in-chief said to Veronica, "I recommend an article to you. It's written by an ancient person, called 'On the Fall of the Qin Dynasty'. It's straightforward and easy to understand. You should take a good look at it."

The latter was already distracted at this time and just replied casually: "Thank you, Mr. President. I admire your classical Chinese literature. I often talk about 'sleeping on straw and tasting gall' with my ministers. This is a tenacious spirit worth learning."

The commander-in-chief smiled noncommittally.

So far, the meeting ended smoothly.

Looking at Veronica's receding figure, the president said with a regretful tone, "She must have only read the main story of Sleeping on Straw and Tasting Gall, and doesn't know what happened to the Kingdom of Yue later."

(End of this chapter)