Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Under Fang Dihu's guidance, Sergei walked up to the signing table. The spotlight hurt his eyes, but he knew that he could not escape this moment.

On the signing table, the text of the treaty had been neatly laid out, the golden hot stamping font gleaming under the light, as if silently announcing the defeat of Tsarist Russia.

Sergei took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm. He picked up the pen, his hand trembling slightly.

At this moment, the reporters in the audience pressed the shutter buttons one after another, and the flash lights lit up as bright as day, freezing this historic moment forever.

"Tsarist Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Petrovich," Fang Dihu's voice echoed in the meeting hall, "on behalf of the Russian Empire, formally signed the Sino-Russian Treaty."

Sergei lowered his head, the tip of his pen touched the paper, leaving a heavy mark. Every stroke seemed to be cutting his flesh, engraving on the pillar of shame of Tsarist Russia.

He tried hard to force out a smile, but that smile was uglier than crying, because he knew that this smile would be recorded by the media all over the world and become a symbol of humiliation for Tsarist Russia.

"Click, click..." The shutter sounds came one after another, and reporters rushed to record this moment. Every lens was aimed at Sergeimer's face, capturing the forced smile on his face.

"This will be tomorrow's headline," the British Empire reporter whispered to his colleague, "The Foreign Minister of Tsarist Russia bowed his head in front of the whole world."

"This smile is absolutely amazing," the French Empire photographer joked, "It's uglier than crying."

"This is history," the reporter from Bird Empire said with emotion, "the end of an empire and the rise of a new great power."

Sergei put down his pen, feeling that all his strength had been drained away. He knew that the signing of this treaty marked the complete defeat of Tsarist Russia in the Far East.

Sergei almost fled from the podium, while Su Zhengyang walked forward calmly. The young president looked around the audience, his eyes gleaming with victory.

"Today," he said in a clear and powerful voice, "is a day worth remembering. China has finally washed away decades of shame and recovered the land that was forcibly occupied."

The audience burst into warm applause.

“But what I want to say is,” Su Zhengyang continued, “this is not the end, but the beginning. This is not a time for revenge, but a time to look to the future.”

He swept his eyes over everyone present: "China's rise will not stop here. We will use our strength to prove that the tragedy that once happened on this land will never happen again."

The applause from the audience became even louder.

"From today on," Su Zhengyang's voice became more and more sonorous, "China will stand tall in the world as an emerging power. We will not repeat the mistakes of history and will not use force to bully other countries. But at the same time, we will never allow any country to threaten China with force again."

Reporters frantically recorded these words. This is not only a summary of the past, but also a declaration of the future.

"Let the whole world remember," he continued, "what happened here today. This is not only the signing of a treaty, but also the beginning of an era. China will play its due role on the world stage with a brand new look."

He paused, his eyes becoming deep: "We will win respect with strength and create the future with wisdom. This is China in the new era, and this is our commitment to the world."

The Chinese people in the audience were so excited that their eyes were filled with tears. This young president announced the rise of China in the most powerful way.

"Finally," Su Zhengyang's voice was filled with a prophetic force, "let us all look forward to a more equitable and just world order. In this new order, might is no longer the rule, and strength is no longer a tool for bullying."

The audience burst into thunderous applause.

The sunlight from outside poured in through the glass, making the young man's figure seem even taller.

After the press conference, Sergei was about to leave, but Zhang Luanyu appeared beside him without him noticing.

"Minister Sergei," Zhang Luanyu said with a polite smile, "Mr. President hopes that you can go to the Phoenix Hall to participate in the free question session with reporters."

Sergei's face turned pale instantly. The humiliation he just experienced had not yet dissipated, and now he had to face those sharp questions from reporters?

"Well..." He looked embarrassed, "I think I'm already very tired..."

Zhang Luanyu looked around to make sure no one else was listening, then lowered his voice and said, "Minister Sergei, you don't want to make the president feel uncomfortable because of this little thing, do you?"

The words were spoken lightly, but Sergei felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

He understood the weight of this sentence. The treaty had been signed, but the execution was still to come. If he offended the young man because of this little thing...

"Moreover," Zhang Luanyu continued, his voice lower, "you can see that the President is in a good mood today. Taking this opportunity..."

He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was already very clear: while Su Zhengyang was in a good mood, perhaps he could get some consideration in the details of the treaty's implementation.

Sergei smiled bitterly and nodded: "Okay, I'll go right away."

"Great," Zhang Luanyu immediately returned to her standard smile, "I'll take you there right away. I'm sure the reporters are waiting anxiously."

Looking at Zhang Luanyu's back, Sergei suddenly realized that every move of these Chinese people was carefully planned. They use the most polite way to push you step by step towards the result they want.

On the rostrum not far away, Su Zhengyang was talking to several officials, but Sergei noticed that the young man's eyes were always looking over here.

The sun was still shining brightly outside the window, but Sergei felt cold all over, because he knew that the real test was not over yet.

And in this way, the young president was making the shame of Tsarist Russia more complete.

The door of the Phoenix Hall slowly opened, and Su Zhengyang and Sergei Mo walked in side by side.

The young president walked calmly with a smile on his face, while Sergei looked a little uneasy, like a prisoner about to be guillotined.

"Oh my God!" The reporter from the English Empire whispered excitedly, "Su Zhengyang actually accompanied him personally! This is big news!"

"Look at Sergei's expression," the French Empire photographer raised his camera, "this contrast is so wonderful."

The reporters were extremely excited and adjusted their cameras and recording equipment one after another, as they all understood that this meant they could get more and more explosive news materials.

"This is a double blow," the reporters of the Bird Empire whispered, "Not only will they make the Tsarist Russia admit its mistakes, but they will also have to be questioned in private. Su Zhengyang's move is too ruthless."

"It looks like we'll get a lot of exclusive content today," the AP reporter couldn't wait to open the interview book. "With the president present, Sergei will definitely not dare to avoid any questions."

Su Zhengyang and Sergei Mo took their seats on the rostrum. The young president still maintained an elegant posture, while Sergei Mo's forehead began to ooze cold sweat.

"Dear journalists," Su Zhengyang said with a smile, "In order to let you better understand the details of this negotiation, I specially invited Minister Sergei to have an in-depth exchange. I believe he will tell you everything he knows."

This was a very well-spoken statement, which not only showed his magnanimity, but also put a tight ring around Sergei Mo's shoulders.

Reporters were already gearing up to ask questions. They knew that with Su Zhengyang present, this would be an unprecedented news feast.

Sergei could only force a smile and wait for the coming storm.