The boss has no descendants, but he encounters four smaller versions of himself

"What do you want?" Ivan asked in a hoarse voice.

Su Chaoji did not answer immediately.

He first pushed a glass of water towards her before speaking: "Cease fire."

Ivan stared at the glass of water, without moving.

Su Chaoji continued, "We will withdraw to the line of actual control, exchange prisoners of war, and establish a demilitarized buffer zone. The specific terms are here."

He pushed a document in front of the other person.

Ivan took a deep breath and finally looked down at the document.

The conditions were not harsh, and were even more lenient than the "surrender terms" they had expected.

There were no humiliating terms or excessive territorial demands. The core issue was for both sides to return to the pre-war line of actual control, exchange prisoners of war, and establish a demilitarized buffer zone.

Ivan stared intently at him: "Why? You are perfectly capable of asking for more."

Su Chaoji's gaze passed over him and looked out the window, where the embers of gunfire still seemed to linger. "War is not the goal; ending the war is."

He turned his gaze back to the other person. "More demands mean more hatred, deeper wounds, and longer-lasting unease. What I want is not your humiliation, but peace here."

He tapped the documents on the table and said, "These conditions are enough to end this battle and give you an explanation when you go back. As for hatred and shame, they won't let anyone sleep better; they will only sow the seeds of the next war."

Ivan was stunned.

He looked at the excessively young commander in front of him and felt a sense of shock.

"These conditions...were drafted by you?"

“It’s the result of our joint discussions,” Su Chaoji said, glancing at Bart and the other officers, “but the main framework was proposed by me.”

Open, direct, neither taking credit nor shirking responsibility.

Ivan remained silent for an even longer time.

A breeze was blowing outside the tent, making a slight rustling sound on the canvas.

“I need to consult my superiors,” Ivan finally said.

Su Chaoji nodded. "Okay, but please reply within two hours. If you agree, we'll begin exchanging the first batch of prisoners of war tonight. If you don't agree..."

He paused for a second, his tone unchanged, "We will continue to move forward until you agree."

Ivan gave a wry smile.

He knew the other party could do it.

The battles of the past few days have proven that this young man's tactical abilities completely overwhelmed their entire staff.

Negotiations are temporarily adjourned.

Ivan left the tent with the documents, his back slightly hunched in the sunlight, a sign of the weariness of a defeated man.

Once only their own personnel remained in the tent, Bart looked at Su Chaoji: "You know him?"

Su Chaoji nodded: "Mm."

“The way he looked at you…” Bart carefully chose his words, “was very complicated.”

Su Chaoji stopped what he was doing and looked toward the tent flap.

There, Ivan's figure had already disappeared from sight.

"He is a professional soldier, not a fanatical warmonger."

Su Chaoji said, "Losing to a mute orphan he once pitied is harder to accept than losing to an experienced veteran, but I believe he will agree to the terms and even persuade their commander."

Bart stared intently at the boy before him. So young, yet already able to analyze his opponent's psychology so calmly—such talent and insight were truly extraordinary.

Sure enough, two hours later, Ivan returned with signed documents, including those from their highest-ranking commander.

The signing ceremony was simple: representatives from both sides signed the ceasefire agreement, exchanged documents, and shook hands.

When Ivan grasped Su Chaoji's hand, he looked deeply at the boy and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"You're a strange person."

Su Chaoji raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Ivan continued, "You were born for war, yet you yearn to end it more than anyone else."

Su Chaoji was silent for a few seconds, then released his hand. "War is not something to be loved, it is something to be ended."

Ivan smiled wryly: "Little Commander, you are truly admirable."

"Thank you," Su Chaoji said, then released his hand, took a step back, and saluted.

Ivan returned the greeting, this time with a standard and solemn gesture.

This was not the defeated surrendering to the victors, but rather the respect of soldiers for each other, even though the other was unbelievably young.

The curtain was lifted, and a cool breeze blew in.

The negotiations ended, and Ivan left with his men.

Su Chaoji stood outside the tent, watching their convoy drive away and disappear into the dust.

When the news of the ceasefire spread, the exhausted soldiers on the front lines were initially incredulously silent, but then erupted into a wave of cheers and cries, as if they had survived a catastrophe.

They embraced each other, kissed the crosses or photos of their families, and watched as white flags, symbolizing a ceasefire, began to rise on enemy lines.

On the border, the sounds of gunfire finally ceased completely.

As the sun sets, it paints the earth in a warm orange-red hue.

Bart, holding the battle report, walked up to Su Chaoji and said, "It's over."

His voice carried the weariness of someone who had just been relieved of a heavy burden.

Su Chaoji corrected him, saying, "It's only temporarily over."

Bart turned his head, his brow furrowing slightly: "What do you mean?"

Su Chaoji smiled and said, "The end of every war is the beginning of a new revolution."

He turned to look at Bart: "Our new war has begun."

Bart was stunned.

He wanted to ask what the new war meant, and he also wanted to delve into the deeper meaning hidden in the boy's words, but a lively and cheerful voice came from the other side of the camp, interrupting his thoughts.

"grandfather......"

Sofia, like a pink butterfly, came rushing in from the twilight.

She took a shower, changed into a clean and pretty pink dress, and tied her hair into two neat braids with light blue ribbons tied at the ends.

Her face was washed clean, and her large eyes shone brightly in the twilight.

She ran over and first threw herself into her grandfather's arms, her little arms tightly wrapped around Bart's neck.

Then she lifted her face from her grandfather's shoulder and saw Su Chaoji standing to the side.

"Brother." Her voice was sweet, filled with the joy unique to children.

Su Chaoji nodded, his expression as calm as ever.

Bart temporarily forgot his earlier doubts, smiled, picked up his granddaughter, and let her sit in his arms.

Sofia was as light as a feather. Dressed in a pink dress, she was like an unexpectedly blooming flower in the smoke and dust of the military camp.

“Yaya, look.” Bart pointed to the distant sky, “The war is over. After a while, once everything here is settled, Grandpa can take you home.”

Sofia's eyes sparkled as she hugged her grandfather's neck and listened attentively.

Bart continued, “We watch the first rays of the morning sun together, and tend to the garden together. The roses your mother planted should be in full bloom this year.”

“Okay, Grandpa!” Sophia nodded happily, her little braids swaying with her movements. “I’m going to water the roses and sing to them. Mommy says that singing will make the flowers bloom even more beautifully!”

Bart smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.