Eagle Sauce: The 055 destroyer was launched into the sea just after the founding of the country?

After Howell regained his composure, he immediately returned to Washington, DC.

That night, he sat alone in the Oval Office, intelligence documents about the Dragon Kingdom's space program spread out on the table in front of him.

His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes flashed with anger and anxiety.

The Washington Monument outside the window loomed in the night, as if silently mocking his predicament.

After a long silence, Howell let out a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of decision.

He reached for the red telephone on the table, a hotline to the Kremlin that represented a sinister yet necessary link between the two Cold War rivals.

After the call was connected, Howell waited a moment while the translator began to work.

"Comrade Joseph, it's been a while since I heard your voice."

Howell's voice was strained.

"I think you probably already know the latest developments in Dragon Country."

Thousands of kilometers away in Moscow, in an office deep inside the Kremlin.

Joseph sat at his large desk, his trademark pipe in hand.

Hearing Howell's voice, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Of course, my intelligence network is not just for show,"

Joseph slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone full of sarcasm.

"The Dragon Kingdom is preparing to launch a manned spacecraft, becoming the first country to send a person into space."

“That’s disturbing to you, isn’t it?”

"Listen, Joseph, this is no time for jokes."

Howell took a deep breath.

“No matter what, we cannot allow the Dragon Kingdom to be the first country to send a person into space. This is absolutely unacceptable.”

He paused for a moment, his voice low and firm.

"I am willing to resume cooperation with Russia and stop this launch by China at all costs."

“At any cost?”

There was a hint of amusement in Joseph's voice.

"But a few months ago, it was you who decided to reconcile with the Dragon Kingdom and even provided cheap food."

"I warned you then that the dragon of the East would not be easily tamed."

"That's just a stopgap measure,"

Howell responded quickly.

"Our ultimate goal has never changed - to curb the expansion and development of the Dragon Nation."

Joseph was silent for a moment, then his chair creaked and he stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is Moscow's Red Square shrouded in night, and the Kremlin clock tower in the distance is still solemn and majestic.

"You know, Howell, the first people in space have to be one of us noble Westerners!"

Joseph said slowly, without disguising the racial arrogance in his voice.

"Whether it comes from the Eagle Sauce or the Bear, it's much better than letting those yellow people take the lead."

Howell was not surprised by such blunt racial rhetoric; he even secretly approved of it.

"That's right, Joseph."

“This is about the dignity and dominance of Western civilization as a whole. We must cooperate.”

Joseph sneered.

"Now you need my help? After you betrayed our agreement and secretly made peace with the Dragon Nation?"

His voice grew colder.

"Tell me, Howell, why should I help you?"

"Because it is in the interests of the bear,"

Howell responded calmly.

"The rise of the Dragon Nation threatens not only us, but you as well!"

"Their stealth fighters, electric vehicle technology, and new weapons tests are all challenging Russia's technological advantage!"

“If you give them a head start in the space race, what’s next?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, only Joseph's deep breathing and the slight popping of his pipe could be heard.

"What's more, don't forget, you are bordering the Dragon Kingdom..."

"I can help you,"

Joseph finally spoke, his voice calculating.

"The Russians can deploy missiles in the Far East to intercept Chinese spacecraft as they take off. We have the technical capability to do that."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Howell's eyes, but he knew that the Hairy Bear Man never provided help for free.

“What are your conditions?”

“Smart questions,”

There was a hint of approval in Joseph's tone.

"I need America to help us solve a small problem - Ho Chi Minh and his pro-dragon faction."

“They rejected our proposal and insisted on maintaining friendly relations with Longguo. This is extremely detrimental to our strategy in Southeast Asia.”

Howell tapped his fingers on the table, pondering the implications of this request.

“You want us to…”

"No need to be too specific," Joseph interrupted. "Your CIA is very experienced in this area, isn't it?"

"Coup, assassination, creating 'accidents'... I believe you have a complete set of mature plans."

"We just need the result, and that is for Nguyen Van Thieu to replace Ho Chi Minh as the new leader of North Vietnam."

Howell did not immediately respond.

Although a member of the Red Front, Ho Chi Minh was primarily a nationalist, and his reliance on Dragon Kingdom was driven by both geopolitical necessity and historical and cultural ties.

Nguyen Van Thieu was more radical, especially because he had historical grudges against the Dragon Kingdom and was more easily manipulated.

“If we agree to this request,”

Howell asked cautiously.

"Can you guarantee that you will intercept Dragon Country's manned spacecraft 100%?"

"Of course," Joseph said confidently, "our missile technology is world-class."

"The Dragon Kingdom's spacecraft is most vulnerable during the launch phase and can be destroyed with just one precision-guided missile."

“We can disguise it as a technical malfunction or an explosion. No one will suspect us.”

"Death toll?" Howell asked, his voice surprisingly calm.

"It depends on what kind of outcome you want,"

Joseph answered, his tone as casual as if he was talking about the weather.

"If it's just to stop the mission, we can shoot down the spacecraft before it leaves the atmosphere, and the astronauts may survive."

"If you want a more... permanent solution, we can wait until the ship is in space and there are no survivors!"

In the Oval Office, Howell was silent for a moment, weighing the possibilities in his mind.

Finally, he made a decision.

"We will deal with Ho Chi Ming's issue."

“Within two weeks, you’ll see results.”

His voice was low and firm.

"As for the Dragon Nation's space program, I want to make sure they never succeed in sending a man into space."

"This isn't just about this one mission, it's about teaching them a lasting lesson that space is not their place."

“Got it,” Joseph said with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “So, we have a consensus. Good luck with Southeast Asia, President Howell.”

After the call ended, Howell sat quietly in the darkness of the Oval Office.

He knew he had just signed a dirty deal, but these moral concerns pale in comparison to national interests and global hegemony.

He picked up the phone on the table and pressed the button.

"Have someone from Langley come to see me, immediately."

At the same time, in the Kremlin in Moscow, Joseph blew out a smoke ring with satisfaction and said to the intelligence chief Karpov who was standing beside him.

"Prepare the missile systems in the Far East!"

"Also, inform our agents in Hanoi that there may be an operation requiring their services soon..."