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

The air in the Kremlin's reception room seemed to freeze.

Joseph's three conditions, which were like the devil's judgment, were like heavy hammers that hit the hearts of every member of the Eagle Sauce Mission, smashing the last bit of their dignity and respect as a superpower into pieces.

"You...you lunatic! You are humiliating our great United States of America!"

The Republican congressman from Texas could no longer suppress his anger. He slammed the table, pointed at Joseph's nose and cursed.

"Even if our country is torn apart, and we fight to the last man standing, we will never agree to such a ridiculous and shameless condition of yours!"

"That's right! Let's go! This negotiation is meaningless!"

The military representative from the Pentagon also stood up, his hands on the pistols at his waist, his eyes filled with a determination to die rather than live in disgrace.

The entire American diplomatic corps exploded collectively like a lit powder keg.

They pushed their chairs away angrily and turned to leave this humiliating place.

"Everyone, stop!"

At this critical moment, Sullivan let out a low and powerful roar.

His voice was not loud, but it was like an invisible barrier that instantly stopped everyone in their tracks.

Everyone turned around and looked at him in confusion.

Sullivan stood up slowly. His face was pale, but his eyes were unusually calm, almost terrifyingly calm.

He did not look at Joseph, but swept his eyes like a knife over every American colleague present.

"Gentlemen," he said, his voice hoarse and heavy, "I understand your anger, because I feel this humiliation more than any of you."

"But please use your anger-fueled minds and think carefully. If we leave now, what will happen next?"

"And then return to a country that's falling apart, watching Texas and California become independent with the aid of the Bear? Watching Pennsylvania, supported by the Dragon, become an industrial behemoth that we can no longer compete with?"

"Are we going to watch helplessly as our great United States, founded 200 years ago, completely fades into the dustbin of history?"

"It's easy to just walk away. This can preserve our own ridiculous, cheap dignity. But who will protect the dignity and future of the country behind us and the hundreds of millions of people we represent?"

These words, like a basin of icy water, poured over from head to toe and awakened the congressmen and generals who were blinded by anger.

The anger on their faces gradually faded, replaced by a deeper despair mixed with pain and powerlessness.

Yes, what will happen if I leave?

It has no meaning other than causing the negotiations to completely collapse and accelerating the country's demise.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Sullivan slowly turned to Joseph, who had been sitting leisurely in the main seat, watching their internal conflict as if he were appreciating a drama.

He bowed slightly to Joseph and spoke in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Excellency General Secretary Joseph, your conditions are far beyond what I can decide as a special envoy."

"This matter is of great importance. I must report it to our President immediately, and he will make the final decision."

A victorious smile appeared on Joseph's lips. He spread his hands and made a "please go ahead" gesture.

"Of course. I'm very patient. I can sit here and enjoy our fine Georgian wine while waiting for the 'good news' from your president."

Sullivan ignored his sarcasm and walked to the corner of the living room, signaling his men to set up a state-of-the-art, but also extremely bulky and unstable, secure video communication device.

After some intense debugging, a snowflake finally appeared on the screen.

A few minutes later, the snowflakes dispersed, revealing the haggard and anxious face of the new president in the Oval Office of the White House.

"Henry, how's it going? Did they agree?"

The president's voice was anxious with nervousness.

Sullivan took a deep breath and, in as calm a tone as possible, repeated Joseph's three humiliating conditions, which could be described as "nation-destroying," to the president on the other side of the ocean.

“…Thirdly, tear down the Statue of Liberty and erect a statue of him, Joseph himself, in solid gold.”

When Sullivan finished his last word, the other end of the video call fell into a long, deathly silence.

Then, a beast-like roar that shook the sky came from the loudspeaker, making the ears of everyone present buzz.

"Damn it! This damned butcher! Executioner! Devil! How dare he?! How dare he make such an offer?!"

On the screen, the new president completely lost control, sweeping everything off his desk and frantically pounding on the wall with his fists like a cornered madman.

"Let him die! Let the bear die! Even if we have to fight to the last man, we will never accept this kind of humiliation! Never!"

Looking at the face on the screen that was distorted by extreme anger, Sullivan's heart sank to the bottom.

He knew that persuading a person who had been driven crazy was a hundred times more difficult than dealing with Joseph at the negotiating table.

He waited for the president to finish venting before he spoke slowly in an almost pleading tone.

"Mr. President, please... please calm down. Listen to me."

"What is the humiliation we are enduring now compared to the impending destruction of our country?"

"Your personal honor and disgrace, my personal honor and disgrace, the personal honor and disgrace of everyone here, are nothing compared to the two hundred years of foundation of our United States and the future of hundreds of millions of our compatriots."

"Mr. President, please think about this. The survival of the nation always comes first. As long as this country exists, as long as the core of our Anglo-Saxon nation remains, we will always have the opportunity to make a comeback. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no fear of running out of firewood!"

"But..." Sullivan's voice became deeper and more persuasive. "Once we reject the Russians, the country will be completely divided. The independent states supported by the Dragon Nation will establish their own pro-Russian regimes on our land. By then, we will completely lose the chance to turn the tables. We will not only lose hegemony, but our entire civilization!"

His words were like a powerful sedative, gradually calming down the almost crazy president on the other side of the screen.

Yes, personal honor and disgrace are ultimately not as important as the survival of the country.

If he destroys the entire country for the sake of his own temporary face, he will become a true sinner for all time, more guilty than any defeated president.

"So... so you mean... that you want me to agree to him?"

The president's voice trembled, filled with resentment and pain.

"No, Mr. President, not all of it." Sullivan's eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of a negotiator. "The conditions Joseph has put forward are just his exorbitant demands. He wants both fame and fortune. We, on the other hand, need to fight for every last ounce of dignity for ourselves and our country without infringing on his core interests."

"I think we can try to lower these conditions to a level that is... humiliating, but at least acceptable to us."

"For example," he began to think quickly, "acknowledging the failure of institutional competition. This goes to the very foundation of their ideology, and I'm afraid it's difficult to change. However, we could modify the wording to be a little more vague, such as admitting that 'the capitalist system has encountered temporary, serious difficulties at this stage and needs to draw on the successful experience of the Red Front system to carry out reforms.'"

"For example, we can firmly reject the extremely humiliating condition of asking you to personally give a speech in Moscow."

"However, in exchange, we can agree to a 'deep reflection' on the past hegemonic actions of the Eagle Sauce in the domestic media, hosted by you."

"For example, the most extreme demand, to demolish the Statue of Liberty, is absolutely impossible! This is a symbol of our American hawkish spirit! We can tell him that if he insists on this condition, we would rather choose war."

"However, as compensation, we can agree to build a smaller monument for him in a less prominent place in Washington, D.C., to 'thank' him for his 'contribution' to maintaining world peace."

"Mr. President," Sullivan said, his voice growing faster and faster, his thoughts becoming clearer and clearer, "the art of negotiation lies in compromise and exchange."

"As long as we can preserve national unity and protect our most core interests, some superficial, temporary humiliation can be endured. What do you think?"