This killer star of the War of Resistance Against Japan was only 9 years old.

10:45 PM.

The lights were on in a lavishly decorated office inside the Tenko Palace in the Japanese capital.

Zhong Tiaoying sat upright behind her desk, looking at the documents in her hands with a serious expression.

He would rub his furrowed brows from time to time.

Not far in front of him stood a Japanese major general, who was also his adjutant who assisted him in handling daily affairs.

However, when the Japanese adjutant saw Zhong Tiaoyingli in this state, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Compared to a year ago, Zhong Tiaoyingli looks much older now, with most of his hair turned white.

The reason why Zhong Tiaoyingli became like this was well understood by the Japanese adjutant, Xiaozhong Junyi, who was also Zhong Tiaoyingli's confidant.

This is closely related to the dramatic ups and downs in Japan's foreign war situation last year.

A year ago, when news of the Japanese locust dying in the eastern part of the Xiong Kingdom reached China.

Just as Zhong Tiaoyingli had predicted, the war-weariness in the country turned into a burning desire for revenge, but the target was different from what he had planned, changing from the Dragon Country to the Bear Country.

This caught Zhong Tiaoyingli somewhat off guard, but since the deed was done, he could only adjust his strategy and continue the war with Xiong Guo.

After all, the underground resources of the Bear Kingdom are extremely fertile.

Perhaps because of the Heavenly Locust Sacrifice, since Zhong Tiaoyingli went to war with the Xiong Kingdom again under the pretext of avenging the Heavenly Locust, the battle has been relatively stalemate in the early stages.

Later, as he gradually increased his troop strength and launched a two-front war against the Xiong Kingdom with naval warships, he basically won more battles than he lost.

Moreover, the battle went more smoothly than ever, since the Bear Kingdom had to deal with more than just them.

As the territory conquered by the Xiong Kingdom grew larger, Zhong Chaoyingli ordered the rapid mining of resources and their transport back to Japan. This not only greatly alleviated the shortage of supplies in Japan but also created a surplus.

Those six months truly gave Tanehiro Hidetsu, who was practically the top leader of Japan, a period of high spirits.

However, the explosion that occurred in the waters off Weigang Port six months ago blasted Zhong Tiaoyingli, who had already floated into the air, back to his original position.

When the news of the fleet's complete annihilation reached Zhong Tiaoyingli's ears, it was as if someone had struck him on the head with a blunt object.

He stood there stunned for a long time, his head buzzing. It took him a while to come to his senses. Once he realized what was happening, Zhong Tiaoying immediately sent someone to verify the news.

As intelligence continued to pour in, Zhong Tiaoyingli could hardly believe what he was seeing. He couldn't understand how an underwater bomb could have such power to destroy an entire super-large imperial fleet.

Moreover, even the Daiga, on which he had placed high hopes, was completely destroyed, leaving not a trace.

However, after the initial shock, Zhong Tiaoyingli's mood turned to fury again, fueled by the resources he had plundered over the past six months.

Zhong Tiaoying immediately mobilized 50 imperial soldiers to launch a major attack on Xiong Kingdom, intending to use the blood of the Xiong people to appease the empire's attacked naval fleet.

But just as he was about to issue the order, he received a call from the Xiong Kingdom.

The telegram contained a simple message: Japan was ordered to immediately withdraw from the territory of the Xiong Kingdom and return the land it had previously occupied.

If they don't comply, the next bomb from the Bear Kingdom will be dropped on the capital of Japan.

Although the telegram was short, it instantly extinguished the raging anger burning in Zhong Tiaoyingli's heart.

His eyes, which were originally filled with gloom and anger, became crystal clear.

At the same time, cold sweat was pouring down his back.

He had been misled by the underwater bomb his subordinates had relayed back. He subconsciously assumed that the bomb could only detonate underwater.

However, judging from the content of this telegram, it seems that Xiong Guo has the capability to drop this bomb on his head.

Just thinking about the scene described in the intelligence and the Ōga ship being blown to smithereens...

He couldn't imagine what it would be like if that bomb landed in the imperial capital.

Just thinking about this thought made Zhong Tiaoyingli's body tremble uncontrollably.

So Zhong Tiaoying chickened out, and swallowed back the order to launch a full-scale attack on Xiong Kingdom that was on the tip of his tongue.

He dared not gamble on whether the Bear Kingdom had the capability to drop that terrifying underwater bomb on his head.

He had no idea how many such bombs the Bear Kingdom possessed, so after careful consideration, he once again proposed a ceasefire to the Bear Kingdom and that peace talks be held a week later.

Zhong Tiaoyingli's proposal to hold talks a week later was also a delaying tactic, as he needed to buy time to investigate the underwater bomb incident thoroughly.

What Zhong Tiaoyingli didn't know was that the Xiong Kingdom's high-ranking officials sent this telegram simply to scare the Japanese and make them think twice.

But the effect was unexpectedly good, and it scared the Japanese into ceasing hostilities.

Then a clever person suggested that they use this news to scare Germany again and make them behave themselves.

After all, the six-month-long three-front war was too much for the Xiong Kingdom to handle.

Upon hearing this brilliant idea, the high-ranking officials of the Xiong Kingdom felt that it would be more effective to simply buy one and send it directly to Germany.

So, what followed was Bellena's attempt to buy a bomb from Bai Luo.

But because Bai Luo refused to sell, Xiong Guo could only give Bai Luo hush money so they could openly act like big shots.

Moreover, they put on a very successful act, basically fooling all the spies sent by various countries.

A week later, Zhong Tiaoying stood up after summarizing the intelligence from various channels and seeing the photos of warship wreckage sent from the front lines.

The fact that Xiong Guo publicized this matter extensively in its domestic newspapers made Zhong Tiaoyingli realize that Xiong Guo was no longer a country he could afford to offend.

Thus, Zhong Tiaoyingli, who was riding high in the first half of the year, had to tighten his belt and eat dirt in the second half of the year after paying a huge amount of compensation to Xiong Guo.

The document he was currently holding, which was giving him a major headache, was the approval document for the funding application from the shipyard.

The long string of zeros on the document made Tiao Yingli's head spin.

Unable to bring himself to sign, Zhong Tiaoying put down his pen, stood up from behind his desk, and walked to the window.

He reached out and pushed open the window in front of him, and a gust of cold wind rushed in through the window.

The sound of the wind made Yingli shiver, but it also eased his tired expression.

Upon seeing this, his adjutant, Xiao Chongjun, hurriedly walked to the coat rack, picked up a coat hanging there, and went to Zhong Tiaoyingli's side.

"Lord Zhong Tiao, please take care of your health."

As he spoke, Xiao Chongjun draped the coat over Zhong Tiaoyingli's shoulders.

But just then, a dazzling light suddenly flashed across the darkness.