Conditions for Becoming a Region Master
Xia Fei felt a little dizzy. The war in the Death Trio Star Region had yet to begin, and the Garden of Eden had yet to appear. Now, humanity's old neighbors, the insectoids, were getting restless? Was a chaotic interstellar era really about to arrive?
The ancients said that when the world was about to descend into chaos, there would always be strange phenomena. After thousands of years of peace, perhaps they had truly reached an irreversible juncture, and all these signs pointed to the impending arrival of chaos.
Lighting a cigarette, Xia Fei took a deep drag. "General Williams, since you've called me here today, you must have something important to tell me. I'm not one to shoot my mouth off. This place is very quiet, so you can speak your mind."
"That's right." Williams's eyes glowed. "Originally, I should've told you about this a few days later, but considering that your situation is rather special and that you don't have a deep foundation in the Alliance, I've decided to inform you in advance so that you can be prepared."
After a pause, Williams sternly said, "At this very moment, the insectoid emissary is already in the capital, meeting with the president and the cabinet."
Xia Fei was startled. "At this time? Why would the insectoid emissary be here? "
Williams smiled. "According to them, it's for trade between the two races. Ever since the last Millennium War, humanity and the insectoids have been in a tense standoff. Aside from a small amount of smuggling in the Wild Star Region, there has been no commercial activity. Now that the insectoids have suddenly proposed trade, opening up the Wild Star Region as a free trade zone, what do you think is the most likely reason for this?"
Xia Fei thought about it for a few moments. "Once trade is opened, they can legitimately send a large number of spies to the Pan-human Alliance's side to gather intelligence and even launch military operations on the spot. If I had to guess, this could very well be the prelude to war."
Williams looked at Xia Fei with satisfaction. "General Tai and I think so, too. Do you think that the Alliance will agree to trade with the insectoids?"
Xia Fei replied, "That depends on the specific conditions. The Alliance values trade, and being able to trade with the insectoids is a good choice for many businesses. As long as the conditions aren't too excessive, the Alliance will definitely agree to open up trade with them, but that still depends on the attitude of the military. If the military forcefully refuses, the upper echelons of the Alliance will consider the stakes involved."
"Will the military strongly object?" Williams asked.
Xia Fei chuckled. "No, General Tai is a smart man. If the insectoids are determined to attack, then the trade deal won't affect the outcome. Since the outcome is already set in stone, we might as well use this trade deal to give the insectoids a good beating. Of course, the insectoids won't let go of this chance to disrupt the Alliance. When the time comes, we'll all be the same. It'll all depend on who's more ruthless and who'll have the upper hand."
Williams could not help but applaud. "Xia Fei, Xia Fei, you're practically a roundworm in General Tai's stomach. You've guessed everything correctly."
Xia Fei shrugged and nonchalantly said, "I'm just trying to imagine what I would do if I were in your shoes."
"That's right. It's just as you said. Not only will the military not interfere in this matter, they'll even vigorously push for it. The enemy's claws and teeth have already been revealed. What we need to do now is to drive the nail straight into the heart of the insectoids," Williams said coldly.
Xia Fei thought for a moment. "General, this should be the military's top secret, so why are you telling me this? I'm nothing more than a commoner. "
Williams shook his head. "Wrong. This matter has a lot to do with you."
"What do you mean?" Xia Fei was puzzled.
Williams explained, "The details of the trade deal are as follows: First, the Wild Star Region will be completely open, allowing all merchants to enter. Second, a portion of the top merchants will be allowed to enter their respective territories and conduct trade in their territory."
Xia Fei said, "In other words, the Wild Star Region will be designated as a free trade zone, and a portion of the merchants will be given access permits, allowing them to conduct trade in their territories.
"If that's the case, the Wild Star Region will soon become a battlefield for both sides to wrestle in secret. As for the merchants entering their territories, they'll become the vanguard of the war.
"You and General Tai talked to me for a long time yesterday. Could it be that you want me to be the first merchant representative to enter the insectoid territory?"
Williams nodded. "You're right."
Xia Fei helplessly said, "I'm afraid that this matter isn't that simple. If it's for espionage, the military can just send someone over. Why involve us merchants?"
Williams said, "The highly intelligent insectoids aren't stupid. They've made a request for the merchants entering their territory: they must be led by the head of the company, and this has stumped us."
Xia Fei thought about it for a long time. "What a sinister move. How could the head of a top corporation so easily take the risk? I'm afraid that many of the wealthiest merchants in the Alliance won't be willing to enter the insectoid territory, not to mention secretly conducting espionage in the insectoid territory. As for launching a counterattack on the spot, that's even more impossible."
Williams smiled. "Indeed, we can have our soldiers disguise as attendants and follow the merchants into the insectoid territory, but we'll first need to find those top merchants who are willing to take the risk for the Alliance and the military."
Xia Fei asked, "Can't we get someone to sneak in without telling the merchants?"
Williams replied, "It's not that simple. Merchants treat trade as their duty. If they stay in a certain place for three days, the trade will be over, but the espionage work will take another two days to complete. If the merchants immediately leave at that time, our intelligence personnel will have to stop what they're doing and leave with the caravan. Even if it's just a little bit of work, they'll have to give up.
"Thus, the merchants and the military must be on the same page at all times. When necessary, the merchants must give up their own interests to serve the military!"
Xia Fei said, "This is a very demanding request. Since the military is planning to go against the insectoids, anyone who leads a merchant group into the insectoid territory at this time will be sending themselves to their deaths, unless …"
"Unless what?"
"Unless the benefits are big enough for those tycoons to be willing to risk their lives for the military, no one will be willing to take the risk. Of course, as a tycoon, even the powerful military might not be able to come up with the right conditions," Xia Fei slowly said. "That's right.
In truth, Xia Fei knew very well why the military triumvirate had chosen him. It was true that Quantum Holdings was an A-list supplier of the military, and just this title alone could make it one of the top merchants in the Alliance. However, Quantum Holdings was very small and weak, having only just become an A-list supplier a few days ago. Thus, the triumvirate unanimously believed that Xia Fei was one of the merchants most likely to take this trip for them.
Moreover, Xia Fei's identity was special. Aside from being a merchant, he was also a decent warrior. He had martial prowess, insight, and qualifications. All these factors combined made him a prime target for the military triumvirate to strive for in this secret operation.
"I knew you'd say that. Based on what I know, you've always believed in the theory of cost. As long as the risk is proportional to the reward, you're willing to work hard. Tell me, what kind of reward do you want?" Williams chuckled.
"I wouldn't dare. I'm just saying it casually. However, the strategist of the insectoid race is truly quite scheming. He understands the bad habits of humans very well. The higher one's position is, the more afraid they are of death. Meanwhile, the insectoids are the exact opposite. They practice a primitive feudal rule, so they can use all sorts of methods to force merchants to become spies." Xia Fei changed the subject.
Of course, he would not openly negotiate with the triumvirate. He could only wait for them to state their own price. Besides the price, Xia Fei had another very important criterion: the sincerity of the other party. If the other party was not sincere, Xia Fei would not agree no matter how high the price was. After all, asking for a price was one thing, and fulfilling it was another.
Williams said, "Don't try to change the subject by trying to act smart. I heard that you're very interested in getting a piece of land in the Death Trio Star Region?"
Xia Fei was startled. "General Williams, you already know about it?"
"Hmph! What's the purpose of the military? You might be able to fool others with your little tricks, but you can't fool us. Speaking of which, your judgment of the current situation is truly very insightful. The cabinet's thoughts coincide with yours. All they want is for the Death Trio Star Region to remain a part of the Alliance in name, but they're not willing to spend so much money to develop that backwater region. As long as the military gives the nod, your wish will be easily fulfilled. Otherwise, you can just give up on that idea. "
Xia Fei helplessly said, "It seems that you're not giving me the chance to choose?"
"Who said that? I've already given you the chance. Don't you want Terminus? Once you're done, the entire Terminus Star Region will be yours."
"The entire Terminus Star Region?!" Xia Fei could not believe his ears. His original plan had only been to claim a piece of land in Terminus, yet Williams wanted to give him ownership of the entire star region right off the bat!
"That's right, but the Alliance won't give you a single cent. How the entire star region develops will depend entirely on your own strength. Of course, any profits from this star region will belong to you. You're free to manage it however you want, but if the local citizens are dissatisfied with this and rise up in revolt, the Alliance will immediately take back Terminus."
Xia Fei sternly asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Xia Fei was very tempted by such a generous reward. When the time came, he would have the authority to rule over an entire star region. That meant he would be a region lord! He would be able to do whatever he wanted in Terminus, and no one would dare to interfere.
"Tai's original intention was for you to bring some men in to scout for information, but thanks to your reminder a few days ago, Tai has changed his plans. Now, not only will you be cooperating with the military throughout the operation, you'll also be responsible for carrying out the destruction plan."
"The destruction plan?"
"That's right. Once the battle begins, you'll need to cooperate with the military and wipe out the Golden Tent from the inside."
Xia Fei was speechless. He had truly shot himself in the foot, for this idea had come from none other than himself.
"I agree." Xia Fei nodded.
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