Chapter 273: Our White Elephant Country Has Been a Bright Pearl Since Ancient Times

The Commander's expression instantly turned gloomy, "Small Ba Country? That group of despicable traitors!" White Elephant Country and Small Ba Country have long-standing territorial and religious conflicts, and the relationship between the two countries has always been in a state of hostility.

"Do you think this could be a countermeasure from Long Country?" Vikram asked.

Patel sneered, "Long Country people aren't that smart. They just want to find a market to sell steel. What kind of waves can that bunch of bumpkins from Small Ba Country stir up? Continue our plan and increase the intensity of the attacks."

A border town in White Elephant Country, an inconspicuous teahouse.

Several White Elephant officers sat around a table in the corner, with a few cups of strong tea and a map placed in front of them.

"The next target is here," one officer pointed at a red dot on the map, "Long Country's largest southern material distribution center. Intelligence shows that they are gathering a batch of key military industrial raw materials there, preparing to transport them north."

"What is the troop deployment?" another officer asked.

"We will send out three squads, totaling forty people," the first officer replied, "well-equipped, all experienced experts. This operation is not only to destroy the materials but also to create large-scale chaos, attracting more of Long Country's attention to the south."

"Perfect," a bearded Advanced officer nodded with satisfaction, "Commander Patel has high hopes for us. After this operation succeeds, the weapons and equipment promised by Di Guo will be available."

"However, sir," a young officer hesitated, "if Long Country discovers our shadow behind these attacks..."

"What can they do?" the Advanced officer scoffed, "Publicly accuse us? Without evidence, they will only humiliate themselves. Send troops to retaliate? That would be an international incident, and they cannot afford that price. Long Country people can only swallow their anger, which is exactly what the Commander wants to see."

He took a sip of tea triumphantly, "White Elephant Country has been the bright pearl of this region since ancient times, the regional hegemon. A mere Long Country only managed to get ahead by relying on the infighting between Di Guo and Beijixiong Guo. Once this farce ends, everything will return to the right track—White Elephant Country will once again lead affairs, and Long Country is only fit to be our vassal."

The next day, the broadcasting studio of White Elephant Country's national television station.

"This morning, another violent conflict occurred at our country's northern border," the announcer read the script solemnly, "According to reports, a group of unidentified militants attacked a border outpost of Long Country. Our government expresses serious concern about this and strongly condemns all forms of violent behavior."

Off-camera, the station manager gave a wink to the producer, who nodded in understanding.

The announcer continued: "Our Wajiaobu spokesperson emphasized that White Elephant Country has always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and firmly opposes any actions that undermine regional peace and stability. We call on Long Country to exercise restraint, resolve issues through diplomatic channels, and avoid further deterioration of the situation."

After finishing this news, the announcer turned to the next topic: "According to other reports, our Military is holding a grand military parade in the capital today, showcasing the latest equipment and military strength. Commander Patel delivered a speech at the parade, emphasizing White Elephant Country's responsibility and commitment as a traditional major power in Asia..."

White Elephant Country government building, Wajiaobu emergency meeting room.

"The Long Country ambassador to our country has just submitted a stern protest," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said with a grave expression, "They claim to have conclusive evidence that the militants attacking their transport lines have the support of our country's Military."

Commander Patel waved his hand contemptuously, "Evidence? What evidence?"

"It is said... they captured several militants in the most recent ambush, and these people confessed the details of receiving training from our country's special forces, and even provided the specific locations of the training camps."

There was silence in the meeting room.

The Commander's face turned gloomy, "Those traitors! Mountain folk who can't even get enough to eat, they'll say anything for a bit of money?"

"Not only that," the Minister of Foreign Affairs continued, "Long Country also claims that they possess recordings and photographic materials of our officers participating in the planning of the attacks."

"Impossible!" Chief of Staff Vikram slammed the table and stood up, "Our operations are extremely covert, how could there be..."

His words were stopped by a look from the Commander.

Patel pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Let them bring it out. We just need to deny everything. Anyone can forge so-called 'evidence', and the international community will not easily believe Long Country's one-sided story."

He stood up and straightened his exquisite suit, "Notify the media to issue a statement refuting Long Country's 'unfounded accusations'. At the same time, prepare a narrative—if those so-called pieces of evidence are truly exposed, we will say it was the 'individual behavior of a very small number of soldiers' and has nothing to do with national policy."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs smiled bitterly, "Commander, I am afraid things are not that simple. Long Country implies that if we do not immediately stop supporting the border militants, they will take 'necessary measures' to ensure the safety of the transport lines."

"Threatening us?" Patel laughed out of extreme anger, "Do they have the guts?"

"More troublesome is," the Minister of Foreign Affairs wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Small Ba Country has also started gathering troops at our northern border recently, it seems to be..."

"Small Ba Country?" the Commander and the Chief of Staff said in unison, in disbelief.

"Yes," the Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded, "The leader of Small Ba Country delivered a televised speech yesterday, condemning our country for 'undermining regional peace' and stating that they will 'firmly support righteous actions to maintain regional stability'."

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy.

"This is no coincidence," Chief of Staff Vikram gritted his teeth, "Long Country must be manipulating Small Ba Country from behind, wanting to attack us from both sides!"

Commander Patel's face was livid, "Does Long Country really have such strategic vision and diplomatic skill? Impossible! They are just a bunch of country bumpkins, how could they possibly outmaneuver our White Elephant Country in international games?"

Although he did not admit it out loud, Patel realized in his heart that he might have seriously underestimated Long Country's ability to respond. An opponent capable of increasing industrial capacity, breaking international blockades, and inciting Small Ba Country to contain White Elephant Country in such a short time was clearly not the "country bumpkin" he had imagined.

"Contact the Di Guo embassy immediately," the Commander finally decided, "Tell them the situation has changed, and we need more support, especially weapons and intelligence support to deal with Small Ba Country. At the same time, issue a high-alert order to the border troops to prevent any provocative actions from Small Ba Country."

When everyone left the meeting room, Patel remained alone, looking at the world map on the wall, especially the red outline of Long Country.

"Impossible..." he muttered to himself, "How could a country that was still suffering from war a few years ago become this powerful in such a short time? There must be some secret we don't know about..."