Chapter 475: A Nation

In the top‑floor office of the Xinghan Building, the sunlight was perfect.

Lu Qingshan held the phone, listening to his fourth brother Lu Qingjun, who was in South Africa thousands of miles away, reporting in an exuberant tone like discovering a new continent about the "oddity" that could make any head of state's heart race.

Trading a nation's next fifty years for a victory in a war.

It sounds like a fairy tale, like something only the colonial era would produce—a blatant resource plunder.

But it happened just like that.

"Brother, did you hear? An entire country! If we agree, then from now on the water we bathe with will have to be Yiyun mineral spring mixed with diamond powder!" Lu Qingjun's voice, excited, was completely off‑key.

Lu Qingshan could neither laugh nor cry; his brother's outlook was still a bit narrow.

"Promising." He said coolly, two words that instantly doused the heated atmosphere on the other end of the line. "Don't think about diamond powder yet; first think about how to keep your life safe."

"Huh?" Lu Qingjun's excitement was suddenly choked off.

"Angola's civil war is a tug‑of‑war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The leader of 'An Yun' is now contacting us—why do you think?" Lu Qingshan's voice was calm, yet carried a chilling, penetrating force. "Because his original patron, the Americans, no longer provide enough aid, or rather, the Americans think betting on him is no longer profitable."

"It's a hot‑potato and a bottomless mire. If we take even one wrong step, all of Xinghan Group's enterprises in Africa, along with you, you foolish kid, will be swallowed clean, bone and all."

Lu Qingjun on the other end inhaled a sharp breath of cold air; he was only thinking of diamonds and oil everywhere, never considering the danger behind it.

"Then… brother, should I reject them?"

"Reject?" Lu Qingshan laughed. "When fat meat is placed at your mouth, there's no reason not to eat it. But how you eat it requires some finesse."

He stood up, walked to the massive floor‑to‑ceiling window, and watched the endless stream of red buses and bicycle torrents on Chang'an Street below.

"Go meet them. Remember, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. Listen more, speak less. I need to know who their leader is, what his name is, where he is now. How many people they have, how many guns, how large a territory they control. What they want—money, weapons, or for us to help them throw the current government out of the presidential palace."

"Get all this clarified and tell me verbatim. Not a single word may be wrong."

"Also, tell the security firm that Li Zhi'an sent to raise your security clearance to the highest level. From now on, every sip of water and every bite of food you take must be pre‑checked. When you sleep, our own people must stand guard at the door twenty‑four hours a day."

Lu Qingshan paused, his tone softening slightly: "When the business is done, come back quickly. No matter how big the world outside is, nothing beats home."

"Got it, brother!" Lu Qingjun replied heavily on the other end, his voice shedding some frivolity and gaining weight.

He hung up and stood by the window for a long while.

Angola.

The continent's most dazzling black pearl now lay right before him.

He knew this matter had far exceeded the realm of business. It was no longer his solo game, but the whole country's game.

He picked up the red encrypted phone and dialed Chen Lao directly.

The phone rang once and was answered; clearly the other side had been waiting.

"Chen Lao, it's me."

"Hmm, the Saudi Arabia Prince matter, we're all aware of it, you did well," Chen Lao's voice carried satisfaction. "Calling again so soon—any new developments?"

"Yes, Chen Lao," Lu Qingshan said, looking at the red walls and golden tiles outside, each word clear: "We just received a new situation. The deal may be small, but its urgency and long‑term impact are a bit more pressing and larger than the Saudi one."

He added no embellishment, merely recounted Lu Qingjun's report objectively and calmly.

On the other end, a prolonged, death‑like silence fell.

Lu Qingshan could even hear Chen Lao's breathing, now somewhat heavy.

After a long while, Chen Lao's voice rose again, unusually hoarse and solemn, as if each word weighed a thousand pounds.

"Comrade Qingshan, do you know what this means?"

"I do," Lu Qingshan replied calmly. "It means we have a chance to expand Huaxia's influence into Africa's richest resource heartland without deploying a single national soldier, and to do so through a 'legal' commercial partnership."

"This is huge," Chen Lao's voice bore an unprecedented gravity. "I must report directly to the supreme leader immediately. Wait for my word; during that time, do not make any substantive contact."

"Understood."

He set the phone down and let out a long sigh.

He knew that from this moment, the board was no longer under his sole control.

He was merely the one tasked with placing the pieces in the most critical spots.

The true determinant of the game's final direction was the ancient yet youthful nation standing behind him.

Within an hour, the red phone on the desk rang sharply again.

"Comrade Qingshan," came Wang Shanghong's voice on the other end, his tone restrained yet on the verge of bursting excitement. "We just concluded an emergency meeting. The supreme leader's exact words: be bolder, step more steadily. The nation is your strongest backing!"

"You'll lead the concrete plan; we'll fully cooperate! Whatever you need, just ask!"

Lu Qingshan's heart settled completely in that instant.

That was exactly what he wanted.

"I need two things," Lu Qingshan said without pretense.

"First, I need a list of every weapon and equipment our country can currently trade, including those already sealed or slated for replacement. I want performance specs and inventory counts, all of it."

"Second, I need a batch of people—top military, geological, and negotiation experts—to form a team on standby. I'll use them to give the Saudi and Angola clients a vivid, profound public lecture on the 'Huaxia‑style Solution'."

"No problem!" Wang Shanghong replied decisively. "The list will be in your office this afternoon. As for personnel—from the General Staff, the Geological Department, the Ministry of Foreign Trade—we'll pull them for you overnight! All guaranteed to be the very best."

Everything began operating at a speed beyond imagination, efficiently.

At dusk, Lu Qingshan walked out of the Xinghan Building.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Chang'an Street in warm gold. He didn't have the driver take him; instead, he walked home alone, at his own pace.

Passing a state‑run shop on the corner, he saw a brand‑new plush rabbit hugging a carrot in the window, identical to the one his daughter has at the Shanwan hometown.

He entered, took out money, and bought the toy.

Returning to Fuqiang Hutong, he pushed open the courtyard door; the aroma of food mingled with Jin Hu's enthusiastic "woof‑woof", greeting him.

"Dad!"

Lu Xiao Xue rushed forward like a small cannonball, grabbing his thigh.

When she saw the big rabbit in Lu Qingshan's hand, identical to her beloved toy, her eyes instantly lit up like two black grapes.

"Wow! It's the carrot‑rabbit's little sister!"

Lu Qingshan smiled, handed the doll to her, then lifted her up.

In the main hall, Lin Yue'e had already set out the bowls and chopsticks; when she saw him return, those gentle eyes were filled with peace.

"You're back? Quickly wash your hands and eat; today Mom made your favorite braised pork."

Lu Qingshan, holding his daughter, gazed at his wife and at the few ordinary home dishes on the table; the surge in his heart that had arisen from stirring the world's winds now, in this moment, turned into the most solid warmth.

He suddenly felt that he was like a general waging war outside.

And this home is his eternal, and sole, great rear base.