Chapter 165: with translation of chapter title

On the Great Wall, the cold wind howled, a group of people in military uniforms stood guard, some people in overcoats were touring the Great Wall; if viewed from the satellite overhead, these people would absolutely be the most respected foreign guests, only by standing beside them could one see that they are genuine Easterners.

It was already evening, Capital, State Guesthouse, banquet hall.

"Your Highness Sultan, welcome to the East!" Yang Leader raised his juice cup: "I represent the East, welcoming your delegation's arrival!"

Sultan likewise raised his juice cup: "It's a great honor; although I've been here less than twenty‑four hours, I've already felt the East's warmth! You are true friends of our Sand‑people! Especially Qin, you are the link between us!"

Qin Miao hastily raised his juice cup: "Not at all, not at all, Your Highness Sultan; my personal strength is trivial, collective strength is great, I merely did what I ought to do…"

"Come, cheers!"

Qin Miao's face was full of a bright smile; everything was going according to plan, he quickly wrapped up these matters so he could return to Ha Cheng, Chu Miaomiao had already gone back to class, and he now had to guard an empty room alone!

More than an hour later, the banquet ended; it seemed time to let the Sand‑people rest for the night, with a meeting tomorrow, but at this moment Sultan spoke.

"Alright, we've eaten and drunk our fill; shall we hold the meeting now?"

"…Do these Sand‑people not need rest? Even if they're accustomed to nightlife, after a long‑haul flight, don't they feel travel fatigue?"

"Well, since the Sand‑people have made a request, we certainly must agree."

"Alright, then in half an hour we'll find a meeting room here and hold the meeting."

"Having the Sand‑people go out again in the middle of the night to meet with relevant departments feels inappropriate; it would be better to hold the meeting here, and as for secrecy… there's absolutely no need to worry."

Qin Miao's eyes lit up; if they could settle things tonight, then perhaps he could return to Ha Cheng tomorrow?

Half an hour later, the meeting room.

"We will never forget the 1965 war; at that time our brother state of Pakistan was on the verge of collapse, while the United States absurdly announced an arms embargo on both sides, driving Pakistan to desperation; it was then that the East stepped in and rescued Pakistan from its crisis."

Sultan did not launch straight into procurement talk; he began by speaking of friendship.

"Before this matter, all officials and merchants of our Sand‑people were forbidden from contacting the East; afterwards, King Faisal at the time lifted the ban, and in the documents the appellation for your side was inherited as the People's Republic of China, not 'Red East'…"

Yang Leader nodded, showing understanding; Qin Miao also nodded, already feeling a bit tired.

"Since 1967, the threat of the Israelis has become our biggest headache; we wish to strengthen our own power, yet every time we seek to purchase, the Israelis refuse with various pretexts, we've long had enough, especially recently, as the Iran‑Iraq War unfolded, we have genuinely felt the threat from the opposing camels, and we need to possess self‑defense capability."

His remarks were meant to allay the East's concerns; although they wanted to purchase this kind of heavy weapon, they were absolutely not provoking the enemy, but merely serving as a defensive weapon should the enemy launch an attack.

The Sand‑people have money, and they must also have the ability to protect their wealth!

This explanation left everyone present feeling deeply moved; the Sand‑people's approach is very similar to ours in the East—both desire peaceful coexistence, developing military strength merely for self‑defense; if there is any difference, it is that the Sand‑people have money, which truly cannot be matched!

"Well, we understand your situation; that's also why we are willing to sell the Sky‑Leaping Monkey to you. Such a heavy weapon isn't something just any customer can buy—for instance, that crazy colonel Li Tuo came seeking to purchase, using his ties with a certain place as leverage to blackmail us, and we promptly kicked him out."

"We're not like that colonel; we are very rational," Sultan said. "Our goal is merely self‑defense, but… you should know that the Israelis opposite us possess heavy weapons; if we want to contend with them, we need the same kind of heavy weapon."

On the spot, everyone was stunned.

We had thought the Sand‑people only wanted to purchase the Sky‑Leaping Monkey, but unexpectedly they also demanded that it be able to carry mushroom bombs!

Selling the Sky‑Leaping Monkey is already earth‑shattering; this new demand absolutely cannot be agreed to!

"Comrade Qin Miao, what do you think?"

Although seated beside Yang Leader, Qin Miao, who intended to just play the bystander, was singled out by Yang Leader! "I'm not Yuan Fang; how can I have an opinion?"

"Cough cough, well, since our Sand‑people friends want something that produces mushroom‑shaped smoke after explosion, we'll just sell it to them; anyway, the Sand‑people won't use it recklessly, they merely want a deterrent…"

Yang Leader widened his eyes: "You didn't understand my meaning? I wanted you to raise objections! You actually support! With you saying that, what am I to do?"

The Sand‑people were all grateful.

Qin has been truly wonderful to our Sand‑people! Not only did he connect us with the relevant Eastern departments and sell us the Sky‑Leaping Monkey, but even now, when we have made this unreasonable request, Qin strongly supports it!

Look at the Easterners present, each with furrowed brows, clearly in disagreement; only Qin is speaking up for us, Qin is our true friend!

"Sorry, everyone, I can't decide on this request either; I need to report to my superiors, let's discuss something else for now." Yang Leader regretted asking Qin Miao, even suspecting that Qin Miao's loyalties were skewed!

Yang Leader took a deep breath, deciding to regain the initiative.

"What you see today is the Dongfeng-3; before this weapon there were the Dongfeng-1 and Dongfeng-2 models. Since the Dongfeng-1's range might not meet your needs, we go straight to introducing the Dongfeng-2: this missile has a range of… three hundred kilometers, an error of nine hundred kilometers, uses liquid oxygen and alcohol at ninety‑two percent concentration plus hydrogen peroxide as propellant, and has ground‑based mobility."

The Dongfeng-1 merely solved the existence problem; the Dongfeng-2 was the first missile with operational deployment capability, enough to threaten some U. S. bases in Asia and many areas of old Russians; of course, it's now obsolete, being gradually phased out, and according to plan it will be completely withdrawn from service in 1983.

Selling such a missile would naturally be the best, but…