Chapter 1988: Under Attack

"The Dreadnought-class Battleship repairs..."

Qiaozhi was slightly stunned. The Dreadnought-class Battleship was a powerful battleship developed by their Britain, and with the coordination of their own troops, it should be highly unlikely to suffer any damage when facing the French fleet.

Furthermore, even if it were damaged, that would be a matter for the repair factory; why would it need to be discussed at the highest-level meeting of the British Colonial Area?

A sentence Qingyang Shuo had once said to him suddenly flashed through Qiaozhi's mind, and he instantly understood what had happened.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, struggling to control the expression of astonishment on his face.

Fortunately, everyone was immersed in the grief over the Dreadnought-class Battleship, and they almost completely ignored him.

Qiaozhi took a deep breath and walked in.

Seeing that it was Qiaozhi, Kelinxi's already gloomy face showed even more astonishment; that Qingyang Shuo could actually let Qiaozhi return alive was simply inconceivable.

"Is the matter settled?"

Qiaozhi smiled and said: "I have lived up to expectations. Longyan has agreed to provide us with weapons and also permits our merchant ships to pass through the port of Panama. As for the matter of the mole, they will investigate it clearly."

"However, all of this comes with conditions."

Kelinxi raised his eyebrows. This was very different from the mission he had entrusted to Qiaozhi, but being able to get such an answer was already considered not bad.

After all, he no longer even had the bargaining chips to negotiate with Longyan. Kelinxi asked: "What kind of conditions?"

"Everything requires bargaining chips. They want to obtain gold coins. My lord, this is the price list provided by Longyan."

Qiaozhi took out a price list and spread it out so that Kelinxi could see it more clearly.

Kelinxi saw the prices on it: "One hundred gold coins for one ship to pass, one thousand gold coins for a Longyan cannon..."

Seeing this dense and extremely detailed price list, Kelinxi's already gloomy complexion turned even darker.

"That's robbery!"

Qiaozhi smiled and said: "This is the most generous condition Longyan can give us. It is we who are seeking cooperation with Longyan, not Longyan seeking cooperation with us."

"Lord Kelinxi, this is definitely the lowest price I could negotiate. I truly have no other method; please understand."

Hearing this, Kelinxi puffed out two heavy breaths. He looked at Qiaozhi: "I see..."

"You may step down."

Such conditions were like rubbing salt into Kelinxi's wounds, but Kelinxi had absolutely no way to refuse.

Qiaozhi did not move. He looked at Kelinxi and said calmly: "My lord seems to have forgotten that I am also a Councilor. I am qualified to attend such a meeting."

"I think my lord should not refuse a Councilor from attending the meeting."

Qiaozhi pulled the wooden chair, producing a harsh sound that drilled into Kelinxi's irritable and disgusted ears.

Seeing him sit down, Kelinxi's eyelids twitched, and he was about to say with an angry voice: "Qiaozhi..."

"Qiaozhi, of course you should attend this council; this is your right to begin with."

The person from the Military Department snatched the floor from Kelinxi and said with a smile.

Kelinxi stared coldly at Qiaozhi and the Spokesperson of the Military Department, Marshal Weike.

Marshal Weike looked at Kelinxi with a smile and said indifferently: "This is what we agreed upon. Since the matter has been negotiated, we should proceed according to what we have agreed."

Kelinxi closed his eyes tightly; the muscles on his face twitched due to the pressure from Qiaozhi and Marshal Weike.

He took two deep breaths, attempting to calm his emotions.

After a moment of silence, he said: "Fine, the meeting continues. Now that there is no Dreadnought-class Battleship, what method should we use to contain the French troops from taking back the supply line of the Saint Lawrence River?"

Qiaozhi said: "We still have other warships. These battleships can also block the French troops. We only need to quickly end the battle at the town of Quebec before the French troops take back the supply line."

"Then all of this will be over."

Kelinxi looked at Qiaozhi, who was speaking, and said coldly: "Qiaozhi, the one on the battlefield right now is not you, but General Astimo. We do not have enough weapons to launch an attack on the French troops!"

"Moreover, the town of Quebec is a town located on a mountain; we have no cannons that can be deployed!"

Qiaozhi spread his hands and said: "We have just finalized the purchase of weapons with Longyan. Longyan's hand grenades and cannons can fully satisfy our needs."

Hearing such airy words, Kelinxi could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and cursed: "Are you a lobbyist sent by Longyan!"

"Qiaozhi, you are a Councilor of Britain, not a Councilor of Longyan!"

With a bang, Kelinxi stood up abruptly, and his chair slid backward and fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Everyone looked at Kelinxi.

Qiaozhi sat innocently in his chair and said: "Leader, this is the fastest plan I can think of to resolve the battle right now. You have also been a soldier; you know that Longyan's weapons can quickly help us resolve the battle."

"For this battle, we only need to pay a tiny bit of money, but the bigger picture is at stake."

"The important town of Quebec is the only major town the French troops have in the East Coast region. By settling it, our British Colonial Area can control the entire East Coast of North America, and France will have one of its most important colonies cut off."

"What do you think?"

Marshal Weike also echoed: "Qiaozhi is right. Isn't our attack on the French colony intended to compete with the other side for control of the East Coast and the territory in this region?"

Everyone believed that the plan Qiaozhi proposed was the best plan.

Their Military Department did not control the finances of the British Colonial Area; Kelinxi held the power over the treasury.

Kelinxi did not want to give a single cent for this, but now he had been pushed to this point by the people from the Military Department.

"We do not have that much in our current budget."

Qiaozhi sighed and added: "Judging from the data in front of me, our Dreadnought-class Battleship can no longer be used. As you said, my lord, we should end the war as soon as possible."

"It is best to do it while the French troops have not yet counterattacked."

"If we wait for them to take back the supply line of the Saint Lawrence River, the war situation will change, and I believe the French troops will not give us too much time."

"Every second we waste now is buying time for the French counterattack."

Qiaozhi looked at Kelinxi and said sincerely: "My lord, make a decision. You know the current situation better than I do."

Everyone also looked at Kelinxi in unison.

Kelinxi sighed. He had no way to continue refusing now; the ownership of the Quebec region was extremely vital to them.

Kelinxi also knew that such a plan was actually the most secure one.

Now, the majority of the people in the council have agreed to this plan; whether he agrees or not is of no use.

He could only sigh, and for the sake of the big picture, he said: "Fine, I will have someone go to Longyan to procure these weapons; I hope your Military Department can capture the positions in Quebec quickly."

"The war cannot continue to drag on like this."

"Understood..."