Chapter 248: How Are You Different From the Great Powers of the Past!

"What about that navy restriction?" Si Nei asked, "A total tonnage of 100,000 tons means we don't even have the most basic escort capability. The Sakura Nation is an island nation; its maritime transport routes are its lifeline…"

"So you should understand even more," Chen Feng took over, "the consequences of having a powerful navy but using it in the wrong place. If the Sakura Nation's navy had originally been used only to protect merchant ships, rather than to challenge Lanfang, we wouldn't be sitting here today."

The words landed like a slap across the faces of all the Sakura Nation delegates.

The hall fell silent again. Marshal Dong Xiang Pingbalo finally set the documents down, lifted his head, and for the first time looked directly into Chen Feng's eyes.

They were the eyes of an old man, the whites tinged yellow, pupils dark brown, yet his gaze remained sharp—not the sharpness of a blade, but the keen edge earned by weathering storms and seeing through life and death.

"President Chen," Dong Xiang began, his voice low, yet everyone in the hall heard him clearly, "I have a matter to ask of you."

"Please speak."

"This draft was drawn up with the aim of thoroughly weakening the Sakura Nation. Yet I do not understand," Dong Xiang paused, "what benefit a weak, chaotic, impoverished Sakura Nation offers Lanfang. If the Sakura Nation's economy collapses, society destabilizes, and millions of starving people riot… it would become a destabilizing factor for all of East Asia. Then Lanfang would face not a navy, but a flood of refugees and revolutionary waves sweeping the region."

The question was very clever. It sidestepped the moral debate over "fairness" and pointed straight at practical interests.

Chen Feng looked at Dong Xiang for a few seconds, then laughed, "Marshal Dong, you ask well. So the purpose of this draft is not to make the Sakura Nation collapse, but to make the Sakura Nation… transform."

He stood up and walked to the East Asia map on the wall, "Everyone, look. Before the war, the Sakura Nation poured the vast majority of its resources into an arms race—building warships, constructing fortresses, expanding the army. The result? Civilian life withered, farmers went bankrupt, workers toiled overtime yet went hungry. Now we intend to help the Sakura Nation reallocate its resources."

He pointed his finger at the Sakura Nation archipelago, "Reparations will bring pressure, but will also force you to reform. The navy restriction will create insecurity, but will also compel you to develop other industries. A Sakura Nation focused on the economy, on people's livelihoods, and on peaceful trade with neighboring countries is a good Sakura Nation."

"Sounds appealing," Shanben sneered, "In reality it just means we will forever lose the chance to become a great power."

"A great power?" Chen Feng turned, looking at Shanben, "Minister Shanben, what do you think defines a great power? Is it possessing massive warships and cannons, flaunting might everywhere? Or is it ensuring citizens are fed and clothed, children have education, and the elderly are cared for?"

He returned to his seat, his voice rising slightly, "Lanfang has been a nation for ten years; we haven't built the world's largest navy, but we have built 127 schools, 43 hospitals, and 2,000 km of railway. We have not conquered any country, yet we have given millions of overseas Chinese their first homeland."

"Now," he said, looking at the Sakura Nation delegation, "the choice is up to the Sakura Nation. Continue clinging to an outdated great‑power dream until the nation utterly collapses? Or lay down the burden and start anew?"

Si Nei Zhengyi closed his eyes. Shanben Quanbinge clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. Only Dong Xiang Pingbalo remained calmly staring at Chen Feng, and in those old eyes something seemed to flicker.

The lunch break was scheduled in the conference center's restaurant. Lanfang and the Sakura Nation representatives sat in two separate sections, separated by a corridor and several tall bird‑of‑paradise pots.

Chen Feng ate very little, ordering only a bowl of seafood congee and a few side dishes. As he ate, he observed the Sakura Nation delegation. Si Nei Zhengyi barely moved his utensils, merely sipping water continuously. Shanben Quanbinge mechanically swallowed his food, his gaze vacant. Only Dong Xiang Pingbalo ate earnestly, even praising the doneness of the steamed grouper.

At 1 p. m., the negotiations resumed.

This time, Dong Xiang Pingbalo spoke first. He did not discuss specific clauses, but brought up matters that seemed unrelated.

"In my youth I often sailed the South Ocean routes," the old man's voice echoed in the hall, "from Nagasaki to Singapore, to Batavia, to Manila. Wherever I went, I saw arrogant whites and subdued yellow‑skinned people. In the Philippines, Americans treated the locals like monkeys; in Java, the Dutch called the natives 'savages'; in Hong Kong, Yingguo posted signs saying 'No Chinese or dogs allowed inside'."

He paused, his gaze sweeping each face of the Lanfang delegation, "Back then I wondered, why? Why is it that when both build ships, the ones made by Yingguo are advanced, while those made by the Sakura Nation are mere copies? Why can the American navy dominate the Pacific, while the Sakura Nation's fleet can only patrol coastal waters?"

"Because of strength," Chen Feng said.

"Not entirely," Dong Xiang shook his head, "it's about the voice of authority. The rules are set by them, the standards defined by them, the history written by them. When they win, it's called 'the triumph of civilization'; when they colonize, it's 'spreading advanced civilization'. When we won the Russo‑Japanese War, they called it 'luck' and said 'barbarism defeated decay'."

He leaned forward, "President Chen, Lanfang has now beaten the Sakura Nation; how will the West describe it? Will they say your technology is advanced, your tactics brilliant? Or will they say… the yellow‑skinned have finally learned the white man's rules of the game?"

The question was sharp. Several young Lanfang aides exchanged glances, evidently having not considered that angle before.

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds, then smiled, "Marshal Dong, you are reminding me that we are all yellow‑skinned, should not fight among ourselves, but should join hands against the whites?"

"I dare not speak of 'confrontation,'" Dong Xiang said slowly, "but at the very least, people with yellow skin and black eyes should share a common ideal—an Asia that is not humiliated by whites, not discriminated against by whites, and need not bow to white noses. The Sakura Nation has pursued this goal for the past forty years, but took the wrong path—we tried to achieve it by becoming another 'white‑style' great power. The result? We became the very thing we once despised."

He looked at Shanben, then at Si Nei, and finally his gaze returned to Chen Feng, "Lanfang's victory now proves Asians can become strong in their own way. But if what follows is merely a repeat of the white playbook—defeat, reparations, weakening, control—then how does that differ from the Western powers of old?"

The hall was so quiet that the sound of the air‑conditioner's airflow could be heard.

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop. After seven taps, he said, "Marshal Dong, you speak well. But there is one question."

"Please enlighten me."

"The 'ideal homeland for yellow people' you mentioned—on what foundation is it built?" Chen Feng asked, "Is it equal cooperation? Or a shared prosperity under the leadership of a particular nation?"

Dong Xiang did not answer immediately.

Chen Feng continued, "If it is equal cooperation, then it is simple—sign this treaty, the Sakura Nation returns to a path of peaceful development, and our two countries interact as equals. If it is shared prosperity under a leading nation…," he smiled, "then there must be a leading country. Who do you think it should be?"