Chapter 260: Lanfang Labor Services Company Established!

Sinei Zhengyi also stood up. He bowed deeply, a ninety‑degree bow, and held it for three seconds.

"Your Excellency Xiyuansi, I beg you."

Then he turned and left. When he reached the doorway, he stopped, but did not look back:

"By the way, Shanben Quanbingei also submitted his resignation today. He said he wants to focus on rebuilding the Navy and will no longer serve as a minister. As for the Army… Dadao Jianyi may take over as Minister of War. He is a realist and knows this is not the time for brute force."

"Understood," Xiyuansi said.

The door closed. Only Xiyuansi remained in the office. He walked back to the window and watched Sinei Zhengyi's limousine drive out of the courtyard, disappearing into the snow.

The snow fell heavier. Tokyo was a blanket of white, as if draped in hemp and mourning caps for the empire's funeral.

But after a funeral, someone must clear the hall, someone must start anew.

That person is him.

At the same time, Dubai was bathed in brilliant sunshine. The Persian Gulf's waters were a crystal‑clear blue, port cranes stood in rows, cargo ships came and went busily, and everything teemed with life.

Chen Feng stood on the observation deck atop the Presidential Palace, holding a freshly delivered report in his hand. Wang Wenwu stood beside him, a smile that he could not hide on his face.

"The first batch of reparations has arrived," Wang Wenwu said. "Fifty million yen have been exchanged for gold and deposited in the central bank. At the current gold price, that's equivalent to £28,750,000." (This exchange rate was asked of an AI, should be roughly accurate.)

"It's only the first batch," Chen Feng nodded. "For twelve years, there will be one each year. With interest, the total exceeds 550 million."

"How will this money be used?"

Chen Feng turned and walked back to the office, stopping before a massive world map: "Thirty percent will go to Navy expansion—we need more battleships, more submarines, more cruisers. Thirty percent will go to industrial construction—Borneo's oil must be expanded, Malaya's rubber deep‑processed, Java's tin mines modernized. Twenty percent will go to education and research—we need our own engineers, our own scientists; we cannot rely forever on buying technology. The final twenty percent… reserves, for unforeseen needs."

Zhou Tieshan knocked and entered, a thick stack of intelligence in his hand: "President, there is new movement."

"Speak."

"The Sinei cabinet resigned an hour ago. Xiyuansi Gongwang has already accepted Tian Huang's appointment and is forming a new cabinet. The Minister of War is slated to be Dadao Jianyi; the Minister of Navy… may have Dongxiang Pingbalo listed nominally, with actual affairs handled by the Vice Minister."

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow: "Dongxiang? Is he willing?"

"It is said Xiyuansi went personally to ask," Zhou Tieshan said. "Dongxiang initially refused, saying he was a defeated general and unqualified. Xiyuansi replied, 'Precisely because you are a defeated general, you know why you lost, and you know how to start anew.'"

"Interesting," Chen Feng smiled. "Xiyuansi Gongwang… I know him. Ten years ago, he was an elder statesman of the Sakura Nation, and we were still a government in exile. — Back then, the Sakura Nation was the dominant power in Yazhou, and Lanfang was nothing."

He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured three glasses of whisky, and handed one to Wang Wenwu and Zhou Tieshan: "Now? He comes asking me for a way out. The world is fickle." (Should we add a small‑intestine sausage?)

The three clinked glasses. The amber liquid swayed in the cups, reflecting the sunlight outside.

"Xiyuansi will be a pragmatic opponent," Wang Wenwu analyzed. "He lived through the hardships of the Meiji Restoration and knows when to bow. Moreover, he is old, not as ambitious, and only wants a smooth transition for the Sakura Nation."

"So we can cooperate with him," Chen Feng said. "A stable, obedient, economically focused Sakura Nation is far more advantageous to us than a chaotic, hateful, revenge‑driven Sakura Nation."

Zhou Tieshan asked, "What about the Army? Dadao Jianyi is pragmatic, but the younger faction within the Army is strong. They are dissatisfied and may cause trouble."

"Then give them something to do," Chen Feng took a sip, his gaze deepening. "In Europe… Wilhelm II has sent another telegram."

He picked up a telegram from the desk and handed it to Wang Wenwu: "Germany is under great pressure on the Eastern Front; the Russians are poorly equipped but numerous and fearless. Germany hopes we can send troops in support, even if only symbolic."

Wang Wenwu, after reading the telegram, asked, "Do you intend to send troops?"

"No," Chen Feng shook his head. "Lanfang promised not to intervene in European wars and must keep its word. Moreover, we have no need to wade into Europe's muddy waters. But…"

He paused, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth: "The Sakura Nation can."

Zhou Tieshan and Wang Wenwu were both stunned.

"The Sakura Nation's Army now has hundreds of thousands of idle troops, severe domestic unemployment, and social unrest," Chen Feng said, moving to the map and pointing from the Sakura Nation toward Europe. "If we act as a broker, letting Germany hire the Sakura Nation's Army to fight in Europe, Germany pays, the Sakura Nation earns foreign exchange, the Army gets work, and domestic tensions are diverted—a win on many fronts." (Comrades, what do you think…?)

"But would the Sakura Nation agree?" Wang Wenwu asked. "That's essentially selling soldiers as mercenaries, very humiliating."

"Humiliating, but it ensures survival," Chen Feng said. "Xiyuansi Gongwang is a clear‑sighted man; he will calculate………………………………………………………………………………………………………."

"What about Germany?"

"Wilhelm II could not ask for more," Chen Feng laughed. "He previously expressed a desire for Lanfang to send troops. Now Sakura Nation soldiers can fill the gap; though they're second‑rate, they're better than none. Moreover… this can drive a wedge between the Sakura Nation and England—Sakura soldiers helping Germany fight England, what will the English think?"

Wang Wenwu inhaled sharply. "One stone, three birds. The Sakura Nation earns foreign exchange, Germany gets troops, Anglo‑Japanese relations sour… President, this move is too high‑handed."

"Not finished yet," Chen Feng returned to his seat. "As intermediaries, we can take a commission. Germany pays Japan a hiring fee; we take a 10% brokerage fee. The Sakura Nation lacks transport ships, so we use Lanfang's merchant vessels and earn freight. Moreover, the Sakura soldiers' equipment and supplies can be purchased from Lanfang—of course, at fair prices."

He looked at the two: "With this loop, the Sakura Nation gets foreign exchange and jobs, Germany gets troops, we get money and strategic benefits. Everyone wins."

"Except for those Sakura soldiers sent to Europe as cannon fodder," Zhou Tieshan whispered.

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "War always claims lives. Whether they die in the Sakura Nation's domestic food‑raiding riots or in European trenches, does it matter to them? At least the latter, their families can receive compensation and survive."