Chapter 723: No More Thirty Million!

The car drove through several streets and stopped in front of an unremarkable courtyard.

La Wa Er got out and looked at the building before him. It lacked the grandeur he had imagined, no gilded decorations, no armed guards. It was just an ordinary two‑story house, gray walls, simple windows, two guards at the doorway, and nothing more.

Deputy Officer Lin saw him stare blankly and gave a small smile.

"Mr. La Wa Er, please. The President is inside."

La Wa Er followed him into the courtyard, passed through a corridor, and finally stopped before a door.

Deputy Officer Lin knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

The door swung open, and La Wa Er stepped inside.

The room was modest: a desk, a few chairs, a bookshelf, and a huge world map hanging on the wall. Two steaming cups of tea sat on the desk. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm patch of light on the floor.

Chen Feng sat behind the desk, reading a document. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, set the paper down, and rose to his feet.

In that instant, La Wa Er scrutinized the man who kept all of Europe awake.

He was of medium build, even slimmer than his photograph. Dressed in a dark‑gray Zhongshan suit, he wore no medals or insignia. His face was expressionless, but his eyes—those eyes were so bright that they reminded La Wa Er of Ke Liemengsuo. Equally sharp, equally bottomless, equally impossible to stare at directly.

"Mr. La Wa Er," Chen Feng began, in fluent French, "Welcome to Dubai. It has been a hard journey."

La Wa Er was taken aback—he hadn't expected Chen Feng's French to be so good. The pronunciation was precise, the wording exact, even tinged with a hint of Parisian Left Bank intellectual tone.

"President," he bowed slightly, "Thank you for taking the time to see me. Prime Minister Ke Liemengsuo asked me to convey the greetings of the French people to you."

Chen Feng smiled—a thin but sincere smile.

"Prime Minister Ke Liemengsuo is too courteous. Please sit,"

The two sat opposite each other at the desk. Deputy Officer Lin gently closed the door and stepped out.

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Chen Feng lifted his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.

"Mr. La Wa Er, Prime Minister Ke Liemengsuo sent you here not merely to convey greetings, right?"

La Wa Er looked at him and silently praised—no beating around the bush, straight to the point. That's the kind of person who can achieve great things.

"The President is right. I am here to discuss an important matter,"

He took a document from his briefcase and placed it before Chen Feng.

"President, in 1911 the French bank loaned Lanfang thirty million pounds. This is a copy of the original contract,"

Chen Feng took the document, glanced through it, and set it down.

"I remember. Annual interest three percent, five‑year term, but because of the war, therefore……"

La Wa Er nodded.

"The President remembers clearly,"

Chen Feng stared at him without speaking.

La Wa Er inhaled deeply and uttered the line he had prepared for the entire journey.

"France no longer wants this loan."

The room fell silent again.

Chen Feng lifted his cup and took a slow sip. No expression crossed his face, as if La Wa Er had merely said something like "The weather is nice today." In fact, when the loan matured and the French never asked for the money, he understood; even while the French were fighting so hard on the battlefield, the other side never spoke up……

La Wa Er looked at him, feeling a chill inside.

Thirty million pounds. That was three years of French military spending, the equipment for three hundred thousand soldiers, the cost of several battleships. He had expected Chen Feng to show at least some reaction—surprise, doubt, excitement, even a hint of it. Yet Chen Feng showed nothing. He simply sipped his tea, watching him as if observing an amusing performance.

After a long pause, Chen Feng finally set his cup down.

"What are the conditions?"

La Wa Er breathed a sigh of relief—once conditions were asked, there was room for negotiation.

"Lanfang must not damage France's interests in Asia, especially Indochina—Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Lanfang must respect France's suzerainty in those regions,"

Chen Feng nodded.

"Anything else?"

La Wa Er was taken aback—anything else?

Chen Feng looked at him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile in his eyes.

"Mr. La Wa Er, thirty million pounds is no small sum. France cannot abandon such a large amount with only one condition,"

La Wa Er fell silent.

He recalled Prime Minister Ke Liemengsuo's words before departure: "Pierre, Chen Feng is a clever man. In front of a clever man, do not tell lies. The more sincere you are, the more likely a deal can be reached."

He clenched his teeth and decided to speak the truth.

"The President is right. Besides Asian interests, France also hopes—"

He paused.

"Also, France hopes Lanfang can check Britain, keeping the British focused on Asia instead of constantly eyeing Europe,"

Chen Feng smiled. This time, the smile was more evident.

"Mr. La Wa Er, you finally hit the point,"

He stood and walked to the massive world map on the wall.

"Look, the British have already lost Singapore, Burma, Yilang in Asia. India won't hold out much longer. They will surely pull troops from Europe to rescue Asia—this is exactly what you fear, right?"

La Wa Er nodded.

"Yes. Once the British withdraw from France, our pressure increases. The Deguo are still watching the Western Front hungrily, Meilika's reinforcements haven't arrived. If the British pull back two hundred thousand, France will be in danger,"

Chen Feng turned and looked at him.

"So you want Lanfang to cease fighting, preventing the British from pulling out of France,"

La Wa Er was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Yes."

Chen Feng walked back to his seat and sat down.

"Mr. Laval, do you know why Lanfang is attacking Yingguo?"

Laval was momentarily stunned.

"Because Yingguo's forces attacked your fleet in the Arabian Sea?"

Chen Feng smiled. That kind of smile made Laval's skin crawl.

"Mr. Laval, you're a smart man. Let's not beat around the bush."

He stared directly into Laval's eyes.

"We both know what's going on with Jelico."

Laval's pupils narrowed slightly.

Although he had guessed it long ago, hearing Chen Feng say it aloud still sent a chill down his spine. It was a trap that forced the Royal Navy's twelve main warships to fight for three hours, caused Yingguo to lose half of Yazhou, and let the whole world see photos of the "British Empire unannounced war."

The one who set the trap was sitting right across from him.

Chen Feng continued, "Lanfang attacks Yingguo not for revenge but for profit. Yingguo has enjoyed a hundred years of advantage in Yazhou, and now it must be repaid."

He paused briefly.

"So you don't need to ask me to check Yingguo. I was already planning to check them, and I will do so even more harshly."

Laval remained silent for a long time.

Then he asked, "President, what do you want?"

Chen Feng stood up and walked back to the map.

This time, he pointed not at Yazhou but at Europe.

"Mr. Laval, have you ever thought about what the world will look like after the war ends?"

Laval walked to his side and looked at the map.

"Will Deguo lose? Or will Yingguo lose?"