Siheyuan: I, Shazhu, started out as an army and became a general.

The cold wind felt like knives, stinging my face.

He Yuzhu stood on the high ground north of Tezpur, his military boots pressing against a protruding black rock, as if stepping on the enemy's skull.

At the foot of the mountain, the lights of Tezpur trembled in the night, like a young woman stripped naked, shivering as she awaited her fate.

As long as He Yuzhu waved his hand downwards, the torrent of steel behind him could pour down the mountainside and crush the place into dust.

New Delhi? Those are rotten peaches hanging on the treetops; one poke and they'll fall off.

But He Yuzhu closed his eyes.

In my mind, the scarlet system interface flashed unsettlingly, and the countdown kept ticking like a death knell.

[Option 1: Bet the fate of the nation and march south! Reward: Complete blueprints for the aircraft carrier "Fujian"!]

[Option Two: Know when to quit while you're ahead, a sign of great power style! Reward: Complete blueprints for the Type 055 destroyer!]

"The Fujian aircraft carrier..."

He Yuzhu's Adam's apple bobbed, his heart itching as if a hundred cats were scratching at him.

That's an electromagnetic catapult! It's the true overlord of the deep blue sea! If we could develop that thing now, even just putting the blueprints on the table, it would save our navy fifty years of detours and allow us to overtake others directly!

However, this deal is too risky.

World War III? Nuclear war?

Our current financial situation is as thin as a sheet of paper; it was saved by everyone across the country, young and old, tightening their belts and scrimping and saving.

The atomic bomb had just been detonated, the hydrogen bomb was still in its infancy, and rockets hadn't yet reached the entire globe. At this point, should we completely overturn the table with the entire Western world?

That's gambling with the lives of 600 million people!

I'm a madman, but not an idiot.

He Yuzhu suddenly opened his eyes, and the fervent desire to tear a hole in the sky in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by the coldness and calculation of an old hunter.

"Aircraft carriers, I'll be able to build them myself sooner or later, no rush," He Yuzhu cursed inwardly. "But the Type 055 destroyer is a bodyguard with a sword, an air defense umbrella for the fleet! With it, our carrier battle groups can truly stand tall and sail into the open seas."

Most importantly, we've gained face and substance in this battle. If we continue, we'll truly be sinking into a quagmire.

"System, I choose option two!"

He Yuzhu roared inwardly without the slightest hesitation.

[Ding! The host has made a decision! A wise move that broadens perspective!]

[Rewards are being distributed... The complete set of design blueprints, detailed explanations of the propulsion system, and radar fire control source code for the Type 055 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyer have all been stored in the system space!]

[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the unique title: [Great Power Demeanor]!]

[Effect: At the international negotiating table, the host's aura of dominance increases by 500%, and the enemy automatically activates a "lowering intelligence aura"!]

boom!

A massive flow of information rushed into his mind, causing He Yuzhu to sway and almost lose his balance, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face, which stretched all the way to his ears.

A 10,000-ton destroyer!

This is a mobile Great Wall at sea! With this treasure, who will dare to bare their teeth at me in the South China Sea? I'd like to see who dares!

"Mr. He?"

Seeing that He Yuzhu hadn't moved for a long time, Zhang Xiaowu, who was standing there like a wooden stake, felt a little uneasy. He mustered up his courage and came closer: "Are we... still going to charge? The brothers' bayonets are all sharpened to a gleaming shine, just waiting to enter the city and capture prisoners."

He Yuzhu snapped out of his daze, glanced sideways at Zhang Xiaowu, and then scanned the soldiers behind him who were staring at him expectantly.

Those eyes were filled with a raging fire, as if they wanted to burn the sky down.

If he were to suggest withdrawing troops now, these greenhorns would probably burst into tears on the spot.

"Going for a ride?" He Yuzhu sneered, pulled out a crumpled cigarette butt from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and let the pungent smoke roll around in his lungs. "Going for a ride my ass! New Delhi is a dump, full of cow dung. You'd have to be their cleaner if you went there. You want to go?"

"Huh?" Zhang Xiaowu was dumbfounded, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it. "So... so we're just going to let it go like this? We've come this far! Isn't this like letting the duck that was already in our mouth fly away?"

"never mind?"

He Yuzhu exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes turning extremely sinister, like a shrewd old landlord ready to skin him alive. "When in my life have I ever made a losing deal?"

He stretched out his finger, pointed to Tezpur below the mountain, and then to the plains further south, as if pointing to his own vegetable garden.

"We can stop the war. But we must settle every single debt they owe us!"

"Pass on my orders!" He Yuzhu's voice suddenly rose, carrying the domineering air of a bandit descending the mountain, causing the snow on the treetops to fall in a flurry.

"All troops, hold your ground! Raise all your cannons, and don't point them at open ground, aim them at their barracks and warehouses! Let those bastards sleep with one eye open!"

"Tell Pang Guoxing to take those two brothers and deliver a message to that... oh no, now it's Nehru."

He Yuzhu paused, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth that gleamed coldly in the moonlight: "So, Tiger He said he wants me to withdraw my troops? Fine! Open your mind! But the travel expenses, lost wages, compensation for emotional distress, and the cost of all the artillery shells we fired—all of that has to be fully reimbursed!"

"If you're short even a penny, I'll burn Tezpur down and use it for a bonfire party!"

Zhang Xiaowu was stunned, his head buzzing. After several seconds, he suddenly slapped his thigh, laughing so hard snot bubbles came out of his nose: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Mr. He, what's that called... what's that word again?"

"This is called winning people over with virtue."

He Yuzhu threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out as if he were crushing an ant. "Go and do it. And tell the logistics department to empty all the trucks."

He gazed at the trembling city in the distance and chuckled.

"This trip must be fruitful!"