I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

By this time, the Indian soldiers who could run had already fled far away. The Xia army did not pursue them rashly. Their main task was to guard the mountain pass, and there was no need to pursue the scattered enemy.

Donkey Egg was quick-witted and agile, and was the first to react. Shouting "Watch me!", he rushed forward like a gust of wind, grabbed Singh who was rolling in the hay, and pressed him firmly to the ground.

"Behave yourself!"

Donkey's knee pressed against Singh's back, startling Singh so much that the pistol in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter. He went limp like a lump of mud, too weak to even struggle.

"Don't kill me! You, you can't kill me!"

Singh's voice trembled violently, but he forced a calm roar, "I am a high-caste Kshatriya! I am a sacred and inviolable being! We Indians have the support of the United States and America; they will not stand idly by! You cannot touch me; to do so would be to provoke an international conflict!"

Donkey Egg scoffed and patted his "zongzi-like" head: "What nonsense are you spouting? I can't understand a word you say!"

On the other side, the east courtyard

Zhou Weiguo lay in bed, finally managing to shake off the restlessness in his heart and fall asleep.

He was already feeling unsettled today because of the issues with the Indians and Javanese, and just before going to bed, Xu Wude and Xu Damao suddenly came to disturb him. After getting rid of those two troublesome guys, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the bed.

He hadn't been asleep for long when the rapid vibrations of his personal communicator on his wrist jolted him awake.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and subconsciously looked at the clock on the bedside table; the hands clearly pointed to two in the morning.

When he saw the words "Natasha" flashing on the communicator screen, he instantly lost all sleepiness and swiped to answer the call.

"Honey, something's happened!"

Natasha's voice came through the receiver, tinged with urgency, "Just ten minutes ago, the Indian chief officially announced that India has declared war on China!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhou Weiguo's head, making him shudder and completely sober up.

Natasha then added, "The news says that a large-scale conflict has broken out on the border between Xia and India. India has suffered heavy losses, but they are turning the tables and claiming that Xia occupied their territory and massacred their civilians. Their army was ambushed by Xia's army when they went to argue with them, and two or three hundred people died in one go."

Zhou Weiguo's face instantly darkened.

He originally planned to resolve the Java issue first, and then deal with the border friction with India. However, he did not expect that India would be so eager to take the initiative to declare war and even play the trick of distorting the truth.

Just as he was about to have a deeper conversation with Natasha, the communicator on his wrist suddenly vibrated again, and the screen showed a new call from Old Qin.

Zhou Weiguo immediately said to Natasha, "That's all for now. Old Qin is calling. I'll call you back later."

After saying that, he quickly hung up the call with Natasha and answered the call from Elder Qin.

"For the sake of the country, the Indians have taken action!"

Old Qin's slightly hurried voice immediately came through the receiver, his tone filled with suppressed anger, "They directly sent a force of three or four hundred men to attack our border post at Laze Mountain. Not only did they fire first at our sentries, but they also deliberately trampled on the boundary markers, insulting our frontline soldiers!"

Old Qin paused, his tone softening slightly, with a hint of triumph: "However, our Xia Kingdom's army is no pushover. In the first wave of conflict, our army only suffered 6 minor injuries. On the Indian side, we helped them collect 250 corpses and captured 2 prisoners, one of whom was their regimental commander."

"Mr. Qin, the situation may be more serious than you say."

Zhou Weiguo spoke in a cold tone, "The Indian chief has already declared war on Xia, and is even distorting the truth internationally, saying that we occupied their territory and massacred their civilians, and that their people died because we 'ambushed' them."

"Outrageous! These bastards!"

Old Qin's voice suddenly rose, clearly furious. His low curses came through the receiver, indicating he was extremely angry.

Zhou Weiguo interrupted Qin Lao's cursing only after Qin Lao's emotions had calmed down somewhat: "Qin Lao, please calm down. The most urgent thing is to discuss countermeasures. What do you want me to do?"

"I've already had an emergency meeting with Elder Long, and we understand your thoughts."

Old Qin's voice regained its composure, but his anger still lingered. "Old Long said that this battle is either not fought at all, or it's going to be fought fiercely, all the way to India's homeland! We must completely resolve the territorial dispute with India. Not a single inch of land that belongs to our Xia Kingdom can be lost!"

Zhou Weiguo nodded upon hearing this, feeling reassured, and asked again, "Elder Qin, please tell me directly, what kind of support do you need? Is it equipment supplies, or frontline support?"

Old Qin sighed softly, his tone heavy: "For the sake of the country, to be honest, we are facing a lot of pressure right now. The other side proposed to form a joint fleet with us some time ago, and also to build a long-wave radio station in the ocean. Old Long rejected it without hesitation. This has made our relationship with the other side delicate. In addition, the issue of our entry into the UN Security Council has intensified many conflicts, so we are in a very passive position now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Weiguo's anger flared instantly. He gripped the communicator tightly and asked directly, "Elder Qin, do you and Elder Long mean to say that you're worried that the US and America will intervene in this border conflict?"

"That's right, for the country, that's exactly what we're most concerned about right now."

Old Qin's voice was filled with obvious worry. "Although we have gained confidence in many areas now, India maintains good relations with the United States and Canada. Will they take the opportunity to intervene? The higher-ups have repeatedly analyzed various possibilities, but they still cannot completely rule out the risk."

Zhou Weiguo tapped his fingertips unconsciously on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "Old Qin, I don't think this should be our priority. Regardless of whether they intervene or not, we must fight this battle, and we must fight it hard and thoroughly. If it really comes to the worst, we can just test-fire a Dongfeng-5C missile. I don't believe these people will still dare to make a fuss."

He paused, his tone becoming more certain: "To be honest, given the current international situation, the United States is eager to improve relations with us. They need us to keep Canada in check. Their relationship with India is merely one of transactions and superficial aid; it's far from a life-or-death commitment. I think what we really need to be wary of is Canada. They've always considered South Asia as their sphere of influence, and this time they'll most likely put pressure on us."

"You're absolutely right!"