HCB Chapter 1414 North-South Game
Chapter 1414 North-South Game
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone on either side of the long table:
"Is this reasonable? Does this conform to common sense? What is the apocalypse? It is the collapse of human civilization! Not some 'limited conflict,' not some 'local war'!"
"It's a situation of collapsed order, depleted resources, disrupted communications, and widespread panic! Under such circumstances, any country should prioritize self-preservation, not embark on a foreign expedition!"
His voice grew louder and louder:
"What does the 2nd Division's telegram say? 'The enemy has grasped our entire deployment' 'The morale of officers and soldiers has been severely impacted'—comrades, don't you think this sounds more like..."
He paused deliberately, then slowly uttered the second half of the sentence:
"It's more like someone is looking for an excuse to withdraw from the border and move to Hanoi."
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room changed abruptly.
Nguyen Van An, the 69-year-old National Assembly chairman from the Northern faction and practically the only remaining figure in the pre-apocalyptic high-level politics, suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy old eyes:
"Comrade Zhang Guangping, what do you mean by that?"
Faced with this veteran Northern faction bigwig, if it were Zhang Guangping before the apocalypse when he hadn't yet risen to power by relying on a dead leader, he naturally wouldn't dare to provoke him.
But now, as the least senior member of the Southern faction present, Zhang Guangping, who is well aware of his role as the one 'charging into battle,' naturally cannot back down in the slightest.
After all, making a knife requires having the mindset of a knife: sharpness is all that matters. As long as it's sharp, it will always be needed, not discarded.
Moreover, this was the other party taking the initiative to confront me, not some insubordination that involves tearing off relations!
Therefore, Zhang Guangping immediately looked directly at this veteran of the Northern faction, his words showing no softening and even a hint of aggressiveness:
"Comrade Nguyen Van An, I was merely analyzing the plausibility of the telegram's contents. What does 400 artillery pieces mean? How much ammunition would that require? How many transport vehicles? How many logistics personnel?"
"In the two years since the apocalypse, who could maintain such logistical capabilities? Zhou Bang might be able to, but it must not be an easy task, right? Easy enough to just throw them at the border? Easy enough to use them against us?"
Zhang Guangping, the director of the government office from the Southern faction, repeatedly questioned the leaders in the meeting room, causing many of them to unconsciously frown.
These words are practically a direct challenge to Vietnam, saying that it's not worthy of such a small country.
"Comrade Fan Wencha, what do you say?" Zhang Guangping turned to the Minister of National Defense, ostensibly to ask for his opinion, but actually to subtly force him to take sides.
Unless Fan Wencha is talking nonsense, anything he says at this moment will benefit the Southern faction and be suspected of taking sides.
Of course, no one here would judge a position based on a single sentence, but it's still disgusting.
...
After a few seconds of silence, Defense Minister Fan Wencha, knowing he couldn't avoid it, slowly spoke:
"Based on my professional knowledge, I personally believe that Zhou Bang wouldn't be so inclined to wage war against us at this moment..."
At this point, Defense Minister Pham Van Cha paused, then changed his tone, offering the Northern faction a way out:
"But we cannot rule out the possibility that Zhou Bang's troops were indeed active in Pingxiang. The claim that 400 artillery pieces were deployed and aimed at them is probably due to a misrepresentation by the 2nd Division... I suggest that they be asked to verify this carefully."
This sentence was like a stone thrown into calm water...
"Comrade Zhang Guangping's analysis has some merit."
At this point, seeing that the situation was completely clear, Nguyen Tan Dung, the leader of the Southern faction and Prime Minister, finally put down his coffee cup and made a decisive statement, ending the current debate.
What he wanted was a smooth political transition and a change of power, not a fierce infighting that would tear each other apart.
After all, taking advantage of the chaos of the apocalypse, the 3rd Military Region, which was originally controlled by the Northern faction, has completely become a neutral faction, and its commander even has a background in the Southern faction.
If they are patient, time will be on their side.
In Nguyen Tan Dung's eyes, Hanoi, regardless of whether it belongs to the Southern or Northern faction, will eventually become his assets; it's only a matter of time before he gets his hands on them.
If the two factions were to fight at this point, wouldn't it be like their own assets were fighting over? In the end, they would be the ones who suffer the most.
Therefore, compared to Zhang Guangping's aggressive manner, Ruan Jinyong, who spoke at this moment, appeared much more moderate.
"In the two years of the apocalypse, the power of any nation should be contracted, not expanded."
"If Zhou Bang really had the ability to assemble such a large army to invade, how well would they have controlled the disasters within their country? This is indeed illogical."
After speaking, he looked at Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese political parties, who sat in the main seat and had remained silent throughout:
“Secretary Ruan, my opinion is that the 2nd Division’s telegram requesting assistance needs to be reassessed. We cannot be swayed by emotions, nor can we make major strategic decisions based on an unverified report.”
Upon hearing this, Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese political parties, who knew that the situation was hopeless, had no intention of expressing any opinion. He simply nodded, signaling the other party to continue.
After all, it's an obvious matter that has already been agreed upon by the public. Even as the General Secretary, he cannot forcibly change it. Speaking out now would only cause two more blows to his prestige and would not bring him any benefit.
Seeing the General Secretary's silence, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung did not press the matter further and immediately turned to Defense Minister Pham Van Tra:
"Comrade Fan Wencha, I suggest that the Ministry of National Defense immediately verify Zhou Bang's actual military strength in the Pingxiang direction through other channels. At the same time, order the 2nd Division to continue to hold its position and not to retreat a single step without orders from the Central Committee."
"If they are indeed facing an attack, then let them fight! When did the Vietnamese army's tradition become 'running away at the sight of the enemy'?"
Nguyen Tan Dung's last words were like a slap in the face to the entire Northern faction and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, causing Nguyen Phu Trong to instinctively tense up.
There's a saying among the people: "If you're wrong, admit it; if you're going to be punished, stand up straight."
This statement holds true even in high-level political maneuvering. After all, if one could truly refuse to admit mistakes and distort the truth, there would be no need for so-called political maneuvering; one could simply establish a dictatorship and not bother with any tricks.
Therefore, even if Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese political parties, was furious at that moment, he could not utter a single word of rebuttal.
In this round, the Northern faction truly lost, offering themselves up to be slapped.
Thinking of this, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Party quickly turned his anger toward the 2nd Division of the 1st Military Region.
The angry side was far too weak; when faced with even a small force from Zhou Bang's army, they would tuck their tails between their legs, beg for help, and try to escape!
Now I'm in a very passive position in the Standing Committee, and I can only endure being slapped in the face without being able to retaliate.
This feeling is similar to that of many e-sports players. When their stats are terrible, even if their teammates, who are considered top-tier players, are pointing fingers at them and they're practically flying into the air, there's nothing they can do, not even to talk back.
Therefore, even now, Nguyen Phu Trong, the leader of the Northern faction and the General Secretary of the Vietnamese political party, believes that the 2nd Division is fabricating stories in order to facilitate the retreat.
What's even more infuriating is that the 2nd Division couldn't even fabricate a proper myth, creating something so outrageous!