034. Li Aozi, the Socialite of the Four Nations
Although Li Aozi knew that in the old era of Azure Star, it was extremely glorious, with a brilliant civilization and advanced technology, in such an environment, the physical and intellectual capabilities of Azure Star people would not be low.
But he never expected that the arrival of Alexia would bring such a renewed transformation to the entire Bermudes.
Alexia, as a sudden outsider, immediately tamed a large and rebellious group of Children of Fire followers with miraculous methods, and through her speeches, she sharply pointed out the problems in Bermudes.
Getting people to voluntarily admit to the various crimes they had committed—this act was almost too surreal, equivalent to holding each group leader's veil of shame; with a slight tap of her gavel, those who had been elevated to the pedestal would immediately fall, even to the point of being reviled by the masses.
Alexia did not actively pursue the guilt of many; instead, she used this method to help the leaders of Bermudes' factions reach a consensus. Under Alexia's suggestion, a cooperative meeting was initiated, highlighting the severity of the current situation and the necessity of implementing a strict management system while recognizing the true enemy of the Grant people.
"Of course, making mistakes is inevitable."
Alexia said generously during the meeting:
"No one is without faults. We can set these issues aside for now. The most urgent matter for everyone is to form a leadership organization that can prevent a state of leaderlessness."
The meeting went smoothly, perhaps because Alexia and Li Aozi, two amiable Beta-Tier individuals, were both present. There was almost no quibbling, and everyone quickly reached an agreement. Finally, they elected a young military officer as the leader—Xislon Grana, a strong, pragmatic man—Colonel Xislon was appointed as the leader of Bermudes and announced the formation of a military government.
For Grant, forming a military government was not necessarily a bad thing; after all, even a military government is better than feudal serfdom.
Xislon was quite surprised by this. He considered himself a mere soldier with no significant abilities, driven only by a passion for his country and anxiety over its future, leading him to join the coup. After receiving Alexia's endorsement, Xislon was a bit nervous as he stepped to the front of the stage and, under the recording of his personal terminal, delivered his inaugural speech:
"Fellow citizens of Grant, I am Xislon Grana. I have just taken an oath to serve as the leader of the Bermudes Party, leading the Bermudes warriors in resisting the tyranny of Grand Duke Gamos of Grant. Now, we will form a provisional military government. Once our battle is won, we will reorganize the national elections, return power to the people, and rebuild the republic!"
He hesitated for a moment, having overcome his initial nervousness by this point. He opened his mouth, departed from the script, grabbed the microphone, and called out in a deep voice:
"Long live Grant, long live the citizens, long live freedom!"
This sharp-minded and eloquent inquisitor of the old era handed a letter to Li Aozi with a slight smile:
"Dear, I need to trouble you with a little errand."
Li Aozi initially wanted to browse the forum, but seeing the inquisitor's determined expression, he nodded in agreement.
['Alexia' likes this, Favorability +109]
[Current Favorability: 278 (Fondness)]
"Thank you, dear."
Seven hours later, Li Aozi stealthily infiltrated the Tianhuan embassy in Grant, where a military officer received him and took the letter.
"Interesting, asking Tianhuan to recognize Grant's new government?"
After reading the letter, the military officer strongly agreed with its content:
"This is great. The Tianhuan Parliament will take action soon."
"The current international community is always sympathetic to colonial independence," Li Aozi said. "If possible, it would be best to provide some weapons assistance, or at least humanitarian aid through corridors."
"I'll convey your suggestion to the home country." The military officer extended his hand and shook Li Aozi's hand, saying kindly, "Thanks to your help, Mr. Li."
Li Aozi didn't show much excitement over Tianhuan's gratitude. Tianhuan's actions were not necessarily in support of Grant's resistance against colonization, but because Grant's independence could deal a blow to Frost-Plated Republic.
Although Frost-Plated Republic's President Medewei was erratic, the nation's sheer size was still imposing. Perhaps constrained by GTB's restrictions, she wouldn't deploy troops to invade Grant, but Frost-Plated Republic had more than just the military as a large-scale armed force.
For example, Law IV.
Medewei, as mad as she was, still made basic decisions as a politician. Li Aozi estimated that at least 20,000 to 30,000 female agents from Law IV would be involved in the invasion of Grant.
At first glance, it doesn't seem like many people, but the problem is that the female agents of Law IV have been engaged in violent enforcement for years, ruthless and tough, while 70% of Grant's population comes from farming backgrounds, most with only primary and middle school education. Even with the spiritual encouragement and opposing political parties provided by Bermudes, it couldn't change the reality.
Grant is an agricultural country that cannot produce its own ammunition, and due to the lack of domestic oil, all gasoline is entirely imported from Frost-Plated Republic. It could even be said that without Frost-Plated Republic, tanks and armored vehicles wouldn't be operational. Most of the military is even non-active, and due to the ineffective policies during Gamos's reign, military morale is very low. At this rate, it's easy to imagine the country being destroyed and its people exterminated.
The first thing Li Aozi had to secure for Grant was material aid, especially the most needed oil resources, but Tianhuan couldn't provide oil.
So, he had to find another option.
Leaving the Tianhuan embassy, Li Aozi immediately went to the Zhenxu embassy, stated his purpose, and after showing some evidence of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization's crimes, Zhenxu sent an official from the Zhenxu Intelligence Directorate to meet with him.
"I've heard much about you, Mr. Li Aozi. I am Diago Aureliano Italia."
This official was well-built, with facial features typical of Zhenxu people, somewhere between Caucasian and Asian—this was a characteristic of Zhenxu people.
Zhenxu is known for its handsome men and beautiful women, with a high standard of aesthetics. Upon seeing Li Aozi, Diago immediately exclaimed, "I can't believe there's such a beauty like you. You must be the Creator's most favored angel."
"You flatter me." Li Aozi smiled, and using his extraordinary charisma, got straight to the point: "To be honest, I'm currently contributing to the liberation of Grant's people. Is your country interested in making some profit?"
Each of the four nations excels in its own field: Frost-Plated Republic specializes in cybernetic modification technology, Red Arrow boasts an ironclad military and the highest medical standards, Tianhuan's samurais and swords are unparalleled, while Zhenxu adheres to the philosophy of 'Fear of Insufficient Firepower.'
Zhenxu's Project 1099: Hebron Armory is currently the world's best light weapons manufacturing complex. Almost every country loves Hebron's weapons, offering top-notch after-sales service, and the weapons themselves are durable and reliable. From PDWs (Personal Defense Weapons) to light machine guns, you can always find the weapon that suits you best.
Even a firearm novice like Li Aozi knew that the best guns on Azure Star came from Hebron.
Zhenxu was also very interested in Grant's internal coup plan. Zhenxu had no clear stance, but the situation now was that Frost-Plated Republic was already at a moral and public opinion low. Not taking advantage of this would be a waste.
After some negotiation, Li Aozi, using his powerful charm, secured 6,000 Hebron-made L44 'Hawala' assault rifles, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and four Clement 105mm cannons for Grant at the incredibly low price of just 900,000 Derbies.
This was practically a gift.
The Zhenxu official praised Li Aozi's good luck; he had just happened to catch Zhenxu's military during a stock clearance, as they were preparing to replace their rifles and introduce new 6.8mm ammunition. Since Zhenxu had no colonies or vassal states, they could only sell off the surplus.
Most importantly, Zhenxu stated that they could provide oil to Bermudes through the underground pipelines of Zhenxu's ally, the Republic of Gelvado.
As for the oil price, Zhenxu suggested settling with sugar and wheat, as Zhenxu had abundant resources.
As for anti-vehicle weapons, that wasn't possible. The Hebron Armory, including Zhenxu, only sold light weapons they produced themselves; for war machines, they'd have to go to the Red Arrow Empire. But in the current situation, Li Aozi estimated that the Red Arrow Empire would be constrained by the Dramaran Consortium, and even if they bought the weapons, they might not be able to ship them.
"In nature, charm is far more useful than intelligence."
Alexia could help the people of Grant consolidate their internal will and stand up spiritually, while Li Aozi helped the Grant people stand up physically.
A nation's independence and dignity exist only within the range of artillery fire.
After thinking it over, Li Aozi realized he couldn't be so narrow-minded.
Since he had come all this way, why not visit the other three nations as well?