Chapter 401: Insisting on Stirring Up a Hornet's Nest

“Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, it doesn’t make logical sense.
But the problem is… we only have suspicions, not a single piece of concrete evidence.
After all, the incident occurred in the vast high seas.
The perpetrators could very well have acted in an inconspicuous small boat, in the most vulnerable spot.”
Anger burned fiercely in the Prime Minister’s chest, but what was even more frustrating than the anger was that he knew who the culprit was, yet he was powerless to do anything about it!
Where could he find the culprit in the vast Baltic Sea?
Even if he were lucky enough to catch a few low-level agents carrying out the operation, if the small country’s government denied everything, claiming it was a civilian act unrelated to the government,
what could he do? There was nowhere to reason with them!
“The aid to the small country! Has it been approved?!”
“Reporting to the Prime Minister, it’s still in the budget approval stage and hasn’t been disbursed yet.”
“Cancel it all! Don’t give them a single penny!!” the Prime Minister roared.
“But Prime Minister… we have no evidence! Doing this will cause international trouble…”
“Evidence? Anyone with eyes can see who did it! What bullshit evidence do we need! Withdraw everything!”
If he hadn’t retained a shred of reason, he would have immediately mobilized a tank force and driven over to find out the truth.
Who gave him such audacity!
Dare to provoke us!
Being attacked by a small country? This is the biggest joke in the history of Deguo!
Just how much do these guys think of Deguo!
“Ultimately, it’s because our fists aren’t strong enough…” The Prime Minister of Deguo slumped back into his chair, muttering to himself.
"Everyone treats our country like a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will, a punching bag."
Because of historical grievances, our country has crippled itself, constantly reducing its military strength and laying down its weapons.
But what was the result? Instead of peace and respect, it was subjected to repeated humiliation by various opportunists, even being trampled on!
Should we just continue to swallow our anger like this?
No! Absolutely not!
A chilling glint flashed in the Prime Minister's eyes.
Perhaps, this isn't a bad thing.
"Convene an emergency meeting immediately! Summon all cabinet members!
Also, bring me the latest military budget report!"
"Military...military budget?"
"Yes!"
A cold smile curled at the Prime Minister's lips.
Perhaps it's time for the world to remember the powerful nation that once struck fear into the hearts of all. It's time for it to return!
***
"These troublemakers have finally stirred up a huge mess."
Across the ocean, in an office in North America, President Eden of the United States seemed to have even more wrinkles on his already deep face, radiating an aura of "utter exhaustion and a desperate need for destruction."
The internal strife in the United States had already overwhelmed him, and the mess left by the war was only adding fuel to the fire. Now, this small country, a pawn, had turned around and bitten its master!
"Are you sure it was this small country?"
"Absolutely. We intercepted intelligence about their operational plans before, didn't you see it?
They followed the exercise procedures exactly, word for word."
“Didn’t we clearly warn them? Absolutely no touching the pipes!” Aiden’s voice turned cold.
“Yes. In fact, the president of that small country also bowed his head and promised to stop the operation.”
“Then what happened?!”
“According to our analysis, it was probably the Ukrainian army’s commander-in-chief, Valery, who bypassed the president and acted unilaterally.”
Aiden rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache.
This country is rotten to the core.
That president is indeed adept at stirring up emotions in public, but his control over the military is utterly worthless.
An army commander-in-chief dared to disobey the president’s orders and launch a major military operation that could change the international landscape. In any other country, he would have been shot a hundred times over!
“Without the president’s authorization, where did he get the money and resources to carry out an operation of this level?”
“Intelligence shows that Valery bypassed government channels and accepted…private sponsorship.”
“Private sponsorship?” Aiden’s eyebrows furrowed.
“You mean, a third-party force bypassed the small country’s government and directly funded their military leadership?”
“Yes, it seems that’s how the funding for this operation came about.”
Aiden sighed.
To be honest, Aiden could understand why Valery was so agitated.
Seeing the United States and those opportunists in the East betray their promises—one minute vowing economic sanctions, the next flirting with a major power and secretly buying natural gas—
what that money would become was obvious. Anyone in that situation would be tempted.
But tempted is one thing, rules cannot be broken!
Some lines are absolutely inviolable!
Valery had clearly crossed the most fatal red line.
No matter how passionate you are, how can you turn around and attack an ally that's providing you with aid?
Isn't that just plain stupid?
"What should we do now?"
"What should we do? Just let it be!" Aiden said irritably.
"Should we hold a press conference and officially announce that this was done by a small country?
Believe me, the entire European Union would explode on the spot and collectively turn their guns on that small country!"
Once the US officially "certifies" it, the political correctness of the European Union's aid to small countries will vanish, and they themselves will only be able to swallow their pride and "reluctantly execute Ma Su."
At that point, the major powers can easily swallow the small country whole.
A deeper fear lies in the possibility that the great power's success will send an extremely dangerous signal to the Eastern Dragon...
"So...we have no choice but to pin the blame squarely on the great power?"
"What else?" Aiden shrugged.
"We must publicly declare that the great power, dissatisfied with the European Union's aid to smaller nations, deliberately destroyed the pipeline, intending to use natural gas as a weapon to threaten the entire European Union!"
The truth must never be revealed!
No matter what, we must pin all the blame on the great power!
"Damn it, couldn't we just fight a proper defensive battle? Why did we have to stir up a hornet's nest!
Now look what's happened, don't they realize that by doing this, they're the ones who will suffer the most?"
Aiden couldn't help but curse.
"Latest news: the German side seems to have also concluded that the small country was responsible and is preparing to drastically reduce its aid."
"What about the small country internally? Don't they plan to deal with the commander-in-chief who caused this mess?"
"They can't. The small country's president has already stated internationally that the small country has nothing to do with this.
If they were to take action against their own army commander-in-chief now, wouldn't that be like slapping themselves in the face and publicly admitting it?
They can only swallow their pride and let it go."
"Hmph, that small country's president is probably secretly delighted right now."
"I'm afraid so. He himself wholeheartedly supported this operation plan in the first place.
Perhaps he's been waiting for a 'disobedient' subordinate to do it for him."
Aiden shook his head.
He really thought he was just a clown trying to attract attention, but now it seems he was mistaken.