"General Wilson flipped the table. If it weren't for the Central Sky Office people stopping him, he would have executed someone on the spot!" Casey replied with a smile.
"Haha, General Wilson's temper hasn't changed over the years!" Billy laughed.
A few years ago, when General Wilson was still the Northern District Supreme Commander, a similar incident had occurred. A neighboring country on the border had been provoking them, and in a fit of rage, General Wilson had led a hundred thousand troops straight to the enemy's capital and executed their second-in-command in public. Later, the same country had sent representatives to Glavale, demanding various shameless concessions. In response, General Wilson had beheaded their negotiator during the negotiations. Central Sky Office had given him quite the lecture, but it had all blown over in the end. Since then, that country had become much more obedient and had stopped making unreasonable demands.
So, negotiations were just for show. The one with the stronger fist was the one who called the shots.
"Who is leading the Oriana's delegation this time, and who else has come with them?" Billy asked, looking at Casey.
"Oriana's Duke, Aiken Hampton, is leading the delegation, and there are representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the War Department," Casey explained. He pointed to Sigmund Hampton and said, "The second-in-command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is his elder brother, Bond Hampton."
"Oh, I didn't realize that. It seems their family has some standing in Orian." Billy commented with a faint smile.
"From what I know, they are the second-ranked aristocratic family in Oriana." Casey added.
"No wonder they dare to be so bold in Glavale. They must be confident." Billy said, his lips curling slightly.
Shortly after, Brigham Bush walked in briskly and informed Billy, "Commander, Oriana's delegation is waiting outside."
"They arrived quite quickly," Billy remarked casually. "Aside from the Oriana delegation, who else is here?"
"Representatives from Central Sky Office, War Department, Capital Defense Bureau, Buddha Hall, and Special Patrol Squadron are accompanying them." Brigham replied.
"They've brought quite an entourage." Billy noted, taking a sip of tea. "Let them in."
"Yes!" Brigham replied before turning and leaving.
Five minutes later, a group of forty to fifty people entered the council chamber.
"Commander Gardner!" several people from various ministries greeted Billy.
"You all seem quite relaxed." Billy commented as he glanced at the familiar faces in the room.
Those present were feeling rather helpless. If they had a choice, they wouldn't want to be here at all. It was clear that dealing with this matter would be a thankless task. They secretly cursed the the Oriana delegation multiple times in their hearts. Negotiations hadn't even reached a conclusion yet, and now this mess had erupted. They were essentially digging their own graves. Besides, from what they knew of Commander Gardner, they understood that if they didn't handle this situation well, it would definitely lead to a major incident.
"Bond!" When Sigmund Hampton saw one of the young men from Oriana, he cried out in desperation, as if he had grabbed a lifeline. "Why did you take so long? I was almost beaten to death by them..."
As he spoke, he attempted to run toward the Orianan group.
"Did I tell you to leave?" Night Orchid's voice sounded calmly.
"I..." Sigmund Hampton shuddered and stopped in his tracks, not daring to move.
"Hmm?" The young man who turned out to be Bond Hampton looked at Night Orchid with anger. "Damn, who did that to you?" he asked his younger brother.
"It's... It's her." Sigmund Hampton pointed at Night Orchid.
"Who are you? How dare you hurt my brother? Do you want to die?" Bond Hampton yelled at Night Orchid in anger.
"Idiot!" Night Orchid case him a disdainful glance.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The War God's Homecoming