Chapter 51: The Appearance of Shang Weitian

This live broadcast began without any prior announcement, not even Great Xia had been informed! Yet this sudden transmission, under the relentless promotion of those other nations, immediately drew everyone's attention!

Collecting debts from Great Xia!

Great Xia had always prided itself on its integrity, and the title of this broadcast struck precisely at that sore spot.

On the screen, a Western female anchor struck an exaggerated pose, her expression one of pained regret as she spoke: “Perhaps many of you are unaware, but not long ago, Great Xia approached the upper echelons of the Free State, Turtlefield, Sushi Land, and other countries, requesting to purchase a vast quantity of steel.”

“As for just how vast… we’re talking about millions of tons—a staggering amount of steel resources!”

“All together, it adds up to a full 1.5 billion!”

“Out of humanitarian spirit, we delivered this enormous sum of steel to Great Xia immediately, yet they have no funds to pay us back! This matter must be resolved properly!”

Comments flooded in!

“One and a half billion? My god, has Great Xia lost its mind?”

“What does Great Xia need so much steel for?”

“I heard they’re building a Steel Great Wall… they really are insane, what’s the point of something like that?”

“Heh, those hypocritical Great Xians always brag about their honesty, but now they’re defaulting on their debts?”

“1.5 billion tons of steel isn’t a small sum! That’s almost twice the world’s annual production!”

The live chat was instantly floored.

Truly, 1.5 billion tons of steel was a terrifying figure. And for a nation like Great Xia, which had always championed its trustworthiness, to be accused of reneging on debts?

Of course, these international viewers were here for the spectacle. After all, as this matter unfolded, either Great Xia would pay up in agony—an astronomical sum that could weaken the nation, perhaps even force it to cede territory—or, there would be war!

A coalition of nations besieging Great Xia—just imagining the scene excited these international netizens!

Meanwhile, Jill, the Free State’s ambassador, watched the ever-refreshing comments with delight. Before coming, President Pushkin had given him special instructions: there was no need to avoid conflict. In fact, his purpose here was to create conflict!

As long as Great Xia couldn’t pay in time, the Free State would have a pretext to force territorial concessions, maybe even carve out another Las Vegas on this eastern land, or use it as an excuse to unite the other countries and attack Great Xia!

Surrounded by a forest of cameras and reporters from every nation, Jill suppressed his glee, arranging his features into a mask of righteous anger.

The other ambassadors, seated nearby, clenched their fists and did their best to look enraged as well.

Clearly, they all shared the same goal: to bring down Great Xia in one fell swoop!

“We must make Great Xia understand, our resources aren’t so easily obtained!” Jill muttered to Matsushita, the Turtlefield ambassador beside him. “We’re not a charity—if they want our resources, they’ll have to pay the price!”

“Exactly!” Matsushita chuckled softly. “Just a heads-up—once Great Xia has to cede territory as compensation, Turtlefield wants Green City!”

The Austrian ambassador, voice low, laughed, “Then Island of Taiwan is for us Aussies.”

“No problem,” Jill sneered, “I just hope the representative Great Xia sends has a bit of backbone. We’ve got countless warships hidden in the surrounding seas—whether he wants to sign or not, he’ll have to sign!”

They were already divvying up Great Xia among themselves.

At that moment, the noisy room abruptly fell silent.

A small boat approached the merchant ship anchored in international waters, and a lone figure stepped aboard.

Shang Weitian!

Entering the conference hall, Shang Weitian faced a barrage of camera lenses, as if staring down the barrels of countless guns. His expression was utterly calm, betraying no hint of emotion.

He walked to the small, almost pitiful table set opposite the assembled ambassadors, and sat.

Before him were rows of foreign diplomats, seated at spacious wooden tables, attired in suits and ties.

Clearly, this tiny table had been arranged on purpose—to humiliate the Great Xia representative.

Sitting there, he looked like a defendant on trial.

Shang Weitian glanced at the table, yet uttered not a word of complaint or protest, calmly taking his seat.

Seeing this, a smirk of contempt played at the corner of Jill’s mouth as he whispered to the others, “Looks like Great Xia is even weaker than we thought. I expected at least a token protest.”

“With a pushover like this representing them, maybe things will go smoother than expected—we might all get the pieces of Great Xia we want!”

International viewers, watching through the livestream, were stunned.

“This seat is practically a dock for the accused!”

“What an insult! And Great Xia is just taking it? Aren’t they supposed to value dignity the most?”

“Exactly, don’t they love to protest?”

“Their representative seems to have no temper at all.”

“Tsk tsk, looks like Great Xia really is in the wrong—this should be good.”

As soon as Shang Weitian sat down, Jill rose and said bluntly, “Representative of Great Xia, you should know what we’re here to discuss.”

“Tell me, is Great Xia going to pay what it owes?”

“You must understand, our nations are under great pressure for steel resources, yet when Great Xia asked for help, we generously provided you with 1.5 billion tons in record time!”

“But you can’t just refuse to pay. However, if Great Xia is truly in difficulty, then out of our boundless mercy, we are willing to accept compensation in land.”

“After all, we’re just that helpful…” Jill smiled thinly, though his words were laced with veiled threats.

At once, the journalists grew excited, cameras zooming in on Shang Weitian!

Everyone had expected the steel negotiations to drag on, but instead, they had cut straight to the heart—how thrilling!

Under everyone’s gaze, Shang Weitian murmured softly, “How foolish—at a time like this, you nations are still squabbling amongst yourselves…”

“Representative, please answer my question directly!” Jill, not catching his mutter, demanded loudly.

The truth was, Shang Weitian was under tremendous pressure.

At this moment, he represented Great Xia!

Every move he made, every word he uttered, stood for Great Xia—watched by the entire world, scrutinized by every soul tuning into the broadcast.

Yet, faced with Jill’s righteous interrogation, Shang Weitian suddenly grinned with surprising ease.

“Isn’t it just money you want?” His face was impassive. “Maybe you’re confused—1.5 billion tons of steel is a lot, more than I could afford even if I sold everything I own. But now you’re speaking with a giant that holds nearly a quarter of the world’s population!”

“So what’s 1.5 billion tons of steel?”

Jill was momentarily taken aback, caught off-guard by Shang Weitian’s retort, but quickly recovered, raising his voice: “Then pay us, Great Xia!”

“That’s right, enough talk—if you can’t pay today, we’ll just have to discuss what else you can offer as compensation!”

The other ambassadors all stood, bearing down on Shang Weitian.

But, faced with these threats, Shang Weitian remained utterly composed, sitting at his tiny table, and tossed out an envelope.

“Paying is simple. This amount is a mere scratch for Great Xia.”

“Here.”

“Your money.”

Jill, disbelief etched on his face, strode over, snatched up the pitifully thin envelope, and sneered, “Still trying to bluff at the last minute!”

“I’m dying to see what you’ve put in here that could possibly be worth 1.5 billion tons of steel!”

Yet the moment he opened it, Jill froze in place, his expression turning to stone.

He stared dumbfounded at the contents.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

It was a very simple document.