Chapter 25: Eye-Opener

After leaving the Naval Academy, Bai Zhizhan could say that he was favored by luck. Whenever he faced difficulties or challenges, a lucky star who could help him always seemed to appear. For instance, there was Li Mingbo, who saved his life aboard the "North River," and He Yongxing, who promoted and nurtured him, as well as Gui Boyong, who had recommended him.

Let's not forget, it was Gui Boyong who made him an assistant to the Nautical Advisor, and that gave him the opportunity to shine.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to research the shipyard, and I'll be staying for a few days."

The chef brought over two fried eggs and, without saying a word, returned to the kitchen to cook rice dumplings, a breakfast specifically requested by Gui Boyong.

In the Empire's Navy, there were many people from the south, so the cuisine tended to lean towards southern flavors.

"Research?"

"Didn't you hear the news?"

Bai Zhizhan gave a wry smile. This was a shipyard where workers gathered, not a place where you could stand around for a few minutes and catch rumors of Fleet Headquarter of the 21st Sub-fleet.

"The war is about to end," Gui Boyong looked around and spoke in a low voice as there were few people in the dining hall. "In a few days, the plenipotentiary representative of the Tiaoman Empire will negotiate with the Alliance Group in the capital of the Locke Republic. Our side is almost settled too; we're just finalizing the location of the negotiations."

"No more fighting?"

"With the current situation, continuing the fight would be unbearable for everyone," Gui Boyong hesitated before adding softly, "If the mutiny in the Luosha Empire spreads, the current world order is sure to collapse. I've heard that the Alliance Group is even more anxious than we are."

Bai Zhizhan was stunned at first, but after realizing what was said, he looked at Gui Boyong incredulously.

Seeing Bai Zhizhan's expression, Gui Boyong quickly made a shushing gesture, signaling him to keep quiet.

"Are you not fooling me?" After a while, Bai Zhizhan asked, swallowing his saliva, his face showing lingering fear.

"Commander He specifically instructed me to come see you and brought some things for you. I was supposed to deliver them to your dormitory, but you weren't there. They're all in the car, remember to take them after we eat. Don't be polite; it's mostly food and some other everyday necessities."

At that moment, the chef brought over two bowls of rice dumplings.

"Let's eat, I've been on a train all night, and I'm starving."

After Gui Boyong called him to eat, Bai Zhizhan also picked up a bowl of rice dumplings.

Although utterly shocked, Bai Zhizhan had come to understand.

The situation in the Luosha Empire must be very bad; otherwise, the Alliance Group wouldn't be in such a hurry that they couldn't wait until next spring to talk.

Since negotiations were due, they had to prepare their bargaining chips thoroughly.

Clearly, this was why He Yongxing had sent Gui Boyong to the Puzhou Navy Shipyard.

After the negotiations began, not only the battleships docked in the harbor but also those being built and repaired in the shipyard, all would be the Empire's bargaining chips.

"These few days, if you don't have other matters, be my guide."

Bai Zhizhan was startled again, distracted by his thoughts and slow to respond.

"You've been at the shipyard for nearly ten days now, you must have seen most of it, right?"

Hearing Gui Boyong say this, Bai Zhizhan immediately nodded in agreement. Gui Boyong didn't want Bai Zhizhan just to guide him, but to introduce him to the shipyard leaders, at least to get acquainted, making future work there more convenient.

"Are the Army and Navy negotiating together or separately?" Bai Zhizhan didn't hold back, owing much to Gui Boyong and feeling he should help alleviate He Yongxing's worries.

"Do you want to go?"

"Brother Gui, you can't just say anything; I..."

"If you said you didn't want to go back, that would be the real surprise," Gui Boyong chuckled and then continued, "Commander He said that this negotiation mainly aims to resolve major issues and end the war. Although we are participating, the Army will dominate. To put it plainly, the main discussions will be about the western front line. Whether the talks go well or not, it really doesn't directly concern the Navy, so we're just there for show."

"If possible, it's best to negotiate separately," Bai Zhizhan emphasized firmly.

Gui Boyong smiled but did not respond, instead adopting the demeanor of one all ears.

"Ceasefire comes first, but after the ceasefire, we must plan for the future. There will inevitably be negotiations to limit armaments to contain us."

"So you're saying..."

"Since we're talking about limiting armaments, the Navy is the main focus. It's best to negotiate separately, instead of getting entangled with the Army."

Gui Boyong nodded thoughtfully, as if he had understood Bai Zhizhan's point.

Just then, the restaurant door opened and two military representatives walked in.

Seeing a brigadier general sitting inside, both of them were startled and quickly stood at attention to salute.

"Good morning, sir!"

"Good morning, sir!"

The two were visibly flustered, especially since the supervisor, Liu Xiangdong, was merely a colonel.

"Mm, good morning."

After Gui Boyong responded, the two military representatives immediately scampered away.

Gui Boyong and Bai Zhizhan did not linger. After quickly finishing their sweet rice dumplings, they hurriedly left the restaurant to avoid holding up others.

During such challenging times, having a full meal was not easy.

Moreover, lunch, served in the factory cafeteria, was substantially inferior, so many military representatives tried to eat their fill in the morning and just managed with a quick bite at noon.

Gui Boyong had indeed brought a lot of food, mainly canned fruits and some tobacco and alcohol for gifting.

He truly was thoughtful and considerate.

With winter approaching, even in the South, fresh fruits weren't always available, and canned fruit would soon be in high demand.

As for tobacco and alcohol, even military representatives occasionally needed favors from others.

A few packs of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor weren't much, but they could open many doors and save a lot of trouble when asking for favors.

Additionally, Gui Boyong had found a guide, He Pengfei, who was actually a driver.

After delivering the items to Bai Zhizhan's dormitory, they first went to a hotel.

Gui Boyong was very considerate, asking the hotel manager to open an additional single room and inviting Bai Zhizhan to stay there for convenience in discussing matters.

That entire day, Bai Zhizhan followed Gui Boyong to many places, primarily to visit leaders at the shipyard.

Although the shipyard was privately owned, under the War Mobilization Act, shipyards under the Navy's name were obliged to obey the Imperial Authority's commands during wartime. As such, including Fleet Headquarters, the main departments of the Imperial Authority had stationed officers there.

All were officials!

It was quite cumbersome, yet utterly essential.

Even though none of the officials took Bai Zhizhan seriously or remembered his name, after this round of visits, these officials all knew that Bai Zhizhan was He Yongxing's man.

It didn't matter if they looked down on Bai Zhizhan, as long as they showed respect to He Yongxing.

During that day, Bai Zhizhan gained a very direct understanding of He Yongxing's influence, or rather, the influence of the He Family.

Not to mention, during his self-introduction, Gui Boyong always referred to himself as "an old subordinate of Commander He Yongxing."

The name "He Yongxing" was a golden signboard. Without even calling ahead, no one dared to stop them at the door.

Indeed, it was not for nothing that he was one of the Empire's Eight Pillars, forged by Duke Hailin He Hongyi, one of the two great traditional naval families of the Imperial Navy.