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Chapter 1061: Chapter 933 This is Impossible
An hour later.
The phone connected again.
What followed,
was a fax over twice as lengthy as the one sent before, filled with numerous remarks.
"This is impossible."
After reviewing the conditions discussed by Pan Cong and Dsvid, especially the most crucial parts, Kan Qin flatly refused. Most of the terms were not contentious and could be settled after further discussion.
But the conditions concerning military force.
Pan Cong and the two were asking for too much.
They demanded that the costs of military expenses for both regions be borne by Lang Cai and his group.
The weaponry and equipment had to be on par with the regular military forces of Miandi and provided for free by them. Moreover, they also required military senior positions for each of them.
The positions were negotiable, nominal titles could be given.
But the weaponry and equipment were simply out of the question. The intention was to restrict the power of both parties. If they proceeded this way, they would become even tougher to handle than before—how were they going to wrap things up then? Wrap up a skewer.
At the same time,
Both parties also demanded a large sum of money for the local poppy growers, to convert to planting economic crops, justifying it was to compensate for the growth period of the crops.
They needed to provide fruit wine, to cure the addiction of the local farmers.
These two points were not difficult.
However, Lang Cai and the others were well aware that the price Pan Cong and his group offered for procurement was extremely low, even less than that of food. From the farmers’ perspective, other than those already addicted, no one would want to plant that stuff.
They were forced before.
Now with fruit wine available to cure the addiction completely, there would naturally be no obstacles. Ultimately, both of them probably pocketed the money. But as long as the other side cut down the poppies, spending a bit of money wasn’t a big deal.
Just some fruit wine.
Anyway, it wasn’t coming out of their pocket.
"Pan Cong, Dsvid, we can discuss the other terms, but the equipment is absolutely impossible. There are no external enemies on your side, and there’s no need to equip yourselves with such things," Kan Qin immediately addressed the most crucial point.
The implication was that without an enemy, who were they planning to fight?
An outrageous demand.
And there wasn’t even a precedent for such demands.
It was as if they were directly telling Pan Cong and Dsvid: Surrender now and you might be spared.
Of course, Pan Cong had already prepared his argument: "We might not have external enemies, but territorial defense doesn’t necessarily depend on having enemies. Look at the United States— who dares attack it now?
Aside from economic reasons, it’s the internal imagined enemies that drive constant self-renewal; we can’t just disarm because there’s no enemy. Otherwise, when you go out to talk, you won’t have any clout, right?"
"..." Kan Qin was nearly driven to laughter by this reasoning.
Could you make it any more far-fetched?
They’ve even brought the United States into the argument, what nonsense.
"This matter isn’t negotiable. We’ve already made significant economic concessions, granted you substantial autonomy. The same goes for the military. We can’t make any more concessions. We cannot agree to these conditions," Kan Qin said. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
"So there’s no room for negotiation?" Pan Cong said with a light chuckle.
"Yes."
Kan Qin gave a definitive answer.
Pan Cong then said, "Let’s set this aside for now and move on to the other matters."
"..."
Kan Qin furrowed his brow, sensing that the other party had become much smarter, learning to control the pace and even the direction of the negotiation. Taking a deep breath, Kan Qin quickly got back into the game.
"Regarding the integration of civil servants from both states into Miandi’s Social Security System, you’ve proposed that the local authorities manage their special funds. We can consider this, but you must complete a census of the entire population within a set timeframe and issue household registration and identity documents," Kan Qin said.
"That’s doable, but you need to provide the corresponding equipment," they replied.
"No problem there. We will hand over all the identity information for once, but after that, aside from newborns, anyone missed must go to our civil affairs institution to get it done. We must deter the issuance of fake ID cards," Kan Qin insisted.
"...Agreed."
"..."
The two parties discussed each point where there was little contention one by one. When they encountered major disagreements, they would skip them, like solving exam questions; bundling together the tougher issues, so neither side dared to relax.
Two hours later,
thanks to one side not being able to afford delays, and the other eager to move the negotiations onto key interests,
most of the terms were approved.
Then, the discussion shifted back to the controversial yet not overly significant matters of interest. After more than an hour of a fierce war of words, only six issues remained on the table.
Military equipment.
The position of vice-leader.
Approval of the Special Zone.
Currency policy.
Cross-border law enforcement.
Governmental structure.
Each issue had significant disagreement.
"Kan Qin, it’s getting late, shall we discuss these tomorrow?" Pan Cong was truly weary. After more than three hours of back-and-forth, he was parched and exasperated, mainly because his mind was exhausted.
After all, it was a battle for interests.
It wasn’t just about persisting with something; it was about using reasons to justify the correctness of one’s viewpoint.
"This..."
After Kan Qin glanced at Lang Cai and received an affirmative response,
he then said, "Alright, tomorrow morning at 8:30, let’s proceed with the next round of negotiations. I hope you will seriously consider it and quickly end this meaningless standoff. It would benefit both of our sides."
"You should do the same, don’t sweat the small stuff," Pan Cong grumbled discontentedly.
"When it comes to matters of national importance, there are no small issues," Kan Qin stated earnestly.
"Alright, alright, you’ve made me hungry talking about it. Go have your meal too, and also, President Cai, we are very sincere and hope that tomorrow’s negotiations can make significant progress," said Pan Cong.
"I will consider it," President Cai responded.
The negotiations had lasted several hours.
Lang Cai couldn’t possibly remain silent all the while; sometimes he would participate in the discussions and finalize the negotiations.
They ended the call.
The meetings on both sides did not disperse.
"Today’s start wasn’t bad; we resolved most of the issues." Kundun was almost falling asleep; the whole show was Kan Qin’s solo performance. He tried to interject a few times, but lacking experience, he was almost publicly humiliated by Pan Cong’s retorts.
The situation was quite awkward at times.
Thankfully, Kan Qin was there to pick up the conversation.
Looking at Kan Qin, Kundun thought that when he took over next year, letting Kan Qin handle the foreign affairs department would be a good decision. To retire him all at once would not only be a waste of talent but also invite criticism.
President Cai said, rubbing his head, "The remaining issues are the real challenges. However, we cannot move from our bottom line. Otherwise, our work in the future will be very difficult, and the neighboring countries will laugh at us."
"..."
The next day.
The negotiation continued.
From 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Agreement was only reached on the matters of cross-border law enforcement and governmental structure.
As evening approached, a mutually acceptable resolution was reached on currency policy and the position, but the last two issues remained far from resolution despite concessions from both sides.
...
August 9.
The third round of negotiations began.
"For these two remaining issues, we’re willing to agree to your conditions."
Right off the bat,
Pan Cong’s first statement surprised Kan Qin and his colleagues, while simultaneously causing a twinge of concern—often, such preambles led to troublesome demands. Just as they braced for extortion,
Pan Cong’s next words nearly made Kan Qin leap out of his seat.
"We want the brewing method for fruit wine."
"That’s impossible."
Kan Qin exclaimed in shock.
"Then, the full set of technology and equipment for gas filters."
"Equally impossible," Kan Qin refused again. Were the two opposite him gone mad?
Pan Cong smiled and said, "Then there’s no helping it. I really did come with sincere intentions this time, even preparing to agree to your terms. So, you should discuss it seriously. Apart from one of these two, we want nothing. Sincerity is shown through actions."
