The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

Chapter 673 General Dai: Don't panic, I've already reached an agreement with Nanyang.

Just as everyone was in a panic, and pro-white hawk officials were about to dominate the tone of the meeting and advocate for a complete shift to the white hawks.

General Dai, seated at the head of the long table, appeared unusually calm, as if he were in the eye of a storm.

He wore a spotless classic military uniform, his back ramrod straight like that of a veteran of the Napoleonic Guard.

With his hands crossed on the table, his sharp gaze slowly swept over each of his flustered colleagues, taking in their fear, panic, and even their implicit surrender.

General Dai did not speak immediately, nor did he even change his posture. He simply allowed the panic and arguments to fester and clash in the room.

This silence itself carries a powerful sense of oppression.

Only when everyone's gaze, whether expectant, doubtful, or fearful, involuntarily focused on him, waiting for this leader who led the Free Gauls out of their darkest hour to point the way in this seemingly unsolvable predicament, did General Dai slightly move his body and clear his throat.

He was not unmoved; the power of the atomic bomb also shocked his understanding.

But more than anything, there was an indescribable sense of relief and a calm acceptance of "as expected."

Fortunately, months earlier, he had overcome numerous objections and doubts from the cabinet and parliament, and signed the top-secret "Gallic-Nanyang Atomic Energy Cooperation Plan" with the seemingly insignificant but vibrant emerging power in Southeast Asia—the United States of Nanyang—and its mysterious and strategically astute leader, Zhang Chi.

At the time, many people viewed this collaboration as a forward-looking investment in future technological trends, or rather, a risky bet by General Dai on the potential of Southeast Asia.

He keenly perceived the astonishing industrial capabilities, rapid technological advancements, and independent spirit of Zhang Chi and the Southeast Asia region under his leadership, which set them apart from established Western empires.

He hoped to find another possible technological branch and strategic partner for postwar Gaul, outside of the Anglo-Saxon alliance, so as to preserve a spark of independence for Gaul.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly casual move has now become the only visible glimmer of light in this despairing darkness, firmly held in one's own hands.

The White Eagles have 'Manhattan,' and we Gauls, at least, have Zhang Chi and Nanyang.

We are not completely unaware of the plans for this super bomb, and... we have already begun to catch up.

This thought, like a cold and hard reassurance, allowed General Dai to maintain extraordinary composure and an almost arrogant confidence when facing this turbulent wave that could overturn the world order.

Looking at the ministers and generals before him, who were usually so eloquent but were now in a panic, he even felt a touch of cold, condescending humor.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick walls of the conference room, across the turbulent English Channel, and land on those John guys.

What are these once arrogant guys, who are probably now just as restless and calculating how to maintain their position in the new situation, thinking?

General Dai's lips curled into a barely perceptible, cold smile beneath his imposing lines.

hey hey hey...

They probably only just learned about the White Hawk's Manhattan Project.

May God bless these ignorant wretches.

They lost Prime Minister Churchill, the mighty lion, and now they face the White Eagle, which possesses absolute military superiority and is a delicate competitor...

How long can their remaining pride and global interests of the British Empire last under the shadow of nuclear war?

"Gentlemen," General Dai finally spoke, his voice steady and deep, instantly silencing all the noise in the conference room, "panic solves nothing. Wagging your tail at the white eagle won't buy you real respect and security."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room again to make sure everyone felt the weight of his words.

"Regarding the so-called 'super bomb' of the White Eagle," he deliberately downplayed, "we Gauls are not unprepared, nor are we beggars who can only passively wait for handouts."

These words shocked everyone present.

Even his most supportive ministers, such as the Minister of the Interior (a core member of the Dave faction) and the Minister of Culture, André Malraux, showed expressions of surprise.

“Several months ago,” General Dai continued unhurriedly, as if stating a given fact, “I, on behalf of the Republic of Gaul, signed the top-secret Atomic Energy Cooperation Plan with the United States of Southeast Asia.”

Our best nuclear physicists have been working on this for quite some time in laboratories and research institutes in Southeast Asia.

boom!

This news was even more explosive than the briefing on the atomic bomb, and it instantly caused an uproar in the conference room.

"what?"

"Nanyang?"

"Cooperate with those...Chinese people?"

"This...how is this possible?!"

Questions and exclamations arose one after another.

Pidur and others had disbelief written all over their faces, while some officials who were already dissatisfied with General Dai's hardline independence policy showed expressions of doubt and sarcasm.

A senior lawmaker from the opposition camp couldn't help but raise his voice in question:

"General, please forgive my bluntness."

Nanyang? That's just a newly emerging Southeast Asian country.

Those Chinese... they may be skilled in rubber planting and mining, but do they really know what nuclear energy is or what an atomic bomb is?

This sounds like a complete fantasy. Have you... perhaps been misled by those shrewd Easterners with some empty promises?

The meaning of these words couldn't be clearer: it was an open questioning of whether General Dai was exaggerating, or even whether he was fabricating lies to maintain his personal authority, or worse, whether he had been deceived by the people of Southeast Asia.

Faced with this almost humiliating questioning, General Dai showed no anger, but instead revealed a predictable, pitying smile.

He calmly took out a not-too-thick but neatly bound document from the briefcase beside him.

“Misleading?” General Dai snorted softly, placed the document on the table, and tapped it with his finger. “I understand your doubts. After all, ignorance often breeds courage.”

He glanced around at the crowd, his gaze finally settling on the face of the councilor who had asked the question, and slowly said:

"Here I have a progress report on the first phase of cooperation from the Chundu Radium Institute, which was personally written and secretly sent back by Professor Pierre, one of our country's outstanding nuclear physicists."

"Professor Pierre?!"

"It's that one from the Marie Curie school..."

"He's actually in Southeast Asia too?!"

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

Professor Pierre's name carries significant weight in the Gallic scientific community, especially in the field of physics.

He was not only an academic descendant and close collaborator of the late great scientist Marie Curie, but also enjoyed international renown for his research in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics.

More importantly, he is known for his scientific rigor and integrity, and the credibility of his reports is beyond question.