Chapter 93 Peace

Chapter 93: Peace

Zhu Shinian held Jiang Huaiyan's hand and let out a soft "mm" in acknowledgment.

"I was just saying that off the top of my head, don't read too much into it. The tanks might not even have records, and it probably won't be easy to search anyway. Let's just put that aside for now..."

"Focus on the negotiations for now." Jiang Huaiyan gently smoothed his slightly furrowed brow. "Even if we really do help Tingting find his biological parents, that's something to consider after we take the capital."

At that, Jiang Huaiyan seemed to think of something and paused before continuing.

"Though... it might not actually require taking the capital."

"Do Gu Zhen and the others want to negotiate?" Zhu Shinian immediately caught Jiang Huaiyan's meaning.

"Do you want to negotiate?" Jiang Huaiyan asked in return.

Zhu Shinian didn't take long to answer: "If the terms are right, I wouldn't be against it."

Fighting to the bitter end sounded undeniably brave, but every battle was truly paid for with the lives of countless soldiers.

The people of the resistance zone hated the nobles and the Empire—but as the war dragged on year after year, even while hating the Empire and the nobles, mothers still worried their kids might never come home, and wives still feared they'd never see their husbands again.

War was meant to help more people live better lives, not just to claim victory in a single moment. If there was a real chance for peaceful negotiation, Zhu Shinian wouldn't be stubborn about it.

Even setting aside humanitarian concerns and looking purely at the resistance zone's interests, soldiers who fell wounded or dead on the battlefield could have been students, workers—builders who could make the resistance zone better and more prosperous.

"But what about the Empire..." Zhu Shinian frowned. "Are they really on board?"

For the Empire, the resistance zone's conditions wouldn't be easy to accept. Just abolishing the monarchy and the peerage system alone—most nobles would never agree to that.

"At least some are willing," Jiang Huaiyan replied.

Some are willing?

They locked eyes, and with perfect mutual understanding, Zhu Shinian instantly caught his meaning.

The ceasefire talks were held in District 29. The Federation only sent its Foreign Minister to attend, yet Gu Zhen—the Empire's supreme commander—showed up in person.

For Gu Zhen, who normally wouldn't show up to something like this, to make a special trip—his intentions were already crystal clear.

Gu Zhen wanted peace. To that end, he was willing and sincere about seeking dialogue and cooperation with the resistance zone.

The next day, Zhu Shinian called a meeting of the resistance zone's top officials and invited Tao Juan to attend.

There were disagreements, but in the end everyone agreed to open dialogue and negotiate with the Empire.

No one is born warlike. Most of the resistance zone's officials came from hardship themselves and couldn't just treat soldier casualties as a given.

If dialogue and negotiation could really bring about a peaceful new era, there was no reason to refuse. And of course, if the terms fell short, they wouldn't shy away from continuing the fight.

On the fourth day of talks, the steadily progressing negotiations finally wrapped up with a final agreement. All three parties signed the agreement, officially declaring a ceasefire, and the Federation delegation headed home.

After the Federation delegation left, Gu Zhen gave an interview to reporters in District 29's central square.

Gu Zhen had joined the military at fourteen—a true general who'd been on the battlefield, defended the entire Empire, and racked up distinguished military achievements.

Though they stood on opposite sides, the resistance zone's people had simple, straightforward views of good and evil. Having served in foreign wars and led from the front, Gu Zhen's reputation was naturally far better than the nobles who bled the commoners dry while sitting in their posts doing nothing.

Even though the two armies had been mortal enemies until just recently, the crowd gathered in the square still gave him plenty of respect, listening quietly to his speech without throwing vegetables or rotten eggs at him in anger.

Standing in the center of the square, Gu Zhen made it clear he wanted to continue peaceful dialogue with the resistance forces and end this slaughter of compatriots by compatriots.

"Mr. Gu, we don't get what you mean by 'mutual slaughter.' We just don't want anyone to live as 'more equal' than others—is that what you call mutual slaughter?"

An agitated reporter cut him off on her own.

"In the past, when nobles trampled our dignity and our lives, you didn't stop them from bullying their own people. Now that we've risen up and refuse to be butchered anymore, you stand up and say we shouldn't slaughter each other. So I want to know—where were you then?"

"I have indeed been incompetent," Gu Zhen said calmly, unbothered by the reporter's agitation and rudeness. "I woke up too late, and I don't expect your forgiveness. But if this war continues, countless people will die every minute, every second. I came here with my utmost sincerity, hoping to put an end to the sacrifice."

"I want everyone to have equal access to education, to be paid equally for their work, so that no one lives as 'more equal' than anyone else—just as we all come into this world through amniotic fluid and leave it as a handful of ashes."

"If the resistance zone's struggle is only about this—not about becoming new, 'more equal' masters over others—then why keep paying so much blood and tears?"

Gu Zhen had been groomed as the Gu family heir since childhood, specifically trained in public speaking, and his speech was highly evocative and persuasive.

Empathy, rhetorical questions, raising the stakes—the speech was undoubtedly a success.

And it undoubtedly put the resistance zone's pro-war faction, the ones against negotiation, in an awkward spot.

"Quite the smooth talker," Jiang Huaiyan snorted from offstage. "First he uses public opinion to back us into a corner. On our side, you're the one calling the shots—but what about the Empire? Can he handle their royalists?"

"He might... really just not want to fight anymore."

Zhu Shinian rarely said anything good about Gu Zhen in front of Jiang Huaiyan, but today he uncharacteristically defended Gu Zhen.

He knew Gu Zhen genuinely had his troubles. Precisely because there were still disputes within the Empire, he needed to reach an agreement with the resistance zone as quickly as possible to finally end the war.

Zhu Shinian had served as Gu Zhen's adjutant for a long time. Maybe as a lover, his actions had their faults, but as a commanding officer, Gu Zhen had always done excellently.

At least in one way, he was different from every Imperial commander Zhu Shinian had ever known.

He valued the lives of the soldiers under his command.

On the battlefield, hundreds or thousands could be lost in a matter of seconds. After commanding for long enough, it was almost easy to develop the mindset that sacrifice was inevitable—that war couldn't happen without casualties.

If you valued human life too much, you'd soon be crushed by the psychological pressure, either making command errors that brought even greater losses, or developing mental issues and being forced to leave your post.

So whether in the Empire or the Federation, most commanders grew increasingly indifferent to human life, treating casualties like bullets spent or fuel used—numbers to be minimized where possible, but not something to deliberately avoid.

They wouldn't bother learning the names of ordinary soldiers, because the more bonds you formed, the harder it became to see lives as just numbers.

Gu Zhen was the only exception.

If he'd met a soldier even once, he'd remember their name. Even if he'd only seen them once in the mess hall, he'd recognize them the next time.

The casualty lists—he'd go over them personally and commit them to memory.

Perhaps if he'd never met Gu Zhen, Zhu Shinian would never have learned how to be a good commander, never learned how to remember every soldier's name and face while pursuing victory.

He was too soft-hearted. He'd rather sacrifice himself than watch someone he knew die in front of him. He never would have walked this path on his own.

It was Gu Zhen who told him that the Empire had too many commanders who didn't treat lives as lives—and that if Zhu Shinian became a good commander, he could save more people.

If, as Gu Zhen said, everyone could get an equal education and be paid for their work, and all of that could be achieved through dialogue—then he truly didn't want... to see more sacrifice either.

Standing behind the curtain, Zhu Shinian could clearly see Gu Zhen's profile, and the epaulettes on his shoulders gleaming in the sunlight.

Compared to when they last parted, Gu Zhen seemed not to have changed at all.

Time had left no trace on his face, nor had battlefield defeats knocked him down.

Zhu Shinian got up and walked to the front of the stage.

Unlike the sighs, silence, and skepticism that had met Gu Zhen's speech, the moment Zhu Shinian stepped onto the stage, a tidal wave of cheers and applause erupted from the audience.

"Hello everyone, I am Zhu Shinian."

As Zhu Shinian picked up the microphone, the applause instantly died down on its own.

"The vision of peace that General Gu has laid out is, indeed, what we all hope to see. We've had enough sacrifice. More than anyone, I want to see the young soldiers on the battlefield come home to their parents, wives, and kids."

"But please, trust the resistance forces. We will always make decisions that serve the interests of the people in the resistance zone. And to that end, we will keep the courage to fight to the very end."

Zhu Shinian's speech was clear and thorough, showing his support for the peace talks while reassuring the public that if the talks didn't go well, he wouldn't hesitate to keep fighting to firmly protect the interests of the resistance zone's soldiers and civilians.

If the people had been swayed but still doubted the peaceful vision Gu Zhen had laid out, Zhu Shinian's stance now fully set their minds at ease.

It's just negotiations, after all—why not give it a shot? Worst case, the talks fail and they go back to fighting.

Almost everyone knew somebody who'd joined the resistance. Dying for the country would surely be remembered for generations, but at the end of the day, no one wanted to see the names of their friends and family on the casualty benefits list.

Honestly, whose life wasn't a life? If the Empire had treated them like human beings sooner, they wouldn't have had to risk their lives to oppose it.

"Good!"

"Support the Lord Archon!" The audience erupted in wave after wave of cheers and applause.

Zhu Shinian smiled gently, looking at the people supporting him below the stage.

But in that instant, he saw, at the far edge of the crowd, someone raise a pitch-black gun barrel toward the stage.

"Bang."

The next second, amidst the overwhelming cheers, a gunshot rang out abruptly.

Then Zhu Shinian was shoved aside forcefully, stumbling and falling to the ground.

The crowd scattered in panic, screams nearly piercing his eardrums. The guards seemed to have found the assassin, shouting to seize him.

Zhu Shinian suddenly seemed to hear nothing at all.

He saw bright red blood flowing from Gu Zhen's body, like a crimson river.

Author's note: