56: Chapter 56 A Battle of Wits: A Slap in the Face Caused by a Piece of Paper

Bangkok Camp, Conference Room No. 1.

The atmosphere today was even more scorching than the blazing sun outside.

The deep red rectangular conference table was like a Chu-Han border, clearly separating the two groups. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, as if a single spark could set it off.

On the right was the military government delegation led by Saw Win, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Defense Forces.

Saw Win was a fat man in his fifties with a face full of jowls. His belly strained against his military uniform, and the gold stars on his shoulders were blindingly bright.

Behind him sat a row of high-ranking officers, all of them wearing long faces, their eyes reflecting an arrogance and disdain that screamed, "I am legitimate, and you are a bandit."

On the left, Zhang Cheng had brought only two people.

Old K had changed into a set of black training fatigues without any rank insignia. Sitting there, he was like a piece of black iron radiating a chill; even his breathing was silent. However, whenever his eyes swept across the opposite side, those officers couldn't help but avert their gaze.

Li Lanzhi was dressed in professional attire, with a thick stack of documents piled in front of her. Her expression was calm and composed, and she occasionally pushed up her glasses, appearing professional and efficient.

Zhao Gang from the Dragon Country sat at the head of the long table as the "mediator." He appeared to be looking down while drinking tea, but he was actually controlling the room.

“Mr. Zhang Cheng!”

Saw Win was the first to attack. He did not use Zhang Cheng's title, but instead called him directly by name, his arrogance evident in his words.

He tapped the table heavily with a finger wearing a massive jade ring, making a "thud-thud" sound that made the lids of the teacups on the table rattle.

“Your so-called 'military operations' in the Kokang and North Wa regions were not only unauthorized by the central government, but are a serious provocation against federal sovereignty and territorial integrity! On behalf of the Defense Forces, I demand that you immediately and unconditionally disarm, withdraw from the illegally occupied areas, and that all personnel undergo screening and reorganization by the central government! This is a matter of principle, and there is no room for negotiation!”

He started right off with an ultimatum-like roar, trying to use grand labels to suppress them.

Zhang Cheng leaned back in his chair, even shifting into a more comfortable position and crossing his legs.

He was in no hurry to retort. Instead, he watched Saw Win's performance like he was watching a monkey show. Only then did he slowly pick up the cigarette pack on the table, pull out a cigarette, and toy with it in his hand.

“General Saw Win, a loud voice doesn't mean you're right. Regarding what you just said, I have three points of disagreement.”

Zhang Cheng held up one finger, his tone as casual as if he were chatting about family matters, completely ignoring the other man's anger. “First, we are clearing out telecom fraud syndicates and drug traffickers; we are doing the dirty work for you. Dragon Country knows this, and the whole world knows it. If this is called a 'provocation,' then what do you call your tacit approval of criminal syndicates harming the people? Do you call it 'loving the people like your own children'?”

Saw Win's face twitched. Just as he was about to retort, Zhang Cheng had already held up a second finger.

“Second, my soldiers are all local Kokang sons. They took up arms to defend their homes and their families. This is called self-defense, not 'illegal occupation.' This land has been lived on by our ancestors for generations. If we don't guard it, who can we count on? Can we count on the government troops who take money and run, or even work hand-in-glove with the drug traffickers?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of several officers opposite him turned ugly. Someone even wanted to slam the table, but under Old K's icy gaze, they forced themselves to endure it.

“Third,” Zhang Cheng leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a knife piercing straight at Saw Win, “Reorganization? How do you want to reorganize? Do you want to break us up and use us as cannon fodder like you do with those bandits? Or do you want us to hand over our guns and then let you slaughter us at will?”

“Presumptuous!”

Next to Saw Win, a hot-tempered Major General suddenly slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Zhang Cheng's nose and cursing, “Zhang Cheng! Don't be too arrogant! We've already investigated; that so-called 'core unit' of yours is nothing but a bunch of mercenaries of unknown origin! They don't even have proper identities! How can a bunch of people without legal status talk about self-defense? How can they talk about legality? It's simply a joke!”

This was the military government's biggest trump card—questioning the source of legitimacy for Zhang Cheng's army. As long as they stuck to this point, Zhang Cheng would be a "terrorist colluding with external forces," and they would hold the moral high ground.

The Major General was cursing with spit flying everywhere, preparing to continue his tirade.

Suddenly, two icy gazes pierced toward him like physical blades.

Old K slowly raised his head, his mechanical-like eyes locking onto the Major General. There was no outward release of killing intent, but that look, as if he were looking at a corpse, made the Major General's next words get stuck in his throat. Cold sweat instantly soaked his uniform, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he involuntarily sat back down.

At this moment, Li Lanzhi moved.

She calmly opened the folder in front of her and took out a thick stack of documents that still smelled of fresh ink, pushing them to the center of the table.

“Regarding the identity of our officers and soldiers, I think there has been a misunderstanding.” Li Lanzhi's voice was clear, powerful, and neither humble nor arrogant. “These are copies of the household registration files for five hundred randomly selected grassroots personnel of the 'Kokang National Army.' They include birth certificates, family genealogies, and even elementary school report cards and vaccination records. All information is true and valid, and we welcome verification at any time.”

Saw Win froze for a moment and gave a look to the civil official next to him. That official suspiciously took a file and began to flip through it.

The more he looked, the more his hands shook.

It was too detailed! Too perfect!

Photos, names, dates of birth, who the parents were, which village they lived in, and even how many trees were at the village entrance and who the elementary school teacher was—everything matched!

What's more, there were even several copies of discharge certificates for those who had served in the Myanmar Army, and the embossed seals and signatures on them were actually real! How could this be faked? This was simply impossible to fake!

“This... how is this possible?” The official's forehead was sweating as he whispered to Saw Win, his voice trembling. “General, these files... no flaws can be found. They look... completely real. I even have a bit of an impression of these few people; it seems they were in a certain battalion before...”

Stormy waves rose in Saw Win's heart. Their intelligence department had checked before, and they were clearly a group of "ghosts" with no records. How did they all get household registrations better than those of law-abiding citizens overnight? Could it be that Dragon Country had done something behind the scenes? But how much resources would it take to make the files of tens of thousands of people so seamless?

He subconsciously glanced at Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang put down his teacup and added a subtle finishing blow, completely blocking Saw Win's retreat: “General Saw Win, I've seen them too. These soldiers are indeed locals. It seems the previous misunderstanding was due to poor intelligence communication. Everyone is working for peace; it's good that the misunderstanding is cleared up.”

This blow was too ruthless. The representative of Dragon Country had endorsed it; what else could you say? Say that Dragon Country was faking it?

Saw Win's face turned the color of pig liver, and he felt so aggrieved he wanted to vomit blood. His biggest leverage was gone, and his momentum instantly deflated by more than half. All the accusations he had originally prepared were now rotting in his stomach.

“Even... even if there's no problem with their identities!” Saw Win gritted his teeth and forcibly changed the subject, trying to regain some ground. “But the title 'Sovereign,' which carries colors of feudal superstition and personality cult, must be abolished! The army must accept unified command in the name of the Defense Forces! This is the bottom line!”

“A title is just an empty name; I don't care.” Zhang Cheng smiled, a bit playfully. “You can call me Chairman Zhang, or Commander-in-Chief Zhang. As for unified command...”

Zhang Cheng stood up, his hands propped on the table, looking down at Saw Win with eyes full of pressure:

“We can accept the designation of 'Kokang National Army' and acknowledge that we are part of the federation. But the command rights must be completely autonomous. Naypyidaw can send liaison officers, but they will only have the right to suggest, not the right to command. If you don't even have this much magnanimity...”

Zhang Cheng paused, his voice suddenly turning cold as he revealed his true intentions:

“Then there's no need for us to talk. We can continue to 'maintain' peace in our own way. It's just that at that time, I can't guarantee whether Bao Youxiang in the south will still be alive, or even... whether the flames of war will burn across the Salween River.”

A naked threat!

Saw Win was so angry his whole body trembled, and his knuckles were cracking. But looking at Zhang Cheng's composed manner, thinking of that terrifyingly powerful 'Death God Legion,' and seeing the Dragon Country representative's half-smiling expression, he finally softened.

Under Zhao Gang's "mediation" and after several rounds of tug-of-war, a document titled the "Northern Myanmar Region Peace and Autonomy Framework Agreement" was finally produced.

The core content was entirely according to Zhang Cheng's wishes: recognizing the high degree of autonomy for the "Kokang Autonomous Region," retaining independent command of the army, and appointing Zhang Cheng as Chairman.