As Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission and its de facto leader, Li Runshi possessed full decision-making authority. Consequently, he could sense the murderous intent within He Rui's words.

"Chairman, a political solution could save many lives," Li Runshi proposed tentatively.

He Rui always felt that his comrades in this era suffered from historical limitations, and Li Runshi was clearly no exception. However, Li’s limitation lay in his relative lack of understanding of Euro-American culture, leading him to habitually assume that Westerners were much like Chinese in many respects.

Indeed, Westerners—particularly the Anglo-Saxons—were similar to the Chinese most of the time, but they differed vastly at critical junctures. He Rui decided to offer his advice, but he would leave the final choice to Li.

"Comrade Runshi, you may make your decision according to your own judgment," He Rui said.

Li Runshi took organizational systems very seriously. Hearing He Rui's words, he felt no thrill of absolute power, nor did he think He Rui was shirking responsibility. He asked, "Chairman, I understand that the British public believes Britain shouldn't be in its current state. But if the fighting continues like this, British casualties will be immense. Furthermore, with such an attitude, casualties across all Euro-American nations will be higher than imagined. I do not wish for Europe to be reduced to a complete ruin by the time the war ends."

"Comrade Runshi, what does Europe call Attila?" He Rui asked.

Li Runshi replied immediately, "The Scourge of God."

"That is European culture. Famine, plague, war, and death—those are the Apocalypse. These are presided over by the Four Horsemen. The will of God is manifest in them. Thus, to the Europeans, Attila, a Hun who dealt heavy blows to Rome and the Goths, was seen as one who carried out God's will. Do you expect such a culture to reflect on right and wrong in the absence of a God? They will only reflect after they have been defeated in war."

At this point, He Rui felt he might have underestimated Li Runshi, so he asked, "Are you worried that the West will form a tighter alliance after the war?"

Li Runshi shook his head. "If Europe and America are completely defeated, the post-war struggle will center on collective European defense and leadership. The United States has been greatly weakened in this war, and the restoration of indigenous nations in North America means it is no longer a secure two-ocean power. Therefore, the US cannot suppress Europe through sheer strength alone.

"Moreover, the French government representative is about to visit. Based on previous exchanges, France's main expectation is that China does not intervene directly in Europe; France itself doesn't mind establishing extra-regional relations with China. France hopes to strengthen its influence in Europe through cooperation with us. Of course, Italy is interested in such a role as well."

He Rui had pushed the war forward based on exactly this strategic vision. Seeing that Li Runshi fully understood this, he continued: "Thus, France is very keen to see Britain and Germany suffer heavy blows. It’s not just France; every European nation has varying expectations for the war's brutality based on which side they are tethered to. The only country that truly opposes war is China. This is the result of the high development of Chinese civilization.

"Even if Britain and Belgium lose half their populations to maintain the 'glory' of their colonial history, they wouldn't care about the war itself—they would merely see it as their own response. Ultimately, the West is not anti-war; they are only anti-defeat."

Li Runshi was slightly surprised to hear He Rui mention Belgium. He Rui hadn't yet seen the reports on this small nation, yet his judgment aligned perfectly with actual events.

Li Runshi probed, "Chairman, do you know what happened in Belgium?"

"Why would I need to? For such a small country, Belgium mobilized nearly fifty divisions during the Battle of Western Europe. Even against the German Army Group B, which lacked armored units, Belgium fought with great discipline. This nation committed monstrous sins in the Congo during its colonial era, causing the deaths of twenty million Black people. We intend to settle the accounts of colonial crimes; how could Belgium possibly accept that? Since you mentioned Belgium, tell me, what has been their reaction?"

Li Runshi sighed. "The World People's Liberation Army sent representatives to communicate with the Belgian government. Belgium claimed that while certain tragedies occurred during the execution of colonial policies, tragedies are not crimes. Therefore, they insist the Belgian state has no 'colonial crimes' to answer for.

"One of the WPLA representatives was from the Congo. He told the Belgians bluntly that his family had been murdered by Belgian colonizers and that there were criminals among the Belgian populace."

At this point, Li Runshi glanced at He Rui and saw a trace of anger in his expression, but more so a sense of sorrow. Li continued, "The Belgian negotiators stated that Belgium would not accept any communication outside of peace talks. If the Black people wish to pursue criminal charges, they argue that the colonial enterprises of the time have already been dissolved, so the government cannot trace those past actions. They are willing to conduct an investigation into the matter on humanitarian grounds.

"The Congolese comrades stated that the WPLA will not accept such a dismissive attitude and will personally enter Belgium to arrest the colonizers.

"Chairman, I believe justice must be served. But I do not believe we have the capacity to control the combat triggered by such deep-seated hatred."

Hearing this, He Rui confirmed once more that Li Runshi did not quite understand Europeans. He explained: "Comrade Runshi, the Belgian government has finally faced reality when confronted by Black people who possess actual power. For them to speak this way is already to treat Black people as human beings; that is a form of progress.

"As for who committed the crimes, the European cultural view is that one cannot condemn the victors. Thus, Belgium is fighting for its own 'innocence.' In times like these, what is needed is the 'criticism of weapons.' As the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' We must admit that we do not possess the ability to change the world through words alone.

"Rest assured, while the Belgians are stubborn, they won't truly choose to die to the last man rather than surrender. Once the losses of war reach a point where the Belgians realize this is a European-style trial of their sins, they will indeed surrender and admit guilt."

Li Runshi was not some moralist who would wail over every death, so he sometimes struggled to understand why He Rui thought he was "too kind-hearted." Seeing that He Rui was prepared for millions of deaths in Europe, Li chose a more abstract angle: "Chairman, must we truly abandon a political solution?"

He Rui's tolerance for tens of millions of deaths was not unshakable, but at present, he saw no other way. More importantly, He Rui believed they were running out of time.

Since his health had slightly improved, He Rui had reviewed more reports. Data showed that if the war did not end within a year, the Chinese economy would enter a downward curve.

The Chinese people's trust in He Rui was not unconditional. The four million casualties had already dealt a significant blow to his prestige. It was only because the Chinese people were accustomed to He Rui's authority that they were instead expressing their dissatisfaction toward the frontline commanders. He Rui knew very well that, given the relative weakness of their opponents, the military commanders had performed exceptionally well. The high casualties were because China had adopted a war of attrition, trading the lives of its own soldiers for more of the enemy's.

Once Chinese casualties exceeded eight million, the endurance of the Chinese people would break. At that point, under the pressure of intense public opinion, the war would likely descend into outright slaughter. To secure final victory, the army would view all Europeans and Americans as enemies and move to eliminate them entirely.

If the war reached that stage, its progressive political nature would vanish. He Rui would not allow the war to become such a thing, yet he could not voice this to others.

Suppressing the frustration of being misunderstood, He Rui patiently explained: "Current Europeans still believe this war is an imperialist struggle for global spheres of influence; that is why they harbor illusions. We only need to make the Belgians realize that this is a just, global war, and they will truly start to think. Those who refuse to accept the nature of this war will simply die.

"That is fine. Once those people are gone, the survivors can be liberated."

Li Runshi conceded that this was one possible path, and he too felt the war could not be dragged on. Ultimately, he signaled his acceptance of He Rui's view, though he did not explicitly promise to follow it to the letter.

On his way back to the office, Li Runshi reflected on He Rui's perspective. He still found it difficult to accept this "war for war's sake" logic.

In Li’s view, even if the offensive were halted now, much could still be accomplished. It wasn't strictly necessary to force the European public to accept decisions that bordered on political humiliation.

Of course, that would have its own problems. The colonizers would temporarily escape punishment. However, such apparent indulgence would not last long. Excluded from the new world order established by China, the standard of living in the West would plummet, and social contradictions would become unprecedentedly fierce. At that point, internal revolutions would likely erupt within Europe and America.

Despite these thoughts, Li Runshi admitted that He Rui's approach was not irrational. If the oppressed and enslaved peoples of the world did not set foot on European soil, how could the justice of this war be proven?

Thinking of this, Li Runshi suddenly realized that the reason he couldn't keep up with He Rui's thinking was perhaps because He Rui's vision was so radical that even he struggled to match its pace.

In their dedication to resolving the issues of global revolution, Li Runshi and He Rui were no different. But He Rui's approach was to cut the Gordian knot rather than seek a political compromise.

As for which was superior, Li did not dare say he was right. Europe and America might very well conclude that their failure was merely a matter of insufficient military strength, leading them to turn toward fascism during economic crises and export their contradictions through new wars.

If the situation turned out that way, He Rui’s strategy of resolving the issue once and for all through war would prove correct.

Should he trust himself, or trust He Rui? Li Runshi pondered calmly. Finally, the image of an aging He Rui appeared before him. In just over a year, He Rui's hair had turned almost entirely white. Yet, paired with that pale, thin face, the white hair looked rather distinguished...

Ultimately, Li Runshi decided to support He Rui's view.

At this moment, Europe had no idea that its fate had been decided. King Leopold III of Belgium, after hearing reports from the Prime Minister and the Minister of War, decisively approved the plan for the Belgian army to resist to the end.

Belgium's population was roughly 8.3 million. Although Belgium had never counted them, the number of Black people killed by their colonial policies was over 20 million—meaning, on average, every Belgian bore the weight of three Black lives.

The Congo was a Belgian colony, and its people were now arriving in Europe. Now that the Belgian upper class was forced to treat Black people as human, they saw no possibility of being forgiven.

If Belgium itself were reduced to a colony and subjected to such harsh and murderous treatment by colonizers, they knew that given the chance for revenge, Belgians would never show mercy!

With the King's approval, Belgium, which had already undergone national mobilization, pushed it to the maximum. The army's size increased from 800,000 to 1.8 million. Not only were all men of age conscripted, but young women were also drafted in large numbers. Guerilla units were formed in every town, preparing for a death struggle against the invading Black armies.

King Leopold III of Belgium even delivered a stirring, passionate speech on the radio: "Fellow citizens, we face a barbarian Black army filled with a spirit of revenge. Our government has made it clear to their representatives that we are willing to investigate certain tragic events of the past on humanitarian grounds. The Black representatives savagely rejected our proposal and insist on invading our country.

"Fellow citizens! We have no reason to submit to barbarism. For they will point at our corpses and say with contempt: 'Look, there lie slaves!'

"For the freedom and dignity of Belgium, we must fight to the end!"

The Belgians understood exactly what the King was saying—especially over the past six months, since Black people had finally been treated as human beings by Belgians. Now that they saw Black people were indeed human—humans capable of using modern weapons and waging modern war just like themselves—the Belgians naturally recalled what they had done to their fellow human beings and felt a profound sense of terror.

Under the pressure of this fear, the Belgians believed that dying in battle was far better than facing retribution. Thus, after joining the army and taking up arms, the Belgian soldiers felt a sense of security. At least their lives and deaths could be defended with the weapons in their hands.

Beyond their own preparations, the Belgian government also asked the Netherlands if they would join the alliance, but they were met with a polite refusal.

There was a joke that a typical EU official has the following traits: German humor, French humility, Dutch generosity, Belgian imagination, Italian organizational skills, and Irish intelligence.

The Dutch were seen as stingy in Europe, but compared to the Belgians, their imagination was perfectly fine. With their business acumen, the Dutch government had already secretly communicated with China.

They had learned that "punishing colonial crimes" meant admitting that colonial policies were wrong, apologizing for colonial actions, punishing those among the surviving colonizers who had committed murder, and removing colonial symbols—especially statues.

The Dutch government found these demands entirely acceptable. The reason they were so quick to agree was that their colonies were in Southeast Asia. When China liberated Southeast Asia, those among the Dutch colonial personnel who were guilty had already been hanged alongside their guilty Chinese counterparts. Therefore, the Dutch government in Europe could essentially pass through unscathed.

In addition, the Chinese side confirmed to the Netherlands that assets acquired through war in the colonies would be confiscated, but legitimate business assets would be protected. In Europe, such a demand was considered quite reasonable.

Aside from the confiscated assets, the Dutch government learned they wouldn't have to pay extra reparations. Thus, the Dutch cabinet reached a silent consensus on these terms with extreme speed.

The only reason the Dutch government hadn't announced this yet was that they lacked the strength to oppose the Nazi German army, and could only play a double game with the Third Reich led by Hitler.

Even so, the Dutch government felt there was no need to get mixed up with those fools in Belgium. Most European nations were flexible enough; as long as the conditions were right, they would surrender when necessary. But the Belgian blockheads were truly incapable of changing their minds. If they said they were going to fight, they would truly fight to the end.

Once a consensus was reached in the cabinet meeting, the Dutch Foreign Minister immediately set off for France. The Dutch government now needed to reconfirm France's position. Currently, France remained neutral and was gradually restoring diplomatic relations with China. But once France shifted to the Chinese camp, the situation in Europe would change completely.

If they couldn't confirm France's stance after Britain's defeat, the Dutch government might face disaster. For instance, if France did not join the war, Germany might very well invade the Netherlands again after Britain fell, using Dutch territory to defend against the WPLA's advance.