"Hehe! It seems the good show will soon unfold," the Major General said with a look of anticipation on his face.

Afterward, five small warships departed the scene, leaving a lifeless fishing boat adrift on the sea, a bloody aura attracting a multitude of fish and shrimp from the depths.

As if by heavenly favor, fortunately no large sharks appeared, or the boat would surely be overturned.

The escapees were deeply saddened, but more so enraged, that a small country like the Philippines would dare to act so audaciously before Huaxia!

They were just ordinary people and naturally didn't understand the deeper implications of the Philippines' actions. They only knew that people from the Philippines had always bullied the people of Huaxia, and the high authorities of Huaxia hadn't spoken up. Now that lives were lost, surely Huaxia would demand an explanation from the Philippines!

Among the eight people who escaped, three drowned due to exhaustion.

The other five, upon reaching Chi Guo Reef, also passed out from fatigue and didn't wake until after 7 PM, whereupon they all headed to the Chi Guo Reef garrison site.

Upon arriving, they wailed as they recounted the incident. The commanding officer, having heard their account, had already smashed three or four cups and hurriedly called the Huaxia high command.

"Commander, our Huaxia people were killed near the Shuanghuang Sandbar—dozens of them! They were just unarmed fishermen, you have to seek justice for them!" The commander at Chi Guo Reef immediately reported to the commander of the Nanyue Province military district. He was heartbroken, as the residents at Chi Guo Reef were all domestic fishermen, and it was up to them to send the catch back to Nanyue—otherwise, where would Nanyue get so much seafood?

One could say they were also a primary force driving the Nanyue economy.

"What! How many people were killed, and why did they kill?" The Nanyue military district commander asked urgently upon receiving the report.

"Twenty-three people were killed."

"I'll report to the military commission immediately, it's outrageous," the Nanyue military district commander quickly reported to the military commission.

However, after the fishermen departed, they also turned to the internet pleading for justice.

Within just one night, forums and message boards were flooded with news of the Philippines killing more than twenty people from Huaxia.

Public outcry began, with demands that the Philippines be held accountable and that the Huaxia military take decisive action to teach them a lesson.

At a Central Military Commission meeting, Vice Chairman Dongfang Shengyang voiced, "Regarding our people being massacred by the Philippines, what do you all think?"

Xu Wenlong sat with a stern expression, saying nothing. He was also a Vice Chairman, and was naturally outraged by the slaughter of Huaxia citizens, but he hadn't acted impulsively. Because the United States' warships in the Pacific lay in wait for Huaxia to make a move, and then the United States would strongly intervene.

Minister of the General Armament Department, He Zhen, spoke coldly, "As long as Huaxia mobilizes troops, even if it costs ten years of military budget, we will provide the most sophisticated weapons and equipment to the warriors going into battle, to let those jesters in the Philippines know the majesty of our Celestial Kingdom."

"Ah, though strong, the Celestial Kingdom is always watched intently by the United States; our actions could be unwise!" The Political Department Minister, Feng Hao, smiled wryly in resignation.

"The army should assist when needed; they must not shirk," said Chief of the General Staff Department, Hou Guangrong, offering no meaningful opinion—it was completely redundant because if the military commission ordered troop deployment, then the army must comply.

"Vice Chairman Shengyang, our navy applies to engage, this humiliation is unbearable, being bullied by such a small nation," Navy Commander Qin Jiang declared, his face red with anger.

"The navy needs how many shells, I, Shangguan Xiaopao, will provide just as many," Shangguan Xiaopao directly stated his support.

"Hehe! What, are we the Celestial Kingdom to fear such a tiny country? However many fighter jets are needed, I, Li Yuzhong, will certainly not drag my feet," said Air Force Commander Li Yuzhong, with a resolute tone.

However, at this juncture, Dongfang Shengyang gave a bitter smile, saying, "Our Celestial Kingdom is strong, but if war breaks out, the situation will become even more untenable!"

Dongfang Shengyang's words rendered the room silent. Certainly, those who had ascended to such positions understood that striking the Philippines would trigger a series of events, but not striking appeared weak compared to other nations.

"If we can't fight, then demand an explanation, at least cover the fishermen's settlement fee and funeral expenses," Xu Wenlong coldly snorted.

"In the current situation, that's all we can do," Dongfang Shengyang nodded, then instructed to call the Philippine government.

Internationally, the news of the Philippine military killing Huaxia people began to spread widely.

In the British monarchy, the English monarch laughed upon reading the newspaper.

"Hehe, the Philippines' backer wants to stir things up again," the English queen laughed.

Elsewhere, other country leaders also shook their heads with a smile, finding the Philippines a nation that is constantly manipulated at others' fingertips.

According to their thinking, aligning with Huaxia would always be better than clinging to the United States, especially given Huaxia's rapid development. Being adjacent to Huaxia, they could also develop quickly, but relying on the United States provided very limited help.

In domestic cities, protests started to break out, with passionate youth demanding that the government give an answer for the deceased fishermen. Of course, these protestors included some with ill intentions, like Americans infiltrating Huaxia to incite unrest.

"Return our Shuanghuang Sandbar, return the lives of our fishermen," the placards of the protestors claimed as they marched.

Various local governments were mobilizing, hoping to suppress these chaotic crowds, or the resulting damage would be immeasurable.

Even the United States hadn't anticipated such intense nationalism from the Huaxia people; they had merely fanned a small flame, yet didn't expect such anger from the citizens.

"Hehe! This will be quite amusing; let's see if Huaxia will make a move. If they don't, then they're cowards," U.S. Navy Admiral Hade chuckled, reviewing the information from Huaxia on a Pacific island.

"General, what if Huaxia responds forcefully?" one of Admiral Hade's trusted aides asked.

"Haha, that would be ideal. Then we can have the Philippines serve as the excuse to fire upon Huaxia using our newest research—the Philippines can't stand against Huaxia, but we're only seeking a pretext!" Hade said with an air of strategic planning.

"General, you are mighty..."

Meanwhile, Ye Hao was strolling leisurely through the streets with Lin Ruyu.

When they reached a large plaza, they noticed several middle-aged men standing on a stage. Each had removed their shirt, with a single character painted on their stomachs, collectively forming the message...

"Uphold our Huaxia's majesty, return our fishermen's lives."

Ye Hao approached and asked a young person, "Brother, what kind of performance is this?"

The young man looked at Ye Hao as if seeing an alien and replied, "Dude, you don't know the Philippines killed our fishermen from the Nansha Islands?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.