Lu Tianming wasn't bluffing here... he had actually calculated this very seriously.
With the Freedom's performance... even if the Alliance and ZAFT were to attack simultaneously, he truly had a way to fight them.
If nothing else, without ace mobile suits capable of stopping the Freedom, just the Freedom alone could slowly decimate both sides until they collapsed in defeat - the nuclear reactor nearly granted the Freedom unlimited combat duration. In such circumstances, the only gamble for both sides would be whether they could land on ORB before the Freedom killed everyone.
Beyond that, the only option would be to exploit the brief opening after each burst attack.
But this was merely conventional warfare... one must remember that he and Xia Chuan still hadn't unleashed their 100% resonance killing move.
The Freedom's Multiple Lock-on System basically enabled it to eliminate all enemies within sight.
And the 100% resonance could provide the ammunition needed for destruction... upon careful consideration, they truly did have the capability to fight.
However, Uzumi didn't know about this. When he heard Lu Tianming propose dealing with both the Alliance and ZAFT simultaneously, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Should this be called youthful arrogance or what... this was something he wouldn't even dare to contemplate, yet this young man stated it as if it were the most natural thing in the world?!
He cleared his throat softly, remained silent for a long moment, then suddenly asked:
"I heard from Cagalli that you're supposed to be a pacifist... why is your approach to solving this problem so radical this time?"
"Starting a war with the world's two major powers - wouldn't that only make the conflict larger?"
Lu Tianming waved his hand, not answering directly, but said with a smile:
"Mr. Uzumi, in your eyes... how should peace be obtained? Through endless concessions to secure compromises, or by maintaining it with declarations of neutrality?"
Uzumi seemed surprised that Lu Tianming would counter with a question. He lowered his head in brief silence before responding:
"At the very least, it shouldn't be through actively intervening in war. If we can secure peace by ceding some interests, we're not completely unwilling to make sacrifices."
"But you also know that's merely a possibility, one... that isn't very realistic."
Lu Tianming shook his head as he said this.
"An ancient Eastern nation had a famous essay called 'On the Six States.' There's one particularly well-known line in it."
"'Offering land to Qin is like carrying firewood to put out a fire - the fire won't be extinguished until the firewood is exhausted.'"
"Roughly meaning that attempting to avoid war by ceding territory to an enemy nation is like trying to extinguish a fire by adding fuel - until the fuel is completely burned up, meaning the nation has no more land to cede, this 'fire' will never go out."
Uzumi lowered his head in contemplation. This was precisely why he had resorted to his previous 'giving up' approach.
Diplomatic methods couldn't avoid being dragged into war, while initiating war would destroy their previously declared neutral status... this left him in a dilemma.
Lu Tianming seemed to recognize Uzumi's distress, but merely shook his head and said:
"Mr. Uzumi, in my eyes, you remain too naive... so naive that you still cling to wishful thinking even at this moment."
Upon hearing this, both Cagalli and Uzumi looked over with surprise in their eyes.
Cagalli wore an expression of disbelief... How dare he speak with such audacity? Her father Uzumi had been in politics for who knows how many years.
And this person... actually dared to call him naive?
Meanwhile, a glimmer flashed in Uzumi's eyes. The fact that Lu Tianming dared to say this... meant the young man had unique insights of his own.
Rather than being offended by being called naive, he was more interested in hearing—why would Lu Tianming say such a thing?
"It's actually quite simple... Your persistent refusal to abandon the declaration of neutrality and intervene as a warring party ultimately stems from your wishful thinking about this world, doesn't it?"
"You keep hoping that perhaps someday the Alliance and ZAFT will leave ORB alone, pretend it never existed... Then relying on your neutral status, you'll continue watching the world around you descend into chaos while remaining safe and sound."
"You fear that declaring war would cut off ORB's retreat... But have you considered that this retreat might never have existed in the first place?"
Uzumi's heart suddenly jolted, looking at Lu Tianming before him as if waking from a dream.
He felt as if his mind had been read... Even subconscious thoughts he himself hadn't noticed had been precisely uncovered by Lu Tianming.
Having heard this much, even he should understand what Lu Tianming meant.
It wasn't that he wanted war... but that to survive, to achieve peace, they had to fight with all their strength. Otherwise, there would be no way to survive between the bloodthirsty Alliance and ZAFT.
Uzumi lowered his head and nodded, seeming to want to say something but unsure what would be appropriate... Finally, he sighed with emotion:
"If only you were ORB's leader instead of me right now."
"What do you say, Tianming... Would you like to take my position? For ORB's sake, having you replace me as leader would probably be a good thing."
His tone carried a hint of suggestion, his smile accompanied by glances shifting between Cagalli and Lu Tianming.
While ORB was supposedly governed by five great families as a parliamentary nation... the actual power structure was quite complex, or rather arbitrary—currently, a significant portion of power rested in his hands.
This was evident from how he could actually use ORB as a rearguard in the original story.
If he wanted to step down now and designate Lu Tianming as his successor, there was a high probability of success.
But such designation required a reason... which was exactly why his gaze kept shifting between Cagalli and Lu Tianming.
Although Cagalli had developed some political ability under Lu Tianming's guidance, she remained somewhat immature. Her tendency to get carried away by passion was also a problematic personality trait.
He worried not just about her entering politics, but even about her growing up safely.
But if Lu Tianming could stay by her side... then as a father, he could rest much easier.
"Hey! We're discussing serious matters, why bring this up suddenly!"
Cagalli's face flushed with embarrassment—she could clearly see what this old man Uzumi was scheming.
When we previously discussed Lu Tianming, he had been subtly probing whether it was merely a platonic friendship... and now he's making these kinds of hints again.
Seeing Cagalli's firm reluctance, Uzumi sighed inwardly with resignation.
He gazed helplessly at his daughter, who seemed determined to be obtuse... Her eyes practically sparkled when talking about him, yet the moment he tried to facilitate things, she'd panic first.
Did she truly believe... that her contradictory nature could compete with the numerous rivals around him?
Uzumi sighed again in defeat. Leaving aside those two on the Archangel... he didn't know enough about them to comment.
But just considering Lacus Clyne alone... he felt even if Cagalli's emotional intelligence multiplied tenfold, she still wouldn't stand a chance against her.
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