Among the five present, everyone except Old Sahaku—including Yang Hongyu—glared at Yang Hui with fury.
"I could accept everything before this, but your current actions are actively provoking war! You're destroying Orb's founding principles!" Uzumi roared to vent his frustration. The recent [Stage Plan] had already pushed his limits. Though justifiable on surface, anyone could see it was a deliberate trap for ZAFT Forces, merely disguised with excuses.
But this time, there were no pretenses. Orb Forces would actively attack ZAFT-occupied territories—a blatant declaration of war against PLANT.
"Orb must take this step, or it has no future," Yang Hui stated gravely to the four men.
"If it means betraying Orb's ideals, such a future isn't worth having!"
"So in your eyes, your dignity and your principles matter more than the nation of Orb and all its citizens?"
"You—!"
"The situation is clear. If our predictions hold, Earth Forces and ZAFT Forces will escalate into all-out war. Given the Atlantic Federation's temperament, do you think they'll spare Orb? And if Earth Alliance loses, will ZAFT let Orb off unscathed?"
"..."
"In turbulent times, no one remains untouched—not you, not me, and certainly not Orb! To uphold its ideals, Orb must grow stronger! Strong enough that no one dares provoke us, because no one can afford the consequences!"
Yang Hui's words rang with iron conviction.
Perpetual neutrality? With Orb's current strength? On what grounds?
In wartime, neutrality only earns disdain from both sides, painting a target for isolation and siege. To endure, Orb must grow powerful—powerful enough to stand above the clouds as arbiter, judge, or even an overbearing ruler!
"...Have you chosen Earth Alliance?" Uzumi asked.
"No. I've chosen neither side," Yang Hui replied.
"Then why target ZAFT?" Uzumi pressed. From the [Stage Operation] to the upcoming [Operation Restoration], Yang Hui had exclusively confronted ZAFT Forces, even easing pressure on Earth Alliance. How was this not taking sides?
"Because ZAFT walked into the line of fire." The answer sounded flippant, but it was true. The territories Yang Hui wanted happened to be under ZAFT occupation, and when Orb needed to flex its might, ZAFT handed them the perfect opportunity. Who else would he strike?
"And Earth Alliance? The Atlantic Federation?"
"Soon enough. If they dare come, I'll dare fight them!"
"Madman! You're utterly mad!" A clan leader jabbed an accusing finger at Yang Hui, his voice trembling with rage. To him, Yang Hui had lost his mind—provoking the world's two superpowers simultaneously would doom Orb.
"Lord Uzumi, I move to immediately strip Yang Hui of his position as Commander, along with Sumeragi's role as Chief of Staff!"
Uzumi ignored the clan leader who had made the suggestion, instead locking eyes intensely with Yang Hui.
"Do you think Orb can survive being caught between two fronts?" Uzumi challenged Yang Hui.
"No. The current Orb can't even handle one front, let alone two."
"Then why are you doing this!?"
"Because Orb needs rebirth!" With that, Yang Hui distributed a document—a secret public opinion survey he had conducted on the topic of war. "After years of peace, Orb may appear stable and prosperous on the surface, but it has long been rotting from within."
"This is—!" The five leaders looked at the survey results in their hands, their expressions turning uglier than if they had eaten shit.
The survey posed only one question: If war broke out in Orb, what would its citizens do?
According to the results, about 50% of citizens would flee the country for refuge, 20% would support Orb financially or materially within their means, another 20% would defect to other nations, abandoning their Orb citizenship, and only the remaining 10% were willing to fight to the death and stand with their country.
The people of this nation had been dulled by peaceful living, their fighting spirit extinguished. When their homeland faced crisis, their first instinct was to escape rather than contribute. What future did such a country have, even if it could maintain peace?
"Orb needs a war to reignite its people's fighting spirit. It needs a trial to weed out those who would betray their nation to save their own skins. It needs a rebirth to gain new vitality."
"If Orb is destroyed, how can it be reborn!?"
"The Yan Huang of the East Asia Federation has a saying I believe you all should study: 'If you preserve the people but lose the land, both people and land can be reclaimed. If you preserve the land but lose the people, both will be lost.' The Mass Driver is the second territory I secured for Orb. If necessary, it can take in refugees and await Orb's rebirth, then develop into a new industrial and military zone—one of Orb's deterrents. And now, our next target is the third."
"But… we can't just start a war outright! We could… negotiate politically through diplomacy. That land is important to the ZAFT Forces—"
"Hah." Yang Hui responded to the clan leader's words with a cold laugh.
"What do you mean by that!?" Feeling mocked and insulted, the clan leader slammed the table and stood, pointing furiously at Yang Hui. "Don't forget I'm your elder!"
"Hah."
Yang Hui's attitude remained unchanged—not because the clan leader was foolish, but because he was mocking the man's pathetic attempt to mask his cowardice with excuses.
Was there a single fool among the five clan leaders? A glance at the map would show what Papua New Guinea meant to the ZAFT Forces and what it would mean if Orb took it. Did he really think they'd just hand it over after a few words? What a joke!
Spouting excuses even a dog wouldn't believe in this situation was nothing short of self-humiliation.
"You—!"
"Enough!" Uzumi's roar silenced the arguing clan leader, forcing him back into his seat with nothing but a glare to vent his displeasure.
"...Is there another option?" Uzumi asked Yang Hui gravely.
"There is. Surrender to the Earth Alliance and become the Atlantic Federation's lapdog."
"…You two may leave now. We need to discuss this among ourselves."
"Make it quick. Time is running short."
After Yang Hui and Sumeragi exited the conference room, the clan leader erupted in fury again, directing his anger toward Yang Hui by lashing out at Yang Hongyu.
"Look at the fine son you've raised! How dare he speak to his elders like that!? What does he think he's doing? Trying to turn the world upside down!? I will never agree to his reckless actions!"
"Hmph, do you really think your disagreement matters?" Yang Hongyu ignored the clan leader's outburst, shaking his head with self-deprecation.
"What do you mean!? Yang Hongyu! Explain yourself clearly!"
Yang Hongyu paid him no further attention, instead turning his gaze to Uzumi and Old Sahaku. As the two who had interacted most with Yang Hui, if the others hadn't noticed, these two surely had.
"Hah, the younger generation surpasses the old. These youngsters nowadays are truly formidable," Old Sahaku chuckled wryly, making his stance clear.
"Sit down. Arguing now is pointless," Uzumi intervened, easing the tension in the room.
"Lord Uzumi! Surely you don't intend to support his madness!? This is—"
"Representative Yang Hongyu is right. Whether we agree or not no longer holds any meaning," Uzumi said with a bitter smile.
"But… how can that be? He's still just—"
"Just what? Just a child? Hah, do you really believe that yourself?" Old Sahaku mocked.
"You—!"
"The moment Lord Uzumi appointed him as Supreme Commander and Sumeragi as Chief of Staff, our opinions became irrelevant."
"But… we are still Orb's leaders! We have the authority to remove them from their positions—"
"And then what? Will Orb fracture? Or will they simply stage a coup?"
"…"
"Do you have any idea how much influence Yang Hui and Sumeragi hold in the military? Or how deeply their people are embedded in every other department? We've been sidelined for two years now." Having grasped the reality, Old Sahaku leaned back leisurely, no longer interested in resisting—because he no longer could.
He had little power in Orb's homeland. Even if Yang Hui moved against their faction, it wouldn't threaten him. At worst, he could retreat to Ame No Minashira and lay low. Besides, he knew Ame No Minashira was soon to become Mina's sole domain—he, the old man, had already been forced into retirement. The only ones still resisting were a handful of Gina's loyalists.
So Old Sahaku had decided to retire early.
"Is there truly no other way?" The representative slumped into his chair, eyes clouded with despair.
"There's no stopping them now. Him coming to us wasn't so much about seeking our approval as it was about informing us," Uzumi said.
"Lord Uzumi, what should we do next?" Yang Hongyu asked. As an old friend, he knew Uzumi wouldn't sit idle—not to obstruct Yang Hui's plans, but to assist them covertly.
"…Direct all departments to fully cooperate with their plans. Provide whatever personnel or funds they request. Follow their instructions without question. Prepare a press release—to be issued in my name the moment Operation Restoration begins."
"Lord Uzumi!"
"We're all getting old. The young have their ambitions—let them strive to achieve them. As their elders, our duty is to do everything we can to clear the path ahead for them," Uzumi said to the four. Though the five of them might clash in private, when it came to Orb, they would always stand united.
"...Understood, Lord Uzumi."
"I'll make sure those under me comply."
The meeting adjourned, with two of them leaving first. Uzumi, Old Sahaku, and Yang Hongyu remained behind.
"Uzumi, we've been rivals our whole lives. Who would've thought we'd both be forced to step down by a young man before settling our score?" Old Sahaku said self-deprecatingly.
"Have you forgotten whose son he is?" Yang Hongyu replied smugly. Though he disapproved of Yang Hui's radical plans, his son's excellence was undeniable.
"The biggest stain on your son's life is having you as a father."
"Hmph."
"Compared to that, my adopted daughter isn't half bad—at least she's leagues ahead of some ignorant, willful little girl."
"...Don't you two have anything better to do?"
"I've been forced into retirement," Old Sahaku shrugged.
"Lord Uzumi, even if we're willing, those below us..."
Though Orb was led by the Five Great Families, that didn't mean its political landscape was peaceful. The conflict between the Athha and Sahaku families was well-known, and beneath the Five Great Families, many nobles were waiting for their chance to rise.
"Is it really our concern?" Uzumi chuckled dismissively.
"The Celestial Beings... Heh. Let's hope those troublemakers behave. Otherwise..."
(End of Chapter)