Chapter 949, Who wouldn't fight to the death?

Chapter 949, Who wouldn't fight to the death?

The Black Witch King made up his mind.

However, during this phase, negotiations between the Dark Eldar and the Alliance progressed rapidly.

In fact, the peace talks between the two sides have never stopped.

This is actually quite normal—while soldiers from both sides are fighting to the death on the front lines, diplomats in the rear are exchanging words, exchanging conditions, and probing each other's intentions, all based on the situation at the front…

However, the peace talks have made little substantial progress. The two sides have irreconcilable conflicts on their respective core interests and core terms.

The reason why the negotiations have suddenly made great strides is mainly because the Dark Eldar diplomat has changed. After the new ambassador, Ms. Veselani, took the lead in the negotiations, the previous situation where the two sides could not reach an agreement on their terms was swept away, and compromises were made on several key issues.

This requires us to discuss where the core interests of both sides lie.

For the Dark Eldar, their core interests lie in two areas.

First, humanity withdrew from Comoros; second, they acquired Robert and Gu Jing.

For humanity, the core interests can also be divided into two parts: the most important is to conquer Comoros, and the second is to quickly deploy the Terran Expeditionary Force to Holy Terra.

Clearly, the core interests of the two sides are not aligned, and the basis for negotiations is very weak.

However, after Veselani made some compromises on some core interests, the basis for negotiation suddenly emerged.

First, the Dark Eldar completely abandoned their demands regarding Robert and Gu Jing's conditions. They no longer made any wishful thinking requests such as Robert and Gu Jing cooperating with their operations.

As for the human side's demand to occupy and manage the entire Comoros and force Comoros to surrender unconditionally, that's definitely something Veslani can't compromise on—wouldn't that be tantamount to throwing her own life away?
However, specific problems can still be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

The alliance demands the conquest of the entire Comoros; what is its biggest objective?

It's definitely not about needing resources. In that respect, Comoros is a very barren place, with absolutely no resource value.

To subjugate the Dark Eldar, do we need their manpower? That's slightly more reliable than resources. After all, if the Dark Eldar were to serve as mercenaries and form an army, they would be quite formidable. Although their population is small and they can't afford a war of attrition, they would be suitable as elite troops.

However, the combat power of this group of Dark Elf race members is merely icing on the cake and not crucial.

Moreover, even if the Dark Eldar submit, who would dare to use them?
To stab someone in the back at a crucial moment—that's exactly the kind of thing these treacherous guys are capable of doing.

But compared to these two items, there are two other things from Comoros that are quite valuable.

First and foremost, Comoros is characterized as a veiled city, allowing for quick and convenient travel to various parts of the real universe.

Secondly, there's the technology that the Dark Eldar inherited from their magnificent Eldar empire.

The concessions that Veselani made are right here.

She proposed a plan to make several ports in the Comoros jointly managed by both sides. Humans would simply provide the energy needed for the ports to operate and pay a fee to use them. The Eldar would also open up some coordinates they had established in the real universe, including those in the Solar System. This would allow Robert's Terran expeditionary force to quickly reach their destinations. Furthermore, in the future, through the Veil of Spirits in the Comoros, Gu Hang's journey to Holy Terra might take less than a day, instead of the long interstellar travel of over a year as in the past.

As for the various amazing technologies that the Dark Eldar have inherited over the long years, they can share some of them with humanity.

Despite all the efforts, Ambassador Texas, who was in charge of the negotiations on the human side, was not moved.

He only said one thing:

"After we defeat you, annihilate you, and occupy the entire Comoros, these things will also be ours. So why should we accept peace talks?"

It was blunt, but it was also the reality, and it was Gu Hang's demand: We only accept unconditional surrender.

Diplomacy isn't something negotiated at the negotiating table; it's something fought on the front lines. The current human forces deployed in the Comoros are already enough to rival the Dark Eldar, shifting from a defensive strategy to a strategic offensive.

And as time goes on, the number of human troops entering the Comoros will only increase.

The balance of power between the two sides will increasingly shift towards humanity.

This is why Gu Hang was able to confidently demand 'unconditional surrender'.

Viselani wasn't angry.

This statement was entirely within her expectations, and she had prepared accordingly, offering several counter-arguments.

First, Vislani does not deny that humans currently have the advantage, but she emphasizes that even if this situation continues, the price humans will pay to achieve final victory, completely conquer Comoros, and utterly destroy the Eldar's regime and organizational structure will be unprecedented.

Perhaps, humanity will have to continuously commit forces equivalent to two army groups of the Alliance here, and the final loss of troops and various weapons and equipment in the Comoros may exceed 30%.

From warships to tanks; from space marines to ordinary soldiers, this applies to all lives.

Texas neither confirmed nor denied this.

In fact, Veslani was right. Even if she might have exaggerated the figures for the human victims' losses, the losses were still considerable.

Not to mention, if the Dark Eldar are determined to fight to the bitter end, even if their regime and organization collapse, they can wage guerrilla warfare for many, many years within the completely three-dimensional Comoros, a continent much larger than a planet. Perhaps, for hundreds or thousands of years to come, while humanity utilizes the veiled city of Comoros, they will also be constantly entangled with the surviving Dark Eldar, fueled by their burning rage for revenge.

A great many people will die.

Even if Gu Hang, as the leader, could accept these losses after weighing the benefits and costs, it would still be better to reduce the amount of these losses if possible.

After saying all that, Veselani raised her second finger and raised an even more crucial second point.

If it really comes to a point where both sides have to fight to the death, the Dark Eldar can ensure that humanity gets nothing.

Anyone would risk everything, even a fight to the death.
(End of this chapter)