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"What do you say, Comrade Brigade Commander, Your Excellency Major General?" Yelena's face blossomed into a beautiful smile, but in the man's eyes, it inevitably carried a hint of schadenfreude. After all, he was the boss, and in this kind of situation, how could the boss remain silent and let someone else speak on his behalf—especially since the Kingdom of Elgia was attending with its head of state, it would be disrespectful not to say a few words himself.
"Ughhhhhhh!" Lu Wu groaned. He could handle anything else, but speaking as a representative in front of so many people was practically a nightmare from his student days. Writing speeches was pure hell. The 7th Brigade never needed to do anything like that, and he never imagined that even after transmigrating, he wouldn't escape the drudgery of speaking as a representative. If he stumbled or forgot his lines in such a situation, his command career would be over, and he'd have to atone with his death… he thought pessimistically.
“Yelena.” ♂肆#≡捌〕～衈澌傘￡＄潵伍腫ZhUANＱuN：Lu Wu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and called out.
"What?!" Yelena's body trembled, and the gloating expression on her face disappeared. She warily blocked Lu Wu's path in advance: "Comrade Commander, if you want me to speak on your behalf, you'd better give up."
"No, no," Lu Wu quickly explained, not intending to run away. "If I'm going to speak on stage, I'll need a prepared speech, right? I can't exactly go up and give a battle summary! You'd better prepare this speech for me!"
Now it was Yelena's turn to be speechless. She started to panic. Like Lu Wu, no, Lu Wu had at least written speeches before, but she had never done anything like this before. It was no easy task to produce a qualified and respectable speech in just a few hours.
Lu Wu pressed his advantage, waving the tablet in his hand: "Look, I still have to go find Bai Xue and the others later to arrange the medal awarding ceremony this afternoon. I simply don't have time to prepare a speech. Besides, preparing a speech is something that the deputy should be doing."
Volume 1: Chapter 215 (Chapter 200) We Will Fight to the End
Time flies when you're busy. When Lu Wu finished explaining everything and met Yelena again, there were less than two hours left before the medal awarding ceremony began.
The printed copy the girl handed him was clearly his final speech. It didn't look like much, maybe only a thousand or so words. Lu Wu took the stack of papers, praised her a few times, but then noticed the girl turn her head away, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes!
He was immediately taken aback. He hadn't seen such an expression on Yelena's face in a long time, which immediately gave Lu Wu a bad feeling—there might be something wrong with this speech. So, in front of the girl, he carefully began to read it.
"Then I'll go check on how Bai Xue and the others are preparing. You can take your time looking around. I'm off now." Yelena turned to leave.
"You can't go."
The voice coming from behind the girl made her freeze in place, unable to move, her heart filled with torment.
The beginning was fine, but starting from the third paragraph, Lu Wu felt a sense of déjà vu. When he saw that legendary passage, even he couldn't help but gasp. He looked at Yelena and said, "You're really fucking bold. Aren't you afraid of being sued for plagiarism?"
Having already been exposed, Yelena, now seemingly unfazed, turned back and stubbornly insisted, "Anyway, there's no Churchill here, no British Empire. That fat man is probably just a skeleton now. Using his speech is a way of putting his remaining energy to good use. Besides, if he knew his speech could still be useful today, he'd probably be secretly pleased! With so little time, it's already good enough that I could revise it for you. If you're not satisfied, just improvise on the spot!"
After saying that, she quickly walked up to Lu Wu and tried to take the manuscript back, but the manuscript didn't budge—"No! I haven't memorized it yet!" Lu Wu quickly begged for mercy and put the manuscript away.
Lu Wu finally managed to memorize the speech before the ceremony. At 3 p.m., the national anthem of the Kingdom of Elgia, "The Rose Watered with Blood," began the awarding ceremony.
The ceremony took place in the palace square, where the 7th Brigade's troops in Fabandi were all assembled. Everyone was dressed in uniform, their impeccable posture and sharp demeanor attracting a flurry of camera flashes. The awards were presented in batches according to unit. As foreigners who had participated in a war unrelated to them and made special contributions to the Kingdom of Elgia, Rosetta and a group of Elgia generals personally awarded them the "Special Contribution Medal," the first time this medal had been awarded to foreigners. Those who distinguished themselves in battle, such as tank crews who destroyed enemy vehicles and the "Berezhok" gunners, received the "Knight's Guardian, Third Class Medal." The airborne troops, who bore the heaviest combat load and suffered the most casualties, received the "Knight's Guardian, First Class Medal." Soldiers like "Lava," who sacrificed their lives, were posthumously awarded the "Kingdom of Elgia's Highest Risk Medal."
The entire awarding ceremony lasted until 7 p.m. After Rosetta placed the "Order of Saint Egil" on Lu Wu's left chest, the long ceremony concluded, and the military band in the venue stopped playing, marking the final stage of the event.
"In my homeland, the Kingdom of Amelia, there is a word called 'fascism.' Originally, it simply referred to an axe surrounded by several wooden sticks tied together. It was an instrument of torture used to punish and execute criminals: the guards would use the 'fascism' to whip the criminal until his skin was torn and bleeding, then drag him to his knees and chop off his head with the axe in the 'fascism.' Later, a political party adopted this instrument of torture as their name; they advocated extreme terror and dictatorial rule, and practiced 'power politics and conquest by force'!"
Lu Wu looked around the venue, and apart from the flashes and shutter sounds, he could only hear his own voice.
"The war between the Kingdom of Amelia and fascism lasted for 14 years! We paid a heavy price to eliminate these demons' followers, defend sacred democracy and freedom, and the lives and dignity of the people. But we never imagined that fascism was still hiding in another corner of the world, growing stronger in the shadows."
"Two months ago, the Kingdom of Elgia suffered the most unspeakable military catastrophe in its long history. Fascist bandits from the Belken Empire crossed the border and brazenly invaded the Kingdom of Elgia. The fascists used newly developed weapons and equipment, a brand-new tactical system, and superhuman fighting power driven by drugs! Their tanks crushed the bodies of the kingdom's soldiers, their planes strafed our soldiers from the sky, and their battleships bombarded our cities on the coast! In just one month, the Belken army had already swept to the outskirts of the kingdom's capital, Fabandi!"
The joy brought by the awards and commendations faded from people's faces, and the atmosphere became heavy and somber.
"In the occupied territories, fascist bandits are committing one horrific tragedy after another: they indiscriminately kill any Ergia they encounter, regardless of age or gender, perhaps simply for the jewelry they possess! They wantonly burn down painstakingly built homes, because these homes could become strongholds for resistance! Young girls are gang-raped to death and then hung from trees for humiliation, because they are conquerors who hold the power of life and death! In the southern province of Villand, a village called Wakan was massacred for refusing to accept supplies from the Belken Empire's army; only one person survived. Just west of Fabandi, the village of Wiegel, once home to 257 families and over 1,300 residents, was reduced to ruins by the Belken, and the survivors of the massacre were sent to labor camps for enslavement!"
The room was deathly silent. Rosetta pursed her lips tightly, and where the reporters couldn't see, her nails dug into her palms.
"This is the darkest hour for the Kingdom of Elgia, and the most terrible crisis in the history of civilized world! Fascists have become the most dangerous factor in the world! The Kingdom of Amelia will never sit idly by and watch fascism make a comeback! That's why we are here!"
The fist landed on the high table where the microphone was placed, making a "thud".
"The Belken are not invincible. In Svorbella, the valiant 44th Infantry Division of the Kingdom of Elgia joined us in thwarting the ambitions of 15 fascist bandits; in Fabandi, our allied forces repelled wave after wave of enemy attacks and sounded the horn of counter-offensive the day before yesterday!"
The Imperial Guards on both sides of the hall clenched their fists, their backs ramrod straight.
"I am full of confidence that if everyone does their job well, big or small, and makes the best arrangements, we will once again prove that we can protect our homeland and weather the storms of war and the threat of tyranny! Even if it takes many years, even if we may be fighting alone. In any case, this is what we will do."
"The Kingdom of Amelia and the Kingdom of Elgia will unite as one, vowing to defend their land to the death, helping each other like brothers, and doing everything in their power! Even if vast swathes of land and many ancient and famous cities have fallen or may fall into the clutches of Belken Fascist rule, we will not waver, we will not be discouraged, we will persevere to the very end!"
His firm words elicited enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience, drowning out what he was about to say. Lu Wu had to raise his hand and make a downward gesture before he could continue.
"We will fight to the end! We will fight in the Kingdom of Elgia, we will fight on the seas, we will fight in the air with ever-growing confidence and strength, we will defend our homeland at all costs, we will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the enemy's landing sites, we will fight in the fields and streets, we will fight in the mountains, we will never surrender! Even if, I absolutely do not believe it will be so—even if the land of this Kingdom of Elgia, or most of it, is occupied by the enemy and plunged into famine, we still have the Kingdom of Amelia, and the armed forces of the allied forces will continue to fight until the final victory arrives, and the new world will use its power to save and liberate this old world!"
His right hand made the famous eight-point gesture—"За п四обед叁у (For victory!) 〇!" [々]
……
Two hundred chapters! Congratulations!
Volume 1: Chapter 216 (Chapter 201) He donned armor for words and went into battle.
Flashes of light filled the venue, and the smell and smoke of burning magnesium slowly spread, freezing the image of the young officer on the platform making a victory sign on film.
After the awarding ceremony, no interviews were scheduled for the reporters. Everyone knew that the young man who had stepped off the stage and was chatting with the head of the Kingdom of Elgia would become a darling of the press for some time to come. Some reporters lingered in the venue, unwilling to leave, despite knowing the chances were slim, still trying to get in touch with the young general and obtain more juicy news.
But as the general and other high-ranking officials entered the palace, their view blocked by the heavy wooden doors, some of those remaining had to abandon their pursuit and shift their focus to interviewing the Amelia volunteer soldiers still lingering outside. Others hurriedly left, though the title of first to report on the speech was likely already taken by their colleagues who had left earlier, but reporting on it was still worthwhile. Only a very small number of persistent new journalists remained inside, hoping to ambush the reporters after the banquet. October evenings in Fabandi are rather chilly…
Hayashiro was one of the first journalists to take a stand. Although he was Japanese, he contributed to the renowned international newspaper "Global Times" of the Sinons Federation. When he heard the young man on stage, who looked even younger than himself, utter the word "fascist," his left hand holding the pen trembled involuntarily. His journalistic instincts told him that what followed was likely a bombshell!
Once again, the facts proved his premonition accurate and astute. Whether it was the intelligence gleaned from snippets about the Kingdom of Amelia, the atrocities committed by the Belken army, or the powerful and classic speech delivered with a dramatic build-up, any one of these elements would be enough to make the latest issue of the *Global Times* headline!
When the major general finished his speech, Hayashiro had long since discarded his initial disdain based on appearance. He closed his notebook, which was filled with notes, and was the first to leave the venue. He had a premonition that this speech would become a historical milestone, and if he could be the first person to record it in detail, he would also leave a significant mark on the history of journalism.
He jumped into the car the newspaper had provided for him, told the driver to go back to the hotel, and then opened his laptop in the back seat. Before starting to write his report, he glanced in the direction of the palace. Some of the guys with a similarly keen sense of smell also hurriedly left the palace. These old hands knew how difficult it was to make contact with people of this caliber. Rather than clinging to fleeting luck, they might as well get what they had in hand first.
"No, I'm not going back to the hotel. I'm going straight to the telegraph office." Looking at his competitors who had the same idea, Hayashiro narrowed his eyes and changed his mind.
Although the awarding ceremony was simple in procedure, the publicity was extensive. Everyone in Fabandi knew what was going to happen today, and many people came from their homes. Even though they couldn't see what was happening inside the palace, they still gathered nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse. The dense crowd caused the driver to honk the horn frantically, turning what should have been a ten-minute drive into more than twenty minutes. However, this gave Zao Botiancheng more time to refine and polish his report—typing on a telegraph machine was no easier than handwriting. When he wrote a word by hand, it might only take a few strokes, but when translated into a telegram, a single letter became a series of different dots and strokes. The more concise the text, the shorter the time required for translation into a telegram.
He prepared two telegrams, three of which were addressed to the fourth editor of the *Global Times* newspaper. The first and thirteenth telegrams were reports on the awarding of the five medals, and the last, the forty-first, was about the speech. He easily came up with the titles for the medal-awarding reports; he already had a template for such events, and he just needed to fit it in. But what to title the most important of the three telegrams left him somewhat undecided, even as his car pulled up in front of the telegraph office.
He carefully tore the three manuscripts from his notebook and jogged to the receptionist. "Get me three telegraph operators," he added, "the fastest ones, right now."
"They were all sent to the Global Times." Fortunately, the receptionist was someone he knew, so there was no need to explain anything further. He divided the stack of papers into three parts, pushed two of them over, leaving only the thickest stack. He picked up a pencil from the table and hesitated over the blank space in the title.
Hayashiro recalled the scene, feeling the steel-like hardness and sword-like sharpness of that will through the words, and finally found the answer: he armored his words and sent them into battle—"The Darkest Hour." He quickly wrote in the blank space of the title.
"Sir, should we send them all?" The receptionist took the manuscript and kindly reminded him, "The text is too long; if we send them all, it will probably cost this much..."
The exorbitant price did not deter Zaobo Tiancheng. He simply waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about the money. Just follow the instructions exactly, word for word. All I need is for you to publish this article right now, immediately."
The receptionist nodded, without even checking the exact word count of the article, and deftly handed the manuscript to the staff member who had just arrived, giving instructions in a low voice. Soon, the staff member, as if facing a formidable enemy, carefully carried the stack of handwritten manuscripts to the telegraph office.
Seeing this, Hayashiro Tenjo breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then he heard the door of the telegraph office behind him being violently pushed open. A middle-aged man in a suit and glasses rushed to the reception desk, pushed Hayashiro Tenjo aside, slammed the paper in his hand on the table, and said anxiously, "Who is the fastest telegraph operator here? This telegram needs to be sent immediately."
The receptionist glanced subconsciously at Hayabusa Tenjo, who was still standing to the side. This gave the bespectacled boy an ominous feeling. He frowned and looked at Hayabusa Tenjo next to him, sensing the presence of a fellow professional.
Hayabusa Tenjo didn't say anything, but simply straightened his suit slightly, gave the man a faint smile, bowed slightly, and then left on his own initiative to find an empty seat in the waiting area with his back to the reception desk.
"If the fastest one isn't available, then we'll find the second fastest!" Hayashiro heard the sound of tapping on the table behind him, and the faint smile on his face suddenly became exaggerated.
Volume 1: Chapter 217 (Chapter 202) The Dinner and the Russian Language Lesson
The heavy, sturdy wooden door isolated the hall from the outside world. Lu Wu, who was talking with a group of high-ranking officials, was naturally unaware that the reporters outside had launched a special competition for him. He also had no idea what kind of waves these reports would cause in the international media.
After all, there was something more urgent facing Lu Wu and the officers of the Kingdom of Elgiia: to continue the implementation of Operation Garullan and completely drive the Belken devils out of Fabandi.
The price for the several hundred Belken prisoners of war transferred from Swarthburg has been agreed upon. Lu Wu used them to exchange for a large quantity of various industrial raw materials that were urgently needed at the moment. In addition, the Belken equipment captured (including the corpses of Gilahani warriors and automatic weapons, armor, etc.) had, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they had finally gathered all the raw materials to fill the equipment gap of a motorized infantry battalion in the plan.
A day has passed, and the battle lines in Fabandi have seen significant changes. Except for the western outer city, the Kingdom of Elgia has advanced half a block to the west. However, even in this western outer city, where the Kingdom's army has deployed two battalions, the biggest progress has only been capturing the outermost three-story building. But shortly after the medal ceremony began, the third floor of this building was recaptured by the counterattacking Belken. The Kingdom's army plans to retake the third floor tonight and continue their advance.
Because the 7th Brigade had withdrawn from the front lines, the Allied air force activity had also decreased, as personnel needed rest and aircraft required maintenance. However, the results of a few aerial reconnaissance missions indicated that the main force of Belken, originally tasked with pursuing the 7th Brigade, was beginning to move towards the front lines. Clearly, they did not intend to easily relinquish their occupied territory within Fabandi. If the Royal Army could not completely drive them out of the city before Belken's reinforcements arrived, both the difficulty of the assault and the casualties would increase significantly.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Elgia has assembled most of its cavalry in the war zone—including the 35th Cavalry Division, which had a brief encounter with the 7th Brigade, as well as several infantry divisions—along the newly liberated Highway 76, intending to cut off the reinforcements' connection with the front lines.
Overall, the progress of Operation Garuda is in line with the coalition's expectations.
"My friends, the battle will continue, but for now, let's enjoy our dinner. Only with sufficient nutrition can we keep our minds sharp. The battles to come will depend heavily on your brains." Rosetta raised her glass, finally ending this "pre-dinner discussion." "To victory!"
"To victory!"
Drinking can lead to trouble. Although Rosetta lifted the alcohol ban tonight, few people actually dared to drink heavily. Most only took a small sip, and those with a low alcohol tolerance even just touched their lips to the liquid before putting down their glasses.
"General Lu looks so young, about the same age as my daughter. When I was that age, I was just a regular captain," a bearded lieutenant general remarked. This man seemed to have a good relationship with Rosetta, and he was the first to speak to Lu Wu after the banquet began. Perhaps because everyone present was a soldier, and Rosetta was of common birth, there were no rules about not speaking while eating or sleeping at the banquet.
"He just looks young. I joined the army at twenty, and it's been ten years now." Lu Wu subconsciously touched his chin. Ever since he was captured and forced into slavery by the BVVD, his appearance and physical functions seemed to have been frozen at the age of twenty. There hadn't been a single change in the past ten years, and he could even perform seven times a night without breaking a sweat, just like he did ten years ago...
The news of Lu Wu being promoted to general in ten years was far more sensational than the fact that he was 30 but looked like a 20-year-old. Which of the generals present hadn't served in the military for over a decade or two to reach their current position? Such a rapid promotion was rare in peacetime. The only two plausible explanations were: first, Lu Wu had a powerful background, allowing him to rise so quickly and be deployed to distant battlefields; second, the Kingdom of Elgia itself was not entirely peaceful, providing young men like him with ample opportunities to fight and accumulate military merit to reach this rank. Considering Lu Wu's mention of the 14-year-long anti-fascist war in his speech today, they felt they had glimpsed the truth.
“I’ve read some reports submitted by my subordinates, and the tactical systems and command methods mentioned therein have left a deep impression on me,” said a general with mottled hair standing next to the bearded lieutenant general. His upper body leaned unconsciously toward Lu Wu. Lu Wu recognized this man as General Yevgeny, the commander of the Northern Steppe Cavalry Army. “Did you learn all of this at your military academy, or did you create it yourself?”
“I studied at the Anton Barannikov Military Academy for five years, and I learned most of these things there. Looking back now, those five years were the most peaceful and relaxed days of my decade,” Lu Wu sighed.
"Anton Barannikov Military Academy?" Yevgeny repeated the name, clearly very curious about the word "Comprehensive".
"Yes, it's the most prestigious military academy in our area. It's jointly established and operated by the army, navy, and air force, and has more than a dozen different branches. For example, the ones I studied at include the Armored Forces Academy, the Infantry Command Academy, and the Air Force Pilot Academy."
"Three colleges!" This answer caused a stir. If it were anyone else, these veterans would have doubted what they could learn by spending more than a year in each college. But this young man (?) had already proven his level with solid achievements.
"More than that, I'm curious about the meaning of the last sentence in that speech." Princess Rosa, now dressed in a proper suit, had been pondering this point. She awkwardly read, "Zebaibieduo?"
She even gave Lu Wu a "V" sign and waved her little hand a few times.
“За победу,” Lu Wu corrected her pronunciation. “It means ‘for victory.’ The ‘V’ sign has three meanings: one is ‘Victory,’ meaning victory; another is ‘Сила в правде,’ meaning ‘the power of truth’; and it can also be an abbreviation of ‘Задача будет выполнена’ (the mission will be accomplished).”
“Victory, the power of truth, the mission will be accomplished—the meaning of this gesture is so beautiful,” Rosetta exclaimed. He mimicked Rosa, making a “V” sign and raising his glass again: “To the friendship of Elgia and Amelia, for victory, the power of truth, and the mission will be accomplished!”
Volume 1: Chapter 218 (Chapter 203) The Battlefield of Public Opinion
After the banquet, Lu Wu and Yelena enjoyed a long-awaited, comfortable night and fell into a deep sleep in bed.
They were satisfied, but some people couldn't sleep. (Fei)
At midnight, the editor-in-chief of the *Global Times* was pulled from his wife's arms by an urgent telegram. Initially filled with anger, he quickly transformed it into anticipation upon seeing that the sender was Hayabusa Tenjo.
Hayashiro Amagi was a long-time employee of his, having provided him with many high-quality reports. While not exactly a master of social skills, he was certainly adept at navigating complex situations. He didn't think Hayashiro Amagi was the kind of reckless fool who would send urgent telegrams late at night to disturb someone's sleep.
So what happened in the Kingdom of Elgia? The Belken have already occupied Fabanti? He muttered to himself as he opened the envelope. This didn't seem like anything to make a fuss about; at most, it would just be a headline. Rather, it was more accurate to say that the Elgia, who had been performing poorly since the start of the war, had withstood the unstoppable advance of the Belken. If they were to launch a localized counter-offensive, it would generate even more buzz.
The contents of the telegram far exceeded his expectations, almost making him jump out of his skin—the Belken had not only failed to capture Fabanti, but had even been pushed back! For the first time in the history of the Elgian royal family, the "Medal of Special Contribution" was awarded to foreigners, and in batches at that! Even more significant, of course, was the first public speech given by an Amelian!
He smelled the scent of money.
The editor-in-chief, who was hurriedly putting on his clothes, naturally woke up his wife in bed.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"There's breaking news, I have to go back to the company," he explained hastily.
He turned on the living room light, took out the leather-bound notebook, and dialed the phone numbers recorded inside one by one. He wanted to wake up everyone at the printing factory so that they could release the extra edition as soon as possible.
The typesetting workers who were temporarily called in to work overtime didn't have much resentment on their faces. This printing factory had been cooperating with the "Global Times" for so many years, and naturally knew that the "Global Times" would not treat these workers who worked overtime at night unfairly.
At one o'clock in the morning, the printing plant quickly came alive with lights, and the massive machines began to run. Skilled workers swiftly selected the type blocks needed from Hayashiro's manuscript, laid out the layout, and after the sample passed proofreading and approval, the entire sheet of newsprint was placed on the machine. The type blocks, already coated with ink, came into contact with the pristine white newsprint under the mechanical drive, printing line after line of text onto the paper. The ink on the newspaper quickly dried. The workers removed the entire sheet of newspaper, and with the rise and fall of the guillotine cutter, a four-page special edition was born.
At six o'clock, just as dawn was breaking in Oregon, the capital of Sion, thousands of copies of the first edition of the special edition of the newspaper had already been distributed to hundreds of newspaper deliverymen.
At seven o'clock, while most company employees had just gotten out of bed and finished washing up, the rolled-up special edition was thrown into subscribers' gardens by the newspaper deliveryman and stuffed into their living rooms through dog holes.
"Breaking news! Breaking news! The army of the Kingdom of Elgia has decisively defeated the army of the Belken Empire! The Faban defense line has launched a full-scale counter-offensive!" Newsboys running along the street waved newspapers that were still warm and smelled of fresh ink, their mailbags full of newspapers bouncing behind them.
Not only in Orede, but almost every newspaper that participated in the award ceremony did the same thing.
As the news spread, the battle for public opinion finally began. What is "fascism"? The crimes committed by the Belken in the Kingdom of Elgia? The almost official alliance between Elgia and Emelia? How did the Elgians and Emelians thwart the Belken's attack?… Every point attracted the attention and discussion of politicians, military strategists, and even ordinary citizens. Many began to question the legitimacy of the Belken's reasons for starting the war.
On this invisible battlefield, the Belken were on the defensive – they were almost the last to learn the details of the awarding ceremony, and it wasn't until three days later that the news reached the Belken Empire, putting them in an extremely passive position.
However, they also responded immediately upon receiving the news: they firmly denied that "the Belken Empire had committed numerous crimes against humanity in the occupied territories," claiming that the massacres that occurred on the borders of Elgeia were fabricated, or even staged by the Elgeia royal family, and that "the local residents had long suffered under the tyranny of the Elgeia royal family, and upon hearing that the Belken Empire's army had arrived, they all welcomed the royal army with food and drink." They even published a harmonious photo in the Imperial Daily showing Belken soldiers and Elgeia civilians living together happily in the occupied territories.
They also appealed to the international community not to be deceived by the lies of the Egyptian royal family, who have gone to great lengths to gain international sympathy. Any normal person with independent thinking should stand on Belken's side, on the side of justice.
Princess Sorosa's propaganda machine would not allow the Belkens to smear her. Kelly, whom the 7th Brigade had rescued in Swobella, was a survivor of a massacre, making him the perfect witness to accuse the Belkens.
Q. Suddenly, a fierce verbal battle erupted between the Belken and Elgian people in third-party newspapers, with both sides exchanging blows. But for the neighboring countries of the Belken Empire and the Elgian Kingdom, it had little impact—those who were going to take sides had already done so, how could they be easily swayed by a few articles in the newspapers? The conflicting reports, at most, became weapons for the opposition party to attack the government.
Until the official mouthpiece of the Siens Federation, the Siens News, published a press release. The article appeared neutral, calling on both sides to stop the war, but between the lines it actually targeted the Kingdom of Elgia, questioning the authenticity of its news reports. Finally, it announced a halt to the import of foreign trade products from Elgia and Belken, to prevent foreign exchange from being used for the war and causing greater harm to civilians. Everyone knows that the Kingdom of Elgia has a developed manufacturing industry, and its export business has always been a major pillar of its national economy. The Belken Empire, on the other hand, is different. With limited resources, it relies more on importing resources to maintain the operation of the country and society than on exporting products to earn foreign exchange.
The shameless actions of the N-Siens Federation were practically announcing to everyone that it was taking sides. At the same time, another major power in the East expressed a completely opposite attitude—Donghuang announced an embargo against the Belken Empire.
Volume 1: Chapter 219 (Chapter 204) - Rest and Reorganization
Despite Donghuang's announcement of an embargo against the Belken Empire, Lu Wu felt little excitement or joy, as the effects wouldn't immediately manifest on the battlefields of the Kingdom of Elgia. He sensed that Donghuang's decision was partly to antagonize their old rival, the Xins Federation, and partly due to some agreement reached with the Elgia royal family; only a small part was truly because of the Belken Empire's inhumane acts within Elgia's borders.
After all, the systems of these major powers on the continent of Ense have already shown that their establishment, development, and growth were not exactly clean. They all have their own problems, and it's just a matter of who cleans their mess the worst.
Therefore, Lu Wu believed that this embargo, which might be based on some kind of exchange of interests, was not very reliable. He pessimistically thought that if the Kingdom of Elgia suffered a defeat on the battlefield, the embargo might become a mere formality.
Therefore, one must be strong to succeed. Only by ensuring that one's military strength is strong enough and has sufficient advantages can one take the initiative in all aspects.
After the medal awarding ceremony, the 7th Independent Guard Brigade stayed at the Imperial Guard's barracks for three days to rest and recuperate.
The transition from Svorbella to Fabandi, and then to Operation Garullan, was almost seamless, placing a tremendous strain on their equipment. Without proper inspection and maintenance, problems could arise in the next battle. The various spare parts in the Alpha base warehouse supported this maintenance effort.
Over the course of those three days, the Imperial Guard's base was filled with all sorts of junk (not really), tanks, armored vehicles, and helicopters completely dismantled. Many parts were either utterly destroyed by the vehicle crews or on the verge of collapse; all of these had to be scrapped and replaced. This junk was all loaded onto trucks and transported back to Swobella for recycling—although they were no longer functional, the metal materials inside could still be put to good use. After being refined in the Mother Base's industrial area, they would return to the 7th Brigade soldiers in a new form.
The system has also completed the recent combat settlement for the 7th Brigade. This provides Lu Wu with ample resources and funds to continue adjusting and improving the organization of the 7th Brigade. The combat report he had previously written has been completed with Yelena's assistance and has been refined and approved in the brigade headquarters' discussions, providing support for the subsequent reorganization.
As the report states, apart from Spetznaz, the reconnaissance company, airborne battalion, and other units equipped with helicopters have all split their personnel and helicopters. 15 Mi-8MTVs, 8 Mi-4AVs, and 6 Mi-24Vs have been formed into three helicopter squadrons. This independent army aviation brigade, capable of performing transport and ground attack missions, is directly commanded by the brigade headquarters.
The squad organization of the airborne troops naturally had to change accordingly.
The development priority of the 2S3M "Acacia" was postponed, and the BMD-1, BTR-D and 2S9 were prioritized. Although the large equipment gaps could not be filled so quickly, the organization of the airborne troops was designed entirely around these three armored vehicles.