Counterfeit Hero

”Not yet.” Mihailovich shook his gray, hair-covered head and sighed, ”Although Chuckna has reached a consensus with us, the formation of the Allied forces is not going smoothly. General Bernadotte believes that Chuckna is still observing; they don’t want to take things into their own hands right now. They want to see the attitude of the Feiyang Republic.”

”When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold! They should understand this principle!” Vice Admiral Fei Ouwen frowned, ”Once the Leray Channel is occupied by the Western Alliance, the Binart Empire, the Naga Federation, the Desic Empire, the Jiepeng Empire, and the Suss Empire will immediately form a line! The redeployment and commitment of forces will be far more aggressive and mobile than now. How can they not understand?”

”Don’t understand?” Russell, who had been silent all this time, sighed lightly and said in a low voice, ”How could they not understand? They are merely acting with impunity.”

There was a moment of silence in the conference room. After countless analyses, everyone present already knew the plans of the Chuckna Republic. The negotiations between Bernadotte, the Vice President, and the Chuckna Republic confirmed this point.

The Chuckna people think that once the Southeast Passage is opened, the Western Alliance will not concentrate its main force on attacking Chuckna. Instead, to control the insatiable greed of Suss and Jiepeng, Sobel will redeploy Southeast forces to the central region to fight a decisive battle with Feiyang at the Karsdon Star River.

By then, Chuckna will make an all-out effort to help Feiyang defeat Binart, and gain maximum benefits in the already weakened Southeast Star Domain.

Fei Ouwen only felt a bitterness in the corners of his mouth, ”Has Chuckna ever considered what if the Fei Alliance were to lose at Karsdon because of this? Then, how could they possibly escape from the ruin? Moreover, are they so certain that the Western Alliance will not launch an attack on them from the east?”

Russell said indifferently, ”The Chuckna people are inherently gamblers. They are never afraid to gamble, and the more we are afraid to gamble, the more they desperately place their bets. This is the nature of their nation. More importantly, this nation fears nothing more than war! When it comes to dealing with war, no other nation can compare to the Chuckna people.”

”Striking late but hard has been a characteristic of Chuckna in every war.” Mihailovich interjected, ”From the era of the Earth Federation till now, if you look at all the wars, you will find that Chuckna is not formidable unless driven to a dead end. This nation has an incredibly strong capacity for tolerance and endurance; they are more adept at using their unique culture to assimilate other nations over the span of thousands of years, engulfing and merging them. However, once this nation reaches a life-and-death juncture, it is absolutely terrifying. No one dares provoke such a country lightly. If Sobel were a great military strategist and not a madman, I believe he would prefer to cook the frog in warm water.” (meaning to use gradual pressure rather than force)

”Under the full-scale attack of the Western Alliance Joint Forces, how much longer can we hold on?” Hamilton asked tiredly, rubbing his aching temples.

”The control platform for the new central computer has been completed. The wartime planned economy’s macro and micro control in various fields has shown great results. Currently, resource extraction efficiency has increased by 57%, and manufacturing productivity has improved by 91%. The efficiency in technological research and financial support is immeasurable.” The Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau took out a document and read: ”In summary, from the current situation, even if we lose the Bermuda Star Domain, the domestic GDP has not decreased. Compared to the same day last year, it has actually increased by nearly five percent. Major shipyards have temporarily overcome the shortage of raw materials and are operating at full capacity. A total of 163 warships of various sizes are under construction, including three Titan-class aircraft carriers. Economically, we can hold on for at least another six months.”

Hamilton breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Russell. Russell deliberated and said, ”Due to the timely replenishment of vessels, the 1st, 4th, and 9th Mixed Fleets have regained combat capability. Along with the newly formed 15th and 16th Fleets and the returning Bermuda Local Fleet, we have a total of sixteen mixed fleets for defensive operations. However, the supplementing of personnel has become very difficult. Many of the new crew members only have experience operating commercial ships, and we face significant challenges defending both the Galileo Star System, Newton Star System, and the Central Leray Star Domain. Considering our army’s scale, if the Jump Point falls, we won’t hold out for two months.”

”Two months.” Hamilton muttered to himself. He knew the current situation of the Army. Since the war began, both the Federation Army and the Federation Air Force Aviation Marine Corps’ ground forces have almost completely cycled through their troop formations. Units have been disbanded and rebuilt in batches, soldiers have marched out of the training camps in waves, heroically giving their lives on the battlefield. If the war continues at this intensity, it won’t take long before Leray will have no soldiers left to fight.

”The ’Divine’ design Tian Xingjian brought back has been fully assimilated. The newly developed Mecha has been equipped to the ’Seed’ units. Currently, production is being expedited, and within a month, the Army’s 1st, 3rd, and 3rd Armored Division of the Aviation Marine Corps can be equipped. At that time, the combat capability of the Army will multiply.” Mihailovich smiled and said to Hamilton. He knew that this was the kind of good news that the overwhelmed President most wanted to hear.