Counterfeit Hero

These Salerias will never understand that the flowers blooming in the cold mountains, in the harshest of crevices, are far more beautiful than those in greenhouses and plains. Therefore, they will never understand what true art is!

”General Ulianov, this is the latest military intelligence report from the Southeastern Joint Military Operations Department.”

The words of Gershkov, Deputy Commander of the Suss Southeast Group Army, interrupted Ulianov’s appreciation of the mural.

He turned, took the electronic folder from Gershkov’s hand, input the decryption code, and read while walking towards his office.

”The three mixed fleets of Jiepeng, under the orders of Mikami Yuto, have already departed the Bermuda Star System and are heading towards the Blue Stone Star System. We...” Gershkov said beside Ulianov.

”Hmph!” Ulianov let out a cold snort as he walked into the office, tossing the electronic folder onto the desk, turning to sit in the wide sea-blue velvet alloy-backed chair, and closed his eyes, his temples throbbing visibly.

The news of the Jiepeng Fleet’s arrival made Ulianov furious.

At this moment, it was the critical time for Chuckna’s major counter-attack on Resk. The Suss Empire had successively deployed four additional mixed fleets, twenty-two armored divisions, and forty-five fully mechanized infantry divisions to Resk! The situation was still in a stalemate, nowhere near the point where Jiepeng needed to intervene.

The Suss and Chuckna are neighboring countries, making the reinforcement of forces very convenient. Until the end of the line is drawn, it’s uncertain who will control Rex. Mikami Yuto deploying three Jiepeng mixed fleets through the Leray Bermuda Star System into Saleria at this time clearly is not as they claimed, traveling via the Southeast Main Channel to Resk.

These Jiepeng people, before even arriving, have already spread rumors, making an issue out of the two elusive Chuckna fleets in the Freedom Channel and the Main Channel, claiming that the logistics line of the Main Channel is not secure. It is foreseeable what they plan to do once they arrive in the Blue Stone Star. They only need an excuse to co-defend the Main Channel to get a foothold in the Suss-controlled area!

Though they belong to the Western Alliance, Mikami Yuto is still the Supreme Commander of the Southeast Joint Command, yet Ulianov would never acknowledge this. Once something is in the hands of the Suss people, there’s no sharing with others!

”The Jiepeng people have long been envious of Saleria,” Gershkov said. ”When we attacked the Leray Star Domain, we intervened, preventing them from monopolizing the benefits. Now they’ve turned to the Main Channel! Who knows, right now, they might be hoping for our failure at Resk, so they have a legitimate reason to take over the Main Channel.”

The more Gershkov spoke, the more furious he became: ”Without the gateway of Resk, for the Empire to acquire benefits in the Southeast Star Domain, it must go through Jiepeng, putting a stranglehold on us... We...”

”That’s wishful thinking!” Ulianov snorted coldly: ”The Main Channel is still under our control. As long as our First and Second Fleets are anchored here, the Jiepeng people can’t just devour this place!”

He stood up, paced back and forth in front of the bookshelf, and gritted his teeth: ”As soon as the domestic reinforcement troops arrive at Resk, immediately order our fleet reinforcing Resk to withdraw back to the Main Channel, focus our forces to find and annihilate those two Chuckna fleets, and take control of the Freedom Channel. By then, I want to see what excuse Mikami Yuto has to let the Jiepeng Fleet stay here!”

Speaking of this, Ulianov angrily slapped the table: ”The idiots in the Military Department, the people they chose, are all idiots too! What Northern Commerce Alliance, just fifty mechas, and they’ve had their bases overturned! Wasting our two transport ships’ worth of military equipment in vain.”

”They’re all Free World’s thugs and hooligans, needless to say about their combat capability,” Gershkov laughed: ”I will have the Combat Department draft a plan. I estimate, with a single fleet division supported by carrier-based aircraft and an armored division, it’s enough to flatten the entire Mars Planet. It’s just a matter of time.”

”A mere skin disease,” Ulianov waved his hand: ”The two Chuckna fleets and the Jiepeng people are real threats. Go give the order.”

”Yes!”

******************************************************************

”Outrageous!”

Inside the Command Room of the ”Poseidon” aircraft carrier of the Fei Alliance Southeast Expeditionary Army, with an angry shout, several staff officers engrossed in operating the electronic sandbox shuddered and looked up, seeing Fiscella, who had originally been seated in the semicircular central command seat, leaping up in a fit of rage.

Since the first and second fleets of the Southeast Expeditionary Army merged into the Expeditionary Army Group, no one had seen Fiscella in such a furious state, not even when Leray Central Star Domain was breached, forcing the fleet to retreat through the Newton Star System back to the Galileo Star System. He had never slammed the table before.

What exactly made him so furious? What did Colonel Chuckna, who was communicating with him, say?

”Does he think my orders are a joke?” Fiscella said, glaring at the communication screen showing Cheng Zhixuan. ”Saying it’s not under his jurisdiction, that’s just an excuse! That’s outright defiance of military orders! He’s being utterly audacious!”

”General, this matter must be reported to the Supreme Command of the Fei Alliance Joint Army immediately,” Cheng Zhixuan said. ”It’s now difficult to trust the Leray people. If the exile government led by Flavio is still following the command of the Fei Alliance Joint Army, then they should ensure that their subordinates obey orders. We need to apply pressure on them. Such acts of defiance cannot be allowed to happen, as it is a poison that leads to division and failure for the Alliance.”