Counterfeit Hero

Gallipalan, Temporary Presidential Mansion.

With a gentle sound, two six-meter-tall arched relief wooden doors were pushed open by the guards standing on either side.

Commander of the Newton Local Fleet, Vice Admiral Markey, strode into the room.

The spacious room was well-lit. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting patches of gold on the white walls. A single piece of red and white-patterned Casmar Cashmere Carpet covered the entire room, which spanned an area of five hundred square meters.

At the other end of the carpet, President Flavio stood quietly beside the filing cabinet.

”What did Fiscella say?” Flavio’s voice echoed under the high dome.

”Mr. President.” Markey, his hair slightly graying, walked up to Flavio, stood at attention, saluted, glanced at the now-closed doors, and replied, ”Fiscella refused to accept our Command Department’s suggestion.”

Flavio nodded. This outcome did not surprise him.

He snorted coldly, placed the folder in his hand into the filing cabinet, turned, walked to the sofa, and while gesturing for Markey to sit, asked, ”Does he not realize that our suggestion is also the opinion of the Supreme Command of the Alliance forces?”

”On this point, I’m afraid he understands very well.” Markey removed his military hat and sat down: ”However, he has enough reason to refuse to strike at the Leray Central Star System.”

”Let’s hear it.” Flavio gritted his teeth.

”The Supreme Command Department issued combat guidance,” Markey said bluntly: ”To have Fiscella attack the Leray Central Star System Jump Point, to pin down the Central Star Domain and the Bermuda Western Alliance, creating conditions for the Feiyang 19th Group Fleet to control the Saleria Longbow Star System, is not a mandatory combat order. Fiscella can completely decide based on his judgment whether to carry it out.”

”His judgment?” Flavio’s mustache bristled with anger: ”The matter is clear; can his judgment differ from ours?”

Markey placed his hat on the sofa armrest and shook his head: ”He does not agree with our Command Department’s assessment. He believes that after the arrival of Binart Empire’s Feiling and Feiyu Royal Elephant-class Fleets and Desic’s 5th Group Fleet in the Leray Central Star Domain, Douglas’s strategic plan to control the Longbow Star System has, in fact, already failed. Under these circumstances of enemy superiority and our inferiority, he opposes deploying the already insufficient forces of the Southeast Allied Army.”

”Short-sighted!” Flavio snorted angrily: ”Does he think that if the 19th Group Fleet is annihilated and the Southeast Main Channel falls back into Western Alliance’s hands, we can still hold the Newton Jump Point for the rest of the war?!”

”Perhaps we can’t.” Markey said in a deep voice: ”However, he can!”

Flavio was stunned, then quickly realized, his face turning pale.

Currently, the Fei Alliance’s strength in the Southeast primarily concentrates in the Newton and Galileo Star Systems of Leray, the Little Pyrenees Star System of the Gazalin Empire, the Knevel Four Nations Alliance, and within an area shaped like the Big Dipper composed of the Tatania Freedom Alliance and the Puditok Federation.

Tatania and Puditok have been engaged in combat with the Desic Empire since the war began. Although individually, these two Fei Alliance member countries aren’t much stronger than the Leray Federation before the war, they are not at a disadvantage against Desic either.

Historically, Tatania and Puditok have been inseparable entities. Although nominally two countries, economically, they enforce zero-tariff policies mutually, and militarily, they possess over a hundred joint military bases, research, manufacture, and use the same weapons. In education, their citizens can freely choose schools in the other country. Politically, their parties form alliances to jointly contend in elections.

What difference is there between these two countries and a single country?!

Moreover, in terms of national power and territorial area, though Desic can rank among the top ten powers, this aging empire has long lost the prestige of overthrowing the Nademick Dynasty and dominating a region. Even within Western Alliance, numerous small and medium empires look down on the Desic Empire. Their royal family, their aristocracy, and even their military exude a decaying air from their very bones.

In the Leray National Defense War, Desic once dispatched forces to the Gazalin Empire and Leray Federation, but despite their massive fleet and army’s efforts, they ultimately returned empty-handed, achieving nothing.

Hence, currently, the most stable region in the Southeast Star Domain is Tatania and Puditok.

The war has been raging so long, and yet hostilities are confined to the borders shared with Desic. Even if Jiepeng and Suss disregard the Southeast Main Channel and the Chuckna Republic and send troops to support Desic, it wouldn’t be easy to overcome these two inseparable Fei Alliance member countries.

As the Supreme Commander of the Southeast Battle Zone of the Fei Alliance, Tatania and Puditok are Fiscella’s greatest reliance!

Moreover, he also holds the Knevel Four Nations Alliance in his hand!

The Knevel Four Nations Alliance consists of the Knevel Republic, the Nasai Republic, the Bachela Republic, and the Tansla Republic. Among these, except for the Knevel Republic being relatively larger, the other three together only possess two Immigration Planets. Bachela and Tansla Republics are located on the same Immigration Planet. In terms of military strength, these four countries combined equate to only about 40% of the Leray Federation before the war. However, they have two advantages: the war hasn’t much impacted them yet, and they own an interstellar route to the Feiyang Republic.