CHAPTER 415: 0413 HERO [THIS CHAPTER IS SPONSORED BY ALL READERS - 11/11]

Early in the morning, intelligence about the land battleship was placed on the desks of various countries.

Actually, everyone knows that Gafura is researching secret army equipment. Their navy is indeed very powerful, but the army...

So countries have long had some reports and conjectures about Gafura’s research on secret army equipment, and have also dispatched some spies. The intelligence obtained mostly contains similar content—a land battleship.

The invincible fleet of the Gafurans makes them want to move the whole set of naval theories to land, but this idea is very laughable. Someone even remarked in private that if the Gafurans could sail their ships onto land, he would swallow Emperor Gafura’s excrement.

More than a year passed, and suddenly the land battleship project, which had no news, suddenly leapt through time and appeared before people, which made them... astonished.

As Gafura’s largest current partner and also the strongest adversary, the Federation naturally fully focuses on some military changes of Gafura.

Early in the morning, some related content was first sent back domestically via telegram. The military experts of the Ministry of Defense, through these detailed descriptions, had some art students recreate the appearance of the land battleship on paper.

"A terrifying, twisted, and hideous war machine!"

At an internal meeting of the Ministry of Defense, the Minister of Defense slapped the sketch on the table with his hand. His expression was very solemn, "Why didn’t we have any further information before this?"

His voice got louder, "Now we are very passive!"

Anyone who sees this sketch of the steel beast will be very shocked. The Gafurans really moved their battleships to land.

Of course, due to some inaccuracies in the descriptions, the sketches currently held by the Ministry of Defense and the artillery train on them are much larger in size than the actual train.

Designers from important domestic military industrial groups also attended the meeting. They looked at the sketches and whispered among themselves.

The people from the Military Equipment Committee of the military quickly expressed different opinions upon seeing these sketches, "They just look good, Mr. Minister, there is no need to scare yourself, nor us."

The Minister of Defense’s brow was always furrowed. At this moment, being rebutted did not show whether he was even more angry than before. He looked at the two officers with some confusion and asked, "They just look good?"

Before the officers from the Military Equipment Committee could respond, a designer from the military industrial company answered the question first, "Yes, Mr. Minister, we have simply calculated based on this somewhat imprecise sketch. Such a military machine has considerable requirements for the load-bearing capacity of the roadbed."

"Firstly, it is not suitable for every place. Secondly, its reliance on the rails is itself a fatal flaw. It is indeed difficult for us to destroy such a train from the front, but to destroy the tracks, we only need one howitzer!"

The designer spoke very correctly, these are indeed the biggest drawbacks of this land battleship. Once the track is destroyed, it has no great value other than being passively beaten on the spot.

Compared to the Minister of Defense’s alarm, the designers of military industrial enterprises were rather relaxed. They even felt that the lack of further news about this project over the past year was not because the Gafurans hid it well, but because they should almost have given up.

Too many limitations render this war machine’s practical uses small, and there is no need to mass-produce it to send to the front line to become wreckage.

The Minister of Defense was not so relaxed, and he raised a new issue, "What if they can quickly repair the damaged railway?"

The military people then said, "Then we will make it impossible for them to repair the railway!"

The atmosphere in the room quickly lightened up. It had too many drawbacks, but it could not be denied that it also had some advantages, such as the pressure it brought on the front battlefield.

If there were three or five of these things appearing simultaneously on the front battlefield, they would definitely become the enemy’s nightmare. But fortunately, its limitations were too many, one of them being that it must stop on the track.

Tracks are not the ocean, they cannot go wherever they want, so the threat it poses is greatly reduced.

The subsequent discussions became more relaxed to the extent that people began talking about how to strengthen and improve this war machine...

"Mr. Minister..."

While everyone was enthusiastically discussing, an official stood at the door, and after speaking a few words with the Minister of Defense, quickly left, and the Minister of Defense also excused himself and left.

The Commander-in-Chief of the fleet executing the suppression order and the Navy captains had returned to report on their duties.

They had just gotten off the train, and the entire Bupen station was packed to the brim. When the Commander-in-Chief and the captains appeared before the public, the entire station was nearly lifted off its roof by the uproarious cheers!

The cheers soared to the sky, and finally, the chaotic shouts became unified and orderly, "Long live the Federation!"

Simple, powerful, no words could be stronger at this moment than this sentence.

Standing on the steps outside the station, looking at the dense crowd, the Commander’s eyes were a bit moist. He looked at these people and said to the people beside him, "I always feel that we missed a great rise. If we could have joined that war more actively, would our current, and the world’s, situation be another scene?"

"But fortunately, although we lost one opportunity, we seized another. Take a look, we are stronger and mightier than we thought!"

The Commander-in-Chief’s words made his deputy extremely elated, "This is your credit, all this glory belongs to you, Commander!"

"No..." The Commander-in-Chief shook his head; he stepped forward and descended the steps, "This moment belongs to the Federation!"

Because there were too many enthusiastic citizens, the journey for the fleet’s captains to the Ministry of Defense was "extended" by quite a bit. People expressed their enthusiastic feelings at the roadside, and all of this was reported truthfully.

At the same time, this also posed some trouble for the Minister of Defense. How should he deal with the Commander?

In a sense, this annihilation-style naval battle directly shattered Gafura’s hegemony at sea and won the Federation actual control over the entire East Ocean. The Commander is a great hero of the Federation.

But no matter how you put it, how you cover up, there is a problem in it.

That is, the fleet commander issued the extermination order after the Gafurans raised the white flag and surrendered. First, he violated the strategic plan stipulated by the Ministry of Defense. Secondly, what he did was very inhumane. Finally, and most importantly, his decision directly pushed the relationship between Gafura and the Federation to an unknown place.

If a war starts because of this, then he is a sinner, and countless people will die because of him.

Now, his success, he is hailed as a hero, but that is based on Emperor Gafura being able to rationally view the relationship between the two countries.

If that were a madman, crazy like some of his ancestors, with flames of war, the current Fleet Commander would no longer be a hero.

The future of the country cannot be gambled on an unplanned idea. The result of the Ministry of Defense’s internal discussions is to relieve him of his position as Fleet Commander and his Vice Admiral rank and then consider shelving him for a while.

After all, Gafura people are still watching, and the Federation here cannot directly elevate him as a national hero, which would only heighten the conflict with Gafura.

But, he’s too popular, sometimes public opinion also makes people feel thorny.

After a long wait, a group of people finally arrived at the Ministry of Defense and met with the Minister of Defense at the gate.

In fact, not only the wandering ordinary people outside had almost fanatical worship for this Commander; some young girls and lads inside the Ministry of Defense also rushed over to get a closer look at what a hero was like.

The Commander walked forward and shook hands with the Minister of Defense, "Are you going to put handcuffs on me?"

The Minister of Defense rolled his eyes and shook his arm vigorously a few times, "You don’t know how passive you’ve made us. Starting this morning, Gafura’s diplomatic envoy has been waiting outside the President’s Mansion. He is waiting for you to return and waiting for a message!"

Watching the commander’s itinerary were not only the people of the Ministry of Defense, Gafura’s diplomatic envoy was also watching. Anyway, Gafura’s losses cannot be concealed.

Even if they didn’t admit it, the Federation also didn’t admit it, would so many military observers have seen a fantasy?

So, the Federation must give Gafura an explanation, even if only on the surface. The Federation has to give them an explanation.

The Emperor of Gafura needs some people to shut up. If they don’t give him a dignified opportunity to admit his defeat, some problems will become quite troublesome.

The Commander does not know the back-and-forth wrestling behind these things, nor does he lazy himself to think about it. Now he just wants a long vacation.

"Whatever the outcome, let me know first. I don’t want to be sent to the execution ground without any clarity!" He joked. He seemed to be joking, but he was indeed ready to face the execution ground.

The Minister of Defense shook his head; he let go and let out a long breath, "You are too exaggerating, and we are not as incompetent as you think. We have never had the tradition of selling out colleagues to seek peace, but you may lose your job..."

The two stared at each other for a moment, one trying to convey sincerity, and the other trying to determine the truth.

Seven or eight seconds later, as they were about to release their hands, the Minister of Defense leaned forward slightly and said in a low voice, "Welcome home..."

Next, the soldiers of the Ministry of Defense shook hands with the Commander excitedly, saying roughly similar things to express their inner excitement.

Today is a good day, with clear skies.