Chapter 1405: Prologue (Part 2)

In just three sentences, Jansen Cornelius disclosed too much information.

Moreover, while the former minister spoke, there was a very peculiar smile on his face, something Fritz had never seen before.

So, Fritz decided to start with the most core issue.

“May I ask, are you recruiting me?” Fritz asked bluntly: “Sir.”

“No.”

Cornelius put away his smile, sat back in the armchair belonging to the minister, bent slightly to open the bottom drawer of the desk, and answered in a matter-of-fact tone:

“At pre-school, when an instructor asks if you want to advance your education, that’s recruiting. Now, I will only order you. When I issue an order, you have to obey it, or face a military court.”

Fritz remained silent.

“However, I prefer to employ volunteers.”

Cornelius took out a rosewood box from under the desk, resting his hand on the clasp, looking at the former student with a gaze filled with pressure:

“So, I will give you a special question.

“Answer me — assuming there is a young officer, full of enthusiasm participating in the revolution, but after the victory, is betrayed and scorned by his motherland, will he choose to bury himself in military history? Or continue to shine for his country?

“Think carefully about my question and answer cautiously. Remember, there is only one chance to submit your answer.”

“I also have a question, Sir.” Fritz remained unmoved, turning the tables: “Could you please answer mine first, then I will answer yours?”

“A question?” Cornelius asked in return.

He unfastened the clasp and lifted the lid of the rosewood box. Inside, on the velvet lining, lay an old pipe quietly.

Cornelius took out a box of tobacco from another drawer, and said without any change in expression: “Whatever you want to ask, ask them all at once.”

Fritz organized his thoughts and decided to first confirm the recent swirling rumor: “You just mentioned the ‘Southern Army’, does that mean the military has indeed decided to use the Ashen Stream River as the boundary to dispatch a strategic corps to both South Paratoo and North Paratoo?”

“That’s right.” Cornelius meticulously packed the tobacco into the pipe: “The names have already been decided, [Southern Army] and [Western Front Army], one responsible for destroying the Rainbow River Military Government, the other for reclaiming the Newly Reclaimed Land.”

“Two-front warfare?” Fritz furrowed his brow.

Upon hearing the former student’s words, a string of mocking, eerie laughter emerged from Jansen Cornelius’s throat.

He took the lamp, removed the lampshade, lit the pipe, leaned back into the armchair, crossed his arms, took a puff, then turned to look at the former student, his stern and commanding features shaded in the flickering lamplight:

“Who told you that forming two front armies simultaneously equals fighting a two-front war?”

Fritz displayed a look of confusion: “I… don’t quite understand…”

Cornelius snorted lightly: “Major, you know two-front warfare is a strategic taboo, do you think I don’t know? The other generals don’t know? The old geezers don’t know either?”

“You mean…” Fritz slowed his speech as much as possible, giving himself time to think: “Is one front army a sacrificial pawn?”

“Exactly.” Cornelius furrowed his brow, then suddenly switched to a patient and nurturing tone: “Quick, use your intelligence analysis skills and tell me, which front army is the disposable one?”

Fritz discovered — the former minister was a very impatient person.

As expected, Cornelius took a sharp pull on the pipe, then impatiently took an ashtray from one of the drawers, tapping it forcefully, but suddenly stopped in mid-air.

The next moment, he carefully tapped off the ash and meticulously placed the pipe back into the rosewood box. The change from arrogance to submission made Fritz want to laugh.

Then, Cornelius opened another drawer, took out a roll from a dozen paper scrolls, spread it out, and weighed it down with the rosewood box and crystal ashtray — it was a map of the Two Mountains Narrow Land.

Watching the former minister accurately take out various items from different drawers, Fritz couldn’t help but be curious about what else was inside this carved desk in front of him.

The former minister pointed on the map: “This is the Mountain Front Territory, this is North Paratoo, and this is South Paratoo…”

In fact, even without guidance, Fritz could understand it.

He carefully observed the map before him — not large in size, but very detailed, not only showing the main mountains, rivers, and roads of Two Mountains Narrow Land but also marking many ruins and locations of ancient battlefields.

It seemed the cartographer had done his best to make the map information more accurate and rich.

But Fritz still immediately noticed several errors: cities not in their correct positions, non-existent coastlines, and the proportions of Paratoo and The Federated Provinces were incorrect as well.

Considering the material and color of the map, it was evidently an old map, already outdated.

“Come, cadet, listen well.”

Cornelius demanded an answer from Fritz without allowing for refusal:

“I will not ask you what the disadvantages of the Southern Army are, or the advantages of the Western Front Army, those are obvious — the Ashen Stream River lies right there, only the blind and the foolish can’t see it.

“What I want to ask you is — what are the disadvantages of the Western Front Army? And what are the advantages of the Southern Army?

“Come, answer me.”

The former minister’s question was so abrupt that Fritz took some time to catch up.

However, it only took him a little while, and he quickly began to speak, initially hesitant, but the more he spoke, the more fluent he became:

“The disadvantage of the Western Front Army is… although the border between Mountain Front Territory and North Paratoo has almost no natural fortifications, the further into North Paratoo you go, the higher the terrain becomes and the more inconvenient the transportation becomes. As you advance further, supplies become increasingly difficult to support…