Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 982: Chapter 24 Victory_2

Wang Zhong: “Is the Commander of the Federation Air Force called Curtis LeMay?”

“Yes, that’s his name.”

Wang Zhong: “I met him once. At the time, he was with the Commander of the Eighth Air Force. He’s a tough and ruthless character. So now he’s been sent to fight the Empire of Fusang?”

Vasily: “You seem very eager to attack the Empire of Fusang?”

“Of course, but there are still some loose ends to tie up here. It must be finished first.” Wang Zhong glanced eastward. “Otherwise, I would’ve already rushed off to the distant Orient.”

————

January 9, Palace of Carefree.

The unconditional surrender ceremony of the Empire of Prosen.

The Celtic Marshal of the Empire of Prosen stopped in his tracks upon seeing Wang Zhong, sizing him up.

Celtic Marshal: “At first glance, it’s clear you’re a formidable general. No wonder you managed to decimate so much of our army.”

Wang Zhong: “How many armies I destroyed doesn’t seem to have much to do with my appearance, does it?”

“That’s true.” The elderly Marshal, well past his seventies, saluted the young Wang Zhong. “Times have indeed changed. We old relics can no longer adapt to modern warfare.”

Wang Zhong returned the salute and then turned to the Ceremonial Officer. “What other formalities are there? Let’s move quickly.”

For the next twenty minutes, Wang Zhong was nearly drowned in an avalanche of diplomatic rhetoric.

Finally, the moment of signing arrived. The Celtic Marshal, seated beside Wang Zhong, sighed as he looked at the unconditional surrender agreement and signed his name.

Wang Zhong also signed his name on the agreement, representing the Ante Empire’s acceptance of Prosen’s unconditional surrender.

General Eck of the Federation signed next, followed by Marshal Margo of the United Kingdom, and then two representatives of Melania.

The reason Melania had two representatives was because it currently had two governments—one was the Government in Exile in the United Kingdom, and the other represented a secular state established by followers of the Secular faction.

Both representatives ignored each other’s presence as they signed the surrender agreement.

The process proceeded quickly. Once all the representatives had signed, the artillery units commenced a ceremonial gun salute.

As the salutes rang out, attendants brought out wine.

Admiral Little John, holding a wine glass, approached Wang Zhong. “Can you tell me how you defeated the Prosen Army? Even we struggled so much just to deal with their second-line troops.”

Wang Zhong took a sip of wine and said, “The answer is courage, sacrifice, and a little bit of modern art of war.”

The Admiral raised his glass. “To the art of war!”

Wang Zhong: “To courage and sacrifice!”

After both drained their glasses, Wang Zhong asked, “Why hasn’t Admiral Tom come?”

General Eck responded to Wang Zhong: “He’s busy commanding the Mixed Special Task Fleet. Right now, he’s probably patrolling near the Empire of Fusang’s coastline, bombarding enemy military installations and rescuing bomber pilots who’ve been shot down.”

“By the way, Marshal, when will you begin your offensive?”

Wang Zhong: “By February 26, we will have completed all preparations. At that time, elite Imperial Guard units will show the Empire of Fusang our might. We estimate it will take 18 days to crush Fusang’s forces outside the Ceres Pass and seize Guoshan.”

“Then, we will use paratroopers to take Tsushima Island, clearing the way for the landing on Fusang’s mainland. After that, it will depend on you to transport our troops and the troops of Ceres to the island.”

Admiral Little John: “The Navy will get it done. But for now, let us toast to victory!”

General Eck also raised his glass high. “To victory!”

Wang Zhong: “To victory!”

————

January 10, Palace of Carefree.

At the front gate, Wang Zhong shook President Old Ro’s hand. “Mr. President, I heard your health is poor. Asking you to attend this meeting despite your illness—I’m truly sorry.”

President Old Ro: “There’s no need to apologize. This meeting is extremely important. I have a feeling it could influence the future global order.”

At this moment, Leonard and General Degaulle from Free Carolingian entered the hall.

Upon hearing Old Ro’s words, Leonard remarked, “For example, this meeting will decide whether to launch a landing on the Empire of Fusang’s mainland. I’ve heard that in the island battles, the enemy has shown an infuriating level of resilience, causing massive casualties among Federation soldiers.

“I think we should avoid landing. Let’s use the Federation’s new weapon to force them to surrender!”

Wang Zhong: “No, if they become the first nation in human history to suffer a nuclear weapon attack, they’ll quickly use that to overshadow the fact that they started this war—to bury their atrocities.

“No, we cannot drop nuclear weapons on the Empire of Fusang. We cannot give those shameless scoundrels an opportunity to twist the truth. We must nail them to the pillar of shame.”

Leonard turned to look at General Degaulle.

Evidently, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister considered himself Degaulle’s benefactor—without his persistence, Degaulle wouldn’t have been allowed to appear here, or so he believed.

General Degaulle, however, looked at Wang Zhong and said, “I agree. We should not give the enemy an excuse to rewrite history. Free Carolingian is willing to contribute troops for the landing, to help completely eradicate the Empire of Fusang.”

Leonard widened his eyes, glaring intensely at Degaulle.

Just then, a confidential secretary hurried into the hall and whispered something into Leonard’s ear.

Leonard was dumbfounded. “What? How could they arrest my Prime Minister while I’m here negotiating on behalf of the Empire? Is that even legal?”

Confidential Secretary: “It should be legal. If not, the Supreme Court can simply issue an interpretation to make it so.”

Leonard: “But… then who will fight for the Empire’s interests?”

Confidential Secretary: “A new negotiator will arrive by plane tomorrow.”

Leonard stood frozen, dumbstruck. When a server passed by, he grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he looked at Wang Zhong, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, gave up. Turning, he walked toward the recently crossed doorway.

Wang Zhong’s orderly immediately fetched Leonard’s hat and coat, handing them to the now “former” Prime Minister.

The ex-Prime Minister looked back at Wang Zhong one last time. Then, he put on his coat, donned his hat, and walked out into the softly falling snow.

At that moment, the flash of a camera lit up, and reporters Mike and photographer Robert Capa, two of Wang Zhong’s old acquaintances, entered the hall.

Mike: “What did you say to the Prime Minister?”

Wang Zhong: “Nothing. Just let him know he’s now the former Prime Minister.”

“Really?” Mike’s eyes widened but then shrugged. “Never mind, no need to answer; Leonard’s face said it all. I’ll leave it to my old partner.”

Robert Capa nodded. “Leave it to me.”

At this moment, President Old Ro urged from his wheelchair, “Alright, the pleasantries have gone on long enough. Let’s proceed to the meeting room and continue discussing the terms of the joint communiqué!”

Wang Zhong: “I maintain my stance. We need to present conditions that the Emperor of Fusang absolutely cannot accept. That way, we ensure a landing; otherwise, if they suddenly surrender, then the Ceres people won’t even have a chance to avenge themselves!”

————

Meanwhile, as the joint communiqué regarding the Empire of Fusang was being intensely crafted inside the Palace of Carefree, in East Styria…

“Andreas” disembarked from the train, raising his head to take in the unfamiliar station.

He didn’t recognize it at all—after all, he had never been here before.

He pulled out a letter sent to him, containing photos labeled “sister” and “brother.”

Although “Andreas” had intended to quietly return to his “hometown,” the kind-hearted Stas had still notified his sister and brother.

He needed to remember their faces.

At that moment, someone saw the photos and exclaimed: “Are you Andrei?”

“Andreas” flinched, looking up in surprise—and sure enough, the two figures in the photos were standing there, hand in hand, looking at him.

“Uh, I…”

“Andreas” anxiously glanced at the newly-established Republic of Prosen guards patrolling the platform, and at the two black-robed priests chatting further away.

Just then, an unfamiliar woman took a step forward and gave “Andreas” a warm embrace. “You’re finally back. Welcome.”

“But I’m not…” “Andreas” murmured softly.

“It’s fine. At least tell us where he’s buried. You can stay with us until you hear news of your own family.” The “sister” said kindly.

“Andreas” was overcome with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes.

In the distance, a military band began playing, and surviving youths sang in unison: “Rising from the ruins, our great fatherland…”

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