Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 63 General Assembly
"...Remember this shameful day! Veneta was deliberately attacked by the Tanilia Federation. Until a week ago, the ruling council was still holding talks with the Federation in an effort to maintain peace in the inland sea."

But history will prove that the Tanilia Federation had planned and orchestrated this attack meticulously. They deceived Veneta with false statements and expressions of hope for peace.

Our fleet suffered heavy losses, our naval port was burned to the ground, and many brave Venetians lost their lives.

The facts speak for themselves: the enemy has launched an attack on us. As the Regent of the Republic of Venetia, I have ordered the Army and Navy to take all necessary measures.

The sea remembers eternity, and Veneta will forever remember Taniria's undeclared war. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, I swear: no matter how long it takes, no matter how much blood is shed, even if the entire inland sea is stained red, we will uphold our justice!
Have faith in our army! Have faith in our people! God bless Veneta, and we will surely win!

I demand that the All-Veneta Citizens' Representative Assembly declare: From the moment the Tanilian Federation launched its despicable sneak attack on the Port of East Sea, the esteemed Republic of Veneta and the Tanilian Federation have officially entered a state of war.

In the center of the parliament hall, the sprightly old man slammed his fist on the podium, cracking it. He surveyed the room and declared with unwavering conviction: "The Tanilia Federation must be destroyed!"

The vast council hall was filled with citizen representatives from various city-states of Veneta who had come to Aquamarine City. A special sound-amplifying design ensured that the governor's words could be clearly heard by everyone.

Every time the governor spoke, the citizen representatives below the stage would shout in response.

As the governor finished speaking, the enraged citizen representatives all stood up, waving their fists and roaring like a tidal wave: "Destruction Alliance! Destruction Alliance..."

On the second-floor gallery, Antonio put his tricorn military cap back on, turned to Winters, and said, "Let's go, Winters. There's nothing more to see."

People without citizen representative or parliamentary status are not allowed to attend meetings in the lobby on the first floor. Therefore, the architect of the parliament hall specially designed a second-floor gallery for ordinary citizens to observe the proceedings.

"Aren't you going to watch the voting process?" Winters was momentarily stunned by the atmosphere of hundreds of members of parliament united in their indignation. "We don't even know what bill the governor is going to pass."

The others in the gallery quickly made way for the two officers, and someone even patted Winters on the shoulder and said to him, "Kill those bastard pirates from the Federation!"

Winters responded politely with a smile and followed Antonio out of the gallery.

Once outside, Antonio spoke to Winters, saying, "We don't need to know the consul's proposal; we just need to know his attitude."

Winters nodded.

“Governor Debera’s methods are still impressive,” Antonio said with a hint of emotion. “Actually, some members of Congress disagreed with linking Drake’s attack to the Tanilia Federation, but Debera directly convened a general assembly of all citizens’ representatives. Given the atmosphere in the parliament hall now, I think even the largest war budget could be easily passed with three votes.”

“How could Drake, a pirate captain, possibly organize such a sneak attack? The Federation must be supporting him behind the scenes.” Winters asked, puzzled. “But I don’t understand why the Federation would dare to provoke us first. We were the ones who wanted to attack them, but they struck first. Don’t the Tanilians think that by destroying the Venetia Navy, we can’t retaliate against them?”

António raised an eyebrow and lectured, “Don’t treat the Federation as a whole, just as you wouldn’t treat Veneta as a whole. Don’t consider the Tanilians’ thoughts; the hope for a peaceful resolution is gone, only war remains. And our duty is to win this war for Veneta… Are you getting used to working under Contaire?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Contel… I feel he’s been a bit too lenient with me. He put several of us trainee officers into his chief hundred-man squad, so we basically have nothing to do,” Winters said somewhat embarrassedly.

Lieutenant Colonel Contair is in charge of the Third Army's Prima Battalion. The Third Army normally operates at half strength, but after the attack on East Harbor, it was quickly replenished to full strength with reserve soldiers and is currently undergoing intensive training at the West Camp. However, Winters is currently on probation in the regular army and is not busy.

"Talk less, do more, and observe more." Antonio reached out to straighten Winters' military cap and patted him on the back. "Some people will fawn over you, and some people will despise you, but it doesn't really matter. Just do your duty."

Winters nodded silently.

He understood that if he denied the help his family had provided, he would be simply being hypocritical; if he and Benway switched places, Benway might not necessarily do better than him, but he certainly couldn't have started working at the docks to support his family like Benway did in his teens, nor could he have done what Bud did—that's why he respected Benway and Bud.

However, he still wanted to avoid accusations of nepotism, so Winters originally wanted to go to the reserve corps with Lieutenant Colonel Field, but António took him to "Grand Veneta". Although few people knew about the relationship between Warrant Officer Montagne and the corps commander, it still made Winters somewhat uncomfortable.

Antonio was trying to comfort Winters and tell him how he should handle the situation: "Do your duty."

The two rode their horses from the council hall back home. As they approached their doorstep, Antonio casually remarked, "The navy is clearing the coastal waters. Once they've cleared the shipping lanes, the Third Army will launch its attack. Be prepared, and get everything else settled."

"What? You're sending troops so soon?" Winters suddenly became alert. "This is too hasty. Warships, gunpowder, cannonballs, food... are we ready?"

“We’re not ready, but we have to respond.” Antonio gave a wry smile. “The people’s anger is a fire that can burn both the enemy and ourselves. If we don’t fight back when we’re attacked, public opinion will crush the government. The ruling council desperately needs a victory to establish its authority.”

"A monarch cannot start a war out of anger, and a general cannot launch an attack out of resentment. This is reckless, and you should resolutely oppose such reckless orders!"

“I’ve also read *The Art of War: The Fiery Chapter*.” Antonio changed the subject: “But let me ask you a question. Do you think Veneta has a commander more skilled in battle than me right now?”

"no!"

Although it may seem like flattery, these are Winters' honest thoughts.

The fact that the Republic of Venetia named its Third Legion after itself speaks volumes about the unit's strength. And the commander of the Grand Venetia Legion is undoubtedly the most outstanding commander in the entire Republic.

“Yes, I don’t think so either.” Antonio sounded like he was boasting, but there was no arrogance on his face; he was as calm as if he were talking about the weather. “So if I object, will the five-man squad give up on pursuing a quick victory?”

They will consider your opinion.

“I have already voiced my objections, and the five-man squad demands that I obey orders. If I continue to strongly object, they will replace me and let someone else command the attack.”

"Then let someone else go."

"And then what? Watch the Third Army suffer unnecessary losses because of the last-minute change of commander? And then smugly boast about your foresight?" Antonio tightened the reins and stopped in place, speaking sternly to his nephew: "Winters, listen carefully, never say 'I said it before,' even if you really did. We are soldiers of Veneta; since we are paid, we are responsible for the interests of the Republic!"

Antonio rarely spoke to the children in such a stern tone, neither to Winters nor Elizabeth. Cosa was the stricter parent, while the lieutenant colonel was the one who would cover for the children.

Winters, reprimanded, lowered his head. António, realizing he had been too angry, said softly, "The ruling council has made up its mind. All soldiers can do is try their best to win the war. We must put Veneta's interests first. The alliance has eliminated the nobles, but we officers are her knights who protect her."

Winters grunted in agreement. In his view, most officers simply treated their military positions as ordinary jobs, not elevating their loyalty to the level of a knight's devotion to his lord. While he admired António, Winters admitted he couldn't reach that level of nobility.

The parliament hall wasn't far from their home, and the two arrived quickly. A poorly dressed little beggar wearing a large hat was peering over the fence.

Seeing the two officers return, the little beggar ran away in a panic. With a large influx of displaced farmers into the city, there were many more beggars in Hailan City than before. The neighborhood where Serbiati's residence was located was very safe and a key patrol area of ​​the garrison command, but even so, begging could still be seen from time to time.

“Chase after him and find out who he is. If he’s just a beggar, give him some money. Tell him not to come near our house again,” Antonio said, pointing to the little beggar’s retreating figure.

Winters nodded and spurred Qiangyun to catch up. Antonio first led the chestnut horse to the stable to groom it, then entered the house through the back door.

As soon as he entered the door, Elizabeth rushed over anxiously and grabbed his arm: "Dad, are you and your brother going to war?"

"Who said that?" Antonio asked with a smile.

"Everyone's talking about it, the whole of Hailan City is talking about the war. Even my female companions in the studio are talking about it, and the old ladies are telling us about the war thirty years ago. Where are you going to fight? Is it dangerous? Why does my brother have to go too?"

Antonio patted his daughter's head and said in a relaxed tone, "It's not dangerous. Your brother and I just need to take a boat to the island at sea, and the war will be over."

“If you play dumb with Elizabeth, she’ll become a fool later.” Cosa walked over and said to Antonio with dissatisfaction, “Have some faith in the children we’ve raised. Ella is sixteen; she’s strong enough to understand what’s going to happen.”

Kosa led Elizabeth to the drawing room and had Elizabeth sit in the center of the sofa, with her and Antonio on either side.

Kosa held Elizabeth's hands and earnestly explained to her daughter, "War is the most violent way to resolve disputes. It's about two groups killing each other until one side yields. That's why soldiers exist. Soldiers go to war so others don't have to shed blood. Your father and brother are soldiers, so even though they hate to leave you, they have to leave this home to fight. Do you understand? They left home not because they don't love you."

With tears welling in her eyes, Elizabeth asked, "Is war dangerous? Will... we never come back?"

“No, it won’t be,” Antonio quickly reassured his daughter. “War isn’t that dangerous. There’s a song that goes, ‘If every bullet could hit someone, who would the king hire as his soldiers?’”

Kosa glared at Antonio and said seriously to Elizabeth, "War kills people, and many families' sons will not return. Your father and brother may also never come back. We pray for their safety, but if they cannot return, you must be strong."

Hearing her mother's words and thinking of the terrible situation, Elizabeth couldn't help but cry.

"She's still a child, aren't you being a little too cruel?"

“She’s sixteen years old now, and she has to learn to accept all of this. Only then, if she really loses you, will she not suffer a mental breakdown like my sister!”

Just as the two were about to start arguing about their children's education, Winters pushed open the door and walked in.

Upon seeing Winters return home, Elizabeth ran to her brother, hugged him, and burst into tears, crying, "Winters, I don't want you to go to war! I don't want you to never come back! Don't go..."

Winters had no idea what was going on and awkwardly held Ella in his arms. He could only gently pat Ella's back while looking at the two parents with questioning eyes, "What's going on?"

But even the strong and resolute Kosa couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

Antonio sighed helplessly, hugged his wife, and exchanged a glance with Winters.

After a long silence, Sofia, expressionless, came down from upstairs.

Yes, that's right. Sophia is currently staying at the Winters' house. The Third Army's camp is now full of soldiers, and it's clearly inappropriate for a lady to remain in the barracks.

Sofia's identity has also been confirmed. The messenger, changing horses but not his own, rushed to the United Province and copied the original documents stored in the church. These documents were verified against the ones Sofia was carrying.

The ruling council and Sofia reached a deal. In exchange for the notes, the de Bella consul would pass a proposal to exonerate Antoine Laurent as soon as possible, while Sofia would remain in Veneta to await the hearing.

Sophia originally wanted to stay at a convent, but Elizabeth strongly invited Sophia to come to her home.

Although Antonio and Winters strongly opposed it, Elizabeth persuaded the true mistress of the house—Cosa.

Kosa agreed to let Sofia stay for a simple reason: the two families were actually relatives.

Kosa's grandfather's sister married into Sofia's father's family. This great-aunt of Kosa was Antoine Laurent's grandmother and Sofia's great-grandmother.

In other words, Winters and Elizabeth still have to call Sophia "cousin".

Due to the natural geographical barrier of being "between two mountains," the aristocratic class in the Cenas Bay region typically did not intermarry with outsiders, but intermarriage within the region was very frequent.

Two allied people whose surnames contain "de" or "la" sat chatting in a tavern, and in the process, they discovered that they were related to each other.

Winters' maternal grandfather, being the youngest son, was ineligible to inherit the title and fiefdom, so he went into business and eventually settled in Hailan.

However, this misfortune also turned into a blessing, as they escaped the purge of the old aristocratic class by the United Provinces Republic during the Sovereignty War.

After that bloody purge, the people of the United Provinces were completely freed from the shackles of the old aristocratic class.

Winters' maternal grandfather's family and many other families were completely wiped out. Sophia is probably one of the few remaining "blood relatives" of Kosa and Winters, although this blood relationship has faded to only one-sixteenth.

Sophia walked up to Winters with a cold face. Even though they were under the same roof, she never gave Winters a kind look.

Of course, Winters and Sofia also couldn't get close.

Aside from his identity as the orphan of Antoine Laurent, Winters had no affection for Sofia and would still subconsciously tense up when facing her.

Therefore, their relationship was awkward, or to be precise, they didn't get along at all.

Sofia only interacted with Elizabeth and Cossa, and she and Winters avoided each other as much as possible.

Winters nodded awkwardly to Sophia. Sophia glared at him, took Elizabeth into her arms, and helped the sobbing little girl back upstairs.

The fact that Sofia and the male protagonist are related isn't really a foreshadowing resolution, because Antonio already hinted at it quite clearly. Thank you to everyone who voted for this story before.

Thank you to readers Yanyunsan, Yuan Hongjian, "I don't know what to call me", 20181013204343295, and fsdafads for your recommendation votes. Thank you everyone.

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(End of this chapter)