Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 131 Before the Great Battle, There Must Be Supplies

After a quick tidying up, Rambarar put his handsome uniform back on, with a cape made by Hamon himself embroidered with gold lace behind the collar.

"He's so handsome!"

"Your cooking is still the best!"

Lanbarar patted his lover's hand and then embraced him.

"This time, we might..."

"Don't talk such discouraging things. Besides, if you don't trust others, how can you not trust Red Dragon?"

Ramball was speechless. How had the world become like this? His future was now in the hands of the enemy's general.

"From the moment he took the initiative to come to you, what do you think happened that was beyond his control?"

"That's true!"

After entrusting the bar to his friend, Rambaar took Hamon to Solomon Fortress. Since he was going to North America to act as a caretaker, Dozru naturally couldn't let Rambaar go alone. He had already gathered the surviving members of the other party's old forces. It was just a pity that less than half of them were still alive. He could only add a few more to make it a large battalion.

As for the mobile suits of the Rambaar Squadron, they are naturally the Tigers, which can only be used by elite Zeon troops. Rambaar's own mobile suit is a special Tiger, with enhanced armor and command system, and an additional shoulder shield. This can be considered a gift from Dozle to the enemy.

"This machine? The Crimson Comet is here too?"

As Ramball admired his equipment in the hangar, he saw a Zaku Commander parked not far away. These mobile suits were quite common, but a completely red one was a rare find.

"Yes, Major Char Aznable will also be traveling to Earth with you. He and Garma are very close classmates, and he is also an invaluable and outstanding pilot in our army. With you two here, I think even the Red Dragon would have to think twice..."

Dozru said, not entirely certain.

"However, considering the differences in machine performance, we have prepared another brand-new prototype high-mobility Zaku for him!"

Dozru pointed to a machine in the corner that still had its dust cover on, and then said.

"How about I replace it with this one for you too?"

"No, the specially equipped tiger is enough!"

It has to be said that Dozle really cares about Garma. In addition to these troops, he also prepared a Zanzibar-class cruiser, the newest and most advanced in the Zeon army, for Garma. This is currently the only new warship in the Zeon army with the ability to break through the atmosphere and can also fly within the atmosphere. However, its production is extremely limited, and Dozle himself is reluctant to use it, since he still has a spare Gwakin.

Then, the cruiser set sail from Solomon and headed towards Earth. On board the ship, Ramball finally saw the elusive red comet.

"You... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!"

Looking at the young officer in front of him, Lanbarar couldn't help but rub his chin.

"It's probably in some battle report!"

Char swore he had sweated more cold sweat in the past few days than he had in the past decade or so. Back when Zeon Deiken was in trouble, he and his sister were still young and only managed to leave Zeon safely thanks to the protection of the Lal family.

Seeing an old friend again, especially one who has been kind to me, is bound to make me quite nervous.

"Really? After all, he's our army's most famous ace pilot. Hahaha, I just didn't expect him to be so young!"

If it weren't Xia Ya in front of him, but his sister, Lanbaral might have recognized her instantly. But Xia Ya was someone he could only vaguely remember, and that memory didn't overlap with his own.

On the contrary, Hamon, who was standing to the side, stared at Xia for a long time before suddenly revealing a rather gratified smile.

"Major Xia, you must have had a tough time in the military all these years, right?"

"It's alright, I can adapt!"

Wearing goggles, Char glanced at Hamon. The woman looked exactly like the beautiful aunt in his memory, but her words made his nose sting with tears.

Fortunately, he had developed a hardened heart over the years and managed to suppress his discomfort.

Xia understood that Hamon had recognized him. Although he didn't know how the other party had done it, it was clear that Hamon hadn't revealed the secret. Such a gentle and considerate gesture made him feel an urge to find a hug and cry.

"I wish Lala were here!"

"She's the one who understands me the most!"

To prevent himself from breaking down in tears, Char used the excuse of checking his mobile suit to go to the hangar. Once he was seated in his High Mobility Zaku, he took off his goggles and let the silent tears fall.

During the rest of the voyage, after developing a tacit understanding, everyone got along quite well. Ramball even called Char his brother. Then, they traveled to Earth in laughter and joy.

Upon arriving in California, it was time to part ways. Although Ramball was highly sought after by Dozle, Karma's heart was clearly with Char. Therefore, when summoned, Char was the first to be summoned.

"Well then, gentlemen, I'll take my leave first!"

"Major, take care!"

With a genuine smile on his face, Xia gave a solemn military salute before turning and following his personal guard toward Karma's command post. The smile on his face vanished instantly at that moment.

"So, young master of the Zabi family, let me see how you plan to clean up this mess?"

Looking at the magnificent headquarters building, Xia Ya did not hesitate for a moment and strode into the shadows.

Two days after Zanzibar arrived on Earth, another spaceship also arrived, but its destination was the Gabro base.

"Is this the new machine for Markarius?"

Looking at the imposing mech with its blue-gray paint scheme, Major General Gao Yun nodded in satisfaction. With the Federation's counterattack imminent, the timely arrival of this mech was truly a godsend!

"Assemble it immediately and send this aircraft to the front lines in Salt Lake City!"

"Wait, General, we still have one more machine to send to Salt Lake City!"

"besides?"

Gao Yun looked at the exposed hangar hatch of the unique warship in front of him, and then Amuro's original Gundam was pulled out of the spaceship by a transport vehicle.

"It's Unit 2. Your test pilot is already an ace?"

Gao Yun was also taken aback. In his memory, Unit 2 had always been safely in the rear. How come there were so many kills on this trip to Earth? "The Zeon attacked the Side 7 test base before. Lieutenant Amuro, piloting his mobile suit, took down five Zaku by himself. If it weren't for the Red Comet running away quickly, the kill count would have been six!"

The captain of the White Trojan Horse pointed to Amuro, who was busy running around with the maintenance crew, and then said.

"That young man? He's not even an adult yet, is he?"

Major General Gao Yun felt that this era was a bit crazy. How could the young soldiers who emerged be more and more extraordinary than the last?

"Don't underestimate him, sir. This guy is a master who can go toe-to-toe with Markarius in simulation battles!"

"Yeah!"

The thought that the Zeon forces on the front lines in Salt Lake City would soon be facing two Gundams made Major General Gao Yun grin from ear to ear.

"I'll arrange a transfer for you immediately and guarantee that you'll be delivered to your destination as soon as possible!"

Then, a bewildered Amuro was crammed onto Lieutenant Matilda's Midia transport plane, and until landing, his gaze remained fixed on Lieutenant Matilda.

"Stop looking! She has a fiancé. You don't want to be the third party who ruins their relationship, do you?"

"Ah, no, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Amuro, who was reluctantly seeing Midia off, was startled when Markarius approached from behind. The young man blushed and vehemently denied it.

"I understand. After all, Lieutenant Matilda is a woman who can be like a mother to us!"

Amuro couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"So next time you see her, just call her 'Mom'!"

"How is that possible!"

Upon hearing this, Amuro wanted to punch Macarius, but as soon as he jumped up, Macarius grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.

"You didn't salute your superior and even tried to launch a sneak attack. You lawless bastard, I'm going to teach you a lesson. Grit your teeth and bear it!"

Then, Makarius prepared to take out his belt, and Amuro, seeing this, promptly admitted his mistake and softened his stance.

"Stinky boy!"

Welcome to Earth!

Makarius then released the other man and gave him a big hug.

Afterwards, the convoy that received the goods, escorted by military police, arrogantly cut in line and left the airport. Amuro was then overwhelmed by the sight of the endless military camps on both sides of the road and the dense military vehicles on the highway.

"Are there so many troops here?"

"Yes, we are about to launch a counter-offensive. You've come at just the right time, Amuro. I ask you, do you have the courage and determination to participate in this war now?"

"I……"

Amuro recalled the destroyed city of Side 7, the dead citizens, and the fallen Federation soldiers. Although his face still showed confusion, his tone was quite firm.

"I have!"

"I didn't understand the meaning of fighting before, but along the way, I've come to understand that without fighting, there is no way to survive!"

Remembering the tears his friends shed when they saw him off, Amuro clenched his fists.

"I don't want to see anyone cry anymore!"

"I don't want to either!"

Makarius hadn't expected Amuro to mature so quickly. He already looked like an adult, but he was still a minor. Sending someone to the battlefield at such a young age, Char, look at the mess you've made!
However, Amuro's arrival did indeed give the Red Dragon Battalion a significant boost. In particular, the Red Dragon Tactical Battalion even underwent an expansion for this offensive. According to Markarius's previous work, "Attention! Mobile Suit," the Federation planned to change all mobile suit units from three-unit formations to four-unit formations.

This was naturally done to adjust tactics in the context of grain-based interference. However, because the matter was of great importance, the Red Dragon Brigade was designated as the pilot unit. If the experiment went well, it would be rolled out across the entire army; if there were any problems, adjustments would be made accordingly.

Therefore, the Red Dragon Battalion was indeed a strong and well-equipped force at this moment, especially with the addition of two Gundams, which even made Colonel Taylor of the 4th Armored Division so envious that he came to beg for food.

What he wanted, of course, was the RX-78-2 that Macarius wasn't piloting, but in the end he still didn't get the job. Although Macarius wasn't piloting it anymore, the RX-78-2 wouldn't be handed over to any ace pilot. Instead, it would be transported back to Jabro to serve as a test unit for new technologies, such as the magnetic coating technology used on the G3 Gundam.

If nothing unexpected happens, this machine will be completely destroyed after the high-intensity testing. As for whether it will be exhibited or dismantled, Markarius has no way of knowing, although he will certainly feel a little heartbroken.

However, after he actually experienced piloting the G3 Gundam, he promptly put his old mobile suit to the back of his mind. "Sorry, RX-78-2, I just made a small mistake that all pilots make."

Because of the development experience of the first two mobile suits and the various insights into the use of beam weapons, the G3 Gundam's main weapon also includes a new type of double-barreled beam rifle with the barrels arranged vertically. This completely hits Macarius's good point, after all, he is the most steadfast advocate of prioritizing firepower.

In addition, the G3 Gundam has additional weapon interfaces in various parts of its body. This allows it to not only carry a recoilless rifle or missile bay like the GM, but also to connect other large equipment, such as additional multi-functional backpacks and additional thrusters.

This idea was naturally proposed by Makarius, but he also referenced the design of the so-called Solomon Express from another world. By attaching large weapons and propulsion equipment, it would be possible to carry out long-range covert operations in space. This can be seen as a preparation for the tricky situations that may be encountered in space in the future.

After all, he knew what that old bastard Gihren was up to. From a design perspective, this was an attempt to fully arm the Gundam with external weapons. Although in Macarius's mind, so-called fully armored mobile suits seemed to have all sorts of problems, who would refuse when it came to actually installing various weapons and armor on a mobile suit?
Marcarius also proposed a unique auxiliary arm device for Federation mechs in the Thunder Cosmic Domain, which would involve installing two auxiliary arms at the rear of the mech. This would allow for the reinforcement of the mech's armaments. However, this design was somewhat ahead of its time for the Federation and was not very practical from a mechanical perspective.

But it doesn't matter, the current configuration is already sufficient!

As May 79 drew near, the Union Army's preparations were almost complete. On the vast central front battlefield, which was near Salt Lake City, the Union North American Command assembled more than twenty armored divisions, along with countless infantry, artillery, and attached air force units, preparing to advance the front line from Salt Lake City to the Great Basin.

The Federation Army has prepared over 1,500 mobile suits alone, including the RGM79 GM, RGM79SP Sniper GM, and the newly tested artillery-based RGC80 GM Cannon.

The number of Type 61 tanks supporting these mobile suits was several times greater.

While the Zeon forces were on par with them in terms of mobile suits, they were at a significant disadvantage in terms of air force, armored units, and artillery. In fact, due to the insufficient number of Zeon infantry units on the front lines, the Zeon Command even formed three Earth Zeon Infantry Divisions, along with the existing Undead units, and deployed them at the front of the defensive line as cannon fodder.

The Zeon army didn't expect these cannon fodder to play any role. It would be best if they could delay the Federation army's advance, but if they couldn't, it would be excellent if they could deplete the Federation army's artillery shells.

To prevent these troops from mutinying, the Führer's Guard, attached to the Zeon army, specifically detained the families of these Earth cannon fodder in concentration camps. If any disturbance occurred, the Führer's Guard would not hesitate to wield the butcher's knife.

At this moment, these cannon fodder at the front could only wait anxiously in the trenches. They knew that the Federation army was going to attack, and the Federation army also knew that they knew that the Federation army was going to attack. This knowing wait was the most agonizing!

(End of this chapter)