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

Chapter 196 Now you know how to cry
"salute!"

After capturing Solomon Fortress, the Federation Army renamed it Kimmy Island. At this moment, accompanied by the sentry's salute, Federation Army Commander-in-Chief Rebil strode into the conference room of the Kimmy Island headquarters.

In the conference room, almost all of the senior officers of the Space Force were gathered. The only one participating in the meeting via video was Gop, who was still at the Gabro base and had not moved. At this moment, he looked like he hadn't woken up yet, with one hand supporting his chin and the other hand yawning.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"It's not just that I didn't sleep well, I didn't sleep at all!"

Gop rubbed his eyes, then said something that sounded like a complaint mixed with a boast.

"Yesterday I was busy signing supply reports to the Space Force and allocating reinforcements to Kimmi Island. Guess how many of us we have on Kimmi Island right now, not counting the troops still gathering?"

Rebil didn't answer. He knew the number all too well. He and Kliny had just finished reading the report that morning, so they were sitting on the sidelines with mysterious smiles, watching the show. But the squadron commanders like Tiam didn't know much about it, so he tentatively asked.

"Ten percent more than before the attack?"

"Ten percent?"

Gop then burst into laughter, then raised his chubby hand and gestured with three fingers.

You underestimated it by thirty percent!

"Currently, our forces have assembled 42 Magellan-class battleships, 220 Salamis-class cruisers, 10,000 mobile suits, and 7,000 Iron Balls on Jinmi Island! Moreover, there are six Gundam units assembled here!"

"With so many people, the food they eat and the poop they produce every day could pile up into several mountains! I'm the one who has to worry about everything, from eating and drinking to relieving myself!"

"Uh, I understand. I'll order the entire fleet to skip a meal later, so you won't have to worry about it!"

Hua Ken, who had been standing in the corner, suddenly chimed in, and the entire conference room burst into laughter.

"Come on, when have I ever starved you guys?"

Gop laughed along. He was obviously showing off a lot when he said that such a large army had such well-organized logistics. Wasn't that his achievement?

"Alright, our troops have now completed their rest and reorganization. Next, we should begin the next phase of our plan: either attack the moon or Abaoa!"

Although the Antarctic Treaty designates lunar cities as neutral zones, the treaty's binding force is limited. Grenada had been occupied by the Zeon forces for so long, so it was only natural for the Federation forces to retake the city.

"I think our army should attack Abawa!"

Greenwyatt was the first to speak. As a high-ranking elite, he naturally knew which of the two goals was more important. Grenada, an isolated city, could not be compared with Abaowa.

"Grenada is nothing; our army only needs to send the 13th Independent Fleet to completely suppress it, so there is no need to invest too much force!"

Kinklini, who had been silent until now, raised an eyebrow. He was wondering why the other party was bringing up the 13th Independent Fleet. Well, this was exactly what they were waiting for. The mobile suits had fought their way from space to Earth and back again. Their outstanding performance had clearly made these traditional battleship faction members extremely anxious, especially in Solomon, where the fully armored Gundam had almost single-handedly opened up the battle. It seemed that Green Wyatt was afraid that the other party would achieve some incredible feats at the Abaoa Sky Fortress. If that happened, these battleship faction members would really be out of the game.

However, Jin En didn't say anything. He just silently made a note of the other party in his notebook. As the saying goes, he would settle accounts later. Once he caught this guy in the act, he would strip him of his uniform and send him to the reserves to be benched for life!
"I agree with Commander Green's opinion, but there's no need to send the Thirteenth Fleet to suppress the moon. We only need to have the Orbital Defense Fleet keep an eye on things. Now is the time for our military to strike. If we concentrate our forces, the blows will be more painful!"

Tiam was reluctant to let the Thirteenth Independent Fleet leave. He even wished he could transfer his flagship to the Enterprise, where Marcarius would lead the charge while he provided fire support from behind. With their combined efforts, they could break through the Zeon fleet in one fell swoop and have a good time!
"So, it seems everyone agrees on the target of the attack?"

Rebil nodded. This was the purpose of the meeting. Only by reaching a consensus could they achieve victory together. Otherwise, if they held each other back, the war might not end even by UC100!

"Then, our next objective is the Abawa Fortress!"

The Federation generals had no objections to whether they could capture Abaoa Fortress. The military strength of both sides was no longer what it used to be. After suffering heavy losses in Solomon, it was questionable how many mobile suits the Zeon army could still field. Moreover, after suffering heavy losses, the Zeon fleet could not even muster enough heavy warships for artillery battles. The Gwakin-class behemoths plus the Chibe-class were not even enough to reach double digits, while the Federation army had more than three times that number of Magellans. If that wasn't enough, they could also transfer nearly twenty more from other space sectors.

Although this number sounds frightening, it is still not enough compared to the pre-war period. The glorious era of the Federation fleet at its peak will have to wait for some time before it can return. However, even so, the remaining fleet is enough to give the Zeon people a good beating!
"Speaking of Abaowakhun, there's something else I haven't mentioned!"

Gop suddenly interjected.

"The Zeon government is sending a peace negotiation request to the Federation through the lunar city and the Side 6 channel!"

"Peace talks? Zeon?"

"To be precise, it's the government of the Principality of Zeon!"

Gop shrugged. Because of Zeon's abstract political environment, its government functions were divided in a mess, with various power organs operating in parallel, to the point that legitimate government agencies had lost their credibility and instead become synonymous with a certain faction.

"Do those civil officials under Darcia have the guts to do that?"

"Aren't they Kiraan's mouthpieces, doing whatever the Commander-in-Chief's office says? How come they've suddenly betrayed their master?"

"So, Killian wants to negotiate?"

"Probably not. Even if that guy dies and is cremated, he'll still stubbornly keep yelling that he'll fight us to the end. So, the one who really wants peace talks is Dejin, right?"

Fearing a leak, the Darsian people didn't mention Dekin at all when relaying the message. This way, even if it got out, it would only implicate Darsian, completely clearing Dekin of any wrongdoing.

However, for the veterans of the Federation Army, who have been dealing with the other side for many years, they naturally know that Darcia does not have the courage or ability to act alone. Therefore, if the other side proposes peace talks, there must be a member of the Zabi family present. Among the Zabi family members who are still in Zeon, only the old man Dekin has the most wavering stance!
"Now that they've decided to negotiate, that old bastard Dejin is truly shameless!"

“Ever since Zeon Deikun’s mysterious death and Zeon’s transformation from a republic into a principality, Deikun has been shameless. His surrender now is simply because he can’t bear to give up the power and status he has now!”

"What are Darcia's conditions?"

"The Zeon army will disarm, but will remain independent. They have agreed to pay us war reparations, but demand that the Federation not try war criminals and resume resource supplies to Zeon..." Gop then read out a long list of conditions, which made everyone listening furious.

"That old man, anyone who didn't know better would think Zeon had won!"

"Yes, if we don't hold war criminals accountable, what about the destroyed colonies? What about Sydney, which they destroyed? Did they deserve it?"

Tiam's mustache twitched, clearly indicating his anger. The Battle of Britain was a lingering pain in his heart; most of his fleet had been sacrificed to prevent the satellite from falling, but in the end, despite the immense sacrifices made by the entire fleet, they still failed.

Especially after Dozle was captured alive and brought before Tiam, he angrily punched him, all because of the tragedies that had occurred during the campaign against Britain. Dozle, after taking the punch, said nothing, but silently knelt down until Tiam calmed down before being taken away by the military police.

Rebil shook his head repeatedly as he listened. Although the so-called negotiations were just about both sides asking for exorbitant prices until a compromise was reached, the Federation had no intention of negotiating with Dekin.

"Tell Darcia that we will not accept any of his conditions. The only thing we can accept is Zeon's unconditional surrender!"

"I've already refused!"

Gop smiled and then replied.

As for Darcia, when he learned that the Federation Army had no room for compromise and had completely driven back his messenger, and even had no intention of contacting him afterward, he understood that the Federation was determined to make the Zabi family pay the price.

With things having come to this point, there was no point in contacting the Federation again. He could only put down his work and order his secretary to prepare a car so he could go to meet with Deakin to report the situation.

When his car drove onto the streets of Zim, Darcia sighed again as he looked at the desolate streets. In the past, no matter what, there were still citizens walking on the streets of Zim, but now, the entire street was deserted, and there was only his car running on the road.

"We've reached a dead end!"

Soon, Darcia's car arrived at Dejin's palace. Since the assassination attempts against high-ranking generals began to erupt in Zim City, the number of guards in front of the palace had more than doubled. It was extremely difficult for Darcia to disguise himself and enter. Rather than trying to sneak in, he might as well enter openly. At least on the surface, he had a clear conscience.

However, Darcia underestimated the madness of the Führer's guard. Now, these Gihren hyenas, deliberately indulging him, the so-called first man of the Zeon government, had no respect whatsoever. They not only thoroughly inspected his car but also searched the driver. Finally, they even demanded that Darcia get out of the car.

"Are you crazy?"

The driver and secretary also looked furious, but Darcia restrained him and got out of the car.

After the inspection was completed, the commander of the Führer's guard came over like a lapdog, apologizing repeatedly. But while apologizing, he didn't forget to subtly hint at Darcia's purpose in meeting Dekin.

"I've come to present the Duchy's 80th-year financial budget report to the Duke. Why don't you take a look at this document as well?"

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of them, the guard commander awkwardly stepped aside.

Later, when Dejin met Darcia, he also had a bitter expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Lord Darcia, I've wronged you!"

Dejin witnessed the entire process of the Führer's bodyguard interrogating Darcia, but there was nothing he could do. The members of the Führer's bodyguard claimed to be there to strengthen the Prince's security, but everyone knew whether they were there to guard him or to monitor Dejin.

"Your Highness, I'm fine, it's just that the negotiations with the Federation..."

Darcia remained silent for a moment, then reported the situation truthfully.

"That's it!"

After learning of the Federation's attitude, Dejin fell silent, and then the old man sighed again.

"We should know when to stop!"

Darcia knew that Dekin was referring to the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. It was not impossible for both sides to sign a complete peace agreement at that time, but everyone was blinded by the glorious victory and thought that the Earth Federation was just a dilapidated house that could be kicked down with a light kick. Then, Operation Landing came about.

But after that, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. A group of burly men rushed out of the dilapidated house and fiercely fought back against Zeon. Now, it was Zeon's turn to become a dilapidated house, but there were no burly men in Zeon's dilapidated house to beat up the enemy.

"Minister Darcia, well then, I've made up my mind. I accept the Federation's terms!"

"Ah, Your Highness?"

Darcia hadn't expected that after a moment of silence, Dekin would resign himself to accepting the Federation's conditions, which would mean the complete annihilation of the Zabi family.

"I've made up my mind, that's it!"

Dejin glanced at the soldiers of the Führer's Guard outside the palace, who were displaying a lazy demeanor, and then spoke.

"Understood, then I'll take my leave!"

No sooner had Darcia left the palace than the guard commander in charge of security checks picked up the microphone and reported the situation to the General's Mansion.

Finally, the message reached Kirian.

"Old thing!"

Kilian wouldn't believe any report, and it was even his spies who discovered that Darcia's men were secretly contacting the Federation. Now it seemed that it was at Deakin's behest.

However, Kilian did not fly into a rage and go back to confront the person. To him, when Deakin was about to make peace with the enemy, he was already a dead man!

(End of this chapter)