Imperial Elite

Chapter 96 The Golden Age of Bad Guys

Joe naturally didn't want to go to Emerald Island.

After receiving the news, Joe kept delaying his return to the Imperial homeland by citing reasons such as the fact that the battle in Prag was not completely over, that there were still some scattered left-wing troops that needed to be wiped out, and that the left-wing troops in Prag needed to be retrained to meet the standards.

Unlike wars that take place in the East, in this corner of the world that is almost on the edge, only earth-shattering events make it into the news.

For example, after the right wing of Prag won the civil war, it announced that it would join the mutual defense treaty with Esti and Livonia. At the same time, a prospecting team from London set off for Prag to find out if Prag had any good stuff hidden there. Only news related to the London stock market like this deserved to appear on the fourth or fifth page of the newspaper.

It doesn't even take precedence over news of an earl having an extramarital affair and fighting with the countess for custody and property.

The battle between Lucia's left and right wings near Tsaritsyn, comparable to the Battle of Verdun, only occupied a tiny, insignificant corner of the newspaper, barely larger than a pickle.

However, as an island next to the empire's mainland, Emerald Isle is so big that even a strike or demonstration, let alone a civil war, can make the front or second page of the news.

These reporters, who were willing to risk their lives for news, also let Joe know what exactly was happening on Emerald Island.

Although Emerald Isle is right next to the main island of Buntania, and Buntania began to gradually control Emerald Isle from the 12th century onwards, and successfully brought Emerald Isle completely under the control of the empire a hundred years ago.

It's important to understand that although the empire's flag flies all over the world, most of those are colonies. The biggest difference between the homeland and the colonies is that, according to the rules of Buntania, political parties that win local elections are able to enter parliament.

The trigger for everything was that after winning the general election last year, Sinn Féin, which called itself "ourselves," refused to enter parliament and instead declared Emerald Isle's independence.

This led to the outbreak of the Emerald Isle War.

Theoretically speaking, even if Emerald Isle had a strong desire for independence, their armed forces would be no match for Bunitania, if not a futile effort.

If a direct confrontation were to take place, even the disarmament-reducing Bonitania army would only need a morning to crush the resistance on Emerald Isle.

However, Sinn Féin on Emerald Isle was clearly aware of this, so instead of confronting the Bunitania military and police forces head-on, they launched sneak attacks on the Bunitania military and police stationed in the countryside without any regard for military ethics, created panic by bombings in the cities, and brutally executed any informants or pro-Bunitania individuals who cooperated with the Bunitania's actions.

This caused panic among the armed forces of Bonitania on Emerald Island, even though they were able to easily crush the Sinn Féin armed forces, the Emerald Island Volunteer Army, in conventional combat.

However, unable to capture the main force of the Emerald Island Volunteer Army, and based on past experience in fighting on the Southern Dark Continent, they took extreme military action against civilians who supported the Emerald Island Volunteer Army.

This approach not only failed to deter the volunteers on Emerald Island or stop the local people from supporting them, but instead provoked even stronger resistance.

This situation—being unable to reach the enemy's main force, unable to engage in a direct confrontation with conventional troops, and bogged down in counterinsurgency warfare—would be unbearable not only for present-day Bonitania, but also for the United States and the Soviet Union in another world.

So after failing to quell the rebellion on Emerald Isle for half a year, the Buntanian cabinet naturally remembered Old Joe, who had created the North Sea Alliance in the East in just six months and even started planning to form a North Sea Confederation to block the Lusians' access to the sea.

Old Joe is a reliable guy. Ever since the war, whatever he says is magical and whatever he does is perfect. He's the kind of person who can draw and invent, and drive and conquer. There's probably nothing Old Joe can't handle except having children.

And Old Joe happens to have Wagner, so there's no need to send troops; let Old Joe handle things here!

Joe wanted to give the cabinet ministers a good beating for their desperate attempts to revive the situation.

Sending someone to Emerald Island to fight against the Emerald Island Volunteer Army is no different from sending someone to IKEA to fight Jackie Chan.
Although it's not that they can't win, waging a brutal counterinsurgency war could easily cripple Wagner's elite field forces, unlike other units.

Joe maintained Wagner's relationship not only through money but also through honor.

Because of the Wagner Group's successful development of the North Sea region, the local people have a warm welcome to the Wagner Group.

If a Wagner mercenary walks into a bar in uniform, there's a chance he'll be offered drinks by other local drunks.

Although the two sides likely do not speak the same language, drinking together, a gesture, or a glance is enough to make these veterans, whose lives have been distorted by war, feel honored for their battles.

And honor is a more useful driving force than money.

If Wagner were sent to Emerald Isle, who knows what would happen to these veterans who already had some PTSD after those battles?

So, at the cabinet's summons, Joe started looking for a thousand reasons not to go. He even considered whether he should go and pursue the princess of the neighboring Lake Kingdom, using the excuse that he was about to get married to convince the cabinet that he really didn't have time to suppress Emerald Isle's independence.

However, because Joe's job is different from that of ordinary workers, it is quite normal for her to refuse marriage leave, maternity leave, or bereavement leave when she has a lot of work to do.

So when Joe delayed for another month and brokered the signing of the North Sea Treaty, establishing a loose confederation of states known as NATO, he had run out of excuses.

Urged on by Ambassador Britannia, who had come to assume his post, Joe could only tearfully accept the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Allied Forces and General from Brigitte, the first rotating chairman of NATO, before embarking on his journey home.

Of course, the title of NATO Commander-in-Chief, while intimidating to look at, is indeed quite intimidating in reality.

Since the current governments of the three NATO member states were established by expelling some people from their capitals, although the military governments of the three countries have a good relationship with Wagner and are highly pro-Burun, they all hold their troops firmly in their own hands.

Joe, being quite sensible, allowed Wagner to continue providing services, including training and exercises, but stopped infiltrating the armies of the three countries, thus giving the military governments a sense of security.

At the same time, the loose confederation did not produce a strong central government. Even the presidency of the confederation was rotated among the presidents of the three countries, changing every year. It was basically a nominal position, only allowing the three countries to cooperate better in various fields.

In diplomatic settings, a confederation of three countries carries more weight.

It seems that, given this setup, Joe's position as NATO Supreme Commander is merely a figurehead.

This may be true in peacetime, but the North Sea Treaty is essentially a defensive treaty. If any of the three countries is attacked, it will directly trigger NATO's collective defense clause, at which point command of the three countries' forces will be directly transferred to NATO command.

It can be said that Joe's commander was a true commander.

Having achieved such results, Joe naturally received a warm welcome upon his return to London.

Unlike last time, there wasn't a welcoming party organized in front of the ship when we disembarked.

But when Joe arrived at 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister and his ministers greeted him at the gates, Joe having built a formidable fortress for the Empire in the East.

But as welcoming as it may be, upon entering 10 Downing Street, one is confronted with the seemingly ghostly Emerald Island issue.

The Prime Minister and his ministers felt that, given the current situation, if anyone in the world could solve the Emerald Isle problem, it would only be Old Joe.

Faced with the earnest expectations of the Prime Minister and his ministers, Joe sighed deeply.

“Your Excellency the Prime Minister, you know me. I am not one to make demands. If I can do something, I will do my best. But this matter is not so simple.”

Seeing the smiles on the faces of the Prime Minister and his ministers gradually freeze, Joe continued without hesitation.

“In the past battles, I was merely fighting against other people’s armies. Although the battles were difficult, I knew where I should go and who I should fight. But if I enter Emerald Island, I will no longer be fighting against armies but against people. This will be dangerous and cruel. Even if we win, we may only win a Pyrrhic victory, and the victor will have nothing.”

Faced with Joe, whose reluctance was written all over his face, the Prime Minister also sighed.

Unlike when Joe last met the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister had many more gray hairs and looked much more haggard. Clearly, although Bonitania had control of the Versailles peace conference, the negotiations that would determine the world were not easy.

“Joe, if we could, we wouldn’t want to call you back, but the situation on Emerald Isle is terrible. We could even accept limited self-control on Emerald Isle, but they’re refusing to negotiate with us now, so you’re the only one we can count on right now.”

Hearing the Prime Minister's tone, which left no room for refusal, Joe knew he could no longer refuse and could only shake his head and ask the Prime Minister.

How many troops do I have this time?

Upon hearing Joe's words, the Prime Minister looked at Joe with some surprise.

"Don't you have Wagner?"

"How can Wagner be used here?"

Joe looked at the Prime Minister with even greater surprise.

“If I recall Wagner, I will be unable to intervene in the situation in the East. If something goes wrong in the East, it will be too late to transfer troops from Emerald Isle.”

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister frowned.

"The threat from the East? The Russian military government has won the Battle of Tsaritsyn, and they are now marching on Moscow..."

At this point, the Prime Minister suddenly realized something and stared at Joe with wide eyes.

"You want to interfere in the Lucia civil war?"

Joe nodded.

“We cannot let the Russian military government win, nor can we let the Russian left lose, otherwise we will be facing a Russia that has occupied the Balkans, which is too dangerous. If they can continue to be hostile, it will be advantageous for us. If either side wins, it will be dangerous for us. To prevent this from happening, I must leave Wagner in the East.”

Upon hearing Joe's words, the Prime Minister nodded slightly.

“You’re right. A unified and complete Lucia would be a huge threat to us. We must retain the ability to intervene in the East.”

The Prime Minister looked at Joe and said.

"But Emerald Isle cannot be ignored, otherwise it will give other dominions and colonies a very bad impression. If we can't even control Emerald Isle, which is right on our doorstep, then what can those more distant colonies do?"

Seeing that the Prime Minister was no longer fixated on Wagner remaining in the East, Joe quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, to what extent does the Empire intend to achieve on Emerald Isle, and what level of support can I expect?"

Now that Wagner had been removed from the list, and he really couldn't shirk the mission any longer, Joe wanted to try his best to secure the mission objectives and the troops he could obtain.

“Emerald Isle cannot secede from the Empire. Our minimum requirement is that they return to the Council. As for the troops… you can currently only mobilize no more than five divisions from the mainland to Emerald Isle. The Empire’s finances are also tight right now, so you’ll have to make do for now.”

Although the condition sounded very lenient, Joe shook his head.

"The current situation is no longer something that can be solved by military action alone. I cannot solve the Emerald Island problem by relying solely on the military."

Upon hearing Joe's words, the Prime Minister looked at Joe with some surprise, as this was the first time Joe had made a request other than military ones.

"Then what else do you want?"

Seeing the Prime Minister's astonishment, Joe calmly stated, "If we want to resolve the Emerald Island issue, relying solely on military suppression is like using explosives to extinguish a fire. An explosion can create a firebreak, but the flames it ignites could easily ignite buildings that weren't originally burning, so..." Joe stared into the Prime Minister's eyes and stated his demand, "If we want to resolve the Emerald Island issue, I want to become the governor of Emerald Island. Only then will I have the authority to address the problem at its root."

Upon hearing Joe's words, the Prime Minister's face was filled with disbelief. The Prime Minister had considered all sorts of powers Joe might request, even the possibility of establishing ten thousand concentration camps on Emerald Island, just like in the Southern Dark Continent, but he had never imagined that Joe would want to become the Governor of Emerald Island.

"What do you want to do?"

After staring at Joe with an incredulous look for a while, the Prime Minister asked Joe a question.

Seeing the incredulous look in the Prime Minister's eyes, a smile appeared on Joe's face. "Your Excellency, in the East I've realized something: the economy. That's the root of all problems..."

Just as Joe was explaining to the Prime Minister that the Emerald Island issue could not be resolved by simply using military force.

The man who launched the Pula movement in Italy also established his own political party, 'The Power of the Fighting'. Meanwhile, due to the immense popularity of Wagner, the party formed by Joe, this man named Benito also formed an organization called the Blackshirts.

Because of the Versailles contract, Italy not only didn't get to eat much, but they weren't even allowed to sit at the children's table.

They received almost nothing – land, reparations – while right across the Adriatic Sea, the Lucia military government achieved results that Italians could only dream of.

Thus, amidst this stark contrast, leftist ideology swept through Italy, workers began occupying factories, and protests against the government and capitalists made Italian capitalists and gentry feel insecure.

In this context, the Blackshirts of Benito's organization, which openly opposed the left and became heroes for marching on Pula, became the best option for these capitalists and right-wing politicians.

Under the influence of the left-wing wave, Benito, who called for the restoration of Rome's glory and the greatness of Italy again, began to rise rapidly.

Having secured sponsorship from capitalists, Benito not only began expanding his political party, 'The Right to Fight,' but the Blackshirts also started engaging in full-fledged exchanges of ideas with leftists on the streets using classical physics.

Although in terms of combat effectiveness, the Blackshirts were often only able to go toe-to-toe with the left-wing workers, and sometimes were even beaten into fleeing in terror by the left-wing workers.

However, due to the support of the right-wing government, even if the Black Shirts fail to organize, the police will release those arrested as soon as possible, or simply not arrest the Black Shirts members who participated in the fights, while arresting all the left-wing workers.

With this almost blatant bias, the Blackshirts quickly gained the upper hand in street brawls.

After gaining an advantage, the Italian capitalists realized that this bald man was capable and reliable, so in order to protect their factories and assets, they began to give Benito even more money.

This allowed Benito to acquire military equipment that he had previously been completely unable to obtain. At the same time, due to Italy's dire economic situation, many veterans of the war also chose to join the Blackshirts.

They may not understand the underlying ideologies, but joining the Blackshirts guarantees a decent living, which is enough for many of them.

However, the Blackshirts' expansion was not entirely without obstacles. An unexpected organization became the biggest hindrance to their rapid militarization.

That's Joe's Wagner.

Because the Italian mountain infantrymen proved to be very strong during the battle of Prag, and because hiring Italians was relatively cheap, Wagner increased his recruitment efforts for Italian veterans.

Meanwhile, as a small northern country, NATO is now beginning to industrialize, and even in its initial stages, it has already revealed a shortage of manpower.

Wagner's recruitment criteria began to emulate the Gallic Foreign Legion. Anyone who joined Wagner and completed their service there, even if they died in battle during their service, could bring their family to countries with which Wagner had cooperative relationships, and Wagner would arrange employment for them.

At that time, there were indeed not many job opportunities in Italy, and the social environment was somewhat turbulent.

So even though the climate of NATO member states is slightly harsher than that of the Mediterranean region where Italy is located, and there are some differences in language and culture.

This did not prevent veterans who had been tempered in the twelve Battles of the Zoson and were able to charge into the Habsburg lines in armor, shouting "Forward to Savoy!" from joining Wagner with their families.

The fact that these veterans, with their families in tow, chose to join Wagner made Benito very dissatisfied with Wagner.

Privately, they kept complaining that these Bunitans were making a fuss over the festival.

However, Benito dared not openly express his dissatisfaction with Wagner, or take any hostile actions against those Wagners who were recruiting in Italy.

After all, although Wagner is a company, its actual combat capability is probably stronger than that of many countries. After all, what good company can field an armored regiment just from tanks?
Although Wagner recruited many experienced veterans, Benito continued to rise rapidly with the support of the right wing.

Except for a few places in southern Italy, in those areas truly controlled by conservatives, the tethered sticks of Benito's 'Power of the Fighting' party appeared everywhere in Italy like moss after a rain.

As Benito's power began to expand, a similar organization began to rise in the Teutonic region of northern Italy.

In a beer hall in Munich, a man wearing a black trench coat and the Iron Cross Second Class medal on his chest began to organize a brand new political party through passionate speeches.

Because of the former corporal's excellent oratory skills and passionate speeches, the organization, known as the Socialist Workers' Party, quickly expanded to three thousand members.

Of course, good eloquence alone wouldn't be enough to convince these people to join him, but Versailles and the Guild did him a great favor.

The exorbitant indemnity was unacceptable to every Teutonist, so after the former corporal presented his twenty-five-point program in a beer hall, which included conditions such as the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles, nationalism, and economic reforms, the situation became dire.

The guys drinking in the pub all agreed that the corporal was absolutely right. We haven't failed, this contract is not going to be renegotiated, we should fight to the end!

However, unlike those who felt they should fight to the end, he was someone who had clashed with Old Joe several times and was preparing to return to Germania to serve the King in the final stages of the war.

Holtz thought everything the corporal said was good, except that the corporal seemed to have no plans for their glorious emperor.

Yes, everyone is dissatisfied with the current republic. They believe that this republic, which exiled the royal family, signed a treasonous treaty that has made everyone's lives very difficult. They think that this republic should be overthrown and a new Teutonic system should be established!
However, the program for rebuilding the Teutonic Kingdom did not include the proposal to welcome back the royal family, which made Holz somewhat uneasy.

Aside from that, Holtz thought the corporal was absolutely right. Holtz completely agreed with the corporal's point of view and even called over his old friend, Hans, who was always either lost or on the road.

This means there's a master in Munich; I must introduce you to him.

Since Holz was a staunch supporter of his party, after Holz summoned Hans, even though there weren't many people, the corporal still performed a show for Hans in the café, hoping to persuade the officer, who was still serving in the army that had been reorganized into the Wehrmacht, to join him.

Although Hans appeared just as excited as Holz while listening to the speech, after leaving the café, he felt that he and the corporal were not on the same page.

Hans believed that he had fought alongside Prince Joachim and that the Emperor himself had personally awarded him the Iron Cross First Class. He was a staunch supporter of the royal family. What kind of person was this corporal? Did he even deserve to be his leader?

Where was this corporal when I fought Old Joe in Paris back then?
Oh, without you fighting and bleeding, you're the number one braggart in the tavern?
Moreover, even if we disregard his rank and what this corporal did during the war, just the fact that his program did not include welcoming back the emperor would make Hans dislike this corporal.

Moreover, compared to the calm and composed demeanor of a traditional officer, Hans was genuinely afraid that this corporal would suddenly crawl onto the floor and start chewing on the carpet while giving his passionate speech.

Holz responded to Hans's assessment by saying, "You don't know anything!"
You've always gotten lost on the way to the battlefield, and now I think you're trying to get lost on the way of life!

Thus, the two comrades who had fought side by side parted ways, with Hans returning to the Wehrmacht to continue his service.

As a tough guy who had served in elite units like the Stormtroopers and armored hussars and survived, Holtz was quickly put into the Socialist Workers' Party's stormtroopers as a commander.

However, just like the Socialist Workers' Party, which is neither socialist nor related to workers, the stormtroopers Holz joined did not need to charge.

This organization, known as the Stormtroopers, now only needs to engage in purely physical communication with other party groups that come to disrupt their street speeches when the corporal is giving a speech.

Using classical physics, let these party members understand what it means to be a Stormtrooper survivor.

As a veteran of the Battle of Paris, Holz was completely outmatched by members of other parties; few could withstand his second blow.

Basically, once Holtz entered the arena with his stick, he was like a tank, knocking down people with each swing of the stick, and quickly clearing the area.

Seeing how energetic Holtz was, and realizing that even among the millions of Teutonic soldiers, Holtz was one of the most capable fighters, Holtz quickly became the corporal's personal bodyguard.

He was responsible for wearing his uniform, displaying all his medals, and standing behind the corporal to support him.

With Holtz standing behind him as a bodyguard, the corporal, who was originally somewhat weak in terms of presence, now suddenly looked like a decorated general.

Furthermore, Holtz's resume became excellent speaking material for the corporal. A commando who entered Paris twice was enough to earn the thumbs-up and the title of hero from anyone who had participated in that great battle.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, the United States, which was capable of waging a civil war based on its economic model, also felt threatened by left-wing ideology due to the widespread dissemination of left-wing thought.

The last time such a serious ideological deviation occurred, a civil war broke out in the United States, and the current US government has absolutely no intention of repeating that mistake.

Amid this “leftist panic,” a young man named Edgar became a special assistant to the Attorney General, tasked with leading the newly established Radical Division.

This new department has only one task: to purge all left-wing organizations that could potentially affect the political situation in Citizens.

This 25-year-old showed no fear in the face of such a task, and quickly organized a large number of agents from the Department of Justice. After confirming the existence of those left-wing organizations, he launched a swift and efficient raid on them.

Whether it's Anarchist or Commy, as long as they are leftists and are perceived as a threat to the existing Citizens system, he will not hesitate to arrest them, and in order to achieve this goal...

This director of the Department of Justice would not hesitate to cooperate with some less-than-legitimate organizations to obtain the intelligence he wanted.

The young man quickly completed his work with terrifying speed, arresting thousands of people in several cities, hundreds of whom were deported.

However, this terrifying efficiency resulted in a large number of operations lacking search warrants or arrest warrants, which sparked considerable controversy and forced the Attorney General to take responsibility for these irregularities. Edgar, however, remained in the Department of Justice due to his reputation for efficiency and conservative stance.

Just as the US Minister of Justice resigned in disgrace, Joe, dressed in the uniform of a major general of Brittany and wearing a NATO general's cap, set foot on the land of Emerald Isle.

Just as Joe took a deep breath of the slightly fishy air of the port, a large number of soldiers were disembarking from the ship in orderly steps, while the port's cranes were unloading heavy equipment, including tanks, from the ship.

Although Joe didn't want to come to Emerald Isle, securing the position of governor of Emerald Isle instead of coming as a general to quell the rebellion gave him a slight way to resolve the situation.

After all, not long ago, Joe's good friend also suddenly became a governor, and then had to find a way to deal with those disobedient guys under him and make the world run the way he wanted.

Given that his good buddy had almost sold his pants but had successfully paid his tithes and that there hadn't been a rebellion in the hive, Joe decided to copy his good buddy's homework a little.

After the Imperial Guards Fusiliers completed their assembly at the port, Joe got into a car and, escorted by soldiers, went to the Governor's Mansion. After handing over the reins to the outgoing Governor, Joe instructed the Fusiliers to inform the members of the Governor's Mansion to come to the Governor's Mansion immediately for a meeting.

Although in theory the governor of Emerald Isle should be the highest authority on Emerald Isle, this is not actually the case.

Since it is impossible for the governor to do everything perfectly, he must delegate some less important tasks to others. The choice of successive governors of Emerald Isle is to entrust these tasks to their secretaries.

As a result, over time, the governor of Emerald Isle gradually became a rubber stamp, and the governor's secretary became an old artist!
(End of this chapter)