People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Should I take command?"

“No, you have to stay here,” Therese said. “The work of repairing the Shard will depend on you.”

Theresa was slightly startled.

Indeed, the work of repairing the Shards Tower would require the guidance of her, who once served as a Demon King, oversaw the survival of civilization, possessed knowledge of some creations of the previous civilization (such as Originium), and had contact with "evil spirits of the old era."

But aren't airships the same?

The dead souls are stubborn. Quesatushta's words are not empty words. These ancestors want to see the Demon King and her general stand together again. They will only accept the command of the Demon King and her general.

If she doesn't go, doesn't that mean...?

"I go."

Therese nodded slightly, confirming Theresa's idea.

This is why he sought out the book "q羣=:佴旧“似思→乌露泤求" for this short break.

He needed to conserve enough mental energy to ensure that this surprise attack on the speech would yield a result that "satisfied him."

"But"

Theresa finally couldn't help but want to say something.

But Therese shook her head.

Needless to say.

His existence is to remind this land what the Sarkaz truly are!

Chapter 566: Tell them we will fight to the end!

Victoria, near Londinium, Silverstone Gorge, headquarters of the Duke's Allied Forces.

The Duke of Windermere stepped onto the podium.

Today is not a typical sunny day; the sky is overcast, and the air is filled with the dampness of the transition between spring and winter. The lingering smell of gunpowder from several rounds of skirmishes is like a nightmare, lingering in the hearts of every Victoria soldier even after it has dissipated.

When will the war end?

When can we go home?

These are the two questions the soldiers asked most often.

Yes, now that the Duke of Wellington, the hero of Victoria and the godfather of all modern warfare, has been forced to withdraw from the front lines under the Sarkaz's attack, many more soldiers have lost their will to fight.

Will Victoria win? Will Victoria lose?

Two questions that were originally beyond doubt are now questionable, and what is even more worrying is that the soldiers have begun to resist.

War-weariness is a problem that every country that enters into war must face. People are not machines or tools. No matter how hardworking and conscientious a person is, they are still human beings, not slaves. When the leader falls, and the road ahead is as obscured as the fog shrouding the city of Londinium, feelings of resistance, disgust, and the desire to escape will quietly take root and grow in everyone's heart.

The Sarkaz were not without wise men—even if the dukes were unwilling to admit it, they must have realized that the Sarkaz organization within the city, which called itself the “Military Council,” was not the kind of barbaric and ignorant mercenaries they imagined—these Sarkaz had made full use of the emotions of the Victorians.

Harassment, raiding, and small-scale warfare. The Sarkaz used their most common and skilled tactics to fight against the steel behemoths of Victoria. Whenever the Victorians tried to settle the matter with a large-scale battle, the Sarkaz would hold their city and not come out, using the high walls of Londinium as protection, forcing the dukes to once again find themselves in a dilemma.

The choice is whose troops should lead the charge.

Preserving strength was a common idea among everyone, and as long as the dukes did not have a unified leadership, they would never be able to decide on the first force to directly confront the main artillery of Londinium's defenses.

Every duke knew about this problem, and every duke knew how to solve it. The Duke of Wellington should have been the best answer to this problem, but he fell ill.

Because Sarkaz understood this issue better than the Duke.

The position of commander-in-chief of the coalition forces had been vacant for nearly a week, as those in power weighed whether the benefits of the position outweighed the risks. And now, the Duke of Windermere has stepped up.

She was the second best choice, but often, in literature there is no first place, and in martial arts there is no second place; the so-called second place is practically nonexistent.

The Allied forces did not have much faith in this Grand Duchess. Her military record was not as good as Wellington's, her prestige was not as good as Wellington's, and her strength was not as good as Wellington's. Why should people listen to her command?

Based on your statement, Windermere, "If we lose this battle, even if Victoria sits in that position, she'll be nothing but a laughingstock!" you withdrew from the competition for the representative seat, in exchange for the support of the Duke of Castells' army. And that allowed the Duke of Castells to go to Sherag to attend the International Summit?

Based on your statement, Windermere, that "regardless of whether it's the Drak or the Tara, only the Duke of Victoria's Wellington army is here. If you don't participate, the Duke's allied forces will fight to the death to quell the internal strife!" you forced Abrahana to promise that the Wellington army would not withdraw from the battlefield?

Based on what Windermere said, he didn't say anything. Duke Godotin was the first to raise his hand in support. He was still so indifferent, even if he was regarded as a fence-sitter by the outside world.

However, just as Duke Godotington had predicted, when news spread that Duke Windermere would succeed Duke Wellington as commander of the Allied Forces, discussions about "why Duke Windermere was to lead the Allied Forces" spread throughout Silverstone Gorge.

"Why?"

Addressing the entire army, the Duke of Windermere proclaimed:

"I will fight to the very end!"

This was not a mistake; the Duke of Windermere was simply answering, using four simple sentences to address those incredibly complex questions.

Microphones and loudspeakers amplified her already loud voice to every place within her sight. Distracted infantrymen looked up at her, and her voice echoed through the corridors of the high-speed warship. She didn't need many words; a simple, direct, and unquestionable resolute response was enough to give confidence to many confused people at crucial moments.

The Duke of Windermere's gaze swept across the entire army, and her voice followed:

“My soldiers, my warriors, my, all of us, the children of Victoria.”

"Listen carefully!"

"I don't know what you're discouraged about, nor do I understand why you're sighing and complaining!"

"As you can see, for the past century, we, the mighty Victoria, the glorious Victoria, the great Victoria, have never dared to assure our people that we have the absolute strength to resist invasion!"

"More than eighty years ago, at the instigation of Corsica I, the tyrant of Gaul, a part of the Victorian Empire, now known as Colombia, separated from us!"

"More than sixty years ago, Corsica I, the tyrant of Gaul, launched a war of aggression against Victoria's neighbor, the Leitanian Empire, which loved peace, music, and classical art. He attempted to turn art, classical music, and elegant and beautiful magic into his puppets, thereby threatening Victoria's land!"

"More than fifty years ago, the once-powerful Iberian Empire arrogantly declared that it would build the most magnificent ships on this land, and that they would sail along the Krasdee Sea, making every place the sea reached Iberian territory!"

"More than forty years ago, the previous emperor of the Ursus Empire began their era of great conquest. A terrifying gray torrent swept from the north of the land southward, and the independent nations, city-states, and all peace-loving forces on the Terra were subjected to the inhumane attacks of the army groups!"

"If you want 10 [7] clothes? Search Q group: If you want examples, I can give you many more! Tell me, do you want more!"

Duke Windermere paused slightly, the brief silence giving everyone time to catch their breath, and also the calm before the storm.

In that brief pause, she saw the expressions on the soldiers' faces.

The podium wasn't far from the army, but even among the soldiers who were qualified to stand at the front, Windermere could read confusion, bewilderment, and doubt in their eyes.

Why are you saying all this?

Why am I saying all this?

She spoke again.

“I know many of you want to ask me this question. You, Grand Duke Windermere, why are you saying these things?”

"The reason is simple. I just want to tell you, I just want to ask you, I just want to remind you! What are the difficulties you are facing compared to the difficulties our ancestors and our parents faced?"

"Then, I want you to answer this question: And then what? And what happened to all those countries I mentioned, those that flaunted their power in front of Victoria?!"

A series of questions, interconnected questions, and relentless questioning.

But a speech is not about asking questions. A speech is about asking questions, and then giving answers that everyone can answer, that everyone agrees on, that they hope for, and that can achieve the goal!

Holding the speech in her hand, the Duke of Windermere didn't even need to look at the contents, because she already knew the answers Ernst had given! Every Victorian soldier present knew them too!

"Gaul, which stirred up trouble, was in a four-nation war. Its capital was captured by the Victorian army, and the country was destroyed by the Victorian Empire!"

"Colombia, which was fortunate enough to gain independence, withdrew from the core area, avoided competing with Victoria, and chose to explore those wild and barren lands!"

"The arrogant Iberia perished overnight in the Great Stillness, and the current court is merely the final neurotic reaction of this corpse!"

"But what about Victoria? Soldiers, tell me, how is Victoria now?"

Without needing to hand over a microphone, a soldier had already answered with his clear voice: Four

"Abundant!" "Dominant!" "Great!"

Everyone has a different image of Victoria, so there are many different answers.

Windermere, however, offered a more objective, moderate, and unquestionable response.

She softened her tone and answered in a calm but firm voice:

"Victoria still exists here!"

"Our nation, our civilization, and our people continue to exist here, in this fertile land of the core."

"Those who challenged us either perished, fled, or never recovered. Only Victoria, our destiny, we will continue to exist!"

She took a deep breath and asked again:

"Now, tell me, will our existence be ended by the Sarkaz? Will we, the Victorian soldiers, who have received elite training, wield modern weapons, and pilot high-speed warships that the Sarkaz have never even seen before, be disheartened and flee the battlefield, watching our existence be ended by thugs from the Sarkaz?!"

"Will it!"

This time, the answer is unanimous.

"will not!"

Every Victorian soldier answered.

"will not!"

The answer was being given in the cabins of every high-speed warship.

"will not!"

Every officer, even those who were not under the Duke of Windermere's command, even those who did not care about the speech, even those who were forced to be there, answered!

At this very moment, as if in response to this resounding, unified roar and determination that echoed through the clouds, a scarlet warship slowly revealed its claws above the dark, gaping clouds.

Terra lacks air defense equipment.

Even with advanced drone technology, the Terrans have not developed drones adapted to high-altitude environments, nor corresponding surface-to-air weapons, due to a lack of understanding of the high-altitude environment and the need to avoid the electromagnetic interference of the barrier layer.

So much so that when the airship finally revealed its fangs and was already so close to the Allied forces' main camp, the Allied scouts finally managed to observe its presence with the naked eye.

Although they have not yet reached the airspace above the main camp, they are already not far away.

The alarm was sounded almost immediately, its piercing siren instantly drowning out the Duke of Windermere's speech, followed by the anxious figure of the adjutant to the General Staff.

"Your Grace, an airship! An airship is approaching our position!"

In fact, even without him saying it, Duke Windermere himself had already seen the giant object in the sky.

A hint of surprise appeared on her face, and she subconsciously asked, "Did you come from Jiushelag?"

But the adjutant immediately shook his head: "They're from Lentinium!"

"That's a Sarkaz airship!"

Duke Windermere paused slightly, his gaze passing over his adjutant and landing on the distant sky.

The airships weren't very fast, and the Duke's scouts kept their eyes on the direction of Londinium. With such a huge machine, it was impossible for every scout to miss it when it took off.

Logically speaking, news should have come back by now.

But it wasn't until the airship was close to her base that she saw and received the major news about the Sarkaz airship.

"A shapeshifter?"

"Windermere said in a low voice. After thinking it over, it seems that this is the only possibility."

The problem is that scouts are scattered everywhere, and even the Duke's allied command cannot pinpoint the location of every scout precisely at all times. They all possess considerable autonomy. Is the Shapeshifter swarm really that powerful, capable of accurately locating every scout and then preventing them from transmitting intelligence to command?

"Duke, retreat immediately! This could be another decapitation strike!"

Without giving Duke Windermere much time to think, the adjutant shouted his advice, reaching out to grab Windermere's arm.

"We have already lost one commander; we cannot afford to lose another!"

But before her arm could touch Windermere, the Duke took a small step back, drew his sword without hesitation, and slashed at Philin in front of him.

It didn't feel like it was piercing flesh.

Windermere looked at the slimes in front of him, which were gradually dispersing and then reassembling, with a solemn expression.

Just as she suspected, the intelligence indicated a water source. The Victorian coalition possessed thousands of such water sources, which even shapeshifters could not completely cut off.

However, to block the flow of intelligence to the command center, all that is needed is to control the water pipes.

"When?"

"Just now."

The Shapeshifter, now back to his original form, was almost instantly riddled with arrows by the three Swordsmen who had been lying in ambush. But this time, he didn't immediately scatter. Instead, he casually answered Windermere's question again.

"Your adjutant is fine, he just fainted and is in the toilet."

"You might not believe it, but we came here to advise you to leave as soon as possible."