Chapter 963: Chapter 16 Rocossov Forges Ahead
United Kingdom, Pri Minister’s Residence.
Leonard was pacing back and forth in the office when the private secretary opened the door and ca in:
“The Plathen Emperor has just issued a public telegram.”
Leonard shivered: “He’s not going to surrender, is he?”
“No. He’s inviting Rocossov to a one-on-one duel under fair terms.”
Leonard opened his mouth wide, staring at the private secretary, unable to speak for a long while.
Private Secretary: “That’s really what his telegram said.”
Leonard, puffing on his pipe, paced around the room in circles before asking the MI6 director present in the room: “Is the Plathen Emperor out of his mind?”
Sir Cumming from MI6 nodded: “It’s possible. Considering so suspicious reports recently, it’s likely he’s been triggered by sothing.”
Leonard: “Suspicious reports?”
“There have been successive mutinies among Prosen troops, abandoning their positions and heading to designated locations by the Anteans to surrender their weapons.”
Leonard widened his eyes: “How is that possible? Didn’t we analyze earlier that the Prosens, fearing reciprocated vengeance from the Anteans, would resist desperately?”
“That was indeed our deduction, but now more and more Prosen troops are leaving their positions. The Ante Troops’ advancent has sped up significantly as a result.
“Currently, only the ard forces of the Asgard Knights are fiercely resisting. Perhaps it’s because these forces have committed heinous cris inside Ante territory.”
Leonard: “How could this happen? What’s going on?”
Sir Cumming: “It’s said the Anteans released so captured Prosen officers who ford a Secular faction church and are spreading secular teachings in Prosen, preparing to establish a secular state there.”
“Just like that?” Leonard was incredulous, “Just like that, they managed to cause mass mutiny among the Prosen troops? Wait, this isn’t just mutiny; it’s downright treason!”
Sir Cumming raised both hands in resignation.
Leonard: “Sothing’s not right! I don’t believe that’s the sole reason behind the Prosen Army’s treason. There must be sothing else—what if the Anteans have finally mastered brainwashing techniques? They’ve brainwashed all the Prosen troops!”
General Margo couldn’t help but interject: “Your remarks truly sound absurd. How could sothing like that even exist? And even if it did, why use it on such a small scale?”
“But is there any other explanation?” Leonard retorted.
Margo: “Then how do you explain the fact that we’ve all t Rocossov and didn’t get brainwashed?”
“Don’t use a rhetorical question as a response to mine!”
“No, I’m drawing your attention to logic, Pri Minister. We, as well as Eck and old President Rowe, have had close contact with that Marshal, yet none of us were brainwashed.”
Leonard: “Perhaps it requires certain complicated conditions or lengthy procedures!”
“Then it would be impossible for them to brainwash so many Prosen troops so quickly.” General Margo continued, “Admit it, the Scripture of Saint Andrew possesses an uncanny ability to entice. Who knows, there might even be individuals in critical positions within the United Kingdom secretly praying to Saint Andrew’s Scripture every night.”
Leonard widened his eyes: “If that’s true, it would be terrifying.”
Margo: “Why be afraid? We’re on the sa side. If Rocossov can hasten Prosen’s surrender, we can save a lot of lives. They’re all good lads!”
Leonard didn’t reply, rely puffing on his pipe and walking around the room.
————
November 30th, All Saints’ Day, Third Prisoner Transit Center, within lania, 91 kiloters east of Plowsonia’s city center.
Sergeant Hans looked at the priest wearing a blue hat, hesitated for a mont, then asked: “Will my cris affect my family?”
“No, be honest and confess.”
Sergeant Hans sighed and began to recall: “On the first day of the invasion, I killed a—”
“Was it on the battlefield?” The blue hat interrupted him.
“Yes, it was on the battlefield.”
Blue Hat: “That doesn’t need confession. Tell if you’ve committed atrocities against civilians, executed, or robbed prisoners.”
Sergeant Hans: “The battlefield doesn’t require confession?”
“Right, that’s Marshal Rocossov’s instruction. You only need to confess cris committed off the battlefield. Rember, if you don’t confess now, soone might report you later, and you’ll be done for.”
Sergeant Hans nodded, thought for a mont, then began to speak: “It was near Ronied. We occupied a farm, then orders ca instructing us to clear the farm because the logistics unit was going to turn it into a station.
“I ordered my n to bring out the entire family and execute them by firing squad.”
Blue Hat: “You murdered them brutally?”
“Yes, all these years I’ve been plagued by nightmares, dreaming—”
Blue Hat: “How many in total? Any children?”
“I don’t quite rember, but there were children—two of them.”
Blue Hat picked up a writing pad on the desk and flipped through the files clipped atop it: “Child murder, killing an entire family outside combat… It’s unfortunate, Sergeant Hans, but we must execute you.”
The sergeant let out a long breath, then nervously asked again: “Will my family be unaffected?”
“Correct. Additionally, if you can identify significant cris committed by others, your sentence may be changed to life imprisonnt. You’ll spend your life in labor camps in Siberia, but you can correspond with your family.”
Sergeant Hans: “I’m willing to identify. When I was preparing to carry out the execution, Lieutenant Crowther appeared, taking the woman and the boy up to the second floor. We waited a long while before he ca down and ordered us to change the execution thod to disposal in the manure pit.”
Blue Hat: “Crowther? His full na, his unit.”
The sergeant recounted everything he could rember in detail.
Reviews
All reviews (0)