Chapter 1444: Chapter 23: Landing (Part 2)

[Kingsfort]

[United Provinces Army’s Barracks]

Silence enveloped the officer’s mess temporarily serving as a conference room, the atmosphere suffocatingly heavy.

The breeze blowing in from the playground direction not only failed to alleviate the heat but also brought along the noise of unloading trucks.

Leaving behind most of the troops, the members of the Southern Army Command who arrived at Kingsfort with the Commander himself, sat on one side of the long table;

William Lodewijk, who arrived even earlier than the Southern Army Command, and his subordinates sat on the other side of the dining table.

Both parties silently looked towards the end of the long table, quietly waiting for the highest commander of the United Provinces Army in South Paratu to finish browsing the report in hand.

“Hmm,” after what seemed like an eternity, Jansen Cornelius placed the report handed by Colonel Ludwick back on the table, removed his monocle, rubbed his weary eyes, and calmly concluded:

“The situation is bad, worse than my worst predictions.”

Though describing the dire situation faced by our side, the Southern Army Commander seemed to be evaluating the enemy, not hesitating to sarcastically and cynically criticize:

“Grof Magnus, that fool, with just one battle, managed to squander all the forces we arduously recruited, armed, and trained for him.

“He’s like a rotten gambler with two pounds of horse urine in him, clutching the gold lent by someone else, staggeringly approaching the gambling table, seeing what he believes to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, immediately blinded by the dream of winning it all, recklessly putting his entire fortune on the line, without considering or wanting to consider the consequences of losing.”

Cornelius, holding his chin, seemed to ponder, then corrected: “No, His Excellency the Grand Speaker is worse than a rotten gambler; a rotten gambler at most would gamble away his own, his family’s, his friends’ wealth.

“Our Grand Speaker here gambled away the entire field force of the Legitimate Government of Paratu—essentially gambling away the ‘legitimacy’ on his sign, gambling away the whole of South Paratu.

“What’s more, in order to maintain his power, Grof Magnus even took ruthlessly against the peace faction, successfully losing the last bit of legitimacy.”

At this point, William Lodewijk appeared somewhat uneasy—the reason Grof Magnus could act ruthlessly was due to his backing.

However, the former Minister was entirely unconcerned with Colonel Ludwick’s discomfort, continuing:

“Nowadays, towns across South Paratu, even if not secretly communicating with the rebels, tend to sit on the fence and observe.

“What’s more damning is that while the Grand Speaker sent away the field troops, he also managed to send off the last regiment of Paratu officers loyal to the Grand Council, not leaving even a single seed, effectively precluding the possibility of a quick rebuilding of the parliamentary forces.”

Cornelius picked up the report on the table again, casually flipping through it, “No matter how you look at it, Grof Magnus’ rule in South Paratu is done for.”

Upon hearing the Minister’s words, Colonel Ludwick’s subordinates exchanged looks.

The members of the command on the other side of the long table remained unfazed, appearing accustomed.

Finally, it was William Lodewijk, the Colonel, who broke the silence.

William Lodewijk, a man with grey-blue eyes and a serious demeanor, originally sharp-looking, had grown even leaner since arriving in Paratu, with cheeks and eye sockets visibly sunken.

Tight lips, a brow furrowed like a scar, and the undeniable fatigue all indicated he had been under considerable pressure lately.

“You’re right, Speaker Magnus’s throne is indeed tottering.” Ludwick slightly bowed, “So, it’s truly fortunate you’ve arrived in Paratu so swiftly. We’re all counting on you to stabilize the collapsing structure, to save the situation before it’s too late…”

“Stop pretending,” Cornelius impatiently waved his hand, “If I were you, I’d have cursed my entire family by now.

“When I was in school, you hadn’t enrolled; when you were in school, I was just an assistant instructor. I’m not your teacher, and you’re not my student. We have no need to go through these false pleasantries between us.”

Cornelius tapped the table, “The matter I wanted clarification on, you’ve already answered me in the report. Whatever you wish to ask, just ask directly.”

William Lodewijk, encountering the former Minister’s demeanor for the first time, was initially taken aback, then his brow instinctively tightened.

From Cornelius’s face, no truth could be discerned. However, after scanning the expressions of the command members sitting opposite, he was convinced the other was not joking.

Given this, Ludwick also dismissed the formalities, straightforwardly gathering his thoughts, and asked directly, “How many troops did you bring this time?”

Cornelius answered crisply, “Excluding artillery, this batch consists of one battalion, five hundred.”

“What about the next batch?”

“Still five hundred.”

William Lodewijk’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed, “Will every trip from now on bring a fixed battalion?”

“No!” Unexpectedly, Cornelius shook his finger, “Just these two fives hundred.”

William’s nerves, which had just relaxed, immediately tightened again.

The officers under Colonel Ludwick also showed surprise, unsure if they had heard incorrectly.

Yet the members of the command remained as if they had long known.

“Only a thousand men?” William had some mental preparation for the Southern Army’s outer strength and inner weakness, but being even more prepared would not account for such a low number.

“Including your troops, two thousand, for now.”

“Then… what about afterwards?”

“While Major Van Hous is currently focusing on training the homeland troops with all his might,” Cornelius said calmly, “but I suggest you have no unrealistic expectations for the scale of the follow-up forces.”

The dining room suddenly quieted, the commander’s intentions could not be clearer.

“Forgive my boldness,” William licked his teeth to suppress his anger and asked, “No matter what, the Southern Army has four legions on paper, twenty thousand troops, how could it only offer a thousand men?”

Cornelius didn’t directly answer, instead he asked another question: “Colonel, what do you think of the five hundred soldiers I brought?”

William paused, his mind flashed back to the sight of Cornelius’ troops singing military songs as they marched through the streets of Kingsfort.

He fairly appraised, “Although lacking combat experience, they are excellent soldiers.”

Cornelius smirked, “Handpicked from four legions, how could they not be good?”

William was speechless.

Cornelius was still in the mood for joking: “Rest assured, the next batch of five hundred coming on the next trip will be just as good as this one.”

William was both angry and anxious, “Are you intending to rely on two thousand men to hold off the New Reclaimed Land Rebel Army?”

“Two thousand is certainly insufficient,” Cornelius paused, emphasizing heavily, “but this is all the Southern Army can currently muster.”

Cornelius swept his sharp gaze across the subordinates of Colonel Ludwick, sternly warning, “So, do not let any Paratu person be aware of this. Whether at the table or in bed, you only need to tell them one thing – the main forces of the Southern Army are arriving soon, understood?”

William heard the threat in the former minister’s words and immediately countered, “Rest assured, my subordinates will keep their mouths shut. But I must remind you, there are no walls without cracks.”

“Then the later the cracks appear, the better.”

“Regardless, two thousand is far too few,” William still tried to argue, “If all four legions were in place, they could at least deter the autonomous towns from easily defecting; maybe even scare the New Reclaimed Land Rebel Army into adjusting their strategy, actively avoiding conflict.”

Cornelius coldly glanced at the colonel, “Quality matters more than quantity. Bringing twenty thousand useless soldiers to Paratu is less useful than bringing twenty thousand pigs. At least pigs can still be eaten, while men would only eat the pigs.”

“If you only have two thousand men,” William immediately retorted, “you’ll be eaten up just the same.”

“Hear me, William Lodewijk,” Cornelius stood up, gazing down at the colonel and everyone present.

“If you’re counting on the United Province to mobilize troops to win this war, you might as well surrender right now.

“The military headquarters cannot give us troops, nor will they.

“Even if the military headquarters did provide troops, it does not alter the iron law – only the Paratu people can decide who the master of Paratu land is.”

“Therefore,” Cornelius resumed his seat, calmly elaborating, “the only way for us to win this war is to rebuild the Army of the Republic of Paratu.”

“Are you still thinking about ‘winning’?” William Lodewijk asked in disbelief.

“Why not?” Cornelius’ expression remained serene: “I’m here to win this war.”

“Then how do you plan to win…” William Lodewijk’s face darkened like ink, “How do you intend to rebuild the Army of the Republic of Paratu?”

Jansen Cornelius smiled slightly, “First, we need to talk to the New Reclaimed Land Rebel Army.”