Chapter 196: The Whole Nation is a Soldier!
Stanford paced back and forth in the Command Center!
Now that the president and a group of high-ranking officials had been kidnapped, they had no choice but to accept the order in this crisis.
One of Stanford's subordinates, a general, asked doubtfully, "Are you really sure it's those countries in the Desert Alliance?"
"We already conceded to the Desert Alliance before, so why would they want to attack us?"
"I think it might be some criminal organizations!"
Facing his subordinate general's question, Stanford could only respond with silence at this moment.
Like the president, he was a high-ranking official of Daishin, so he naturally understood the inside story!
However, he chose to stay and defend his country rather than flee with them.
But he was worried that revealing the full truth would severely damage the image of the high-ranking officials among the public, thereby triggering even greater domestic turmoil!
Therefore, he was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Now is not the time to dwell on this. Regardless of who did this, we must prepare to respond."
Just then, a subordinate suddenly reported, "General, many mechs have suddenly appeared on our western border!"
Stanford's heart sank abruptly, as if struck by a giant boulder.
"So fast? Are they ready to start a war already?" he muttered to himself, his expression becoming exceptionally grave.
The subordinate general was also startled by this sudden news.
They had experienced the combat power of the Desert Alliance's mechs; that immense power still made them shudder with fear to this day.
"General, I request to assemble all forces to deal with the incoming mechs," one general said.
After listening, Stanford frowned and thought for a long time before resolutely stating, "No!"
"If we assemble all our troops to deal with those mechs, we will leave gaps elsewhere!"
"If they gather their troops and enter from our rear, we will be attacked from both front and back!"
His words silenced everyone, as they also understood that such a huge risk indeed existed.
Stanford tried to calm himself down and attempted to comfort his subordinates: "The Desert Alliance only has twenty mechs. Even if we use half of our army, we can still hold them off!"
"At that time, we will seek help from the United States and pressure them through public opinion!"
"Perhaps we can ease their offensive or gain some room for negotiation!"
Everyone felt helpless; it seemed this was the only method they could adopt for now.
Just then, the subordinate who had previously reported the situation said in a somewhat desperate tone, "Half the troops, I'm afraid, is not enough!"
Stanford knitted his brows and said sternly, "Tell the soldiers to have the resolve of a nation facing extinction; it will definitely be enough!"
"We conceded to the Desert Alliance before because resisting was disadvantageous to us, but that doesn't mean we... will lose if we fight them to the death!"
Stanford said these last words almost through gritted teeth!
However, his subordinate's next words filled him with despair! "General!" "There aren't just twenty mechs on the western front; there are a full sixty!" "It's sixty mechs!" The subordinate's voice was trembling!
Upon hearing this, the officers were instantly dumbfounded; they looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and fear.
Stanford also felt a sudden daze. His voice trembling, he questioned his subordinate, "Don't joke around!" "The Desert Alliance clearly only had twenty mechs before; how could there be sixty now? This is absolutely impossible!"
The subordinate explained anxiously, "It's absolutely true, and they haven't attacked yet; they are just quietly flying in the air outside the border line."
After speaking, the subordinate quickly sent over the video taken by the border troops. Stanford opened the video with trembling hands!
When he saw those sixty majestic mechs neatly lined up in the air outside the border in the video, he was completely stunned.
The mere presence of the opponent caused this person, who was like a pillar of Daishin Country, to completely lose his will to fight.
Each of those mechs shimmered with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight, exuding an invincible aura!
"Sixty mechs, how can we fight this?" Stanford muttered to himself in despair, frantically searching his mind for any strategies or tactics, trying to find a glimmer of hope to respond.
But he found that these strategies and tactics appeared so pale and powerless in the face of absolute power.
He felt a deep sense of despair enveloping him, as if the entire world had collapsed at this moment.
However, just when everyone was plunged into despair, one general refused to give in! He stood up abruptly and shouted, "Assemble the troops and fight them in a decisive battle at the border!" "At the same time, organize the militia to guard the rear!" "Swear to live and die with Daishin!"
... Inside a certain bar in Daishin, lights flickered, music was deafening, and people were immersed in a decadent atmosphere.
Soon, rumors that the Desert Alliance was going to war with Daishin spread quietly among the crowd like a ghost, but these Daishin citizens did not pay much attention to it.
They thought this time would be the same as before—the high-ranking officials would offer up benefits, the war would end, and it would have nothing to do with them, the common people.
These young people continued to dance and enjoy themselves wantonly in the bar. While twisting their bodies to the music, they also cursed the countries of the Desert Alliance.
"When we rise, we definitely won't let these guys off!" "At that time, I will make them our slaves, just like the black slaves from a hundred years ago!" "Just wait, sooner or later, we will have our revenge!"
They shouted loudly, as if the war was just a distant topic that had absolutely nothing to do with their lives.
They weren't afraid at all. Anyway, in their perception, if the war was lost, it was the soldiers who died, which had nothing to do with them, the commoners.
So, they continued to revel, shouting one after another, "Keep the music playing, keep dancing!"
However, just as they were indulging themselves, a troop of soldiers suddenly burst in like a whirlwind.
These soldiers had cold, stern expressions and moved quickly, grabbing the young people without explanation and taking them outside.
This sudden turn of events scared these guys into screaming; they were terrified, thinking it was the people from the Desert Alliance who had slaughtered their way in.
When they saw clearly that it was their own country's army, they were even more furious and resisted, shouting, "Why are you arresting us?" "We are on the same side!" "You guys, shouldn't you be protecting us?" "Why are you doing this to us?!"
The soldiers said sternly, "The Desert Alliance is coming aggressively. Since you know we are on the same side, then pick up your weapons and go defend your country!"
Now, those guys who originally thought the war had nothing to do with them were completely dumbfounded. The smiles on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by fear and helplessness. Some were crying and shouting, "Mom, I want to go home!"
The entire bar was plunged into chaos and panic.
Meanwhile, on the dance floor, some women seemed to pay no attention to this sudden turmoil and continued to dance. They even cursed, "What use are you soldiers, actually laying hands on us civilians? What does the war have to do with us?"
The leading soldier's expression turned even darker after hearing this. He said to his subordinates, "Take those women away too. Like to dance, right? Go to the military camp and dance your hearts out for our soldiers!" His words carried anger.
The women who had just thought the war had nothing to do with them now had their expressions change drastically! As the soldiers took action, the entire bar fell into complete chaos. Wine glasses and tables were knocked to the ground! The music also came to an abrupt halt.