Cannon Fire Arc

The body of the assassin killed by Amelia from an extreme distance was soon brought before Wang Zhong.

There were three people in total, two of them were clearly Prosens, and the remaining one should be a Balasian—Wang Zhong wasn't entirely sure, but the hair and skin color looked a lot like a Balasian.

However, solving this problem was quite simple; he waved his hand to summon the commander of the first Balas brigade, who was waiting on the side for orders: "Mustafa, come take a look at this person, is he Balasian?"

Mustafa came over and said immediately: "He's a Falconer."

Wang Zhong: "Does he… have magic? Like our Miss Amelia?"

Amelia: "What do you mean? I saved you, can't you be less distant?"

Wang Zhong: "Like Amelia the little girl?"

Amelia frowned.

Wang Zhong quickly corrected himself: "Like sister Amelia?"

"Whatever. But Falconers indeed possess mysterious powers, they can empathize with eagles, so it is said."

Wang Zhong looked at Amelia: "So it is said?"

Mustafa continued: "It's all legend, some also believe they are just sharpshooters with particularly good marksmanship. When Falconers strike, they mostly use eagles to peck out the target's eyes, it's rare for them to use guns."

Wang Zhong: "His sniping range—even very far."

He wanted to say that the sniping range exceeded his highlight range but changed his words at the last moment.

Wang Zhong had always thought that with his highlight he could be worry-free, but it now seems it wasn't so safe, facing a long-range sniper was still quite scary.

Although it took supernatural powers to do such a thing, and the Prosens happened to lack supernatural powers, so maybe he could afford to be a bit reckless when facing the Prosens.

But—if the United Kingdom wanted me dead, that would be a different story.

Wang Zhong looked towards Amelia.

Amelia: "Don't worry, I won't shoot at an Allied General."

Wang Zhong: "But the war will end, can we still be allies afterward?"

Amelia shook her head: "At least not with the Balasians. Our Prime Minister is famous for saying: There are no…"

"There are no permanent enemies, no permanent friends, only permanent interests," Wang Zhong interjected.

"Mhm." Amelia nodded, but after a brief pause, she added, "But you and I are good friends; I wouldn't shoot at a friend."

Wang Zhong: "Since when did we become good friends?"

"When you won ten pounds from me." Amelia looked at Mustafa standing beside Wang Zhong, "I could never have imagined earning such genuine respect from the locals like this."

Wang Zhong: "Because we don't want to colonize them, we hope they can achieve national liberation. One day, perhaps Ante will become opposed to us, but as long as I'm here, I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."

Amelia looked at Wang Zhong: "Really, then I'll be watching."

Don't just watch, according to Earth's history, you United Kingdom folks come out on top; don't hesitate, become a Davarish!

At that moment, Amelia said: "Actually, you don't have to worry too much, people like myself and the killed Falconer are few and far between. The biggest weakness of magic is that it relies too much on talent, no one can reliably produce individuals with high talent.

"That's why the Prosens put forward the slogan that the light of technology will ultimately replace the grace of God."

Amelia looked at the Balasian user of mystical powers with a sense of emotion.

Just then, the Judge who was searching the two Prosens stood up and saluted Wang Zhong: "Report, the documents on these two are likely forgeries; they entered the country with Bahara diplomatic visas."

Amelia was shocked: "Bahara? Impossible! We couldn't possibly be exploited like this!"

Wang Zhong: "I suggest checking your embassy in Balas."

"I will suggest that," said Colonel Benjamin, the liaison officer, "No, I will insist on it."

The Judge continued his report: "Based on their equipment and clothes, I believe they are agents of the Prosens Imperial Ministry."

Wang Zhong asked seriously: "Can you interrogate them?"

The Judge answered solemnly: "They are already dead. We can't really make the dead talk."

Wang Zhong: "Understood. I thought the Tribunal might have some mysterious powers, like conversing with the dead."

Clearly, Wang Zhong had played "Baldur's Gate 3" before crossing over.

The Judge said with a straight face: "We don't have that kind of technology."

Damn, by saying that you make me feel like you do have that kind of technology!

Wang Zhong took a deep breath and decided not to dwell on these matters anymore, changing the subject: "Is there any useful documentation on them?"

"None," said the Judge. "Judging that they might be Imperial Ministry agents is already based on my personal experience and a bit of reasoning. On official documents, I will write 'persons unknown'."

Wang Zhong nodded, "Understood. Then we should start by looking for clues from those who are less professional as falconers; he must have carried something to prove his identity."

"Indeed, we found a Balasian ID card on him, as well as... a Balasian Falconer License, and a photo."

Wang Zhong took the photo and saw it was a family of three; the deceased was the father.

He flipped the photo over and saw an address on the back.

Wang Zhong, "Take down this address. But don't disturb them; I wish to personally deliver his remains to his family."

Emilia, "You're planning to win over the falconer community again? Damn it, your antics in Balas would undo all our hard work there."

Wang Zhong laughed, "Isn't that a good thing? I mean, for the Balasian people?"

Emilia didn't immediately arch her brow and glare at Wang Zhong; instead, she turned her head away.

See, that is the nature of the United Kingdom—casting their lot with the Secular faction!

Wang Zhong, "Alright, the matter of the assassin is settled. At least for now; we cannot let this little incident affect the attack. After tomorrow's rest, we will continue the offense at dawn on September 5th!"

Speaking of which, he turned to Mustafa, "Your brigade will join the vanguard, but are you used to advancing on tanks?"

Mustafa, "Not used to it, but we can learn."

"Good. Set off as soon as you can, while the vanguard is resting."

"Yes." Mustafa saluted Wang Zhong, the very solemn salute that Meyer had given Wang Zhong a few days earlier.

Wang Zhong couldn't help asking, "Meyer saluted me with this before. What is this salute?"

"It is our most formal and grand gesture, signifying that we regard you as our best friend," said Mustafa.

Wang Zhong smiled faintly, then turned to ask Emilia, "Has any diplomat from the United Kingdom ever been welcomed by Balasians with such a gesture?"

Emilia, "Quit badgering me."

————

On September 5th, the Expeditionary Force set off again.

All along the way, not only did Balasian troops keep surrendering, even Balasian civilians began offering food and drink, warmly welcoming the Ante Expeditionary Force.

At the same time as the Expeditionary Force set off again, photos taken by Mike's partner Robert Capa were published on the front page headlines of all newspapers in the Federation.

Robert Capa shot an entire roll of film, all focused on the scene where Admiral Rokossovsky, after being shot, raised his arm and shouted "Fight!" He selected the best-composed photo from among them.

In this photo, Admiral Rokossovsky was raising his right hand with an intrepid look, facing the front, and the Ante Army Flag was waving behind him in the wind.

And the Ante soldiers protecting him formed a very stable triangular structure at his side.

Such a natural composition, impossible to create intentionally, needed just a touch of luck.

The impactful composition, coupled with various sensational front-page headlines, made Admiral Rokossovsky a top-tier celebrity in the Federation once again. Stay connected with empire

Moreover, the progress of the Expeditionary Force very much matched the pace, even creating an atmosphere within the Federation of "As long as Rokossovsky launches an attack, everything will be fine."

This atmosphere even diluted the impact brought on by the Prosens making rapid advances in Southern Ante.

Indeed, the Prosens launched an onslaught in Southern Ante akin to sweeping away the fallen leaves with autumn winds.

The strength of the entire Southern Army Group was split into two groups, Group A advanced to the mouth of Mount Raoul, leveling towns along the mountain range.

However, the attack on the mountain pass was firmly blocked by the Raoul Front Army led by General Feodor Mikhailovich (who succeeded Duke Meishikin).

While the Eastern Group B Army, though unable to encircle and annihilate the Suhayaweili Army, quickly took over part of the Suhayaweili River bay area after General Gorky's retreat, pushing towards the Valdai Hills River.

Between the two army groups lay vast grasslands, where, due to poor infrastructure, neither side deployed many troops.

Therefore, Federation newspapers arbitrarily painted this entire empty expanse in Prosen colors of occupation.

It looked quite frightening.

If it weren't for Rokossovsky's victories easing people's concerns, perhaps the sales of Federation war bonds would have even dropped.

Because of this, the Federation's bond issuance committees became even more vigorous in promoting Admiral Rokossovsky, releasing an abundance of related merchandise, from postcards to stamps.

To attract high society women to buy war bonds, they even came up with the idea of publishing booklets about Admiral Rokossovsky, filled with stories of American women who went to Ante and then had chance encounters with the general, developing into romantic relationships.

Thus, Admiral Rokossovsky of Ante rapidly became a top celebrity in the Federation, amassing a large fan base of housewives.

Subsequently, calls within the Federation for Rokossovsky to visit grew louder.

After all, there was a completely secure air route between Ante and the Federation, and the Federation's support planes reached Ante via this route.

This situation peaked on September 7th.

Because on that day, the Ante Expeditionary Force reached the outskirts of the Balas capital.