Thunder Warrior Saves the World

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Anton Performance, [Military Operations] Villand Province (Cannot be respawned)

战果汇总：空中目标击坠数：0；地面目标摧毁数：312；出击次数：51；活跃度：100%；参与任务奖励：金鹰：5000；T-72AV（TURMS-T）：3

With overwhelming numerical superiority, you inflicted heavy casualties on an enemy force several times your size, successfully thwarting the Belken Empire's 73rd Infantry Division's attack on Svorbella and buying at least half a month for the Kingdom of Elgia's 44th Infantry Division. However, the heavy losses made the Belken realize that a formidable enemy had emerged, and predictably, they would mobilize even more troops to achieve their goal of capturing Svorbella…

After the Belken soldiers disappeared deep into the forest and lost contact with the 7th Brigade's reconnaissance units, a new battle summary appeared on Lu Wu's tablet. Upon seeing the contents, Lu Wu leaned back tactically. Good heavens, had the BVVD changed its ways? They'd actually given him three top-tier MBTs for free?

However, after the initial excitement subsided, he noticed some unusual descriptions in the battle report: for example, "The Belken will mobilize more troops to achieve their goal of capturing Swabera." This statement finally prompted him to make up his mind to reform the organization of his troops.

He needs more tactical units so that he won't be caught short of manpower when a large army attacks. Take the battle that routed the 73rd Division, for example. If he had a few more artillery battalions and an attack aircraft squadron, none of those Belken soldiers would have escaped; the rout would have turned into an instant annihilation.

However, a rather awkward problem has arisen. In the battle to defeat the 73rd Division, the 588th and 46th Air Regiments undoubtedly contributed the most, followed by the SU-5-1 and BM-13 ground vehicles. The number of targets destroyed by these two types was vastly different, resulting in most research point rewards being concentrated on air vehicles. He had gathered all the research points needed for the Air Force's 20 Tier I vehicles in this campaign, and even had enough to develop production lines for several Tier II aircraft. He didn't even glance at the research on Yak, MiG, La, and I fighter/interceptor aircraft; he went straight to attack and bomber research.

Should they choose twin-engine bombers with higher payload capacity, or attack aircraft with more versatile payload options for better tactical bombing missions? The manpower costs required to form these two types of squadrons became the decisive factor in making this choice. For example, an eight-aircraft squadron like the SP-8, DEG-8, or P-2 requires a four-man crew, meaning a squadron would need 32 pilots. An attack aircraft like the P-3 only needs 16 pilots, and the Il-2 requires even fewer—only 8. Therefore, the planned new squadron will be centered around the Il-2 1942, employing two-aircraft formation tactics to support ground forces. The majority of the Golden Eagle Award for this mission will be invested in the development of this air force unit.

Compared to the Air Force's mere addition of a flight squadron, the Army's changes were far more significant. The Army decided to dismantle the previous two battalions. The reinforced companies, originally established to handle high-intensity combat, were now clearly unsuitable; it would be more appropriate to redeploy these forces to form new tactical units. The BMP-2M could easily destroy Belken tanks, so there was no need to continue assigning T-72 tanks to the brigade headquarters guard. These five tanks, plus the three awarded, and the original 15 tanks of the tank company, could form two ten-tank companies each, with the remaining three assigned to the battalion headquarters. In the Ens world, this formation, unless unlucky enough to be hit by heavy artillery fire, would allow them to easily dominate even against ten times their number of Belken tanks.

Similarly, the original 15-vehicle mechanized infantry company was reduced to 10 vehicles, and the extra 10 vehicles were used to form a new mechanized infantry company. These three companies formed a mechanized infantry battalion, giving the 7th Brigade five combat companies capable of close-quarters combat with the enemy. The five BMP infantry fighting vehicles from the air defense company were naturally reassigned to the brigade headquarters guard to supplement firepower. This transformed the brigade headquarters guard into a mechanized infantry company, which, in addition to guarding the command post, could also be deployed to the battlefield as a reserve force when necessary.

The formation of a specialized reconnaissance company, which Miller mentioned earlier, is also included in this plan. Like the air assault company, this reconnaissance company will also be equipped with helicopters for rapid deployment via air assault. However, due to funding constraints, the reconnaissance company will not be equipped with the Mi-24V attack helicopters of the air assault company, but rather with six ordinary Mi-4AV helicopters. These helicopters, in addition to having a 12.7mm machine gun, can also carry rockets, aerial bombs, and anti-tank missiles. While they are certainly not as powerful as the Mi-24V overall, they are sufficient to deal with the Belken.

The intelligence company, engineer company, and medical company, originally belonging to the engineering battalion, were also transferred out and became independent units under the brigade headquarters. The original supply company, field maintenance company, and equipment support company were reorganized into a support battalion. As the name suggests, their main task was to ensure that all kinds of equipment of the 7th Brigade could be used normally.

According to this reorganization plan, the 7th Brigade will become a low-configuration version of a "battalion tactical group." While this semi-brigade structure is far inferior to the combined arms forces of the US or China, it's perfectly suited to the Ensemble world. Why? The key issue is that the 7th Brigade lacks sufficient recruits to fill the vacant tank and infantry positions within its existing tank brigade. Unable to utilize a sea of ​​tanks or mobile infantry, it will rely on a sea of ​​artillery—suppression and bombardment. The 7th Brigade can acquire target information from both the air and ground. Its high level of information technology allows command to quickly receive information and issue attack orders. Ground troops, on standby, can swiftly execute these orders, weakening enemy forces through long-range artillery and rocket artillery attacks beyond the horizon, followed by a combined assault by tanks and mechanized infantry to rout and even annihilate the enemy. As for maintaining and expanding the subsequent front, there's still the Kingdom of Ergia's army, isn't there? If the Kingdom's army can't even handle this, what's the point of fighting? They might as well just throw down their guns and surrender.

Volume 1: Chapter 51, Chapter 49, June 6th (Updated). [Novel Group: 866443] Training Notes of the Camp

"The Belken have retreated?" When Kain received this intelligence, he thought he was dreaming. Gods above, that was the elite force of the Northern Army Group. A month ago, this unit had defeated three Ergan infantry divisions on the front lines of the border, earning its reputation. Ever since he learned that the 73rd Division was advancing towards Svorbella, he hadn't slept a wink, living in constant fear. And now, the sword of Damocles hanging over his head had vanished.

“To be honest, I thought the Amelians would launch an armored showdown with their tanks and Belken’s armored vehicles, just like they did in Wakan Village…” Shiraji shook his head, his face full of emotion, “Who would have thought that their aircraft would be so formidable? No wonder they were unwilling to sell us aircraft back then. I’m starting to wonder if future wars will be dominated by these aircraft.”

“This isn’t just because a certain weapon is powerful. Did you notice that throughout the entire process, there wasn’t a single contact at the company level or above?” Kaineng flipped through the action report compiled and submitted by the reconnaissance soldiers again. “This is very different from our initial tactical predictions for the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army.”

"Is it possible—and I mean possible—that this is a new tactic that the Amelians developed after arriving in our country, adapting it to local conditions? This is just a guess, and it may not be correct," Shirag said, giving the correct answer. "After all, it seems that the Amelians' volunteer force is not large, making it difficult to achieve the kind of large-scale mechanized breakthrough we discussed earlier. They can only rely on firepower suppression before using mechanized forces to achieve a breakthrough?"

"But in this battle, the Amelians did not deploy their mechanized forces..."

"That's because the Belken are useless," Shiragi said bluntly. "They couldn't even withstand artillery suppression, so naturally the Amelia didn't need to send in mechanized troops."

Kaineng glared at the outspoken Shiraji, "If the Belken are trash, then what are we?"

"Trash that's been brutally beaten by trash." Shiragi showed no mercy, even turning his rant against himself. "The Belken's steel tanks swept our defensive theories into the dustbin of history, while the Amelians turned their tanks into scrap metal with their planes. Commander, times have changed. Thank the gods, the Amelians are now on our side, giving Algiers a chance to catch up."

"Who do you think took the risk to promote cooperation with the Amelia?" Looking at the jumping Shiraji in front of him, Kaineng said with some helplessness, "Just sitting in the command post and looking at these incomplete reports is not enough to study the new era of warfare. I remember the 6th Battalion has been there for a week, right? Let's go to the 7th Brigade's base and see how the lads are training."

However, what Hiragi and Kainen didn't know was that at this time, the people of the 6th Battalion had just passed the basic test set by Snow White and were finally able to see and touch the war chariots belonging to the Kingdom of Ergiah.

Having passed the rigorous basic training, they now awaited complex theoretical instruction. Based on their performance, the instructors had assigned temporary positions to the soldiers of the 6th Battalion: driver, gunner, commander, loader, and radio operator/machine gunner. However, this did not mean they only needed to learn the content of their respective positions. Following the Soviet Army's principle of role-swapping training in tank units, all officers and soldiers had to learn all the skills of each tank crew member. Drivers, machine gunners, and loaders also had to master main gun firing skills to be able to fill in for casualties in wartime.

Given that the 6th Battalion was also the first armored unit of the Kingdom of Elgia, a poor performance on the battlefield could potentially affect the future cooperation between the 7th Brigade and the Kingdom of Elgia. Therefore, despite the urgency of the war, Bai Xue and her comrades did not shorten the required training hours—they extended the study time to 15 hours per day: 6 hours of theoretical instruction, 3 hours of self-study, and 6 hours of practical training. The theoretical training covered not only the performance, usage, and maintenance of their respective equipment, but also a series of tactical courses, including single or multiple tank marching, ambushes, attacks, drills, coordinated infantry or artillery attacks, and defensive maneuvers against enemy tank and infantry assaults. Most of these courses were conducted in conjunction with live-fire exercises. Furthermore, according to the requirements of the Soviet Army's reserve tank regiments, tank training battalions, and tank training companies, each person had their own practical training targets, such as machine gunners needing at least 45 hours of actual radio operation time and at least 6 hours of training on the move, etc.

The above training requirements are just the stated requirements; in practice, the actual workload will be even greater. Especially for students with insufficient academic ability, they will need to take time out of their rest time for extra lessons. Fortunately, these Elgin students will not report illegal tutoring to the education bureau…

To be fair, the basic skills of the Ergia soldiers were indeed very poor. They were arguably the worst-beginners the 7th Brigade had ever trained. Bai Xue and her team could understand, but teaching these soldiers was much easier than teaching those oil tycoons—at least they wouldn't claim that electricity came from Allah. More importantly, they were eager to learn and had a strong desire to improve. Perhaps because their homeland was under invasion, they felt a sense of urgency, wanting to cram all the knowledge into their heads in a single day. This made them easily confused similar operations, forcing Bai Xue and her team to spend more time correcting their mistakes.

The Elgin officers in charge of the training were clearly dedicated. They didn't prioritize saving face by giving Bai Xue and her companions simplistic, elementary questions like, "Where is the BA-11's cannon? A. In the turret B. On the tracks C. At the rear," but privately expressed their desire for rigorous training. After all, the Kingdom of Elgin had invested heavily in these trainees, so Bai Xue and her group wouldn't treat them like oil tycoons. They even allowed them to practice with the tanks on the training ground during rest periods—excluding live-fire exercises, of course. If their mistakes caused damage, the Elgin government would be held responsible.

……

Ahem, let me repeat myself, this isn't the SR world of Ace Combat. As for why there's Elgia, those who know, know.

Of course, it's for Ionella and Rosa, and (deep breath) Migai Dumitru Magaletta Cornelius Leopold Blanca Carol Ion Ignatis Raphael Maria Niquetas A. Hiragi

Well, Belken, because I didn't want to write about the scumbag Oscia, I wrote about the even more scumbag Belken.

Furthermore, I'm fed up with this idiotic keyword suffix system. I typed "study," and you said my keyword was "Xi Jinping"?

Book 1: Chapter 52, Chapter Fifty: The King and the Princess 3

As Kenen and Shiraji set off for the volunteer army base, news of the Belken army's crushing defeat in Villand province reached the Algiers Palace in Fabandi.

The 59-year-old Queen Rosetta Cosette wore a smile rarely seen in recent times, which greatly surprised the princess who entered the room.

"Dad, why are you laughing so happily? Did our army defeat Belken?" Wu

The current King of Algiers is the illegitimate son of the previous king, and he wasn't even originally named Cosette. Logically, he shouldn't have been on the throne. However, nine years ago, a traffic accident nearly wiped out the entire previous royal family. Fortunately, the old king had left behind an illegitimate son among the common people, which prevented the Cosette dynasty from collapsing. When Rosetta changed her name and ascended the throne, Rosa was already 17 years old. She spent almost her entire adolescence living a simple life as a commoner. Even after becoming a princess, she retained many habits developed over the past 17 years—even habits that some of the old nobles considered extremely unbecoming of her status. A princess from a commoner family, her approachable nature that seemed out of place for a princess, and her lack of self-confidence—these shortcomings, criticized by the old nobility, were also one of the reasons Princess Rosa gained popularity among the people of Algiers.

As for how they address their fathers, they naturally retain these traditions. Compared to the somewhat cold "Father King," both Rosa and Rosette prefer the simple, warm, and more human way of addressing him as "Dad."

“If our army had truly defeated the Belken, I would be even happier than I am now.” Rosette said with some regret. Although he had read this document at least ten times, his joy had not diminished each time he reread it. He placed the document on the table. “However, you are half right. The Belken did indeed suffer a major defeat. Right here in the province of Verland to our south.”

“Vibalan Province 5? Was it the same army that called itself the Amelia Volunteer Army from before 7?” Princess Rosa picked up the documents on the table, tucked a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear, and began to read them carefully.

“Yes, General Austin advised me before that we must establish relations with the Amelia volunteer army. I was still hoping to try anything, hoping to boost the morale of the people by showing that ‘we still have friends willing to fight against the Belken Empire.’ Even before that, we had never even heard of the country of Amelia, so we didn’t expect a brigade to do anything.” The king shook his head, his smile turning somewhat bitter. “But now it seems that, both politically and militarily, this brigade of volunteers is even more effective than several of our divisions. What we painstakingly built up on the border for nearly ten years, plus what a hundred divisions couldn’t achieve, was easily accomplished by a single brigade from Amelia.”

Rosa, who studied architecture in university, had spent most of her time in politics focusing on the grand goal of improving the living standards of ordinary people as much as possible without provoking strong opposition from the nobility. After the outbreak of war, although the princess had acquired some basic military knowledge, her understanding of military affairs remained very limited. She naturally couldn't understand the long descriptions and speculations from the intelligence department about the equipment, tactics, and operations of the Amelia Volunteer Army. However, as a formal report, it naturally contained statistical data to support its judgments. Rosa spent some time and finally found the intelligence department's rough statistics on the casualties inflicted on the Belken 73rd Infantry Division by the Amelia Volunteer Army and its impact on the war.

Now Rosa finally understood what her father meant when he said, "One Amelia brigade is more useful than several Eldian divisions."

“Dad, we think we need to make some adjustments to our propaganda efforts regarding this volunteer army.” The princess, with her keen self-awareness, refrained from commenting on the military performance of the Amelia Volunteer Army. Her focus was on propaganda, a new task she had taken on since the start of the war. After all, someone with a good reputation, beautiful appearance, noble status yet humble, and eloquent speech—not using such talent for propaganda would be a waste. After the outbreak of war, Rosa had tried to boost morale by promoting several combat heroes within the army, but unfortunately, the harsh reality of repeated defeats and even overnight promotions in the news gave the propaganda surrounding these heroes a tragic, almost tragic, quality, making it less effective than the propaganda department had initially envisioned.

The great victory at Wakan Village certainly boosted the morale of many, but it also brought some doubts:

For the defeatists, this was a battle where a brigade of superior forces was concentrated, a battle of numbers against fewer, tanks against infantry; victory was inevitable. Moreover, the annihilation of a mere regiment—even one bearing the title of the Belken Royal—would have a negligible impact on the overall war situation. It might even provoke the Belken to retaliate against the civilians in the occupied territories and launch a more ferocious offensive. Such a victory was accidental and fleeting; the future of the Kingdom of Algiers remained precarious.

However, some anti-China elements, mainly composed of people associated with officials who fell from grace during the anti-corruption campaign, believe this is fake news, a fabrication by Princess Rosa to stabilize public sentiment, embellished with special effects; such a battle never actually occurred. What even a brigade-level unit from an unheard-of, tiny country couldn't accomplish after nearly ten years of painstaking effort and hundreds of divisions, how could it possibly have done it? As for the captured supplies and prisoners? Those are all fake. The only way out for Ireland now is to surrender as soon as possible and join the Belken Empire; that way, everyone can have some better days. Otherwise, once the Belken people get angry, there will be no good consequences.

Although the intelligence services had received the King's orders to arrest these individuals, they still possessed their own networks and connections. Coupled with the unfavorable reality, these rumors inevitably spread among the public. This frustrated Rosa, who was in charge of propaganda.

But now, the Belken's retreat was a resounding slap in the face to these people. This excited Rosa—who in this world could resist the thrill of being proven wrong?

……

There will be a second update tonight (before 6 AM the next morning), so you don't need to wait.

Volume 1: Chapter 53 (Fifty-One) The Lighthouse

“What do you want to do?” Rosetta asked, looking at her daughter. Rosa Cosette had inherited not only her mother’s beauty but also their intelligence. Rosetta eagerly awaited her daughter’s answer.

"The people of Ergia are now shrouded in a dark night of despair. They have lost hope of moving forward. We need to build a lighthouse to illuminate their path and guide them forward."

Rosetta was somewhat disappointed. "Is it your 'lighthouse theory' again? Haven't you tried it several times in the past few months? The results don't seem to be ideal."

The king's words did not sway the girl's heart. She explained, "Although it may sound disrespectful to those heroes who died fearlessly in battle, we must admit that they were not beacons to guide people forward. Although they could emit light, they were too small to illuminate the path ahead, and they could not provide sustained guidance. It is a pity that we tried to build them into beacons, but they ultimately became shooting stars."

"So, you think this foreign volunteer army can become the kingdom's beacon?"

“It seems they certainly qualify,” Rosa shrugged. “Besides, do we have a better option right now?”

"Alright, since you insist on searching for {￡search q group'∞:气澌殹@∵璐鸠∩＼阾奇＄#八⊥!隣, is there anything I can help you with?"

“There are plenty!” Rosa put the documents back on the table. “I hope to visit this volunteer army unit to offer my condolences and encouragement.”

“You know it’s impossible, I can’t let you take that risk.” Rosetta shook her head, her resolute expression indicating there was no room for negotiation.

“Of course I know. So, I hope we can send some reporters into this volunteer army to show the people how strong those on our side are.” Rosa didn’t insist, but just sighed and made a new request, “However, this requires the military to help make connections. I think the reason why the Amelia Volunteer Army is so strong is not only because their officers have outstanding command abilities, but their soldiers must also be equally excellent. We need to interview not only the high-ranking officers, but also the soldiers. Multi-layered interview targets can make our reports more credible.”

"No problem." It's just a normal interview that doesn't involve sensitive information; I'm sure the Amelia people won't refuse.

"Furthermore, I recall we reached a military cooperation agreement with the Amelia, right? Besides purchasing advanced equipment from them, we also receive training from them. Therefore, it's necessary for us to visit these cooperative units. We need to tell the public that we are also building our own powerful military." This requirement is simpler to fulfill than the previous one, but its effect is no less significant. If the previous interview was about telling the public that we have a powerful ally, then this interview is about telling them that we are using Amelia's equipment, receiving their training, and can become as powerful as the Amelia.

“That’s fine too.” Rosetta nodded in agreement. “Any other two?”

Rosa's eyes darted around. "Hmm, that's all for now. I'll come back to you when I need something."

“Alright.” Rosetta shook her head. “Anyway, I hope your ‘lighthouse theory’ is correct, and that the Amelia Volunteers can become the lighthouse for the Kingdom of Elgia. This war has already created enough fallen heroes. I don’t want them to become so-called ‘shooting stars’ either. Well then, I have a defense meeting in half an hour. Do you want to come along?”

"No need for that. I wouldn't understand anyway. I'd rather go back and refine the details of the propaganda plan. I'll be going now." Rosa considered for a moment and finally decided not to get involved in the meeting. Those generals would have to stop and explain a lot of things just to accommodate her, often turning a perfectly good meeting into a mess. They might spend the whole morning discussing things and end up accomplishing nothing, just catching up on her. She'd rather go back to the propaganda department and work on what she's good at. After saying this, she turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute, is there something you need from me?" Rosetta watched her daughter walk to the office door, then suddenly remembered this and quickly asked.

"It's nothing, I just went to see my mother and stopped by on my way. I'm leaving now, Ionella is waiting for me." Rosa waved the book at her father and closed the door behind her as she left the room.

This child… Rosselli picked up the document on the table, but this time he didn't read it again. He simply put it aside and picked up another report that hadn't been reviewed yet. His eyes quickly scanned it, and then the cheerful expression on his face disappeared, and his brows began to furrow.

After a while, he finally finished reading the document, leaned back in his chair, and tapped the armrest of the chair with his index finger.

That was another report submitted by the intelligence department, concerning the movements of the Northern Army Group of the Belken Empire. At least 40 divisions, nearly one million men, and 600 tanks of the Northern Army Group had departed from the fallen western provinces, their destination being Fabandi, the capital of the Kingdom of Elgia. Admittedly, Svorbella was indeed the gateway to Fabandi; if the Belken wanted to advance northwards to attack Fabandi, they would have to capture Svorbella first. However, now, Fabandi's western flank was under Belken control, and the route to Fabandi was no longer limited to Svorbella…

Even though the Belken had just suffered an unprecedented defeat at Svorbella, in order to fulfill the promise of ending the war before Christmas so they could go home for the holidays, the commander of the Northern Army Group resolutely decided to launch a direct attack on Fabandi, even with insufficient support from the other side in the south. After all, once Fabandi was captured, the Kingdom of Elgia would likely surrender anyway. Even if they didn't, the morale of the Svorbella garrison would be significantly lower. Then, the Northern Army Group could split off one force and advance south, launching a pincer attack together with the south, making the capture of Svorbella a simple matter. As for the defense of Fabandi, given the Elgia's lackluster performance recently, the Northern Army Group felt it had nothing to worry about, especially since there were only about 20 divisions in the Fabandi area—one million against half a million, the advantage was in their hands.

“The Belken are determined to take Fabandi within half a month… Well then, let them try.” Rosetta took a deep breath, and as he slowly exhaled, his resolve to hold Fabandi strengthened.

……

The guard, Princess Dugui, was killed, but Nagato's night battle CI failed to take her down; it was Abukuma's CI that finished her off. This event was truly awful. The final battle support only dealt 16 points of damage, and Nagato's CI against the light cruiser only dealt 8 points of damage, entering the boss area with all green health and then exiting with all red health...

Book 1: Chapter 54 (Fifty-two) The Daily Report of Fapanti

At 123 King Road Fabandi, inside the headquarters of the Fabandi Daily, the newspaper's editor-in-chief summoned William Ward, the newspaper's most senior and experienced reporter, to his office.

The *Fabandi Daily* was the first commercial newspaper in the Kingdom of Ergia, and its outspoken reporting style made it popular. When war broke out, the kingdom quickly intervened in the daily operations of the *Fabandi Daily*, turning it into part of the kingdom's mouthpiece. Besides publicizing war heroes as requested by Rosa, they also reported on the battle situation at the front—although five out of ten of these reports were rejected by censors, their relatively honest reporting distinguished them from the fabricated and fact-ignoring tabloids circulating in the market. Therefore, this newspaper became an important channel for people around Fabandi to learn about the war, and the *Fabandi Daily*'s influence rose to a new level.

"William, I remember when you spread the news that the Amelia Volunteer Army had annihilated a regiment in Svorbella, you suspected it was a hoax set up by the royal family, right?" William was greeted with the middle-aged man's question as soon as he entered the editor-in-chief's office.

“Editor-in-chief, as you know, we are journalists, and our specialty is uncovering the truth from the smallest clues and making it public. A truly existing country cannot exist without leaving any trace in the international community.” William explained his reasoning, but he felt that what he said was somewhat inappropriate and had a politically incorrect flavor, so he added, “It’s not that I don’t believe the royal family’s propaganda, I just want to broaden my horizons and see just how powerful this army really is.”

"Now you have the opportunity to test your idea."

William frowned at the editor's words. Was the editor trying to get him to expose the royal family's deception? A few months ago, he would have plunged headlong into this mess without hesitation. But the situation was different now. From a certain perspective, exposing the royal family's propaganda deception now would have consequences far beyond a decline in government credibility. While he found the act of deception despicable, William could understand why the royal family would do it. This was precisely why he had remained silent on the matter. But why did the editor now want him to expose such a clumsy deception? He didn't seem to have done anything to offend the editor… William couldn't help but begin to reflect on his actions.

Or had the editor-in-chief been brainwashed by the defeatist rhetoric, becoming a traitor and wanting to further weaken Algiers' resolve to resist? The "catch the enemy spy" string in William's mind instantly tightened.

The editor-in-chief, unaware of the dramatic scenario William was concocting, simply tossed him a document: "The fictional Amelia volunteer army you mentioned has just repelled an infantry division's offensive in Villand, not only repelling it but also routing them. Now, the Royal Family wants to send some reporters to the front lines in Svorbella to properly introduce our new friend to the public. After discussion, the editor-in-chief and I have decided that you will lead the team and be in charge of our newspaper's coverage."

Are you trying to get me to deceive the public along with the royal family? I'm not being modest, but do you think it's appropriate for a journalist like me to publish false reports? No, it's not. You'd better find someone else!

William had originally intended to refuse in a righteous and forceful manner, but the editor-in-chief immediately said, "This interview will take us to Swabella in the south, which is the front line and carries certain risks. The kingdom has prepared a stipend for the reporters participating in this coverage."

"You think you can bribe me with a mere sum of money? As a journalist, I have my own bottom line!" William scoffed. "How much is the subsidy?"

"This is calculated based on time. The kingdom will give you the same amount of your current monthly salary as a subsidy. Of course, this requires a certificate from the people of Amelia, and you must produce at least one high-quality report of more than 10,000 words each month that can pass the review of Amelia and the royal family. If any accidents occur during this period, the kingdom will also issue a pension according to the standards for martyrs, and your family will also enjoy the same treatment as the families of martyrs."

Due to the war, prices in Fapantihu have risen significantly, making life quite difficult for William's family of six. A doubling of wages would obviously improve their living conditions considerably. Yes, in times of national crisis, everyone should fulfill their responsibilities, and as a journalist, cooperating with the government is also part of my job…

"Also, I'm preparing to leave for personal reasons. I've recommended you to the editor-in-chief to take my place, but whether you can secure and hold onto that position depends on your own fate," the editor-in-chief said earnestly.

Ok?

“My loyalty to Elgia is as clear as day. I would give my life for the kingdom, so what is a mere frontline interview?” William replied with righteous indignation.

The editor-in-chief smiled with satisfaction. "I knew William that you were a capable and sensible person. I suggest you make preparations as soon as possible. According to inside information, the royal family is already communicating with the Amelia. If all goes well, the first batch of reporters will depart for Svorbella this week. I hope that our Fabandi Daily can become the first newspaper in the capital region to provide in-depth coverage of the Amelia."

William, who understood better than anyone how important timeliness of news reporting was, straightened his face and made his assurance: "I understand, I will run faster than other reporters."

In fact, the communication between the Kingdom of Elgia and the Amelia Volunteer Army went smoother than expected. The Volunteer Army, which already aimed to expand its influence through propaganda and lay the groundwork for future demands, and the Kingdom of Elgia's government almost immediately reached an agreement, quickly finalizing the matter. William also successfully became one of the first journalists in the capital region to be permitted to communicate with the Amelia Volunteer Army. Two days later, these journalists boarded cars and headed south to Svorbella.

What kind of army was this self-proclaimed Amelia Volunteer Army? What country did they come from? How were they able to defeat the Belken, who outnumbered them several times over? Could they really help us defeat the Belken? A series of questions flashed through William's mind. He clutched his briefcase tightly, which contained a notebook filled with his questions and an expensive camera, waiting for the car to arrive in Swabera.

……

There will be a second update, but it will also be quite late.

Volume 1: Chapter 55 (Fifty-Three) - Secrecy is Key to Victory

William's last visit to Svorbella was almost six months ago, before the Belken invasion. Today, as he returned to this city bordering Fabanti, it was vastly different from the Svorbella he remembered.

Compared to Fabandi, Svobella is clearly in a tense atmosphere, with barricades even set up in the streets, although most of them are currently empty. There are also a large number of heavily armed soldiers patrolling the city, a sight that would never be seen in peacetime.

The soldiers were all wearing the distinctive green field uniforms of the Kingdom of Elgia, so William didn't waste any time observing them. Soon, the car stopped in front of an unassuming hotel, and the Elgia major leading the group began to signal the reporters to get out.

"The Amelia Volunteer Army's base is not in the city; its exact location is a military secret. You will be subject to investigation here. Only after you pass Amelia's investigation can you enter Amelia's military base," the major announced to the reporters.

Naturally, this news caused a minor commotion. After all, these journalists were all from well-known newspapers in the capital region and had already undergone political vetting before their departure. Now, to be vetted again naturally fueled resentment. This resentment quickly transferred to the military officer.

"Sir, I'd like to ask, is there any compensation for the time spent on the review process?" William raised his hand and asked. "This should be considered the front line, right? I remember the compensation is calculated on a daily basis. Also, will this review cause us harm? Or will it restrict our personal freedom?"

“…Okay.” The major was taken aback, clearly not expecting that there would be such a money-obsessed guy among the group of reporters. He paused for a moment before answering, “According to the notification I received, the review will not restrict your actions. It mainly involves verifying your qualifications through document checking and some inquiries.”

"That's alright then. It won't have much of an impact on us anyway, and we'll still get paid." William shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the Amelia people's scrutiny.

William's stunt was incredibly effective, quickly steering the reporters' conversation in a different direction. Several people expressed a desire for the review to continue for a few more days—after all, getting paid for slacking off is one of the few pleasures in life that can rival showing off and getting slapped in the face.

"This guy's interesting." Davis, who was sitting on a sun lounger outside the café next to the hotel, took in the whole scene. He chuckled and said to the blonde, wavy-haired girl next to him who was sipping her coffee, "What's his name?"

“William Wallace, a reporter for the Fabandi Daily.” The girl recognized William’s name with just a glance.

“Let’s start with him. Paz, tell the others to get to work. Remember, anyone even slightly suspicious is strictly prohibited from entering our base,” Davis said, standing up. It’s important to understand that journalists, like diplomats, are often equated with spies. Now, with the widespread news of the 73rd Division’s defeat by a mysterious unit, more and more countries and organizations will take notice of the 7th Brigade’s special existence. They will certainly try to find out the 7th Brigade’s secrets, making counter-espionage work extremely important.

As the saying goes, secrecy is security, secrecy is life, and secrecy is victory. The 7th Brigade certainly needed to be vigilant in this regard, so this task was entrusted to the intelligence company, which had just been separated from the engineering battalion. Besides identifying potential enemy agents among these reporters, Davis and his team, based on the initial information provided by Elgia, categorized these individuals into different security levels, clearly defining what each person could access and interview. In this way, even if an enemy agent successfully evaded the intelligence company's screening, the security levels would limit the scope of leaks, preventing a complete exposure of their secrets.

However, counter-espionage is a highly technical and meticulous task, quite different from capturing lurking special forces or counter-surveillance. Therefore, at Davis's request, Lu Wu specially commissioned a bio-engineered agent, meticulously trained by the KGB, to assist Davis in completing the mission. Indeed, this KGB-trained agent was a young girl named Paz.

And Paz lived up to the substantial funds Lu Wu had invested in her, quickly developing an effective interrogation method that could rapidly identify whether an interviewee was a spy through skillful questioning. Today, the intelligence unit's investigation of these reporters utilized this new method, which incorporated theories of psychology and logical reasoning.

William, who was the first to be investigated, did not have a deep impression of the investigation. After all, he was not a Spider-Man carrying a mission. He answered whatever was asked honestly. Therefore, he quickly passed the intelligence company's investigation and obtained a press card and visitor pass issued by the Amelia Volunteer Army.

These hard cards, each printed with a color photograph of the cardholder, were an eye-opener for William. Although photography had been around for decades, they could still only produce black and white photos, and the clarity was far from this level of detail. The cards weren't printed on common cardboard, but on a smooth, hard, new material—lightweight yet resilient, with a small, shimmering, textured metal plate embedded in it, the purpose of which was unknown. However, the very characteristics of this pass—the photograph and the material—made it clear to a layman like William that forging documents to infiltrate the Amelia military base was utterly impossible.