Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 796: Chapter 37 When Prosen Becomes a Wild Horse Running Free (6K)_2

The station master thought for a moment and agreed, “Alright, you can hide here for a while, and don’t go out onto the streets again.”

————

Colonel Belger checked the time.

Half an hour had passed since the explosion, and since there was no response from Marshal Vilna, it could only be understood that the operation had failed.

The fact that neither the Constitutional Guards nor the Imperial Ministry had burst into his office by now indicated that the assassin had been very careful in disposing of any incriminating evidence on him.

Of course, with the Imperial Ministry’s capabilities, it was only a matter of time before they would come looking.

As Colonel Belger approached the liquor cabinet, he recalled that his orderly had been gone for an unusually long time.

He looked towards the door, wondering, could it be?

Indeed, the orderly had only been with him for two years and was not as thoroughly familiar to him as the previous one. Had the Imperial Ministry infiltrated so deeply?

Colonel Belger took out the best champagne from the cabinet, poured himself a glass, then, like a professional sommelier, sniffed it first before taking a small sip.

Setting down the glass, he took out a set of dentures wrapped in a handkerchief. If he bit into the cyanide concealed in the dentures, it would disperse in his mouth, and then everything, whether it be the world or the future of Plowsonia, would be gone from him.

He popped the denture into his mouth, as if it were a piece of chocolate liqueur.

At that moment, he thought of his wife and children.

Surely the Imperial Ministry wouldn’t be so inhumane as to kill all three of them?

This thought suddenly seized Colonel Belger, causing his stomach to cramp.

Suddenly, someone kicked the office door open.

The loud noise made Colonel Belger tense, and he inadvertently bit down on the denture.

Controlled by the instinct to survive, his body attempted to expel the cyanide immediately, but his remaining rationality told him it was too late.

The Imperial Ministry and the Constitutional Guards rushed into the room, and the leading agent slapped the glass out of Belger’s hand and then grasped the colonel’s throat to stop the swallowing motion.

“Emetic!”

Another agent quickly poured an entire tube of emetic into Colonel Belger’s mouth.

The colonel’s body soon began to vomit under the effects of the emetic.

After five minutes, when the doctor hurried in, he told the agents, “We’ve saved him, but I estimate it will take a few days for him to recover enough for questioning.”

The agent laughed: “You needn’t worry about that; we believe Mr. Belger will soon be eager to disclose their conspiracy to us.”

————

Three days later.

The Emperor looked at the Court Chamberlain who had just entered the room and asked, “My sister is still doing alright, isn’t she?”

“The princess has been very stable and is quite worried about you, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor looked at the coffee in front of him: “I’m alright, just tell my sister that. What about the family of Gilais?”

“They have arrived in Plowsonia to attend the state funeral. But Your Majesty, Lord Gilais has not yet earned enough military honors; the decision for a state funeral may be inappropriate.”

“Hasn’t he saved me? Isn’t that enough?” the Emperor retorted.

The Chamberlain nodded obsequiously: “You’re right.”

The Emperor pushed away the cup in front of him: “Summon my generals, put aside the matter of the state funeral, let’s discuss this winter’s counteroffensive!”

The Chamberlain bowed and left.

Soon, the generals and marshals of Plowson entered the room.

Celtic Marshal was wrapped in bandages that were still seeping blood, and the other officers also bore injuries.

The Emperor glanced at the arrivals and asked, “Where is Marshal Bryan?”

Celtic Marshal replied, “The marshal refused to take over as Army Commander, saying he’s too old, that he might fall three times just climbing stairs, and that he soils himself at midnight, making him unsuitable to be Army Commander.”

The Emperor slammed the table: “Damn it! Rocossov is still wetting his pants on the battlefield, and doesn’t that still make him the Ante Army Commander?”

Celtic Marshal reminded him: “He is the commander of the frontline headquarters.”

“Enough!” the Emperor waved dismissively, “Find an Army Commander immediately, even if just in name!”

Celtic Marshal suggested, “Personally, I would recommend Marshal Catherine.”

“Fine! Now let’s talk about the offensive. Rocossov could never anticipate that we would launch a counterattack on the day of the state funeral; our new tanks will pry open their lines of defense and annihilate his yet-to-recover Armored Troops—”

The generals and marshals exchanged glances, and then General Ma Qi, Director of the Armored Corps interrupted, “Your Majesty, even if Rocossov’s forces have not recovered, our armored strength is still at a disadvantage, and Rocossov has a large number of tank destroyers and is skilled at mounting anti-tank offensives…”

The Emperor pounded the table: “We need victory! This assassination has already shaken the faith of our people! Now more than ever, we need a victory!

“If you think a straightforward offensive won’t be easy to win, then use poison gas! Bomb Ante with the latest V2 missiles, target Rocossov’s headquarters!”

At this moment, Dr. Porsche, with his head wrapped in bandages, stood up, “Your Majesty, we’ve tried to equip Leopard Tanks with experimental infrared night vision devices, successfully giving tanks the ability to fight at night. If we delay the counterattack until January next year, we can equip a hundred Leopard Tanks with prototype night vision devices!”

The Emperor shook his head: “It’s too late, Rocossov will attack in October. Right now, it’s raining in Kazarlia; once the rain stops and the muddy ground freezes over, he will start.”

General Ma Qi responded, “General Gilais believed in defensive counterattacks; shouldn’t we respect his last wish now?”