In the Name of Empress-Chapter 487 - 321: War or Performance Art? (Part 3)
"I respect your decision, but I reserve my opinion, and I will express my viewpoint to Lord Governor."
Dailong is not an ordinary Vice Admiral; he is a close confidant of Roland, responsible not only for the fortress but also for the defense of the Eastern Defense Zone.
He has the authority to report directly to Roland.
Christine didn’t say anything, just nodded.
She had no issues with Dailong, who was a slightly rigid but highly dedicated professional soldier, and the future wars would still require his efforts.
If he knew the overall layout of the war, he certainly wouldn’t question it.
But the knowledge of the overall layout is highly restricted, known only to a few, which is why Dailong made an incorrect judgment.
Watching Dailong leave, Christine continued to stand on the watchtower, observing the battlefield situation.
She completely understood Dailong.
He is a professional soldier, but not a Transcendent, so he naturally could not comprehend the imminent Return Day War.
A battlefield with millions of people, yet a few strong individuals dictate the war’s direction, sounds truly absurd.
Even if she told Dailong, could he understand?
He didn’t know the terror of Sofia at all.
Roland’s target from the beginning was solely Sofia, but what about Sofia?
Christine was a bit puzzled.
Initially, she thought Sofia needed to use Sylph as a stepping stone to ascend to Tier Six, but as her power grew, she increasingly understood Sofia’s might.
If even she needs to step on others to ascend, what about the others?
As long as the Return Day arrives, Sofia can ascend on the spot, no doubt about it.
She truly couldn’t understand why Sofia was so determined to wage war.
Does she really want to unify the visible world?
Christine only found it absurd.
The Wende People and the Rurik People once had the same ancestors, yet they split up hundreds of years ago, evolving into different ethnic groups.
To unify them is a fool’s dream, let alone other races.
The Odin Empire of old was so prosperous, now it has split into several countries like Prudon, Tirol, Weimar, and Val, with many differences in language, writing, and customs.
To say they are one nation is somewhat far-fetched.
Even if they were the same, Sofia could not integrate the Odin People into her own country.
Even by the principle of proximity, the Rodinia Continent has more than a dozen completely different nations, making unification impossible.
Roland described a future blueprint to Christine.
In the future, with industrial development and civilization progressing, the connection between countries would be tighter, the entire world linked by trade, embracing each other, and developing peacefully.
The future world would be like a town, with countries as the town’s residents.
Whether poor or wealthy, strong or weak, each would possess fundamentally similar sovereignty, interacting through international organizations and treaties.
According to Roland, no matter how this war is fought, the Sussex Empire doesn’t need to annex those small nations, nor can it swallow a giant like the Vladimir Empire.
Roland wants to defeat Sofia, let other nations accept a new order, and progress together under the new order’s framework.
The blueprint he described is grand and forward-thinking, and Christine is deeply convinced.
The Great Goddess once described a similar peaceful world in the Divine Oracle.
Unfortunately, the Great Goddess didn’t say how to achieve this ideal world.
However, Roland provided her with a rough direction.
Comprehensive industrial development, constructing an international system.
Thinking about this beautiful blueprint, Christine’s mood improved significantly.
If Dailong and the others don’t understand now, they will surely understand in the future.
While Christine was observing the battlefield situation alone, footsteps sounded behind her.
The brisk footsteps stopped about a dozen meters away, "Lord Commander, I am Tom, commander of the First Division, Third Regiment. Some intelligence was overlooked by General Dailong, and I’d like to report it to you personally."
Christine turned back to glance at the young officer in front of her and nodded.
She had a good memory and remembered this young man.
A hero of the Helentz Castle battle, he had received the Medal of Courage and the Second class White Rose Medal, and was an outstanding officer among the younger generation.
Moreover, he was skilled at excavating ruins and always had good luck.
Could it be a discovery in that area?
Christine guessed right; Tom indeed discovered a ruin, to be precise, a warehouse of the Alamanni Empire.
This warehouse stored five thousand tons of black gunpowder, clearly an armory.
Unfortunately, it contained no firearms or any immediately usable explosive bombs.
Though black gunpowder is good, converting it into combat power requires a lot of time, and it isn’t useful in the current war.
After reporting the discovery in the ruin, Tom seized the opportunity to ask Christine a fundamental question.
"Lord Commander, can the fortress truly not be held? If this black gunpowder is arranged properly, it’s enough to blow up half of a city. If we could find a way to get the black gunpowder under the enemy’s feet..." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
As he spoke, Tom’s voice gradually diminished.
Indeed, it didn’t seem realistic.
The enemy isn’t foolish; they surely understand the power of tunnels in siege warfare and will be on guard.
Digging a long tunnel to plant thousands of tons of black gunpowder is more an art performance than a tactical miracle.
Just when Tom was feeling frustrated, Christine’s eyes lit up.
She didn’t want to leave the fortress intact for the enemy, serving as an obstacle for a future counterattack.
However, destroying this magnificent fortress was truly difficult, and proactively demolishing the city walls in the face of over a hundred thousand enemies outside was more an act of suicidal artistry.
Even with thousands of tons of black gunpowder, it’s not easy to go out and blow up the enemy.
But what if the situation was reversed?
Allow the enemy to enter the city, then detonate the pre-planted black gunpowder, sending half the city skyward along with the enemy.
Christine’s lips slightly curled into a smile as she asked, "If you could distribute the black gunpowder reasonably, could you send the fortress skyward?"
"Yes, but only half the city," Tom answered honestly, but he still felt a bit puzzled. The fortress belonged to the Empire; why ask such a question?
No, no, the Lord Commander is a famed general and certainly wouldn’t do such a thing. He was overthinking.
Christine nodded in satisfaction, smiling as she said, "Tom, you’ll be responsible for this and properly hide the black gunpowder. I want to send the Prudon people flying. Tom, what’s the matter, Tom?"
