The Rise Of Australasia-Chapter 1278 - 937 Diplomatic Press Conference
Chapter 1278: Chapter 937: Diplomatic Press Conference
Chapter 1278 -937: Diplomatic Press Conference
Bang! Boom!
In the unclear video, two loud bombing noises could be clearly heard one after the other.
Immediately afterward, a dazzling white light emanated from the site of the explosion, then transformed into an orange-yellow mushroom cloud.
“Such a fascinating sight,” the Chief of General Staff, Malong, said, captivated.
To the uninformed, it might seem like mere fascination with a natural phenomenon, but those in the know understood that such a spectacle came at a certain cost.
Although no one seemed to care about the casualties among the Islanders, didn’t the construction of the atomic bomb cost money?
But from the expressions of those watching the video, it was clear they deemed it worth the cost.
“It’s a pity there is only one,” lamented Defense Minister Thomas, standing by.
“Don’t worry. The Islanders will not surrender that easily,” General Staff Chief Malong said with a bitter smile, explaining, “Tokyo is not like Hiroshima; it hosts many Europeans and Americans. If we were to bomb Tokyo with atomic bombs, we would first have to drive those bothersome folks out.”
As the Defense Minister, Thomas was naturally aware of the General Staff plans. It seemed that only one atomic bomb was dropped this time, but in reality, it was just an appetizer.
The purpose of the General Staff was merely to expel the foreigners currently in Native Land.
Once those Europeans and Americans had left the Native Land, that would mark the beginning of a large-scale nuclear bombardment by Australasia.
As for whether the Island Nation’s Government would surrender, that was quite obvious.
The Island Nation was a crazed country, and its people were equally insane.
Because of this, many factions advocating for war had emerged within the country, and their attitudes were extremely aggressive.
If the Island Nation’s Government wanted to surrender, they would have to see if those aggressive war advocates agreed.
Moreover, according to the current intelligence, both the Island Nation Emperor and Prime Minister were members of the war advocates, making it even less likely for the government to surrender.
However, this was also part of Australasia’s plan. As long as the Island Nation’s Government did not surrender, the end was surely nigh for the Islanders.
Because, in the nuclear bombing plans formulated by Australasia’s General Staff, at least 20 atomic bombs would be dropped on the Island Nation.
“Make three copies of the video; one for His Majesty, one to keep in the National History Museum. As for the remaining one, it will be publicly shown at today’s press conference, then given to the Three Major Film Studios for movie production,” Defense Minister Thomas said with a smile, “Such good news needs to be shared with the world, and through the pressure of the media, we should encourage the foreigners in the Island Nation to leave.”
Chief of General Staff Malong nodded in agreement with Minister Thomas’s words.
Soon, the video was copied into three parts, and Arthur also saw the real scene of Hiroshima being bombed in the Royal Palace.
“Do we have specific data on the casualties in Hiroshima?” Arthur asked in anticipation.
“Only the estimated data from the nuclear weapons research and test project team; we haven’t heard anything from the Island Nation yet,” replied Defense Minister Thomas, who was responsible for delivering the videotape to Arthur.
While talking, Thomas handed over a document that had already been prepared, outlining the estimated blast range and casualty area of this nuclear explosion.
“The total destruction radius is estimated to be 3.5 kilometers, with an area of destruction of about 27 square kilometers?” Arthur read through the estimated document, feeling neither stir nor pity in his heart.
“The blast range covers the entire area of Hiroshima City and most of the military bases, with an estimated 120,000 civilians and 330,000 military personnel killed?” Arthur frowned, asking somewhat puzzledly, “Why can it only kill about 330,000 of the enemy’s military? According to intelligence, the enemy has deployed over a million military personnel near Hiroshima; why can our atomic bomb only affect one-third of them?”
“Your Majesty,” Minister Thomas replied, looking at Arthur, who was discontent with the power of the atomic bomb, and hastily explained, “This only accounts for the data within the blast radius of the atomic bomb and does not consider secondary kills caused by radiation.
If we include the kills caused by radiation, our bombing could kill at least 700,000 Islanders.”
Hearing Minister Thomas’s clarification, Arthur finally nodded in satisfaction; however, he turned and asked, “Has the Island Nation’s government shown any reaction? I don’t want our painstakingly built atomic bombs to be left without a battleground.”
Minister Thomas nodded repeatedly, promising as if to assure, “So far, the Island Nation’s Government hasn’t reacted at all, but according to our estimates, it’s not likely that they will surrender that easily.”
Seeing Arthur’s actions, let alone the Island Nation’s Government having no reaction, even if the Island Nation’s Government planned to surrender now, Minister Thomas would definitely not agree.
Who would dare accept the surrender of the Islanders without dropping all 20 atomic bombs? Wouldn’t that be openly opposing Arthur?
To Minister Thomas, Arthur’s inquiry seemed more like a stance, indicating that, for the time being, Arthur was not accepting the surrender of the Island Nation.
With Arthur clearly expressing his stance, as Arthur’s confidant, he was undoubtedly obliged to share Arthur’s concerns.
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How could I alleviate Arthur’s concerns? Naturally, by doing everything possible to prevent the Island Nation’s Government from surrendering early and then indulging in a massive nuclear bombing of the Island Nation.
In the later part of the afternoon, the scene was set for a press conference by the Australasian Foreign Affairs Department.
At this time, the department gathered numerous media outlets from both domestic and international origins, with the majority of course being Australasia’s newspapers and media.
This is understandable, as the war had erupted not only in Australasia but also across half of Europe, which was undergoing the trials of war.
“Ladies and gentlemen, before we start today’s press conference, I want to invite you all to watch a newly filmed real-video. The events in the video really occurred, and if you have any questions, please raise your hand to ask them after watching the video,” said Minister Wellington Clo with a smile.
Ignoring the puzzlement of the media and reporters present, Wellington Clo gestured to his subordinates to start playing the prepared video.
Although the attendees were perplexed, the video had started playing, and they could only watch this so-called real-video as described by Wellington Clo, and then consider what the Foreign Affairs Department really meant.
“Valentine, target Hiroshima, lock on target immediately.”
As the video began, there was a burst of noisy sound. Then, a male voice followed.
“Hiroshima?” The reporters were knowledgeable and many had impressions of this mid-sized urban city in the Island Nation.
As the video progressed, the reporters realized that this was a mission being executed by the Australasian Air Force, most probably the bombing of Hiroshima.
But the question remained, with World War II ongoing and cities being bombed daily, why did Australasia specifically make a video of bombing Hiroshima and then broadcast it at a diplomatic press conference?
To flaunt their power to the Islanders?
The video soon provided an answer.
Accompanied by an object much larger than a bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, the bombers in the video began to rapidly flee the airspace above Hiroshima.
About forty seconds later, a dazzling white flash appeared above the distant skies of Hiroshima, followed by a mushroom cloud and a massive shockwave ring.
The reporters could no longer sit still and stood up. Had they not been afraid of missing any significant news by taking their eyes off the video, they probably would have already started clamoring to ask questions.
About ten seconds later, most of Hiroshima was destroyed under the power of the explosion and the impact of the shockwave, and the video ended there.
“Minister Wellington, is this real?” Despite Minister Wellington’s prior claim that the video was real, the reality of such a shocking scene made many reporters unwilling to believe that humanity possessed such a powerful weapon.
“Certainly,” Minister Wellington nodded and smilingly said, “Everything in the video is real, all from this morning’s special operation in Hiroshima of the Island Nation. I know you all are puzzled, you may now raise your hands to ask questions.”
Upon hearing this, all the reporters raised their hands, fearing not to be noticed.
Wellington signaled the reporter in the middle of the first row to ask the first question.
“Minister Wellington, what weapon is in the video? What are the casualties in the Island Nation?” the reporter eagerly asked.
“I can only tell you that this is Australasia’s latest developed most powerful weapon, codenamed Mors-3. As for the casualties in the Island Nation, though we don’t have precise data, it’s certain that most of the Hiroshima urban area has been destroyed,” Wellington answered with a smile.
Hearing Wellington’s definitive statement, all present media and newspapers, including those from Australasia, wore shocked expressions.
It was extremely alarming, almost unbelievable.
To put it mildly, this kind of weapon was entirely unlike anything from this era.
Forget science fiction, most reporters felt it was surreal.
A single weapon capable of destroying most of a city? Does that not imply that several dozen such weapons could destroy a mid-sized country, and a hundred such weapons could destroy a great power-level country?
“Minister Wellington, how many of these weapons does your country produce? Can each weapon ensure this level of power?” foreign media quickly inquired.
This was no longer a simple press conference. If Australasia indeed possessed such weapons, it would significantly impact the global structure.
Not just Australasia’s enemies would feel fear, but even allies like Britain and France would be terrified.
“This is not the focus of this press conference,” Wellington declined to answer the question, smiling and subtly evading as he continued, “The purpose of disclosing this video is, we hope that through the influence of media worldwide, to advise all non-Islanders in the Island Nation to leave within three days. As long as the war continues, our special operations will not cease.”
“The next city to be bombed might be Tokyo. Therefore, for the safety of all global residents, I hope you can accurately convey this message.”
