413. Mandatory peace
After closing the communication with Tang Xiao, Kanidi sat on the ground exhausted, leaning against the wall and drinking heavily.
He understood that this conflict was inevitable.
But...
The memory that was deeply engraved in his mind, and that even the long hibernation could not erase, echoed in his ears again...
"General Kanidi! Agents of the empire raided our space station and planted bombs in residential areas! They demand that you withdraw your troops immediately and stop attacking the fortress!"
"No! I am a soldier! The mission given to me by my motherland is to capture the fortress and open the door to the heart of the empire!"
"General! Your wife and daughter are inside the space station! Imperial agents kidnapped them and hung them in the square!"
"... If I withdraw my troops here, what is the meaning of the deaths of the thousands of soldiers who have sacrificed for this battle? The entire army obeys the order! Attack! Attack!! Attack with all your strength!!!"
"... General! Stop fighting! The agents of the empire are torturing your wife and daughter! They claim that for every soldier who dies in the fortress, a piece of flesh will be cut off from their bodies!!"
"Tell them that I am sorry for them! I am a bastard! I am a fucking bastard!! Once I capture the fortress, I will die to apologize!! Notify the entire army to continue the attack!"
"General... stop it. President the Federation personally ordered the entire army to stop attacking. We... have negotiated peace with the empire..."
"Asshole! Let's talk about peace now, where will we place the tens of thousands of soldiers who died in battle!! No matter! Keep fighting!!"
"General! News of the peace talks has been notified to the entire army, and some troops have begun to retreat..."
[Good news! After five years of war, the Federation and the Empire finally reached a consensus. The contradiction between the Federation and the people of the empire is not irreconcilable. In the days to come, we will build a civilized and harmonious world together...]
"Here, as President the Federation, I award you the highest level of merit medal. If it weren't for your brave fighting and putting enough pressure on the empire in the fortress, the peace talks would not have been achieved. You are our the Federation fighting hero!"
"... Fuck you fighting hero!!" Bang!!
"Ah! He dared to hit the president! Catch him!"
"As a veteran who survived the war, I, Kanidi, will fight for the rights that our veterans deserve! The Federation can't hide everything like this! We have to organize a march! We have to go directly to the Presidential Palace for a demonstration!"
"Volgograd-Kanidi, you beat the president in public and tried to gather a crowd to rebel! Your crime should have been sentenced to life imprisonment, but because of your status as a combat hero, you are now transferred to be the logistics director of this mining area and spend the rest of your life here."
"You have become a stain on our the Federation! All your deeds will be deleted. From now on, you will not exist in the history of the Federation. From the beginning, you were just the logistics director of a mine."
"General Kanidi!"
"General Kanidi!"
"Sir! Sir!"
Volgograd-Kanidi opened his eyes suddenly and found that he was still lying in the communication room, with an empty wine bottle thrown next to him, and his adjutant was shaking his shoulders anxiously, "Sir! Sir!"
"What... what's wrong?" Kanidi rubbed his painful temples, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Four hours have passed since Ayrou issued an ultimatum to us!" the adjutant said, "We always thought you were negotiating with Ayrou here. It took a long time before we felt something was wrong, so we came in to take a look..."
"I actually slept for 4 hours... bastard..." Kanidi staggered as he tried to stand up, but slipped and almost fell down again. The adjutant quickly helped him.
Suddenly an idea flashed in his head, "Wait a minute, what did you just say? What ultimatum?"
"Four hours ago, Ayrou issued an ultimatum to us! We were required to evacuate all spacecraft within 48 standard hours. Otherwise, let Governor of Dawn Star Planet explain to them personally." The adjutant said eagerly.
"That bastard Tang Xiao will never care about this matter! If this matter comes to him, he will only send a fleet over... to make things worse..." Kanidi said, covering his forehead.
"But Ayrou is so aggressive, I'm afraid they themselves don't intend to do anything good." The adjutant said with some excitement, "If they want war, then give them war!"
Kanidi suddenly became as angry as a lion. He grabbed the adjutant by the collar and roared loudly, "Do you think war is a game? Do you think war is a house?! Behind every number of casualties you count in the office, there is a grieving mother, a sad wife, and a lonely child! How much do you know!!!"
The adjutant didn't know the courage he needed, and he also yelled at Kanidi, "We are Fourth Calamity!! Our ancestors have experienced three natural disasters and wars to get to where we are today! Why should we be afraid of war? We should embrace war and enjoy war! Then grow and become stronger in war!!"
"Then if you have the ability, go to the front line with your own gun! Go and witness death! Go and witness what real war is!!"
"If I have the chance, I will go! All it takes is a word from you!" After the adjutant yelled these words, he calmed down a little. He took a step back and performed a military salute, and said, "Although I am presumptuous, this is indeed my idea, sir."
After saying that, he turned and left the communication room.
Volgograd-Kanidi shook, then walked out holding on to the wall, muttering, "No! You can't start a fight like this..."
He came to the office and said to the adjutant who was already waiting there, "Instruct the entire colony to exercise restraint! No matter what, there must be no conflict with Ayrou!"
"But sir! Ayrou has already gotten into our faces!"
"Did they shoot? No, then restrain yourself! Do you hear me?" Kanidi said.
"Sir, I don't think this is the right decision." The adjutant looked worried.
Kanidi walked up to the adjutant, put his face full of Big Beard to the tip of his nose, and said fiercely, "Listen! Before Tang Xiao replaced me, I was the highest officer here! Then, my decision is correct!"
Kanidi's decision was quickly communicated to the entire Black Horn City colony, and almost every Pioneer Corps member cursed after hearing the decision. But they have no choice. Kanidi is indeed the highest officer here. Before the person with a higher status at Dawn Star Planet speaks, his words are orders.