"We need a large quantity of military equipment, supplies, and even manpower."
"Without these, we can only rely on the lengthy Iron Bucket Defense Line and hold our ground. We have no way to launch an offensive."
"I'm very sorry, but this is also an issue we must face squarely!"
The Special Envoy who had come from Gefra carried the distinctive arrogance of Gefran nobles. Leaning back in his chair, he spoke of his "request," yet somehow gave no impression that he was asking for anything.
Instead, it was as if he had given you an opportunity—an opportunity for you to beg him.
Mr. Truman knew these Gefran nobles well. He had met the Prime Minister more than once, so he did not feel displeased by the Special Envoy's behavior.
If anger were that cheap, he would never have become the Federal president.
Mr. Truman gave a slight nod, indicating that he agreed with the Special Envoy.
Gefra's true industrial center was on the main island. It was not a particularly large place, and it suffered from both scarce supplies and a small population.
During this war, Gefra had retained only one in every three able-bodied young men. In their own words, two or three families needed only one adult male among them--
What this meant was two or three households within one extended family—for example, the husband's parents, the wife's parents, and the couple themselves.
Or it could mean the father and more than one of his sons, such as the father, eldest son, second son, and so on.
Gefra's population was simply too small, and its army was nothing to write home about. Ground warfare was indeed a headache for them.
With so many able-bodied workers joining the army, the factories at home could only barely maintain production.