Drastic Change

Throughout April, the political situation in Gango suddenly became turbulent.

With the current president about to take office, warlords from all over the country have gathered, and naturally, many are eyeing the position, while quite a few are eager to seize it.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer.

In mid-April, the political situation in Gango underwent a dramatic change.

The current commander-in-chief of the Gangge National Defense Forces led his guards in a surprise attack on the presidential palace, successfully staged a coup, and subsequently took control of Jinsa, the capital of Gango, and delivered a national address via television.

The speech was nothing more than an attack on the former president's various misdeeds and an announcement of his replacement, officially assuming the presidency.

Due to unique historical reasons, coups are as common as eating and drinking in Africa countries. In some Africa countries, there have been seven or eight coups in the decades since their founding, and presidents are often overthrown.

Therefore, this coup was sudden, yet not entirely unexpected. After all, the former president's crimes during his tenure were indeed countless, and he was deeply unpopular.

Therefore, the new president's inauguration did not cause too much turmoil.

Furthermore, Africa has few centralized states, and the government's control over local areas is often more formal than practical. The so-called president only controls a small area around the capital, while local rulers still operate independently and enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

Gango was no exception.

Surprisingly, there was little reaction from the twenty provinces across the country; neither expressed support nor opposition.

··

General's Residence, Salito Province.

A telegram arrived from the headquarters of the National Defense Forces.

"You're being promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region? And awarded the rank of General?" Zhang Yang shook his head and smiled.

It's nothing more than a move by the new president to win over the people.

The national government army is said to number in the hundreds of thousands, but in reality, it is not under the control of the president. Instead, it is dispersed among the provincial leaders, much like the situation in Zabol. They are all nominally called the Gangge National Defense Forces, which is the government army.

The president's base of support is the large area surrounding the capital Jinsa.

As for the Sixth Military Region, Gango is divided into seven military districts, and the Sixth Military Region includes the Salito Province and two neighboring provinces.

The key issue is that the armed forces in the other two provinces are in the hands of their respective rulers. The commander-in-chief of the Sixth Military Region is merely a figurehead; Zabol cannot mobilize the military forces of the other two provinces.

What a load of empty promises.

Bite!

New task triggered

Please have Zabol, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region, take control of the military forces of the other two provincial governments.

Mission Rewards: For each successful takeover of the military power of a provincial government, one thousand Loyal King Soldiers will be awarded, for a total of two thousand Loyal King Soldiers.

Zhang Yang blinked, unsure of what to say.

The mission is excellent; it essentially aims to solidify Zabol's position as Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region.

The mission rewards are even more enticing. Once the military power of the government forces in the other two provinces is incorporated, an additional two thousand slots for elite soldiers will be awarded. With these two thousand elite soldiers added to the government forces in the other two provinces, Zabol's control over the government forces in those two provinces will reach an unbelievable level, the kind where there is no need to worry about betrayal.

In other words, military power in the three provinces was completely concentrated in Zabol's hands.

The kind that no one can take away.

According to the principle that military power determines everything, those two provinces will likely become Zabol's territory by then. At that point, it won't matter if he doesn't become president; as long as Zabol's power grows to a certain level, the presidency will eventually be his.

But the problem now is how to incorporate the military power of the government forces in the other two provinces.

Although the government armies of those two provinces were nominally under his command as the commander-in-chief of the Sixth Military Region, they were actually controlled by the local authorities in their respective provinces.

They don't listen to Zabol's orders.

"Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region... how about we mobilize him in the name of righteousness first?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

This is a traditional Chinese belief that, for five thousand years, everything must have a just cause and be based on righteousness.

At this moment, Zhang Yang felt that the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region still had some use in critical moments.

Late at night, Zhang Yang and Zabol discussed things at the general's mansion until dawn.

In the early hours of the morning, for convenience, Zabol had one of his supermodel wives warm Zhang Yang's bed so he could rest.

··

The next morning, a military order was issued in the name of the Sixth Military Region Command, addressed to the military commands of the other two provinces.

The army commanders of those two provincial governments were also high-ranking officials.

Once the military order was issued, it naturally disappeared without a trace, receiving no response whatsoever.

The General's Residence.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences," Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

Since they openly defied the orders of the Sixth Military Region Command, it goes without saying that they harbored rebellious intentions!

Even if you don't have it, you still have it!

One side represented the greater good, the Sixth Military Region Command, while the other openly defied orders and intended to rebel.

For the rebels, isn't this a sure way to their deaths?

Now that we've found the pretext, what's next? How do we make them die? Are we going to launch a major attack?

Zhang Yang shook his head and immediately rejected the idea.

The commotion would be too great, wasting resources and manpower, and depleting our strength. The president would probably be laughing in his sleep if he saw this.

That would naturally be the second option.

Decapitation strike!

If a president can seize power through a coup by a few hundred people, then it makes sense for Zhang Yang to deploy an elite force of several hundred elite soldiers to carry out a decapitation strike, right?

Disobeying orders and plotting rebellion, Zabol, in the name of righteousness and as the commander-in-chief of the Sixth Military Region, carried out a decapitation operation against the rebels, which was perfectly justified.

After beheading the rulers of those two provinces, he then incorporated their armies into the Sixth Military Region Command.

As for possible resistance.

It's possible, but a large-scale attack is unlikely; it's best to deal with them piecemeal.

Once the recruitment is complete and the system rewards are in hand, the two thousand soldier king templates will be added, and from then on, there will be no worries whatsoever.

The territory of two provinces is now in our grasp!

On that day, the Salito Provincial Government Army assembled a several-hundred-strong elite force composed entirely of elite soldiers.

Fully armed, with every soldier equipped with individual combat gear, armed to the teeth. In terms of combat effectiveness, even the SEALs of Delta Force would kneel before this army of elite soldiers. As for the local government troops of Gango, they are nothing but chickens and dogs in front of them.

After assembling, the unit rushed to two other provinces overnight.

Since it wasn't a national border, there wouldn't be any large-scale military or police on duty at the border between the two provinces. The elite force of several hundred men broke into small combat groups and infiltrated the two provinces to wait for an opportunity to act.

For several days in a row, things seemed calm and peaceful.

However, messages kept reaching Zhang Yang.

All combat teams have been deployed and are ready to strike decisively to complete all combat missions.

That night, Zhang Yang received the message.

Tonight, the operation is complete!

That night, a seemingly fierce exchange of fire suddenly broke out at the location of the generals' residences in the two provinces, but it quickly subsided.

Late at night, Zabol suddenly convened a meeting and, in the name of the Sixth Military Region Command, informed the Gangge National Defense Forces Command of the situation.

The military commanders of Karadi Province and Montoli Province, who disobeyed orders and attempted to rebel, were killed on the spot by their men!

The remaining small groups of local military resistance forces have also been eliminated.

The provincial governments of the two provinces have officially begun the process of incorporating and managing their troops.

Sixth Military Region Command

The news immediately caused a huge stir.

From the Presidential Palace down to the military commanders of the surrounding provinces, everyone reacted strongly!

Damn it...

Is this even possible?

Everyone was shocked by the news, including the Presidential Palace.

It's just a nominal title of Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region; nobody would take it seriously, but you, Zabol, actually did.

Not only did they take it seriously, they actually put it into action?

Are you serious?

However, no one could say anything; righteousness is righteousness.

Although Zabol's actions were extreme, they were perfectly justifiable from a legal and moral standpoint.

··

The General's Residence.

Zhang Yang listened with a smile to the pleasant notification sound in his mind, and was overjoyed.

As expected, the mission was completed.

Although they knew their elite soldiers were formidable fighters, they were strategically dismissive but tactically cautious, making all necessary preparations in advance to ensure absolute success.

As for the result...

Zhang Yang realized that he had indeed overestimated Gango's overall military capabilities and strength.

The armed forces in the generals' residences of those two provinces were incredibly weak. They were almost completely wiped out in a single encounter with the elite, fully armed elite soldiers. They were no match at all.

As for the military forces within those two provincial governments, there were indeed some resistance forces.

However, in the face of righteousness, all resistance forces were considered anti-government armed forces and rebels, and were naturally wiped out on the spot by his elite troops, leaving no one alive.

Then, everyone behaved themselves and obediently began to accept the incorporation of the Sixth Military Region Command.

After all, they should have been under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Military Region Command.

"I've secured one of the two thousand spots for the King of Soldiers!" Zhang Yang exclaimed with a smile.

Although the government forces in those two provinces have now obediently accepted Zabol's incorporation, they were, after all, soldiers under someone else's command, so it's not entirely secure. However, with two thousand loyalty-attribute elite soldier templates now in hand, this problem is naturally solved.

Let each provincial government and military unit contribute 1,000 units.

As for who to use it on, Zhang Yang already had experience with this. Just like the Salito Provincial Government Army, it was spread out in a point-like manner, from top to bottom, from officers to rank-and-file squad leaders, taking care of all the key personnel.

In this way, it was like a net, firmly controlling the government forces of those two provinces.

For the next period of time, he worked tirelessly from morning till night.

Inside the Sixth Military Region headquarters, Zhang Yang finally cooperated with the army's roster and successfully added all two thousand slots for the title of Loyal King of Soldiers.

Although the military strength of the two provincial governments differed, they were roughly the same overall.

For example, in the Karadi Province, there are fewer than 30,000 government troops.

For example, the government forces in Montoli Province have a larger number of troops, about 35,000, because Montoli Province is relatively large and borders several countries.

Each province had a quota of one thousand elite soldiers, totaling two thousand elite soldiers who were integrated into the provincial government armies. They controlled various key positions at all levels, effectively giving them complete control over the provincial government armies.

Including the government forces in Salito Province, Zabol now has a total of 100,000 troops!

He was truly the Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth Military Region.

Moreover, his control over this force of 100,000 troops was so strong that it was simply unbelievable, a completely different concept from the armies of other provincial leaders who scattered like birds and beasts after being defeated.

You could say that.

Looking across the Gangge Republic, Zabol at this moment is arguably the strongest power.

Of the hundreds of thousands of government troops, he alone commanded 100,000.

The remaining hundreds of thousands were shared by the president and various local warlords, making them completely decentralized and unreliable.

At this moment, he naturally ignored all opposition within the country.

Even the president's words can be completely ignored.

He focused all his energy on consolidating the territory of the other two provinces.

Although he had complete control of the military, there was still a lot of work to be done to turn the other two provinces into his own territory. However, with the support of the military, that work proceeded smoothly without any obstacles.

Several days later, in Salito Province, at the presidential residence.

"The president intends to send a new high-ranking official?" Zhang Yang sat in Zabol's leather chair and laughed, "Here comes the reaping?"

At this moment, Zabol, who was enjoying immense prestige in the outside world and was the commander-in-chief of the Sixth Military Region, the ruler of three provinces, stood beside Zhang Yang like the most humble servant.

Yes.

While it appears that Zabol controls three provinces and commands an army of 100,000, in reality, Zhang Yang is indirectly controlling the army and territory through Zabol.

Or to put it another way, even without Zabol, Zhang Yang could directly control 100,000 troops with those elite soldiers.

However, he was, after all, a foreigner, an outsider.

It's better for Zabol, a native of Gango, to stand in front of the stage and attract all the attention than for Zhang Yang himself to stand in front of the stage.

In name only, Zhang Yang's public identity remains unchanged.

He was also General Zabol's advisor, his closest and most trusted friend, and the most powerful man in the three provinces besides General Zabol.

"Mr. Zhang, we can completely ignore what the president said," Zabol said with a smile.

At this moment, only if the entire national government forces unite and hundreds of thousands of troops collectively besiege his territory will he be put under pressure.

However, this possibility is almost zero.

At this moment, he is the most powerful warlord in the entire Gango, so powerful that he can ignore all rumors and gossip, and disregard the thoughts and opinions of everyone in the country.

"We could even teach him a lesson."

Zabol seems to have developed a taste for decapitation strikes; he's now suggesting deploying small special forces units to intensify the president's training.

It's not that I want to get rid of the president.

But scaring him a little, scaring him out of his wits, is still something I can do.

"No need," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Just have him send someone to pick the peaches. Can he even manage to pick them all?"

The armies in the other two provinces are already under control.

What good would it do to send a few parachuted-in people?

His goal was to make the president eventually, voluntarily, willingly hand over the high-ranking positions in the other two provinces to Zabol.