In the sixty-eighth year of Norton, following the coup in the capital of the Gothic Empire in the Northern Continent, Emperor Miles XIV, through the forces of the Eternal Life Society, completely seized control of the entire Gothic Empire in just two months.
If he were to initiate reforms at this time, he might be able to emulate Franklin D. Roosevelt and forcibly extend the life of the Gothic Empire by a decade or so.
Unfortunately, the Eternal Life Society wouldn't allow him to do it, and he himself wouldn't do it either.
The contradictions at the bottom of the Northern Continent have penetrated to the bone marrow, and the entire national structure has become completely distorted. Forcibly reversing this will not only lead to huge changes, but may even cause the country to collapse overnight.
Perhaps those three million War Machine could have completely turned the tide in the Northern Continent, but Miles XIV did not use War Machine to improve the country's environment; instead, he used them for forced conscription and enslavement.
A decree was issued from the capital, shattering the already crumbling peace of the Gothic Empire.
"Waaaaah..."
With the whistle of trains, trains carrying War Machine transported them along the Northern Continent Railway from War Machine manufacturing plants across the land.
Ninety percent of them were transported to coastal cities on the Northern Continent near the Southern Continent, awaiting transport to the Southern Continent by warships.
The remaining 10% were initiated ahead of schedule, used to suppress riots and forcibly conscript soldiers.
With three million War Machine and the Eternal Life Society completely controlling the empire, His Majesty Miles XIV had absolute control over the Gothic Empire.
The logistical and troop resources required for such transoceanic operations are incalculable.
Establishing outposts, controlling cities, and even launching offensive operations all require a large number of troops.
Miles XIV did not want to waste the War Machine on a landing campaign; these three million War Machine needed to be mobilized on a massive scale to suppress that Pale God.
Therefore, all arduous wars, even amphibious landings, have damage indicators for their War Machine. Once a certain level is reached, they are no longer used. Thus, in terms of manpower, human soldiers still need an extremely high number!
From the day the war was declared, conscription began in full swing.
The concentration camps used for massacres have long been closed and converted into training grounds for soldiers.
Today's technology is quite advanced, and in terms of weaponry, thanks to the Pale God, it has even reached the level of World War II on Earth. Even airplanes have been successfully developed, but currently they are only for military use and not for civilian use.
All of this is because the technology tree of the Northern Continent went astray. The fundamental purpose of developing airplanes was not to drop bombs on the battlefield, but to limit the flight capabilities of that Pale God and to be able to deliver nuclear bombs to him in a relatively fast way.
From the day conscription began, the number of soldiers on the Northern Continent increased at a terrifying rate.
A body made of steel, the hum of steam billowing from a red-hot reactor, and the inexhaustible power supplied by a soul that is forever burning inside.
When the War Machine, accompanied by soldiers, comes to conscript, no one from the Northern Continent can escape the fate of being sent to the battlefield!
It must be said that Miles XIV thoroughly studied Norton in order to deal with Norton.
Drawing on the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the previous Southern Continent Cataclysm War, it keenly perceived the shortcomings of the Holy Empire Supreme Parliament in its war against the Pale Holy See: it was not autocratic enough.
The Holy Empire Supreme Parliament suffered greatly in the early stages due to the mixed forces within its organization and the shady dealings of various capital groups, which also made personnel coordination extremely difficult.
Therefore, at the very beginning of this war, Miles XIV launched the Coup of the Imperial City, slaughtering all the top capitalists overnight, and in just two months, he firmly grasped control of the entire Gothic Empire.
Moreover, at the very beginning of this Godfall War, it directly mobilized the entire nation for general war mobilization, transitioning the national system directly to wartime communism.
Women were taken to factories to work in shifts day and night, while men were given military uniforms and taken to military camps for forced training.
All those who disobeyed were branded as traitors, and were either reduced to endless production slaves or to the first echelon of cannon fodder on the landing battlefield.
With the hum of the steam engine and the steel silhouette of the War Machine, the entire Gothic Empire entered its final frenzy before collapse!
From then on, the Gothic Empire was filled with daily lamentations. Families were torn apart and lives lost everywhere. The prisons were overflowing with those who had fled for their lives but were arrested. Those with some assets who tried to escape to other continents by smuggling themselves out were all intercepted by warships that had already blocked their ports and the seas. Women were even wantonly abused and forced into prostitution because they were far from the emperor's reach. Men were even shot on the spot and became food for marine life.
Every day, tens of thousands of people were forced into military camps. The docks at the port were filled with cargo ships requisitioned by the Gothic Empire, which continuously transported troops outwards and occupied islands near the Southern Continent to establish supply lines for resupply when the war broke out.
Miles XIV truly achieved the same level of control as the Pale Holy See during the previous Cataclysm War: absolute control. Under the steadfast faith of the Eternal Life Society Church, even if Miles XIV were beheaded by the Pale God, the progress of the entire Northern Continent would continue, unlike the Holy Empire Supreme Parliament in the past, which would come to a standstill.
This is also one of his greatest sources of confidence in winning this Godfall War.
Norton, 69 years.
Miles XIV, who was so old and frail that he could barely stand, delivered his final speech in the Imperial City.
"It has been over a century since the Pale God Norton broke free of the Holy See."
In a mere century, it disrupted the former order of the Southern Continent, causing several changes of regime and launching numerous riots, each resulting in millions of deaths and injuries.
Although he claims to be the Pale God, and can even be traced back to a mere missionary in the Holy Lord Church during the mythological era, he is already far removed from ordinary people like us in the Garden of Eden, and even First Stage.
Despite being a deity, it uses its divine status to oppress all living beings and uses its power to inflict cruel calamities. It is truly cruel, inhumane, and oppressive!
Its foreign powers are aggressive and barbaric, and its domestic forces are oppressive and exploitative, often violating inhumane laws and demonstrating its cruelty and tyranny!
Although things seem peaceful now, they actually harbor evil intentions. Otherwise, the distant past would not have been so dark, comparable to serving one's own kind on the dinner table and bloodily devouring them!
Their lofty Existence Level is like that of a domestic pig or Butcher to us; their high-hanging blade can easily sever the heads of our human race!
Such boundless grandeur, such noble sanctity, becomes all the more cruel and unbearable when tainted by the ugliness of human nature!
Therefore, the Southern Continent has oppressed us for life, and we have been exiled thousands of miles away.
Such a deity, possessing impure qualities and pleasing himself by causing the suffering of all beings, is a permanent scar on the Garden of Eden.
Therefore, my Gothic Empire of the Northern Continent has been preparing for nearly eighty years, intending to completely eliminate this inhuman god.
There should be no God in Garden of Eden; humanity should fight for its own destiny!
It is truly remarkable that Miles XIV, in his advanced age, could still deliver such a passionate and inspiring speech.
His words are indeed highly persuasive; after all, isn't this a means of diverting domestic conflicts to foreign ones?
But unfortunately, ten out of ten of his statements are true, which is quite frustrating.
That Pale God Norton has indeed been a beast since he broke free of his seal, accomplishing nothing human. But among the various rulers of the Northern Continent, which one has truly done anything human?
Even in the past, when capitalism was rampant, even the Pale God had to admit defeat and concede defeat.
Compared to that Pale God who frequently caused cholera followed by decades of good times, these native inhabitants of Garden of Eden seem to be a bit more ruthless!
But the fact that it wants to start a dispute with that Pale God is something all regimes welcome.
After all, that Pale God was a unique scourge in Garden of Eden, and no regime or country seeking stability would tolerate it!
As soon as his order was given, people from as far away as the East Continent spontaneously came to provide weapons and supplies.
Even the native inhabitants of the Northern Continent, who had been sold and slaughtered by their Gothic Empire for over a century, cried out under certain pressure to 'fight the Pale God together'.
Whether it was voluntary or not is hard to say, but going to the battlefield was certain.