Empire of Shadows

The military officer looked at the two documents in his hand. His gaze lingered on George and Ian for a moment. His eyes revealed an emotion that George could not distinguish.

Hatred?

Hostility?

It was probably something like indifference.

He didn’t understand why this officer’s gaze at him was so cold. In fact, the reason was very simple.

There was a high probability that they would not be able to come back.

Even if they could survive on the battlefield, it would be very difficult to report some of the real situation.

The Federal Army was still exploring a fighting style that belonged to the Federation. Strategy and tactics were not classroom notes and applications. Every decision would often bring unpredictable consequences.

This also led to some situations that were hard to describe. The generals were very cautious and would think more.

But the more cautious they were, the easier it was to miss some opportunities.Fate seemed to be playing a joke on them, making them bold, decisive, and often making the wrong decisions.

So every strategic and tactical arrangement was painfully complicated.

The top brass of the military and the Department of Defense had already begun to cultivate the Federation’s combat thinking and strategic tactics. This was a running-in period.

To run-in with the hot blood and lives of young people.

Every turn would take some people away. The gentlemen felt that these sacrifices were worthwhile, because the more they paid now, the less they would lose in the future!

They had not asked those young soldiers whether they were willing to accept such a result, let alone asked them whether they were willing to participate in the game for the future of the Federation and their own future, at the cost of their own lives.

They were clearly the key to the war, but no one cared about them.

If the power of an individual is always just the power of an individual, in the face of the state, it has no meaning.

Many in the army were undocumented immigrants. Even if they died, it would not have any strong impact on the public opinion of the Federation.

The officer found a jeep to take them to the front line. On the way to the front line, George took out twenty dollars and handed it to the driver.

At first, the driver didn’t react. By the time he reacted, the speed of the car had also slowed down a lot. “What’s the meaning of this, sir?”

He did not reach out to take the twenty dollars. He did not know what kind of trick George was playing that he had never seen before.

George directly put the money into the pocket on the front of the driver’s jacket and patted it reassuringly. “It’s nothing. We just want to ask about the situation on the front line.”

The driver did not speak, but the speed of the car obviously did not increase. He added, “There are only the three of us here. No one knows what happened here. We promise we won’t talk nonsense.”

“I promise, no one told me anything. It was all my guess!”

These words were spoken very sincerely. The driver glanced at him, his voice a little low. “What do you want to know?”

George pursed his lips. “Up to now in the war, how many of our people have died?”

The driver shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know either?” Ian couldn’t help but ask.

The driver also glanced at him. “Why do I have to know?”

“We… lost about 30,000 people when we were building the defensive line over there, but after we launched the offensive, the troops were re-supplied and scattered. We don’t know the specific situation either.”

“After every battle, there will be some casualties, and then new recruits will be brought in. We can’t possibly know every new recruit.”

Although they did not know the exact number, the fact that 30,000 people had died in the defensive stage alone was enough to make George feel a chill in his heart.

Because in the official reports, they had only mentioned “several thousand,” but in fact, this number might be ten times that!

More than 20,000 sacrificed soldiers had been artificially “hidden.” This was a crime!

So much so that their families, at this time, still did not know what had happened, nor did they know that they had already lost their family members!

These bureaucrats!

Ian also hadn’t expected there to be so many casualties. He seemed a little silent. He also knew that the number might not be accurate, but he hadn’t expected so many to be hidden!

This also meant that the Federation was actually not in an advantageous position, although they had been winning all along!

“A shameful victory!” George commented.

The driver grinned and said nothing.

In fact… for them, these soldiers, whether one thousand, ten thousand, or a million died, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

What they could feel was just how many new people had come to their company this time, maybe twenty or thirty. So in their concept, the real casualties were just these twenty or thirty people.

As for the others, here they behaved exactly the same as the generals. For them, they were all just numbers!

George asked a few more questions about the situation on the front line. Now the two sides were fighting a see-saw battle around two mountain tops.

If the Federation’s side could take down the two mountain tops, then continuing to advance eastward would be a downhill road, and the battle would be more advantageous.

If they could not seize control of these two mountain tops, then their subsequent offensive plan would be severely frustrated.

The grand strategy of the federal military had completely split from that of the Slad people. They were carrying out their own combat plan, not the Slad people’s.

The top brass of the military, the Department of Defense, Congress, and the Presidential Palace all realized that this was actually also an important opportunity, to be able to, after half a century, embrace war again!

To take down this high ground, to influence the entire strategy, to show the value of the Federation in this war, and only after the war could they get more benefits, have more say, and have a higher status!

Everything is for the Federation!

The vehicle was approaching the foot of the mountain. The sound of artillery could already be heard continuously. Although the two mountain tops did not look very high, when you really came to the foot of the mountain, you could clearly perceive that they were not short at all.

At least seven or eight hundred meters in altitude. There were some tents on the gentle slope. The two sides were now frantically pulling at each other around the mountain tops. Shells were constantly falling on the mountain tops, and the continuous sound of gunshots and shouts. Coming here was like entering another world!

Wounded soldiers were constantly being dragged down from above, and rested soldiers were also constantly rushing up. After the driver had stopped the car and had a simple handover with an officer, he had left the two of them and had driven away.

He didn’t want to stay here. What if he was temporarily conscripted to be sent to his death?

The officer on the front line had arranged for two soldiers to protect George and Ian. They did not stay and directly asked to go to the very front line.

The officer just glanced at the two of them and agreed, and by the way, he also wished them good luck.

There were no corpses to be seen on the road, but the ground was covered in bloodstains, mixed with the soil. The road leading to the mountain top was dark red.

Gunshots, cannon fire, were all connected. Just as they had walked two-thirds of the way, a strong cheer suddenly came from the hillside. George widened his eyes, looking for something, and at the same time, he took out his camera.

The soldier who was protecting them shouted in pleasant surprise, “We’ve taken it!”

“Quick, quick, go up!”

George shouted, and began to accelerate with his things on his back. Ian also followed closely behind. After running for a while, the two of them began to pant. Fortunately, there were two soldiers who would occasionally help them.

More than ten minutes later, the two of them finally reached the top of the mountain.

The top of the mountain was actually… very bare. There was a defensive fortification here that had already been bombed and destroyed. The concrete, which was at least half a meter thick, had also been cracked and had collapsed in many places.

Above the dilapidated building stood the flag of the Federation.

The soldiers all seemed a little excited, but it was clear that the battle was not over yet. They needed to hold on here for at least one or two waves of the enemy’s counter-offensive.

After the subsequent support troops had continuously pressed up, and then launched an attack down the mountain, their pressure would be reduced.

George was out of breath when he was almost at the top of the mountain. Just as a “summiting” smile appeared on his face, the soldier by his side suddenly pressed his head down and pushed him to the ground.

He didn’t even have time to ask what had happened before he heard a continuous sound of explosions!

The enemy’s artillery had begun to bombard the mountain top. They were trying to drive the federal army on the mountain top down by means of shelling, just as the federal people had done before.

One after another, shells flew through the sky. No one knew where they would land.

Maybe in a very distant place, kicking up some dirt and grass in the distance.

Maybe right by your side…

George had never felt such fear before!

He was holding his head and lying prostrate on the ground. Even so, his back was hit by something, and it was very painful.

This round of shelling lasted for about ten minutes. When no more shells were coming, the sound of machine guns from the defensive fortifications on the mountain top began to ring out. The enemy had begun to counter-attack!

George was eager to take some close-up, real footage. He shook his head, shook off some of the sand and stones, and then turned his head to look at the soldier by his side, and was stunned for a moment.

Then his face became a little terrified, pale, because the soldier by his side was already dead.

A piece of shrapnel had unfortunately torn in from his scapula. The flesh was torn open, and there were also internal organs.

Looking at his eyes, which were open in death, George suddenly felt a shiver. He peed a little, and then held it in.

He stood up in a panic and looked around.

There were quite a few corpses lying here and there. Some were just lying peacefully, with no visible injuries.

There were also some whose death was very uncomfortable to look at.

For a moment, his mind was a blank. The whole world seemed to be left with only the sound of his own breathing.

Some soldiers stood up and rushed directly to the defensive fortifications, joining in the defensive battle, including the surviving soldier who had escorted Amen up.

Ian also stood up. He looked at the surrounding scene and, like George, was so shocked that he was speechless.

There were at least a few dozen corpses lying here. The entire mountain top was not just this small piece of land. How many more people had died in other places?

It was just one round of shelling!

Life seemed ridiculous and insignificant in war.

The two looked at each other and silently walked into the dilapidated defensive fortifications. They were in a firefight with the Dantra people on the other side of the hillside.

George took out his camera and found a place where a soldier was shooting.

He was filming a machine gunner. He was firing at the dense forest at the foot of the mountain. George aimed his lens at his face.

He looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. His beard was still just fluff. His face had a resolute expression that was not in line with his age.

While the children of the rich were still yachting and playing with girls, he had become a qualified machine gunner, fighting and killing for the interests of the Federation on a battlefield far away from his family!

After filming for less than ten seconds, suddenly, the young machine gunner’s head was thrown back.

Before George himself could react, the soldier by his side forcefully kicked his body to the side, and it fell backwards.

The soldier by his side cursed “fuck,” and then quickly dragged his body, and also grabbed the machine gun grip that he was holding tightly.

The muzzle of the machine gun had already flown up to the sky. He pried the soldier’s hand off the machine gun grip, and then used his foot to kick him to a position away from this opening.

Then, with a flip of his body, he grabbed the grip again and began to fire at the enemy who was constantly approaching below.

His face had no fear at all, only anger!

Thick, inseparable anger!

He turned all his fear, his joys and sorrows, into the nourishment for his anger, and nourished his anger to be incomparably vigorous!

Another soldier took the initiative to come over and began to connect the ammunition belt, and at the same time, he kept an eye on him.

If he was also shot, then the soldier holding the ammunition belt would take his place and continue to shoot.

The whole process probably only took seven or eight seconds to complete the change of person. Everyone was doing their own job. They were like a precise instrument that could automatically operate without any manual intervention.

Seeing this scene, George was a little silent. Perhaps each of them had made the mental preparation of not being able to leave, which was why they could fight here so bravely, having cast aside their personal greed for life!

He found a suitable position, a position where no one had fired before, and began to film the hillside below.

In those woods, there were densely packed people with weapons. They were struggling to climb. People were constantly falling down, and then rolling down.

The two sides might have never met in their lives, and had no deep hatred, but the moment they met, it was the moment to decide life and death.

In that instant, George felt that he seemed to have had some kind of sublimation!

The battle lasted for about a dozen minutes. The second round of shelling came. The entire defensive fortification was shaking, and concrete fragments were constantly falling from the top.

The soldiers also did their best to protect themselves, hiding behind cover. He looked at the soldier closest to him, and the soldier also looked at him.

The soldier was holding his weapon, his eyes exceptionally calm, so much so that it gave George the feeling that he was slacking off!

The two looked at each other, but not really, because the focus of the soldier’s eyes was not on him, but he was looking at him. This was the reason why he felt that the soldier was slacking off.

The shelling was still constantly coming. After occupying the mountain top, the artillery on the Federation’s side was of no help. They could only endure it here.

The sound of a collapse came from the side, accompanied by a scream. He poked his head out and looked. A section of the concrete room had collapsed, burying maybe a few people, or more.

They had not died immediately and were still screaming in the ruins.

The soldier who was holding his gun and slacking off came back to his senses. He raised his weapon and aimed it at a soldier with a look of longing on his face, and pulled the trigger with a cold and ruthless look.

With a bang, George reacted. He pushed the soldier. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“He’s still alive!”

The soldier just glanced at him and shook his head. “He can’t live.”

Then he didn’t speak anymore.

George was silent again.

The shelling lasted for more than ten minutes and stopped again. The enemy on the hillside was already closer, almost right in front of them, at most only thirty or forty meters away!

The two sides once again had a fierce firefight. At this moment, George felt a… an indescribable emotion boiling.

He fixed his camera in one position, and then picked up the weapon in the hands of the dead soldier.

He had hunted before and knew how to use a weapon. Then, under the astonished gaze of the soldier, he found a position and began to shoot at the enemy outside.

A semi-automatic rifle. Besides the fact that reloading was a bit troublesome, the feel of shooting was not bad. This was also the choice of the soldiers.

He kept aiming at the target, kept pulling the trigger. He wasn’t sure if the enemies who had fallen were the ones he had shot dead. He only knew that he had to do this.

Suddenly, a few pieces of concrete fragments flew from the wall, scratching his cheek. He quickly changed to another position and continued to shoot.

The camera faithfully recorded everything!

Seeing that the enemy was about to re-take the mountain top, the reinforcements from behind had arrived. This small place had a whole company come.

George relaxed a little. He collapsed against the corner of the wall, watching the newly arrived soldiers begin to exchange fire with expressionless faces. For a moment, he didn’t know what he was thinking.

He had been on the front line for a full week, and had also roughly figured out the military’s plan.

Because of Slad’s repeated defeats, in order to turn the tide, they had to curb the constantly advancing mechanized troops of the Dantra people.

From this mountain top down was the enemy’s supply line. If the supply line was cut off, the enemy troops in the main battle on the front line would have no supply and would soon be surrounded and eaten clean.

After eating this part of the mechanized troops, it would have a relatively direct impact on the current war situation, and it could even be said to have turned the tide of the war to a certain extent!

The Slad side did not quite agree with this idea, because it was not very convenient for the mechanized troops to pass through this mountain top. A part of it was very steep.

In other words, even if they had captured the mountain top, only light troops could pass through. To use flesh and blood to fight against mechanized troops?

Not to mention that the officers did not agree, the soldiers also did not agree.

The federal military, however, believed that this plan was feasible and had a strong executability.

After pulling back and forth for a week, they had finally firmly occupied the mountain top, and with the support of a continuous stream of subsequent reinforcements, they began to launch an offensive down the hillside.

Standing on the mountain top and blowing in the wind that was restless with summer, looking at the land that had been dyed red with fresh blood, this year, this mountain forest would definitely be exceptionally lush!

He didn’t know what “an inch of mountain and river is an inch of blood” was, but he knew that every inch of land was exchanged for by the lives of the soldiers.

He didn’t know if it was worth it. He just wanted to report these things, in a fair tone.

Let the readers judge.

(End of a Chapter)