It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 178 | Singing in Harmony

Mr. Shang believed that he still had a conscience, and that he did not forget his fiancée when he was having affairs.

Therefore, as soon as he escaped from danger last week, he quickly wrote a long letter to his fiancée, with whom he had lost contact for many days, and entrusted the embassy to send it back to China through a special channel.

Mr. Shang was speechless at the Hungarian Ministry of Defense’s rush to issue him a death and disappearance notice. He was worried that his fiancée and parents would be alarmed, so he pulled some strings.

Due to the war, ordinary civilian postal services were almost paralyzed, and letters sent from Hungary to the Grand Commonwealth would have to pass through several neutral countries before reaching their destination. However, diplomatic channels were an exception; even belligerent nations would usually allow diplomatic airmail from enemy countries to transit through their borders.

From Christmas to the last day of 1939, Mr. Shang was constantly attending celebratory banquets hosted by the upper echelons of the Hunnic government. Lunch and dinner parties from political and military circles came one after another, almost without interruption.

It can be said that the Huns were very optimistic, regarding the defense of Budapest as an unprecedented great victory.

Their prevailing belief was that it was reasonable for a small country to resist a large country, even if it lost all ten battles, but it was enough to celebrate even one victory.

Conversely, it is only natural for a large country to win all ten battles when attacking a small country, but even losing once would be a great disgrace.

Therefore, the Huns spread the news and celebrated their hard-won victory without any concealment.

Although Shank's implementation of his city defense system based on historical experience in Budapest was somewhat like using the Huns as guinea pigs, the Huns didn't care.

After all, when a country is on the verge of collapse, any effective method should be tried. It's probably a case of "trying anything as a last resort," and besides, actions speak louder than intentions.

The outcome of the battle was truly unexpected. Although Ivanrod's army would eventually return, at least the situation was temporarily salvaged.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Shang Ke was treated as an honored guest.

Such excessive eating and drinking is not good for one's health. The result of the lavish hospitality was that Shang Ke ended up in the hospital, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.

From then on, he dared not indulge like that again, because if he accidentally developed acute pancreatitis, he would suffer terribly.

The harrowing defense of Budapest also took a toll on Sigrid's health, causing her to contract typhus during the New Year season, thankfully only a mild case.

The royal physician believed this was because she had been confined to the cold, damp bunker at Castle Hill fortress for the past few weeks, where the sanitary conditions certainly couldn't compare to the pristine palace, and the prolonged anxiety had weakened her immune system...

Therefore, she had to leave by special train to go to Jer, which was located in the rear, for treatment and recuperation.

Fortunately, getting sick at this time is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the battle is over, and leaving now won't make you a target of ridicule for deserting your post.

Sigrid's performance during the war was unanimously recognized by the Huns.

There had been discontent within Hunnic political circles regarding the decision to invite the Wieden princess, but these complaints have now completely disappeared.

As a foreigner, still only a young woman, what more could she ask for than to steadfastly and persistently remain in the war-torn capital?

Several newspapers extensively reported on Sigrid's deeds, using headlines such as "Her Majesty the Queen still holds the fortress 800 meters from the invaders," which sounded impressive and very eye-catching.

Where did this '800 meters' come from?
Because when Ivanos's army on the east bank launched its final assault on the Capitol area, the rest of the front lines had advanced to the Danube River, facing the Hunnic army on the west bank across the frozen river. The straight-line distance to the Castle Hill fortress in the Buda Hills was less than 900 meters, so theoretically, Sigrid was indeed only about 800 meters away from the enemy. This is the allure of journalism, applicable throughout history and across cultures; it is something one should not miss.

The third day of the year 1940.

Shank arrived in Jer once again aboard a military train.

This industrial town, bordering Austria, had become the wartime capital of the Kingdom of Hurghazi, with various government departments relocating there.

At this time, Jer had become like a refugee concentration camp, with a large number of fleeing refugees pouring in. Since the city could not accommodate so many people, large areas of tents and simple wooden sheds appeared in the suburbs.

Amidst the wind and snow, rampant diseases spread wildly among the population, and every day, corpses of those who died from the disease were carried out for cremation.

The only consolation is that Hungary, as a major grain-producing country, does not suffer from food shortages; what the refugees lack most are various medical supplies and fuel for heating.

How could tents and makeshift wooden sheds possibly withstand temperatures of minus ten or twenty degrees Celsius?
"Is this the refugee resettlement area? It looks like it will be difficult to survive this winter."

Looking at the shivering refugees, Shank couldn't help but recall that he had been drinking and socializing with the Hunnic elites just a few days ago, and for a moment he felt a pang of shame and helplessness.

One of his accompanying officials explained, “Food is plentiful. We established several strategic warehouses for storing flour in the mountains before the war. Our problem is the lack of heating fuel and medicine, but that should be resolved soon.”

"How to deal with it?"

"Walland has provided us with a lot of coal, you know, Walland has a lot of coal. Also, thank you to your country for providing us with loans to purchase medicines."

The Grand Federal Government provided Hungary with an interest-free loan specifically for purchasing medicines and humanitarian supplies from neutral countries like Switzerland, which relieved Hungary's urgent need for foreign exchange.

A carriage carrying corpses passed by, and Shang Ke could clearly see several young girls and boys' bodies on it.

Clearly, children's immune systems are not as strong as adults'.

Mr. Shang couldn't bear to see such a tragic scene amidst the chaos of war. As he turned around, he said, "Let's get it done as soon as possible."

Near the No. 7 refugee resettlement site, there is a branch railway station, which is located in the mountains and is relatively hidden. This is why Shank came to this place.

The captured T-34 was temporarily parked here. In addition, there were three damaged T-34s, all of which were captured during the second phase of the Battle of Budapest when pursuing Ivan Ross's army.

Shank temporarily numbered them one, two, three, and four. Although the number one tank was badly damaged, with its machine gun broken and one road wheel missing, it could still move. The other three tanks were damaged to varying degrees and could not necessarily be repaired, but they could be disassembled and used to provide spare parts.

According to the original plan, Shank intended to personally accompany the spoils to Slovania in Valland, and then return home by ship.

Unexpectedly, the United Kingdom began to truly oppose the Grand Federation, with its Mediterranean Fleet blockading the Suez Canal and unconditionally 'refusing' passage to Chinese merchant ships and warships.

Italy followed suit, publicly supporting the move and vowing never to allow Chinese ships to appear in the Mediterranean.

(End of this chapter)