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

Chapter 203 | Bolin's Military Review
It's not difficult to tell whether someone's offer of help is genuine.

Shang Ke was naturally grateful for Ding Shu's many acts of help, marveling that his old superior was indeed his old superior, and had treated him well.

It was getting late, and Ding Shu had no intention of staying any longer, so he got into his car and left.

Shang Ke saw his wife off at the door until the car disappeared at the intersection, and then returned to the hotel to go upstairs to pick her up.

Today is a joyous day, and Shang Ke doesn't really want to talk too much about his career, but his wife is quite interested in it.

"Is this your first time leading so many people? Won't your subordinates disobey you?"

"Disobedient?" Shank chuckled and said disdainfully, "I fought a bloody battle with a powerful enemy in Budapest for two months, annihilating countless enemies. Several thousand men were reduced to less than a thousand in the end. Anyone who dares to be a troublemaker in front of me, I don't care if they are human or ghost, I'll beat them up first."

Jian Keqiu said "Oh" and nodded, "I believe you are capable of leading your subordinates. By the way, I'm a little curious, will there be any factions forming in such a newly formed unit?"

"Humans are social beings, and there will definitely be cliques and factions. But there's nothing to say about it. If you find any improper cliques, just intervene and break them up."

This applies to lower-level units; as for higher levels…

Factional issues do exist within the Federal Armed Forces, but they are not serious. They mainly consist of small groups composed of mid- to high-ranking officers. There are no large factions, and even these small groups are under secret surveillance and do not have much influence.

After saying goodbye to their parents, the two returned to their new home.

The location of the new home was carefully chosen, situated in a neighborhood adjacent to a branch of the Chemical Research Institute, making it convenient for Jian Keqiu's daily commute to work.

The housing type first excludes detached houses or villas because they are difficult to maintain. If residents do not hire servants, they will need to spend a lot of time cleaning and tidying up, making them not easy to live in.

Therefore, the new home that Mr. Shang bought is somewhat similar to the large single-level apartment of later generations, but it is a youth version, with one unit per floor, a total of only four floors, and each unit is more than 160 square meters.

According to the regulations of the National Defense Forces, Mr. Shang and his wife moved in in a very low-key manner. The neighbors only knew that a newlywed couple had moved in. The husband was a career military officer and the wife was an employee of a national research institute.

As for his more specific identity, I cannot disclose that information; please do not delve into it.

At the same time, Mr. Shang reported his address to the General Headquarters and the Suzhou Local National Defense Army Office, and also went to the local police station to register an application for "permanent residence of important personnel".

Police departments have an obligation to provide protection for those working in critical departments. The level of protection is divided into several levels according to the importance of the target, in order to prevent the target from being harmed by unexpected accidents or intentional attacks.

As the saying goes, behind every rule lies a bloody lesson, and this rule of the Great Unified Federation is no exception.

Many years ago, in the summer of 1926, a professor who was a leading figure in the field of electronics technology was robbed and murdered on his way home one evening. The robbers were a group of thugs. This incident shocked the upper echelons of the ruling government, and in their grief, the regulations for protecting important officials were further improved.

The end of January marks the day Mr. Shang takes office, and the blissful time he can enjoy in the gentle embrace of love is almost over.

While he and his wife were enjoying their honeymoon, thousands of miles away in Europe, someone else was also enjoying unparalleled glory.

Paulin.

Throughout history, this ancient city has been occupied by Ivan Rus's army during the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars, as well as by Marianne's army, but never before has it suffered such severe damage.

The relentless and desperate attack by a million-strong army nearly razed Bolin to the ground, with ruins and crater-strewn streets bearing witness to the terrible devastation it suffered.

Dozens of guards cavalrymen wearing top hats marched slowly down the street in two columns, followed by a Mercedes armored limousine. Veronica, dressed in a military uniform, sat in the back seat, tilting her head to look at the desolate scene outside the bulletproof window.

Trample the enemy under your feet!
Riding in a car gifted by the enemy through their capital, Veronica felt an immense sense of accomplishment and vanity.

On her way to the Brandenburg Gate, her convoy was stopped.

"Why did you stop? Go ask what happened?"

The commander of the Imperial Guard cavalry rode up, dismounted, and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, there is still a bomb near the Brandenburg Gate that has not been cleared. The engineers are preparing to detonate it. For your safety, please wait here."

It was a FAB-250 aerial bomb, but the fuse failed to detonate, and it contained 126 kilograms of explosives.

If a bomb you made accidentally kills one of your own, that would be the most ridiculous thing in the world, so it's best to wait patiently.

A team of engineers had surrounded the aerial bomb, set up a package of explosives and a long wire, and were preparing to detonate it.

A moment later, a loud bang came from afar, followed by a shower of brick and stone fragments falling like raindrops...

The convoy moved on.

In the blink of an eye, the imposing Brandenburg Gate came into view.

Built in the 18th century, the Brandenburg Gate celebrated the Prussian army's victory in the Seven Years' War and served as a triumphal arch for the Wallanders.

During the previous fierce siege, the Brandenburg Gate was also damaged by stray bullets and was directly hit by multiple cannonballs. One of the stone pillars in the middle was broken in two, and hundreds of bullet holes could be seen densely distributed on it when you looked closely.

In order to intimidate potential adversaries and, incidentally, thoroughly humiliate the Vallanders, who had been proud for decades, Veronica ordered an unprecedented military parade to be held in Polin a week ago.

"Your Majesty, the troops are ready. Tanks, infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers will pass by in turn. The prisoners will be at the end, and we have prepared a broom for each of them," a lieutenant general reported triumphantly.

Veronica smiled and exclaimed, "That's a really interesting idea."

noon.

With the firing of cannons, the unprecedented military parade began.

The military band played "God Save the Tsar," and the Russian émigrés nearby cheered loudly, while the rest of the Bolin residents remained silent.

At the very front were several imposing-looking SMK multi-turret tanks, followed by rows of early T-34 tanks roaring past the Brandenburg Gate, numbering in the hundreds.

After that, one after another, infantry, cavalry, engineer, and artillery formations marched proudly through the triumphal arch.

After all the Ivanos army had passed, a large, disorganized group of prisoners followed behind them.

To avoid disturbances by the prisoners, these hundreds of men were all carefully selected cowards. They were dressed in tattered military uniforms, their appearance was extremely dirty and disheveled, and they carried brooms in their hands, walking with their heads down and in a dejected manner, without any semblance of formation...

(End of this chapter)