Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"On the contrary, we should deepen cooperation and deeply integrate our economies with theirs, so that we will never be enemies, but only friends!"

Russell remained silent.

She acknowledged that what Challne said was partly true.

The power of capital has permeated every corner of this country, and even the decisions of the Supervisory Council have to be hampered by the Business Federation.

She could forcefully order the conquest knights to assemble, but without the financial support of the Merchants' Association, the army couldn't even guarantee its logistics.

"You'll regret this," Russell said wearily after a long silence.

“Reply to the messenger from Syracuse and tell them that Kazimir… is powerless.”

……

News of Syracuse's failed attempt to seek aid from Qazimir spread quickly.

A secret family meeting is underway at the Falcone family's luxurious estate.

Under the crystal chandelier, the long table was filled with family leaders from various cities in Syracuse.

They savored the Colombian red wine, but their faces wore expressions of mockery.

“I told you, her approach wouldn’t work!” Falcone slammed his glass down.

"They went to Triinttelme in a humble manner, and what was the result? They were humiliated by that peasant emperor and returned in disgrace!"

"Now they're begging the knights of Kazimir again; they've utterly disgraced Syracuse!"

"That's right!"

Another family head named Bellini echoed this sentiment.

"Who is that Lacey? He's just a nouveau riche who rose to power by inciting ordinary people!"

"The army of Letania? Just a bunch of civilians who've hardly ever touched a sword!"

"We Syracuses, which one of us didn't fight our way up through clan feuds? If a real fight breaks out, who knows who will win!"

"If you ask me, Madame Sicily has just gotten old and become timid!" a young family heir said dismissively.

"Always thinking about compromise and backing down."

"Those two words don't exist in our Syracuse dictionary!"

"If the Letanians dare to come, let them taste the claws of Ruper!" (First published by Yue*yi)

A group of people were blindly optimistic and arrogantly shouting in the hall.

They looked down on Lacey's background, and even more so on Laetania's army, which was made up of civilians.

In their view, war is nothing more than a larger-scale clan feud. As long as they defend their city, what can the Letanians do to them?

They were completely unaware of how terrifying the war machine armed with modern industry and authoritarian will could be.

……

While the Syracuse families were still arguing over who should be the commander-in-chief and how many men each should send, Letania's war machine had already been quietly started.

Trinitylme, Imperial Broadcasting Station.

Lacey stood in front of the microphone, with the entire Imperial Central Cabinet behind him.

His voice, transmitted via radio waves, reached every corner of the empire.

"Citizens of Letania, my fellow countrymen."

"In the past few days, our country and people have suffered unwarranted humiliation and provocation from Syracuse!"

"Our peace proposal was arrogantly rejected by them!"

"Not only are they unwilling to punish the murderer, but they also regard our goodwill as weakness!"

"A country that cannot protect the safety of its citizens overseas has no dignity, and a government that chooses to swallow its anger in the face of provocation is irresponsible!"

"I, Lacey, as your emperor, hereby solemnly declare: We pursue peace, but we will never fear war!!"

"In order to defend the dignity of the Empire and to protect the lives and property of every citizen of Letania, I have authorized the Imperial Defense Forces to launch a limited and punitive military strike against the provocateurs in the Syracuse border region!"

"This is certainly not aggression, but self-defense."

"We are just seeking justice."

"Our goal is to eliminate the armed forces that threaten our border security, and to make the authorities in Syracuse understand that any provocation against Letania will come at a heavy price!"

"Long live the Empire!"

Long live the people!

After finishing her speech, Lacey stepped away from the microphone and turned to look at Secretary of the Army Taylor.

“Let’s begin, Taylor.”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Taylor turned around, picked up the communicator, and gave the order.

"The operation officially begins!"

"Order the First and Second Armored Divisions to launch an assault on the target area according to the pre-arranged plan!"

In the darkness before dawn, along the Leitanian border, the engines of hundreds of Tiger I tanks roared in unison.

The steel tracks began to turn, grinding over the damp frozen ground, like an unstoppable torrent of steel rushing towards the sleeping Syracuse.

Above the sky, the wings of the Stuka dive bomber wing cut through the dawn.

A blitzkrieg that will define a new era of warfare on the continent of Terra has officially begun!

……

Holy Lytanian Empire: Chapter 101: Blitzkrieg of Syracuse

At four in the morning, a cold fog blanketed the border between Letania and Syracuse.

Within the dense fog, hundreds of steel behemoths lurked.

A young armored soldier, Lyon, is leaning against the tracks of a Tiger I tank, trying to refresh himself with a canteen.

He could feel the slight vibrations emanating from the tens of tons of war machine beneath him as it idled.

This was his first real-world experience.

During training, he drove this behemoth countless times in simulated battles, and also used its main gun to blast targets into pieces on the firing range.

But that was completely different from now.

The tension, known as "war," gripped everyone's heart.

"Kid, getting nervous?" an old soldier patted his helmet.

“No…no, sir.” Leon straightened his back.

The veteran grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by tobacco: "Don't be afraid, the ones who should be nervous are those Syracuse bastards still dreaming in bed."

He gestured with his lip towards the opposite side.

A few kilometers ahead of them was a border post in Syracuse.

According to intelligence, a company of soldiers belonging to the local Grimaldi family is stationed there.

Although they were called a company, they were actually just the family's private soldiers and could not be considered an army at all.

They were equipped with old crossbows and a few small-caliber mortars; their only fortifications were a wooden fence and a few sandbags piled up as arrow emplacements.

In the sand table simulations conducted by the Imperial Military Academy, the theoretical holding time for this outpost was set at "no more than five minutes".

Above Lyon and his men, in the far-reaching sky, dozens of greyish-white Stuka dive bombers glided through the darkness before dawn.

Inside the command post, General Taylor stood with his arms crossed in front of the sand table.

The communications soldier's voice rang out continuously, reporting the positioning status of each unit.

"First and Second Armored Divisions, all personnel in position."

"The First Dive Bomber Wing has arrived at its designated airspace."

"Special Operations Team, ready."

Taylor glanced at the clock on the wall; the second hand was ticking away toward the scheduled attack time.

He picked up the communicator.

"I am Taylor, in charge of Operation Blitz."

The earth began to rumble the moment the command was given.

……

Syracuse, the Grimaldi family outpost.

Sentinel Luca was yawning as he and his companion leaned against a sandbag, playing a type of Syracuse card game.

He lost everything except his pants, and was cursing and complaining that his partner who dealt the cards had cheated.

For them, guarding the border is a tough job with little pay and is far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The so-called enemy, Letania, was nothing more than a bunch of "artists" in their eyes, not worth mentioning at all.

"Damn it, it's that lousy card again!" Luca slammed the card on the ground.

"I'm not playing anymore! If the captain sees us gambling during his patrol later, he'll dock half a month's salary."

　(*I) Ling Qi 8 Temple Chess? Four Tumors "What are you afraid of?" His companion picked up the cards nonchalantly.

"The captain is sleeping soundly right now, holding the girl he brought from the city. He can't be bothered with us."

Just then, a strange shriek came from above.

"What's that sound?" Luca looked up at the sky in confusion.

His companion also looked up and saw several small black dots rapidly enlarging, while the sharp, shrill whistling sound grew increasingly piercing.

The Syracuseans had never heard such a sound before; it was the unique roar of a Stuka bomber in flight.

"Then...what is that?"

"...An aircraft?"

They didn't have time to get an answer.

boom! boom! boom!

A series of violent explosions engulfed the entire camp.

The earth trembled violently, and flames shot into the sky, completely tearing apart the darkness before dawn.

Wooden barracks, makeshift watchtowers, and piles of sandbags were blown away and destroyed like pieces of paper in the blast wave.

Luca didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was thrown up by the shockwave from the nearby explosion and slammed heavily against the broken flagpole, instantly losing consciousness.

The sentry who was still complaining about the captain was blown to pieces.

Those who were lucky enough to survive the first wave of bombing were terrified by the hellish sight.

They crawled out of the burning ruins, their ears ringing and their vision a blood-red blur.

They didn't know what was happening, they only knew that the end of the world had come.

Before they could recover from the chaos, a deep engine roar rose from the horizon.

"What is this?!" a family member screamed in despair.

He hadn't paid attention to the achievements exhibition held in Letania and didn't recognize this iron lump at all.

Dozens of steel monsters they had never seen before roared over the blasted fence and charged toward them with unstoppable force.

As they advanced, they fired, tearing any target that dared to show itself to shreds.

"Shoot an arrow! Shoot an arrow!"

The surviving members of the Syracuse family roared at the top of their lungs.

Several relatively brave soldiers raised their crossbows and fired in vain at the charging tanks.

The crossbow bolts struck the Tiger I's thick, sloping armor, leaving not even a white mark before bouncing off.

"Mortars! Use mortars!"