"Damn it, why did they have to choose this time to start the war..."
After two days of sailing, the Federation fleet had entered the Brando Strait. Colonel Matthias was biting his fingers, his face grave.
Although he had entered the strait, Matthias remained gloomy, his expression a stark contrast to the clear weather.
When he left the Star Islands, the battle situation was already extremely dire, and during the two days of sailing, he was constantly thinking about the battle situation on the island.
Although two divisions were guarding the Star Islands, and the commander, Sasha, was a man of great combat experience, the Yan Kingdom army they encountered that day was truly extraordinary. Under such an offensive, Matthias could only adopt a pessimistic attitude as he envisioned the final outcome.
Besides the formidable fighting strength of the Yan Kingdom's army that has come on this mission, the timing of the war is also extremely unfavorable. Today is December 28th, and just two days ago was one of the Federation's two most important holidays. Both the domestic population and the military were celebrating this traditional holiday, making this the most relaxed time.
Therefore, in the days leading up to December 26, no more warships were patrolling overseas, and although troops were still stationed at the mainland's ports, the number of troops was not very large.
Many of the high-ranking generals had even set off for Salibia a few days earlier, where they would celebrate the grand occasion with the Emperor in the capital with a massive military parade.
Yes, on the first day of the new year, January 1st, a grand military parade will be held in the holy city of Salibia, the capital of the nation. This is the most important event for the country, a tradition that has been around for a long time. Since the ascension of Emperor von Palen, the scale of this military parade has reached its peak.
According to the Emperor, it is the best way to demonstrate the nation's armed forces, enhance national self-confidence and pride, boost military morale, and unite the people.
This year is especially significant, as it marks the twelfth year of the Emperor's reign. During these twelve years, he led his army in numerous campaigns, achieving the monumental feat of unifying the entire continent of Salisnoir. These twelve years constitute a "synodic cycle," and after these few days, we will enter the new year and embark on the next twelve-year cycle.
Therefore, in addition to holding a military parade on the first day of the new year, the Emperor will also take an oath on the same day to convey the national strategic goals for the next twelve-year cycle to the people. The primary target is naturally Yan Kingdom, which will serve as the Federation's first overseas colony. This is a goal of great significance.
And this is the first step that the Great Emperor will take in his new twelve-year cycle.
The event will last for three days, ending on January 3rd.
This should have been a day of celebration, but now the Yan Kingdom has launched a menacing attack, making the situation tense enough.
Since entering the strait, Matthias had not seen any patrol ships. He knew that even the military was preparing for New Year's Day celebrations at this time. This could not be considered an oversight, because in the past, it was impossible for an enemy country to launch a war at this time.
Even the neighboring continent of Leon, the overlord of the Sa Ri Kingdom, would not send troops to wage war before the New Year. And even if there were an enemy country coming, it should have shown signs months in advance, instead of suddenly appearing in the Star Islands as it did a few days ago.
Thinking of this, Matthias turned to look at the boundless sea. The Star Islands had long since disappeared from sight, and although he did not know the current state of the battle taking place there, he suspected it was far from optimistic.
"We need to organize troops to provide support as soon as possible..." Matthias murmured, his solemn gaze fixed on the harbor ahead.
That was the port of Bruno, which he was about to reach. It was the largest of the three outlets to the sea in the strait. Bunkers stood on the shore, and dozens of gun emplacements were built on both sides of the cliff. All kinds of buildings and fortifications were so new that they seemed to be shining.
The reason for this is that the port of Bruno was only renovated three months ago, and it was expanded to accommodate more warships.
Around the harbor of Brulow stood the Federation's First Shipyard, an even more magnificent and imposing building that constructed warships almost day and night. Even during times of national celebration, tens of thousands of slave laborers in the shipyard were still working busily.
Like the port of Brullo, the other two ports, though not as large as Brullo, also have shipyards not far from the docks. Twenty kilometers inland from the port of Foster stands a Macedonian military factory, which is currently manufacturing weapons day and night to equip its ever-expanding army.
The importance of the three ports is self-evident, so the corresponding defenses were extremely well-constructed, and in the past, no enemy country had ever been able to set foot on the mainland.
Looking at the coastline, Matthias felt much more at ease, because even though the Star Islands were in a difficult situation, the enemy would never be able to set foot on their homeland. What he needed to do now was to take more troops back to support the defenders on the islands.
Shortly after noon, Matthias finally arrived at the port of Bruno with his fleet. Without wasting any time, he immediately relayed the military intelligence that the Star Islands were under attack by the Yan Kingdom to the troops on shore.
The news spread quickly, and by evening, several high-ranking officers had gathered at Bruber Harbor.
It took several senior officers a while to process the fact before they accepted it in shock.
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