Chapter 395: The Trial from 20 Years Ago (Part 1)
Supreme Court of Mansa Star Fort, Military Court.
The institution, dormant for 20 years, was reopened on this overcast night. A judges' bench, two long tables facing each other, a jury under the judge, an empty witness stand, and two rows of spectator seats behind the statue of the Thorn Saber—this was the entire layout of the military court.
At this moment, all members were in place. Chu Hengkong, Velvet, and Ji Huaisu sat in the audience, this was not their place of judgement. Silain and other military personnel, who had been urgently summoned, sat at the jury table, recalling the courtroom of that year with mixed feelings.
Former clerk Parriman appeared in court for the prosecution. In the opposite dock, former Commander Trick stood beside his daughter, dressed in military uniform. Former Chief Justice Benintic ascended the bench and brought down the gavel.
"The retrial of the defendant, Jas Trick, for 'gross command error' is about to begin. Before we officially begin, the court must first explain one thing."
He swept his gaze over everyone present. "This case stems from the final battle twenty years ago. Among those implicated are the current Third Captain of the Divine Guard and the current Speaker of the City-State Senate. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome of this case profoundly impacted the development of Jingsha City-State for the next twenty years... It could even be said that this trial was closely linked to the lives of every citizen in the city-state."
"Considering the gravity of this case, and to ensure every citizen's right to know the details of the case and to ensure a fair and impartial trial, the entire trial process will be broadcast live throughout Jingsha. Every word you say will reach the ears of 1.7 billion citizens!"
Rico pinched her fingers nervously, while Parriman's expression remained unchanged. The military tribunal replaced the live broadcast, appearing on every water curtain in the city-state.
Benningtick struck the gavel again and announced, "Enough of this superfluous talk. Now, in the name of the Thorns Sacred Tree, this court declares the case open!"
Parriman stroked his mask gently. "The prosecution is ready."
Li Ke nodded heavily and showed her lawyer badge: "The defense is ready!"
Li Ke was also Trick's defense attorney. After all, across the entire city-state, there was no one more interested in this case than her. Parriman picked up the materials and read fluently, "Now, let the prosecutor briefly present the case."
"Twenty years ago, during the transition period, many external sects launched a surprise attack on the desperate front. At that time, the external sects mobilized a huge number of troops and had a very large attack range. If the front line was lost, it could have affected many shipping routes in the rear of Jingsha, endangering the defenders of Longquan Township who were rushing to attack."
"After a comprehensive assessment of the battle situation, the then commander, Jas Trick, issued an order to defend the front line to the death. Despite heavy casualties, they successfully withstood the attack from the outside forces and held out until the main force from Longquan Township arrived, completing a smooth handover of the front line."
"Commander Jas Trek's judgment was a comprehensive assessment based on weighing the strength of the Jingsha army and the Allied forces' situation. The prosecution has no objection to this. However, Commander Trek made a significant error in his tactical arrangements for the local battle.
Commander Cui Ke placed too much emphasis on the front lines in this battle, while neglecting the situation on the coastline behind Jingsha, resulting in an uneven distribution of forces on the front lines. Specifically, he deployed the low-quality forces of the 5th, 7th, and 14th Armies to the desperate front instead of the Jingsha border defense, which directly led to unnecessary casualties for a large number of soldiers who had a chance of survival.
Prosecutors considered this decision a major tactical error and filed a public prosecution after the war. He was found guilty by the Thorns Military Court. Jas Trick subsequently resigned as Commander-in-Chief and became Third Captain of the Thorns Guard. This concludes the case.
Pariman's narrative was fluent and clear, allowing even citizens unfamiliar with military affairs to grasp the core of the case. While public opinion held that the problem lay with the orders to hold the battle line, the military tribunal's verdict actually supported Trek's grand strategy, focusing on the command errors in the local battle—namely, the three regiments that could have survived.
The families of the fallen soldiers stared blankly at the water curtain, many still keeping black and white portraits of the deceased in their homes. Twenty years seemed so short to Jingsha, as fleeting as yesterday. Those gazes weighed down the shoulders of everyone present, leaving many breathless.
Was this Perriman's ability being activated again? Or was it simply a psychological effect? The truth was impossible to discern. Benintic's words cut short his chaotic thoughts: "Please provide the basis for your request to reiterate your position."
Li Ke nodded slightly and said loudly, "The defense believes that the basis for the conviction in this case is unreasonable. This is because the three legions fighting on the front lines at the time did not have the objective conditions to return to Jingsha to defend the city!"
"Objection."
Parriman intertwined his fingers. "It's true that the desperate front is vast, and there are unpredictable external interferences during the march. However, Jas Trick is an extremely capable commander. The military believes that his formation at the time took into account the option of retreat, and his Holy Grail possesses the ability of wide-range instant teleportation. The conditions for the tactical transfer of the three legions objectively exist."
Perriman raised his hand and pointed to the other side. "If you deny this, it's like assuming Commander Trek made strategic mistakes... If we proceed with this as the premise, the trial won't just be a case of demotion!"
Over-exaggerating and blurring the lines—politician tactics often used—still worked in court. Fortunately, the defense lawyers here were in no shortage of momentum: "Civilian officials' empty talk is meaningless in the face of a war. The defense requests that the defendant, the party involved, be questioned!"
"license."
The livestream shifted, allowing the citizens to gaze directly at Trick, standing in the dock. Rico's voice rang out from off-screen: "The prosecutors believe you possess the ability to simultaneously transfer three legions, amounting to a million men, to the rear of Jingsha. Is this true?"
"Indeed," Trek replied calmly. "Under normal circumstances, this would be beyond my capabilities. However, during my time as commander, I possessed the divine support of the Thorn Tree, and the transfer of a million people was theoretically feasible."
Li Ke nodded. "So, during the battle, were you aware of the gaps in the defenses behind Jingsha?"
"I realize it."
"Why didn't you choose to transfer the low-quality soldiers?"
Hearing this, the citizens watching the trial almost had red eyes, and the families of the dead soldiers trembled with anger.
Trek scratched his head and replied, "Because I was leading the main force in battle. Our opponent was..."
"A delusion-class demon's clone, numerous fantasies-class demons, an imperial fleet led by the Librarian Bastion, and a 6-point virtual angel."
There was complete silence inside and outside the city.
Those who had never been to the battlefield were so overwhelmed by the weight of those words that they were speechless.
Riko nodded and said, "I'm sorry, but we're not professional fighters, so we're not very familiar with the power of the Outer Path. I remember the current captain is Sephiroth 6. Can a Sephiroth 6 Virtual Angel be considered to have the same combat power?"
“Basically at the same level.”
"The contractors of the Delusion-level Demon Clone and the Think Tank Fortress all have a combat power of Sephiroth 5 or above. Most of the Divine Guard captains in our Jingsha City-State are only Sephiroth 5. The enemy army led by these two powerful enemies is actually equivalent to the combat power of two Divine Guard armies combined!"
Li Ke clapped her hands. "A captain and two divine guards—what a formidable force! They're almost half the power of our city-state. And even with the support of the Divine Tree, Commander Trek only has a mere Sephiroth 5!"
"To remain undefeated despite such a disparity in power is a miracle, yet Commander Trek achieved victory on the front lines! This wasn't just a mistake-free victory; it was a truly remarkable achievement. This hard-earned victory is inseparable from Commander Trek's nimble application of his abilities and the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought alongside him! Together, they secured this victory."
Li Ke spoke passionately to the judge, "The situation on the front lines is so critical. Asking the commander to fight the enemy while simultaneously evacuating a large number of friendly forces is objectively an impossible task. The prosecution's evidence is based on wishful thinking and is completely unfeasible."
"—the prosecutor raised an objection."
In contrast to the inflammatory lawyer, Parriman remained completely emotionless. He pulled out the old transcripts and spoke slowly, "If the defense had read the trial transcripts, they would have known that the prosecution had already laid out ample evidence 20 years ago: using the power of the Thorn Tree to simulate a realistic battle scenario, testing Commander Trek's extreme mobility under high-pressure conditions."
The water curtain timely displayed the simulation results from 20 years ago. From the distant battle line painted in pitch black, a silver line approached the city-state. The end of the line was about a two-hour march from the city-state border.
"Although this battle involved a large number of troops, a two-hour march is not a long distance, and marches of millions of troops have occurred several times in Jingsha history. Based on these simulation results, the prosecutor determined that it was feasible for the low-quality troops at the time to safely evacuate."
"I object!" Li Ke slammed the table. "The situation on the battlefield was unclear at that time. There might have been ambushes behind the front line. To retreat hastily would be—"
"The objection is futile," Benintic said.
He looked at the prosecutors. "Twenty years ago, the prosecutors presented two decisive pieces of evidence proving Commander Trek's miscalculation. The first was the simulation results of the Thorn Tree; the second was the witness who confirmed the feasibility of the retreat."
"Twenty years ago, a young officer led a large number of remnants of his army back to the city-state. He led the remnants on a half-day march, overcoming several layers of external obstacles, and ultimately successfully saved the lives of approximately 1,400 soldiers... For this feat, he was hailed as the 'Hero' of the Jingsha city-state!"
This incident was a household name in Jingsha, a legend even children who had just begun to read had heard. That was the origin of the title "hero." The hero who saved his life was none other than the current Speaker of the House, Parriman.
Benintic said gravely, "Captain Perriman wasn't even a Transcendant at the time, yet he successfully completed the operation. This court believes this is conclusive proof that the evacuation operation is unfeasible."
Li Ke raised her head and looked directly at Parriman across from her. "The defense has doubts about this and requests that the hero Parriman himself, the prosecutor's clerk, be summoned to testify."
"What does the prosecutor have to say?"
"That's all right." Perriman took the witness stand. "I testified to this 20 years ago, and I will testify again. This witness stand is protected by the power of the Thorn Tree. It is impossible for me to tell a 'lie.'"
He greeted the crowd with a composed demeanor. "Twenty years ago, the remnants of the 35th Regiment of the Fifth Army, to which I belonged, received an order from headquarters to patrol the rear and return to the city-state to provide support after clearing a path for the main force. Following this order, my unit was dispatched to the rear of the battle line, killing the enemy while gathering the remaining troops nearby. Ultimately, we successfully broke through the outer offensive and returned to the nearest Fourth Meridian.
As for the details of what happened, I can't go into detail now. My injuries were severe and my mind was hazy. I had almost no clear concept other than the battle and returning home... But when I returned to the city, there were many witnesses, and my fellow soldiers can all testify for me. This testimony ends here."
The divine power had no effect, confirming the truth of his statement. The latter part of Perriman's testimony was vague and ambiguous, but this precisely reflected the truth of his account.
In the heightened intensity of a battlefield, memories can become extremely ambiguous, with injuries and combat further blurring experiences. Many soldiers believe they are "fighting in a dream," while numerous others experience "forgetting the actual combat." Memory loss and dislocation are commonplace in the military, not to mention the numerous psychic attacks from outsiders. Anyone who has personally experienced combat recognizes the truth of Parriman's testimony.
Benintic nodded slowly and asked, "Does the defense need to call any other circumstantial evidence?"
"No need. The defense wants to begin questioning directly," Li Ke said. "Since I was not an eyewitness, I hereby request permission for the defendant to question me."
"license."
After receiving permission, Trek walked toward the witness stand. His expression was quite distressed, as if he was even hesitating whether to say the next words.
"I have no problem with Chancellor Parriman's testimony... Based on my experience, what he described is undoubtedly the 'truth'. However, this truth is a castle in the air; its logical basis does not exist."
Benintic frowned. "The defendant, please be careful with your words."
Trek scratched his head. "To put it simply, it's 'impossible'."
"There's no way Parriman can return to the city-state safely."
"Because the unit he belonged to was sent to die 20 years ago."
(End of this chapter)
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