Chapter 172 Dumping and doting on you, no need, I know your butt...
The spaceship slid into orbit and embedded itself into the newly completed large airport. The editor-in-chief carried the box and ran down the bridge in three steps, causing the assistant to shout behind him:
"Wait for me, hey, why are you in such a hurry?"
"How can I not be anxious!"
The editor-in-chief was dazzled by the sun of the wild star, felt dizzy, and almost fell off the covered bridge. Even so, it did not stop him from moving quickly.
"Big news, this is an unprecedented hot topic. Commander Bai just captured the little golden eagle yesterday, and we are on schedule today. God is helping us, hahahaha, God will not let me go!"
He was so happy that he went in the wrong direction.
North asked someone to come and pick him up with a sign, but it took a while before anyone showed up. He stepped forward and shook hands with me. He smiled:
"You are the editor-in-chief of Interstellar Times Weekly? Welcome."
The two had been in contact before, and the editor-in-chief quickly took off his hat and said, "Hello, Mr. Secretary."
After all, the Tomato Country is small in size, so it would be a bit redundant to have a Ministry of the Interior and a Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At present, the official positions are simply divided according to their functions. The official title doesn't sound important, and has nothing to do with grandeur, but anyone with a little common sense knows that the man in front of him, North, is the fourth in command of Yexing and holds real power.
After arranging the guests to stay at the guesthouse, North greeted them first:
"Commander Bai has been busy these past two days, but I will try to arrange a meeting as soon as possible."
The editor-in-chief thanked him repeatedly: "Oh, thank you very much."
But I didn’t expect that I would have to wait for four days.
The editor-in-chief also understood that Commander Bai had no reason to be arrogant with him. It was just that the situation was tense and he had no time to spare. Every TV station is now reporting that the Imperial Military is going to negotiate with Yexing. It was said that a meeting was about to be held to discuss the transfer of prisoners, but the two sides only met a few times and ended up parting on bad terms.
Commander Bai's office is not in the center of the town, but on the edge. The building stands on a cliff. When you look up from your desk, you will see the red mountains rushing in from the window. It is a great place to rest your eyes after reading the breaking news.
North knocked on the door and came in, "The editor-in-chief is here to see you."
Bai Ling pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned: "Interview? I'm not free now."
"He has been waiting for four days. It is the same magazine that published the photo last time. It is a well-established electronic magazine with an influence that covers 80% of the interstellar area."
Bai Ling glanced at the time and closed his laptop. "No lunch, give him fifteen minutes."
When he was led into the office, the editor was stunned at first, because the room was filled with filing cabinets densely but orderly. There were piles of materials, simulated planetariums, and four floating screens that fed back information in real time, stacked one on top of the other - how many pairs of eyes would it take to see all this?
Just wave your finger slightly, receive the gesture command, and the screen disappears in the blink of an eye. Bai Ling stood up and shook hands with him across the table. Seeing the editor-in-chief's flattered expression, he asked him to sit down.
"Time is limited, let's get started."
As he spoke, he took out a box of butter biscuits from the drawer, opened the box, picked up a biscuit and said:
"Do you mind if I stop by for lunch?"
His voice was smiling and not harsh, but it made the editor-in-chief inexplicably respectful even when he was relaxing. They are really busy, not like those high-ranking officials of the Federal Empire who pretend to be busy, slacking off during the day and spending their nights drinking and partying.
"Of course not. Go ahead."
Bai Ling ate the biscuits, took a sip of freshly brewed black tea, and said straight to the point:
"I understand your magazine's sincerity. But I think that instead of interviewing me and listening to my one-sided story, it would be better for you to stay here for a while and collect the materials you think are valuable."
The editor-in-chief was shocked, "This..."
He hadn't originally planned to stay too long, after all, he had to go back to work. But I have to say that the temptation to do field research and collect first-hand materials is too great.
Bai Ling saw that he was hesitating and said with a smile: "I heard that your magazine business encountered difficulties. This is inevitable. After all, everything will decline after reaching its peak, just like the empire was once glorious and is now corrupt. But since you have come from afar, you must have come with a firm goal."
"I don't know much about journalism, but I know that a magazine may go bankrupt, but in the age of the Internet, there will always be a widespread demand for the spread of information. However, the more overwhelming the news, the more it will trap people in an information cocoon. No matter what, the public has the right to know the truth."
"And this power," he said, leaning forward slightly, "is what you and your magazine will give them."
The editor-in-chief couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Suddenly, he felt the burden on his shoulders was heavy, and he immediately agreed as if he was carrying a heavy responsibility:
"Okay! Please rest assured, I will definitely report the facts truthfully and restore the truth from your side to the entire galaxy."
Bai Ling nodded slightly, leaned back in his chair and said, "That's it. I grant you permission to enter and exit 70% of the area except for the confidential areas such as the hangar. You are allowed to talk to the soldiers and residents and ask them anything you think is useful."
Hearing this, North seemed surprised. Wasn't this authority too high?
Bai Ling turned around and asked, "I have this power, right?"
North followed suit and made a small bow: "Of course you do, Your Majesty."
Bai Ling pulled the corner of his lip slightly and said coldly: "Stop calling me that."
"Okay, Commander." North agreed fluently.
The editor-in-chief has entered the state, his brain quickly recording - Commander Bai is not used to being addressed as His Highness, why is that? Is it because you are too young, feel that you are not worthy of the position, or is there some other reason?
Of course, before leaving, he still swore to them in accordance with industry rules:
"Please rest assured that I will give you all the materials I have collected for your review. If there is any sensitive content, we can discuss deleting it."
Respect is mutual. Under this premise, the editor believes that he will discover some truth.
The door slid open, and the next wave of people waiting for the meeting were already waiting outside the office. The editor-in-chief quickly took off his hat to signal, and recognized General Sava from the Tomato Kingdom, Commander Huo Yuan, and a stranger face, who he guessed was the pirate captain.
They filed in one after another, and in an instant the office was so crowded that there was no room to stand.
The box of biscuits on Commander Bai's desk was quickly taken away by General Sava. When it was taken back by the three birds, Bai Ling looked down and saw that only one layer was left.
gas! This is his Renfu brand biscuits, the last box of stock he got from Yu.
As the saying goes, a man who has eaten someone's food should be grateful. Of course, the bird generals came with good news:
"The military has decided to send someone to negotiate with us openly tomorrow. We are also ready to seize the Bridgehead Star at any time."
This is a crazy plan.
It was so crazy that when Bai Ling told the Demon King's old ministers about it, they all dissuaded him:
"You absolutely can't do that. Even though you just won a victory, you're too aggressive to seize the planet right away. As the saying goes, you can't get fat in one bite. It's better to be safe and take it slow."
But Bai Ling is not the kind of person who can take things slowly. His character is like this - when he sees an opportunity, he will grab it immediately and never let it slip through his fingers.
The old ministers explained the key points: "We understand your Highness's intentions. The imperial army is in chaos now, and all attention is on Jinjing and the prisoners. It is a good time to take back the lost territory on the border. But if the battle line is dragged too long and is discovered by the empire or the federation, we will be attacked from all sides. By then, I am afraid it will be difficult for us to escape."
The plan is indeed a good one and has certain feasibility.
But the difficulty of execution is equivalent to taking the milk off the stove within one second of boiling without getting your hands burned by the instantly overflowing milk foam - the tolerance for error is too low.
The old officials: "If we lose the bet, we will be completely overturned."
Bai Ling said, "Things are different now. If you don't gamble, you will never have a chance."
His ambition is huge, otherwise he would not associate with the devil.
Bai Ling stood up and ended the argument with the old minister: "If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility. Your Majesty is not here, so I will be everyone's backup and support."
There was a sharpness in his brows and his aura was so steady that even the old ministers who were used to such scenes could not help but be stunned. At that moment, it was as if time had gone back and I could catch a glimpse of the iron-blooded glory of the old empire.
Of course, Bai Ling is not the octopus Cade, who can make decisions just by tapping his forehead with his tentacles.
He felt that the plan had a chance of success for three reasons: First, Admiral Schrollan had been stationed at the border and had sufficient strategic experience.
Second, Kidd is very familiar with the terrain, which is basically equivalent to a living map.
In the end, although the three planets were sold, they were not actually controlled by the Federation. Because the 600 billion was to be paid in installments, the federal government was not stupid and was afraid that the Octopus would take the money and not acknowledge it, so it signed a 10-year contract, paying 60 billion every year.
Of course, in Bai Ling’s memory from his previous life, the Federation only paid for three years and then started to default. Compared to the Empire's disgrace, the Federation is not much worse.
As a result, the Federation only cleared the residents of the planet and dispatched a small number of mechanical troops to be stationed there. Preliminary estimates show that the number of bionic soldiers should be just over ten thousand.
However, Bai Ling knew that when the next federal election came and Admiral Hu Shi came to power, he would begin to promote the military policy of [outward expansion].
By then, if they want to regain the lost territory, they will have to invest ten times more resources than they do now!
Because of this time difference, Bai Ling was determined to take back the three planets before the end of the year.
If the three planets and the wild star can be connected into four corners, a defensive area can be formed at the corner of the empire. By using this area as the rear base and attacking into the empire, we can gain greater stability.
At this moment, Bai Ling rested his arms on the desk and began to assign tasks:
"In the next two weeks, we will split into two groups. On the one hand, the Imperial Army has been keeping an eye on my movements, so I will stay behind to guard the Wild Star and use the matter of the prisoners to play Tai Chi with them. On the other hand, Huo Yuan will stay behind among the three of you, while Sava and Kidd will go around the border and try to take control of the Bridge Star within a week."
Kidd nodded: "I can provide 3,000 militiamen, how about you?"
Sava: "We have trained a group of young mercenaries, about 1,000 of them, who can fight with mechas day and night. They are the elite soldiers we have at hand. In addition, there are a group of stragglers we picked up from prison, about 3,000 people. Together, we should have a chance of winning."
However, Huo Yuan frowned and reminded: "Whether the 3,000 scattered soldiers can be used is another matter."
"What do you mean?" Bai Ling turned to him.
Huo Yuan has always been in charge of the scattered soldiers, and he knows the internal situation best. Huo Yuan explained:
"Many of them have been wanting to go home to visit their families since they were freed. After all, these people are older and most of them have relatives and children at home. They are afraid that their status as fugitives will endanger their families, so they have been secretly making a fuss about leaving."
The air was stagnant for a second. Kidd judged based on his experience and said, "People like this will destabilize the army if they stay in the army. They will also think about escaping when they go to the battlefield. It's best to give up on them."
But Bai Ling made up his mind in an instant, and said concisely:
"Take me to the camp. I want to see it for myself."
·
The camp was set up in a suburban park, which was the old radiation area that had been sorted out previously. The power station in the center of the lake is operating safely, the water surface is clean, and the surrounding area is covered with lawns. This is a tremendous change compared to a few months ago. There is a small stone fence next to it, inside which is a huge snow-white fish skeleton, and a memorial sign reads:
[Thanks to Mr. D for his bravery, on May 18, 2413, he killed the nuclear radiation fish here]
The editor stopped to take pictures and wrote in his notes with interest: [I didn’t expect that Mr. D, who is a romantic, would have such a brave moment]
Going further ahead is an area of old residential buildings. I heard that these buildings are over a hundred years old, but they look brand new after renovation.
If you stand on tiptoe and look inside, you can see the kitchen through the window. But when he got closer, his professional sensitivity immediately made the editor discover something unusual - there were no signs of use in the kitchen, as if the person living there was ready to leave at any time.
Going to the right is a vast training ground. The editor saw people constantly gathering there, and found a familiar face - the mecha mercenary veteran Pelican. The editor liked him when he was young and followed him to many games.
The Pelicans are considered to be the leaders among this group of scattered soldiers. He stood at the front and said frankly:
"Commander Bai, we should repay you for saving our lives, but the fact is that we are not professional soldiers and have no experience in the front line. Moreover, many of us are the backbone of our families. If we die on the front line, there will be no one to take care of our families."
"Yeah yeah!"
"I have a sick wife at home, I can't afford to get hurt. I beg Commander Bai to understand."
Everyone agreed.
They are grateful and willing to support Yexing financially or with work. But when it comes to going to the battlefield, I can't help but feel uncomfortable. After all, they were imprisoned because they openly resisted the military's order to go to the battlefield.
Did Commander Bai rescue them only to use them as military slaves and send them to their deaths?
You might as well not get out of jail! What is the difference.
Bai Ling did not refute them, but nodded and said, "I understand your concerns, so I wanted to come over and explain."
Everyone was stunned. Explanation? Shouldn't they be forced to go with a gun pointed at their heads?
They didn't know that Bai Ling came here this time just to give them a pre-war mobilization. In the age of starnet, people always tend to transmit messages through terminals, but Bai Ling's countless experiences in his previous life told him that no matter how clear the radio equipment is, it cannot be as accurate as the information transmitted on-site.
Let the soldiers in the audience see his face and let everyone look him in the eye at close range - no matter when and where, a qualified commander who wants to win the trust of his soldiers must dare to look everyone in the eye.
Bai Ling wanted to show his resolute heart to all those who were wavering:
"I know that everyone will think that our efforts are a pipe dream. The strength of the enemy and us is very different, and we lack experience compared to the regular army."
"We are stigmatized and labeled as criminals. We lack experience and try to save ourselves clumsily, but are misunderstood. Our families on the other side of the galaxy shed tears day and night out of worry about us, but we cannot even set foot on our homeland."
"Perhaps you will think that the 'journey' we are about to take is a crazy gamble. I want to be honest with you here - this is a gamble. I am betting on the corruption and inefficiency of the military institutions; I am betting on the enemy's cowardice and weak will. I am also betting on our firm beliefs and bravery, our bloodiness, and our determination to restore our reputation after being humiliated!"
Bet on the weakness of human nature, but also bet on the tenacity of human nature.
As everyone listened, they couldn't help but ask themselves.
It was as if a choice was laid before them: to live in mediocrity or to fight for a future?
Everyone was already shaken, but they heard Bai Ling slow down his voice and tell them solemnly:
"I promise that if you really die, I will take care of your family members for the rest of their lives. I will give them every penny of the pension. If your children run into difficulties, I will pay to bring them home. If your family members are sick, I will reimburse their medical expenses..."
At this point, Bai Ling's breath sank in his throat. He vaguely felt that he seemed to need to use a stronger and more powerful voice to convince everyone... a symbol, a powerful power that everyone should rely on -
Suddenly, his mind became clear, and the words came out of his throat with unprecedented calmness:
"Because, as the queen of this country and civilization, I have the authority to be responsible for you."
No promise could be more convincing and credible than this one - a gamble on the country's reputation.
As soon as the words fell, the whole audience fell silent for a moment, and then, like a drop of water splashing into a boiling pot, the whole place began to boil and roar, with passionate and powerful responses coming one after another:
"We're willing to give it a try, your highness!"
Sava was amazed at the back: "You are quite good at political work."
Will he? Bai Ling stood in the roar of the mountains and the sea, and couldn't help but ask himself. Actually, it wasn't the case. He himself was also shocked.
Before, he always asked himself, what exactly is a queen? How to be a qualified queen in the eyes of others? He had no answers and couldn't find his own position, so he was dubbed the "Queen of Thieves", and he had no way to refute it.
Perhaps he had always subconsciously thought in his heart: I don't need to be the queen.
Now, he suddenly realized one thing: these people around me need a queen.
This "Queen" does not only refer to the emperor's spouse in the secular concept, but is a symbol of power. Whether it is the queen or the commander, they should have a common name, that is, someone who is responsible for the happiness of others. Perhaps this sentence is too lofty and empty, so the simplest sentence would be, "the person who gives us bread."
Depression was his invisible shield, and he also became everyone's shield.
Perhaps the fish left temporarily to give him enough space to let him move forward and stand firm in his position.
In the distance, the editor stood quietly at the edge of the crowd for a long time, took out his notebook, and wrote with deep emotion:
[Now it seems that the idea that people only consider Jin Jing, who was born into a noble family, to be suitable for the position of empress is so absurd that it seems like a joke that cannot stand up to scrutiny. Because the upper-class symbol that this aggressive nation needs should never be a vase dressed in gorgeous clothes. She should be the Queen of the first line of defense on the chessboard, taking the initiative to attack and blast away the stars - the one and only, the Iron Queen. ]
·
The next day, the reorganized First Army of Tomato Country set out on the journey. Before leaving, Sava was still thinking about it:
"Tsk tsk, if the senior heard this, he would definitely say, 'What other surprises do you have that I don't know about?'"
Bai Ling's face darkened and he kicked his big butt: "Go away."
At this time, Kidd came over. Sava greeted him and Kidd recognized his identity in seconds:
"Hi, General Savoyard."
Savoy puffed out his chest proudly, revealing the card above:
"Look, to take care of my brother who has face blindness, I made a name tag to prevent him from making the mistake."
Kidd looked him up and down, "You don't have to. I know your ass."
Sava was angry: "Gujigu!"
So, the Dark Night Bully and the French Fries Bully successfully started a fight in front of the formation.
Bai Ling pulled Kida aside again and asked softly, "How is your illness? Can you hold on? If not, don't force yourself. I told Sava to let him hold on a little longer during the critical moment."
Kidd raised his gun boldly and said, "Relax, I am racing with the god of death, but he is dragging his scythe and I have wings. He will definitely not be able to catch up with me."
Seagulls are the most shameless creatures, and they are also the toughest creatures in the bird world. Other birds may get gastroenteritis after eating organic seed food, but seagulls go to garbage bins to eat every day and live to 50 years old despite eating a diet high in oil, meat, and sugar.
——Tourists come and go, but seagulls remain.
Bai Ling saluted him and said, "Go ahead, Captain. Plenty of fries."
"As many fries as you can get - good, I'll spray these four words on the ship later." Kidd saluted in front of his forehead and boarded the ship in a cool manner.
After returning to his residence, Bai Ling did not relax.
He collected a lot of negotiation materials overnight in preparation for the upcoming military peace talks. Political capital, promoting positions, learning and applying... Bai Ling increasingly felt that it was easy to conquer a piece of land, but to truly manage a country, one needed to learn a lot.
I felt so dizzy from reading so much information that I couldn't fall asleep even with my eyes open in bed.
Want to go out...
The streetlights shone through the gaps in the leaves, and the autumn evening breeze blew up the plush tumbleweeds. The smell of the grass stuck to the bird's wings, making it sneeze uncontrollably, and its claws were crooked when they landed on the wall of the fish tank.
I stuck my head into the water and saw a huge fish floating at the bottom of the pond, seemingly asleep.
Not long after, the door of the observation room opened and closed again, and a young man in human form came in with a quilt, spread it on the floor, and slept beside the fish tank.
Glancing at the deep pool with calm water, Bai Ling rolled up the quilt and moved back, making sure that his back was pressed against the glass without any gap. Then he closed his eyes and muttered vaguely:
"miss you."
The camera trembled slightly, and it repeated in the depths of its consciousness, I miss you, I miss you... I want to hug you and feed you...
Bai Ling didn't know whether the mermaid dreamed of him in her sleeping consciousness. All he knew was that when he woke up the next day, rubbing his eyes, there was a pile of round blue cookie boxes in front of him, and the controlled bionic people were still moving them here continuously from His Majesty's private warehouse.
It's as if when I hear my baby say he likes something, I'll buy whatever I want, with the persistence of a programming error.
So much so that it's about to overflow.
Others are capitalists dumping goods, it is imperialist dumping.
On the biscuit box, the noble and incomparable Empress of the Empire spread her wings and burped with a bloated sac. After enjoying the royal breakfast with satisfaction, the plush falcon strip turned into a falcon ball.
He seemed to have become accustomed to its madness, accepted it well, and eventually made it part of his habit.
The terminal kept ringing, calling him to the regular morning meeting.
The bird was forced to transform back into human form, put on his clothes and prepare to go out. But Bai Ling had difficulty walking after just two steps as his view was blocked by the mountain of biscuit boxes.
After a while, the camera picked up a complaining sound mixed with grumpiness from behind the box wall:
"I can't get out... you bastard husband, seal me with a cookie box!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
