NOVEL NEXT RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 74-1: Military tour (Part 1) – Edited by Yovis
The situation on the Polanian borders only grows to be more complicated as time goes on. When public addresses are made by both Belka and Rusviet, the atmosphere nearly boils over as citizens of the two nations come to learn about what transpired days earlier. The common Belkans and Rusviet people would have called out for an immediate march to Warsaw if not for the Months of Demons, which are still ongoing. That said, the Polanians won't be able to live this down quietly either. Now that news outlets are pumping out one piece of evidence after another to make the Polanian Revolutionary Command Council a stinking mess, the rest of the world is washing its hands off Polania altogether. Though the situation isn't quite the same, no one wants to be involved in a second Sardegna. Even worse for Polania is that their outlier towns and cities are under unrest due to broadcasts and leaflets being deployed by its two superpower neighbors. Apparently, the spread of their nationalistic view hasn't reached quite far enough to the border regions, making it so that some Polanians are now questioning the Council for its eligibility. While it remains to be seen how Polania will respond to pressure externally and internally, observers can see that its days are numbered.
Whatever happens in the future, the rest of the world may as well sit back and watch. Now that Polania has basically handed over its fate on a silver platter to Belka and Rusviet, other nations have no ground to interfere, at least not directly. Some may plan to fish in muddied water, but it's still debatable whether their planning will amount to anything.
Still, the hour of reckoning is yet to come for the Polania. Today promises to be exciting for some people, namely the Rusviet delegation in the enigmatic Reich. After the Reich Marshal comes into power, Belka has seen a major facelift. The delegation's purpose on this fine occasion is to uncover and witness the changes that have taken place behind the Iron Curtain that Belka has propped up.
During their short stay in Cottbus and their subsequent arrival in Berlin, the Rusviets have already been baffled by just how strong the economy of Belka is. Pricing for commodities is at an all-time low, with fuel prices a few times cheaper than they are back in the Union. When paying a visit to a hospital, some treatments may not even cost any money at all. Most noticeably, education is offered for free before a student enters high school. There are even plans in progress by the Reich to fully provide free education up to the university level. Those are such mind-boggling details that one may wonder just how Belka has been able to fund all of these and still able to dedicate resources to patch up the world at large. Even more stunning is how none of them knew this before this official visit. It's either these are recent policies implemented by the Reich or the Rusviets have been utterly blinded to the truth right in front of their eyes. That begs the question of just how many things have the Reich been keeping under wraps. Hopefully, today's trip will reveal the answer to this query, if not shedding some much-needed light.
As promised by the Marshal, the last few days have had Rokossovsky and some members of his delegation hosted by Adam's family. Their lodging has been a warm and comfortable one, with the host family treating them amicably and favorably despite the racial differences. Rokossovsky can even swear that one of his men whispered about finding a beastwoman wife just for the cuddles. On his part, Rokossovsky enjoys the feeling of nature the ranch has to offer. A part of him sure wishes that his retirement would have him end up on a ranch just like this one. Something for the future, perhaps. For now, he must board the motorcade provided by the Reich Marshal. It's the appointed time and Rokossovsky has to stick to the schedule if he doesn't want to miss a Belkan military drill. Despite experiencing what the Reich has to offer personally, the heat of battle means that Rokossovsky didn't really have the chance to truly digest it. The Rusviet General is sure excited for what's about to come.
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Aboard the motorcade, Rokossovsky comes to see himself riding an open-top Humvee. While one may question the ability of such a vehicle to provide safety against hazardous weather or bullets, the Rusviet appreciates the feeling of the wind on his skin. That and the very fact Rokossovsky is getting a front-row seat at the live-fire demonstration conducted by what can only be called an elite unit.
Sitting on the co-driver's seat of the Humvee, the Reich Marshal turns over her left shoulder to look at the Rusviet General and his aide.
"What you're seeing is advanced warfare." The Marshal says while gesturing her hands over to a conclave of mechanized infantry units performing combined arms tactics.
What Rokossovsky sees can only be described as a seamless transition between mounted and dismounted assault for infantries while tanks and half-tracks serve as mobile covers and bunker busters. Rokossovsky can recognize the shapes of the Belkan workhorses, 251 half-tracks and Panzer IIIs, though they have clearly seen some upgrades.
The Reich Marshal then continues, sporting a proud smile. "Belka has the strongest standing military in the world, but we rarely display them outwardly. Unlike other nations, we keep our capabilities a secret. We don't grandstand on the political stage. We fight wars. Consider yourself lucky to be able to see the strongest military unit of the Reich, the 404th Ironblood Division, in action. Answering to me alone, this singular division is more than capable of waging a war against a nation on their own."
Rokossovsky may have thought the Marshal must be boasting if not for what he witnesses next while riding along the demonstration site. A hail of spells rains down from the air, sowing destruction and anarchy in the middle of an enemy base camp. Soldiers with wings, the feared Witches, dive down from the sky to cut off the head of the enemy command structure. Outside the camp, formations of armored vehicles and soldiers continuously advance while suppressing enemy fortifications. Facing a pincer attack, the soldiers that were acting as the opposition force quickly fall apart, their corpses dissipating in motes of light. When asked, the Marshal just shrugs, explaining that the enemy soldiers are realistic projections made by illusion magic, usually used in conjunction with non-lethal magic for troop training.
Though some of the details fly over Rokossovsky's head, the Rusviet General can gleam that this specific training technique can bolster troop experience by a fair bit for they can simulate battlefield pressure on a unit. This is clearly not something the Rusviet military can recreate, nor any other militaries to be honest. Such a training method can only be used by the Belkans, it's no wonder that even a young Lieutenant like Adam could fight in Warsaw with such valiancy. Rokossovsky must admit that in terms of soldier-to-soldier combat, Rusviet is lagging by quite a large margin. Perhaps the Union can compensate by other means?
Moving on to another site, the motorcade stops, with the Reich Marshal handing Rokossovsky binoculars.
"Wars need power. However, power is not just the ability to render absolute destruction everywhere you go. Power needs accuracy, decisiveness, and swiftness. It's why the Reich, why I, put so much emphasis on developing fast-response surgical options. This is why the Belkan Air Force achieved rebirth, it's why our aircraft could reach Warsaw so fast. Because up in the air, the Guardian Angels of the Army are always flying."
Using the binoculars in his hand, Rokossovsky witnesses as targets, both large and small, moving and stationary, are strafed and destroyed with high precision and aggressiveness by a squadron of propeller aircraft. What shocks the Rusviet is the ability of the Belkan aircraft to carry way too many ordinances. He sees with cold sweat that a singular plane can drop more than a dozen bombs to incinerate a dummy convoy on the move. Though Rokossovsky is not an aeronautic expert by any means, he does know that there's no way a single-prop aircraft of the Union can carry that many bombs and still be able to take off, much less maneuver with such agility in the air. In a perfect condition, that singular Belkan warplane can even cripple an entire military Company. More chilling is the fact that these Belkan aviators can hit targets with such impressive accuracy and lethality constantly. So aggressive are the heat and shockwave that Rokossovsky can feel his scalp tingle. Rokossovsky can vouch that no nation, sans Belka, will be able to pull off such an impressive showing. It stands to presume that Belka has employed a strict training regiment for all of its military branches at this point.
One may argue that Belka might be cheating by using only their elite units for this demonstration, and it may as well be true. Yet, having fought alongside Adam as boots on the ground himself, Rokossovsky thinks that the standard Belkan military units must be well-seasoned across the board, if not elite. The nature of the Reich to be constantly at war will aid in catapulting their military development as long as their economy can hold up. Now that Rokossovsky has thought up to this point, he must admit that what he has seen in the Reich so far does supplement the Marshal's confidence.
Belka does have the strongest standing military in the world. With a highly disciplined army, backed by a similarly robust nation, Belka is now more than capable of standing on their own against the world, at least for now. Rokossovsky does not know what the future will hold, but he dares to cling to a hope that maybe the Rusviet Union will be as strong as Belka one day. Not stronger, just similar in strength will be enough.
In his heart, Rokossovsky admits that the Union does have some issues that limit its development path.