"Gentlemen, this week has been nothing short of our 'disaster week'! Secret Depots 6 and 11 were all taken out by the Normans, and we lost a total of 7,500 pounds of grain and 23,000 pounds of military raw materials—including 1,500 pounds of explosives. In addition, we lost 14 people - 4 killed and 10 captured. If this continues, in less than two months, we will be on the verge of despair! If possible, we have to take a more proactive action and cut the slings that the enemy has put around our necks! ”

In the damp and cold tunnels of the secret stronghold of the "Guerrilla Fighters of Lorraine" No. 2, Major Ezerson, who was assigned by the General Staff of the Federal Army to guide and help the resistance organizations to organize the armed resistance movement, was no longer visible as a soldier on his whole body. He frowned, glared, clenched his fists, and played the role of "guerrilla chief of staff" with all his heart.

There were 7 people present, all of whom were men. Three were partisan commanders in the Lorraine area, two were liaison officers sent by other Resistance groups, and one was an officer of the Union Task Force.

Everyone cast longing glances at him, and Weiss did not rush to express it, but stared in thought. After Brooks' arrival, the federal military's intelligence work in the Lorraine area entered a new stage. Building a reliable intelligence system on the back of a thriving resistance behind enemy lines is not difficult, but it will take time, and the strong Normans are clearly not going to sit idly by. After the setback of the second Françon offensive, they temporarily rested on the frontal battlefield and transferred several field brigades to the occupied areas behind the front in the name of recuperation and replenishment, and launched a clean-up operation on an unprecedented scale and intensity against the resistance forces. In order to break the trap of the resistance in the woods, they brought in a very characteristic weapon from the north: the Wessex assault ship.

This heavy battleship with thick armor was originally a large-scale weapon carefully built and highly anticipated by the Wessex Kingdom, although they could not withstand the "air storm" of the Norman army on the battlefield, but this does not negate the special power of the assault ship. In the Battle of Austria, in which the Norman Empire and the Ulster Free Federation invested heavily in a desperate battle, the Norman army used the Wessex assault ship they captured on the slipway and completed the construction to open a breakthrough in the city heavily defended by the Union army in an unexpected way, thus winning this crucial game and almost killing the hope of the Union army and civilians to turn the tables.

Upon arrival in the mountains of Lorraine, two majestic Wessex assault ships cruised close to the woodlands where Norman troops had been ambushed before. Every time a suspicious place is found, it is bombarded by heavy artillery or poured on oil and arson, leaving patches of scorched earth in the places it passes. In addition to necessary supplies and maintenance, they patrolled around day and night, and the Norman army tightly guarded the main communication routes, imposed strict food rations in towns and villages, cut off the support of the population in the occupied areas for the resistance, and hunted down the resistance in a high-pressure posture. As a result, the various resistance forces are faced with an unprecedentedly grim situation of survival. In the face of the frenzied sweep of the Norman army, the previous strategy of "lying on the spot" was already difficult to pass, and everyone naturally hoped that the "leader" could lead everyone to find a way out.

After thinking for a long time to no avail, Weiss sighed lightly, scratched his head, and said: "If we can take down the enemy's assault ship, it will only take a day, and our name will spread all over the world, what a great honor, but...... Ladies and gentlemen, let's be honest, we don't have that right now! ”

Neither surprised nor excited by this answer, Ezelson bared his teeth and scratched his head like Weiss. The two have not worked together for a long time, and although their experiences are very different, they have similar tempers and complement each other well, which is also a blessing.

Sitting to the right of Weiss was Morton-Palach, a strong middle-aged man who had carried out guerrilla activities in the mountains south of Lorraine, with a force of 40 men under the unified command of Ezelson and Weiss in the guerrilla coalition. He spoke angrily, "Are we just going to sit and wait?" And so did the Lorraine Resistance come to an end? Unwilling! What an unwillingness! ”

Weiss turned to look at Palach, "I'd consider trying even if we had a 1/10 chance of winning, but that thing can't be blown down by piling up explosives on the ground." In the Battle of the Northern Frontier, I witnessed the largest fleet duel in history, and I knew how powerful a real capital ship was, and in the Battle of Belakaser and the Battle of Ojo, I participated in combat operations to capture enemy ships, and I knew under what circumstances that would give me that opportunity. Recently, I have thought and thought about it, and now that the enemy wants us to send it to the door ourselves, they can catch them all...... We don't! The enemy wants us to fall into despair, give up resistance, and compromise with them...... We don't! As long as the indomitable spirit of freedom exists, our resistance must continue, and it can continue! ”

"Bear with me!" The guerrilla commander from southeast Lorraine, Haas Totenberg, continued, "There is no compromise in the Federation, neither does the Kingdom of Wessex, and the Normans are not monolithic within themselves, there is still hope for this battle, and there is hope for us, maybe in two weeks, maybe another month, and the opportunity will appear." ”

"What if it doesn't show up? By that time, our food reserves are gone, our patience and morale are almost exhausted, and we will fight the enemy again when we can't do it, okay? Pallaher retorted angrily.

The atmosphere became more and more solemn, and everyone was silent.

Ezesen got up and said: "Everyone has a point, a month ago, I firmly advocated a static braking and a cautious response, but a month has passed, the situation around us is getting worse and worse, and if we don't act, it is indeed possible that as Morton said, the food will run out, and the morale will be lost, and at that time, we may not be able to do anything, but wait for death in the tunnel." ”

"yes!" "We have reached a point where we have to try to get out of this situation or sit idly by...... There are only these two roads ahead, let's choose! ”

There was silence again.

"There's something you don't want to mention, you don't want to mention, so let me tell you!" Palach huffed, "Colonel Clumber Haysen, the federal military has awarded you the rank of guerrilla colonel and asked you to organize the guerrillas of Lorraine to fight the enemy together, so no matter what the situation, you should focus on the overall situation, right?" With our current conditions, there is really no way to deal with the enemy's assault ships, but can only the situation be reversed by dealing with the enemy's assault ships? No, obviously, there is another way, and that is to take out the enemy's commander and create confusion in the enemy's command system. As far as I know, the Norman army's military operations in Lorraine for the past few months have been under the unified command of their new military governor of Lorraine, and the Norman governor who has pushed us to a desperate situation is none other than your fellow brother, Ze Klumber Hasen, who claimed to be missing to the outside world, but in fact secretly took refuge with the Normans! ”

As the words fell, everyone's eyes turned from Palach to Weiss.

Weiss sat upright, but he was speechless.

In the embarrassment, it was still Ezelson who came out to speak: "Until the facts are verified, this is just a guess, and we can't draw conclusions based on speculation." Besides, even if the rumors were true, even if the colonel's brother was now the military governor of Lorraine for the Normans, what could the colonel do? Go to his brother and let him let us go? Or was it the colonel who killed him with his own hands? ”

It is logical and not perverse to kill relatives out of loyalty to the country, but it is cruel to say it, and those who are a little rational and have no lack of emotional intelligence will not make it clear to their faces. Immediately behind Ezelsen, Palach said in a tactful tone: "I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the Colonel, of course, I don't recommend that the Colonel come forward directly, only a fool would do that kind of thing with a tiger." I mean, if the enemy's military commander is the one the colonel knows best, then why not use that relationship to find out the opponent's weaknesses? ”

This reasonable suggestion made everyone's attention focus on Weiss again. He had no way to hide, he had no choice but to reply: "Indeed, I have also received news that the Norman military governor of Lorraine is my brother who disappeared many years ago, and I have always wanted to find out about it. If...... The news is true, the Norman army in Lorraine is under the command of my brother, and I would rather kill him in a duel than on the battlefield. The reasons are simple, first, he is a man of great talent, and I am no match for him in military strategy; Second, he had been away from home for many years, and I had no way of knowing what he had learned in the Norman Empire, let alone judging his weaknesses in military command. ”

Everyone was silent, but Palach said lightly: "But, Colonel, even if you are given a chance to duel, can you really kill your own brother ruthlessly?" ”

Weiss glanced at him and replied lightly: "If it is really him, a man who has betrayed the country and betrayed himself, in my eyes, is a soulless shell, a walking corpse." Killing him would be a relief for him, for me, and for the entire Clumber-Haysom family. ”

Although this answer, which chose loyalty and gave up personal feelings, blocked everyone's mouth on this topic, it still did not solve the most pressing question of life and death for the resistance forces in the Lorraine region. In Weiss's view, the current situation is even worse than the most difficult period of the Soviet struggle, and it is very different from the situation of the French or Polish resistance groups during World War II. Perhaps, as Pallaher said, the chance to solve the dilemma lies in the brotherly bloodline of the Clumber-Haysen family......