The occurrence of the "Void Temple Hijacking" incident caused the bilateral relationship between the New Roman Empire and the Perseus Federation to fall into an ice cave again.

The Imperial Privy Council issued a strongly worded statement, severely condemning the Federation's aggression and despicable acts against the Empire's "Taiji" planet, and declaring that further retaliatory actions would be taken. However, the statement did not specify when the Federation forces invaded the Empire.

The Federal Government Commission flatly denied sending troops into the Empire's borders to carry out kidnappings, insisting that all ships entering and leaving the Empire were legitimate civilian vessels.

What is puzzling is that on one side, the planet "Taiji" has always remained silent. Despite its high degree of autonomy, the planet "Taiji", which still belongs to the sovereignty of the Empire, has neither announced to the outside world the bodies of the victims and federal servicemen found, nor has it made any kind of declaration.

In response to media questions about the crash of an aerospace plane near Fuxi Mountain and the appearance of the Imperial cruiser "Siegfried", a spokesman for the "Taiji" Planetary Mayors Alliance and the police chief of the Public Security Bureau both said that the Public Security Bureau and the Imperial Border Fleet conducted a search and rescue exercise.

But no matter how diplomats engage in a war of words, many details of the "Void Temple hijacking" incident have been intentionally or unintentionally disseminated to the people of both countries.

Rumors about "Antnest" have once again set off huge waves in the two countries. The ultra-rightist forces on both sides added fuel to the fire, accusing the other side of committing unforgivable crimes, and the slogans of war suddenly became louder.

Large-scale demonstrations took place on all the planets under the rule of the two countries.

The people of the Federation shouted slogans such as "Abolish the Imperial Despotism" and "Liberate the Human World", demanding that the Federal Government and the Wehrmacht launch an attack on the Empire.

The people of the Empire shouted "Down with the Hypocritical Federation" and "Unification of the Immortal Spiral Arm Human World", demanding tougher measures from the Imperial government and military.

After all, it is only some people who openly support their respective governments in waging war, and many more people only acquiesce in their own policies towards enemy countries.

For many ordinary citizens of the Commonwealth, the Empire is often disdainfully dismissed as a country full of autocracy and dictatorship. The people are ruled by nine old men, ignorant and uncivilized, without religious beliefs, without human rights, without democracy and freedom.

This view is not entirely due to the propaganda of the Federation, and there is too much black-box operation in the process of transferring power between the Imperial Senate and the Privy Council itself, which is easy to arouse suspicion whether it is fair or not.

The citizens of the Commonwealth generally lacked a favorable opinion of the imperial political system, believing that their own politics represented the true trend of human history.

As for religion, unlike the Commonwealth, which made Christianity the state religion, both the Imperial Constitution and the Senate advocated atheism, but at the same time provided for citizens to enjoy freedom of religious belief. In fact, the proportion of the population within the empire with a definite religious affiliation far exceeded that of the Commonwealth.

It is only in the eyes of many in the Federation that the gods of other religions, except for the God of Christ and the Virgin, are ignorant superstitions and cannot be called faith.

Similarly, in the eyes of ordinary citizens of the Empire, the Confederation is nothing more than a state with a hypocritical political system in the name of "democracy and freedom". The people are at the mercy of a group of politicians who are at the mercy of a prop, but they think that they are enjoying democracy and freedom. Moreover, they always overestimate themselves and impose their will on the people of other countries, believing that their so-called "democracy" and "freedom" are the true values of human society.

Of course, the formation of this point of view also had little to do with the propaganda of the empire. After all, the presidents and congressmen of the Federation have all been rich or noble, and they come from wealthy families. Even if there are a few who seem to represent the general public, it is an "open secret" which chaebols support them behind them.

Rather than secretly exercising meritocracy under the cloak of "democracy," it is better to establish a meritocracy political system in an open and honest manner. This is the thinking of many of the Neo-Romans.

The most representative of this kind of thinking is the poisoned sarcasm of the current imperial consul Wang Zeren at a diplomatic reception: "Since they have all done **, isn't it against professional ethics to set up a chaste archway?" ”

This mutual incomprehension and cognitive differences, coupled with the self-righteous mentality of both sides, have largely led to mutual hostility and war between the two sides.

After all, hostile acts between countries are not only the responsibility of the government, but also the people. Especially for so-called "democratic" countries, foreign policy and war have to go through a series of democratic decisions, and it cannot but be said that they do not represent the will of the people.

Thus, when the Bundesrat and the House of Representatives passed the federal government's proposal to declare war on the Empire in 2890 AD, it was claimed that it was not the madness of the federal politicians, but the depravity of the federal citizens.

Therefore, for democracies, there is a rather embarrassing inference: the people of democracies are peace-loving, and they have a high degree of human rights and democratic rights, but democracies take the lead in provoking wars, which means that they are not peace-loving; To say that war is a conspiracy of a few politicians shows that they do not really enjoy human rights and democracy.

The Perseus Interstellar Federation, which claims to "represent the trend of human progress", is in such an embarrassing situation. In the history and reality of the confrontation with the Empire, she was always on the offensive. Of course, this has a lot to do with the overall strength of the Federation, but it also cannot deny the impetus of the people, because it is a "democracy" after all.

At this time, Major Robb, who was lying in bed recuperating from his wounds, was in meditation, thinking about the "democratic country" in which he was located, the Perseus Interstellar Federation.

Jiang Ziyue under the imperial system is more accustomed to obedience, while Robb under the federal system likes to think.

For Robb, the New Roman Empire, which hated its own federation more than its enemies.

Sixteen years ago, in 2902, Luo Bo, then his name was Su Bo, and his father, known as "the greatest military genius in the history of mankind", Su Yu, was assassinated.

The authorities blamed the death of the five-star admiral on the despicable actions of the Empire. But later, his mother Su Zhaobing married Robben, and according to the social customs of the Federation, she changed her surname from her husband to Luo Zhaobing, and told him the truth.

"Why is that? Your father's bones are still cold, and you're going to marry a bad old man?! An angry Su Bo questioned the young mother.

"For happiness." Su Zhaobing, who was already wearing a gorgeous red wedding dress, calmly answered his son's question.

Her new outfit is based on the royal wedding bride dress of the Tang Dynasty in ancient China, the atmosphere is luxurious, coupled with the jeweled classical headdress and the noble temperament and beautiful face she has, almost every man who sees her will fall in love with it.

The entire Perseus Spiral Arm Star knew that this thirty-four-year-old bride was going to marry an old man in his nineties.

The bride herself knows very well that no matter how luxurious and grand the wedding is, no matter how lavish and grand the wedding is, the eyes projected on her will never be heartfelt blessings and endless envy, but full of contempt and disdain.

"Can a bad old man in his nineties make you happy?" Su Bo, who was only twelve years old, looked very precocious.

"Child, happiness is not necessarily in bed." Su Zhao said coldly.

Su Bo realized that in front of his mother, his understanding of happiness was so superficial.

But the mother continued: "A hero does not necessarily die at the gunpoint of the enemy. ”

His mother's words woke Su Bo up, and he asked in surprise, "Are you saying that Dad wasn't assassinated by someone from the Empire?!" ”

"Your own people are always more terrible and difficult to deal with than your enemies." Su Zhaobing's tone was still indifferent, "The federal government and Congress could not tolerate your father's anti-war stance and practices, so they created this assassination incident and blamed it on the New Roman Empire. ”

"......" Su Bo, who was stunned, was speechless.

"It is not necessarily the general public who knows where history is headed, because they are too easily deceived." Su Zhaobing continued.

It is a cruel torture for a bride to tell her son about the death of her ex-husband on her big wedding day. But as the widow of General Su Yu and Su Bo's mother, she is strong enough to bear all the pain and pressure that reality brings her.

"A few people can transcend the mundane and see the future, but they cannot see the mundane. Your father was framed by the country for refusing to lead his army into the empire again and advocating a permanent peace treaty with the empire. ”

"Then who killed my father?" The young Su Bo asked angrily.

"The executioner only carries out orders, and the ignorance of the people and the insidiousness of the politicians are the culprits." Su Zhaobing's tone became serious, "Child, the mission given to you by history is to tear off the hypocritical political cloak and awaken the people who have been deceived!" Bring them peace and justice. I want you to commit to fulfilling this mission as a lifelong responsibility! ”

His mother's words echoed in Robb's ears, as if time had passed, returning to the scene of sixteen years ago.

At this moment, a young woman pushed open the door and walked into the room, interrupting Robb's reminiscences of the past.

This beautiful woman with long, naturally curly blonde hair is named Dana Kira Pontick, and it is she who rescues the unconscious Major Robb from the mountains.

When the space plane was about to crash, Robb activated the ejection seat in the cockpit. But this time the parachute escape was only a narrow success, and after the parachute drifted, he was hung on the edge of the cliff. Robb cut the paracord but accidentally fell off a cliff, severely injured and fell unconscious.

When his eyes opened again, an angel was smiling brightly in front of his eyes.

Wavy blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, white porcelain-like skin, and sparkling blue eyes, a beautiful face that only the Creator could grasp was delicately carved with facial features that perfectly matched the golden ratio.

The youthful and beautiful Dana is like an angel who brings light and hope to the scarred Rob.

After Robb fell off a cliff, Dana Pontick rode by and took him back to his farm home in the Berkeley Mountains.

Dana's father, Cook Pontik, was an imperial military doctor and had a full range of medical equipment at home. Under the superb medical skills of the elder Pontic and the careful care of his daughter, Robb, who suffered multiple fractures and falls, recovered quickly. In a week, you will be able to get out of bed and move.

"It's time for dinner, Mr. Robb." Dana let out a silver bell to inform Robb.

Then she walked over and gently helped Robb out of bed.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Pontick." Robb said gratefully and got out of bed.

At this time, the federal major wore sky blue pajamas, hung his right arm, and was on crutches, and he went to the kitchen with Dana's support.

Cook Pontik had prepared a sumptuous meal waiting for them to arrive.

A rich platter of snowy mountain yak steak and grilled eel fillet, fragrant mushroom pulp and verdant sparse vegetables. These are all home-cooked meals made by combining the local products of the "Tai Chi" planet with traditional Western cuisine.

For Robb, who has basically only eaten Chinese food since he was a child, and when he grew up, he could only eat military standard meals to live, these dishes are undoubtedly extremely unique and tempting.

Dana helped Robb cut the steak and eel fillet into small pieces, poured mushroom pulp and spices, and served them to him.

"I don't know how to thank you." Robb said gratefully.

"Mr. Luo, although you are a federal soldier, we have an obligation to help a wounded." Cook Pontick said generously.

Immortality often boosts one's appetite. Robb, who was wounded, grabbed a fork with his left hand and stabbed one piece after another of the steaks and eel fillets that Dana had carefully cut, and kept putting them into his mouth, graciously accepting the generous hospitality of his master.

But soon, he found that the father and daughter in front of him looked a little heavy, and there was no cheerful atmosphere at the dinner table before.

The perceptive Robb immediately realized the danger, and it was likely that his identity had brought misfortune to the imperial family.

So, he put down the fork in his hand and said, "Monsieur and Miss Pontic, have I caused you any inconvenience?" If you feel the need, you can hand me over to the Imperial authorities. This is your right, and I do not resent you for it, but I am always very grateful for your life-saving grace and hospitality. ”

Hearing him say this, Cook Pontick shook his head hurriedly, and said, "Mr. Robb, you are too worried. ”

Dana followed her father's words, "Rest assured, Mr. Robb, we won't tell the sheriffs. ”

"Yes." Cook nodded appreciatively at his daughter's words, and explained: "The Imperial Government and the Security Service have not issued a wanted warrant for you. Moreover, we are citizens of the planet 'Taiji', unlike the citizens of the Empire on other planets, we are not obligated to report the federal soldiers. ”

"So, Mr. Robb, you can rest here in peace." Dana smiled.

Looking at the smile that bloomed like a red rose in white, Robb, who was staggered with gratitude and goodwill in his heart, suddenly seemed a little confused, so that he didn't know how to respond to Dana's words.

"The little girl has received a conscription notice from the Imperial Military Department." Cook said sadly, "I have asked to report to the planet Iserlon next month." ”

It turned out that Dana, who was already an adult, received a call for compulsory military service.

Robb reluctantly smiled comforting at Dana.

He volunteered to join the Bundeswehr, and the Confederation did not have compulsory military service as the Empire, although the way it recruited was also obviously coercive, and many of the soldiers Robb brought with him were forced to join the army. So he couldn't fully understand the mood of the father and daughter in front of him at the moment.

Dana was not as worried as her father, but cheerfully comforted her father: "Dad, isn't it just going to serve two years of military service?" I'll be back soon, and we, the citizens of Tai Chi, won't be sent to the front lines. ”

According to the agreement between the Imperial Government and the Alliance of Mayors of the Tai Chi Planet, Imperial citizens who have acquired the status of citizens of the planet Tai Chi can only be sent to logistics and non-combat units during their military service. But when war breaks out, these agreements often become a formality.

Dana's two brothers, both serving on the Imperial Army's hospital ships twenty-eight years ago, were killed in the "Himalayas" and "Machu Picchu" two famous star field battles.

"Don't forget, your two brothers." Cook let out a long sigh.

At that time, Dana had just been born, so her impression of the two brothers was only holographic stereoscopic imagery, and she did not feel much about their deaths.

But the old Pontic is different, 2890 is not only an unfortunate year for the Perseus Spiral Arm interstellar human world, but also a year of disaster for the Pontic family.

Two of his sons died on the battlefield and became interstellar dust. His wife, Kira Pontik, was mentally devastated and almost fell into hysteria. Ten years later, when Kira gave birth to Dana, she was extremely weak due to heavy bleeding due to advanced age, and her long-standing deep nostalgia for her dead son caused her not only to hallucinate, but also to lose her desire to live. Her physical exhaustion and mental breakdown caused her to die of physical failure in just three days, which was irreversible even with advanced medical technology.

Cook, who was still the chief surgeon of the hospital ship at the time and wore the epaulettes of the Imperial Colonel Doctor, could hardly help himself after receiving the news of his wife's death. The thought that he had snatched countless dying wounded soldiers from the hands of death with a lancet and a laser knife, but could not save his wife and children, made him almost have a nervous breakdown.

Soon, Cook asked to return to his hometown, ran a farm under the Berkeley Mountains on the planet "Taiji", and lived a semi-secluded life with his daughter Dana.

"Now, they're going to recruit even my only remaining child!"

Cook's voice was full of resentment and frustration, and suddenly the whole table was enveloped in a sad atmosphere.

Although he does not know much about the tragedy of the Pontick family, it can be inferred from the emotions vented by Cook that he experienced a tragic past when a white-haired man sent a black-haired man.

Robb didn't know what to say. Although he understood that it was natural for parents to weep over the sacrifice of their children, he failed to understand the grief in Cook Pontic's heart.

Even in the past "Void Temple Hijacking" incident, he was so close to death. But Robb is still very indifferent to sacrifice. In his eyes, dying on the battlefield is the proper destination of a soldier. As the father of two martyrs, Cook Pontik doesn't have to be so sad.

"Alright, Dad." Dana pretended to comfort her father with coquettishness, "I'll go to serve for two years and come back soon, don't be so sad." It's not the time to be sad, we still have guests. ”

The daughter's words reminded her father, and Cook Pontick hurriedly put on a smile and said to Robb, "I'm sorry, Mr. Robb, it's a bit rude to say this. ”

"Oh, no, no." Robb hurriedly said, "Mr. Pontic, I understand what happened to you and how you feel. ”

Robb's words were a bit against his will. He can't really understand Pontic's sadness, although he has also experienced the loss of his father and the death of his life, but after all, there is a huge difference in age and experience from the other party, and it is difficult to resonate.

Dinner ended with a little poignant memory.

Robb walked slowly out of the house on crutches. Even though he was seriously injured and his legs and feet were not dexterous, he still had to habitually take evening walks.

Pontic's farm is located in the southern foothills of the Berkeley Mountains. Here, the sun, the "Taixu" star, is forever high in the sky at an elevation angle of 50 degrees, throwing out a golden light that illuminates the sky and the earth.

Therefore, there is no night here, it is always in the morning or afternoon.

This particular light condition does not seem suitable for the growth of crops on the earth, but humans have devised many ways to create darkness to create a cycle of day and night for themselves and the crops brought from the earth.

Pontik Farm uses a method that is more common on the planet "Taiji".

Wheat, corn, sunflowers, olive trees, and other crops are planted in nearly 100 very large greenhouses. There are many long "scrolls" on the roof of each shed. The computer periodically opens or closes the "reel" according to the photoperiod of the crops in the greenhouse, forming a day-night alternation in the greenhouse.

Those "reels" are actually thin-film solar panels that are rolled up "during the day" to allow the crops to enjoy natural light and heat, and "at night" to shade the sunlight and generate electricity, providing electricity for the ventilators, so that the crops have enough natural air to use in the artificial night.

Due to the popularization of room temperature superconductivity technology and the improvement of solar energy conversion materials, the electricity generated by the solar panels of these greenhouses can not only be used by their own ventilators and maintain the electricity needs of the entire farm, but also a considerable amount of surplus electricity is transmitted to the new city of Shanghai and integrated into the planetary power grid. A significant portion of Pontick Farm's annual income comes from electricity output.

Robb was not interested in paying attention to the greenhouses that were slowly opening the "scrolls" to create darkness for the crops. The bright sunlight made his walk after dinner on this planet completely lose the tranquility and tranquility that he should have, and his mood could not be calm.

He thought it best for him to leave the planet "Taiji" as soon as possible, return to the Perseus Star Federation, and return to the Wehrmacht fleet. That's his true world.

However, the kidnapping of the Kongyi monk had been revealed, and the new Roman Empire could not tolerate his impunity. Now that the wind is tight outside, if you hastily contact the federal intelligence organization lurking on the planet "Taiji", it will be easy to be caught by your opponent.

"That damn von Jiang Ziyue!" Robb couldn't help but curse secretly.

But he blamed himself more in his heart, carrying out such a high-risk mission and not doing things properly—at least Jiang Ziyue and his ferocious men should have been tied up before proceeding to the next move—giving the enemy a chance to spare.

Just as Robb's mind was converging with the boredom of reflecting on the incident and fleeing, a voice behind him came that was already quite familiar.

Dana Kira Pontick was leading her black steed. Unlike her father, who likes smart electric tractors that don't need to be controlled by people, Dana has loved this horse from the steppes of Central Asia on Earth since she was a child.

"Mr. Robb is still used to the environment of the 'Taihang' planet." Dana asked, smiling.

"As long as I can walk, I'm used to walking after dinner, but I didn't expect the sun to be so fierce." Robb smiled as he spoke.

The unhappiness and annoyance in his heart have been wiped out by Dana's appearance. He didn't expect that when he was in trouble, he would be carefully cared for by such a lovely girl on this strange planet.

"Does Mr. Robb want to feel the night?" Dana asked curiously.

Her concept of day and night, like that of many "Tai Chi" planet citizens, is different from Robb from a normal planet.

"Miss Pontick, I would love to see what the night of the planet 'Taiji' looks like." Robb put on an interested look.

"Mr. Robb, you can call me Dana." Dana said softly.

Even though the tone sounded normal, Robb noticed a subtle change in her smiling face.

The white porcelain-like skin on Dana's face flushed with a faint flush after she finished speaking. Robb was sure it wasn't because of the sun.

Robb is not like his stepfather Robben, who has played with countless women, but he has a keen nature, and at the age of twenty-eight he squeezed into the Bundeswehr Academy, which is somewhat observant. And in the face of a girl who is nearly ten years younger than himself, he still has a considerable psychological advantage and feels good about himself.

Luo Bo, who couldn't help but be excited because the other party was slightly red and hot in front of his eyes, pretended to be calm and asked, "Dana, do you speak Chinese?" ”

"Yes." Dana nodded.

In the compulsory education curriculum of the empire, one of the compulsory language courses was Chinese.

So, Robb turned to Chinese and said, "You can call me 'Little Radish Head'." ”

"Little turnip?" Dana asked in amazement in stiff Chinese, she could understand the literal meaning of the word.

"Well, yes." Luo Bo's honest smile turned into smugness, "A long time ago, the son of a Chinese general was called Little Radish Head, and my father was also a general, so when I was a child, many people also called me Little Radish Head. ”

In fact, Robb got the nickname only after joining the army, and it was all because his name was pronounced very close to "radish" in Mandarin Chinese. After all, when he was a child, he was still called "Su Bo" instead of "Luo Bo".

"I guess it's because of the same sound." Dana rolled her two big blue eyes and said, intentionally or unintentionally exposing the other party's lies.

Robb's face immediately flushed with embarrassment, and he said, "I think so." ”

Even so, seeing Dana speak like a cute little girl made Robb very happy.

He then went back to the conversation and asked, "Dana, what will the night look like on the planet 'Taiji'?" ”

"I'll show you, little turnip."

Dana let out a happy laugh before leading the horse and leading Robb, who was still limping, to a shed where the "scroll" was being opened......