In the early morning of the eastern hemisphere of Neu-Rhine on August 28, the Milky Way in the sky is still pouring between the stars, and the snow on the ground is reflecting the faint starlight. Easy to read on mobile phone: αр.(1)(6)Everything between the sky and the earth is immersed in the silence and tranquility before dawn, and there is no sign that the planet is in turmoil.

There was also silence in Shuangquan City, the area where the rebellion was most severe. Because the rebellious Neo-Rhine Restoration Army had taken full control of the situation in the city, a total curfew and martial law were imposed on the whole city, so that the nascent revolutionary base would not be infiltrated by the new Roman army.

The Senate and the new Rhine governor under the Roman people, Adam? Christensen apparently lacks the heart of the planets under his rule, and his lack of vigilance against the separatists in the New Rhine, makes it easy for the separatist forces to rally together and 'smuggle' weapons and accumulate strength. Fortunately, now, just as the fleet of the Commonwealth of Immortals is coming, these fanatics who are full of expectations and ideals for their old little republic have finally risen up.

Jiang Ziyue believes that Christensen is not only incompetent in governance, but also lacks the means to maintain national unity and stability, so that the Restoration Army can secretly develop and grow, so that he, the commander of the fleet, has to put on mobile armor and come to quell the rebellion for the Senate and the Roman people, and cut off the separatists.

After taking the risk of 'pumping' fleet personnel to reinforce the ground, Jiang Ziyue was able to gather all the more than 5,000 interstellar marines. Compared to the rebellious Neo-Rhine Restoration Army, this force seems to be like a big 'stick'. However, the Restoration Army already has two strongholds, Shuangquan and Tocata, and is growing in power under the inspiration of the old republic's 'spring' and autumn dreams and ethereal liberal and democratic ideas.

Jiang Ziyue decided to concentrate all his efforts on taking Shuangquan City, the old nest of the Restoration Army, first, and then sweep Toccata 'sweeping'. In fact, he was already the petty dictator of the planet New Rhine, and he personally rushed to the Marine command post on the outskirts of Shuangquan City with the governor and the proclamation officer to supervise the upcoming attack.

Marine Corps Captain Marcus? After introducing the deployment of the Restoration Army in the city, Captain Biyou said in embarrassment: "Our scouts, with the cooperation of the masses, have confirmed that these guys have placed their headquarters in the basement of the 'Nuwa' Castle, including the members of the 'Republic Liberation Committee', the political leadership body. ”

"'Nu'wa Castle? Any questions? Jiang Ziyue asked puzzledly, under the current weapon conditions, let alone a castle, it is not a big problem to deal with a mountain range.

"Nuwa Castle is built entirely of natural marble and solid wood brought from the earth." Christensen explains, "It is the only building in the entire Perseus Spiral Arm world that is built entirely of the earth's natural materials, and it is a national key protected cultural relic, and it is included in the list of the Convention on the Protection of the Heritage of Humanity in Interstellar Warfare." ”

"But the rebels actually use her as a military stronghold!" Captain Biyu shouted indignantly.

According to the Convention on the Protection of the Heritage of Humanity in the Event of Interstellar Warfare, signed by various countries more than 200 years ago, the 'belligerents' are obliged to protect the cultural relics on the planets included in the relevant list, not to use them for military purposes, and to protect them from the flames of war as much as possible. The list has been supplemented and managed by an international non-governmental organization, which coordinates the mutual confirmation of the 'gates' of the Ministry of Cultural Relics of various countries.

The Convention has a strong binding 'nature' for national armies such as the Imperial Army and the Bundeswehr, but it has little legal significance for the New Rhine Restoration Army - although the New Rhine Republic was also one of the signatories to the Convention, and the 'Nuwa' Castle is the proudest building of the New Rhine Republic, but in the eyes of such local 'sexual' rebel 'rebel' forces, international law is just a crimson 'cloud' on the far horizon.

Jiang Ziyue stared at the 'Nu'wa Castle in the stereoscopic image) and asked, "Is there any other way to eliminate the rebel command than destroying the 'Nuwa' Castle?" ”

"I'm afraid not." Biyou shook his head and replied.

Jiang Ziyue turned to Christensen and asked, "Christensen, do you have any opinions?" ”

Christensen asked, inexplicably: "What is the opinion?" ”

"Only by destroying the rebel headquarters in the 'Nuwa' Castle can we quickly sweep away the rebels and maintain order on the planet New Rhine." Jiang Ziyue said.

Christen hesitated before replying: "Jiang Gong, you are the supreme military governor in this region, and you exercise a limited dictatorship over the planet New Rhine, so you are at your discretion in everything, and you don't have to take my opinion into account." ”

He said this, which is tantamount to letting Jiang Ziyue bear all the responsibilities alone. However, Jiang Ziyue, as a military governor, since he has implemented a limited dictatorship, it is equivalent to becoming a petty dictator, and he must bear all the responsibilities alone. Jiang Ziyue felt very embarrassed and couldn't make up his mind, but he couldn't think of a better way.

At this time, Captain Biyu proposed: "Sir, if we organize a commando team to storm the 'Nuwa' Castle, we may be able to reduce the damage to the castle. However, the rebels have placed heavy forces around them, and our casualties will be heavy, and there is no guarantee that their headquarters will be wiped out. ”

Jiang Ziyue took a deep breath, stabilized his emotions, and said categorically: "Destroy her!" ”

Biyou replied heavily, "Yes, sir. ”

The order was quickly delivered, and two unmanned aerospace fighters quickly took off, preparing to destroy the 'Nuwa' castle at the moment of the general attack.

Looking at the real-time satellite image, the two fighters approached Shuangquan City from an ultra-low altitude at high speed, and Jiang Ziyue's expression was solemn. As long as the drone launches the missile in the belly, the Nuwa castle will become a huge crater, and everything in the basement will be wiped out. Of course, he will also bear the infamy of destroying cultural relics that can never be erased.

Suddenly, the intelligence staff officer shouted: "Report, the scouts have found that the rebels have locked up a large number of people in the 'Nuwa' castle. ”

"Undo the attack now!" Jiang Ziyue hurriedly shouted.

Biyu quickly terminated the fighter's attack order.

"What the hell is going on?" Jiang Ziyue asked the intelligence staff officer loudly.

"More than a thousand people are being held in the central hall of the castle according to the images taken by the robot mosquitoes." The intelligence staff officer said as he 'projected' the image coming from the front in the space of the command headquarters.

In the hall above the basement of Nuwa's castle, unarmed people were sitting on the ground in twos and threes, some of them old and young, even babies in their mother's arms. Among them, there are also a number of 'masked' gunners armed with particle guns. Judging from their expressions and voices, many of the detainees were visibly frightened.

"This is the act of restoration!?" Jiang Ziyue shouted angrily.

The actions of the Restoration Army are far from their names, but they are exactly the same as the crazy and murderous bandits.

"Sir, even a storming of the castle now will hurt innocent people." Bi You said helplessly.

Jiang Ziyue said decisively: "Let's put this first." Launch a general attack on time, and closely monitor the enemy's movements in Nuwa's castle. ”

"Yes, sir."

At dawn, the offensive was launched as scheduled, with the Imperial Army's interstellar marines launching a centripetal attack on the city center from eight main passages on the outskirts of the city at once. On the surface, the Imperial Army had a numerical superiority, and there was also the cover of fighters in the air, supported by a network of satellites. But they underestimated the strength and equipment level of the Restoration Army.

In fact, the Restoration Army is all equipped with weapons smuggled from the Immortal Star Federation, and its military quality and command and control level are not inferior to those of the Imperial Army. In addition, compared to the newcomers of the Imperial Army's interstellar marines, they are very familiar with the urban environment of Shuangquan City. As a result, the Imperial Marines were met head-on by the Restoration Army, dressed in power armor produced by Golden Causeway Industries, and dragged into brutal urban street fighting.

In the headquarters of the Marine Corps, the three-dimensional image showing the battlefield situation shows that the blue and red lines of the battle lines of the enemy and us have become very broken. The blue 'color' Restoration Army and the red 'color' Imperial Army were 'intertwined' on the front lines, and it was difficult to distinguish between the enemy and us for a while.

"Sir, if we continue to fight like this, even if we succeed in taking control of Shuangquan City, we will not be able to launch an attack on Toccata again." Captain Bi You reminded Jiang Ziyue uneasily.

Jiang Ziyue was also very worried in his heart, but there was no other way than to attack at present. Unless the 'Nuwa' Castle is directly destroyed and the command center of the Restoration Army is completely destroyed, it is unlikely that victory will be achieved as soon as possible.

Just when the attack on Twin Springs City is in a rut, Lota in space? Staudert also has access to communications.

"Sir, a fleet of the Federation has arrived at a distance of fifty astronomical units from New Rhine." "The number is about three hundred, about two-thirds of the battleships. ”

It's really "unparalleled blessings, and disasters are not singular"! Jiang Ziyue couldn't help but secretly complain.

"Lotta, your fleet must hold them back." Jiang Ziyue gave instructions.

"Just use these 300 cruisers with only half of the crew?" Lota asked, stunned.

Numerically, the cruiser fleet of the Imperial Army was equal to that of the opponent, but in terms of firepower it was not at all an opponent. The two hundred battleships of the Bundeswehr could have smashed them with complete ease. What's more, the control team of each warship of the Imperial Army has been 'pumped' to the ground of New Rhine, although with the assistance of the computer, it is still possible to control the battleship into battle, but only half of the quota of control personnel, the efficiency will inevitably be greatly affected.

"There's no way, Lotta. Even if there is only one cruiser left, it will have to hold on. Jiang Ziyue said firmly, "Don't rush to 'exchange' fire, try to lure the enemy away from New Rhine, and don't let them get close to New Rhine to support the rebels." As long as the matter on the ground is resolved, the whole situation will improve. ”

As for whether the whole situation can get better, in fact, he has no bottom in his heart. When he first led the fleet to the planet New Rhine, where would he have thought that there would be an armed rebellion on the ground, and where would he have thought that the rebels would be so tenacious. Even if the rebels in Shuangquan City were resolved, he didn't know what the situation would be with the rebels in Toccata City, and whether there would be a new rebellion. But in any case, Jiang Ziyue knows very well that only by withstanding all external pressure and sweeping away the current separatist forces can he deal with the invading federal army wholeheartedly. So, in front of Lota and the others, he still showed a firm faith that he was going to win.

Seeing that Jiang Ziyue was full of confidence, Lota also said resolutely: "Yes, I will do my best!" ”

Jiang Ziyue has just finished his correspondence with Lotta, and the official of the Governor's Palace, Diggo? Gato stepped forward and said: "Jiang Gong, the enemy fleet has been killed, and the rebels must be quickly defeated, otherwise once they join forces with the enemy, the situation will be even more passive." ”

Jiang Ziyue glanced at the big-mouthed Gato and understood that he was hinting that he was going to make up his mind and finish off the 'Nuwa' Castle where the rebel headquarters was located.

"Yes, sir." Bi You also persuaded him, "Now that the attack is seriously blocked, if we continue to proceed in this way, I am afraid that it will affect the overall situation of the planet." ”

Jiang Ziyue waved his hand and motioned for his subordinates to shut up. He already understood very well that he, the supreme military commander, must bear all the responsibility and the blame that comes with it in order to win.

After being silent for a while, Jiang Ziyue solemnly instructed: "Marcus? Captain Biyu, please carry out my order and destroy the rebel headquarters in Nuwa Castle. ”

"What about the more than 1,000 hostages in the castle?" Governor Adam? Christensen said anxiously, as if he were a parent who loved the people like children.

"I can only let them sacrifice their lives for the country." Jiang Ziyue said with deep sorrow, "Princes, please be a witness, it's me, Feng?" Jiang Ziyue, the current supreme military governor of the planet New Rhine, and the executor of the limited dictatorship, ordered the destruction of the 'Nuwa Castle', where the headquarters of the separatist rebels claiming to be the 'New Rhine Restoration Army' was located. All the legal and moral responsibilities for harming innocent people and destroying cultural relics as a result of this are borne by me alone. ”

After saying that, he immediately issued an order to Biyu: "Please carry out my orders, Captain, destroy the castle of 'Nuwa', and prepare to persuade the remnants of the rebels to surrender." ”

"Yes, sir." Captain Biyu replied in a loud voice, and solemnly raised his right hand to salute the commander.

The two unmanned fighters were again ordered to take to the air, swept over the outskirts of the city filled with gunsmoke at high speed, and fired a ground-to-ground missile equipped with a metal hydrogen warhead at the Nuwa Castle.

The power armor of the Restoration Army guarding the castle hurriedly 'fired' countless 'excited' beams and particle beams to intercept and hit the missile. However, the missile that was hit fell straight down not far from the castle, and produced a violent explosion, and as a huge fireball of dazzling fire rose, the 'Nuwa' castle and the surrounding Restoration Army were violently impacted by a strong shock 'wave'. Heavy power armor was torn down, and stone castles began to crumble.

Another fighter jet fired another missile at the right time, and the power armor of the Restoration Army, which was blown to the ground, was too late to intercept it. The missile hit the bottom of the castle with precision, burrowed into the basement, and burst the metal hydrogen warhead. Tens of thousands of tons of masonry, earth, and tiny human bodies and man-made devices were immediately thrown into the 'gloomy' sky. The huge explosive yield shook the entire area of thousands of kilometers around Shuangquan City, and in the headquarters of the Imperial Army Marine Corps on the outskirts of the city, Jiang Ziyue and his comrades who gave the order felt that their feet trembled violently as if hell was about to crack.

"Salute!" Jiang Ziyue cried out in grief, raised his right hand, slapped his left heart, and threw it forward and upward. All members of the command also raised their hands in salute to pay tribute to the innocent people who had died.

In total, 1,273 people of New Rome were killed by the explosion, including the elderly, women, women, children, and infants. Many years later, the crater created by the explosion accumulated rainwater and became a small lake. The Senate erected a large square tombstone in the middle of the lake, with a model of the castle of Nuwa on the top, and engraved around the monument with the heads, names, and ages of all the people who died. The official name of this tombstone is "Monument to the Victims of the 2918 Rebellion 'Nuwa Castle Massacre'", but when people talk about it, it is always called "Ziyue's Pillar of Shame"! It is regarded as the best interpretation of "one will make ten thousand bones dry".

Regardless of how people perceive and debate the casualties caused by this attack, the command of the New Rhine Restoration Army and the political leadership body, the "Committee for the Liberation of the Republic", were smashed along with the 'Nuwa' Castle. As a result, the Restoration Army in Shuangquan City fell into a leaderless 'chaos' and 'chaos', and many rebels surrendered one after another under the persuasion of the Imperial Army. The rebellion in Shuangquan City was also quickly put down.

The Restoration Army in Toccata City soon dispersed because of the loss of the Shuangquan City Headquarters and the leadership of the Republic's Liberation Committee. On the 28th alone, Jiang Ziyue led the interstellar marines to sweep away the New Rhine Restoration Army under the banner of "Freedom and Democracy" in one fell swoop, and with the aftermath of the 'Nuwa' Castle tragedy, he successfully shook and deterred other separatist forces and 'rioters' who were ready to take action, and completely controlled the situation on the planet New Rhine. The Imperial Army captured more than 7,000 Restoration Army personnel in Shuangquan and Tocata, but dealing with them became a major problem.

After reporting the results of the battle to Jiang Ziyue, Captain Bi You added: "Sir, now you are exercising a limited dictatorship, and the Planetary Court now has no power to try these traitors, and all of them must be 'handed over' to you." ”

"Jiang Gong, they should all be executed to set an example." Diego? Gatto immediately advised.

Regarding Xuandaguan's vicious suggestion, Jiang Ziyue immediately refused, shook his head and said, "No." The Planetary Prosecutor's Office was instructed to investigate them, and then to prosecute them in the Planetary Tribunal, which I authorize to adjudicate against them in accordance with the Anti-Secession Act. ”

"Jiang Gong, this is not appropriate." Adam? Christensen said, "Most of the people will be acquitted except for a few ringleaders." These cunning fellows can fully justify being deceived and 'tricked', and put the blame on a few bosses. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't say more." Jiang Ziyue said impatiently, "I have killed more than a thousand innocent people, and I have been infamous for thousands of years, and I must never kill innocents indiscriminately." Now that the situation has stabilized, there is no need to impose drastic policies. Do as I say, and 'hand over' the rebels to the procuratorate for prosecution. If you have any opinions, you don't need to discuss with me, you can submit them directly to the Senate. ”

In Jiang Ziyue's eyes, Christensen and Gato are simply encouraging themselves to kill. But he knew very well in his heart that the riot was only instigated by a few leading figures, and most people were just being used.

Just like the Senate and the Roman people to whom he was loyal were actually just '' in the hands of a few senators. He himself and the officers and men of the vast imperial army were nothing more than pawns of the Senate. It is only fundamentally different from the rebels, and the goals, principles, and policies of the Senate are consistent with the overall interests of the people in many cases, and the main premise for the senators to satisfy their personal desire for power is to realize and safeguard the overall interests of the people. And the rebels are nothing more than an adventurous tool made up by a few powerful and 'lustful' guys purely for personal ambition.

Seeing Jiang Ziyue's unusually resolute attitude, Christensen and Gato had no choice but to give up.

The situation on the planet has been stabilized, but Jiang Ziyue does not feel relaxed, because in space, the fleet of the Federation Army has 'approached'.