Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 4: War – Interlude: Prime Minister

Paris is in chaos. The Loyalist High Command, slow to react because of its strategy of "methodical warfare", is now reeling from the shock of the Belkan offensive and is overtaken by defeatism.

Thus far, they haven't been able to adapt to the Belkans' Blitzkrieg. Their force deployment is sluggish and uncoordinated. Their equipment and training are not up to snuff. Their chain of command is inflexible and entrenched in the values of old. All of these have culminated in a chain of setbacks and defeats. Towns, cities, and Army Divisions are lost faster than the time it takes for messengers to report back to Paris. By the time the Loyalists' top brass can make or remedy a deployment order, the unit that the order is meant for may have already been destroyed.

The Loyalists try to recover the situation by sending all of their reserves. Bringing out all the stops, the Reservist Divisions are to stabilize the frontline and aid the regular armies. Unfortunately, the addition of more units seems to have the opposite effect. Instead of news of victory, reports of constant defeats flood Paris even more. Formed from the bottom of the barrels of conscripts, these Reservist units can barely handle a contemporary enemy, much less the Belkans. Nevertheless, they still try and put up a fight anyway, at the very least they can still relieve the pressure off the regulars. It won't be a stretch to say that the Reservists form the only blockade between Paris and the Belkans.

Still, the lackluster results thus far force the Loyalists to face a grim reality. They're losing, and badly at that. At the same time, one can say that the war is not yet over with the still combat-capable Erusean Expeditionary Force fighting in Northern Maginot. The Loyalist Generals think that it's only a matter of time before the Eruseans falter like they did. With most, if not all of their forces stuck in bitter combat one way or another, the Loyalists won't be able to defend themselves if the Belkan decides to attack Paris all of a sudden. In fact, it's a miracle that they haven't done so already. This unfortunate scenario means that preparations to abandon Paris are already well underway. The city itself is not in a viable position to stage a last stand if the worst is to happen. If Paris is untenable, a swift retreat is a possible way for the Loyalists to reconsolidate their forces. However, this is only applicable if they still have any left by then.

Laying down the newspaper reporting of yet another major defeat, the Loyalist Prime Minister can't stop himself from humming. Truly, it's saying something when the press caught wind of battlefield results faster than their military ever could currently. This means that Belka's agents are working overtime to disseminate their victory all over Paris, if not the rest of Ustio. This move turns the already grim outlook of the Allied forces even more hopeless in the eyes of the public. When public trust in the government falters, it will bring along a host of sequelae that can cripple their faction hole. If not for the Prime Minister's vice grip over public security, protesters would have flooded the streets by now. Nevertheless, this is the only thing the Loyalists have been able to do.

Hell, most Loyalist nobles already evacuated from Ustio to different countries and colonies. These normally haughty enjoyers of luxury ran like dogs, bringing along with them a significant chunk of the Loyalist economy. If the prime minister had been a normal politician, he would have run for his money as well. However, he is unlike those chicken-shit money-grubbers. The Prime Minister doesn't care how many resources and lives he has to sacrifice so long as he can keep the Eruseans and Belkans fighting each other. If Ustio is run to the ground, then so be it. As long as the Eruseans are stuck in the same boat as Ustio, all is well in the Prime Minister's opinion. To ensure this outcome, he already gave his peer, Churchill, the general situation of the Loyalists. The picture he painted for Churchill was an alarming one, and the Prime Minister thought that his acting deserved an award. In the letter penned expressively for Churchill, the Loyalist Minister wrote:

"We have been defeated. We are beaten; we have lost the battle."

Without radio communication, a letter was the only way for the Loyaliys Prime Minister to communicate with Churchill. Knowing the fat Erusean, he will fly to Paris at the best speed to verify the situation himself. With some choice sentences here and there, the Loyalist Minister should be able to drag the Eruseans further down this sinkhole. Eruseans are almost always unwilling to admit that they have lost. As long as the Loyalist Minister can feed Churchill false hope, the fat man will keep on fighting a war that they all are destined to lose.

The winners take the crowns while the losers of this war... Well, they will lose everything, and boy, won't that be a sight for sore eyes. By this point, the Loyalist Prime Minister is one step closer to achieving his long-cherished wish. No matter what, Erusea must fall. It must lay in ruin with no hope to ever recover. Until such a thing comes to pass, the Prime Minister will continue to play his part dutifully, by hook or by crook.

The Prime Minister is pulled out of his musing when the door to his office is knocked upon, twice.

"The door's not locked." The man calls out to the person behind the door.

As the door opens, the Loyalist Minister leans back on his luxuriously comfy chair, enjoying a brief calm before the storm. The Minister greets. "Dana, so what've you gotten for me?"

Dana Elvidge, the Minister's secretary and personal friend, lays down a stack of documents on his table while pushing a tray of refreshments and snacks. Dana responds. "More battlefield reports. More nobles deserting. More concerns are raised when you haven't evacuated the King or pulled back armies to protect Paris. There are also updated information and forecasts concerning our economy for the next month... If we can even last that long."

The Prime Minister nods as Dana fills up a cup of tea for the man. "So just the usual Tuesday?"

"The usual Tuesday." Handing the man his drink, Dana says. "I have sorted the documents for you. Do you need my help in tackling these files, however?"

The Prime Minister hums while picking up his expensive white and blue porcelain tea cup. "Sure. Your help will be much welcome, Dana. We will have to clean up these documents first. Tomorrow, we may be too busy otherwise."

Dana raises an eyebrow. "Is there something I need to know, sir?"

"Churchill may come tomorrow." The Prime Minister shrugs. "We may need to convene the command staff for a bit of a talk. If the fat man truly comes, then the outcome of that talk will be strategically decisive."

Dana nods while taking notes of what she has to do if there's a big meet and greet the next day. "Should I ask for the true meaning behind this potential meeting, sir? Or perhaps you will leave the reasoning as cryptic as usual." Dana says everything in a dry tone as if she already knows the answer.

The Prime Minister laughs. "You're a smart lady, Dana. By now you should have figured out some of my motives for kicking Ustio and Erusea into this mess."

"Right, you have a hate boner for the Eruseans." Dana comments with a certain appraising look. "You're one vindicative old man to plunge millions of lives in a cesspool just for your personal vendetta. I know at least that much... What I can't figure out yet is the reason behind your hatred. One must be dealt a very bad hand by the Eruseans to do what you're doing right now."

The Prime Minister smirks, his teacup all but forgotten for a moment. "Let's just say that my posting as the Loyalist Prime Minister is but a consolidation prize for what they did to me."

"I see... And I don't see at the same time." Dana comments dryly with a shake of her head before continuing. "Anyway, should we start working on the files? They won't go away despite their overall uselessness."

"One more thing before we start." The Prime Minister speaks out to Dana.

"Yes, sir?"

"When this is all over and done with, you still want to be a teacher?"

"If I have the chance to, yes." Dana nods with a certain conviction in her bearing. "Despite what I am showing right now, the job is getting too stressful for my taste. Teaching can be a good way for me to settle down in peace... Somewhere."

The Prime Minister nods. "Heard from a grapevine that teachers are in high demand in the Long Dynasty. You may want to try your luck there when the opportunity arises."

The Minister then drinks from his teacup. "But that time is neither here nor there. Let's finish these papers."

Dana nods, seriously considering whether China is a good escapade or not. The life of a double agent has done much to wear her down over the years. After this war is over, Dana thinks she will ask for a transfer to something lighter if not retiring outright.

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