Under the influence of propaganda, some officers surrendered one after another.
This is a very big blow to the mood of the army.
The Republic is still emphasizing that its side must win, and does not admit that it is exhausted in this war. The rulers repeatedly threw out promises that seemed empty to Wu Qiao and Tan Yan. They called on the people to maintain confidence in the army, telling the soldiers and the people that the Republic would be the ultimate victor.
Yet the authority of the government is crumbling. Word has it that while the government and top military officials claim that the coalition forces will be repulsed, they are quietly sending their families to the borders of the newly independent small states. The rumors are getting more and more popular, whether it is true or not is not important anymore. The two most important variables in the flow of rumors are the importance of the issue and the ambiguity of the evidence. This formula was fully interpreted in this incident. Because of the urgency of the situation, people will seek information through rumors, and it is difficult for those who refute the rumors to produce any substantive evidence to prove that the family members of all powerful people are in the country. Suddenly, many soldiers and civilians were shaken. They were in a state of confusion, not knowing what to believe.
Tan Yan headed for the capital city of the Republic, and Wu Qiao was not idle.
During this period, he traveled frequently, trying to gain support from many small countries that had recently become independent republics.
Tan Yan once said that if the capital star of the Republic wants to force it to surrender, the current supply line is too long, and the Republic seems to intend to lengthen the supply line of the coalition forces, instead of fighting violently, it lures the coalition forces to continue to penetrate. The coalition forces have no way to use the republic's space jump point, the republic will not allow them to do so, so supplies can only be transported all the way from neutral countries, the road is far away, which is very unfavorable for combat, it is easy to be intercepted by opponents, and it is easy to be delayed due to accidents . Although the coalition forces can use molecular and atomic recombination to manufacture some emergency supplies, there are very limited things they can do when raw materials are scarce.
The best way to solve this problem is to use a small country that is closer to the Republic's capital star as a temporary base, jump directly into the territory of the small country from a neutral country, organize supplies there, and then set off from the country to both sides Battlefield. Compared with starting from a neutral country and going all the way to the capital star of the Republic, starting from a nearby small country can undoubtedly greatly shorten the length of the supply line and reduce the risk.
Regarding the predicament Tan Yan is facing, Wu Qiao will naturally spare no effort to run around for him, like a spinning top, being spun around in the southeast, northwest, and directions every day.
"If it's not possible, don't force it." Tan Yan said, "In terms of supplies...we can save some."
"No." Wu Qiao was very stubborn, "If you have any troubles, I will definitely handle them for you."
"It's the other way around." Tan Yan smiled: "At the beginning I wanted to protect you, but now I'm relying on you instead." A few years ago, Tan Yan really wanted to help Wu Qiao by himself.
"...I like you to rely on me." Wu Qiao blushed a little, "I hate the way you worry, it makes me feel useless."
"..."
"Tan Yan, to me, it is meaningful to make you happy..." In the past, Wu Qiao always counted numbers, thinking about how many people a certain thing can benefit, and the more people benefit, he thinks The more valuable, the greater the satisfaction. However, without knowing when it started, the numbers don't quite tell the story. Wu Qiao will put a lot of thought into doing one thing, just because that thing can make Tan Yan happy. When Tan Yan is happy, he is happy.
Moreover, if the materials are used sparingly... Tan Yan must set an example. Thinking of Tan Yan going hungry during the war, Wu Qiao felt that he couldn't bear it at all.
"Okay." Tan Yan replied, "Don't force yourself."
Tan Yan suddenly realized that his preference for a partner was very different from that of ordinary military officers. Almost all the officers around him chose gentle, virtuous, and family-loving people as their partners. Perhaps they felt that one side was fighting outside, and the other side always had to take care of the house. Even married female military officers almost all choose a gentleman who is gentle, careful, and understands life as their husband. As for myself, I like someone like Wu Qiao.
"Don't force it, don't worry." Wu Qiao said.
This has to happen.
In public and private, we have to fight.
This isn't just about one person—soldiers who don't have enough to eat will definitely affect their state, and maybe the coalition forces will encounter unnecessary setbacks or even failure because of this.
Fortunately, apart from fighting, Wu Qiao's greatest skill is negotiation.
He took the trouble to make an "offer" and used words to make his offer look very attractive. Most of the smaller nations, recently independent from the Republic, were reluctant to go to war, but a few swayed under temptation.
The situation in one of the countries was not stable after independence—the intelligence personnel of the former republic gathered a group of people, recruited people, and organized a "self-defense force" in the local area. Very quickly, in more than half a year, it seemed to have become the hegemony of the south, which caused a headache for the regular government. To put it simply, although the Republic has no extra energy to use force to "recover" countries, it has not given up hope of reunification. It chose to secretly support some local forces to help them develop, hoping that one day these pro-republic forces would take root, disintegrate their regimes from within those small countries, and bring them back to the embrace of the republic, or, although still formally It is independent, but in fact it is very close to the republic.
Wu Qiao promised that small country that he could help dispel the "Self-Defense Force" and prevent the "Self-Defense Force" from having any room for further development.
In addition, the geographical location of that small country is very bad, it is basically a barren desert, it can be said that it has no resources, and it is difficult to develop the local economy.
Wu Qiao promised to reach various forms of cooperation after the war. Specifically, it is to help it become an entertainment and leisure center when it has nothing to do, and attract tourists through performances, competitions, gambling, drinks, etc. After the war, this kind of place is always popular.
After a long period of hesitation, observation and prediction, that country decided that the coalition forces of the alliance and neutral countries would win the war, and finally fell to the coalition forces.
With this stronghold, the problem of too long supply lines for the coalition forces was finally solved.
Materials are continuously transported from the stronghold to the front line, fully able to keep up with the changes in the battle situation.
"Tired?" Tan Yan asked Wu Qiao.
"No." Wu Qiao supported his head with one hand, and with the other hand, he stroked the screen with nostalgia. Through the communication device, he touched Tan Yan's cheeks, eyebrows, eyes, nose bridge... and finally reflected on the other party's lips. Rubbing repeatedly. At this time, Tan Yan couldn't see what he was doing, so he could outline the other party with confidence. I really like it, I like every inch. Until now, every time he sees Tan Yan's face, Wu Qiao's heart still thumps, and he can't figure it out, how could it be like this even though they have been together for so long
"Not tired?" Tan Yan smiled, "Forget it then."
"...?"
"I wanted to comfort you."
"Be comforted."
"Hey… "
"want."
"… Ok."
Tan Yan felt a little weird in his heart. Wu Qiao always acted coquettishly with him, but his tone was extremely tough, carrying the overbearingness of a superior, and there was no doubt in it. Logically speaking, the tone of acting like a baby should be soft, which makes people feel relieved, so that they can agree to any of his requests. Fortunately, Wu Qiao, the inner expectations and the form of expression are completely opposite, people can't help but wonder if Wu Qiao is a little split.
"talk."
"..." Tan Yan smiled, "Persist a little longer, it's almost over. I won't do this kind of burdensome thing again."
"… I hope so."
Tan Yan added: "I don't think it's a big problem to force him to surrender."
"Okay." Wu Qiao had no doubts about this. To this day, Wu Qiao still worships Tan Yan. The person I admire most is my lover. It's a bit shameful to say this, but this is really Wu Qiao's situation, and it doesn't look like it will change in the future. Wu Qiao knew that most people in the outside world believed that his talent surpassed Tan Yan, and he himself knew that he had a high winning rate, but he didn't think he was so good, but was still obsessed with that person as always. Wu Qiao actually felt that this was not very good. As an officer, he should not overestimate the ability of his subordinates, as this would affect his judgment. Therefore, whenever encountering matters related to Tan Yan, Wu Qiao would always withdraw from the role first, use various data to assist himself, and strive to look at the overall situation objectively. As for Tan Yan, he would analyze the current situation with him very calmly, never conceal any difficulties, and never ask for anything arbitrarily, the two of them negotiated to find the most perfect solution. They can trust each other completely, and there is nothing to calculate.
The situation of the coalition forces is getting better and better, and they are getting closer and closer to the capital of the Republic.
During this period, Tan Yan also lost a battle.
He took a corridor, but failed to hold it in the end.
However, Tan Yan's cunning was beyond the Republic's army's expectation. Before retreating, he actually left the best part of the supplies in the camp. It gave others the impression that the coalition forces withdrew in a hurry, and they didn't even have time to take away all the food and water. According to common sense, what is discarded must be inferior, and what is taken away must be better. The army of the Republic was very short of supplies. When they rushed into the logistics area of the coalition army, they were stunned when they found that the enemy threw away unnecessary food and water far more than themselves. It was impossible to imagine the difference in the treatment of soldiers in the two countries so big. They knew that the neutral country was rich, but they didn't know how rich it was. They looked at the supplies in disbelief, and suddenly realized that what the upper echelons of the army said about "the coalition forces can't last long" was all deceptive nonsense.
At first, they looked at the food and water and couldn't even move. On the one hand, they were angry at the disgusting food they had eaten for a long time, and on the other hand, they hated themselves for being so easily deceived. They never knew how the army treated them. Just like cattle and horses. Immediately afterwards, the soldiers scrambled for food and water, carrying them in their pockets laxly. The long-term lack made them excited, intoxicated, and lost. Some people didn't grab supplies from the coalition army, and they felt very jealous when they saw the joyful appearance of their comrades who had grabbed them, and those who grabbed less were also jealous.
However, when the looting was over, the contrast between the enemy and the enemy became even stronger, and the morale that had previously been high due to the rare victory quickly collapsed. It is difficult for those who have not been soldiers to understand how soldiers see things, water, and the comforts of the civilized world, which is something deeply buried in the instinct to pursue. Everyone couldn't help guessing how delicious the food the coalition troops took with them would be. No one could imagine that Tan Yan deliberately threw away the best things.
Rumors gradually spread to the entire army, and the logistics area of the coalition army was said to be a good place full of gold. All kinds of delicacies, existing and non-existent, were put on the tables of the soldiers of the coalition army, with more and more styles. The soldiers of the Republic were uncontrollably depressed when they heard the names of the things they were thinking about.
This war was supposed to be a key point in the exchange of morale between the two sides, but the Republic did not seize the excellent opportunity and gave up eating because of choking, because a little food affected the entire morale. Sai Weng lost his horse, Tan Yan lost the battle, but brought him greater benefits.
"You are so good at deceiving..." Wu Qiao said.
"Maybe."
"Have you ever lied to me? What I said is different from what I actually said? It doesn't matter if it's a little bit different."
"… what?"
"Suddenly I'm a little worried... because I will believe anything you say." Wu Qiao was a little frustrated at this point. The other party is very good at deceiving, but I never doubt it, it seems that I am at a disadvantage.
Hearing this, Tan Yan couldn't help laughing: "Wu Qiao, you are so interesting."
"..."
"A little thing diverges infinitely, like a primary school girl."
"Hello..." Wu Qiao growled softly.
"Okay, okay." Tan Yan surrendered, "There is something different, does it count as cheating you?"
"What is it?"
"What is it—" Tan Yan stared at Wu Qiao, and deliberately drew a long voice, "That is, I love you more than what I described."
"..."
"Because there are some things that cannot be said."
"...Get off, tease me." Wu Qiao's face was completely red, red down to the neck. He felt ashamed. Just a few words of love from the other party made him change like this.
"Okay, okay." Tan Yan still had a smile in his eyes, "There are rumors that the Republic is discussing reconciliation with the coalition forces."
"Reconciliation?" Wu Qiao sneered, "I don't accept it. Call it's capital star."
"Ok."
"The only thing we can accept is unconditional surrender, and everything else is out of the question. I will not save face for it. It has already abandoned its face in history the moment it started the war."
"I guessed you would say that." Tan Yan paused, "If the emperor of the empire were changed... I think he would agree to a settlement."
"His bottom line is not to subjugate the country." Wu Qiao explained, "I am different from him."
"I know." Not only him, but everyone in the alliance knew that their handsome new head of state was an extremely tough person. Compared with the emperor in the past, Wu Qiao's personality was terribly tough.
Wu Qiao added: "To hell with the reconciliation. I will never indulge the aggressors and let them develop the habit of reconciling when they lose. If there is a disease, it must be completely cured."
Tan Yan smiled.
"Tan Yan," Wu Qiao looked at the person on the screen of the communication device, "You are the only person I will get used to. No matter what you want, I will find a way."
"Should I say thank you?"
Wu Qiao thought for a while, "Even my sister, I wouldn't do this... She wanted me to marry you, so I rejected her." In fact, most of the time, it was my sister who spoiled him.
"... But you will marry in the end."
"That's because I love you, okay?"
After a pause, Wu Qiao said again, "Anyway, let's call in."
"it is good."
…
After that, Tan Yan launched several more attacks, and the Republic's plan to intercept the coalition forces outside the capital's star field was completely bankrupt.
The Republic has already transferred all the troops on the western front back to the country, but it is still not enough.
The morale of the soldiers of the Republic was too low, like an avalanche, and they didn't have the courage to fight to the end with the coalition forces.
Before, they heard that although the coalition forces have an advantage at this stage, the Republic is really recharging its energy, and the coalition forces will soon be exhausted. However, in the logistics area of the retreating coalition forces, the soldiers of the Republic saw a large amount of supplies with their own eyes, and witnessed that the coalition forces could withstand the consumption of war better than them. The impact caused by this contrast is indescribable.
From the map, the coalition army is like a ribbon, straight into the interior of the republic, and is about to tightly strangle the opponent's throat at this moment.
The commander-in-chief of the Republic, who loves to play table tennis, decided to launch a big counterattack.
Some pessimists believe that this is a battle of honor.
"There's no honor battle," he flatly dismissed the speculation.
"I love playing sports," he said. "Sometimes the score looks hopeless. But you never know if you won't win until the end. There are no certainties. Anything can happen on the field. Anyone can win until the dust settles. Every shot I hit, I want to win."
At the same time, he fired several demoralized subordinates and replaced them with others. The people who were replaced actually had complex emotions, nervousness, confusion and even pain, because they had to do their duty, but they couldn't see the meaning of doing their duty.
Finally, out of desperation, the commander-in-chief even used subordinates who had no experience in command and only obeyed his orders, because in his opinion, incapacity was at least better than a bad attitude.