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The war briefings from the front lines continued to pour in, with the National Defense Force consistently capturing several major cities, compressing the defenses constructed by the New Army. Prince Banan sat tirelessly in the conference room, with officials and officers coming in and out. The news from the front lines left Prince Banan restless. The ministers wore worried expressions, deeply concerned about the dire situation.
Zhang Qiu and Lucia were also in the conference room, the atmosphere so heavy that it was suffocating. Ever since Azure Hawk led his team out, it was as if they had vanished without a trace, with no news coming through.
"Zhang Qiu, do you think the North will win? I'm starting to worry that our thoughts might be overly optimistic."
Seeing Lucia's troubled face, Zhang Qiu didn't know how to comfort her. The developments were far more complex than anticipated; Prince Banan's so-called solid defenses had already been breached. Fortunately, after breaking through the defenses, the National Defense Force halted their advance, giving Prince Banan a chance to redeploy. Now, a second line of defense had been established, but it was uncertain how long it would hold. As for launching an offensive, Zhang Qiu dared not hope for that at the moment and could only place his hopes on Azure Hawk leading the Special Operations Team.
"Your Highness!" a telegrapher burst into the conference room, holding up a telegram.
Prince Banan, already agitated, glared at the telegrapher and scolded, "What are you shouting for? Who told you to come in directly?"
"Prince Banan, it's urgent! I brought this telegram to you as soon as I could."
"Hurry up!" Zhang Qiu interjected. The telegrapher's flustered demeanor indicated there was something urgent. It was unwise for Prince Banan to focus on trivial matters instead of addressing important issues. Although Prince Banan had received modern education, living in the palace inevitably influenced him with a hint of authoritarianism.
However, the telegrapher did not respond to Zhang Qiu and kept his gaze fixed on Prince Banan. Zhang Qiu could tell that unless Prince Banan nodded, he would not disclose the contents of the telegram. This blind adherence to hierarchy frustrated Zhang Qiu; such behavior would only hinder progress when time was of the essence. Seeing that Prince Banan still did not inquire about what was happening, Zhang Qiu couldn't care less about his anger and directly challenged him: "Prince Banan, this will lead to mistakes! Quickly ask the telegrapher what happened!"
Prince Banan turned to look at Zhang Qiu; their eyes met for a moment before he said, "Quickly, what does the telegram say?"
"Report, Your Highness! Multiple cities in the Southeast have erupted in rebellion. Angry citizens are storming government offices, and soldiers are defecting en masse. Currently, a large army composed of workers, farmers, and soldiers is expanding towards neighboring cities," the telegrapher reported excitedly to Prince Banan, a flush of energy appearing on his tired face.
The sudden surprise felt like a hurricane hitting everyone at once. Prince Banan was speechless with excitement; tears streamed down his cheeks as he realized that their efforts were finally bearing fruit—how could this not be exhilarating?
After hearing Lucia's translation, Zhang Qiu was the first to applaud, followed by applause echoing throughout the conference room. He looked at Lucia, who moments ago had been frowning but now wore a radiant smile.
Prince Banan stepped up to a large operational map and examined it closely before pointing decisively at a location on the map. "Here! This is it!" He turned around and declared, "I now command that we immediately organize our troops and launch a full-scale counterattack!"
"Yes!" Several generals stationed in the palace stood up and left promptly.
Prince Banan smiled broadly, his previously furrowed brow finally relaxing. He turned to the waiting Servant and said, "Bring me food; I'm hungry."
The Servants breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to prepare a meal for Your Highness. Prince Banan walked over to Zhang Qiu, affectionately putting an arm around Zhang Qiu's shoulders and said, "This is wonderful, Zhang Qiu, simply wonderful. The current situation must mean that God is helping me." Excitedly, Prince Banan returned to the map, pointing at it: "The major cities in the Southeast have declared independence one after another, effectively cutting off the retreat route of the National Defense Force. If my army takes the initiative, we can encircle the National Defense Force."
Standing confidently in front of the map, Prince Banan received flattering remarks from the ministers beside him. For a moment, Zhang Qiu felt as if he were in a different world. Reality is so unpredictable; no matter how well-planned things are, a single change can alter everything.
News of the independence of the Southern Cities quickly spread through the streets thanks to propaganda efforts. People discussed the current situation everywhere. The soldiers on the front lines heard this good news, and their previously low morale was instantly revived; they rallied with renewed vigor, and the counteroffensive proceeded exceptionally smoothly. That evening, Prince Banan received a battle report and slammed the Telegram down in front of Zhang Qiu, excitedly saying, "Zhang Qiu, look! We've recaptured three cities in just one day."
"That's amazing!" Zhang Qiu replied with equal excitement. "At this rate, everything will develop positively. Tanzania will surely be revitalized."
"Yes, it will definitely get better. However, we've suffered heavy losses in our forces recently." Prince Banan's heart ached; every soldier in the New Army was his benefactor. Without their support, he wouldn't have achieved today's situation; even his survival in this world would be uncertain.
Considering the losses in manpower, Zhang Qiu pondered this issue and suddenly had an idea. " Prince Banan, may I ask how many Captives we have after each battle?"
"Captives, I'm not sure; why do you ask this?" Prince Banan shook his head. Such matters did not need to be reported to him; they were information that military commanders should know.
"I have a plan in mind; I don't need detailed data—just an approximate number of Captives would suffice for reference."
"Wait here!" After saying this, Prince Banan immediately instructed a bodyguard to go out. Two minutes later, a formidable general strode in with a weathered face adorned with a joyful smile that revealed a mouthful of white teeth. Upon seeing Prince Banan, the general stood at attention and saluted: "Reporting to Your Highness, our counteroffensive is achieving victory after victory; the enemy has been encircled and is expected to be eliminated within two days. We will reclaim lost cities and connect with the southern rebel forces."
"Very good," Prince Banan said with satisfaction as he looked at his general. "Tell me, how many Captives do we have after each victory?"
"Your Highness, that's exactly what I am worried about. After each battle, there are large numbers of Captives. Following the uprisings in several cities in the Southeast, enemy morale has plummeted; they often flee after firing just a few shots during skirmishes. Our troops can easily break through local defenses, resulting in many soldiers being captured. Considering these soldiers are our compatriots, I have ordered that we do not mistreat them. However, managing these captives has become particularly challenging. On one hand, we need personnel for combat; on the other hand, we also need people to guard and escort them to prevent any incidents of rebellion among the Captives."
"I have a solution for this problem," Zhang Qiu stepped forward. While the general was speaking with Prince Banan, Lucia had been beside them relaying information from Zhang Qiu.
Both Prince Banan and the general turned their attention to Zhang Qiu. "Prince Banan, my inquiry about the number of captives was precisely for this consideration. Since there are so many captives available, my plan can be implemented."
"Zhang Qiu, hurry with your plan; I believe you will bring me surprises." Prince Banan was quite excited; Zhang Qiu had already provided him with too many surprises. Concerned about insufficient manpower and now realizing that a significant number of personnel would need to be allocated to guard captives after capturing each city meant that aside from losing some troops in battle, additional forces would also be required for custody duties. If this trend continued, things would become increasingly awkward as time went on.
"Let's sit down," Zhang Qiu said as he walked toward the conference table. Prince Banan dismissed all unrelated personnel from the meeting room, leaving only himself, the general, Zhang Qiu, and Lucia.
Zhang Qiu clasped his hands together on the table and said, "The current situation is that we lack manpower but have a large number of prisoners of war. My idea is to convert these prisoners into soldiers. The strategy of using war to sustain war applies not only to resources but also to combat personnel."
The general immediately replied, "I've thought about this solution before, but implementing it could lead to significant problems."
"What problems?" Zhang Qiu asked.
"The most pressing issue is that we don't have enough time to convert the prisoners into combat personnel. The frontline battles are intense, and by the time we finish converting the prisoners, this war may already be over. Therefore, my suggestion is to continue recruiting new soldiers."
"That won't work. We have already recruited new soldiers; every family has sent their sons into the army. Some soldiers have barely stepped onto the battlefield before their families receive death notices. If we recruit new soldiers again, many families may not be able to accept it. The suffering of war has already inflicted a painful price on the public; we cannot continue down this path," Prince Banan directly rejected the general's proposal to recruit new soldiers. He had more considerations beyond military aspects; social factors were fundamental for a country's stability and development.
Prince Banan's words spared Zhang Qiu from having to argue further; he didn't need to overturn the general's suggestion. Instead, he said, "Your Excellency, they are already soldiers and can be directly deployed into combat. These individuals require no training and come with their own tactical skills—where else can we find better troops?"
"No, you're thinking too simply," the general shook his head, his gaze deep and intense. He had a fiery temper typical of a soldier but remained accommodating toward Zhang Qiu because he was a guest of His Highness.
"Why not? I think Zhang Qiu's idea is quite good," Lucia chimed in from the side.
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