Iron Powder and Spellcaster

During the trial of the federal provincial officers, Skull Meklen changed his previous calm and restrained attitude and became sharp in his speech:

"So, Major Felt, please tell me, and please tell the jurors present - why a serving officer of the United Provincial Army appeared in Plato, in the new land, in this The scene of the trial?”

Alder Felt raised his withered head and was greeted by thousands of eyes carrying instinctive suspicion, disgust and rejection. Just because he was a "foreigner", he felt a sense of sadness.

"I'm sorry." Major Felt lowered his head again: "I have no comment."

"Watch your tongue, Major Felt." Skull Mecklen issued a kind warning: "The question you are being asked at this moment is not a 'Military Punishment Commission' convened just yesterday, but a question based on the "Alliance" A 'Special Court of Freemen' established with the right granted by the Charter. Choose your answer carefully, because every freeman in this hall will decide your fate."

"I'll ask you again." Colonel Skull emphasized: "Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry," Major Felt replied mechanically, "I have no comment."

The new free men obviously didn't like Major Felt's answer, and there was a buzz of dissatisfaction in the big meeting room.

Of course, what the free people disliked even more was Major Felt's status as a "federal man".

Colonel Scull banged his gavel to silence the noise around him.

He looked at Major Felt, with a threatening tone in his tone: "You know the consequences, but you still have to answer 'no comment'?"

Alder Felt seemed to be stimulated, he raised his head angrily, and met the cold eyes of the Palatine alumnus on the judge's bench.

He turned around again and cast his gaze at the xenophobic, conservative, and greedy "free landowners" sitting in the jury box.

"Yes!" When he spoke again, the anger in Felt's eyes had been replaced by contempt and contempt. He replied firmly: "Nothing to report!"

Although Alder Felt said the same thing three times in a row, it did not prevent him from conveying his emotional changes.

As a result, the free people of the newly cultivated land were even more disgusted with him because of the ungrateful attitude of the federal provincial man on the trial bench.

Many people have secretly prepared, and there is only one opportunity left to let out the cry that is still circling the dome.

On the contrary, Colonel Skull raised the corners of his mouth slightly, with some appreciation in his eyes.

"You are loyal, Alder Felt, and I respect that."

Skull Mecklen sincerely praised Alder Felt, which made the latter startled.

However, the next moment, the colonel suddenly changed the topic and asked the major: "So the 'ministry' asked you to answer like this?"

"Me." Major Felt was caught off guard. He subconsciously licked his lips: "No comment."

"Maybe I didn't explain it clearly, so I'll give you another chance to answer."

Colonel Skull retracted his leaning body and looked at the free men on the seats on both sides. Although he was nominally speaking to the person on trial, his body language indicated that he was preaching to the jurors.

The colonel asked loudly: "Has the Military Command of the Federal Provincial Army - the de facto highest command body of the Federal Provincial Army - given you a formal order that once captured, you are not allowed to confess, mention, or disclose anything that may be involved?" Information from the Military Command, otherwise you will be severely punished.”

Colonel Skull withdrew his gaze and focused his gaze on the Major again.

Major Felt felt that the colonel's gaze was like a meat cleaver, almost cutting him into pieces with only bones left.

"So, you can only answer..." Colonel Scull asked one word at a time: "No comment?"

Major Felt was already a little flustered, not because the other party knew about the gag order, but because the other party even repeated the wording of the gag order exactly.

He suppressed his uneasiness and suspicion and tried to maintain his superficial calm: "I'm sorry, I have no comment."

"Since you have nothing to say, I can only tell you." Colonel Scull put on a monocle, opened another file, and read out publicly:

"Alder Felt, Army Major, graduate of the eighth class of the Union Army Academy.

"Before you were sent to the Republic of Plato, your original position was the Republic of the Piedmont—that is, the Republic of the United Provinces.

“The Army General Command—the actual command organization of the federal provincial army,

"The second department - that is, the logistics training department,

“The second branch—that is, the training branch.

"The second division—that is, the cavalry division,

"The second section chief - that is, the deputy minister, huh."

After reading this, Colonel Skull stopped and looked at the juniors on the trial bench through the crystal polished into a monocle: "You are not in the infantry department? Why did you go to practice cavalry?"

The audience burst into laughter. Although few of the free people present could understand the meaning of those awkward names, it was always right to laugh at the federalists at any time.

Major Felt's cheeks were red and hot. He wanted to rush up the stairs and shout into the ears of the ignorant people around him: "Do you know how terrible the competition for infantry-related positions is in the federal provinces? Do you know how terrible the competition is for infantry-related positions in the United Provinces? I don’t know, being selected to work in the military headquarters is already a great thing?”

But in the end, he swallowed his anger without saying a word of explanation: "I'm sorry, I have no comment!"

"You received your transfer order on April 3rd - the day after the April 1st coup." Colonel Scull continued to read without mercy: "The person who issued your transfer order was Jason Coe Nilis—the author of the coup.”

At this point, Colonel Scull stopped again, pondered for a moment, and asked seriously: "Isn't Jason the director of the Army Academy? How come he signed your transfer order?"

The laughter grew louder, and Major Felt felt it was extremely noisy.

From the beginning of the "April 1st Revolution" until Congressman Richard Milehouse publicly admitted in his speech that "the revolution was an illegal coup", the actual affairs of the Army of the United Provinces were presided over by Colonel Cornelius.

Alder Felt wanted to ask the colonel sitting on the bench: "Since the transfer order was issued on April 3, if it was not signed by Colonel Jason Cornelius, who else could have signed it?"

"No comment!" Felt replied stiffly.

Colonel Skull turned down a page, glanced at it, and then put the file on the table: "You arrived at the King's Castle in about mid-April. Your task should be to supervise the handover of ordnance and provide military support. Suggest and help the King's Castle to train new soldiers to rebuild the fifth and sixth legions. Am I right?"

Alder Felt responded with silence, for everything the colonel said was correct.

But at the same time, the major was keenly aware that although the other party's tone was still firm, he unconsciously used words such as 'about' and 'should'.

Major Felt calmed down quickly.

The information before coming to Plato is accurate to the date; the information after coming to Plato is not so detailed?

This may mean that the intelligence source of the rebels is not in the Castle of Kings, but in Guitu City - Major Felt thought.

But right now, how to survive today's "interrogation" is more important than catching the mole far away on the shore of the inland sea.

"I'm sorry." Major Felt cheered up and took a deep breath: "No comment."

On the judge's bench, Skull Mecklund immediately noticed the change in the mood of the person on trial. Compared with the depression and malaise when he entered the big meeting hall, at this moment, the junior student suddenly showed some unknown fighting spirit.

The colonel realized that it must be something he said that attracted the other party's attention.

After a quick check back, Colonel Scull realized that he might have inadvertently leaked the secret.

Skull Mecklen calmly picked up the quill, dipped it in red ink, and drew a thick, red circle on the name of "Alder Felt" on the list of those to be tried.

"It is my duty to remind you, Alder Felt." Colonel Scull put the list back into the folder and said expressionlessly: "You don't have to answer the question, but this means that you also voluntarily give up on yourself. The right of defense; you may not recognize the authority of the Special Court of Freemen, but this also means that the cost of 'letting you live' is greater than 'letting you die'."

Listening to the colonel's emotionless statement, Major Felt shivered for no reason.

Regarding the colonel's last reminder, Major Felt did not reply with "no comment", but he did not say anything else. He chose silence.

"Major Alder Felt, how you answer the next questions raised by the court will determine your final fate." Colonel Skool Mecklen clasped his fingers and asked calmly: "Since, your mission Just delivering ordnance, providing consultation, training new recruits..."

"Then, why?" A cold light flashed in Skull Mecklen's eyes: "The place where you were captured - Maple Leaf Castle?"

[In comparison, various debuffs this week were stacked together, and only three mini updates were maintained]

[But I believe...hope.(T_T)]

[I'm sorry for everyone. If I have enough writing time next week, I will definitely make up for it]

【Remark】

[The Military Command Department of the Federal Provincial Army cannot be compared with the later General Staff Headquarters. The Federal Provincial Army established such a complicated organization mainly to accommodate the "huge" professional officer corps without actual duties]

[In this regard, the structure of the Veneta Army [organs with many names] and the United Provincial Army [large departments with small departments] are similar]

[As for the federal provinces, due to the separation of military command and military administration, there is both the Military Command Department and the Army Ministry, both of which are called provincial departments. The former is responsible for using troops, and the latter is responsible for raising troops]

[As for Venetta, the Army Headquarters, like the Navy Headquarters, is directly subordinate to the five-member Supreme Governing Council, which can be regarded as avoiding the possibility of going alone in terms of procedures]

[Whether it is Veneta or the United Provinces, the [rating] of the military's organizational structure is far from comparable to that of later generations of armies]

[But in any case, setting up a special agency to take charge of military affairs is already a great progress]

[In comparison, the top-level buildings of the imperial army are as complicated as a mess compared to those of the republics]

[The emperor could not allow another person to have more power and influence in the army than him, so he established various committees, divided military affairs into several small pieces, handed them over to committees that were not subordinate to each other, and frequently adjusted them. terms of reference of each committee to ensure their indispensable status]

【thank you all】