At that moment, Wang Zhong really wanted to reach out and wipe away Hedwig’s tears, but he held back.
Then he saw the girl’s tears freeze.
Luckily he hadn’t wiped them away, or else he might have ended up peeling off a piece of her skin, which would have been hard to explain!
At this point, Mrs. Petrovna stepped forward to help Hedwig clean up her tears.
As Hedwig wiped her tears, Razkiewicz said to Wang Zhong, “General, a single photo might not be enough. We need more pictures to boost the morale of the Melania people.
“Especially the kind that can evoke beneficial associations. We especially need this.”
Wang Zhong asked, “What kind of photos do you want?”
Razkiewicz replied, “I heard you have captured Prosen tanks here. Could you let Miss Hedwig take a few pictures on top of them?”
Wang Zhong answered, “Certainly, right this way, please.”
Afterward, Wang Zhong took the Melania delegation on a tour of the school and took many photos.
He realized that Melania had turned Hedwig into a symbol. After all, her father was that last president who had resisted to the last moment in the capital, Viswa-Walsi.
The broadcast station held by his personal troops was the last place in Viswa-Walsi to be captured.
Before the Prussians arrived, the last president had broadcasted to the Melania people for the last time, carrying a submachine gun, “My fight will stop today, but your fight will go on, and it must go on! Until the motherland is restored!”
It wasn’t until after the delegation had left that Wang Zhong learned of these things. Before then, he just knew that Melania was a country annexed by the Prussians.
No wonder Hedwig was seen by the Melania warriors as a symbol of resistance.
Wang Zhong had personally experienced the great victory at Ye Fort. He knew that in the darkest moments, people needed a linchpin for their spirits, and Hedwig was that linchpin.
The day after the tour ended, on the evening of December 17, Wang Zhong received the urgently developed photos. In them, Hedwig stood atop those captured Prosen tanks, her expression resolute.
The Melania diplomat who brought the photos said, “Miss Hedwig will be broadcasting to the Melania people within Ante territory shortly. It’s almost time. Would you like to listen?”
Wang Zhong replied, “Turn on the radio. I’ll have a listen.”
Vasily immediately turned on the radio in the room and began tuning the frequency.
The diplomat said, “Channel 109.1.”
Vasily quickly turned the dial and accurately stopped on channel 109.1.
The speech had just begun. The little girl who had seen Wang Zhong as an idol, a saint to be worshiped, suddenly transformed into a strong warrior, a princess of a conquered nation, her voice aged yet strong:
“Fellow countrymen! I am Hedwig Yadviga. Three years ago, my father broadcasted to all Melanians from the last unoccupied land in the capital, Viswa-Walsi, declaring that Melania would not perish.
“Now three years have passed. Prussia has swept through, unstoppable and arrogant, destroying many nations with ancient histories, their boots trampling the soil of the entire Europa.
“The brutal situation has made many compatriots lose their will to resist, and more and more are laying down their weapons. To be honest, I don’t blame you.”
Wang Zhong leaned on the edge of the desk, listening to the girl’s speech.
Vasily said, “She’s obviously given many such speeches before, she’s quite adept.”
Wang Zhong nodded.
Suddenly, he had a question and asked the Melania diplomat, “Why is she speaking in Ante? Shouldn’t such a broadcast be in Melania language?” Continue your saga on мѵʟ
The diplomat replied, “Most secular faction believers who have sought refuge in Ante can speak Ante. And one of the purposes of this broadcast is to evoke sympathy from the Ante public.”
Wang Zhong replied, “Oh,” then asked, “Do you really think using a girl like this to boost resistance morale is effective? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to have male war heroes?”
The diplomat answered, “That may be the case in Ante, but in the Federation, girls are more effective in raising funds. Our fundraising in the Federation had been lukewarm, only Melanians living in the Federation were generous.
“But after we pushed Hedwig Yadviga as our spokesperson, fundraising went much more smoothly. At that time, the Federation was not at war; they used the money raised to purchase weapons and send them to the Melania resistance forces.”
Wang Zhong asked, “What about now?”
The diplomat shrugged, “We may still depend on Miss Hedwig’s fundraising. It has been three years since Melania fell, and even some Melanians have started accepting Prussian indoctrination. The Federation is more willing to support the Carolingian resistance movement.”
Wang Zhong stroked his chin, suddenly struck with a new idea. He picked up the telephone and said to the operator, “Connect me to the Federation embassy. Embassy switchboard, please? Connect me to the press office; I need to speak with Reporter Mike.”
A few seconds later, Mike’s voice came from the handset, “Hello there, Lieutenant General Rokossovsky. What can I do for you?”
Wang Zhong said, “If I were to have my fiancée take a picture for a fundraising ad or something of the sort, what benefit could we gain in the Federation?”
Reporter Mike replied, “In our Federation, you can buy anything with money, even during wartime. Your fiancée is so beautiful and also a military officer—there are no female soldiers in the Federation, let alone those with combat achievements. As long as the photo is well taken, she will definitely win a large amount of donations for you.
“And she has another advantage; you are currently a household name as a war hero in the Federation. We in the Federation love that hero-beauty setup.”
Wang Zhong was overjoyed, “Good, let’s set up a time for the photo shoot then.”
“Wait a moment,” Reporter Mike said, “Is it okay for you to be busy with this now? How’s the offensive going at the Bokost-Shaostka front?”
Wang Zhong replied, “Let’s not talk about that… I can’t tell you the specifics; it’s military secret. In any case, it’s just as I predicted.”
Wang Zhong almost slipped up, very nearly telling Mike that the second offensive had failed and that he was gathering reserve forces for the third assault.
Reporter Mike said, “Okay, you’re not planning to do something to intervene?”
Wang Zhong replied, “Isn’t that what I’m doing now, trying to make up for the loss of the defeat? Can you come for the photo shoot tomorrow?”
“I’ll ask my partner,” came the faint sound of Reporter Mike conversing with his partner over the phone. After a minute, he said, “Sure, my partner would like more variety in backgrounds to choose from.”
Wang Zhong: “Regarding the background, I will contact the church’s public relations office.”
“Cooperate with the church photographer? Let me check…” Before Mike could ask, the voice of his partner’s agreement came through the phone, “Alright, my partner doesn’t seem to mind. How about we set up a time for tomorrow, is three in the afternoon good?”
Wang Zhong: “It’s settled then, we’ll meet at three in the afternoon at the public relations office building.”
He hung up the phone.
By this time, Hedwig’s speech was already halfway through: “The dawn of hope has already appeared, Lieutenant General Rokossov has completely annihilated seven enemy divisions, capturing a hundred thousand prisoners!
“He has proven that the Prussians can be defeated, that they are not the chosen ones, not the ‘superior race destined to rule the world.’
“General Rokossov even personally assured me that our fallen homeland will be reclaimed…”
Wang Zhong felt somewhat embarrassed and said to Vasily, “Turn it off.”
Vasily turned off the radio with a chuckle, “So the general can get embarrassed too?”
Wang Zhong picked up the phone: “Nonsense, I’m about to call home, it wouldn’t be right for Ludmila to hear another girl’s voice here.”
————-
The next day, December 18, inside the photography studio on the first floor of the church’s public relations office, Wang Zhong watched Ludmila dressed in military uniform and asked worriedly, “Aren’t you cold like that?”
Ludmila looked down at her skirt, “It’s alright, the heating here is quite strong. But skirts like this, really can’t be worn on the battlefield, can they?”
Female soldiers from Ante wore trousers just the same as male soldiers on the battlefield. Not only trousers but also men’s boxer briefs underneath, which were very loose and said to chafe extensively, often leaving wounds from the friction during marches.
Ludmila twirled in front of Wang Zhong and asked, “Does it look good?”
Wang Zhong laughed: “You look beautiful in anything you wear.”
As he spoke, he reached out and adjusted the position of Ludmila’s utility belt.
Ludmila stared at Wang Zhong: “I thought you would take the opportunity to make a move.”
Wang Zhong: “I’ve already had my fill of that.”
“Really?”
“Truly.”
Ludmila giggled.
At that moment, a nun came over and handed Ludmila a ceremonial staff.
Ludmila was surprised, “Are you sure I should hold this? I’m not high-ranking enough, am I?”
The nun smiled slightly: “His Eminence Belinsky personally approved it, please take it.”
Wang Zhong looked at the staff: “Is there any significance to this stick?”
“It’s said to be something that the angels beside Saint Andrew carried, and it’s only used in the highest standard ceremonies. The person holding it is at least a cardinal,” Ludmila explained.
By then, the public relations office staff were unfolding a huge flag of the Ante Empire; it seemed that this flag would be used as the background for the photoshoot shortly.
The two reporters from the Federation hadn’t arrived yet; who knows what they would think upon seeing this flag.
Another nun came over and draped a white cloak with golden edges over Ludmila.
After the nun completed her preparations, Ludmila holding the staff turned to Wang Zhong: “How does it look?”
Wang Zhong nodded, “Not bad, if you tuck the staff a little further back, pressing against the front armor, it would be even better.”
Ludmila sighed, “Be serious!”
Wang Zhong stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly recalled the opening CG of a very popular game from before he crossed over. He felt like Ludmila was about to start reciting a classic line:
Does this scene look familiar? Right now, such scenes are playing out across the galaxy! You could be next!
Unless you can make the most important decision of your life!
…
Ludmila: “My dear? Why did you suddenly space out?”
Wang Zhong: “You are more beautiful than the rose, I was just mesmerized.”
Damn, what kind of cheesy line is that! What am I doing!
Ludmila was overjoyed.
Just then, Vasily suddenly entered the studio and quickly came to Wang Zhong’s side, whispering, “The enemy launched a counteroffensive before the Western Front Army’s attack, and now the Western Front Army has lost all the positions they gained from the previous two offenses. There’s panic at the Front Army’s headquarters.”
Wang Zhong: “What are they panicking for? The Prussians not launching a pincer movement but rather retaking lost ground indicates that they also lack sufficient forces and supplies to launch a large-scale offensive.”
Before he could finish speaking, a major approached Wang Zhong and saluted, “Your Excellency, His Majesty the Tsar orders you to proceed to the Summer Palace immediately.”