Chapter 685: Chapter 389, Conquering the Planet_2
It’s hard to say whether it was a promotion or a demotion; whether it was being entrusted with a heavy responsibility to go to the Star Realm Army and help the Fatches Regime take control of the troops, or being treated as Imperial Tax and exiled beyond the core of power.
He only knew that at that time, his feelings were very complicated.
Since then, he had shed his previously significant political identity and become a pure military officer. Gone were the days of engaging in political machinations, but his life had since become more monotonous.
What he least wanted was the day when the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps would be deployed from their home planet to war on alien worlds.
But that day came more suddenly and unexpectedly than he could have imagined.
His first mission away from his home planet to fight abroad was to head to Rage Owl Star to clear up the trouble with Blackbird Heavy Industries.
…
Initially, he did not think it would be a long-term mission. Upon arriving at Rage Owl Star, he boasted grandly, hoping to take command of the local military forces of Rage Owl Star, launch a full-scale offensive, quickly end the war, and then…
Then he was proven wrong.
There, he saw for the first time what the Alliance Army was capable of.
But that was just an episode in his life; no matter the process, at least his mission was completed, the losses to his troops were not too great, and the time spent was not too lengthy.
Just when he thought he could finally return to his homeland, a transfer order came through, taking him straight from Rage Owl Star to Korolya.
At that time, he still thought it would be a short-term mission, similar to what had happened at Rage Owl Star; just going to an Empire World to suppress a rebellion, to sweep away a Cult.
But unexpectedly, that stay turned into eight years, and the governor of Korolya changed three times.
However, the eight years on Korolya had long extinguished his interest in politics. The brutal war escalated continuously before him, and for those few years his thoughts were consumed with how to win, how to complete the mission, and how to ensure the young men under his command suffered fewer casualties.
What left a particularly deep impression on him was the defense of Mingyan City.
A division was sent to the front line, fought for a few hours, and was gone.
Tens of thousands of people, just gone like that.
What he could do was send in one division after another, and then watch as they were decimated, destroyed within a few hours.
Watching the battle reports, looking at the fronts, witnessing those horrific scenes with his own eyes, Cai Minjin’s way of thinking was forever changed.
All those power struggles, all those schemes, were utterly meaningless amidst this baptism of blood and fire.
At least for him, they held no significance.
Two years have passed since the war ended, and while garrisoning Nest Capital and fighting the peacekeeping battles, it felt almost like vacation compared to the brutal battlefields of before.
Occasionally, he would still think of his hometown, recall the life he led when he was the commander of the Defense Army.
Nostalgia? Contempt? Perhaps a bit of both.
If possible, he wouldn’t mind going home for a visit, especially since his wife and children were still on Fatches No.1.
Although, he also had a daughter-in-law from Korolya, who was married to someone of local nobility…
And now, he truly did return to his homeland, but he had not expected it to be in this manner.
He was coming home in the manner of an imperial counter-insurgent, returning to the place he had protected for half his life.
Indeed, the world is so unpredictable.
Looking out the car window, he saw streets that should have been bustling but were now eerily empty and deserted, and his mind was flooded with chaotic thoughts.
But as the military vehicle entered the military district, all his thoughts were gathered back in.
Through the rain that began to drizzle from the sky at some point, officers of the Capital Guard Army waited.
Leading them was Bobby Fatches, the traitor… oh, that is to say, the loyalist, or the defector.
Cai Minjin wasn’t sure how to define it anymore.
He got out of the car and shook hands with Bobby.
“Welcome back, old commander,” Bobby appeared quite humble, for Cai Minjin truly was his former superior.
Cai Minjin waved his hand, indicating not to say more.
A group of people entered the office building of the military district.
Inside the great hall, many people were already seated.
All of them were at least field-grade officers, the chiefs in charge of their respective units.
Hearing the doors of the great hall opening, they turned and looked simultaneously at Cai Minjin as he walked in with firm steps, their expressions complex.
Without stopping, Cai Minjin walked up to the podium and stood before everyone.
“Have all the commanding officers at the regiment level or above arrived?” Cai Minjin asked.
Bobby, who had just sat in the front row, stood up to respond, “Those who are willing to come have all arrived. There are still some…”
Cai Minjin cut him off, “I’m giving one hour. Inform those who haven’t come, tell them I’ve arrived, and that my Star Realm Legion is outside the city, so they should think carefully for themselves. In one hour, anyone not present will be considered a traitor, and I will personally lead the attack to wipe them out.”
Watching the strange expressions of the many officers below him, Cai Minjin added, “Yes, that’s right, those not present are the traitors.”
Bobby gave a few orders, and someone ran out.
In the following tens of minutes, people continued to arrive.
On the dot, Cai Minjin had the doors to the hall closed.
He announced to all those present, “Now, all the loyal officers of the Capital Guard Army are here.”
No one spoke, and he didn’t mind as he started assigning tasks.
The absent regiment-level commanders totaled eleven. The troops under their command amounted to roughly twenty to thirty thousand, a definite minority compared to the million-strong Capital Guard Army, and they were dispersed around the capital city and outlying areas.