Bernadotte stood up, walked to Russell's side, and together they gazed at the Little Pyrenees Star System on the interstellar map, speaking in a solemn tone: "This war has swept across the entire human society, and we are all part of it. To be honest, I greatly admire your courage and wisdom. Everything you've done these days, the Supreme Command Department, and the President, are all grateful. If it weren't for your command, Leray would have struggled to hold on till now."

Seeing Russell about to speak, he waved his hand and continued: "What I'm saying is from the heart, there's no need to be modest. Helping you, and helping the Freedom Front, was an original agreement, and it aligns with Leray's national interests. Leray needs a friendly and peaceful neighbor. This space also needs a peaceful future."

Russell remained silent. He and Bernadotte used to be enemies from two different camps. He had studied this person carefully before, but it was not until he came to Leray that he truly understood him.

Bernadotte is not a renowned military strategist, nor a commander with exceptional talent, yet he is the stabilizer of the Combat Department. This title is not related to his abilities but to his spirit!

His style, like his person, is resilient and unyielding. Whether it was the Miloke resistance campaign, or the invasions of Desic and Jiepeng, he was always optimistic, never giving up.

He didn't possess mythical command skills, nor did he have any inspiring slogans. He merely drank coffee in large gulps to stay alert, meticulously reviewed every operational plan, spent countless sleepless nights in the Combat Department meeting room, and quietly did his work.

He wasn't on the front lines, but he was risking his life in another way!

Is anything else needed? For those around him, this was enough! His calmness and his resilient personality charmed everyone around him. Therefore, he was the stabilizer in the hearts of all military advisors. Just seeing his unassuming smile, any difficulty no longer seemed insurmountable, and any suffering could be endured!

Russell listened intently to this respectable general's voice: "Leray is a peaceful country. Our interests lie in technology, aerospace, and discovering a broader world. Humanity has reached this point because of such a spirit. Almost every Leray citizen instinctively detested war!"

Bernadotte gave Russell a slight smile and said, "Perhaps you've had a profound experience of this quality in your student."

Thinking of when Tian Xingjian refused to become his student, Russell responded with a wry smile. That Fatty was simply incompatible with war.

"Of course, that guy doesn't love peace, he's just afraid of death." Bernadotte couldn't help laughing as he spoke: "I never would have thought that such a person would bring us so many surprises. Watching him gradually become a hero of Leray, to this day, it still feels like a dream."

He smiled and patted Russell on the arm: "I understand what you're worried about, but you should trust that with him in the Freedom Front, they can't suffer too much. Moreover, any regime wanting to grow must pay some price."

Russell smiled slightly, and the two men said no more, for some things, they both understood well.

Gazalin, Russell could not return. For that nation, he bore the stigma of a traitor. Even if a democratic regime were to be established in the future, the Vibo people living on that land would never forgive him. The more democratic it is, the more people would rise up against you.

It sounds laughable, but that's the harsh reality. For his nation, Russell had given everything. If he were to return to that land, he would have to become a dictator based on the domination of a lower-class nation.

"I trust him," Russell said slowly. "He is my student. Thousands of battle case analyses reside in his mind, and I've never used my thinking to influence him because I know he has another understanding of war, one that might even be deeper than mine."

************************

Douglas, accompanied by Gordon and Hailig, entered the command center of the Independent Army.

For this Major General, whose uniform was impeccably crisp, demeanor composed, and who had led an Armored Division armed with six units of Ninth Generation Mecha and two powerful fleets into the Mezrich battle situation with a thunderous presence, everyone felt a deep sense of respect.

The bustling hall of the Combat Department paused at that moment. For the Gazalin soldiers, a force stronger than themselves was deserving of respect. Amidst one solemn salute after another, Douglas returned each with the utmost composure of a soldier, always holding himself to strict standards.

Upon entering the Combat Department's meeting room, where the Newly-built 19th Division, the Freedom Front, and the military officers of each division of the Independent Army awaited, a hint of a warm smile appeared on Douglas's stern face. One by one, he greeted with a handshake, and his different demeanor naturally engendered a favorable impression, like the warmth of a spring breeze.

In the crowd, Douglas immediately spotted Tian Xingjian.

Regarding this so-called Leray Hero, he had only glanced at the promotional materials a few times, and the impression was not actually profound. However, Douglas himself had a keen observational ability, and since this Major General of Leray was a member of the Fei Alliance, he naturally paid a bit more attention.

On the other hand, in a room full of gathered officers and generals, this person dressed in a Leray General's Uniform, always smiling somewhat foolishly and ingratiatingly, barely resembled a soldier, carrying a kind of monkey-dressed-as-a-king air.

Douglas found it perplexing, according to Leray's publicity, this Fatty was even a Special Soldier. Forget Special Soldier; even for an ordinary soldier, having such a physique seemed unimaginable to him.

Douglas again lowered his estimate of Leray's actual combat capability. He smiled while shaking hands with the Fatty, intentionally prolonging the small talk compared to others, not mentioning a word about how Fatty had failed to attend the welcoming of his arrival as the commander of the war zone last night.

Douglas thought that this Fatty, no matter what, ought to at least apologize, say some polite words or give a reason for not attending. Yet he didn't anticipate the Fatty would just keep smiling foolishly while shaking his hand repeatedly, never saying a word until his face cramped from smiling.

Fatty was thinking: "Why does this guy like shaking hands so much? Is it because my hand is plump and delicate, and it feels particularly nice to grip? Damn it, if he wants to shake hands, let's shake hands till he's satisfied."

*****

Seeing everyone's support for me, seeing the skyrocketing votes, at that moment, I was wet ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ahem, I mean my eyes were.

.

Continuing to write, there will be a recommendation next month. I'll write as much as I can, and let everyone have a climax once.

.

.(To be continued, for more chapters, please log in to www.qidian.com, support the author, support legitimate reading!)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.