Chapter 7: Power

Colonel Hawkins followed the disheveled soldier out of the logistics supply department.

They made their way to a small nearby inn.

When he saw the young captain, Colonel Hawkins was rather surprised.

The main reason was simply that he looked too young—especially with such a strikingly beautiful female adjutant at his side. If they had met in any other setting, Colonel Hawkins would have assumed he was just another clueless young noble playing soldier. After all, the army was not like other places. At this stage of the war, it was common to hear of enlisted men killing officers.

But judging by the captain’s utterly haggard appearance—clearly having not rested for at least two or three days—he had most likely rushed in straight from the front lines. Not to mention, the room was filled with documents. And that female adjutant, with her chilling aura that only came from surviving countless battles, made it clear things were far from ordinary.

Colonel Hawkins knocked gently on the door and entered.

“Hope I’m not intruding on the two of you by coming unannounced.”

“You arrived sooner than I expected. Let’s set etiquette aside for now, Colonel. Please, have a seat.”

Ning Luo spoke plainly.

In theory, a captain should salute a colonel. But as Ning Luo had said, neither he nor Colonel Hawkins had time to waste on meaningless formalities.

Colonel Hawkins sat across from Ning Luo.

“Charles Pe Hawkins. How should I address you, Captain?”

“Ning Luo.”

As before, he deliberately left out his surname.

Colonel Hawkins continued asking, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the one who requested to see me. What can I do for you?”

“It’s like this. While passing through the field hospital, Director Dominique reported to me about certain issues in logistics. The actual supplies he received amounted to only one-third of what was officially provided.”

Ning Luo pushed a document across the table toward Colonel Hawkins.

It was the file Director Dominique had provided.

“Captain, I have great respect for Director Dominique’s character. But I believe there may be some misunderstanding here.”

Colonel Hawkins didn’t even glance at the file.

Matters like this were enough to get a low-ranking officer removed, but trying to take down someone of Colonel Hawkins’ rank was nearly impossible.

Besides—

If the General Staff truly wanted to replace him, they wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble. It was simply a matter of whether they wanted to or not.

Ning Luo didn’t press the topic any further.

“In that case, Colonel, let’s get straight to the point.”

“Please.”

“The Empire must win the next war.”

“I understand.”

Hearing this from Ning Luo, Colonel Hawkins finally let out a breath of relief.

That single statement revealed several important things.

First, the General Staff had no intention of removing him—for now. Second, whether it was about past matters or current ones, what the General Staff truly wanted was victory in the next war, no matter the cost. If they won, the issues within the logistics system could still be negotiated. But if they lost, it would no longer just be Colonel Hawkins’ problem—the consequences would be unthinkable.

Third, as long as the next war could be won, the General Staff wouldn’t interfere with other matters. In other words, it was time for Ning Luo and Colonel Hawkins to strike a deal.

“So then, Captain, what are you proposing?”

“This is the new resource optimization plan.”

Ning Luo handed another document to Colonel Hawkins.

This time, Colonel Hawkins actually took the file and began reading it carefully—but after only a few pages, his brow furrowed deeply.

The document was highly professional—far more so than their current logistics system. The complex formulas scattered throughout were likely the result of a joint effort between professors from the Imperial Institute of Technology and military personnel. The level of technical detail demonstrated just how seriously the higher-ups were taking this.

However—

The content of the document was, ironically, completely unimplementable. Even someone like Colonel Hawkins wouldn’t dare to approve it outright. The interests it touched upon ran so deep, they extended into nearly every sector of the Empire.

Yet Ning Luo had placed this document directly in front of Colonel Hawkins, leaving the colonel unable to guess at Ning Luo’s true intentions.

Colonel Hawkins set the document down.

“Captain, speaking personally, I support this reform plan. But this is not a matter I can decide on my own.”

“Are you saying there’s opposition to it, Colonel?”

“No, Captain, you misunderstand. What I mean is that if this comes as a directive from the General Staff, then of course I will execute it unconditionally.”

“Perhaps the General Staff doesn’t want to issue it unilaterally. Perhaps they’d prefer to take everyone’s opinion into consideration?”

The exchange between them wasn’t complicated.

If the document was a formal order from the General Staff, then Colonel Hawkins had no room to refuse it. He was a soldier—he had to obey orders without question. Of course, if anything went wrong later, the ultimate blame would lie with the General Staff.

But Ning Luo clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily.

Those bloodshot, black eyes fixed directly on Colonel Hawkins, as if examining the depths of his soul.

The atmosphere grew tense.

A chill ran down Colonel Hawkins’ spine. He had climbed step by step to reach his current position, facing more than his fair share of crises along the way. But never had he expected such crushing pressure to come from someone so young.

“Personally, I support it. As for the opinions of the other ministers, I can’t speak for them.”

“In that case, would you be willing to sign this document to show your support, Colonel? Don’t worry—it holds no legal weight. I’ll speak with the other ministers myself afterward.”

Colonel Hawkins would have to be insane to sign it.

It might be officially meaningless and unenforceable, but if a formal investigation were ever launched, who would care whether it had legal standing?

However—

Colonel Hawkins now had a general idea of what the General Staff was thinking. From the moment Ning Luo pulled out that document, he had been trying to figure out what the General Staff’s motive was in producing a plan so impossible to implement. Now, it was clear: their target wasn’t just the logistics system.

They intended to shake the entire Empire—starting from the logistics system.

This was likely part of a power struggle between the newly appointed Chief of General Staff, General Asfled, and the upper echelons of the Empire. Officers like Colonel Hawkins were nothing more than pawns in this greater game.

The General Staff didn’t need Colonel Hawkins’ consent. They could replace the Quartermaster Director at any time with someone who would consent.

Colonel Hawkins chose to change the subject.

“Captain, I think this would be better discussed in a proper meeting.”

“Colonel, if you intend to refuse, you’re free to do so. But we don’t have time. Do you think the Fontainians are going to wait patiently while we hold a nice meeting?”

“In that case…”

Colonel Hawkins realized there was no escaping this.

"How about letting my adjutant sign instead? He can represent me to some extent—what do you think?"

As soon as Colonel Hawkins said that—

The adjutant standing behind him instantly turned pale. This was a power struggle that could reach the highest levels of the Empire. Even someone like Colonel Hawkins was just a pawn in this game, let alone someone like him, a mere major.

If anything went wrong, it would cost him his life.

But since even Colonel Hawkins couldn’t outright refuse, the adjutant had no right to reject it either.

Ning Luo stood up.

"Colonel, I just hope that two weeks from now, we won't regret this."

……

…

Colonel Hawkins left.

He had only allowed his adjutant to sign the document. From that moment on, Ning Luo’s false identity as an officer of the General Staff now had the tacit endorsement of Colonel Hawkins, effectively making it legitimate. Going forward, Ning Luo would no longer need to go through the trouble of convincing other ministers of the authenticity of his role.

It could be said that Ning Luo had used this uniform to stack power, step by step—from the liaison officer, to Director Dominique, to the deserter, and now finally to Colonel Hawkins.

However—

The meeting with Colonel Hawkins had revealed something far more important.

Standing quietly to the side, Priscilla finally spoke.

"Your approach just now was too aggressive. If Colonel Hawkins hadn't believed you, everything you’ve done up to this point would have been for nothing."

"I did it on purpose."

"You were testing his limits. I don’t advise doing that."

In the military, testing someone was never tolerated.

The military demanded discipline, authority, decisive action, and trust. Testing others undermined all of that. It bordered on betrayal—the one thing most unforgivable within a military structure.

Testing Colonel Hawkins might plant the seeds of disaster for the future.

But Ning Luo shook his head.

"I wasn’t testing him. I wanted to know just how dire this war really is."

"What do you mean?"

"The terms and demands I gave him were outrageously unreasonable. Based on my original assessment, there was no way he’d agree. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve tried to stall me, then go investigate my identity, verify with the General Staff, and consult others on how to respond."

"But instead, he agreed."

"Exactly."

Ning Luo clasped his hands together and gave a small push at imaginary glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"That can only mean one thing—the situation at the front is even worse than we imagined."

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