Alexei put the telephone back on its cradle after receiving news from the Military Eastern District Strategic Command Headquarters.
He slowly turned and looked Alexander in the eye and raised a thumbs up, indicating that the operation was a success.
The generals and the civilian staff in the Command Ops cheered and clapped upon hearing the news, but Alexander remained expressionless, seemingly not satisfied with the whole ordeal. He just authorized an operation that could potentially kill thousands of lives. This signifies that he is not a private individual who makes weapons for the government and uses it to take lives, he is now the government with the power to use the technology he introduced to take the lives of others.
He let that thought sink in before joining his subordinates.
The cheers went on until Alexander raised a hand, stopping them from celebrating further.
"It appears as though we have done everything necessary to make the Yamato feel that the war is not going favorably on their side. We just have to wait for a day or two to see the effects. If the Yamato still persists to continue this war," Alexander paused as his gaze flickered to Alexei. "Alexei, I want you to bomb them again, but only this time, target their emperor, the man whom they looked up to as god."
"Your Majesty, killing their emperor would anger the Yamato even further, dragging this war. I'd say that from this moment forward, we should use diplomacy and settle this once and for all," Sergei implored.
"Sergei, aren't you listening? When I said bomb their emperor, I mean it seriously. Besides, if they truly care for their god, they'll stop their futile attack."
"Then how about we send them a letter to Your Majesty through Francois's legation? With that we will inform the Imperial Household about our plan to bomb their Imperial Palace should they not sue for peace or surrender."
Alexander sighed and shook his head as he rubbed his temples.
"Fine, you can do that. But if they see it as a bluff," Alexander shifted his gaze to Alexei. "Fire a warning shot near the Imperial Palace."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
"Tell them that they only have one day to respond. If we haven't received any word from them in the next twenty-four hours, you know what to do," Alexander glanced at the military officials present inside the Command Ops.
They respond with a salute, acknowledging his order.
"If there's nothing more, I will go home now. My sisters are waiting for me to teach them."
With that, Alexander left the Command Ops along with his security details escorting him. The civilian and military staff returned to their seats and resumed their duties.
***
Three hours later, in the capital city of the Yamato Empire. Emperor Taisho was sitting on his imperial throne with a grave expression written on his face.
In front of him was the Prime Minister of the Yamato Empire, Haru Takashi who have been prostrating with his forehead kissing the floor for five minutes.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for letting you experience such humiliation in our homeland. I have failed to protect my duty to protect the Yamato Empire and put you in grave danger. If you wish for it, Your Majesty, I will take my life and end my miserable existence."
"That's enough, Prime Minister Haru," Taisho said in a gruff tone. "I allow you to raise your head.
Haru raised his head and gazed upon the benevolence of his emperor. His eyes were filled with tears of guilt.
Taisho stood from the throne and walked toward Prime Minister Haru.
"Prime Minister Haru, report to me everything you know. Have we really lost the war?"
"Your Majesty, we have lost all of our forces in the Choson Empire and the First Yamato Imperial Fleet in the Battle of Yellow Sea."
"And you are informing me about this now?" Emperor Taisho's voice grew sternly as if a storm was coming.
Haru didn't inform the Emperor about their defeat in the Yellow Sea despite his vowing to the High Command that he'll do so. He believes that day that the tide of the war can be reversed by pulling in support from the international community. But they were reluctant to offer direct military aid so as to not damage their relations with the Ruthenian Empire. So in short, they were left on their own. What's more, the Ruthenian informed the world that the Yamato Empire planned to use chemical weapons in the war, thus losing the international support they needed.
And at that point, they are pretty much defeated. There's no way they can win against the Ruthenian Empire without a navy or an air force. This leaves them vulnerable to the air raid attack the Ruthenians conducted three hours ago, disrupting the way of life and the lies they'd been maintaining since the start of the war.
Haru could only press his forehead again on the ground, regretting his actions of starting a war with the Ruthenians.
"I apologize, Your Majesty...I am deeply sorry for causing you such grief...The Yamato Empire lost the war. We cannot attack and we cannot defend. Your Majesty, during the air raid, the Army Headquarters where it houses our military high command was destroyed, killing all those inside."
"What?!" Taisho couldn't believe his ears and it felt like someone is twisting his heart in different directions. He had never expected such a devastating loss from the war. "Are the casualties from the air raid heavy?"
"We are still working to get the estimated number of fatalities. It could take days. Also, Your Majesty. The Francois Republic's embassy has sent us a message."
"A message? About what? Aid?" Taisho asked.
"No, they are delivering a message from the Ruthenians. They are asking us to surrender to them or else they'll bomb the Imperial Palace."
"Ahh..." Taisho gasped in utter shock upon hearing those words. He pressed a hand on his chest as he felt a sting in his heart.
"Your Majesty, we can train every man in our country and fight off the invaders graciously. But we worry about your safety. It pains my heart to give you my suggestion that we sue for peace. They have given us 24 hours to comply and the message was three hours old. Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do everything it takes to negotiate with the Ruthenian Empire should they impose a harsh demand on us."
Taisho sighed. "If you are saying that we cannot defeat the enemy and the only choice for us is to sue for peace, then let's do it. However, don't misunderstand this as a form of submission to the west. We will rise up again from the ashes and become stronger than ever."
Haru smiled in relief and nodded in response to his words. Once the negotiation is over, Haru has decided he will take his life as a way of repentance and to restore his honor.
