"Regarding this issue..." The general immediately wanted to refuse to answer, as this was a secret of Victory, how could he possibly tell a diplomat from France.
However, at this moment, Perfikot took notice. She still stood on the stage, but with a bewitching smile, said, "General Foster, tell him, after all, tomorrow the whole world will know that the Empire destroyed the capitals of three countries overnight.
Rather than letting them wildly speculate, it’s better to openly tell them what weapon we used, so they might die understanding a bit more, and without holding any unrealistic hopes."
Hearing Perfikot’s words, the general glanced around, seeing that no one, including Duke Gloucester and Eldest Princess Annie, showed any opposition, he had no more qualms.
After all, strategic deterrence was indeed part of the content that Perfikot raised when proposing this battle plan. Google seaʀᴄh novel⦿fire.net
"We did not send troops to attack your capital. Although Steam Knights could accomplish the same thing, they are still too inefficient." The general explained to Anthony, whose face had begun to turn pale, and his eyes inevitably showed some sympathy: "The Flying Airship is equipped with a new weapon called a Thermobaric Bomb, developed by Count Brandelis.
It is a terrifying weapon that can destroy a fortress or an entire city block with just one bomb. Count Brandelis specifically named it a strategic weapon, meaning its use could directly win a war on a strategic level.
The sky is burning, the earth is crawling at my feet, these words were the code for tonight’s action.
In fact, as Count Brandelis said, the Flying Airship had departed from Langton to the capitals of your country and the other two countries of the Triple Alliance hours ago, and this code was the order for them to drop the Thermobaric Bombs."
After speaking, the general seemed to genuinely feel some sympathy for this diplomat whose homeland’s capital no longer existed, so he added a word of concern: "If you have family in the capital, please accept my condolences. With the power of the Thermobaric Bomb, they couldn’t possibly survive."
Understanding the general’s explanation, Anthony already felt dizzy, as his home was in the capital of France.
His beloved wife and his nine-year-old daughter, his strict yet caring father, loving mother, admiring younger brother, and his favorite lover...
They were all in France, and at this very moment, they were all engulfed in flames.
Thinking of this, Anthony looked up at Perfikot, overwhelmed with national hatred and personal grief, he recklessly raised his arm to shoot a wrist-arrow at Perfikot.
Even though his action was noticed as soon as he lifted his hand, the general sitting beside him hurriedly tried to stop him but was too late.
The general only had time to press Anthony’s arm, pinning him to the ground, but the fired wrist-arrow rushed straight for Perfikot’s face.
However, facing the arrow shot at her, Perfikot merely casually raised her arm and caught the arrow.
"If you used a handgun, I might have dodged, but a wrist-arrow?" Perfikot sneered, then threw the arrow to the ground: "The times have changed! Just like you and your country, fated to be eliminated by the era.
I give you seventy-two hours to unconditionally surrender. If you refuse or want to negotiate terms, the Empire’s Flying Airship and Thermobaric Bombs will destroy your cities at the rate of one city per day until you unconditionally surrender."
Having said this, Perfikot turned and left the stage.
The general pressing down on Anthony did not make things difficult for him but only said: "You heard it, only seventy-two hours."
Finished speaking, he had the guards escort Anthony out.
------------------------------------
Time flew by, and it was already the afternoon of the third day. Perfikot was sitting in Windsor Castle’s greenhouse, having afternoon tea with Eldest Princess Annie.
"So what was the actual result of the first live use of the Thermobaric Bomb?" Perfikot placed her teacup back on the table and asked Eldest Princess Annie beside her.
Although she designed the Thermobaric Bomb and fully understood its lethality, Perfikot still cared about the extent of the destruction her weapon caused and how many lives it claimed.
"Little Perfikot, it’s better if you don’t know, or you’ll have nightmares," Eldest Princess Annie couldn’t help but feel a little pity for Perfikot, not wishing her to know such bloody figures, bearing the heavy sin of millions of lives at such a young age.
Numbers that even a seasoned soldier like Eldest Princess Annie, who had faced battlefields and killed enemies personally, would shudder at the thought of.
Even in the perpetually springlike greenhouse of Windsor Castle, Eldest Princess Annie felt the chill emitted by those figures, not wanting Perfikot to bear such a heavy burden, she had already carried enough for the Empire.
However, Perfikot only waved her hand dismissively, unconcerned, saying to Eldest Princess Annie: "It has to be faced, even if Aunt Annie doesn’t tell me, tomorrow it will be all over the newspapers.
After all, I wiped three capitals off the map, with their main land and naval forces of the Triple Alliance altogether should be over three million, right?
Don’t worry about my psychological burden, if this war continues, two or three years later, they would freeze to death in the doomsday winter. Dying now is just ahead of time."
It seemed like she was convincing Eldest Princess Annie, but also herself, Perfikot deliberately added, "Killing them now is to avoid more people dying because of this war they started.
As long as the three countries unconditionally surrender, the Empire can obtain enough resources from them to develop and build the Northern Territory, accelerating our schedule, building more shelters, letting more Empire citizens survive this catastrophe."
Perfikot did not mention all of humanity. She knew it was not the time to consider all humanity, nor was there the environment to consider it.
After all, in the old world of the eighteenth century, national and ethnic consciousness were just awakening, expecting them to think of all humanity was indeed unrealistic.
"Alright, but all we have now is preliminary estimated data. The Triple Alliance army’s casualties were easier to count, totaling about six hundred thousand, all elite troops of the Triple Alliance," fully aware that even without her saying, Perfikot could learn from other sources, Eldest Princess Annie introduced the battle results caused by the Thermobaric Bomb reluctantly: "From the Triple Alliance navy, twenty-six old battleships and seven new battleships were sunk, and other warships were hard to count, but the total should exceed two hundred. This included destroying France’s navy base and the city it was in, with at least two hundred thousand buried in the flames.
As for the Triple Alliance’s capitals, death tolls haven’t been calculated yet, but from current intelligence, France capital deaths and disappearances have exceeded a million, with Ruth capital and Saint Romulus capital not far behind.
Moreover, at least two million were displaced, many suffering burns or inhaling toxic gases, losing their homes and waiting for rescue in this cold winter, but now it’s clear the three countries have no ability to handle it, they will all die in days or weeks."