In the palace of the Kingdom of Stefano, as sturdy as a fortress, on Heijian Star, it was a hive of activity.
Today marked the 42nd day since the invasion of the Kingdom of Stefano.
Two months ago, the armies of the Alliance descended upon this world, causing nearly all the nations on Heijian Star to tense up. Even without access to a starport, the Rage Owl Star People relied on ground rail transport ships and landing craft to continuously transport troops, equipment, and supplies to the surface.
The spies stationed in the Luman Kingdom by various nations became noticeably more active.
They were investigating the specifics of the army that had landed on the planet, trying to understand their objectives, their military strength, and the state of their weapons and equipment...
However, before they could figure anything out, the war operations of the Alliance Army had already begun.
In the morning of the first day, Nes Luman delivered a global address, with the signal openly accessible, shamelessly claiming the identity of the governor of Heijian Star, denying the legitimacy of the King's Council, and presenting documents from the Star Sector Government to declare all 'nations' that resisted taxes as Imperial traitors, claiming that a Star Realm Army had arrived at Heijian Star to quell the rebellion.
By midday, urgent intelligence came out from within the borders of the Luman Kingdom, indicating the massing of troops suspected to be heading towards the Kingdom of Stefano.
By evening, the border defenses of the Kingdom of Stefano had been crushed into dust by the Alliance's Lion Tanks.
This series of news arrived extremely swiftly and frequently.
One report had just detailed the kingdom's soldiers making a desperate stand at the border, estimating they could hold back the enemy for ten hours and hoping for reinforcements soon when the minister of the military was already fervently debating from where to dispatch troops and how to arrange the entire defense line to block the enemy. But before they could come to a conclusion, the next message announced that the defense line had been breached.
This presented them with tremendous difficulties.
The plans of the entire day seemed to be in vain. Often before a discussion could conclude or a plan could take shape, the basis for its feasibility no longer existed.
This scenario repeated over the course of 42 days.
The military operations of the Alliance were akin to a blitzkrieg.
The kingdom's defenses were like butter to a hot knife, easily pierced.
After the border, one defense line after another barely formed — some still in the process of being built — were overwhelmed by the Rage Owl Star People's armed forces, with artillery and armor.
As of today, the latest news indicated that the enemy's vanguard had reached a distance of 330 kilometers outside the fortress capital of the Kingdom of Stefano.
In front of the capital, only two lines of defense remained.
Within the court, a mood of tension, bewilderment, and even a bit of despair was spreading everywhere.
Those generals and ministers, who under normal circumstances were either graceful or steadfast, were still trying hard to maintain their dignity and calmness. However, as monarch, Queen Isabel could discern that her ministers and generals were in utter disarray, incapable of producing a coherent idea.
Honestly, she felt the same way.
But at the same time, she also harbored deep anger.
The Kingdom of Stefano, the second-largest kingdom on Heijian Star, had a population of seventy million people, ranking one above its neighbor, the Luman Kingdom, and nearly double its size in both population and land area.
Stefano was the most powerful among all the neighboring countries of Luman Kingdom and a force to be reckoned with on the planet.
Furthermore, Stefano had a strong military tradition. The nation had always prided itself on its military might, with a prevailing martial culture from top to bottom. The Stefanians were renowned throughout the world for their bravery and skill in battle.
Even the capital of the country was a huge fortress; the court within it was also a castle with maximum defensive capabilities.
Although Queen Isabel was a woman, she always took pride in her ancestors' bravery. Ascending to the throne at nineteen and now thirty-five, she had upheld the will of her ancestors during these sixteen years. From initially being seen as nothing more than a 'transitional monarch,' she had become a true queen.
All across the kingdom, who did not submit to the rule of the Iron Curtain Queen? Who dared to overlook the queen, who at a little over twenty years old, had won the affection of the Imperial Guard, daring to stage a coup in the court and personally executing fifteen powerful nobles with her own hands?
She ruled this country with an iron fist and was not about to watch her most important ministers, one by one, become so panic-stricken and clueless.
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She knew well that this was the time for her to step forward.
Tapping lightly on the table, the ministers and generals seated below in the military conference fell silent and raised their heads, looking towards their queen.
The once youthful face of Isabel now appeared even more hardened.
She made the decision, "Stop discussing those worthless things. We have already concentrated most of our forces. Over two-hundred thousand warriors are ready to hold their ground in the capital fortress. At the same time, across the country, more than half a million warriors are converging towards the capital, and they only need a month to gather. After another month, we can expect a further half a million troops. Our allies have promised that within a maximum of two months, an Alliance Army of no less than half a million men, organized by the King's Council, will come to our aid."