Author Notes:
Honestly, the more I scribble RM down, the more I realize how real the quote: History is written by the winner, truly is. If me, a brainless Slime, can pen down something like RM, then I can only imagine what smart academics with actual brains can write when they want to write something that will last ages, and will attract countless readers in search of their wisdom. People aren't wrong when they said words are somethings that can shape generations, huh?
Philosophical stuff aside, welcome back to the new chapter of RM where I throw reality straight through the window, oorah!
First, congratulations and shoutout to Corporal OdeToAKite for being my newest support! Please, enjoy the trip down OBOM's lane!
Next, well, don't forget the Monthly Discount is running right now till the 22nd of May! And that there's a Discord server waiting for you to chime in! Links are right down below, so I hope you all can check it out.
https://www.patreon.com/Heartbreak117
https://discord.gg/cVZxJ29ruh
Without further ado, enjoy the new RM chapter!
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Below are excerpts of King George VI's surrender broadcast:
- ... Four days ago, after pondering the general trends of the world and the actual conditions of our Kingdom deeply, after much deliberation with the will of the people, I, alongside those of my loyal cabinet, had decided to effect a settlement of our long-fought war with the Belkan Reich by resorting to an extraordinary measure.
- However, three days ago, before we could have communicated with the government of the Belkan Reich, a bitter, bloody military coup d'etat was initiated by multiple high-ranking nobles, parliament members, and capitalist influencers in the center of London. They sought to topple the ultimate decision that I, and the citizens of Erusea, have reached an accord with. These foul menaces sought to continue this truly dreadful war at the cost of people other than themselves. Casualties were high, many innocent lives were lost, chaos reigned...
- ... Amidst the burning flame of a civil war, where brothers turned upon brothers, where alliances flipped sides as easily as a flip of the hand, coalitions fought among one another with no standing directives, no just cause whatsoever. As minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, only three factions were left squabbling upon burning ruins and bleeding corpses of the innocents. Of the three, one was the Royal Guards, commanded by my dutiful Colonel Bradshaw, and another was the civilian militias, led by the Count of Farbanti. The final faction that fought to doom us all was formed out of the greediest and most audacious capitalists. Even when the Belkan Reich had sailed to London to engage in a final attempt at reconciliation between the two nations, this most hateful enemy of ours even attacked the Belkan vessels and soldiers first, triggering a very prompt response from the Reich Marshal herself. The capitalists' coup d'etat force would have moved on to swiftly destroy Buckingham Palace in all of its entirety if not for the selfless intervention of the Count of Farbanti's civilian militias. Time and time again, they charged forward to lessen the pressure on the outnumbered Royal Guards of Colonel Bradshaw...
- ... But alas, most regrettably, in a bastardly attempt, a last-ditch effort to force me to heed them, my Crown, the capitalists have sent assassins to infiltrate Buckingham Palace. With needles coated with poisons and guns loaded with malicious intent, the assassins exacted harm upon my trusted Royal Guards... And my precious family members. Your Royal Queen, my love, is not with us any longer. And my two, oh my daughters...
- ... Were it not for Colonel Bradshaw and the Count of Farbanti joining forces and seizing a precious attempt at an open communication with the honorable soldiers of the Reich Marshal, who had made landfall in London to pacify the chaos and aided our miserable populace, we wouldn't have been able to acquire their help in putting an end to this unjust civil war...
- ... To strive for the common prosperity and happiness of all nations as well as the security and well-being of my subjects is the solemn obligation which has been handed down by our founding fathers and which lies close to my heart. It's my mistake that this very desire was twisted by my arrogance and my shortsightedness, which resulted in my entrusting powers to those who shouldn't have them. I made the foolish decision to believe in the impossible, eternal sovereignty, promised by the very people that staged the very civil war that bled us so, so much...
- Indeed, I declared war on the Belkan Reich out of a misguided belief, not merely because of the self-preservation of our Kingdom and the stabilization of Europe. However, the war has now lasted years... Those are long, long years for everyone involved.
- Despite the best that has been done by everyone: The gallant fighting of the Royal Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy, the diligence and loyalty of our public servants, and the devoted service of our forty-seven million citizens... It can't ever be denied that the war situation has turned so badly against Erusea's favor. Men and women, soldiers and civilians, our very lifeblood, have bled for a cause never attainable. Our economy is in shambles, and what little remains of our industries is collapsing as we speak, falling apart due to wartime strain and obsolescence implementations. On the global stage, the Kingdom of Erusea has also squandered what little remains of the world's patience and goodwill...
- Such being the case, how can I, a King, save the millions of my subjects, the millions that propped up this once resplendent Kingdom? How can I atone myself before the hallowed spirits of the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table?
- This is the reason why, after much deliberation with representatives of the people, the military, and the government, I have ordered the acceptance of the Terms proposed by the Reich Marshal herself on behalf of the Belkan Reich, with guarantees provided by the Geneva Convention and the Accord of International Law formulated during the Stockholm Conference...
- ... As of this moment, I declare the Kingdom of Erusea to surrender to the Belkan Reich in all of its entirety. All assets, claims, and holdings of the Kingdom of Erusea in overseas territories are to be transferred to the Belkan Reich...
- ... I am keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you, my citizens. However, it is according to the dictates of time and fate that I have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all our generations to come by committing the unendurable and suffering what is unsufferable...
- ... Citizens of Erusea, the War is Over.
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Following the speech, King George VI is escorted down the podium and to his seat before an ordinary folding table, covered with blue felt. Similarly, the chairs are nothing too avant-garde as well. They're merely simple field chairs, taken from the common inventory aboard the Elbe. Around us are circles formed by members of the Belkan armed forces. If the Erusean King and his delegation have any misgivings about Belkan hospitality, then they don't show it on their face.
Frankly, our decision to choose such Spartan accommodation for this event has its own meaning. Given the bad blood between the two nations, this is more than enough of a warm reception. Additionally, this is a Belkan warship we're on, not a royal cruise liner. Instead of pandering to the defeated party, we must showcase an appropriate amount of pragmatism and authority, enough to signify we mean business and that we have the upper hand.
Sitting opposite the Erusean delegation are I and representatives of the different Belkan military branches and the Reich's close allies. We will take turns penning our names above the dotted lines. Each signatory will have to sign two unconditional Instruments of Surrender: a leather-bound version for the Belkan Reich and a canvas-backed version for the Kingdom of Erusea. ONI Section Three is responsible for both broadcasting and recording this important moment. Subsequently, they're also in charge of editing out anything we don't want the world to know.
To some viewers and listeners from afar, what Section Three broadcasts is live, but in fact, it's been intentionally delayed by an hour. More than enough time for the agents to filter out unwanted footage. Of course, the unedited broadcast is streamed only to a few noteworthy recipients, namely my family.
King George VI, sitting across me on the other end of the table, is the first to make a move after seeing the overall inaction from my side. He stealthily exhales a worn-out sigh before making his way to the table with conscious effort and regal bearing. Leaning down, King George VI inscribes his name on behalf of the Erusean government. After King George VI, the Count of Farbanti steps forward to represent the citizens of London and Erusea as a whole to sign his name. He is followed afterward by Colonel Bradshaw, signing in lieu of the rest of the Erusean Royal Army... As the representatives from the Erusean side pen down their names, one by one, until none are left, the time has come for the Reich to seal the deal.
I give a glance at the Erusean delegation, who now sit with despondent acceptance and visibly less weight on their shoulders, before I move toward the table. After I have given my name, the next to take my spot are Lieutenant General Brynhildr of the Belkan Army, followed by Colonel Hopson of the Belkan Marines, Lord Admiral Karl Donitz of the Reichsmarine, General Jurgen of the Belkan Air Force, and ambassadors of the Chinese Long Dynasty and the United Kingdom of Ustio... Many of whom on our side were swiftly airlifted from mainland Europe all the way to the open sea to participate in this very formal event. Coincidentally, there are more naval ships and aircraft going on patrol than what is being shown in the broadcast. This is to ensure a comprehensive defense net against any and all desperate aggression against the signing ceremony.
Once the signatures are checked out, the copies of the Instrument of Surrender are sealed under the eyes of many and the lenses of the cameras. Each delegation will then go home with a copy of their own, safely tucked beneath locks and keys. Under the Belkan Reich and my personal Iron Blood flags, King George VI and I step forward for a final handshake. This gesture at least expresses a sincere attempt at putting the shared bloody past of our nations behind us. For better or for worse, Erusea will now head toward a new future with Belka at the helm.
As the film continues rolling, appearing from the horizon in a surprising low fly-by are formations of both naval and land-based aircraft. Everything is put on full display for the Erusean delegation to see. From the propeller-driven A-1 Skyraiders to the ubiquitous V-22 Ospreys and even the homongous B-40 Polar Bears, the aerial parade ends with the collective roars of the F-1 Phantoms and even an entire flight of the experimental Aria fighter jets, now designated YF-143... The Eruseans are understandably shocked and pale-faced, not because of the hundreds of aircraft we have to show for, but because, for once in their lives, they have listened to the howls of jet engines, blasting the air at low altitude.
The few Eruseans who had the chance to personally experience and a up-close-and-personal view of our fighter jets during CAS missions now stand with shaky legs, being reminded of something that hit too close to home.
While jet engines aren't an entirely unfamiliar concept to the rest of the world, even before the Reich mass-produced supersonic fighters, it's one thing to possess a theoretical paper; it's another prospect entirely when there's a superpower fielding jets in abundance. After witnessing the quality of Belkan soldiers, the massive vessels of the Reichsmarine, and the impressive airfleet of the Belkan Air Force, the Eruseans present can't help but think that, indeed, they may have gotten off easily. Had the war really continued to the very end, the Belkan Reich would have more than enough leeway to raze all of Erusea.
King George VI, holding the Erusean copy of the Instruments of Surrender, feels the phantom pain in his shoulders and legs spike higher as the brutal militaristic display sinks in. The Erusean King casts a lonely, mourning gaze in the expanding ocean, its horizon cut apart by the angular inverted bows and tumblehome hulls of Belkan warships. There is strangely no smoke exhaust from these floating behemoths to pollute the air around them, but given what King George VI has seen so far, this is one of the least surprising things he has seen regarding the Belkan Reich.
Still, the Kingdom of Erusea owns this sea no more... In fact, the Kingdom no longer exists. What's left is just a single word, filled with a cold finality:
Erusea.