The citizens of Azoff isolated in Fort Morok were falling into chaos day by day.
The supply lines were completely destroyed. Losing even the battleships they had trusted in, they effectively suffered a crushing defeat.
Of course, no one could have anticipated that Okhraine’s army would be this strong, so it could also be attributed to the miscalculations of Azoff’s leadership.
But what truly baffled Nur Ezenner was Okhraine’s new weapon.
A massive ship that navigates through the air.
It was enough to crush the morale of their own troops, and on top of that, they were firing cannons from the sky; there was truly nothing they could do.
In the face of such overwhelming violence.
The elite soldiers of Azoff had completely lost their will to fight.
Thanks to Nur Ezenner’s rigorous training to minimize civilian crimes, friction with the residents wasn’t too severe.
However, it was painfully obvious that those left behind in Fort Morok were facing a catastrophic fate.
Internal unrest and dissatisfaction were escalating, and the number of deserters doubled.
Even the commanders leading them on the frontlines were ensnared by defeatism, actually being swayed by their own soldiers.
During this time, the Okhraine troops even dropped strange pamphlets from the air.
Pamphlets filled with messages like “Your homeland has abandoned you, so surrender now.”
Nur Ezenner couldn’t fathom how they could scatter hundreds or thousands of these pamphlets, but he easily saw through their ridiculous attempt at propaganda.
But his subordinates couldn’t.
“Let’s surrender immediately. We can’t survive like this. Isn’t it just a matter of dying sooner or later?”
“Do you genuinely believe in their trickery?”
At the makeshift command post formed in the city hall of Fort Morok, Nur Ezenner and the remaining officers of the 1st Regiment gathered.
“Can we really trust anything? Even if they’ve lost all their armored ships, there hasn’t been any effort to contact us from the mainland.”
“Sir Nur Ezenner, they might have truly abandoned us.”
“That’s right. Commander Lidahdin, the son of that man, might see this as an opportunity to push you out and take full control of the Liberation Front’s power.”
In truth, the Azoff National Liberation Front didn’t possess a fully integrated system.
An illegal armed group, by nature, collapses more easily than any other organization, excluding its purpose.
They were, after all, a group brought together by practical benefits.
Even Nur Ezenner, who currently holds the position of General Commander of the expeditionary force, doesn’t share a harmonious relationship with the Commander of the Defense Forces, Lidahdin Sal Iqum.
They were rivals vying for the position of the de facto leader of the Azoff National Liberation Front.
“What if the homeland is already negotiating behind our backs, selling us out?”
“Who knows if they won’t do it later?”
Nur Ezenner sensed it.
While it’s understandable for low-ranking soldiers to get caught up in conspiracy theories, if even the commanders are significantly shaken, it means holding on any longer is merely delaying the inevitable.
This would only exacerbate the loss of troops and potentially lead to internal division among allies.
Nur Ezenner was a resourceful person. He was a general who understood war dynamics well, and indeed, it was true.
Even in his eyes, the current situation seemed almost entirely defeated.
The new weapon of Okhraine.
The unit led by the great mage Sony Chepelin.
Rumors circulating among the troops mentioned a blonde man running rampant on the battlefield alongside the torpedo killer, Claude Rain.
He was likely the key figure in successfully repelling this invasion.
“I wish I could at least see what he looks like.”
Nur Ezenner closed his eyes tightly.
Perhaps it would be honorable to d*e fighting as a soldier.
But that honor would surely not be granted to them.
The occupation of the Quernen southern region was incomplete, and the 2nd Regiment that landed with him was devoured by the enemy’s strategy.
Moreover, unlike the 1st Regiment he commanded, the 2nd Regiment is rumored to have committed severe war crimes.
This war would mark a shameful chapter in the history of the Azoff regime.
“Colonel Ismail Shanku.”
Nur Ezenner called out to the young regimental commander sitting beside him.
“Send a messenger to convey our willingness to negotiate. It’s not unconditional surrender, but let’s try to negotiate once.”
“Understood.”
The regimental commander neither opposed nor agreed. He simply followed the order silently.
Negotiation or not, it was essentially begging for their lives.
“This is the duty of a commander.”
Nur Ezenner exhaled despondently.
After sending the messenger to the southern corps, a response came from the Okhraine army in about three hours.
[We will conduct negotiations at City Hall. Tomorrow at 14:00, please clear the square in front.]
Immediately after the proposal was dramatically resolved, the Okhraine army quickly prepared for negotiations.
The negotiation team was primarily composed of Great Mage Sony Chepelin and General Georgi Vasiliopoulos of the southern corps.
Regardless of whether they were an invading army or an armed group, they were still commanders who commanded thousands of troops. They deserved a certain level of formal treatment.
And compared to Maniopol, the 1st Regiment of Azoff that landed in Fort Morok had barely committed any criminal acts against civilians.
Similar to Stockholm syndrome, there were even citizens who sympathized with them.
Furthermore, this negotiation was essentially a kind of prelude for the upcoming Azoff landing operation.
To ensure a more reliable and effective plan, the primary goal was to secure Nur Ezenner, one of the top leaders of the Azoff National Liberation Front.
‘Territorial maintenance is not as easy as it seems.’
This had always been the case throughout history. Arguments like ‘Our territory was illegally occupied by you’ did not hold water.
Since the conflict was settled by force, the opposing side would not accept it gracefully.
During this process, the Okhraine army would have to withstand significant resistance.
Therefore, Orlando Rus III wanted to establish a kind of ‘local administrative body’ after reclaiming the Azoff regime, granting them some autonomy.
I deeply agreed with this point.
In the four years leading up to the major war, it was crucial to prevent an uprising in the Azoff regime from stabbing us in the back while defending against the offensive of the Soviev Empire.
‘Indeed, he is someone who can foresee the future.’
No matter how many times I thought about it, Orlando Rus III was truly a tragic ruler.
If he had been born into the leadership of a neighboring country instead of Okhraine, he could have become a powerful ruler.
Due to various underlying conditions and negotiations, it was impossible to conduct this in a place with many onlookers.
Thus, they chose to use the city hall of Fort Morok as the negotiation venue.
“General Georgi, are you ready?”
“d*mn it. Who knew I’d ever fly?”
Georgi Vasiliopoulos, dressed in black combat gear, looked up at the sky with tense eyes.
It wasn’t just Georgi.
The deputy commander of the 32nd Division, the king’s closest advisor, and Wilson Times’ correspondent who played a significant role in the leaflet distribution.
These were people who had never flown in their lives.
Even ordinary people who had never experienced levitation by wind magic, which is not practiced by mages.
It was understandable why they hesitated to jump.
“The escort will be handled by the elite 8th Aerial Mage Infantry Combat Unit.”
Sony Chepelin smiled and said.
“Now, when I count to three, jump. Got it?”
“Gulp.”
Everyone was tense.
Sony Chepelin signaled to us standing behind her. We activated our spells as instructed.
“Aero Tempest!”
“Ah, ah, ah!!!”
“Everyone, stick together and provide escort! We need to land safely!”
“Stronghold Mage Infantry, descend! Descend! Descend!”
After ejecting all the VIPs at the forefront, they began their descent.
Sony Chepelin’s special order to make a decisive move.
Of course, this was just an excuse.
In fact, it was a minor revenge against the military and government officials who had underestimated her.
She truly was a nasty woman.
The secret negotiations between Nur Ezenner of the Azoff National Liberation Front and the Okhraine army concluded unexpectedly smoothly.
It was a fait accompli anyway.
Choosing the city hall as the meeting place was necessary for security reasons, but it also indirectly conveyed Okhraine’s strong desire to avoid further delays.
The outcome was simple.
The 1st Regiment of the Azoff National Liberation Front occupying Fort Morok must unconditionally surrender and hand over their weapons without conditions.
In return, they would receive proper prisoner treatment, food, water, and quality accommodations.
Additionally, Nur Ezenner and Ismail Shanku, along with other senior officers, would provide military secrets about the Azoff regime to the Okhraine army.
They would also be granted authority in the local administrative bodies necessary for maintaining the occupied Azoff regime.
In simpler terms,
It meant rebuilding everything anew after completely tearing down Azoff.
It was a surprisingly friendly and humane condition, given that it was an invading army that had launched an unprovoked attack.
Frankly, they could have taken a few directly to the capital, executed some, and extracted information from others through torture and persuasion without any issues.
However, Orlando Rus III strongly insisted on this point.
They should not be executed arbitrarily.
“Our legitimacy and advanced consciousness are most important. Our kindness will surely turn into a significant gain in the future.”
It was a reasonable statement.
Such “gentle treatment” was surprisingly fitting to appeal to the subjectivity of the western Free Union forces.
After all, the core value of the Free Union states was to oppose the imperialistic, closed, and violent governance of the Imperial Alliance.
Thus,
About 18 days and 7 hours after the city was occupied by the Azoff landing,
Fort Morok was completely liberated.
It was an undeniable perfect victory for Okhraine in every diplomatic, tactical, strategic, and military field.
