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The desperate and armed gangsters were obviously a source of chaos, and when dropped in locations that only had military camps in the vicinity… it was simply a recipe for disaster.
They might be no match for the soldiers in a fair fight, but since when did people like them care about useless things like fairness and honor?
From the moment that they realized they'd been stuck in an unfamiliar land with hostile troops at all sides, sabotage and ambush had become their bread and butter.
Naturally, these people understood that if they just desperately tried to escape, it won't be long before they were hunted down like rats. And having already almost faced death after being captured once… how could they willingly let such a thing happen again, especially now that they had all the means to resist?
Obviously, the 'defenders' had no idea what kind of threat they were facing, and in the first few ambushes, to say that they ended up suffering heavy losses would be an understatement.
To make matters worse, the few enemies that they tried to capture didn't seem to be willing to 'cooperate' at all, and dared to shoot even when surrounded on all sides. There was something almost unnatural about their behavior, but given their unknown origins, that wasn't too surprising.
The only way to neutralize such a threat was to completely erase it, but that was easier said than done.
The troops left to 'maintain' these facilities couldn't help but curse. "Shit! Where did these crazy fuckers come from?!"
Even if they were to think with their toes, the leaders of the Federation would be able to guess that this move must have something to do with the enemy they were currently attacking, but that didn't mean they would share such things with the 'small fry' actually facing them.
"I never expected her to be so courageous…"
"To try to hit not one, but all of us at the same time… Heh, I guess she's crazier than all of us combined."
Obviously, they were more amused than terrified at their opponent's 'desperate' actions.
"But it's futile, in the end. All those troops she wasted causing chaos in our territories would have been better used to help her at the border. Emilia is too na?ve if she thinks this will make us take a step back."
Even the president of Red Dusk and the current face of the Federation only worried about how exactly the empire of Blue Dawn had managed to sneak those troops in, and not the actual threat of the invaders. "Even if most of our forces are currently not stationed where they should be, I'm guessing they must have at least two or even three dozen stealth submarines to be able to pull something like this off at such a scale."
The other leaders couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. "… Is Phoenix really going to go all in on this kind of losing bet?"
"… So what do we do now? Try talking to sense to that stubborn bitch again?"
"Don't bother. Since they're rushing to their doom... I say we welcome them."
"Right. They've wasted so many troops over to annoy us from behind, isn't this the perfect time to strengthen our offensive?"
As for the issue in their own territories… they weren't too worried. Worst case scenario, they could first overwhelm the empire here, and then send reinforcements to quell whatever unrest those small fries managed to cause.
Even if it lowered some of their prestige, such a thing would hardly matter much once they won the war.
Unfortunately, they had no idea that aside from lowering her equipment inventory, deploying these 'troops' actually came at no extra cost to the empire, at all. And with the full support of both Carmen and Phoenix, as well as the White Deer Corporation's own earlier preparations, combat equipment was something that the empire of Blue Dawn lacked the least.
Their strengthened offensive still failed to overcome the empire's defense, and aside from causing more damage on both sides, it seemed to serve no other purpose. Moreover, the losses on their side were much worse, since the empire had the defender's advantage.
And to make matters even worse, the reports they received from their own territories soon made the leaders of the Federation realize that, in their overconfidence, they'd vastly underestimated the troops sent by the empire.
The situation was still somewhat in control in most areas at first, which was what gave them the illusion that they would only suffer minor losses. But once the gangsters started gaining some confidence… things quickly took a turn for the worse.
To the leaders of the Federation, it was as if these 'soldiers' had first deliberately hidden their real ability, and waited until the perfect moment to strike, regardless of the damage they received before.
Considering what they knew of Emilia's usual strategy of cherishing every single life under her command, it was a completely unprecedented move, and understandably caught the leaders of the Federation off guard.
Unfortunately, it was now too late for them to regret underestimating their enemy's ruthlessness.
Each one of the thirteen countries had hundreds of these 'invader' teams to face, and with most of their military personnel absent from the country, what was left to face these threats was obviously far from enough.
In fact, the advanced equipment and dirty tactics used by these terrorists would have given them trouble even if they'd been fully prepared. But had they had proper reinforcements, the military would still eventually have suppressed the invaders so long as they were willing to take some damage in return.
As it was, however, not only were they unable to exterminate many of these threats… but in some places, the defenders were even completely wiped out.
Naturally, for the lawless gangsters who'd had a taste of victory over these seemingly undefeatable foes in the past, it was like a sign from above. And with fresh supplies from their newly occupied 'fortresses'… their threat shot through to a completely new level.
If left unchecked, one could only imagine how much damage they would be able to cause. After all, the law enforcement in the cities was hardly equipped well enough to be able to deal with threats of this level. And with no one to keep them in check... well, one didn't need to guess what enemy troops would do in another's territory.
But even if the leaders of the Federation realized just how much they'd messed up by ignoring this 'minor threat' in favor of overwhelming Blue Dawn's defenses as soon as possible, they couldn't just pull back and send reinforcements as they wished.
After all, not only would it be like a slap to their face, but with their Federation being vastly 'superior' in terms of both personnel and resources, if they really lost the advantage at the border… their side's morale would completely collapse.
Unfortunately for them, just because they were willing to gamble with the lives of everyone in their territories… didn't mean others were happy to let them do so.
Looking at the most popular headlines... they couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Members of the United Democratic Federation ignore terrorists in their own territory in favor of waging war overseas!"
"Empress Emilia: Not as benevolent as she seems! Her latest genius strategy puts even the most ruthless generals to shame!"
"Democratic but unanswerable? How long can the leaders of the Federation ignore their own people's cries while preaching about freedom and democracy?"
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