Chapter 722 The Disintegrated Federation (1/2)

North Island.

As the capital of the Federation, it is the largest island in the southern seas and also the most prosperous island.

Although the population living here is only just over 90,000, it is home to the largest heavy industry base and shipyard in the Federation.

Counting the destroyer Glory that has sunk into the sea, nine of the Federation's thirteen ships were built here, while the remaining four submarines were built at the submarine factories on Anle Island and Coral City.

After the armed forces took control of the presidential palace and the naval headquarters, Charas, supported by federal marines, announced his inauguration as the new president and delivered his inaugural speech over the radio.

"...I tell you with a heavy heart that our president has committed an unforgivable crime of treason."

"While our fleet has gained an absolute advantage and is about to achieve final victory, he actually plans to overturn the verdict for the crimes committed by our enemies! He is trying to use man-made evidence that distorts the facts to destroy the unity we have finally formed. ”

"I will never allow such a thing to happen, even if that person is the person I once respected the most."

"Hunger, disease, forced labor, the suppression of dissent... everything is legal as long as you put on that blue coat. Ask your fathers and grandfathers and they will tell you what those hermit crabs used to be. Face! Go ask them! Who built the artificial island in the 50th year of the Wasteland Era! Is it those things that suddenly appeared half a century later, or are they the ones who have lived here since the beginning!

"They were just lucky enough to be born in the shelter. The Era of Prosperity became theirs, and everything built with the tools of the Era of Prosperity became their patent. And those of us outside have endured it for generations. A generation of survivors who stood up from the ashes became monkeys in need of education.”

"It's as if we were created out of thin air. We are eating their things and using theirs. We are living in the settlements they built because our parents were not great enough and did not live through that prosperous era. Seconds! Ask the old guys in your family if this is what happened!”

"What we want to liquidate is never one ocean current power station, but everything in the past century! They feel that the power station is their contribution, and only they are the survivors of the People's League. Only they deserve to own the People's League. Our legacy is as insignificant as our opinions. We are just cattle for them to rebuild their utopia, so let them go back to the ground with their arrogance! That utopia has no name at all!"

Those passionate words echoed in the square in front of the Presidential Palace, echoed in the shipyard, echoed in the military camp, and also echoed in the settlements of the North Island...

People stopped what they were doing and gathered in front of the broadcast. Hatred and anger gradually ignited on the silent faces.

Charas did not prepare a speech and did not need it at all. Speech was like an innate ability for him.

What's more, he was one of the people who drafted the declaration. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the founding father of the Federation, and he was a hard-liner with a high reputation in the military.

Although President Mongo is the commander of the federal navy, that is only a duty assigned to him by the declaration or the constitution, and it is not that the soldiers sincerely support him in that position.

That guy is almost a "pedantic" bureaucrat in terms of character and style of life. Both the officers and himself think so.

As a conservative, he may be supported by most survivors and establishment personnel, but his voice among the military is far less than his own.

And this guy did do something stupid.

But instead of turning a blind eye to the Ocean Current Power Station, nor appointing himself chief of staff, he tried to merge two factions that had no consensus at all through political speculation.

It is true that both conservatives and radicals want a federation, but their motivations are completely different. The former seeks equality in identity and political rights, while the latter seeks to escape the shackles of the "ghosts" of the prosperous era.

Those guys sitting on the big ships and cannons have never said that they need a president who follows the rules. Their ambitions are far more than just a federation, and they are far more than just a city wall for the federation.

This was an issue that could have been resolved through negotiation and mutual compromise, but a military and political adventure put all disputes on hold.

This federation, born out of injustice, is like a ball of sand picked up by hands. It was never really stone, and there was never enough time for it to turn into stone.

As long as the hand holding it loosens, it will fall apart into its original shape.

Of course, Charas admitted that he also did a stupid thing, which was to lie so much that even he believed it.

When he signed that declaration, he should have clearly realized that he was an opportunist and had no chance of taking his time.

Once the war was over, Mr. President opened the once-closed eye again and restarted the investigation into the cause of the sinking of the Ocean Current Power Station.

If you help the Torch Church hide the truth, you will definitely be punished, and so will all the officers involved.

The new authorities will definitely do this. After all, as long as the real prisoners are liquidated, those guys will be able to completely cut themselves off from the past, and then hold the hands of the residents of Vault 70 towards a new era.

As for themselves and their supporters, no one will thank them for their contribution to the unity of the Federation. They can only spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

But it is precisely because of this that people who are directly or indirectly involved in the sinking of the ocean current power station are their natural allies!

They must choose themselves.

You can only choose yourself!

Only when you win can you create correct memories and prevent them from becoming that idiot who shoots themselves in the foot!

Looking at the ignited pupils under the podium, Charas announced the final result in a calm and solemn tone.

"...President Mongo refused to accept the trial of the law. Not only did he resist, but he also attempted to launch a coup. Now he has been killed by our soldiers."

"The declaration signed by the perpetrators is no longer valid, a new cabinet will draw up a new code and I will now be acting president."

"Until we achieve final victory!"

…

Anle Island.

There are only more than 50,000 people living on this picturesque island, but it is home to the largest naval logistics base in the Federation.

Half of the island's residents are serving members of the Commonwealth Navy and their families, or at least those engaged in naval logistics operations.

Of course, there are also some refugees from Coral City.

The earliest shipyard in the southern seas is also located here, and the first batch of transport ships and seabed mining ships also set out from here.

If the roundabout is the first man-made island completed by the survivors in the southern sea, then this is the first natural island to ignite the industrial flames, even earlier than the opening of Vault 70. And it was precisely because of the parts produced on this island that the underwater wonder of Coral City was created, as well as the heavy industry center and large shipyards of North Island later.

However, at this moment, the island that initially ignited the industrial fire was covered by another invisible burning flame.

First, the last words of Captain Dong Le were sent, then the news of the sinking of the destroyer Glorious, and then the inauguration speech of Chief of Staff Chalas that was full of lies.

A series of shocking things connected together completely aroused the anger of all the soldiers and officers in the base.

In fact, until the soldiers on duty at the pier received the last words of Captain Dong Le from the captain of the maritime patrol, many people in this naval base were still supporters of Chalas, and even used the phrase "This is for the unity of the Federation." Excuse Charath's behavior.

However, when the incredible news came that "the Glory was wrecked due to a mutiny among the ship's crew," not many people were willing to believe the lies spouted by that guy.

Everyone has no doubt that the guy is crazy. He is even willing to let the federal fleet kill each other for his own selfish desires.

The people who followed that guy were also lunatics. The officers loyal to the Constitution immediately took action and sent Chalas' cronies and accomplices to prison.

They will not release these people from the dark room until they are sure that they will not follow Charas into stupidity and deeply reexamine their past words and deeds.

At the same time that Charas delivered his inauguration speech, General Lee Ming-hui, the federal vice president, deputy commander of the federal navy, and supreme commander of the Anle Island Naval Base, who was pushed to the stage, also made a public announcement through the military radio of Anle Island. speech.

"...Just now, we have witnessed the darkest and most shameful page in the history of the Federation. In a shameful betrayal, we not only lost the Glory and the two hundred brave young people on board, we also lost Our president has lost the declaration we jointly signed and the dignity we only maintained for less than four months."

"Charas is trying to use lies to lead our federation into the bottomless abyss. This war is no longer a war, but a tool for him to seize power and exclude dissidents. Now, this 'Laken' is wearing human skin. 'Finally revealed his greedy appetite and fangs, trying to lead us into the bottomless abyss."

"We will never compromise with the beast, let alone accept a peace maintained by lies. What we need is true unity!"

"From now on, Anle Island will no longer recognize the legitimacy of the North Island authorities! At the same time, we call on survivors from other islands to unite and fight side by side with us! For our future! For all survivors living in this sea area! "

At the end of his speech, he announced the establishment of the Anle Island Authority, inaugurated the acting president and commander of the federal fleet, and declared war on the rebels in the North Island in the name of the constitution.

Compared with Charas's inauguration speech, General Lee Ming Hui's speech was undoubtedly more hasty and less powerful.

Although legally speaking, he is the first choice for acting president, but unfortunately Charas has become the actual ruler of North Island.

Although that guy still bears the title of president, the authority he actually holds in his hands far exceeds the powers given to him by the law. And the reason why he was able to successfully do this was undoubtedly because he had the support of the Beidao officers, or at least some of them!

Even if he does not want to face his former comrades, Li Minghui can only make the most practical choice at the moment - to declare the North Island authorities illegal in the name of code and establish a new authority on Anle Island.

He doesn't want to do this.

But he had no other choice.

If he surrenders to Charas, that guy will definitely liquidate him as the de jure vice president and kill him on any charge.

Just like that guy did whatever it took to kill President Mongo and Captain Dong Le...

…

Having witnessed the entire coup, Mu Da never imagined that the memory card he brought to Anle Island would cause such a big storm that it would split the entire federation.

What made him even more unexpected was that he himself would inexplicably become a member of the Anle Island military government council that drafted the new declaration.

In the Federation, he belongs to the group of people who are relatively close to Vault 70, and is considered a marginalized role among the federal authorities.

After all, it was the manager, Mr. Sun Yuechi, who separated the maritime patrol from the federal fleet and placed it under the command of the Ministry of Finance under the cabinet.

This delayed the onset of the crisis to a certain extent, but it also caused the maritime patrol to be labeled as a "sanctuary faction" politically.

However, the Anle Island authorities obviously have no time to worry about these things.

Dealing with the military pressure from the North Island is their most urgent need to solve at the moment.

Even if it's just a few speedboats and minelayers, they have to make every effort to get it over...

Anle Island Naval Base, in the combat conference room, a meeting related to the future destiny of the federation is being held nervously.

Mu Da was called in in the middle of the meeting, so when he walked in, the conference table was almost full of people.

A tense and depressing atmosphere came over us.

After taking a look at the people sitting in front of the conference table, he lowered his voice and asked the director of the logistics department sitting beside him in a low voice as he sat down in the empty seat.

“How many people responded to our broadcast?”

The director of the Logistics Department looked ugly and said in a low voice.

"There were only four governors."

Mu Da was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that their appeal on the side of the law would be so weak, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Where's the fleet?"

"We have one cruiser, two destroyers, three submarines... If we don't consider modifying some civilian ships, that's all for now."

"...Then them?"

"One battleship, one cruiser, three destroyers, and one attack submarine." As if he felt that the situation was too unfavorable, the director of the logistics department tried to save face and added, "But the submarine manufacturing plant is here. We don’t have any advantages.”

After hearing the conversation between the two, another officer sitting next to him coughed slightly and spoke in a lowered voice.

"Yes, we do not have no advantages, but the few advantages are not worth mentioning compared to the disadvantages. Without the reactor manufacturing plant in Coral City, we cannot produce fusion-powered submarines that are quieter. Conventional submarines are difficult to use in official operations... Moreover, the largest shipyard and ammunition factory in the Federation are in the hands of Chalas. "

Mu Da swallowed involuntarily.

"……difficult."

The officer sighed.

"really."

The largest industrial bases and shipyards are in the north. The northern islands have enough population, technology, and industrial capabilities to transform technology into war machines.

The longer the delay is, the more detrimental it will be to the Anle Island authorities.

And even if a hasty attack is launched now, it is almost impossible to defeat the Beidao Fleet led by the battleship flagship based on the configuration of one patrol, two drive and three submarines on Anle Island.

Not to mention that they still have supporters of Charas within them. Even if some of them are sent to prison, it will take a certain amount of time to arrange for new people to take their places.

Of course, the current situation in North Island is the same. Since there are people who support Charas, there must be people who support the declaration and the democratically elected president.

Whether it is Beidao or Anle Island, they are all suffering from the pain caused by chaos at this moment.

Whoever settles his own internal chaos first and eliminates his opponents will become the new master of this sea area.

"Where's the roundabout? Is there any new news?" Commander Li Minghui flicked the ashtray on the ashtray. After thinking for a moment, Commander Li Minghui looked at the adjutant beside him.

The circular island is located in the westernmost part of the southern sea, close to the Baiyue Strait. It is located just behind the four islands of the Anle Island Authority. It is also the most populous island in the Federation.

If that settlement fell to Charas, the consequences would be disastrous.

It is precisely for this reason that they must do their best to win it over to the Anle Island authorities.

The adjutant shook his head and said.

"The governor there is an opportunist, in other words, a loser. In his call back, he said he didn't want to take sides... I even feel that he might want to secede from the Union and join the Union."

The commander frowned.

"Difficult to handle."

The adjutant also sighed and nodded slightly.

"Yes."

There was silence at the conference table.

At this moment, an officer suddenly spoke.

"Why don't we bring the Alliance to our side?"

As soon as these words came out, there was a commotion at the conference table, and almost half of the people cast a surprised look at the guy.

Including Mu Da, who had received money from the alliance a long time ago.

The adjutant sitting next to the commander frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask.

"Is this appropriate?"

The Alliance's land power is indeed impressive, but they are too far apart after all, and their sea power is almost non-existent.

Even though those people had some small airplanes, he really didn't know how to evaluate such things. He could only say that they were really not afraid of death and would dare to ride on any strange-shaped vehicles.

And even without considering the strength of this potential ally, the introduction of external forces to intervene in the affairs of the southern seas itself is worthy of concern.

In the face of everyone's doubts, the officer who made the suggestion continued in a serious tone.

"We have no choice, this is the only way to win, and while we are hesitating, the traitors of the Federation have already used the power of the torch. If we continue to hesitate, we can only sink to the bottom of the sea with our principles. ”

There were whispers in front of the conference table.

really.

Everyone sitting here knows a little bit about the destruction of the Ocean Current Power Station. If it was just speculation before, then the recording left by Captain Dongwen has almost proved the bad relationship between the Chalas authorities and the Torch Church.

It was with the acquiescence of the fleet stationed in the North Island that the mutants were able to pass through the patrol area in the northern part of the Federation and penetrate deep into the heart of the Federation.

At this time, a destroyer captain said slowly.

"Actually, it's not completely unfeasible. The Alliance's reputation in Silver Moon Bay seems to be good. They have also supported the countries of Luoxia Province in the invasion war against the legion and its servant countries, but after that, they did not take the opportunity to annex it. of kingdoms.”

Another submarine captain retorted.

"What about Golden Gallen Harbor?"

The captain of the destroyer continued.

"They established a new authority locally composed of local survivors. Although it is unacceptable from the perspective of the Xilan Empire royal family, the matter itself is that the empire took action first... and I always feel that they and the mutants Appearing in the Baiyue Strait at the same time is not a coincidence.”

Another officer sitting not far from him rubbed his chin with his index finger, thought for a moment and then nodded.

"It makes sense, those people even allow the feudal kingdom of Luoxia Province to continue to exist, as long as the local royal family abolishes slavery and achieves legal equality between people... And regarding this, we are further than those feudal lords There are too many and they have no reason to dictate our affairs.”

The submarine captain who raised the objection hesitated for a moment, but could not think of a reason to refute, and finally nodded.

"That's true..."

As the chatterbox opened, everyone immediately began to communicate with each other, and the solemn atmosphere in front of the conference table also dissipated a lot.

Seeking help from the Alliance is indeed a way to solve the problem, at least those people are much more reliable than the lunatics in Haiya Province.

And I heard that the Alliance and the Torch are old enemies.

Even considering their own strategic needs, those people do have demands to intervene in the situation in the southern seas.

"There are differences between them and the residents of Vault 70. At least they dare to make their home in the Baiyue Province where the hermit crabs in Vault 70 dare not go. And those guys just crawled out from under the sea not long ago. I just want to occupy the magpie's nest."

"I agree. This war is no longer just our war. Torch has been involved from the beginning! If Captain Dongwen's last words are accurate, then the real murderer who destroyed the ocean current power station is undoubtedly Torch. !”

"I also agree that the matter of the Ocean Current Power Station still needs to be investigated, but the mutant corpses appearing on the north side of the circular island are conclusive!"

"Ahem... I suggest not to use the term hermit crab. We have to find a way to win over the residents of Vault 70 who are also victims."

"What does this have to do with it? The blue coats in Port Fries call themselves Blue Gophers. I remember it was the people in Willant who gave them the nickname."

"As you said, they are residents of different shelters, so they naturally have different ideas... We'd better pay attention."

There was a lot of discussion at the conference table, but Mu Da, who was sitting in the corner of the conference table, found that he couldn't get in a word.

The federal patrol only has a dozen ultra-long-range speedboats. The most they can do is help lay mines.

At this moment, he suddenly realized something. He looked at the director of the logistics department sitting beside him and touched his arm with his elbow.

"Can I ask a question?"

The man nodded.

"certainly."

After a pause, he asked the question that had been on his mind for a while.

"...Is this a civil war?"

The director of the Logistics Department was stunned for a moment and gave the captain an intriguing look, as if he was wondering why he would ask such a question.

Especially in a place like this.

Glancing at his comrades who were discussing heatedly around the conference table, he looked back at the patrol captain sitting next to him.

"Is there any other way to say it?"

After receiving a positive answer, Mu Da nodded and said nothing more. The stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

In fact, he was not surprised at all that it would reach this point. Even two months ago, he had a vague feeling that something big would happen if this continued.

But when this moment really came, he still couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart.

civil war……

Unexpectedly, in just four months, they who were once so united would be broken into three pieces...

…

Dark clouds are gathering over Beidao and Anle Island, but at this moment, the empty sea is filled with tranquility as the sun sets.

The rest area of ​​the USS Dolphin nuclear submarine.

Looking at Captain Chen Jianhong coming towards him, Dong Wen, who had already changed his clothes, looked half grateful and half ashamed.

Needless to say thanks, this nuclear-powered cargo submarine saved two hundred crew members on the destroyer, including itself.

As for the shame, this was the first time he had seen their "enemy" face to face in the four months since the two sides started fighting...

His lips moved for a moment, then he nodded slightly and said.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, would you like a drink?"

Holding a mug in each hand, Chen Jianhong thrust one of the mugs into his hands without waiting for his answer, and then sat on a bench nearby.

"'Champion' brand coffee beans, I personally like to add a little sugar and milk. I don't know if it suits your taste, give it a try."

A faint milky aroma penetrates the tip of the nose, mixed with a hint of sweetness and bitterness of coffee beans.

The warmth that spread into his palms through the cup wall dispelled the coldness brought by the sea water. Dongwen sat silently next to Captain Chen and said something absentmindedly.

"Good stuff...where did you get it?"

Chen Jianhong grinned, and after tasting it, he said slowly.

"It wasn't me who did it, it was my new employer who did it."

"alliance?"

"Well, they picked up the treasure synthesized from the black box in Vault 79, and later took it to the Camelback Kingdom and commissioned it to be planted in a local plantation... This kind of coffee beans seems to have to be cultivated in a plateau environment, and the altitude of the Dhobar Mountains is just right. ”

"They are quite good at enjoying it." Dongwen also took a slow taste, but was so bitter that he couldn't help but frown his cheeks and brows.

Seeing his unacceptable look, Chen Jianhong laughed and said.

"That's right. I've absorbed a little bit of their habits, but I don't think it's a bad thing."

Looking at Dong Wen who was silent, Chen Jianhong looked away from his frowning face, looked straight ahead, and spoke slowly.

"Actually, these days, after learning about other shelters, I have seriously thought about the differences between us."

Dongwen raised his head.

"Then have you thought about it?"

"That's right..." Chen Jianhong shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly, "I find that you may be right, there is indeed no difference between us."

Dongwen looked at him in surprise, and the latter paused for a moment before continuing.

"My great-grandpa has been lying in the hibernation capsule for a hundred years, but my great-grandma is a resident of the island. If my grandfather still has the mark of the blue coat on his body, there are actually no traces left in my father's generation. How much? Even my education was completed in Coral City, and many federal engineers were also there, and they even read the same textbooks as me. "

Dong Wen looked at him.

"Then what's the problem?"

Chen Jianhong thought for a while and said.

"Maybe... it's the fault of the manager."

A trace of surprise appeared on Dong Wen's face.

"You mean Mr. Sun Yuechi?"

"Sun Yuechi?" Chen Jianhong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and waved his hand, "Then you misunderstood, it's none of that guy's business. I used to look down on him, but since I went to Dawn City to talk to him, I found that This guy is actually a very thoughtful person, and he is also working very hard to patch up the coats that we have been wearing for a century, but the power of one person is too small in the face of the general trend. "

Dongwen looked at him puzzled.

"Is there anyone else?"

Chen Jianhong shrugged his shoulders.

"It's just my humble opinion. Maybe... the problem lies in the profession of manager itself. To be honest, our manager was originally just the manager of Vault 70. Of course, we use our own methods to select the next manager. There is no problem, but the key is that after the door is opened...our managers need to manage not only the shelter, but also thirteen islands and an underwater settlement."

Dongwen hesitated slightly.

"What's wrong with this?"

Chen Jianhong shook his head.

"No problem, there were no problems at the beginning. For example, Boulder City, they did a good job before the black card went bad. Singularity City also did well at the beginning, but they just took a little detour after losing the help of the War Construction Committee. Even Including the empire I passed by not long ago, regardless of whether General Rowell and the survivors at the time were serious enough, using four million square kilometers of prairie to accommodate hundreds of millions of refugees is indeed not a human job... Of course, the same is true for us , even until four months ago, it was doing very well, and the chaos of these four months cannot negate everything in the past two centuries.”

Dongwen didn't speak, just looked at him quietly, waiting for his next words.

Chen Jianhong paused for a while, sighed and said.

"Perhaps it is enough for the administrator to only have the original administrator... If the work of the tailor is not passed down from generation to generation, after that adult passes away, we can carve his name on the door of the shelter that also deserves to die. Let’s thank him and Prosperity Era for the blessings they have bestowed upon us, commemorate his birth and departure together, and discuss the future path hand in hand.”

Having said this, he looked at Dong Wen and grinned.

"Look, at least this way we have at least one common tradition, and we don't need to go to the more than one hundred endless festivals of the Prosperous Era. In fact, I have never thought about how good the Prosperous Era is. You all think Blue Jacket knows what that place looks like, but to be honest, I haven’t really gone there to see it, so there’s nothing wrong with starting from where we are.”

Resting the back of his head on the wall, Dongwen closed his eyes and sighed.

"maybe."

He found that he didn't really hate those blue coats.

Maybe there were some shelter dwellers in his ancestors, or he was almost one of the lucky ones hiding in the shelter.

What brought them to where they are now.

Maybe he should really think about it.

but……

That's not the time to do it.

After drinking the last cup of coffee, he looked at Chen Jianhong and asked.

"What now? What are you going to do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the captain of the Dolphin could reply, a calm and clear voice came from the side.

"We plan to take advantage of the fact that the Federation fleet is in chaos and head directly to Vault 70."

“There’s no better opportunity than now.”