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While the group inside was still having a headache, a British officer suddenly rushed into the conference room with a telegram.
"General! General Robinson!"
"what's up?"
The officer then read a sentence from the telegram, which completely ignited the conference room.
"Urgent telegram from Field Marshal Montgomery! The British 4th Infantry Division stationed in Helmstedt has been attacked by unidentified ground forces! The enemy has already entered the city!"
Chapter 171, Section 234: The Union Jack Reappears in the Light of Day
Helmstedt is a German city that was not greatly affected by the war during the World Wars, and it is also a major transportation route on the highway from Hanover to Berlin.
Now, this place has also been unexpectedly ignited—by the steel giants from the East and those who are holding out in the West but are suffering setbacks.
The eastern suburbs of the city have been cleared, with only occasional fighter jets passing by in the distance. The fighting has now reached the city center, so it's necessary to take stock of some things in the eastern suburbs. After all, for the Britannian Empire, this is certainly because they are facing another enemy besides the Soviet Union, isn't it?
Angeli and Lilizia came here on Her Highness's orders, specifically to gather information about these new guests and bring it back to Berlin. Since frontline combat was not their primary task, it was not unusual for them to leave their respective Gloucesters and Vincents at a distance, dressed in casual clothes, fiddling with something at this shabby table by the roadside.
"Hmm, this outfit is alright." The two rummaged through a pile of things on the table—uniforms and weapons they had just taken from enemy soldiers they had killed. The khaki clothes were stained with mud and blood, but they didn't need to be washed or patched. They picked up their camera to record what these enemies looked like from head to toe, and then they could pack them up in a box and take them back.
After taking the picture, Lilizia picked up the rifle, placed the soldier's helmet on the muzzle, stood it up, and spun it around a few times.
“Speaking of which, this helmet… it’s quite interesting.” Angelie took the helmet off and weighed it in her hand for a few moments. “Why does it look a bit like the bamboo hats of those ancient people from the Chinese Federation?”
"That's why the firefighters' and workers' protective helmets bulge out a bit all around, haha. But honestly, these new faces don't seem to have the same fighting spirit as the Soviet soldiers. Or is that why we were the ones who initiated the attack?"
"I hope so, after all, I don't really want another fanatical enemy... sigh?" As she spoke, Angelina watched as Lily suddenly swayed a few times and rubbed her forehead.
"what happened?"
"It's nothing, nothing... I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but whenever someone mentions anything related to battle, I feel like my head is spinning..."
"Huh? What happened?" She helped Lily up. "I remember you brought a box of medicine with you when you came back? What's that?"
"Oh no, I suddenly realized I didn't bring it with me, it seems I left it at the command center."
"Is it that important? Let's talk about it when we get back." Angelie paused, as if she had thought of something. "By the way, this should be your first time meeting Her Highness Elizabeth face to face, right?"
"Yes, how about you?"
"I... cough, I wanted to ask you: Don't you think there's something strange about Her Highness the Princess and her female guards...?"
"Strange... Ah, there really are. When I'm with them, they often hug me from behind, and... they even touch my head and my body. It feels like they..."
"Well, since you asked me that..." Lilizia stopped speaking, her face slightly flushed, and unexpectedly placed her hands between her legs and rubbed them a few times, "You haven't had this experience before, have you..."
"Ah? Ah, I..." Angelie seemed to have something she couldn't say, frowning and glancing around uncomfortably. "Sigh, Your Highness, how should I describe her... I just feel like she... No, I really can't go on..."
She turned away shyly, put her hands in front of her eyes, and then looked down at her breasts—who knows how many of Her Highness Elizabeth's fingerprints were on them.
"Ahem..." Lily knew it was time to change the subject. "Well, speaking of which... it seems the soldiers in the city brought out some new things."
The two men looked over and saw an abandoned artillery position in the distance, now being used by their soldiers to store collected enemy supplies. Meanwhile, a newly arrived squad of soldiers was arguing heatedly as they carried a flag toward the position.
"Is that the enemy's captured military flag?" Upon closer inspection, the colors and patterns on the flag startled Angelie so much that her face turned pale.
"what happened?"
"Oh no, this can't be..." She took off running, "Hey! Soldiers! Where did you get your flag?!"
Lilizia was about to follow, but as if guided by some unseen force, she turned her face toward the roadside, to the large road sign crushed under one of her own infantry fighting vehicles. The direction the road sign should have been facing, and the direction it had fallen in, were both the direction from which these new guests had come.
She walked over, pulled it out, and stood it on the ground. The words in English and Russian, arranged vertically, made her look even more terrified than Angelina.
"You are leaving the British Occupation Zone."
……
The wireless communication waves flew back to Berlin, where Elizabeth was still with her brother, listening to a report from the Duke of Saas-Lyre.
"All the enemy warships have moved relatively far away from Rügen Island? Then they should have mostly completed their withdrawal."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Ugh, I was hoping to sink more ships, but reinforcements are only just arriving from Area 11. These American and Soviet warplanes are such a nuisance..."
"What about the west? Didn't they say there was fighting there? What's the enemy's situation?" As they were about to return to the command center, listening to the bustling noise inside, Kylie suddenly realized something.
"We have already entered Helmstedt, and the battle is somewhat deadlocked due to enemy reinforcements from the west."
"Well..." He wanted to say a few more words, but just as he was about to enter the command center, Lieutenant General Wood rushed out and almost bumped into Elizabeth.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was looking for you."
"What's wrong? Tell me slowly." Elizabeth sensed something strange in the general's gaze.
“Just now, Helmstedt’s troops sent a photo to the soldiers’ communication interface.” As he spoke, he led the princess and her entourage to a screen. “Now, all the soldiers and officers in the expeditionary force who are not on combat duty are arguing about this.”
Yes, it's this photo, the one that immediately drew everyone's attention in the command center as soon as it was released.
"This? What is this?!" Kelly's eyes widened. "Sister! Isn't this the Union Jack?!"
“Ah… After Napoleon took the British Isles and moved the capital to America, our national flag has been the Lion and Cobra Cross ever since. The Union Jack has never been able to fly again…” The older sister’s expression froze. “This… why is there a Union Jack here? An identical Union Jack? Is this really not a dream?”
[Author's Note: In CG history, Britannia lost the Battle of Trafalgar in 1807, after which its political center shifted to the Americas and it changed its name. The British flag, which has been used since both World Wars, was finalized around 1801. Therefore, I personally believe that if Britannia ever flew the Union Jack, it is very likely that its final design was similar to that of Britain during World War II.]
"It seems the entire army is aware of this now," Duke Sassler pondered. "What does Your Highness require of us now?"
Elizabeth shook her head without speaking, slowly lowering her gaze and staring blankly ahead.
……
"Your Highness Elizabeth!" Just then, three people rushed into the command center.
"Lieutenant Angelie?"
“Um, gentlemen…” the lieutenant said, as he and Lilizia together lifted the lid of the box being carried by the middle soldier, “Everyone, please believe your eyes…”
The two young ladies reached inside and pulled out a flag that was spread out, ultimately freezing the curious eyes of everyone in the winter of late 1945.
"Really?!" Kelly was surprised to find that her sister had unexpectedly taken a step back, and quickly supported her, whose body was more than half a head taller than her.
The national flag, adorned with red and white stripes and dark blue patches, dotted with mud and burnt-out holes, resembled the ferocious face of a dragon. Elizabeth now felt as if she were the mistress of a castle, and this impregnable fortress was being guarded by this dragon, which poked its head into the castle hall, facing the throne, facing the still somewhat immature Elizabeth on it.
The dragon head stared at her blankly, and she stared back at it in panic. The air seemed to freeze and solidify as they looked at each other.
What's even more terrifying is that this dragon, which is eyeing him so fiercely, is exactly the same as the thing he is protecting!
“Sister?…” The command center was quiet. Elizabeth slowly took stiff steps forward and held up the Union Jack with trembling hands.
So, everything so far has not been a coincidence?
"You? What did you say?" Angeli and Lilizia looked at her in confusion.
"Berlin, the Oder River, Leipzig, Rügen Island, the Elbe River, Hanover... these are all places in our world, aren't they?"
“So…” Lilizia seemed to understand in an instant, “Nazi Germany and the German provinces… the former Siberia of the Soviet Union and the EU… the United States and the American continent… so now, our opponent is really called Britain?”
Elizabeth didn't say anything, but put the Union Jack back into the box and closed the lid herself.
"Put the flag away... Also! Connect me to Area 11 immediately! I need to speak with my brother Schneizel, personally..."
Chapter 172, Section 235: Who comes here? The British Empire!
The Tokyo concessions were like a subway ventilation shaft; though still, a terrifying restlessness roared within them.
Unbeknownst to them, an undercurrent was flowing through the streets, converging towards the city hall in the city center.
A conference room was set up here, where generals, marshals, and noble officials sat in their respective seats, quietly watching the large screen that was lit up in front of them.
Surprisingly, no one could calm down and wait for the start to begin. It wasn't because Prince Schneizel was sitting in the main seat, nor because everyone hadn't seen each other for a long time, but because everyone's words contained a word that, like a brutal reptile, was stimulating everyone's tongue to utter all their thoughts.
The real business has finally begun. The screen shows a fairly large room with a table and a stool at each end. There is a cloth bag on the table with a stack of papers underneath.
"Alright, Your Highness Schneizel, and gentlemen of the Britannian Empire." At this moment, a young officer stepped forward. "I am currently at the Tokyo Concession Armed Security Corps' base, providing you with a live broadcast of this footage. When may we begin?"
“Do it, Lieutenant Colonel Caronville.” After the prince finished speaking, the lieutenant colonel returned to the table, and another person wearing the uniform of a soldier from District 45 appeared in the frame.
“This is Sergeant Aitani Davis from Sector 45A. I will now be responsible for questioning him.” Slowly, he pulled out the paper from under the cloth and looked at the sergeant.
"Sergeant Davis, for every question I ask from now on, you just need to answer yes or no, understand?"
The soldier nodded.
“Alright, let’s begin…” The lieutenant colonel looked at the first question on the paper, “Is the country you come from called the United States of America?”
"Yes."
Is the United States of America located on the American continent?
"Yes."
"So, is your Americas divided into North and South?"
"Yes."
Do you refer to it as North America and South America?
"Yes."
……
Well, before five questions were even finished, the meeting room erupted again.
"This! How is this possible! Why do they also have North America and South America?"
"This is unbelievable..."
……
Is New York the capital of the United States?
"No."
Is Dallas the capital of the United States?
"No."
Is Chicago the capital of the United States?
"No."
Do the above city names exist in the United States?
"Yes."
Another decisive answer, another wave of surprise in the conference room.
"Now, you can answer these questions freely." The lieutenant colonel clicked his tongue. "What is the name of the capital of the United States?"
Washington.
It's over. Even Caronville, who was barely managing to suppress his emotions, couldn't help but shudder, let alone those in the conference room.
"How is this possible! How can it be called Washington! And what about those other cities?!"
"This coincidence is too outrageous! Why is it the name of the leader of the North American rebellion?!"
……
"So, what is the origin of the name Washington, D.C."
"George Washington, named after him."
"What is this George to you?"
"The Founding Father, the founding father of the United States of America."
"No, that can't be!" The conference room erupted in chaos, even Schneizel frowned. "Really? There's actually such a country in District 45?"
……
"Alright, let's continue with the previous answer rules." Forcing himself to regain his composure, the lieutenant colonel continued reading. "Are Germany and the United States on the same continent?"
"No."