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Nagayama sighed with pity, glancing at the girls of the Knights in the distance, their faces full of indignation, as if Harrington's actions were unforgivable; then he turned back to look at the American soldiers watching the spectacle, guns slung over their shoulders, smoking cigarettes, their faces full of contempt, as if all of this was perfectly justified and gratifying.
“Well done, you little devils.” Harrington tilted his head and looked at the trinkets scattered on the ground. “Everyone stand up and take off all your clothes, shoes and socks within thirty seconds, then return to the squatting position with your hands raised.”
Then, just like before, they handed out all the clothes and pants to the front, and the soldiers used brooms and bamboo poles to collect them. Then they sorted the civilians one by one and put them onto the prison cart.
"Alright, Sergeant Nagayama, that's all the methods I have. As for those women, whether to follow the same approach or find another way is up to you. But I doubt those flamboyant young ladies will agree, heh."
"Uh, speaking of Harrington, does Japan in this world also like suicide attacks, just like we do?"
"Not entirely similar, but at least it has that vibe... (Why does this Showa era feel so halal?)"
……
In less than an hour, Kofu City was in complete chaos. By the time Maribel had gotten out of the car and walked among the special operations team members, Suzaku and Lancelot finally arrived.
"What... what are you doing, Your Highness?!" He looked terrified, like a brat whose clothes had been burned.
"Is there a problem with clearing out terrorists?"
“But you…” Suzaku was so angry that he couldn’t speak. Unexpectedly, when he looked up, he saw an even more outrageous scene—the Grand Belle, the flagship of the Grinda Knights, had already sailed over the city.
"Is this the result of the construction of the 'Japanese Special Zone' that you and Nanali showed me?" At this moment, General Schwarz requested to launch an attack from the Skyship.
"All members of the Knights of Grinda, heed my command!" Maribel stood atop the infantry fighting vehicle, gazing up at the endless sky. "All troops, attack! Every inch of this chaotic street must be completely razed!!"
Chapter 303, Section 391: The Real Violent Mechanism (Part 2)
"Good afternoon, everyone watching TV. You are now watching the Tokyo Concession midday news."
"First, let's turn our attention to the latest developments in Japan's special districts. Since the establishment of the special districts last month, there have been a series of security incidents. We originally thought that the 11th district would usher in a new era of peace under the wise decisions of Governor-General Nunnally and the expectations of the general public, but everything that has happened now makes us feel regretful."
"Indeed, in the view of Nunnally and His Excellency Suzaku, the establishment of the special zone marks the relief of the long-standing oppression of the Japanese. Although it has blurred the lines with the Britannians, it has also led to another kind of contradiction."
“Many of us residents in the 11th district know that in the past six months, a large number of non-Asian stateless residents have begun to move into the 11th district. On the one hand, the 11th district is gradually becoming prosperous thanks to them, but at the same time, their settlements outside the various concessions are also squeezing the living space of the people in the 11th district and the Japanese.”
"According to our reporters' interviews, after the establishment of the special zone, not only did the undocumented residents face discrimination from the Japanese in their lives and work, but large-scale disputes also broke out between the Japanese and Britannians in Yaizu and Shizuoka, the core urban areas of the special zone. There were even instances of the Japanese insulting the undocumented residents and refusing them entry into 'the country that belongs to the Japanese'."
[Note 022: One day, I saw someone post the following CG comic in a book club group: After Japan was destroyed, Japanese students in a school run by the Empire in Area 11 told the students of orthodox Britannian nationality to get out, and supposedly they were not even subjected to military or police intervention... Damn, the Heisei era screenwriters are so bizarre, I admit defeat.]
"Among the stateless residents, there are also many complaints about similar incidents. A large number of stateless residents expressed their incomprehension of the Japanese people's behavior, believing that Princess Nanali's decision was biased towards the Japanese people while being quite unfair to the hardworking stateless residents. They raised the question of 'why not set up special zones for them as well.'"
"To date, apart from the Japanese who have joined the special zone, the population flow in and out of Shizuoka and Yaizu is declining sharply. The governor has not yet provided us with a bill to resolve the issues that will arise after the establishment of the special zone. We sincerely hope that the 11th district can truly usher in a wonderful day."
……
"Okay, next is a breaking news report from our station: Just 20 minutes ago, a large-scale demonstration took place in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, with a rough estimate of nearly 10,000 Japanese participants. And according to our latest information, the motorcade carrying Princess Mariebell, which was passing through Kofu City, was also attacked by a suicide bomber at the city's entrance."
"Our on-site reporter has arrived at the scene and will bring us more reports next."
……
"Alright viewers, I am currently aboard a helicopter over Kofu City. Her Highness Princess Maribel's safety is now assured. According to our understanding, more than 500 Japanese people participated in this incident. Her Highness's guards exercised maximum restraint and were only allowed to open fire after the Japanese launched their attack."
"Their aim is to kidnap Princess Marybell in order to achieve their goal for this march: to demand the release of all Japanese civilians imprisoned at the Special District's founding ceremony. According to members of the Knights of Grinda, Princess Marybell was previously kidnapped by Japanese civilians while traveling incognito in Area 11. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the second time Princess Marybell has faced a personal crisis in Area 11."
"So we can see that the sky flagship carrying all the officers and soldiers of the Knights of Grinda has arrived here and is using large-caliber weapons such as cannons to indiscriminately attack the people on the ground. I believe that this time is different from the tragedy caused by Princess Euphemia a year ago. Putting aside Princess Marybell's inherent hatred for the Japanese, this time it is indeed the other side that has taken an aggressive attitude."
"Oh, and we can also see that the Seventh Knight of the Round Table, Suzaku Kururugi, and his Lancelot have appeared here, but he seems very opposed to this behavior... Wait, zoom in! What are we seeing! Lord Suzaku has launched an attack on the KMF of the Grinda Knights? What's going on?!"
[022 Tip: This is what the official Knights of Grinda emblem looks like... I thought Lux got a new skin.]
……
If Elizabeth's scathing words hadn't shattered Suzaku's spirit at the Special Administrative Region's founding ceremony, he might have gone to great lengths to seize all the soldiers' weapons and prevent the mass arrests.
It's very simple. Euphemia's past mistakes are still fresh in his mind, and he doesn't want Area 11 to be stained with the blood of the Yamato people again for no reason.
This time, real shells landed on his compatriots' heads. It goes without saying what that must have made him think.
How did it end? Mary Bell hurriedly returned to the Grand Belle, took out her Lancelot Judge, and, taking Suzaku by surprise, severed the VARIS gun and right arm from the latter's machine.
That's probably why Marybell and Suzaku, sitting face to face in the small room of the city hall, have a large bruise on the back of their necks and gauze on their faces and bandages wrapped around their arms.
Nunnally stood beside Suzaku, wanting to say something but unsure where to begin. She noticed Elizabeth sitting to the right and behind Marybell, her expression nonchalant.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and smoothed her hair. "I wasn't in the convoy, I didn't command any of the soldiers on site, and I didn't bring the airship over. Can't you at least follow the basic procedures when shifting blame?"
"Are you trying to say that it was a mistake for Elizabeth and me to come to Area 11?" Maribell was also unhappy. "You made my knights cease fire on a bunch of terrorists? Fine, next time you'll be responsible for my security all by yourself. I want to see how the Yamato people handle security."
She stared into Suzaku's eyes as if she wanted to devour him whole.
"So, what exactly is your relationship with those thugs? Did you take your seat as a Knight of the Round Table so that the royal family of Britannia would kowtow to a bunch of unreasonable commoners?"
It seems he was right? In Suzaku's own words, joining the army was indeed to "change the empire from within," but he hadn't made any plans or guarantees about what that change would look like.
"So, does Sister Marybell also support Sister Elizabeth's violent methods?" Nanali asked worriedly.
“I can understand your disgust for the Aryan Special Forces’ brutality; I can also have reservations about your sympathy for the 11 men, but,” Elizabeth said, calming herself and Marybelle down, “hundreds and thousands of people, with bombs and guns, what are we supposed to do? It’s fortunate that the thugs who killed my brother Clovis didn’t bring out the KMF army.”
“Yes, you are Suzaku Kururugi, you are a Knight of the Round Table. In terms of physical combat and KMF skills, I have no objection if you say you completely surpass the two of us.” Maribel also opened up, “But what about my knights and guards, especially the police on the streets of Kofu City? Oh, you can leap across rooftops, dodge bullets, and kick down the ceiling lights at the same time, but what about us? Are we supposed to cower under the car just to wait for you to fly over from a hundred thousand miles away and kick us?”
"No need for all that beating around the bush, Zhuque Qing. You don't want me to return to District 45 in the future and take with me a joke about 'not being as naive as Shuraki Suzaku,' do you?"
Suzaku was speechless after being argued with. He looked at Nanali and placed her hand on his wound, and sighed helplessly.
"Then... what are your requests, Your Highnesses?"
“I won’t be going back to District 24 anytime soon,” Maribell said bluntly. “I’ll help you and Nunnally sort out the issues in the Japanese Special District first. After all, District 11 is far more important than the offensive against the EU on the European and African fronts.”
"Everyone knows that there are some conflicts between my brother Schneizel and me," Elizabeth added. "But we are both descendants of our father, and as members of the royal family, it goes without saying that we should strive for the interests of Britannia. Although the difference is that I am responsible for military conquest and he is responsible for coercion and inducement, we both have one thing in common: Area 11 is an important piece on the chessboard. Our success or failure depends on its stability, doesn't it?"
Indeed, some might ask where Schneizel has been all this time—he is currently working on extending an invitation to the eunuch faction of the Chinese Federation to arrange a marriage between their emperor, Jiang Lihua, and their own first prince, Odysseus.
The purpose of this was clear: to transform the traitorous eunuchs into their puppets through marriage, money, and titles, thus eliminating the threat to the Chinese Federation, which had long been a major enemy of Britannia.
Meanwhile, according to reliable sources, after escaping Area 11, the Black Knights were placed on Penglai Island, a giant tidal power station located in the Yellow Sea under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. Once the real power of the Chinese Federation falls under Britannia's control, the Imperial military will be able to legally arrest all members. Even with the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, where else could they possibly escape to?
“Our thoughts are all written here. Please give me your reply by the day after tomorrow.” Maribel placed the thick document in front of Suzaku and Nunnally, then left with Elizabeth.
……
Left with no other choice, Suzaku, while not ceasing his leniency towards certain criminals from Area 11, did soften his stance slightly towards the Aryan Special Forces, whom he had previously suppressed.
Karlstadt, as the supreme commander of the special forces, along with several officers from the unit, was transferred to serve as Marshal Auchindoun's deputy, traveling with him between the island of Honshu and the African continent to discuss various aspects of the 45th District expedition.
Schreiber, along with several burly German soldiers, was taken by Marybell to serve as the princess's personal bodyguards in District 11. They were also responsible for instilling violent values in the new members of the Grinda Knights—which triggered another wave of veterans leaving the order. Because of Marybell's increasingly "tyrannical" personality, many core members who followed the knightly code had already packed up and left.
Regarding the issue that Suzaku, as a Japanese, could not impose the death penalty on the lawbreakers from District 11, Maribelle and Elizabeth contacted the governor of District 16—who was also on the front line against the Chinese Federation. The governor agreed to use a prison area as a substitute for Suzaku in guarding the people from District 11, and this barracks-like place was handed over to Henrik, the behind-the-scenes man of the Special Operations Unit, for management.
Of the remaining three hundred or so people, some who had committed serious offenses were sent back to the civilian resettlement area, while about one hundred relatively "law-abiding" members of the special operations team, led by Gunther, were incorporated into the regular organization of the Tokyo Concession Armed Security Corps.
As for their uniforms, which bore the hallmarks of the SS, and their flags, which were derived from the swastika, they were preserved.
The Nazi remnants were being treated so badly, and besides the people of Area 11, another group was secretly pleased—they were now gathering in Clark's bar.
Now, Stasevich also learned from Davis and the others that this was a base area secretly set up by the Americans behind enemy lines.
“But there’s one thing I didn’t expect, brother.” Philip’s excitement was mixed with a question: “You mean, when the Germans smashed up that Jewish shop, it was you who orchestrated it?”
"I told those Germans that the Nazis often passed through this intersection, and there was a Jewish shop here. I asked them if they wanted to know if these Nazis were still capable of eating shit, and I tricked them into going there for a meal. But they didn't expect this, haha."
"So now, what kind of New World German Confederation that you taught the Germans to create? Is it just a way to use someone else to do your dirty work?"
“I have received some very unfortunate news.” Stasevich sighed. “A colonel named Andreiyavich has been taken over by these aliens. He used to be my superior’s superior… I can now imagine that in our original world, the difficulties we face are getting greater and greater. So I think that the decision to instigate the German civilians was the right one.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.” Davis shook his head, looking somewhat puzzled.
“Look, Britannia is looking for Nazis to find laborers to do their riot control work, and at the same time, to select the people in our world who are trustworthy. So, following this logic, if we join forces and knock the Nazis down from the rankings, wouldn't it be even harder for them to gain power in the future?”
As he spoke, Stasevich looked around and pulled out a map of the Tokyo metropolitan area.
"Now, the Germans in the Communism have helped us learn that people in Area 11 have weapons hidden in many places, and even underground arms factories, which the Nazis knew nothing about and had no clue about."
“Now that you mention it,” Davis chuckled, “I’m not sleepy anymore!!”
“Come, Comrade, let me introduce you.” Stasevich patted several burly Soviet officers and soldiers next to him. “Sergeant Androv, the comrade who first argued with me, now understands that there is no point in sitting in the POW camp. And these men, they are from the Red Navy.”
"So, you came out here to 'rebel' with us?"
"Whether it's a rebellion or not is unclear, but at least after spending so long in the POW camp, getting out to fight and handle a gun can still be considered an extracurricular activity, right?"
Chapter 304, Section 392: The Real Violent Mechanism (Part 2)
Caronville has been away in the 45th ward for a long time and hasn't returned. The top position of the Tokyo Concession Armed Security Corps has remained with Leiffel ever since.
Everything in District 11 has changed drastically. From the people of District 11 to those of District 45, ever since Stasevich brought in a group of Soviet officers and soldiers, German civilians have been reporting to the military and police one after another that people from District 11 are hiding weapons in the Japanese special zone.
If Cornelia and Carrares, the only two relatively strong-willed governors, had handled this matter, a regional conflict-like clash would have inevitably made the news.
Now it's Suzaku and Nunnally's turn. Overwhelmed by their saintly compassion, the two bargained with Elizabeth and Maribel and chose to secretly observe and then make a coordinated arrest.
Today is the day to take down one of the targets. General Lefel and General Schwarz are the front-line commanders of this capture operation. The former is responsible for dispatching the officers and soldiers of the security force, including some defecting American and Soviet soldiers, carrying light weapons and driving civilian vehicles as the vanguard of the capture. The latter is in charge of deploying the KMFs of the Grinda Knights in the rear. According to Suzaku's requirements, the knights can only be sent to the rescue if the capture team encounters a heavy firepower threat.
"I still don't understand what these Soviets are up to..." Even now, Lefel still has questions in his mind. "Putting aside whether they have ulterior motives, they want each of them to be given a black infantry combat uniform and a blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt when enforcing the law, without guns or knives. What are they trying to do?"
……
While Lefel was still in a daze, Taylor and Genia, who were involved in the incident, were crammed into a black luxury car with two other KMF pilots who were fighting on foot, and they were almost at the scene.
The building containing the weapons was visible in the distance, and on the road in front of it, the Japanese soldiers were gathered around several K-cars, seemingly preparing to smuggle out a batch of guns.
"Stasivich, are you following us?"
Then the two vans carrying Soviet officers and soldiers sped up, and the three vehicles almost collided—the vans were painted dark red, which the Russians had specially prepared before setting off.
"Hmm, these Russian tanks are all big and burly, so they prefer to ride in big cars, huh?" Taylor muttered to himself. "But they don't have guns, so let's not let them hold us back."
"I gave them my assault rifle."
"Huh?" Jeanne's words were a bit unexpected for Taylor, who was currently checking the magazine of her pistol.
"What's so strange? Do you also want to fight armed thugs bare-handed in the future?"
“Jenia gave one car's worth, and I gave mine to the other car,” a sergeant pilot in the back row added. “To be honest, after what happened to Princess Maribel a while ago, I even dreamt that one day Suzaku Kururugi would confiscate all our guns in order to ‘avoid harming the innocent.’”
Well, it wasn't just Taylor; it seemed like everyone around him was disgusted by this inexplicable little Japanese guy.
……
"Mr. Taylor, please respond." At this moment, Yongshan led another convoy from another direction to surround them. "Major Lefel has ordered the operation to begin. Please get to your positions as soon as possible, and at the same time, be aware of the civilians nearby to avoid accidental shootings that could cause unnecessary bloodshed."
"Roger that, let's go!"
In an instant, before the people from Area 11 could react, Taylor slammed on the brakes behind the last K-car, and the Soviet soldiers' vans also surrounded it from both sides.
Taylor pushed open the car door, still reeling from the excitement, when he saw Stasevich jump out, raise his assault rifle, and fire a burst into the air. A dense mass of Soviet soldiers followed, completely surrounding the convoy of District 11's men.
Denya was stunned and almost didn't understand what the Russians were doing—as soon as they heard the gunshot, the civilians nearby, who had been chatting and laughing, all fled for their lives.
Most of the rebels were subdued in an instant. A few escaped into the car and prepared to drive away. Taylor and Denya quickly punctured the tires from both sides and were smashing the windows with the butts of their rifles when a Soviet soldier pushed them away.
"What are you dawdling about?" It was Androv who was bluffing him, the one who had just joined the group not long ago. With a sudden burst of speed, he smashed the car window open with a single punch.
"Wow wow wow!" Taylor and Genia were truly dumbfounded. In no time, Androv pulled the short Japanese man out like he was a Chihuahua, and even broke his seatbelt in the process.
"You guys go and block up that hideout first, leave this to us."
Clearly, the Soviets stole the show at the arrest scene. The Imperial soldiers learned to swear while arresting people, and the Yankee soldiers also thought about showing off their skills. As a result, the Soviet soldiers directly took hammers and clubs and started smashing cars. Stasevich even stood on the hood of one of the K-cars, holding an assault rifle in one hand, directing his comrades to tear open the car door and pry open the trunk lid with their bare hands, while kicking the windshield with his big foot covered by a boot.
Not to mention the soldiers, even the little brats from Area 11 were terrified hiding in this car that's not even as big as a Siberian brown bear. Whether it's arresting people or confiscating illegal weapons, the Russians are behaving more like thugs than bandits.
……
"Can you hear me, Mr. Stasevich? We're in a bit of trouble!"
Denia and her group cornered the place where the District 11 people were hiding their guns. On the third floor of this dilapidated residential building, the "skilled" thugs had smashed down several apartments and merged them into one large warehouse. The only warehouse door was in a narrow corner. After trying out pistols and assault rifles, Denia was grazed on the side by a ricocheting bullet that hit the lock.
They didn't bring any explosives or rocket launchers. Not to mention the risk of accidental injury in such a confined space, what if they set the armory on fire? Wouldn't they be buried with the building and the evidence in the armory?
After waiting for a while, Stasevich and his men arrived. They even asked the workers at the barracks of a nearby construction site for a few large sledgehammers, a few jackhammers, and compressed air cylinders.
What the heck is this? Is it the power and faith of the working class?
Without a word, Chicherin, Ivanov, and many other Soviet officers and soldiers got to work, either helping to push the heavy jackhammers, weighing ten or twenty kilograms, against the wall at the edge of the warehouse door to drill, or swinging sledgehammers to smash along the cracks created by the jackhammers.