flstandardbreds Chapter 1417 Hanoi Doesn't Care
Chapter 1417 Hanoi Doesn't Care
The office fell into a deathly silence after Nguyen Phu Trong’s last words.
Chief of the General Staff Li Wenyong stood there, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly.
He wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't make a sound.
He wanted to say that this was unfair...
But he knew that saying these words would be useless, because politics never cares about fairness.
Now, the 2nd Division has only one fate!
They either died in battle and became martyrs.
Either live, or become a traitor.
There is no third way.
“Comrade Van Dung,” Nguyen Phu Trong’s voice pulled him from his reverie, “Is there anything else?”
Li Wenyong opened his mouth, but in the end, he just shook his head.
"Then go ahead. Do as we just said."
Li Wenyong stood there, silent for a few seconds, then slowly turned around and walked towards the door.
His steps were slow and heavy, as if each step was on a knife's edge. He paused when he reached the door.
This time, he turned around.
He looked at Nguyen Phu Trong, at the old man sitting in the dim light, half his face hidden in shadow. His lips moved, but he couldn't help but ask the question that had been weighing on his heart:
"General Secretary... do you sleep well at night?"
Nguyen Phu Trong was angry about this and did not answer immediately.
He simply looked at Li Wenyong, at this old subordinate who had grown up through experience in the army, and a barely perceptible fluctuation flashed in his tired eyes.
Then he smiled.
The smile was faint and bitter, carrying both relief and unspeakable weariness and helplessness.
Li Wenyong's seemingly defiant words made him realize that he had not misjudged the man; the other party was indeed a rare person in Yue Kingdom with a conscience, someone who truly cared about the country.
Therefore, with his current physical condition, even if he couldn't hold on any longer one day, he should still be able to become a qualified successor, leading the GC cause and the entire nation to survive in this apocalypse!
"Comrade Wenyong... I haven't had a full night's sleep since the day the world ended."
"Many things can be understood from different perspectives. When you stand in my position one day, you will understand."
At this point, Nguyen Phu Trong slowly stood up with some difficulty, walked to the wall, and looked at the portrait of Ho Chi Minh.
"How many people sacrificed for independence and freedom back then, President Hu? Did he sleep at night?"
"I do not know."
"All I know is that if one day I go to see him, he will ask me: Comrade Fu Zhong, what have you done for this country?"
“I wish I could have answered him: I did what I had to do.”
He turned around and looked at Li Wenyong.
At this moment, only a calm, almost compassionate light remained in those eyes.
Even if those things were terrible.
Even though those things keep me up at night.
"Go ahead, Comrade Wenyong. It's getting late."
Li Wenyong looked at him for a long time, then pushed open the door and walked out.
The door closed gently behind him.
In the office, only Nguyen Phu Trong remained. He stood in front of the portrait of Ho Chi Minh for a long, long time.
Then, he slowly walked back to his desk, sat down in the worn leather chair, and the dim light cast a long shadow over him.
He didn't know where this decision would lead the future of Yue, but he was certain it was the best decision at the moment.
In the office, only the dim light and the ever-benevolent portrait of Ho Chi Minh on the wall remained.
And an old man, in the darkness, sighing silently.
.....
Half a day later, inside the headquarters of the 2nd Division of the 1st Military Region.
As the relentless rebukes from the 1st Military Region Command were read aloud by Li Guangzhong, the division staff officer, the atmosphere in the command room quickly became as oppressive as a volcano about to erupt.
Until the very last line of the telegram fell, the meeting room remained deathly silent...
A numbness and emptiness, a feeling of being utterly abandoned, swept over almost all the high-ranking officers of the 2nd Division present.
“False military intelligence…” A hoarse voice rang out; it was Political Director Huang Guoqing.
Looking back now, the way I was yesterday, flying into a rage, slamming my fist on the table and cursing, pointing my finger at Li Guangzhong and telling him to get out and kneel down, makes me look like a complete clown!
"Exaggerating the enemy situation..."
He muttered the words from the telegram, his lips twitching as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't.
"Unsettling morale..."
"Considering the hardships of these last days, we will not pursue the matter further..."
"Hold your ground and do not retreat a single step..."
...
With each repetition of his sentence, the air in the meeting room grew heavier, each repetition like a stone pressing down on the hearts of every leader present.
The atmosphere at the scene was so oppressive that it caused oxygen deprivation and dizziness...
"Any repeat offender will be severely punished without exception..."
As the last sentence fell, Huang Guoqing closed his eyes completely.
He suddenly wanted to laugh, to laugh at his own stupidity, for being stupid for two whole years.
Snapped!
A loud bang startled everyone.
Deputy Division Commander Chen Mingde suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table, causing the simple wooden table to shake violently. Maps, ashtrays, and radio parts on it tumbled to the ground.
"Bullshit!!!"
Chen Mingde's roar, like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair, echoed in the narrow cave, making people's ears ring.
His face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes stared intently at the telegram as if they were about to pop out.
Do not!
It was about staring at the people behind that telegram, those high above, hiding thirty meters underground in Hanoi, who had never seen a single shot fired on the front lines.
"False reporting of military intelligence? Exaggeration of enemy activity???"
He kicked away the broken pieces of porcelain at his feet, rushed to Li Guangzhong, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him forward, causing him to stagger.
"Li Guangzhong! Go tell them! Tell them what you saw with your own eyes! Tell those tanks! Those artillery pieces! Tell them! Was it a lie? Was it an exaggeration?!"
Li Guangzhong was being pulled so hard he could hardly breathe, but he didn't struggle or argue. He was like a toy that had run out of power, letting Deputy Division Commander Chen Deming toss him around.
He just stared at Chen Mingde, at this deputy division commander who was usually known for his composure, but now looked like a mad beast, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling, and his whole body shaking.
He knew that Chen Mingde wasn't angry at him; Chen Mingde was angry at the telegram, at Hanoi, and at this damned country!
But all he can do now is look out for himself, because Hanoi can't hear him, Hanoi doesn't care...