Shadow Empire

Chapter 1036 The Eve of the Night of Change

The sound of gunfire shattered the tranquility of the night sky.

Choosing to launch the attack in the middle of the night was a decision made by Pedro and these leaders after careful consideration.

Because the Rapa government forces still have a considerable number of artillery pieces, they would be easily discovered if they fought during the day, and would then face the onslaught of artillery fire.

Choosing to go at night is relatively better, but there is also a small problem, namely that some soldiers will suffer from night blindness.

They selected some soldiers without night blindness to form an assault force, which launched a surprise attack on the two bridges spanning the river.

When a soldier saw a dense mass of black dots moving toward their checkpoint under the moonlight, he instinctively drew his pistol and fired a shot into the sky, and the battle broke out instantly!

President Diego was suddenly awakened from his sleep. He had lost a lot of weight recently, but with a little effort, he could at least shake hands with his little brother.

He doesn't need manual labor, because he is the president, the nominal ruler of this country, and he has plenty of ways to help his little brother.

It was quite moving to be able to shake hands with my younger brother again after so many years.

I lost weight, but I didn't feel any relief; instead, I felt even more exhausted.

He was constantly tormented by an indescribable discomfort in his body, and sometimes even breathing seemed painful.

He consulted a doctor, who said he was perfectly healthy and there was nothing wrong with him.

He said his eyesight was getting blurry, and recently, his doctor told him that this was something that everyone would experience as they grew up.

In short, he is in good health.

He sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, but this time was different. He felt that it wasn't a problem with his body, but rather some kind of sound.

He threw off the covers and walked barefoot to the window, pushed open the thick window, and listened to the sounds coming from afar in the dead of night.

After a long time, the night outside the window remained silent, without any sound, as quiet as any other night.

He looked out the window and saw that the buildings were brightly lit, with all the streetlights turned on, and armed soldiers patrolling back and forth constantly, leaving almost no blind spots in their patrols.

But for some reason, he felt uneasy.

It was as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly in the darkness of night, making it difficult for him to breathe. He clutched his chest, staring at the deep black sky in the distance, speechless for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, his emotions not only failed to calm down but became even more intense. At that moment, there was a knock on his bedroom door, and the butler asked from outside, "Master, I'm afraid there are some things that require your attention now."

Diego turned to look at the two shadows appearing through the crack under the door. After a moment, he replied, "I'm already up."

The butler pushed open the door, head bowed, and stood by the door. "Those anti-government armed men attacked two bridges in the middle of the night. The fighting on the front lines is fierce now. Our commander called to ask if we can blow up the two bridges?"

"If these two bridges are destroyed, they will be unable to enter the area surrounding Zhuolan for a short period of time."

"If we give up on blowing up the bridge, then..."

President Diego did not speak immediately. His vulture-like eyes were fixed on the butler for a while before he said, "I'm going to my study."

The butler stepped aside and beckoned to the door. Soon, two maids entered quickly with their heads down and helped Diego get dressed.

He was originally going to wash up, but because the matter was urgent, he chose to get dressed instead.

Four or five minutes later, he arrived at the study, where several key members of the Lavila family who had remained there were already present.

They stood up immediately when they saw Diego come in, even though they were family, they were also in a superior-subordinate relationship.

"Please sit down, what happened?" Now, the entire high-ranking officials of the Lapa government and military have been replaced by people from the Lavila family.

Diego had always been wary of his family members, feeling that if given the opportunity, they would definitely vie for power and profit.

But when it really came to the last moment, the few people he could trust were only these members of the Lavila family.

He, and they all knew this very well: as long as Diego remained in power, the Lavila family's rule would continue.

If Diego falls, the famous Lavila family will also come to an end.

His uncle spoke first, “The rebels have already seized the middle of the Reef Bridge. If we don’t take action soon, they may very well cross the bridge.”

He spoke very quickly, as if afraid that speaking slowly would waste time. After he finished speaking, he looked at Diego with a nervous expression.

Diego appeared very calm and composed, showing no signs of impatience, just like a true president.

He looked at his uncle and asked softly, "If we blow up the bridge, will it bring any real, concrete changes to what we'll be facing next?"

"Or perhaps..." His face darkened as he took a cigar from the cigarette case on the table and handed it to the butler.

The butler took his cigar and started fiddling with it at the bar, while he continued, "...Or should we blow up the bridge, and the situation in Lapa will be completely turned around?"

He looked at these uncles and elders, none of them spoke. They probably understood what Diego meant, which was why they remained silent, because no one could bear the responsibility of speaking at this moment.

The butler quickly prepared the cigar, lit it, and then placed it on a special cigar rack before bringing it over on a tray.

It was a gold-plated cigar holder, shaped like a horizontal "I" to hold the cigars and make them easier to take.

He picked up a cigar, took a puff, and the delicious taste made him feel as if he had become more rational and intelligent. He shook his head and said, "No, it won't get any better."

"By blowing up these two bridges, we have cut off our connection with the outside world, and we will become an isolated island in Lapa."

"It appears that we have repelled the enemy's attack, but in reality, we have trapped ourselves here."

"Resources are limited here, population is limited, everything is limited, but outside, it is limitless."

"They will grow stronger and stronger, and eventually they will be stronger than us, so strong that we will be unable to resist them."

"If they launch another attack at that point, can we stop them?"

He looked at these people. "Hmm?"

The uncles remained silent.

Diego took another puff of his cigar. "My idea is to let them in. Since they want a decisive battle, we'll give them one."

“If we blow up the other bridge, they will do everything they can to protect the Jiaoma Bridge. We will form an encirclement around the bridge.”

"No matter how many they come in, we'll wipe them out!"

"Eat them all!"

"When they can't withstand the pressure and start to give up the attack, that's when we'll counterattack!"

The men looked at Diego with the same surprised, shocked, and incredulous expressions they were using to meet him for the first time, which made Diego feel embarrassed and annoyed. "Don't fucking look at me like that!"

The group immediately turned their attention back to Diego. Although they were Diego's elders, Diego still wielded considerable influence within the family.

He knew at least that he wasn't the best or most outstanding one, but in order to rise to the top, he killed many of his brothers, sisters, and even cousins.

If killing can solve the problem, then he will only choose to kill instead of thinking of other methods, which is why everyone used to be afraid of him.

He really is a tyrant!
"Okay, do it this way, let them in, but don't make it so... fake, make them feel that they won this victory through their own efforts."

"You don't need to worry too much. We have military supplies from the Federation and hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers. If there is only one winner in this war, it will be me!"

"Let's proceed with the arrangements."

He raised his hand and waved it around, indicating that they could leave.

Several elders of the Lavila family looked at each other, and finally decided to carry out Diego's orders, because the orders seemed surprisingly reliable!
They left quickly, but Diego didn't. He sat in a chair smoking a cigar, the rising smoke occasionally obscuring his face, making him look somewhat ethereal.

He seemed to be thinking, but no one knew what he was thinking.

The butler stood behind him, staring at his back, seemingly lost in thought.

The news from the front lines came back quickly: another bridge had been successfully destroyed, causing the rebels to focus almost all their pressure on the Reef Bridge.

The battle for Jiaoma Bridge was exceptionally fierce and brutal; the bridge surface was littered with the corpses of soldiers from both sides.

Later soldiers who wanted to rush forward could only step over the corpses, one foot high and one foot low, to keep moving forward.

At that moment, courage and fear, emotions that only arise in specific circumstances, seemed to be wiped out from everyone's body by a mysterious force.

The soldiers forgot everything and charged forward. As they watched the government troops being scattered, these people who called themselves insurgents could not believe that it was real!

As they captured the bridgehead, more soldiers began to pour across the bridge, where they were met with even fiercer fighting.

The sounds of gunfire never ceased, and the rebels used the few artillery pieces they had gathered to bombard the enemy positions.

The intensity of the battle only decreased slightly by dawn.

Before sunrise, on a bridge about seventy or eighty meters long, the bodies of soldiers were being thrown off the bridge by those clearing the battlefield.

The surging river beneath the bridge was like a terrifying beast, swallowing them all whole.

Pedro came to the bridge from the back. Looking at the potholed bridge, he could feel the ferocity of the battle the night before.

"It's not safe here yet. They still have a chance to blow up the bridge. We need to find a way to continue our advance."

As he spoke, he turned to look in the direction of Zhuolan, "It's not far from here to Zhuolan. If we push forward with all our might, we can reach Zhuolan in no more than two weeks."

He gazed at the distant sky, seemingly looking at Diego Lavila, the "traitorous president" they had dubbed him, and perhaps imagining what the two of them would say or do when he stood before him.

This will undoubtedly be a historic moment, recorded in human history and deeply etched in the hearts of all the living people of this country.

A rebel leader nearby said softly, "Our losses are too great. They've surrounded us like a giant pocket. Breaking through won't be an easy task."

"We could pay a heavy price."

Pedro adjusted his glasses. "Every change comes with enormous sacrifices. Sacrifice can strengthen our convictions, awaken the numb souls of the people, and get this country back on track!"

"I believe that the soldiers' sacrifice was meaningful and worthwhile. What they paid with their blood and lives was a bright future for their families, their children, and all the people of Lapa!"

Pedro has now also learned to spout these empty platitudes, but at this time, at this crucial juncture of change, people seem to buy into it.

That sense of mission that came from the sky made many people immediately abandon some selfish things and selflessly join the torrent of the times.

They may indeed be able to change this era and this country, but they will not be remembered because they are just expendable resources.

Who can really remember all the consumables?
Some consumables don't even deserve to appear in newspapers, magazines, or advertisements.

They quickly discussed their next battle plan, and around 9 p.m., the battle resumed, this time becoming even more intense.

The rebels somehow acquired some modified vehicles, which looked more like armored vehicles, and they rampaged across the battlefield.

In this "low-tech" battlefield, the appearance of armored vehicles is definitely a powerful weapon.

They quickly tore a bloody path through the enemy lines, and the battle between the two sides became even more intense and fierce.

Diego spent the whole day waiting for some new news, but the news that came was never good.

They had temporarily halted the anti-government forces' offensive as they attempted to continue their advance toward Zhuolan, as they were clearly preparing for a new offensive.

Diego questioned several officers from the Lavila family at the front and received some unfavorable feedback from them.

These rebels have fierce firepower and a tenacious will. This will be a tough battle, and they cannot guarantee that they will win.

After receiving several similar results, Diego hung up the phone and said without turning his head, "Pack up all the stuff in my exhibition room..."

The butler was slightly taken aback; he seemed to know what the president was planning to do.

"Understood, sir!"

(End of this chapter)