Forbidden City

[Imimoya]

Forbidden City, Uicheon.

Inside the walls of the Forbidden City, a huge complex of buildings enclosed within a rectangular ring of walls, is the Presidential residence. Normally, a part of the complex can be visited, so that millions of citizens can see a part of the 980 buildings that make up a total of 8707 rooms and 720 000 m²of build surface. In fact, it is the largest building in the world. The complex exemplifies the sumptuous traditional Tianlong architecture and has influenced the cultural developments of the surrounding areas across the continent of Touyou.

Zhuan Lingxin, as usual, was sitting in front of his desk browsing through some files that he had promised himself to leave for the following day. Obviously his dedication to work always won over his good intentions not to overwork. On his desk there were several folders, which differ from bills to budgets to be dedicated to the various branches of government. While the president was intent on reading yet another dossier full of legal terms and notes, his desk phone began to ring. On the digital screen, an inscription bought from left to right, the name of Tao Shun, first in Tianlong characters and finally in English.

Lingxin picked up the telephone receiver and put it to his ear, in a strong tianlong accent he speak to his interlocutor with a question: "Is the bar full of liquor as they say or are the brouchers fake?" On the other side of the phone, Tao Shun, a man with a background in foreign policy already well established, was trying in every way to hide a laugh. "I have not yet had the chance to visit the bar of the structure, as soon as the occasion arises, I will make sure to report the details on the vastness of drinks in the bar, president. I was calling her to update her on The Celestial Shield project, from what I have been able to observe since my arrival, I believe there are concrete possibilities to expand the project to politically similar countries. The situation in the heart of Europe seems to be playing in our favor."

The president, while he was intent on listening to the ambassador on the phone, with his free hand began to move some folders on the desk until one surfaced with the name TCS printed on the cover. "Mr Shun, I am happy that your initial report on the international situation is considered to be faverole in Tianlong, the project in question is a fundamental part of our future foreign policy, and if it goes through, it could even be the cornerstone of our presence outside the country and Touyou." The president answered before greeting the ambassador and ending the conversation by hanging up the phone.

 

[Imimoya]

Forbidden City, Uicheon.

The black telephone on President Lingxin's lacquered desk began to ring. The president picked up the phone and brought it to his ear as he leaned back against the back of the chair.

-T "Mr. President, I am Officer Lee Ta-ching, I am calling on behalf of the National Security Bureau, I have been instructed to update you on the file you requested regarding the latest events in the European Forum." The voice of the man, probably young, was quite monotonous, it was difficult to grasp his mood from the voice alone.

-L "Thank you Mr. Ta-ching, I am ready to receive your report, please continue."

-T "Following the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in particular supported by the Honorable Tao Shun, the National Security Bureau launched an informal investigation into the events that led to the drafting of the Whitaker Peace Plan by the representative of Natal, Sebastian Whitaker. All of his latest public activities and appearances have been reviewed in retrospect.

Speaking formally with the staff of our representation and some workers, we discovered that Sebastian Whitaker and Baron Bakhmateff met inside the bar of the European Forum where we believe with almost absolute certainty, they discussed an agreement. Even if we are not aware of what they said, we can agree that the argument was about an extremely important negotiation, so much so that it required that Baron Bakhmateff walked away about 30 minutes to call someone higher than him, before coming to the table. and end the conversation with his counterpart from Natal.

If the conversation really concerned the Pannonian peace plan being voted on at this moment, we do not know what the bargaining chip is, even if we can make congetures with a more or less credible rate of reliability."

-L "Thank you. Keep investigating, until we discover the bargaining chip that was promised for the Zaran's sale, we can't afford to be unprepared, especially if this trade could somehow endanger The World Belt Initiative."

-T "Yes, Mr. President" *Beep-Beep-Beeeep*

 

[Imimoya]

Square of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immacolate Conception, Uicheon.

The day in the green capital Uicheon was sunny, with a few scattered clouds that allowed almost idyllic moments of shade. In one of the many city squares of the city, precisely the one outside the largest Catholic Tiburan church of the city, there were several shops, bars and restaurants facing each other. The church dominated the view area with its central bell tower. It was certainly not the largest Tibetan Catholic building in the nation, but it was a notable example of early 1900s Gothic architecture.

At a table in one of these trendy bars sat two individuals, of no particular physical character or clothing that would pay attention or interest to them. Indeed, it could be said that they fit perfectly into the background of the fleeting glance of any citizen.

The square today was fuller than usual. A number of cars were out of the question, all black, two foreign-made cars, large-displacement off-roaders and a luxury sedan, also of foreign production. This last car had badges on the rear doors; A star with blue with a dragon inside it and the words "Presidency of the Republic of Tianlong".

The two men seated on the table were reading a copy of the local newspaper while sipping some tea boba.

"Have they finished?" Asked the first man to the second, as he leafed through the newspaper with a certain disinterest.

The second man took the smartphone from the table, of national production, opened an app and on the screen the inside of the church appeared, but from a strange angle, like it was not a security camera but another one positioned with the intention of seeing the confessional area. A seconds later, the man could see President Zhuan Lingxin walk out of the confessional and make the sign of the cross by making a slight bow towards the altar in the central nave of the cathedral.

"He has finished now, he has already met with the escort, in a few minutes, according to the itinerary he should leave again in the direction of the forbidden palace. Even today the president is on time."

"It would be easier if they allowed us to have a bug inside the confessional" The first man said as an answer.

"Only if you want to risk the accusation of treason, sure, but we have the task of monitoring the activity of the priest, in case he decides to violate the secret of the confessional for the benefit of his own wallet."

A few minutes later the motorcade of the three black cars moved towards the city center.

 

[Imimoya]

Forbidden City, Uicheon. Cabinet meeting on San Jose.

The Cabinet Room had been set up with every comfort necessary to house the various ministers who came to the Forbidden Palace today to meet with President Feng Yuhan. The palace itself had been the manifestation of Tianlong's power for more than 600 years and would be for a long time to come. The room where the ministers would meet to discuss the various topics of the day was decorated by the best craftsmen of the past. In the center of it, there was a huge round table where the President and his cabinet sat. The table was supported by several legs, each of which depicted a different dragon from Tianlong mythology.

The first to enter was the Foreign Minister, Shen Bai, a man in his 60s, a longtime diplomat who decided to end his career in the dull corridors of the foreign ministry instead of an embassy in some Caribbean micro-nation. A man with a strict moral compass, but who still knew how to compromise if the situation demanded it. His appearance was rather generic, if it weren't for a strange spot on the skin that resembled that of a small bird on his right forehead. A birthmark that gave him the nickname of the Sparrow of the East.

Soon after, it was the turn of Meng Su, Minister of Defense, to follow him. A woman of severe elegance and an icy gaze. The Minister is a woman in her 40s, good-looking, thart she hides with spartan and severe-looking clothes. She is the daughter of a family renowned for their role within the country's armed forces. Since she was a child she was exposed to the military thought to her to her strict rules that she has not struggled to get used to.

The last person to enter the room was a person who rarely attended the ministerial meeting, Zhuan Montone. His official title was Coordinator of the Secret Service of the Republic for Foreign Affairs. He was in charge of matters external to the Republic. Inside the Room it was the one that stands out the most for his physical appearance. It was clear that he was not from the same ethnic group as the President or the other two Ministers who preceded him, indeed from his surname it was not difficult to guess that he was the son of a mixed couple, the father or mother was from Radilla or anotherTiburan group. He was a man of about 50, with curly black hair and slightly almond-shaped eyes, an olive skin tone.

When the group had exchanged the usual ritual greeting, everyone took their seats at the table where all the necessary documents had been brought by the presidential staff. In front of each of the guests there was a plate with their title and a microphone that was activated in turn to speak. The first file on order was the one with San Jose's name on it.

Shen Bai; "As you well know, The Archipelagic Occidental Socialist Democratic People's Republic of San José, which I will now call San Jose to save breath, has unilaterally decided to exit the CETO. I don't think there is much to add on this subject other than the fact that I would suggest ask for a refund for the newly completed military base on their soil with CETO money."

Feng Yuhan; "Minister Bai, don't you think that the exit of a founding member of the CETO alliance is a problem far beyond the mere money lost to build a military base on their soil?"

Shen Bai; "To be honest, San Jose's exit could be seen as good for us, we would no longer be associated with the foreign policy of their President, who has now improvised himself as a soldier of the Revolution in a foreign country. Not to mention that he was the least democratic country in the CETO."

Meng Su; "My honorable colleague, Shen Bai, made a good point. The political problems caused by their president far outweigh the benefit of having them as allies at this time. The possibility that a coup in a foreign country is somehow indirectly linked to the CETO because one of its members is an advocate could bring unprecedented repercussions to the alliance.

Our adversaries could use the chaos generated by the President of San Jose against us. At present, their exit is a good thing and allows us to focus our forces on more sensitive areas."

Zhuan Montone; " Lifting our Secret Service out of San Jose is a sigh of relief I didn't think I could pull for a long time. But their one-sided decision to exit CETO was the highlight of my career. Mr. President, San Jose is one of the most difficult environments to monitor, and not being connected to their foreign policy is the best thing that could have happened to us."

Feng Yuhan; "It seems my entire cabinet agrees on San Jose. In this case, Shen Bai, I urge you to continue with your plan regarding refund for the expense incurred by the CETO. For the rest we can only observe what happens in that area, hoping for the best, since we are now relieved of any obligation to that part of the world."

 

[Imimoya]

Forbidden City, Uicheon. Music room. 1:01 AM

In one room of the presidential palace inside the forbidden city, there was a golden harpsichord, brought to Tianlong by merchants from Radila in the 16th century. The instrument was located in a room with a black marble floor and walls plastered with representations of Western life. The harpsichord is a delicate and refined instrument, known for its clear and crystalline sonority, in particular this harpsichord was considered one of the best preserved in the world and was played only for the end-of-year concert of the Presidency of the Republic.

President Feng Yuhan's office was not far from the music room. Therefore it was not difficult to hear the instrument being used. While the president was intent on signing papers on his lacquered desk, an unexpected sound of plucked strings reaches his ear. As a man of classical education, he immediately recognized the opera played by the harpsichord in the room of the music. Yuhan got up from his desk, without taking the jacket resting on the back of the chair he was sitting on. He walked towards the origin of the sound. Outside the office, a member of the security services offered to accompany him but the president signaled him not to follow him, since his arrival point was inside the building.

*

You must be registered for see links

*

Yuhan crossed the corridor that separates his office from the music room. A dark red lacquered wooden door separated the president from the source of the music. The man opened the door to this room large enough to accommodate a modest sized orchestra. A room initially thought of as an ancient personal jukebox of the emperor. Seated at the harpsichord was a face already familiar to the President, Zhuan Montone. Montone was dressed in casual clothes, and therefore looking like a white fly on a black wall, he stood out out of place.

The president closed the door behind him and took a few steps, but waited a while before interrupting the music with his voice.

Feng Yuhan; "To what do I owe the pleasure of this out of place encounter? Honorable Montone."

Zhuan Montone; Montone did not stop playing even after the president had addressed him. "I'd like to say that it's these forgotten musical tools that attract me like a mosquito to this palace of light, but it's business again." The man nodded towards a tea table in the room on which a faded green paper folder rested.

"Today I had a meeting in a city diner with an old journalist friend. Person very dear to me. He handed me a draft of tomorrow's front page as an acknowledgment of our friendship. The news will be published tomorrow in the newspaper The Voice of the Nations. Yisu Qatun* died tonight, the news will be in all the newspapers and blogs tomorrow. The news of her death in itself has nothing in particular, but the newspaper analyzes the opinion of the parliamentarians and their willingness or otherwise to grant her a state funeral. And it would seem that there are numbers to not grant her a state funeral if it were to go to a vote."

Yuhan walked over to the tea table and quickly read the file left on the table. With his right hand he reached into his hair and lightly scratched his scalp, moving his black hair.

Feng Yuhan; "Apparently they actually have the numbers needed, well not that it's a big event, our majority in parliament is small, it would be easy to convince a few of our people to vote against. Thanks for warning me, I'll see what I can do. Regardless of the nature of her work, we owe a lot to Ms. Qatun." The president took the file and walked towards the door by which he had entered. "I leave you to your music, now I have to go back to my office submerged in papers and bigotry."

Zhuan Montone; "Good night Mr President"



Yisu Qatun* was a fighter for the republican front who worked as a prostitute during the war. She was in great demand by the officers of the communist front, and thanks to her ability and her intellect she knew what information to use in order not to assort suspicion on herself. Thanks to her information, thousands of republican soldiers managed to avoid ambushes by the communist forces and return safely from the front. During the final months of the war, she personally took the life of a prominent enemy general, allowing the city she resided to be captured without fierce resistance due to a lack of leadership.

 

[Imimoya]

Forbidden City, Uicheon. Presidential Office, minutes after the summit failed.

Feng Yuhan was busy reading the countless files that arrived on his desk every day. Some of these files were bound in a purple folder, they were matters that concerned foreign countries. The silence of the room, where the only noise was that of an ancient grandfather clock coming from Radilla, was broken by the entry of two more people into the room, Meng Su, Minister of Defense and Foreign Minister, Shen Bai.

Feng Yuhan; "The arrival of both of you only means one thing, right?"

Shen Bai took a deep sigh before speaking. "Yes sir, our embassy on site confirmed the adamantness of Angliarique's intentions. Indeed, in a certain sense it was a waste of time for their benefit."

Meng Su: "Yes sir, we monitored the movement of their fleet, and while the summit was in progress, they violated the territorial waters of Frescania and anchored and disembarked their VIP passenger. The local authorities have no means and the strength to prevent its landing."

Another minute of silence followed the speech of two men, while the president leaned back in his chair. "Thank you gentlemen, please leave the file on my desk and let the staff know that I will be speaking to the nation today. You are free to go."

 

[Imimoya]

War Room, Forbidden Palace

You must be registered for see images

Two and a half hours after the attack in Bonaventure Bay, the war cabinet had assembled in the forbidden palace. Taking part were President Feng Yuhan, Vice President Lai Lingxin, Defense Minister Meng Su, Foreign Minister, Spokesperson of the Office of the President Feng Yuhan, Coordinator of the Secret Service of the Republic for Foreign Affairs Zhuan Montone, Minister of Economics and Commerce Duan Yang. For the military there were their respective highest-ranking representatives, Admiral Li Xuefeng for the Navy, General Liao Jie for the army, General Gao Long for the air force, and General Wu Ya for the missile forces.

Due to the nature of the incident, a surprise attack using civilian ships, some guests arrived later than others because they were on missions in different parts of the nation. Mostly the first part was the observation of the damage suffered in Bonaventura bay.
_________________________________________________

Adm. Li Xuefeng is a woman in her fifties, originally from the southern Tianlong regions. She is the first woman to hold this role in 20 years. " As requested, I have a first report. At 5.00 pm, four cargo set sail from Port Lionheart broke the formation they were taking among other merchant ships off the coast of Rheinbund. Three of the four cargo ships opened fire with anti-ship missiles, 32 missiles in total. The fourth, for reasons still unknown, started to reverse course, but was reached like the first three by return fire from the escort ships. 14 missiles in total hit the various ships of our fleet. The initial report speaks of around 150 confirmed deaths, 21 missing, and around 400 injuries of varying degrees. Among the dead there is also the Commander Zhang Bao in command of the fleet and present in the command room of the carrier, unfortunately hit directly by an enemy anti-ship missile."
​

 

[Imimoya]

War Room, Forbidden Palace

You must be registered for see images

Two and a half hours after the attack in Bonaventure Bay, the war cabinet had assembled in the forbidden palace. Taking part were President Feng Yuhan, Vice President Lai Lingxin, Defense Minister Meng Su, Foreign Minister, Spokesperson of the Office of the President Feng Yuhan, Coordinator of the Secret Service of the Republic for Foreign Affairs Zhuan Montone, Minister of Economics and Commerce Duan Yang. For the military there were their respective highest-ranking representatives, Admiral Li Xuefeng for the Navy, General Liao Jie for the army, General Gao Long for the air force, and General Wu Ya for the missile forces.

Due to the nature of the incident, a surprise attack using civilian ships, some guests arrived later than others because they were on missions in different parts of the nation. Mostly the first part was the observation of the damage suffered in Bonaventura bay.
_________________________________________________

Adm. Li Xuefeng is a woman in her fifties, originally from the southern Tianlong regions. She is the first woman to hold this role in 20 years. " As requested, I have a first report. At 5.00 pm, four cargo set sail from Port Lionheart broke the formation they were taking among other merchant ships off the coast of Rheinbund. Three of the four cargo ships opened fire with anti-ship missiles, 32 missiles in total. The fourth, for reasons still unknown, started to reverse course, but was reached like the first three by return fire from the escort ships. 14 missiles in total hit the various ships of our fleet. The initial report speaks of around 150 confirmed deaths, 21 missing, and around 400 injuries of varying degrees. Among the dead there is also the Commander Zhang Bao in command of the fleet and present in the command room of the carrier, unfortunately hit directly by an enemy anti-ship missile."
​

You must be registered for see images

Gen. Gao Long he was perhaps the oldest military personnel in that room. He understood better than others the difficulty of operating in a distant theater of war. "The seventy-two hour period is over, and we have gathered the necessary information to have an objective point of view." The man said as he held out some documents on the lacquered table in front of him. "We all knew that the ultimatum was more of an excuse to see the reaction of our allies in the area and their support for a war action. Unfortunately, the island of Angliarique is a fortress, it is a militarized state with a certain predilection for the worship of the royal family, almost to the level of divinity. For their capitulation, it would require a land invasion, and the strength of the gallo-germanai continent soldiers would be essential." There was a minute's silence to allow members to read the files further. "I have no doubt that in the long run we will emerge victorious in this conflict, but it is the price we are about to pay that worries me."

Gen. Liao Jie he had been appointed to command the ground forces by the new government shortly after the last elections were concluded. A taciturn middle-aged man with a dark look, but a heart of gold according to his daughter. "I can confirm the report, without the experience of the Gallic German mainland ground forces, an assault on the island, with such extended supply lines, would be a meat grinder for our men. We should aim to conquer a population center on the coast with an airport, and form an air bridge. There are too many variables."

The screeching sound of a chair moving against the wooden floor caught the table's attention.

Adm. Li Xuefeng he stood up, punching the lacquered table in front of him. "Are you telling me that the men who died in banavantura bay should not be avenged? Just because some fat politician of Rheinbund decided to back out? Or because of the merchants of Radilo who pretend not to hear? Why do we ask? We must demand! We were there to prevent further Tarusa expansion on the continent, it was our men on the borders of Gallo-Germany who prevented their proliferation, if there is a free Gallo-Germany it is because every one of those one hundred and fifty dead men believed they could count on our determination to protect those strips of land. When in the last 100 years have a Gallo-German power united to protect the continent and themselves? Never, they did it because we were their moral compass! And now? And now we are alone."

President Feng Yuhan "Admiral Li Xuefeng sit down, I will not tolerate any further outbursts of anger from members of this cabinet. Our emotions must not cloud the reality in front of us."

Adm. Li Xuefeng "Yes, sorry Mr President, it won't happen again."

Meng Su "Unfortunately, the reality is even worse than we thought. Federation of Rheinbund has publicly announced that it will not conduct military operations against Angliarique, but will provide fuel, medical supplies, nutrients. Furthermore, internationally they are pushing for us to accept the Federation's request for a peace summit."

Feng Yuhan "I think I've lived long enough when you see the Federation promoting peace and tolerance. The world is really drunk."

Zhuan Montone "But that's not all, according to some rumors from our secret services, Radilo also has a certain level of internal opposition to the conflict. Therefore their participation in the conflict will also be somewhat problematic for internal politics."

President Feng Yuhan "The lesser evil we must swallow will not be easy to tolerate, but a hundred and fifty letters to the sailors' families are better than half a million."​

 

[Imimoya]

War Room, Forbidden Palace

Adm. Li Xuefeng began the deployment of his forces upon presidential request. Past experiences have been quite enlightening for the high command of the Tianlong Free Navy. First, the Carrier battle group, Axshaina and Basilisk, would move to the Moon Archipelago, south, into the Basilisk Sea where they would join two other battle groups, Oikawan and Asakaze. While the aircraft carrier Index and its escort, would have a new companion, the naval battle group Oite, to support it in the patrol mission of the Strait of Azraq.

Adm. Li Xuefeng decided not to expose his aircraft carriers to the possibility of being caught unawares in the Axshaina Sea, and to leave that region to the fleet of submarines to patrol, which are much more difficult to detect and therefore to stop. While the archipelago of the moon was being evacuated, the runway from the military airport was active as if it were an international airport of a metropolis of 20 million inhabitants. Cargo planes landed and took off with constant regularity. They carried ammunition, anti-aircraft systems and a multitude of surface-to-surface missiles, capable of reaching not only the Pelasgia encave, but the hinterland itself more than 1000km away.

While preparations continued apace on land, the waters surrounding the archipelago had also seen an increase in activity. Several Navy vessels were positioning at the edge of the archipelago, Sound Surveillance System, a chain of underwater positions, designed to detect the movement of enemy submarines and avoid playing hide and seek with enemy submarines.