Revil didn't consider Yang Hui's joke as merely a joke at all, believing instead that he needed to accelerate his plans. This time, Yang Hui had led the Federal Army's first true MS units (excluding those Iron Cavalry toys!) to achieve jaw-dropping results on the Middle Eastern front, decisively turning the tide of battle and significantly reversing the Federation's declining momentum. This gave Revil much greater leverage when facing those stubborn old fossils on the Military Committee.
"I guarantee nothing like this will happen again," Revil promised.
Yang Hui nodded. He knew Revil could deliver—partly because he had become Revil's biggest bargaining chip, and partly because those people had gone too far this time, prompting Revil to unleash his ruthless side without restraint.
"Back to business. Since you're here, Odessa must have fallen."
"Yes..." Revil's expression darkened further at the mention of Odessa.
Although he never expected war chariot and fighter units to hold back Zeon's offensive, he hadn't anticipated the defense line collapsing so quickly. The Zeon Army had broken through like a hot knife through butter, penetrating deep into European territory and capturing Odessa.
After receiving the first combat report from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, Revil had hoped to delay Zeon's advance long enough to redeploy Yang Hui's unit for support once the Middle Eastern front stabilized.
Instead... two unexpected outcomes slapped Revil in the face simultaneously: he had underestimated the combat capability of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division while overestimating the regular Federal Army's effectiveness.
"MS unit formation is being accelerated, but we still can't achieve large-scale deployment in the short term," Revil said with frustration. "Higher-ups insist... use whatever we have now. Something is better than nothing."
"Hah, those old fossils," Yang Hui sneered. The reason his Mobile Suit Squad achieved such terrifying results was twofold: first, the Astray Gundam's performance far surpassed the neutered mass-production models, and second, Yang Hui's leadership combined with his elite pilots—future aces with immense potential who became formidable fighters once unleashed.
Sending hastily assembled MS units into battle under these circumstances would be sending them to their deaths!
If anyone became overly superstitious about the Twelfth Independent Technical Division's achievements, thinking any Mobile Suit pilot could turn the tide of war, Yang Hui could only laugh bitterly.
"So I've devised a compromise," Revil explained his solution to quickly deploy MS units while avoiding unnecessary sacrifices of promising young talents. "Your unit can begin expanding immediately."
"Oh? Feeling reassured now?" Yang Hui teased Revil. Initially limiting him to selecting only five members had undoubtedly been Revil's way of keeping him in check.
"Hah, barring unexpected circumstances, your intelligence profile is probably already on Gihren's desk," Revil chuckled. "Having inflicted such heavy casualties on Zeon, even if you wanted to defect to them now, it would be impossible." Yang Hui had already angered the Federal Army's conservative faction, and now Zeon was out of the question too—leaving only Revil and his reformist faction as viable partners.
"Fine then. I want unrestricted authority in selecting personnel," Yang Hui stated.
"Haha, then why don't you just take Gopp and me instead?" Revil rolled his eyes. Letting Yang Hui pick personnel was fine, but giving him unrestricted selection authority was out of the question.
"What would I want with two old relics like you? Even if I were picking, I'd choose Tianem over you two old foxes," Yang Hui said disdainfully.
"Then you might as well reach for the sun! Wanting Tianem? What kind of joke is that? Should I just abandon Luna II then?" Revil scolded Yang Hui for his outrageous demand. Tianem was one of the Federal Army's most powerful generals, second only to himself. Why would someone willingly give up their positions as Commander of Luna II and Commander of the Space Fleet to become your subordinate? Are you still dreaming?
"Never mind then. I'd rather avoid having too many restrictions, only to end up with people I don't want forced upon me from your list." Yang Hui didn't hold back, directly rejecting Revil.
"...The main purpose of expanding the troops is to increase MS deployment in advance, not to let you rebuild the Federal Army from scratch!"
"But I don't like working with people I don't like, especially those forced on me from above."
"You can pick anyone from the war chariot units and pilots."
"Let's just drop it..."
"Transport and logistics personnel are also yours to choose! This is my final bottom line, and the Federal Army's final bottom line!"
"Fine, I'll reluctantly accept then." Seeing Revil's uncompromising expression, Yang Hui shrugged and very grudgingly accepted the proposal.
However!
Yang Hui was inwardly overjoyed!
He had never entertained any thoughts about Federal Army officers above the rank of major. Those who climbed to such positions fell into two categories: either they came from influential families or were backed by them, or they were promising talents already recruited by faction leaders like Revil.
This was the reality of the Federal Army. Even Yang Hui himself was no exception—if not for the Vist Foundation halo he carried, Revil and Gopp wouldn't have given him the time of day.
Thus, those already aligned with factions were never Yang Hui's targets, no matter how capable they were. No one would willingly plant spies in their own ranks.
Instead, war chariot operators and pilots were Yang Hui's primary targets, as future ace pilots mostly emerged from these two groups. As for logistics personnel, while they might not have many exceptional talents, their backgrounds were clean—otherwise, they wouldn't have been assigned to logistics instead of being sent to the frontlines to earn military merits.
"The roster will be delivered to you tomorrow. I've also recommended a few candidates for you—whether you want them is up to you."
"Then I don't want them."
"Heh, take a look first. Don't regret it later." Revil grinned slyly, transforming from one canine archetype to another.
"..." Yang Hui shot Revil a sidelong glance. Seeing the old fox smile so cunningly, he knew nothing good would come of it.
"By the way, I've also prepared a guard unit for you."
"A guard unit?"
"Your existence has been exposed. As much as it pains me to admit, there are Zeon spies within our ranks. It won't be long before Gihren obtains detailed information on each of you. From then on, you could face all sorts of underhanded tactics at any moment."
"...My subordinates won't have problems, but what truly needs protection are their families," Yang Hui replied. It was inevitable that Zeon would uncover their information and resort to various underhanded tactics.
Yang Hui himself had no fear, but his subordinates didn't have such comprehensive protection measures. While he could guarantee their personal safety, their families... Yang Hui's influence hadn't yet expanded to that scale.
"I understand."
"Anything else?"
"One final matter. In three days, there's a victory celebration scheduled in Geneva, which will also serve as your awards ceremony..."
"Followed by a bomb taking everyone out in one go?" Yang Hui looked at Revil incredulously. Would Revil actually agree to such a terrible idea as holding a public awards ceremony with large gatherings? With Yang Hui and his team currently in the spotlight, this would essentially be packaging their information and lives as a gift to Zeon!
"So I had them change it to an internal awards ceremony, to be held at Jaburo..."
"Is there any difference?"
"Everyone will be our own people. With Odessa fallen, we need you to help boost morale."
"Alright, I understand. Those brats will probably get drunk today, so we'll rest tomorrow and depart the day after."
"No problem. I'll take my leave then." With their discussion concluded, Revil prepared to depart. Zeon's invasion of Earth wouldn't pause, nor could he afford to stop either. He needed to return to Jaburo to reorganize the defensive lines.
After seeing Revil off, Yang Hui returned to the victory celebration venue. A military victory celebration was certainly different from the kind of banquet the Vist Foundation would host, especially here at the front lines. It was essentially a large group of soldiers who had commandeered a camp area, prepared various foods for a buffet-style meal, and then... the most crucial element of all - BEER!!!
Drinking competitions were a traditional event within the Federal Army, and today's main participants were naturally the biggest heroes of the Middle Eastern front - the members of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. The other soldiers present were happy to serve as spectators.
However... judging by their flushed faces, it was clear everyone had already consumed quite a bit, yet they were still enthusiastically watching the eight main participants compete in the drinking contest.
"Gulp gulp gulp~ Ah~ Sixth cup done!" Ford Romfellow slammed his empty glass on the table and glanced triumphantly at the others, only to freeze when he saw the empty cups in front of everyone else.
"Gulp gulp~ Burp~ Eighth cup, Ford, you're falling behind." Russ Kessel shook his empty glass teasingly before placing it alongside his other emptied cups.
"Also eighth cup." Fred Reber similarly set down his glass with a smile.
"Sorry to say, tenth cup here." Travis Kirkland held up a full glass as he spoke.
"What!? You're way too fast! I just finished my ninth cup!" Blog Karl exclaimed, though it was unclear whether he was genuinely surprised or being sarcastic.
"What about me? George is already on his thirteenth!"
"What!?" x6
Looking closely, sure enough, Giorgio Miguel - who had been quietly drinking - had twelve empty cups neatly arranged before him, and the thirteenth in his hand was already half empty.
"Hahahaha, Ford! You're completely outclassed!"
"Russ, Fred, you guys just can't cut it!"
"Go Travis! You're about to catch up with George!"
"Blog, put in some effort and try for third place?"
The Mobile Suit Squad members were competing while the spectators cheered them on, creating a lively atmosphere.
But despite all the commotion, everyone present held deep respect for them. After the final battle, the image of nine battered yet proudly standing Astray Gundams rising from the wreckage-strewn battlefield had been deeply engraved in their minds—a memory they would likely carry for the rest of their lives.
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