Of course, not everyone had this foresight. Take, for example, Admiral Clegg, with his bulging belly, who continued to chatter away with an air of "I'll teach you how to do things.
" "The most important thing is to make our position clear to the world. The Federation is currently in a quasi-war state. Now is not the time for any probing. I request that the remaining surviving members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be notified immediately to place our military on Level 2 combat readiness."
"Is this necessary? Has any country or force claimed responsibility for the attack in D.C. this afternoon?" Maureen turned to the others present.
"Not yet, Madam President. We've contacted Moscow and Beijing, and of course our European allies, and they all claim to be unaware of this attack."
Maureen was again answered by the female military intelligence assistant who had spoken up earlier. Anyone who has watched political satires like "Yes, Prime Minister" knows that it's never politicians who are adept at showing off their abilities that truly maintain the normal functioning of European and American nations.
While power within a government department may seem to rest entirely in the hands of the minister or director, as the saying goes, "a county magistrate is not as good as an incumbent." Any directive or policy requires someone to be responsible for its implementation.
Most departments have reached the level of key functional heads, often rising from the bottom. Generally speaking, these individuals are the true arteries of a department and cannot be easily moved.
As for the ministers and directors who rotate through each administration, they typically only serve for one term and do little to nothing. Many less important departments even experience a prolonged period of being directed by outsiders.
This was the case with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, previously led by Maureen, a psychology professor.
The situation is more favorable for the FBI, CIA, and military departments. Because they are so specialized, presidents often consider the backgrounds of candidates when nominating and appointing directors.
Maureen paused for a moment before saying, "Notify the CIA. They have five minutes to send a director or deputy director to the Pentagon with the latest threat intelligence. We need to at least understand who our adversary is."
Before she finished speaking, the communications engineer raised his hand again, "Sir, we've received a communication request from the 'PEOC.'"
Everyone's spirits perked up at this. Could it be that the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, nestled in the bunker, had simply experienced a communications glitch and hadn't been compromised?
However, when the video link was connected, the person who appeared before them was neither a Secret Service agent nor the president himself, but a plump, round-faced Asian man.
"President Yin, are you all safe? Are you with our president?" Joey Reacher shouted.
The Han president's face flushed with excitement, his lips trembling with excitement, but he remained silent for a moment. Only after Joey repeated the question twice did he finally break into a broad grin.
"Your commander-in-chief, the respected Mr. President, has surrendered. In addition, there are also the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense. Now I order you to immediately stop any attempt to attack the White House."
Then the camera turned, and saw the Secretary of State, who looked quite elegant and handsome, kneeling on the ground with a gun to his head. Beside him knelt the Secretary of Defense with a resolute face and the President, who held his head high as if ready to die.
"President Yin, are you declaring war on the Federation on behalf of the Han Country?" Admiral Craig was furious.
"Bang" a gunshot rang out, and the Secretary of State died on the spot with his brain splattered. Screams and exclamations rang out on both sides at the same time.
"Whatever you think, let the army retreat first." President Yin smiled grimly, "I will contact you later."
The video was interrupted, and everyone at the conference table looked at each other in bewilderment. Before Maureen could say anything, Admiral Craig, with a flushed face, suddenly stood up.
"This is a naked provocation! What does that bastard want to do? We should..."
"General Craig, I think you should be doing your job right now instead of yelling like a frightened little girl."
Maureen decided not to tolerate the Army Chief of Staff anymore. He wasn't the only survivor of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Besides the Chairman and Vice Chairman who were trapped in the Capitol, a total of six members survived.
"Notify Air Force Chief of Staff Admiral Goldfein and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Richardson to report immediately, as well as Chief Petty Officer Jason Hayes of Special Operations Command," Maureen said to Joy Reacher.
She then turned to the Army Chief of Staff, whose face was gradually flushing. "I hope my military advisors are professional, not just blindly calling for war against a particular country.
That small country south of the peninsula is dotted with our military bases. Their military can't even protect their own country, so how could they dare challenge the Federation?
Before we figure out what President Yin is up to, we must resolve the White House crisis and give the public an explanation, not escalate the situation by calling for war."
Everyone's gaze shifted back and forth between the Army Chief of Staff and the beautiful female president. Finally, Admiral Clegg slumped back to his seat, angrily silent.
Unlike the Seresian Army, which always reigns supreme among the other branches, the conflicts within the Federation Army, especially between the navy and the army, were no less intense than those in the past of Neon.
Having successfully silenced the internal chatter, Maureen breathed a sigh of relief. With a composed expression, she ordered, "Contact the on-site command center and request that they temporarily cancel the attack plan and have the assault force standby."
Rossi soon appeared on the screen, flanked by Harry Tasker, dressed in military uniform and a murderous expression.
"Emergency response teams have cleared a ten-block radius around the White House. The fire at the Capitol has just been extinguished, and rescue efforts are underway, but the situation is not optimistic. No survivors have been found yet.
Furthermore, the previous AC-130 attack resulted in numerous casualties, and surrounding medical facilities are already overwhelmed. More field hospitals are urgently needed."
Rossi's report was brief, seemingly matter-of-fact, yet it hit home, bringing a sense of relief to everyone present.
The lack of survivors was a good thing, at least for now. For the time being, everyone could focus on working alongside this seemingly showy president, who had already shown her potential through her recent performance.
"Madam President, we've received a communication request from within the White House. The caller claims to be FBI Assistant Agent in Charge Jack Tavoler." The communications engineer quickly walked over to Maureen and whispered.
"We've traced the source of the call to the White House's non-stop monitoring center."
"Connect it, quick!" Maureen's spirits lifted, the last major weight in her heart finally settling.
(End of Chapter)