The Zabi Family reacted quickly. Gihren Zabi was well aware of the harm the restoration of the Zeon Republic would bring to the Principality of Zeon. This bud had to be nipped in the cradle.
Therefore, the moment Char began his speech, Gihren Zabi ordered his personal guard to set out immediately. At the same time, all of A Baoa Qu's garrison forces were dispatched to eliminate the restored Zeon Republic. As for the defense of A Baoa Qu, it was handed over to the defense forces of Side 3.
Considering the large group of aces Char had gathered, as well as the Federation's Twelfth Independent Technical Division backing them up, Gihren Zabi even transferred half of the Solomon Fortress fleet to Side 6 to annihilate the Zeon Republic. This showed just how determined Gihren Zabi was.
"Sovereign..."
"What is the modification progress on the Solar Ray System?"
"It's currently 45% complete..."
"Bastard!"
Slap!
A loud slap sent the reporting officer to the floor. Gihren Zabi's face was hideous, twisted like a malevolent demon.
"Why isn't such an important weapon finished yet? If it were complete, would we be in such a passive position!?"
"My deepest apologies..."
The Solar Ray System, also known as the Colonial Satellite Cannon, was a decisive weapon Gihren Zabi had ordered to be created by modifying Side 3's Colony 3, "Mahal." It possessed the power to destroy a colony in a single shot and was his greatest trump card for achieving victory.
Now was the perfect opportunity for the Solar Ray System to make its debut. It could eliminate a major threat and showcase Zeon's absolute power to intimidate the Federation.
But in the end... it had failed at the critical moment. The modification progress wasn't even halfway done. How could Gihren Zabi not be furious?
"Enough! You'd better hope this operation can eliminate the remnants of the Deikun family. Otherwise... Hmph!"
"Yes... Yes!"
"What's the situation on Earth? Why hasn't there been any word from Kycilia yet?" Gihren Zabi asked again. He had already dispatched a large force in space to crush the Zeon Republic, but Earth had been entrusted to Kycilia Zabi to conquer. The restoration of the Zeon Republic would surely cause immense turmoil, and Earth was the battlefield Gihren Zabi cared about most, so he was desperate for news from there.
"There is still no word from Lady Kycilia..."
"Tell me the moment you hear from her, and also about the situation at Side 6."
"Un... Understood."
"Leave. Hurry up and complete the Solar Ray System."
"Yes, sir."
Gihren Zabi was left alone in the Sovereign's office; even his favorite secretary and mistress had been driven out.
Bang! With a savage expression, Gihren Zabi slammed his fist on the desk, scattering the documents all over the floor. He was confident, even arrogant, believing that the war between Zeon and the Federation would be a one-sided affair. With Zeon's advanced technology and his strategic arrangements, he was certain he could defeat the Federation with overwhelming force.
But in the end... there were unexpected incidents one after another, especially the Federation's ace unit—the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. No, it should be said, the man named Yang Hui. Ever since he appeared, Zeon's advance had been forcibly halted, even pushed back several steps. Then, everything began to spiral out of Gihren Zabi's control.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about getting rid of Yang Hui directly to eliminate this huge threat, but...
Covert methods had no effect. Kidnapping, abduction, intimidation, assassination, poisoning—every conceivable method had been considered and executed. But Yang Hui was as if he had a third eye. Before Zeon's agents could even act, they were wiped out in one fell swoop by an unknown organization. Besides losing personnel, they brought back no results, not even against the most ordinary guard in the Twelfth Independent Technical Division.
Overtly, Gihren Zabi had also let Kycilia Zabi use a large force to directly crush this small ace unit, but what he received was one piece of bad news after another.
Kycilia Zabi lost in the North America Theater, allowing the Federation to reclaim a large amount of territory, including several large mining sites. One-tenth of the forces in the North America Theater were wiped out by a single ace unit.
Kycilia Zabi was captured in the East Asia Theater, losing the occupied zone of the Philippines. More than half of the Zeon forces, including the Australian invasion force, were lost, and the operation to occupy the East Asia Theater failed.
The operation at Luna II failed. The Zeon Space Attack Force led by Dozle Zabi was almost completely annihilated. Dozle Zabi was captured during the operation and went missing while being transferred to Jaburo Base on Earth. His status was unknown.
It could be said that the successive failures of Kycilia Zabi and Dozle Zabi had pushed the already heavily burdened Zeon to its breaking point. With a small population and scarce resources, both the ability to rebuild a massive space fleet and its MS units were completely exhausted.
That was why Gihren Zabi had shifted his focus to the Super Giant Plasma Beam Cannon—"World Tree"—and the Colonial Satellite Cannon, the "Solar Ray System." That was why he had shifted the focus of weapon development from MS to Mobile Armors, as they could unleash greater power with fewer personnel.
Meanwhile, also in Side 3, at the Zabi family residence, the nominal leader of the Principality of Zeon—Prince Degwin Zabi—watched as Casval Zym Deikun stood before the people once more, re-establishing the original Zeon. He slowly closed his eyes, his face looking even older, and made a certain decision in his heart.
...
On Earth, Kycilia Zabi was also at her wit's end, not knowing what to do. Mark Be, who was temporarily serving as her deputy, also had a grim expression. They had already received news of dozens of bases rebelling. These rebellions all occurred within five minutes of the speech's conclusion, and... news of subordinates rebelling was still pouring in continuously.
Fortunately, Kycilia Zabi had handed over the territories of Odessa and Europe to Mark Be from the beginning. And fortunately, after escaping, Kycilia Zabi had come directly to Odessa, which Mark Be had turned into an iron fortress. Otherwise, her biggest concern right now would be her own safety, not the war situation on Earth.
"Damn you, Casval!" Kycilia Zabi couldn't help but curse. She hadn't expected Casval Zym Deikun to still be alive. She had spent a great deal of effort to have him killed back then, only to find out she had killed an imposter.
The little brat she had bullied back then had now reappeared and caused her immense trouble. If you were lucky enough to survive, you should have cherished your life! Why jump out and stir up trouble!?
The current situation was what Kycilia Zabi had always feared most. She never dared to underestimate the influence of the Deikun Family. Even after more than a decade, this was the reason she had to hunt down and kill the Deikun siblings after they left Zeon.
Moreover, ever since Zeon decided to declare war on the Federation, Gihren Zabi's series of high-pressure policies and overly aggressive strategies had already caused internal discord.
Therefore, the moment Casval Zym Deikun stood up, it triggered a civil war within the Zeon Army. Thirty percent of the personnel immediately declared their rebellion against the Principality of Zeon and defected to the Zeon Republic.
Kycilia Zabi knew very well that there were more among the remaining seventy percent, but they were still waiting and watching—watching to see if the Zeon Republic could survive the Zabi Family's retaliation.
"Lady Kycilia, I believe you should return to space immediately," Mark Be advised.
"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," Kycilia Zabi had thought of this as well. Earth was in chaos, and there was little point in her remaining there. The most important goal on Earth now was to stabilize the situation. Not seeking merit, but avoiding mistakes; as long as things were stabilized, it would be enough. Mark Be could accomplish this goal, making her continued presence on Earth redundant.
As for space, Dozle Zabi's status was unknown, and the Space Fleet was annihilated. Without a commander's leadership, the remaining and newly built fleets were a disorganized mess. She had to return to space and take over the reconstruction of the Space Fleet.
"I have already arranged a shuttle for you. You can depart this afternoon."
"Thank you for your hard work. I'm leaving Earth to you, Mark Be. Don't disappoint me."
"Rest assured, Lady Kycilia."
"Is there any news from North America?"
"I have already contacted General Som. For safety's sake, it's best to bring Prince Garma to Odessa."
"Very well."
"By the way, Lady Kycilia, my previous proposal..."
"Mm... go ahead and do it."
"Thank you very much."
...
On the European front on Earth, Revil also received intelligence about the internal strife erupting in Zeon. However, contrary to his usual practice, he did not launch an all-out offensive while Zeon was in chaos. Instead, he ordered everyone to remain calm and advance slowly.
"General, I don't understand your actions," a major general questioned Revil's order. "Whether it's the Principality of Zeon or the Zeon Republic, they are both Zeon. They are our enemies, our aggressors. They should all be eliminated!"
"And then force the two conflicting Zeons to unite and focus all their efforts on us?" Revil asked the major general faintly.
"This..."
"Advance steadily. Although the speed of reclaiming lost territory will be slower, it won't make the two Zeons unite against a common enemy. Let them fight amongst themselves. When both sides are battered and bruised, we will take them all down in one fell swoop."
"Yes... I understand..."
"But General, with this approach, the Assembly..." another colonel on the staff raised his concern.
"Do you think those politicians know how to fight a war better than we do?"
"No... I wouldn't dare."
"Then what is there to be afraid of? Remember, we are soldiers!"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused.
Did he really not have to worry about the Federal Assembly's reaction? Of course not. On the surface, the Federation's military and government were separate, but everyone knew the real situation. The Federal Assembly's influence over the military was concentrated at the highest levels.
But Revil wasn't flustered in the slightest, because he was not alone. There was Gopp, and there was Creuset. With the two of them around, the Radical Faction and the hostile Aristocrat Faction in the Assembly wouldn't be able to hold them back.