Note: This work is entirely fictional and belongs to the Alternate History genre, using historical characters and events in a fictional context. All content is a product of imagination and does not reflect reality or any political or military stance.

The story contains sensitive elements such as violence, large-scale warfare, tense political conflicts, and alternative historical depictions. It is not suitable for readers under 16 years of age or those who may be psychologically affected.
Continuing to read implies acceptance of all controversial elements within the work.

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"Today will be the decisive day," Admiral Nijafati said, his voice deep and heavy as his gaze followed his naval forces. Ships surrounded them; although the number seemed large, most of them were small vessels, simply serving the purpose of landing. The larger ships, with their powerful firepower, were the real backbone of the upcoming naval battle. He felt a rising anxiety in his heart, like a raging wave, as he thought about what was about to happen.

The Manluk Navy would be the final obstacle to the unification of this island. If they could defeat them, future conquests would become easier; they might even attract the attention of civilized nations and have the opportunity to purchase more powerful weapons. But within Nijafati, that confidence was suppressed by a sense of unease, as if an ominous omen was lurking.

"Admiral, we are entering the designated area; prepare for battle," a navigator said, his voice filled with determination but also betraying his nervousness.

"Good, prepare for engagement," Nijafati replied, but in his heart, chaotic thoughts continued to disturb him.

Before he could gather his thoughts, a loud explosion rang out, startling him. A nearby ship exploded, smoke and fire erupting like a nightmare. Not understanding what was happening, someone shouted and pointed toward the front of the fleet. Six strange ships were approaching, and what sent chills down his spine was their shape. Taking out his binoculars, he looked closer and recognized that the turrets on the ships were identical to those of Mu. A wave of anxiety surged within him; he didn't know if they were Mu's ships, but with only six vessels, they might be easier to deal with.

...

Admiral Panteleyev's ship.

"The naval forces are ready, and our firing range has been established. Should we continue the attack?" A sailor reported to the captain, his voice tense.

"This is Admiral Panteleyev, confirming the attack range. Current distance - 2 nautical miles, permission to engage," the captain said, and as soon as he finished, the other ships began to open fire. The sound of cannon fire echoed like thunder in the gloomy sky.

Continuously, the AK-130, AK-100, and AK-176 cannons fired at the fleet ahead. The wooden ships of the enemy could do nothing but accept their fate, being destroyed bit by bit. The smaller vessels, though luckier due to their size, could not escape the pursuit of the powerful firepower. The situation became desperate as the entire fleet tried to retreat in panic.

Noticing this, the captain ordered a pursuit. "The enemy is retreating; proceed to hunt them down." His words were like an order that could not be refused, but within him, a bitter feeling arose. They were fighting for survival, but was it a fair fight?

Just as he said this, someone approached. It was the observer from Mamluk, sent to monitor the battle. Initially, he thought that with just a few ships, how could they possibly win, but now seeing the scene before him, he must have been shocked. The observer spoke up, his voice filled with astonishment:

"How does Russia have artillery with such accuracy?"

The captain replied, his gaze still fixed on the ongoing battle. "This is specialized artillery for engaging surface ships, but it is not the main weapon of the navy. These cannons need to be fired manually, so the accuracy cannot be as high as expected."

Hearing this, the observer was very curious: "Specialized artillery? That means there must be many more types of weapons than just this, and it isn't even the main weapon." The surprise and worry were evident on his face as he realized that Russia possessed military power far beyond what he had imagined.

On Admiral Nijafati's side, the situation was worsening. Continuously, the surrounding ships were being destroyed; even his own ship was riddled with holes. Each explosion felt like a knife stabbing into his heart, leaving him feeling helpless and desperate. Just a few more hits, and the ship could sink at any moment. He was now deeply puzzled: "How can those ships, designed like Mu's, fire like that? Nothing like this has ever existed."

A strange thought appeared in his mind. 'Magic cannons. Yes, that must be it; it can only be that to have such a firing rate. That means if we wait long enough, it will run out of magic.' Though it was his private thought, he didn't even know when it would actually run out of magic. He couldn't fathom that there could be a type of ship with a design like Mu's that possessed artillery capable of continuous fire. With everything happening, he could only pray for mercy.

'Damn it, I never thought I would see this day.' Just as Nijafati thought that, he shouted, "Raise the white flag, surrender immediately!"

Back on Admiral Panteleyev's ship, the observer was watching the one-sided battle when the captain beside him suddenly spoke. "A white flag. Is that a signal of surrender?"

"A white flag? So in Russia, a white flag is not considered a signal of surrender?" The captain understood what the enemy was doing after hearing the observer's words. He replied and then took the next action.

"Yes, I was just wondering a bit." Quickly, he communicated with the other ships. "Attention, the enemy has raised a surrender flag; cease the attack."

"Then will Russia take all those prisoners?"

"Exactly, but we have rules of war regarding prisoners. However, since this is a conflict between Mamluk and Rowlia, Russia is only here by treaty, so we will not make things difficult for anyone."

"So now we will...," the captain continued the observer's thought. "Rescue them."

After that, Admiral Panteleyev's ship - Admiral Vinogradov, along with two Nanuchka-class ships and two Tarantul-class ships, began to rescue those who had fallen into the water and bring them back aboard. With the encirclement complete, the battle ended very quickly. The number of ships that Russia estimated to have sunk was three hundred, and nearly a thousand various ships were captured, left for Mamluk to manage.

Meanwhile, the ground forces of the Russian army arrived and landed on the mainland.

...

Kingdom of Rowlia, Capital Chora, Command Center.

Urgent information was sent back by Admiral Nijafati through mamacom; its entire content was: "The enemy has steel ships like Mu." This information caused extreme fear among the leadership, as it meant that either Mamluk or Russia had steel ships. However, the hypotheses leaned more towards Russia, as Russia had very little information and usually did not proactively engage with other nations.

"General, what do you think about this information?" Someone in the meeting spoke up.

"I'm not sure, but it really doesn't make sense, because even with Mu's achievements, they couldn't defeat such a large fleet," the general said, his voice lowering as if anxiety was gradually taking over his mind.

"What should we do now? Our elaborate plan has fallen apart," the person continued, confusion evident on his face.

"No need to worry like that," another voice rang out, that of Grand Sorcerer Selmos, a respected figure in the council. He stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife, "First, we have overwhelming numbers of flying dragons. For Mu, aircraft are their pride, so they will never fall into the hands of a barbaric nation like us."

"What does that mean?" the general asked, curiosity mixed with doubt in his eyes.

Selmos answered immediately, his voice full of confidence: "Using air power as the main force for the upcoming attack. And we must act quickly; I sense a great danger coming from Russia."

"If even you are drawing such conclusions, then we really must be more cautious with Russia," another person listening replied to Selmos, the tension in the air growing heavier.

"Now we need to act immediately. Contact the commander in Cuz to act quickly!" Selmos spoke up, and someone ran outside to carry out his orders. This was an urgent situation, so all measures would be taken, and no further obstacles were allowed.

Meanwhile, in the town of Cuz, the latest information had been sent here after a while, and they had received new orders.

"Is that an order from the command center?" one person asked, and another replied.

"Exactly, that's all."

"Alright, you may leave." The person who sent the messenger was the commander who led the attack into Cuz. Just recently, the command center had ordered his troops to move to the next battlefield to apply pressure on Mamluk and its ally, Russia. The strategy had changed; from now on, the entire army had to strive to capture a stronghold before the enemy could counterattack.

That was something the command center did not clarify; wasn't Mamluk still less than one-fifth of our forces? Could this urgency come from Russia? Although he could not pinpoint what made the leadership make such a hasty decision, outside, the troops were ready. That troop was originally meant to expand the defensive line, but now it had to be used for this.

'Alright, there's nothing to worry about; everything is still going according to plan.' He thought to himself and then went outside, ordering the entire army to march.

On the march to the next location, there was not much to worry about; only a few insignificant refugees. This march had nearly reached dusk, and it was time to set up camp, so the commander ordered the entire army to pitch their tents.

While the entire army was setting up camp, the commander used binoculars to look around and confirm the area was safe. In this place, there were only barren fields, not many trees around, just a few small patches of forest, seemingly insufficient for any troop to hide within; this made him feel more at ease.

But what he did not know was that his entire army was in the sights of the Russian army. Above, a UAV was observing, and the observer was about 15 km away, alongside three BM-21 multiple rocket launcher systems.

The commander looked at the map and calculated the parameters. After determining the angle and direction, he turned to the artillery crew:

"Unit 7 - Target: enemy troops, position - Angle: 45 degrees - Direction: 180 degrees - Type of shell: Fragmentation shell - Number of shells: Automatic - Ready - Fire!"

After receiving the specific coordinates, the BM-21s were adjusted to aim at the enemy. The type of shell used was a conventional high-explosive shell, as the enemy was positioned widely and close together, making it easy to eliminate them. The estimated number of enemy troops reached up to 50,000, a considerable number for an attacking force.

The BM-21s were ready; soon after, the rockets were launched continuously, flying straight toward the enemy without hesitation. The explosions sounded like thunder, shaking the ground. The shells soared into the sky, leaving behind white smoke trails, then fell like a rain of death.

At the commander's location, the process of setting up camp was nearly complete, and food was being cooked. Night had fallen, and the dim light of oil lamps began to flicker in the camp. The commander stood at a distance, feeling more at ease as he saw his troops working hard. He noticed nothing more than a few harmless animals wandering around.

But in that moment of peace, a sense of unease suddenly washed over him. He couldn't explain it, but something in the air made him feel like a storm was approaching. He decided to return to the camp, but before he could take a step, a loud explosion rang out nearby. As he looked up, more explosions followed; it seemed as if the ground itself was exploding.

He could only exclaim before dying in the blast: "What the hell is happening?!"

The UAV above continued to observe the situation; after the explosions ceased, it remained to confirm if anyone was still alive. The situation below was almost as expected; there was nothing that could survive. Once confirmed, the UAV was sent back, carrying valuable information about the devastation the Russian army had caused.

A few days later, inside the guest room in the capital, Borum was talking with a Russian commander who was managing the front lines: Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro, a man with a serious expression before him.

"So, why did you call me here, Mr. Borum?" Alejandro asked, his gaze never leaving Borum's face, as if searching for something hidden.

"Right now, we have noticed many strange objects brought by you. What are they called? Tanks?" Borum asked, voicing his curiosity. In the past few days, he had seen things described just like what Mu had shown to other nations, although the descriptions were very vague and he couldn't confirm whether what he was seeing was real or not, but it was certainly the main strength of the Russian army. What was happening now would surely lead to very positive changes.

Alejandro heard this and replied calmly, "Yes, is there a problem?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask what Russia plans to do next? With those tanks, Russia could attack Rowlia very swiftly." Borum felt anxious, as if standing before an open door to an uncertain future.

"I understand. We have plans to eliminate Rowlia's capacity to wage war. Is there a problem within the internal components of the country?" Hearing this, Borum was quite puzzled but still replied.

"That's right. Although we have conquered nations, we have mostly neglected and paid no attention to those territories, so the situation in the region is generally very poor." Alejandro said, his eyes revealing clear sarcasm.

"That's the crux of the matter. We don't necessarily have to fight Rowlia's army. The details of the plan you don't need to know right now," Vasha said, his tone still calm but his eyes beginning to shine with determination. "However, I can say that we will exploit Rowlia's internal situation to create chaos. We will not only attack from the outside but also infiltrate from within, weakening their morale and fighting capability from the roots."

Borum nodded, feeling satisfied with this plan. "Then we will need detailed information about their weaknesses. Perhaps their infrastructure, supply routes, or even key figures in their government."

"We already have some reliable intelligence," Alejandro replied, "and we will continue to gather more. Our goal is to render Rowlia incapable of resistance, and when the time comes, we will strike."

Borum felt a rising excitement in his heart. "And when will we begin?"

"Can't say for sure," Alejandro replied, "but I can assure you that we will not miss the opportunity. Everything will be thoroughly prepared before we act."

"We will take a detour. After all, Rowlia's forces on your land are quite concentrated, so there are many places for us to maneuver." Vasha said. Borum understood; simply put, Russia would not engage directly with Rowlia's expeditionary forces but would only fight with the troops stationed in Chora.

It was a strategy of quick victory; it would minimize wasted time and could end this war very quickly. After all, the entire expeditionary force was just a hodgepodge of unconnected groups; they would simply disband if they knew their leader was killed.

The lords who did not submit or were loyal to Rowlia would quickly rise up. That would be the most visible outcome without much effort in fighting. He understood that Russia was very confident in its victory, and they would not let any benefits slip away. It was a type of intention that was easier to target, but they would not try to wage war as much as Papaldia. The superpower nicknamed "the resource-hungry," Russia had many suspicious aspects, but the benefits it brought to the nation were not few, so it was unlikely that Russia would apply diplomacy like Papaldia.

Once he understood Russia's intentions in the war, he stood up and said, "Thank you for taking the time for this conversation; now I must take my leave."

After stepping outside, he suddenly heard a noise, unlike the flapping of dragon wings but much faster. He looked out the window and saw many strange objects flying over the palace. They had propellers on top; their appearance was indescribable, simply flying by without stopping. It was a clear sign that the plan above would be executed. Seeing this, Borum understood the fate of Rowlia would be annihilated.