The next day, the urgent meeting was held as scheduled at the Headquarters of the Chief Military Governor in Brimmopolis.
The Chief Military Governor, Nathan, and the commanders-in-chief from various regions showed up with solemn expressions.
The only person who went against the Chief Military Governor's order was Lucas, the commander-in-chief of the West Army. He didn't show up.
That day, the West Army gathered the clothes of their deceased comrades and build over three hundred cenotaphs.
Lucas didn't request for the West Army to attend the funeral, but almost all the soldiers showed up.
Ten of thousands of soldiers stood in their positions gravely and removed their caps as the autumn breeze blew gently. They stared at the newly erected cenotaphs before them.
Thomas had just been operated on, so he was weak. Nevertheless, he still showed up and stood beside Lucas.
Using his only right hand, Thomas held the casualty list tightly. He bit his lip and shouted, “Captain Harvey, General Ziegler is here to bid goodbye to you!”
The image of the captain of the National Guards, Harold Harvey, popped up in Lucas' brain, followed by the scene of Max pinning him to the armored car and blasting his brain into pieces.
Tears welled up in Lucas' eyes. He raised a glass of alcohol and said, “Harold, cheers!”
He then downed his drink in a swift motion.
As a result, he choked and spilled most of his drink. He was coughing so profusely that tears trickled down his cheeks.
The soldiers surrounding them lowered their heads and wiped their tears away surreptitiously.
Thomas announced, “Officer Boye Ipsen, members of the Ten Tigers of the West. General Ziegler is here to see you off!”
Boye s face emerged in Lucas' mind.
He recalled how Boye died in a horrible manner and refilled his glass. “Boye, cheers!”
He downed his drink again.
“Officer Keld Longsen, members of the Ten Tigers of the West. General Ziegler is here to see you off!”
“Officer Hjalte Isaksen, one of the Ten Tigers of the West. General Ziegler is here to see you off!"
Lucas would down one drink for every name Thomas announced.
By the end of the day, he was out like a light.
Lucas only roused awake by the next evening.
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