Mercenary’s War -
Chapter 1236: One Thousand Two Hundred Nineteen: Identity Equivalence is Very Important
Chapter 1236: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Nineteen: Identity Equivalence is Very Important
What to talk about? Gao Yang had absolutely no plan. Eileen hadn’t mentioned meeting her father. But something had to be said—he couldn’t just watch as Eileen completely fell out with her parents.
Gao Yang truly had good intentions. To him, it wouldn’t matter if Eileen decided to leave Satan entirely. He would be happy to see every last one of Satan’s members find a good path forward in life. Being a mercenary—what’s the point if not to make money? Now they had all earned more than plenty, and living a peaceful life with the money wasn’t a bad idea at all.
Although Gao Yang meant well, Eileen’s father definitely didn’t see it that way. In Fritz’s eyes, Gao Yang was the chief culprit who had lured his daughter away. For Fritz to show Gao Yang any kindness would be utterly unlikely.
“Bernd, wait for me outside.”
Fritz gave Gao Yang a hateful glare but still chose to send his soldier away. The soldier, the one Eileen had thrown with a shoulder toss earlier, sulkily picked his handgun’s scattered components from the floor. He was surprisingly quick. After reassembling the gun, he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Eileen still stood in the doorway, refusing to move. Yelena tugged her and dragged her into the interior room. That’s when Eileen’s mother grabbed Eileen with tear-filled eyes, choking back sobs as she pulled Eileen into her bedroom.
After Eileen was out of sight, Fritz stood in the middle of the living room, glaring angrily at Gao Yang before speaking in a low tone: “What do you want to say?”
Gao Yang didn’t know what to say.
After thinking it over for a moment, Gao Yang gestured toward the sofa and spoke in a serious tone: “Let’s sit down and talk.”
Fritz strode back toward the sofa and sat down. Gao Yang settled into the seat opposite him. Rafael, who had been seated in the single sofa between them, swiftly stood up and positioned himself behind Gao Yang.
Fritz sat upright, his gaze filled with fury and hostility as he stared at Gao Yang.
It had to be said—Fritz exuded an imposing presence. After all, he was a lieutenant general. Though the title of Deputy Army Supervisor sounded odd, it actually meant he was the deputy commander of the Army. Not having an imposing demeanor would have been the real anomaly.
Gao Yang, on the other hand, looked much calmer. Under Fritz’s intense stare, he didn’t show a hint of nervousness.
Gao Yang was, at the very least, a major general…
“What do you want to say?”
Fritz repeated his question with emphasis. Gao Yang extended his hand slightly, making a helpless gesture, and then replied softly: “Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t realize your relationship with Eileen had reached this level of conflict. I just think if nothing is done, Eileen might leave for good. With her personality, once she leaves, it’ll be tough for her to come back.”
Fritz seemed even angrier. While Gao Yang thought Fritz’s fury was misdirected, he could understand it—human nature, after all.
Fritz fixed his gaze on Gao Yang and spoke slowly: “I’m a soldier. I prefer frankness. If you want to do nothing, it’s the best option. Now get out of my house. Get out of Germany. Stop bothering Eileen. Stay far away from her! Otherwise, I’ll ensure you can never leave! That’s all I have to say. You are not qualified to speak with me.”
Fritz spoke in German. Gao Yang only caught the general meaning, while Rafael had absolutely no clue—he hadn’t been interested in learning German from Eileen, so Fritz’s words were utterly lost on him.
Gao Yang understood the gist; grasping the meaning wasn’t a problem.
Though Fritz was curt and rude, Gao Yang didn’t take offense. Instead, he spread his hands again, smiled, and said, “My German isn’t great. If you don’t understand, I can repeat myself or switch to another language. General Aleberg, I’d like to ask you a question: Eileen is your daughter, but do you truly understand her? Also, I don’t specialize in reconciling family disputes, nor do I have much interest in them. But right now, Eileen is under my command; she’s one of my people. I have a responsibility toward her. Even though this matter exceeds the scope of my duties, I value family deeply. I have a home I can’t return to, and I don’t want Eileen to end up the same way. So, I want to do something about it—of course, that requires your cooperation.”
After saying that, Gao Yang smiled, extended his hand for emphasis, and said firmly, “Furthermore, I am qualified to converse with you. Your rank is lieutenant general, while mine is major general. I’m one rank lower, but we should at least address each other as generals. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Fritz sneered and said disdainfully, “Major general? A mercenary calling himself a general? I don’t consider a mercenary general worthy of serious attention.”
Gao Yang replied seriously, “No, I’m not self-proclaimed. If you truly knew us, you’d understand that my rank was conferred through a formal process, making me a legitimate major general. If necessary, you should know the number of troops I command isn’t lower than yours. Moreover, you’re the Deputy Army Supervisor—a position far above mine—but you’ve never been in actual combat, have you? Not a single time, right? As for me, my rank was earned over time, through wartime merits. I’ve participated in battles and served as the commanding officer, even for operations at the scale of campaigns. You haven’t!”
Speaking slowly but with conviction, Gao Yang sternly addressed Fritz: “We’re not politicians; we’re soldiers. And as soldiers, my combat experience outmatches yours. So, even if you don’t acknowledge my rank, you should show me respect as a veteran. While I hold the rank of major general and you are a lieutenant general, our standing here should be considered equal, wouldn’t you agree?”
After a brief silence, Fritz’s expression remained grim as he replied, “I find a twenty-something-year-old major general laughable, but I’ll agree to your claim. However, I haven’t heard of you as a major general, nor do I believe what you’ve said could possibly be true—for all I know, you’re lying.”
Gao Yang raised a finger, wagging it repeatedly as he said, “General Aleberg, it’s a bad habit to casually question others. Now, here’s a question: Do you know my name?”
Fritz replied without hesitation, “If you’re the commander, your name should be Ram.”
Gao Yang nodded affirmatively and said, “Your pronunciation is correct; it’s ‘Ram.’ But the true meaning in English is ‘Ram.’ My name is Gao Yang, General Aleberg. How did you learn that Eileen became a mercenary? And how did you learn of us?”
Fritz hesitated briefly before responding solemnly, “The Angel Mercenary Corps—they included some of my former subordinates.”
Gao Yang sighed and said, “Of course, those bastards. I knew it could only be them who leaked our information. Okay then, the Angel Mercenary Corps. It seems your intel is outdated. General Aleberg, may I ask exactly when you found out Eileen became a mercenary?”
Fritz replied grimly, “You should be thankful the news only reached me recently. Otherwise, I’d have already tracked you down and brought Eileen home. If you had dared to intervene, I wouldn’t hesitate to employ every available resource. A father fighting for his daughter—he’s capable of anything. Don’t doubt me; I’m not threatening you, I’m being real.”
Gao Yang shrugged and said, “You still don’t see me as an equal in this conversation. That’s not good—it may lead you to make wrong judgments. General Aleberg, I came here to help you, to help you and Eileen. However, before we dive into resolving the issue, I think it’s necessary for you to understand whether I am, in fact, qualified to speak with you as equals.”
Fritz sneered again and said, “What, a mercenary calling himself a general? Sorry, I don’t consider you qualified to sit here and talk to me. If it weren’t for Eileen, you wouldn’t even be allowed to set foot in my house.”
Gao Yang sighed and said, “Do you recognize the military ranks of the Syrian National Defense Forces?”
Fritz paused briefly before nodding, “Syria’s military is a sizeable force with a rigorous rank system. I acknowledge their ranks.”
Gao Yang immediately replied, “Good. I didn’t bring any officer’s credentials or documentation—they hold no meaning for me. However, generally speaking, if someone is promoted to general, there’s always a proper procedure and ceremony, even if specific postings are classified. The emergence of a new general in any nation wouldn’t be a secret to intelligence agencies. Whether Germany pays attention to Syria’s affairs, I don’t know. But NATO undoubtedly does. Given your rank and position, you should have access to such information.”
Some things simply cannot be hidden, and there’s no point in trying. So Gao Yang didn’t hesitate to reveal the rank he achieved in Syria. Fritz, if he chose to investigate, could certainly confirm that Gao Yang wasn’t making things up.
Now Gao Yang felt very content with the rank he’d earned. Previously, he thought it was meaningless, but now he realized it carried significant weight. At the very least, pulling rank at moments like these proved rather effective.
Observing Gao Yang’s confident and tranquil demeanor, Fritz finally nodded and said firmly, “I’ll investigate. But for now, I’ll assume your words to be true. Alright, you do indeed have the qualifications to speak with me as equals.”
Germans are known for doing things meticulously—almost to the point of stubbornness. But there’s value in their seriousness: once they recognize a mistake, they’ll adhere to protocol whether they like it or not.
Fritz, though holding a higher rank, was the one in the wrong. Therefore, even though his face showed anger, he still stood and waited for Gao Yang to stand as well.
Once Gao Yang rose to his feet, Fritz saluted him first and said gravely, “Lieutenant General Fritz Alberg, German Federal Defense Forces. General Ram, you are indeed qualified to speak with me as equals. I apologize for my earlier discourtesy.”
Gao Yang immediately returned Fritz’s salute and responded solemnly, “Major General Ram, Syrian National Defense Forces. I accept your apology, General Alberg.” (To be continued. If you like this novel, please visit Qidian.com to cast your recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
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