One of Xiomera’s top army generals has broken ranks and stunned the country with his statement to the media denouncing the Empire’s plan to colonize part of Taragai as a “dangerous overreach”.
General Coacoehua, commander of the 9th Military Region of the Imperial Army, spoke to both Xiomeran and international reporters outside the regional defense headquarters in Tecuala. “Our nation has military forces scattered around the world. We have commitments to our allies in Kerlile and in Iskiram. We just engaged in a military operation in Milintica. We still maintain a presence in Neria and in Roucourt. Even a nation as powerful as we are, with warriors as valiant as ours, must be mindful of realities on the ground,” Coacoehua said.
“In any military operation, you have to have the men and women on the ground to fight it. You have to have the supply lines to maintain it, and the supplies themselves readily available to sustain it. The last thing you want to do is put more on your plate than your appetite can actually handle,” the General added. “And with this plan in Taragai, the government is now proposing to mount the most ambitious and demanding effort in our country’s history. Simultaneously moving thousands of colonists – civilians! into Taragai at the same time as a massive military operation to pacify and garrison the place. Even if no other country decides to intervene, it is impossible that there won’t be resistance from the Taragaians themselves. I fear that the advisors around the Throne have misled our Empress into believing this will be easier than it actually will be.”
Coacuehua expressed concern about the sheer logistics and resources that will be required to pull the operation off. “Even a nation like ours, with our extensive resources, will find this extremely difficult. Everything from bullets to food needs to be accounted for. I am not sure even our economy can withstand this challenge.” He also expressed concern that, despite Xiomera having a presence in Taragai for almost two years now, that the infrastructure there “is still far below Imperial standard, which will make it even harder for us to conduct operations in that theatre.”
When asked if he feared reprisal for speaking out against the Taragai plan, General Coacuehua said that “the responsibility I have to the soldiers I command, and the country I swore to protect, outweigh any risk to myself.” He added that “if I wanted a safe and simple life, I wouldn’t have put on an Imperial Army uniform.”
“It is Imperial soldiers, like the brave men and women I command, who will bear the brunt of any decisions made in Tlālacuetztla. I am just asking those who issue us our orders to think about that, and about them,” the General finished.
His remarks to the media, courageous though they may be, have already put the General on the firing line. Within an hour of his remarks, a statement was released from the office of Almahuatzan, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on National Defense in the Imperial Parliament. The statement demanded that Imperial Military Intelligence “immediately investigate General Coacuehua for his remarks, which border on sedition and are detrimental to military discipline, readiness and morale.” The MP also called for the military to “suspend General Coacuehua from any role where he can issue potentially harmful orders” until that investigation is concluded.
While Empress Calhualyana herself has not yet commented on General Coacuehua’s remarks, a statement from the Palace of Flowers sought to remind Xiomera’s military leaders, and the military as a whole, “that they remain subject to the civilian authorities of the Empress, the Prime Minister, and the Imperial government.” The statement also reminded those in uniform that Xiomera’s Protocols of Military Justice and Discipline forbid active-duty soldiers from speaking publicly about government actions.
“Words or actions that foster internal division, disharmony or worse cannot be tolerated, and will be addressed swiftly and firmly. No one, in uniform or out of it, can be allowed to take actions that would destabilize the Empire. We must remain united to face the challenges ahead and achieve the glories that our New Empire promises,” the statement concluded.
