"Very well then!"
Lacus smiled slightly and didn't insist further. She withdrew her gaze, glanced at Doug with a faint smile, and began walking forward.
Doug looked at his adjutant beside him and instructed, "I'm entrusting you with hosting Miss Lacus and the others."
"Yes, sir."
The adjutant raised his hand in salute and responded verbally.
Lowering his arm, he turned and followed Lacus's steps, leading her group toward the cafeteria direction.
Doug watched them leave, then smiled at Felix. Felix returned his gaze with a smile of his own.
Several minutes later, inside the ZAFT Forces command room at Victoria Spaceport:
"The battle here was progressing quite smoothly initially, with developments largely matching our expected outcomes."
Having explained this far, Doug looked at Felix and shifted his tone as he continued.
"But just a few days ago, the Eurasian Federation suddenly increased their investment in Africa, while the East Asian Republic returned to the African front, deploying their forces one after another.
Additionally, the Southern African Unified Organization also began increasing their involvement.
This sudden surge in enemy forces and resistance has significantly slowed our progress, even bringing it to a standstill, while our casualty numbers have also risen considerably."
Bang!
As he spoke, Doug slammed his fist hard on the table, his face showing clear frustration.
Seeing him like this, Felix reached out and patted Doug's shoulder, comforting him.
"Anger harms your health and doesn't solve problems. Staying calm is not only better for your wellbeing but also helps you think more clearly and make sound judgments."
After speaking, Felix surveyed the room and suddenly realized Andrew wasn't present. Turning to Doug, he inquired, "Where has Captain Barthfeld gone?"
"He went north to suppress the resistance guerrilla forces."
Doug answered while looking at Felix, simultaneously explaining further.
"The areas we've captured through our northern offensive have seen substantial resistance guerrilla activity. These forces not only hinder our efforts to maintain local security but also launch attacks against our soldiers.
So far, there have been no fewer than twenty incidents, resulting in six soldiers killed and fourteen wounded. Among the injured, about one-third have suffered permanent disabilities."
Hearing about the six deaths and five cases of permanent disability, a cold glint flashed through Felix's eyes, his face hardening with chill intensity.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the anger welling up inside him, he calmly asked Doug, "Have we mistreated the ordinary civilians in the occupied territories?"
"Certainly not." Doug shook his head and continued. "Our policy toward ordinary people in occupied areas is non-interference and non-intervention in local governance, allowing them to maintain their previous living conditions and rhythms.
Beyond that, we've provided appropriate compensation for their losses and repaired damaged buildings.
We could say we've given everything that should be given and done everything that should be done."
At this point, Doug's expression darkened slightly, his tone carrying a hint of anger.
"But there are those who shout about freedom and liberation, carrying out attacks in towns, suburbs, and wilderness areas—destroying power lines and disrupting transportation."
"Resistance is normal; the absence of resistance would be abnormal. After all, in their eyes, our actions are blatant acts of aggression."
Felix glanced at Doug and smiled faintly.
Doug remained silent but nodded in response. Felix continued, looking at him.
"The sustained strength of resistance comes from the people. And the only reason ordinary people would join the resistance is if they can no longer survive."
"So, as long as we ensure the daily lives of the people remain normal, guaranteeing that their standard of living remains unchanged—or even improves—under our occupation, few will be willing to risk their lives in such a dangerous endeavor."
As he spoke, the corners of Felix's lips curled slightly upward.
"Over time, the strength of the resistance will weaken, and their voices will grow fainter." His smile faded, and his tone shifted. "Of course, this is on the condition that we can maintain our current policies—or even implement better ones—and that we have the strength to maintain control over the occupied territories."
With that, Felix manipulated the electronic map in front of him, projecting the details onto the North African region. A look of concern and worry appeared on his face as he spoke.
"Truthfully, what worries me most is maintaining order after occupying North Africa."
"North Africa?"
Doug furrowed his brow slightly, murmuring to himself.
As he looked at the map, memories surfaced from the depths of his mind. Connecting the dots, he quickly understood.
"Captain Griffith, are you concerned about the religious influence in North Africa?"
"Yes." Felix nodded and explained, "The power of religion should not be underestimated, especially since these religions view us Coordinators as heretics. Expecting them to live peacefully under our occupation is nothing short of a pipe dream."
"Even though it's difficult, we must occupy the region. Only by driving the Earth Alliance forces completely out of North Africa will our pressure lessen."
"Otherwise, we will remain under significant threat."
"The enemy can still use their foothold in North Africa as a springboard or bridgehead to launch attacks against us."
Doug understood Felix's reasoning perfectly, but he also knew that if they failed to completely expel the Earth Alliance from North Africa, their situation would remain precarious.
The pressure of defense would still be immense.
Felix turned to Doug with a slight smile.
"I understand what you're saying. I'm merely pointing out that controlling North Africa will be more difficult and costly compared to the regions we currently occupy. I have no intention of abandoning the plan to take North Africa."
After speaking, Felix continued to study the electronic map intently, carefully examining the military bases constructed by the Earth Alliance Forces in North Africa.
As he scrutinized the map, his brow furrowed.
Seeing Felix's troubled expression, Doug grew curious and asked, "Captain Griffith, is there a problem?"
"There certainly is."
Felix nodded in agreement. He pointed at several military bases on the map before withdrawing his finger and remarking, "These military bases seem somewhat unusual."
"Somewhat unusual?"
Doug muttered while examining the bases, yet failed to discern anything peculiar. He turned to Felix, anticipating an explanation of the oddity.
"According to the reconnaissance data I just retrieved, these bases appear to have never deployed troops in any of our battles."
"Perhaps these military bases serve as reserve forces for the Earth Alliance Forces, hence their absence from direct combat," Doug speculated after a moment's thought.