"The capital is within Wall Sina—that's something we all know." Gale unfolded a map. "To reach the capital, we have to cross the wall. We've gone through the gate several times before, but we're a large group, and we'll attract too much attention."
"Captain Hange, do you have any ideas?" Gale didn't want to use the contacts his father had left him; it still wasn't time for his precious family to know he was alive.
"The location of the inner gate is marked on this map. Wall Sina has four main gates, each with two checkpoints. To enter Wall Sina from Wall Rose, you have to pass through one of those four gates."
"The walls are strictly controlled, and with the Survey Corps under such scrutiny, crossing them won't be easy."
"We only need to pass through the Stohess District…" Hange said, pointing to a protrusion on the wall. "Each wall has four areas that extend outward, called Special Zones, and they're said to be used as bait."
"The gates that connect the walls are located within these Special Zones. So, to enter Wall Sina, we must first access a Special Zone through the outer gate, and then enter Wall Sina from there. That's what's known as the two checkpoints."
This special district had originally been under the administration of the Survey Corps. Erwin and the others had not been idle in the capital these past few days.
"Someone in the Krolva Special District will help us cross the first gate. After that, we only need to defeat the Military Police guarding the city walls. With our firepower, it should be a piece of cake."
"Then we'll do it that way." Gale understood that they had control over a Special Zone—that would be enough to launch an attack toward the entrance of Wall Sina.
…
Gale and Hange spent the entire night refining every detail of their next strategic move. Meanwhile, Petra and Eld returned with the surviving Military Police—broken men whose morale had been completely shattered after facing the devastating power of the assault rifles.
In that state, extracting information from them posed no difficulty; soon, the situation in the capital was fully exposed.
Inside the dungeons of the royal capital was Erwin, along with nearly thirty other officers. All of them belonged to the elite of the Survey Corps, key figures within the military structure.
They were not the only ones: around four hundred soldiers of the same corps were also being detained in the capital under strict surveillance by the Military Police. Stripped of their weapons and horses, their movements were severely restricted, as if they had already been declared guilty.
The government's plan was clear and ruthless.
Once suspicions of rebellion were confirmed, they would execute the officers and anyone in a position of command without hesitation.
In contrast, the rank-and-file soldiers would be redistributed among different regiments or placed under new chains of command.
After all, training a competent soldier required a considerable investment. The process lasted three long years, during which the government covered every need of the recruit: food, clothing, lodging, and transport.
Upon graduation, soldiers not only received their vertical maneuvering equipment, but also a financial stipend to sustain their service.
When adding up the costs of maintenance and equipment, each soldier represented an investment of approximately fifty gold coins from recruitment to graduation—equivalent to the value of twenty-five well-fed pigs. And even so, the true cost—the time invested in their training—could not be measured in money.
The fall of Wall Maria at the hands of the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan was still a recent event. Even the nobility, known for their apathy and decadence, understood that wasting soldiers under such circumstances would be absurd.
Thus, both the government and the nobles agreed on a strategy: preserve the bulk of the military forces while eliminating only those officers suspected of disloyalty, under carefully justified charges of treason or rebellion.
To maintain public morale, they needed more than accusations—they required solid evidence and a public spectacle.
The execution of Erwin, Levi, and other officers through a military tribunal would serve as both a warning and a means of control.
It was precisely for this purpose that that Military Police squad had been sent: to gather the evidence needed to seal their fate.
The central government had granted them one month to collect evidence and witnesses before the autumn harvest. In return, they were given authority to mobilize local military units.
However, the captain had been overconfident. He believed deploying local troops would only alert the enemy, so after making a superficial estimate of the number of people in the forest camp, he chose to launch a surprise attack.
The result was inevitable: a crushing defeat against the AK-47, a downfall so complete it could hardly have been worse.
No matter how cunning the central government was, it could never have foreseen that in just over a month, Gale and the Survey Corps would develop a weapon ahead of its time. It was, in essence, like fighting from another dimension.
Thanks to the surviving Military Police, Gale and Hange obtained crucial information: the exact location where Erwin and Levi were imprisoned, as well as where the rest of the Survey Corps was being held.
The plan quickly took shape. After breaking into Wall Sina, they would head straight to the dungeons and the Survey Corps camp. They would free their allies through a lightning offensive, provide them with assault rifles and ammunition, and, with overwhelming firepower, advance toward high-ranking government officials and nobles to take them hostage.
From that point on, everything would become simpler. The Garrison had already been informed, and Erwin would be able to persuade Commander Pixis to join their cause. The Military Police, on the other hand, would respond with violence, attempting to crush the rebellion.
Then propaganda would come into play: the secrets of the walls and the Titans would be revealed, exposing all the crimes the government and the Military Police had committed over the years to conceal the truth, publishing it in newspapers.
For a century, the government had murdered countless innocents to keep the construction of the walls a secret. They had abused their power, and although many citizens had suspected it, now it would finally be made clear.
With the people's support secured, Historia would be proclaimed the rightful heir to the throne. From that moment on, policies aimed at benefiting the population would be implemented, focusing on the upcoming autumn harvest, grain collection, and the development of new domestic advancements.
If living conditions improved, the coup d'état would consolidate on its own.
Of course, everything depended on the plan being executed without setbacks.
The decisive factor could be summed up in a single word: speed.
The sooner, the better.
Ideally, everything would be resolved before anyone even understood what was happening.
It would also be the first time the AK-47 was openly revealed. Those unaware of the situation couldn't even imagine the power of that automatic rifle. Hange, however, had already witnessed its destructive capability firsthand.
Although they were at a clear disadvantage in both numbers and terrain, even she felt that victory was possible if they made full use of that new weapon.
"Then it's decided," Hange said, exhaling in relief. "We'll finally stop hiding. Tomorrow, I'll gather the rest of the regiment at the factory. Have them bring horses. If everything goes well, we'll depart for Stohess District tomorrow night."
"How long would it take us to get there on horseback?" Gale asked once more.
"About half a day. And crossing Wall Sina to reach the capital will take another half day," Hange replied after thinking for a moment.
"Then let's launch the operation tomorrow night, Captain Hange," Gale stated firmly. "Even with the AK-47s, we're still at a disadvantage in both numbers and terrain."
"We must catch them off guard. As for the horses, two people can ride each one… and we could reach the capital before dawn!"
"Isn't that too risky?" Petra intervened, pointing out, "We haven't even contacted the regimental commander or the sergeant."
"No… this is undoubtedly the best course of action. The capital won't expect us to react so quickly." Hange adjusted her glasses and said, "We'll do it tomorrow night. We only need weapons and ammunition… we don't need anything else!"
"This operation… will be a true blitzkrieg."