Chapter 783: A River of Blood
Chapter 783: Blood Flows into
a River The raging flames climbed up the wooden eaves, illuminating the faces of the bewildered.
The rising black smoke was like a homeless ghost, and the crackling cries were particularly conspicuous in the silence of the crowd.
This is the southwest corner of Mammoth State, a small village called “Stone Village”… or it used to be called this name.
Most of the people living here are free people of the Empire.
However, the Empire is the opposite of other areas in the wasteland. The free people here are not something to be proud of.
Since most of the fertile land along the river is in the hands of the nobles, most of the free people live in a very tight situation even if they have land to farm.
If ordinary serfs have to eat six meals of red soil a week, then the free people may have to eat seven or eight meals, basically maintaining a half-dead state.
Of course, those who can survive in the settlement or on the edge of the settlement are excluded.
The same is true for Stone Village. Since it is far away from the Tasang River and there are no small rivers or lakes nearby, the land is not easy to farm, and most villagers can only make ends meet.
There is really no money to be made from these guys who live like weeds. The empire is generally too lazy to pay attention to them. Apart from collecting taxes, they are usually left to fend for themselves.
Of course, this gift of tolerance is limited to normal times.
Five or six miles south of Shitou Village, you can see the boundary marker of Mazhou. However, it was because of these five or six miles that the fire of “fortifying the walls and clearing the fields” burned here…
At the entrance of Shitou Village, an old man over fifty years old collapsed on the ground, looking up at the tall and strong centurion, crying with snot and tears.
”Sir, we have lived here for many years. You burned this place down. Where should we live…”
The centurion looked at him expressionlessly and said coldly.
”Next door is Mazhou, and further south is Huzhou. The legs are longer than yours. As long as you don’t go north, you can go wherever you want.”
The old man begged bitterly.
”But, but… without land, how can we live.”
”How can we live?” The centurion sneered, looking down at the old man lying on the ground, and said sarcastically, “Why don’t you find a manor to sell yourself… Don’t cry and whine, you are old, it’s time to be buried.”
Seeing that the old man was staring at him blankly, the centurion thought that what he said was indeed not very polite, so he softened his tone and said,
”Okay, there are bandits here, and it’s for your own good to let you go, don’t be so ungrateful. I’ll give you time to pack your things, and get out of here when you’re okay.”
”Bandits?! But, but, those Moon Clan people didn’t care about us…”
Seeing that the centurion was about to leave, the stunned old man suddenly became anxious, and for a moment he spoke without thinking, but forgot the identity of the military master in front of him, and even forgot what the Moon Clan people meant to the empire.
The centurion really stopped when he heard that. He squinted his eyes and looked at the old man up and down. His eyes became slightly unfriendly.
”They have been here?”
Not only did the centurion stare at the old man with narrowed eyes, but the soldier next to him also put his hand on the ripper rifle.
Feeling that the atmosphere was not right, the old man was also frightened and stuttered for a while.
”I…”
The centurion stared at him.
”Why didn’t you report to the nearby outpost?”
”What, what outpost?”
Beads of sweat oozed from the old man’s forehead. Before he could explain, the centurion waved his hand at the soldier next to him.
”Take him back for trial.”
Two soldiers strode forward, each holding the old man by one shoulder, and regardless of the latter’s screams like a pig being slaughtered, they carried him to the cart like moving an animal.
The young man in the village wanted to stop them, but he was stared at by the murderous gaze and dared not move forward. He could only watch the elders of the village being taken away…
Similar scenes happened not only in Stone Village, but also in other places.
It was even worse.
More than 50,000 Grey Wolf troops entered the Mammoth State occupied by the rebels with great momentum, and everyone from top to bottom was ready to avenge their previous humiliation.
Alaiyang sent out scouts to investigate the movements of the resistance army, while steadily setting up the battle line, and at the same time sent small troops along the border to advance his strategy of clearing the fields. It
was not just the old man who was suspected of having contact with the resistance army who was taken away.
There were also some men, women, children and livestock raised in the barn who had no idea what was going on.
These imperial soldiers did not even let go of the eggs laid by the hens.
Of course, not all villages were so docile and obedient. After all, given the ecological conditions of the Borneo Province, it took some skills to withstand the land annexation of the nobles.
Some indignant young men brought out dung forks, bows and arrows, bird guns and even earth cannons to try to fight against the Grey Wolf Army of the Empire.
However, their indignation not only failed to scare off the Grey Wolf of the Empire, but also brought disaster to themselves and their families.
Although the Gray Wolf Army was almost drowned in the Yongliu River by the Alliance outside the Golden Gallon Port, it was still no problem for them to deal with a group of poor people with no clothes to cover their bodies. With just a charge, the soldiers killed these ignorant weeds and made a river of blood.
Once the bayonets were red, things would not end so well.
What’s more, the current Gray Wolf Army has been corrupted by the Tiger Army and the Black Panther Army. Both the fighting will and discipline are far worse than half a year ago… Although they were not much better half a year ago. After
venting their beastly anger on the surviving weaklings, the group of Gray Wolves, who had had enough, pulled up their pants, rewarded the “captives”, threw their heads on the cart, and took them back to the camp as the heads of the rebels to seek credit.
On the hundreds of kilometers of state borders between Mammoth State and Maryland, the burning flames were like a long snake crawling, devouring villages one after another.
The beast-like behavior was just like the howling of wolves and ghosts on the Ten Peaks Mountain.
It was even worse…
”…These beasts!”
At the edge of the dark forest, Ackerman stared at the soldiers who left the ruins, his eyes burning with anger.
When the long-haired woman was dragged into the cowshed, he thought of his mother…
The soldiers beside him were the same. Everyone held their rifles tightly, wishing to rush up and eat the hundred-man team alive.
Especially the boy named Udi. If his companions hadn’t pulled him back, he would have rushed up.
”There are too many of them… There are only ten of us, we are no match for them.”
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Ackerman said in a deep voice.
”Laxi told us that if we want to defeat an opponent who is much stronger than us, we must not only be fearless but also learn to use our brains.”
A tall freckled boy looked at him and asked in a low voice.
”What should we do?”
”Take Udi with you, and you, you…”
Ackerman counted out five local recruits and handed them to the old soldier who had fought all the way from Huzhou. He lowered his voice and continued to instruct, “You go north and tell the villagers what happened here. Just say that the people from the empire are here and will kill anyone they see. If you don’t want to die, run north quickly.”
”It’s useless for them to go there,” Udi interrupted and whispered, “It’s all flooded there…”
”It’s just temporarily flooded. The flood season is over and winter is coming soon… When spring comes, the flooded land is the most fertile. Lord Laxi will give the nobles’ land to them to plant.” Ackerman said without hesitation. The
land along the Tasang River that originally belonged to the nobles has been annexed, and it can be used to resettle these displaced villagers after the flood season.
Those lands are much more fertile than here. Laxi said that he would give some to the locals. Now that Mammoth State is the territory of the resistance army, they have to manage this land well.
When they heard about the land division, the eyes of the two young men lit up, including Woody.
His village is outside Mammoth City, and it is all the territory of the nobles. His parents have been farming for the nobles all their lives, and they don’t have a piece of land of their own. Now someone is willing to share the nobles’ manors and plantations with them. They are so excited that they want to cheer.
Only a few veterans from Tiger State smiled at their naive appearance.
Farming?
That thing has no future.
They have suffered enough from farming in the ravines of Tiger State. They can only live a good life when they carry guns.
Freckles frowned slightly, looked at Ackerman and asked.
”Why do those villagers believe us?”
”Go there and pick up some things and bring them to them. It’s up to them whether they believe it or not. We only save those who can be saved.”
Ackerman pointed to the ruins of the village not far away, motioning him to go there to pick up some physical evidence, and then lowered his voice and continued.
”These are the only villages we should visit today. The Gray Wolves dare not walk at night, but it’s hard to say what will happen after daybreak. You’d better move quickly and finish everything before daybreak… Remember, notify all the villages within half a day’s walk!”
The six young men nodded solemnly, crawled into the bushes nearby, and carefully moved towards the village, and disappeared in a flash.
As for Ackerman, he took the remaining three people and followed the retreating Gray Wolf Army 100-man team, trying to find their “regiment headquarters”.
If you’re lucky, you might find a chance to shoot them a few times!
At the same time, on the other side, at the headquarters of the Gray Wolf Army, General Alayan looked at the sand table expressionlessly, and his thoughts unconsciously drifted away with the chess pieces on the sand table.
I still remember that at the beginning of the year, he was still a god of war respected by thousands of people.
But in just half a year, those who admired him regarded him as a shame to the empire and stepped hard into the sewer.
How highly those people praised him at the time, how hard they threw him later. But it was also because of that incident that he completely woke up –
these unruly people were not worthy of his sympathy.
He should not have treated them as human beings, although he did not feel sorry for them before.
To this day, he still will not forget the humiliation he suffered in Jingallon Port. That group of poor traitors killed his scouts for a few silver coins, sold his intelligence, and deliberately dug trenches as graves, digging so hard that his soldiers could not get out of the trenches even if they raised their hands above their heads.
There are also reed marshes by the Yongliu River.
Those guys would rather be shot and drowned than be dogs of the Alliance, and they just refused to stay in the Empire and be good people.
He knew better than anyone that once he gave the order to build a strong defense and clear the countryside, the people below would definitely do it in their own way.
But so what?
Instead of leaving these pigs to drag their feet on the front line and deliberately make trouble, it is better to use their blood to deter those who dare to go against the Empire.
At this time, the officer in charge of the fortification and clearing of the countryside walked into the tent, looked at General Alayyang standing in front of the map and saluted respectfully, and reported.
”Sir, the Moon Clan resistance army has probably been here.”
”They will definitely come, there is nothing strange about it. You will check later to see if anyone has relatives in the resistance army, whether they are distant relatives or close relatives, and take them out to form a separate team. I will keep them for use.”
Staring at the Mammoth City on the map, Alayyang continued expressionlessly.
”That Laxi is an officer trained by the Alliance, and the one who left Golden Gallon Port with him was also trained by the Alliance. What these people are best at is interweaving, infiltration, breaking the whole into pieces, and fighting the majority with the few… When they were in Luoxia Province and River Valley Province, they used these tricks to make the Willant people suffer a lot.”
The officer’s expression was serious and he whispered.
”If that’s the case, I’m afraid this battle won’t be easy.”
”I’m afraid?” Alaiyang laughed, curled his lips and continued, “Don’t expect a quick victory. It will take at least three or four months to completely wipe them out. If they want to fight guerrilla warfare, let them fight. We will set up our formation–”
Before he finished speaking, there was a sound of explosion in the distance.
The two people in the tent were stunned. Alaiyang’s face changed first. He rushed out of the tent and looked in the direction of the sound.
The officer followed him out of the tent and heard the second explosion in the distance.
His face changed slightly and the officer said in a trembling voice.
”155mm!”
The Alliance’s 155!
The impression left by that thing on him was too unforgettable. He would never forget the buzzing feeling of his head being shaken.
”Why do you need to say nonsense…” Alaiyang cursed and took off the walkie-talkie hanging on his shoulder and roared.
The first few shells were just “calibration firing”!
There must be guerrilla scouts and communication radios reporting the impact points near the troops under fire!
The facts were indeed as Alayyang thought.
Soon, the boiling sound of artillery exploded on the position of the 7,000-man team of the 10,000-man team, giving the Grey Wolf Army, which was originally in high morale, a blow.
Due to the inadequate excavation of anti-artillery fortifications, the entire 1,000-man team suffered heavy casualties, and only 60% escaped from the position and were rescued by the 6,000-man team that came to reinforce.
The first battle between the Grey Wolf Army and the Moon Clan Resistance Army ended with the latter winning a small victory, but the victory or defeat of just one battle was not enough to reverse the latter’s disadvantage.
The gap in military strength between the two sides was still huge.
Alayan has 50,000 troops under his command, and they are elite troops equipped with the equipment of the Weilant people. Its chief instructor is the famous general McLen of the Eastern Legion.
As for Laxi, although he relied on the trick of “flooding the army” to wipe out the local army of Mammoth State, allowing the resistance army to face the attack of the Gray Wolf Army in an intact state, even so, the total number of troops he can use is only over 20,000, and more than half of them are recruits.
Although the residents of Jinjialun Port and even French Fries Port donated tens of millions of silver coins to the Moon Clan Resistance Army, if the latter cannot win on the battlefield, all ideals will eventually be empty talk…
…
In the waiting hall of the passenger terminal in Jinjialun Port, Qian Duo from Dawn City was flipping through the “Survivor Daily” in his hand with great interest. The Survivor Daily
here is completely different from the version of Dawn City. It mainly reports some news that the locals are interested in. As for the battle situation in the Seaside Province and the things in the Valley Province, only a few words were mentioned.
As for today.
Almost all newspapers in Golden Gallon Port focused on the front line of Mammoth State.
[…Evidence is available! Shameless executioner Alaiyang!]
[Golden Gallon Port Federation Secretary General Roger strongly condemned the barbaric behavior of the Empire’s Grey Wolf Army, and 100,000 survivors held signs to protest the authorities’ repatriation of prisoners of war!]
[Governor General Secretary Yodu, who has always refused to comment on Empire-related affairs, made a rare speech to denounce the Empire’s crimes, “It’s not just Stone Village that has suffered a tragedy, there are still many more in places we can’t see!”]
[A Chinese teacher from the southern sea area who did not want to be named expressed shock in an interview: “Shame! I will write to my relatives and friends on the Ring Island, and I will petition the representative council! The survivors in the southern sea area will never cooperate with man-eating things!”]
”Burn down more than a hundred villages, expel more than a hundred thousand survivors, and countless people died during the migration… Tsk tsk, these Xilan people are really cruel to their own people.”
Looking at the shocking photos, Qian Duo couldn’t help but click his tongue, but he just clicked his tongue and turned a new page.
Mammoth State was where he was going to go in a while, and he was waiting for a flight there in an hour. But to be honest, seeing the fierce battle here, he was a little nervous.
One hundred thousand people…
How many tens of thousands are there in Dawn City now?
Three hundred thousand?
Or five hundred thousand?
If the floating population is included, it would be a little difficult to calculate.
Han Long, who was sitting next to him, raised his eyelids and said casually.
”Is it that the Bone Chewing Tribe is not ruthless, or the mutants in Jinchuan Province are not ruthless… I am surprised by the unfamiliar.”
”Haha, that’s true… But then again, 50,000 regular troops against 20,000 scattered soldiers, if the Alliance doesn’t plan to take action, I think Laxi will be finished.” Looking at the comparison of the strength of the two armies on the next page, Qian Duo smiled and said casually.
”If the Alliance takes action, the Legion may have to leave, um… It’s really not easy to deal with.” Han Long added thoughtfully.
At this moment, a strange voice suddenly came from the side.
”He’s not finished.”
Han Long ignored him, Qian Duo looked at the person who interrupted the topic with interest, and saw that he was a man who looked gentle, elegant and easy-going.
He looked like a man of noble status, but his clothes were not worth much. There was a suitcase at his feet, and it looked big, most likely he was going to go out a long way.
Curious about the locals’ opinions, Qian Duo asked curiously.
”Oh? Do you think he can win even if the alliance doesn’t take action?”
Zayed smiled faintly and said in a very light voice.
”It depends on how you define winning or losing. If the goal is to defeat Alayan, it’s no problem for him. But if the goal is the program proposed by the Federation, he has no chance of winning.”
Qian Duo laughed.
”What you said is interesting. My opinion is the opposite of yours. If the Gray Wolf Army loses again, the Empire will never be able to turn the tables again. Collapse is only a matter of time.”
Zayed shook his head and said clearly.
”Our views are not actually in conflict, but ‘the collapse of the empire’ and ‘the realization of the Federation’s program’ are two different things.”
Qian Duo was getting more and more interested in this guy and said with a smile.
”You mean Laxi wants to be the emperor? But I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Even if there is a bit of feudalism here, it is at least much more civilized than the current way of eating raw meat and drinking blood… Sorry, I said it a little bluntly, but it is true in my opinion as an outsider.”
After all, they are gods who can compete with the bone chewing tribe, which has been buried in the ground. The Red River Town, a place where no one lives, may be much more advanced than them.
Zayed was not angry, but just smiled faintly and said.
”Anyone can see that Laxi wants to be the emperor, and you are not the only one who can see it. But unfortunately he has no chance. The survivors of the Bora Province do not need an emperor, or the people here have never needed an emperor, but the final result allowed them to get His Majesty… Of course, what they need is certainly not equality, but someone who can ‘make the decision for me’.”
Qian Duo raised his eyebrows with interest.
He had done sufficient market research before coming here, especially reading Ms. Han Mingyue’s investigation report repeatedly.
What this guy said was completely different from the research results of the Alliance Scientific Expedition Team, although not completely opposite.
”Do you think Laxi is not that person?”
Zayed shook his head.
”Obviously not.”
Qian Duo asked curiously.
”Because he was born a slave?”
Zayed shook his head again.
”Of course not.”
Qian Duo asked again.
”Then why?”
Zayed looked at the ceiling and thought for a while.
”Because… he wants to be a good emperor.”
Qian Duo couldn’t help laughing.
”What’s wrong with that?”
Zayed smiled faintly and didn’t answer the question directly.
”There is a logical paradox in this land. I will call it… ‘The Mouse Can’t Become a Human Theorem’, or ‘The Mouse-Man Theorem’ for short. Those who want to be a good general will never be a good general, those who want to be a good emperor will never be a good emperor, and even those who just want to be a good person will never be able to be one. Whether it’s Laxi or Wutuo, whether it’s the young man of the Federation or the old nobles of Wutuo, the harder they work, the more they struggle, the more they will go against their ideals.”
This seemed like a theory he made up on the spot. After all, he had thought about the name of this crappy theory for a while.
But in order to better understand the market under his feet, Qian Duo continued to listen with interest.
”It sounds like a really hopeless fate.”
”Isn’t it?”
Zayd glanced at the wall clock in the waiting hall and it seemed that there was still some time, so he continued talking.
”…An invisible curse entangles everyone on this land, whether they are from the Rat Tribe or the Moon Tribe. Some people realized the source of the curse, the red soil and the City of a Thousand Pillars, but more people just thought they realized it, but actually understood nothing, so they set their eyes on the red soil and the thousand pillars. It’s like picking flowers in the mirror, fishing for the moon in the water, and looking for a horse in the cowshed.”
”The only one who can make the decision for the survivors of the Borneo Province is a perfect ‘saint’. They strive for perfection in this regard, even more devout than the believers of Silver Moon Bay, so they finally got Lowell as they wished… You might say that Lowell died a long time ago, but isn’t that Wu Tuo another Lowell?”
”In fact, he never left, and has been cursing the people who buried him in the red soil. Now his children have found a new answer, and it is something they never thought of before, that is, the ‘equality’ you gave them.”
He lowered his brows and sighed softly.
”Everything seems to be fine, but unfortunately the curse has taken effect, or the ‘rat man theorem’ has taken effect – rats who want to be good people can’t even be good rats. When all the survivors in the Borneo Province are consciously or unconsciously craving for ‘equality’, they will eventually get something completely opposite to it.”
Qian Duo was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile.
”If there really is such a perfect saint, let alone you, we also need it… You don’t have to say that laziness is something unique to you.”
Zayed smiled and shook his head and said.
”You don’t actually need it, you are just talking, you are completely different from us. Let me give you the simplest example. If it is in Borneo Province, a group of people who don’t look serious but generally do some good things are not liked by anyone, and they have to go to hell.”
”Are you talking about the residents of the shelter?” Qian Duo glanced around, and there happened to be a few blue coats nearby, and then smiled and said, “I think the people in Jingalon Port like them very much.”
Zayed said softly.
”That’s because they haven’t left yet… And, you see, Jinjialun Port seems to have been renovated well, and it seems that they have finally obtained the equality they dreamed of, but in fact they don’t realize that they have just finally found someone who can ‘make decisions for them’, or a group of people who can sustenance their exhausted souls.”
This sounds like saying that the survivors of the Borneo Province are all idealists, but the “Survivor Daily” of Jinjialun Port advocates materialism, just like the Alliance.
Qian Duo raised his eyebrows with interest, although he completely disagreed with his point of view.
”Your inference is very interesting, but there is no basis… In fact, you might as well follow the example of Ms. Han Mingyue and write your inference into a more organized paper and publish it. We look forward to your debate.”
Zayed suddenly laughed.
”That kind of thing is meaningless. Would you write the specific steps to make money in the newspaper? And don’t forget the Rat Man Theorem I mentioned. I don’t want to be the first victim of this paradox. Too many people will die for it. Time will prove my judgment… My flight is coming. I wish you a pleasant journey.”
As he said this, he got up from the seat with his suitcase. Suddenly, as if he thought of something, he looked at Qian Duo with a smile and took off his hat to salute.
”In addition, Mammoth State is indeed a good place. I am also optimistic about its future.”
Leaving the surprised Alliance businessman behind, Zayed went to the security check. He seemed to have an argument with the people there, but he finally went up.
Qian Duo looked at Han Long on the side and said excitedly.
”Fuck… This guy is something. He actually saw that we were going to Mammoth State for an inspection?”
Interesting guy.
He should have asked his name.
Han Long stared at the man’s back for a while, and his electronic eyes shook left and right.
”I only care about the boss’s business… By the way, this guy doesn’t seem to be optimistic about Laxi? Do we still need to go?”
Qian Duo laughed and said.
”He is not optimistic about it, that’s his point of view. There are many people in this world who have different views from us. Don’t let a passerby’s nonsense affect your judgment. What’s more, our views are not all opposite. At least he is optimistic about Mammoth State, which is the same as mine.” If
the Lister Group wants to keep up with the trend of the times, it must expand its overseas business like Baiyue Company and join the new supply chain that is taking shape.
In the future, the goods of the alliance will no longer be produced only in the two industrial zones of Dawn City and Boulder City. The invisible logistics network will connect all the backward and advanced productivity in the sticky community.
However, although expanding business is key, controlling risks is more important.
And this is exactly why Lister asked him to go to Mammoth City, but he put the first stop in Golden Gallon Port.
Only nouveau riche only focus on the rate of return.
Before considering the return, he must first find a way out.
(End of this chapter)
