Translated by Tianic, edited by Grammarly
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A piece of rosy cloud lingered on the edge of the sky as I stared at it.
It was red, scarlet though it suggested a trace of bleak and creepy sensation, just like the blood of those thousands of mobbed refugees.
It was beyond question that I swept the board against the Asmodian United Forces in the first round of compet.i.tion, but I couldn"t relieve myself from the death of countless Cammish people during the riot. I did not kill them, but they died because of me.
As per my original plan plus the turmoil within the royal family, the Cammish riot should have continued for at least another one and half months. But I didn"t foresee the coming of tens of thousands of soldiers from the AUF 5th Legion to kill indifferently on this land. They kept on killing until the area was covered with dead bodies, the rivers, gra.s.s, and trees were painted with blood. They killed as if those were their arch-enemies instead of their empire"s friendly sons and daughters.
They continued killing until their blades curled. Their act has also uncovered my camouflage that has been protecting me so well. Since then, I, as well as my army had to turn from backstage onto the exhibition stand where a face-to-face combat with the AUF awaited.
This was what I was too reluctant to see.
"Ugh…" I made an unconscious groan and covered my face with my right hand.
"Boss, let"s just go back." Jack said, "You"ve stayed here for quite a while now."
"Why return? Isn"t it good to just watch the sunset?" I simply closed my eyes.
"Marfa should be back soon with more intelligence."
Jack said with caution. He was reminding me of my status. I was still the commander of my army. All of the lives of 60, 000 were carried in my hands.
"Okay, let"s go."
I received my helmet from Jack. The moment I put that helmet on, the commander responsibility has once again burdened on my shoulders. I have allowed myself to be sentimental at times, but I cannot enable the sorrow to swallow me. After all, thousands of eyes were watching me.
Let me take it as a repentance session.
"Boss, can I ask you something?"
"En."
"How did you know the Cammish second prince will kill his big brother?"
"For the second prince himself, the royal power was a thing he had been yearning for day and night." I said slowly, "He cannot resist such a temptation."
"But what if he"s unwilling to do it?"
"If he can"t," I didn"t even bother to think, so I said, "then we should help him."
The army"s commanding center was set within a dense forest. As Jack and I reached the forest edge, we saw Marfa was waiting with a group of other officers.
"What"re you doing here?" I approached with a smile, kicked a few a.s.ses along the way, "Why the bitter faces?"
"Sir!"
"Sit down!" I talked casually, intending to cheer them with my undisturbing posture. This War was the first actual battle experience for almost all of my officers. It was understandable that they felt the tension.
"Tell us about it, my Chief Liaison."
"Yes, sir. I just compared my intelligence with that of my recon leader. They turned out to be very close." Marfa said, "The troops that came from the 5th war zone numbered 100, 000. They pressed all the way down along the transit lines with the help of local Cammish garrison. Unlucky for us, after witnessing their ruthless act, those much-energized mobsters dropped their weapons and went back home to farm.
"If they intend to fix the supply routes," I asked, "how many days will be needed?"
"10 days at most." Marfa replied, "They will need at most 10 days to repair the broken bridges and pa.s.ses, and that"s what they"ve been doing."
"En, what does the recon corps have to say about this army?" I hinted the recon leader.
He immediately rose. The recon leader was a sandman, quiet and calm.
"Sir, they"ve been marching in a condensed formation where the cooperation between regiments, infantries, and riders is impressive." He said, "After they"ve fixed one location, local defense matters will be taken over by Cammish armies."
"What does General Staff have to say about such a situation." I asked Carlos.
"Sir, we"re unable to take them given such a dense formation." Carlos said, "They had us outnumbered, and they kept sticking with the Cammish army. We stand little chance to win if we"re to attack now."
Carlos was right. I had 60, 000 men at most and Wilder"s cavalries were not currently with me to compete an army of 100, 000.
"What"s the news from the Cammish royalty?"
"Our new Cammish king is eager to unite his realm as he is currently appointing his close courtiers. Even his gatekeepers and stablemen are n.o.bilities now!" Marfa said, "Camp is swarmed with n.o.bilities these days.
"And the old n.o.bilities just stay calm and let the Cammish king do that?" I asked, "Has the new emperor weeded out the old powers as we antic.i.p.ated?"
"Oddly enough, he hasn"t, as if someone instructed him!"
"The AUF headquarters must be behind this." I slapped my thigh, "Mother f.u.c.ker, they saw through our plan!"
"So… should we," Carlos said, "wait?"
"No, we can"t afford to wait anymore. Since we"ve traveled this far to fight this War, our supplies are tightly pressed." I rose and stood beside the map, "If this is the case… right, this will do!"
"Boss!" Jack lightened up, "Idea?"
"And it"s a terrific one!" I laughed and fixed my eyes on the two red transit lines on the map, "Bring regiment leaders and up immediately here!"
"Sir!"
The meeting ended pretty fast. Hence several troops left with their a.s.signments. A special order for Wilder has been issued as well. I handed the order to a Major who was the highest-ranked orderly.
I was confident that I could give the new Cammish emperor and AUF even more trouble because I have found their weakness. I have already stirred within their commoner crowd, let me mess with the Cammish n.o.bility group this time.
Marfa"s intelligence was very detailed, and with the help of my reconnaissance, we knew precisely everything about every town and city on the transport lines: how many local garrison troops, who was their commander, and who was the landlord.
I led an IGT battalion and set off for the nearest town because I needed to do a tryout before I implemented the operation on large-scale. Once the plan has proven to be valid, the AUF will need to change the supreme commander for the 5th war zone again!
10 miles away from the targeted place, I gave my soldiers some AUF style outfits. I put on local n.o.bility"s garments as well. These extra clothes were captured from the last battle. Thankfully I did not order to burn them yet.
"Sir!" An investigation officer came to me.
"Your… Excellency!" I glared him, and he immediately corrected, "The village is very quiet. The old landlord lives in the west, he has 300 guards. The new lord is near the central square; he has 100."
"Only this little guards in this town?" I asked.
"No, they have 500 Cammish soldiers, but they"ve gone for inspection work to a nearby village and won"t make it back today."
"Who brought this army? I asked.
"It"s from the new landlord!"
"The new landlord…" I nodded and said, "Good, let"s start with this man!"
"You go and find the new landlord," I told another officer, "Tell him that I"m also a newly appointed n.o.bleman. I have to pa.s.s by here in order to reach my land. I need to settle here tonight!"
"Yes!"
He left, and I put my attention on my soldiers.
"Listen, you all, I don"t need you to conform to military laws anymore." I paced slowly on a horse, "Be aggressive! Once you"re in the village, make trouble, that"s an order!"
"Sir," A wingman soldier asked cautiously, "What kind of trouble?"
"Anything you like. You can break into someone"s house and eat their food, or spit at the old landlord"s door!" I laughed, "Or… do you want women?"
"Sir," The wingman blinked his eyes and stuttered, "N… no, sir!"
"I"m ordering you to! Not only you"ll think about women, you will need to do things for real!" I tapped his helmet with my whip, "Go touch those women"s face and thighs, humiliate them as long as you don"t rape them!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Remember, you"re all from the Cammish Royal Army, your commander is a newly appointed n.o.bleman! You"re here to enjoy life with me!" I roared to the soldiers around, "You"re gangsters! You"re evil people! Give me your scary eyes, and s...o...b..r! Devour their yummy food! Grope their lovely ladies!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Brothers!" I turned my horse toward the town, "Help yourselves, Let"s – go!"
"GOOOOO!"
The village was still quiet, though a swarm of red-eyed, s...o...b..ring gangsters was imminent.
The new landlord and his men were waiting for us at the drawbridge. According to him, he was just a low officer that was t.i.tled a Baron because he once worked for the new Cammish emperor.
Since my ident.i.ty and his were all on the royalty side, so naturally, we greeted each other friendly.
"Your Excellency, what"s your rank？" He took a look at my clothes, "I have n.o.bilities pa.s.sing by here almost every day."
"Ah, I"m just a plain viscount. His Majesty gave me a rather small land." I shook my head."
"This way, please." He admired, "Viscount is good. I"m just a baron, you know, I have to salute everybody!"
"Not surprisingly," I said with a hint of a smile, "If you wish, His Majesty will give you the Viscount rank very quickly."
"For real?" He was stunned, "How?"
I leaned close and whispered a few words to him.
"That… didn"t His Majesty want to keep them friendly as much as possible?" He looked at me with confusion, "The War is undergoing."
"Your Excellency, this is how I differentiate from you. Indeed, there"s an intense war going on, and the domestic riot due to the commoners has just been suppressed." I said, "Use your brain, do you want His Majesty to say the word explicitly? We have to comprehend his intention! Why do you think our emperor was in such a hurry to appoint us and put us here? Don’t you feel weird to have two landlords on the same place? If these old lords aren"t wiped out, they"ll be a huge threat to the new emperor"s realm. His Majesty is anxious about it!"
"So…"
"His Majesty is suffering from having no excuses, and he needs a good one. As his loyal supporters, we should do something for the realm." I said quietly, "As long as we let them strike first. Your guards and mine are supposedly enough."
"But how to let them make the first strike?"
"Hehhe, the first strike is just an excuse. As long as you make your mind, he"s already a dead man!" I shed my enlightenment, "If anyone asks later on, he"ll be the scapegoat. We"re on the emperor"s side, no one dares to mess with us. But certainly, His Majesty might scold you, but soon after that…"
"What!" He was tempted.
"Your collar ornament color will change, and your medals will be heavier." I said sincerely, "And your land will be bigger and your power more potent. By then, if you wanna marry dozens of women at the same time, no one will oppose you."
"Err… but." He swallowed.
"It depends on you. I have to leave by tomorrow morning." I sighed, "I need to attend my affair first. Although my land is a small one, I also have an old landlord to fix!"
"So I…" He was still considering.
"If your mind is made, I"m able to help you before I leave."
"Your Excellency, you…" Once I said it, he promptly grabbed my arms, his hands and voice were trembling, "Please… please help me!"
"Good, now go back home and do whatever you like." I nodded and said, "I"ll strike the first match for you. Disregard anything out there. I"ll inform you once I finish. All you need to do is to collect the old lord"s body!"
"I…" He took off his hat and bowed, "I"m here to express my sincerest grat.i.tude!"
"You"re very welcome." I shook his hand, "We"re here to serve His Majesty. We"ll have more collaboration to do in the future!"
"So, I just go back?" He asked while telling me information about the buildings in the village.
"Absolutely." I grinned, "There will be some upheaval later, you need to be absent for your own good."
He gazed the soldiers behind me. These men might remind him of potential threat, so he was still hesitating.
"Okay!" He finally made up his mind, "I know your men were tired on their way. Please, Your Excellency, spare something for me…"
"Don"t worry." I comforted, "We"re not here to take things. We"ll just eat and drink, and no blood shall be shed tonight."
"Good, I shall go back." He nodded gratefully, "I"ll have the drawbridge leveled."
I shook my head as he left. n.o.bilities, this was the so-called n.o.bilities!
As the night fell, torches were needed.
My soldiers have been holding back for quite a while. They wouldn"t dare to start fooling around without my order. Despite they were directed to do what I told them, an army of soldiers that remained disciplined before temptation was the army I wanted.
I looked at the sky again then spat the gra.s.s out of my mouth, "Go!"
"Awwwww!" About 200 erected "bandits" launched then immediately spread into the streets. I rode slowly behind and wandered on the main road.
"BANG" An orc b.u.mped open a resident house and came out with his both hands full of food and a pot full of steamed meat.
Then a few sandmen drilled inside and not long after, they came out with bags of money, big and small.
The last but not least, a few wingmen went inside and kicked the man in the house then groped his wife. Like I ordered, they didn’t overdo it. They merely picked those women who were aged enough to be their aunts and chased them from one room to another. A mix of sounds that only thirty men could understand resounded every now and then.
Uproars were like ripples that spread in the village. They spread far and were closing the eastern village.
The new landlord acted very obediently. He and his men did not show regardless my boys were messing out there.
As for the old lord, since he was still a lord, he must have relationships in this town. If he had not, his men must have had. As long as they chose to resist, my primary object will be achieved.
A hero was merely a product of his time, no, the time was merely caused the current hero!
A woman screamed and ran over as I rode slowly.
"Baby, don"t run away!" A wingman soldier chased while yelling, "I love you…"
I sighed and caught his collar.
"S… sir!" He laughed, "Can I help you?"
"Where"re your eyes?" I was so angry that my nose nearly crooked, "She"s full of wrinkles, and you call her "baby"? Have you seen any women before?"
"Sir!" He b.u.mped his chest, "I"ve been women, but I"ve never done things like this!"
I looked around and discovered most of my soldiers were running after aged "babies". My soldiers’ actions were overcautious, and their languages exaggerated. Such a clown show will never draw my enemy out. I guessed they were enjoying our show now.
"Go f.u.c.k yourself!" I dismounted and jumped off my horse, "Let me show you!"
I tossed my sword to an IGT member and yelled, "Follow me!"
Several backbone soldiers who were specialized in molesting followed at my heels.
"A good selection is crucial in doing such a business! The prettier the woman, the more rage it"ll set off!" I told my men, "Generally, the financial condition determines their women"s prettiness!"
"BANG!" As I hinted a house, a soldier already kicked the door open.
I rushed in with my men.
"Gentlemen! Gentlemen! What can I do for you?" A middle-aged man stood right in the room, "Meat? Wine? I"ll serve them right away!"
"Get lost!" I kicked him away, but I didn"t stop talking, "Where would a woman hide herself? Under the bed, behind the kitchen door! Cellars, attics! Get those places searched!"
My soldiers did as I said and started searching.
Not long after, a screaming came from upstairs, "Ahhhhh!"
"Bring her down!" I yelled.
"Sir! It"s two!" The man upstairs said, "They"re sisters!"
Two girls stumbled to run down while screaming.
"Watch it!" I said, "I"ll make her scared of you, extremely scared."
Thus I caught the one in the front, right hand fixed her both palms, and left hand held her jaw.
The girl was shivering as I grinned at her while making a face like a starved man saw food.
"Baby, what is your name?" I licked my upper lip and smiled her hair, "Ah… what a smell of madness!"
"Ah… father!" The girl called desperately, "No…"
"Baby, don"t cry." I blinked and shook my head, "I"ll be very gentle. If you don"t behave, I"ll have to make you hurt."
The girl strived so I loosened my hands to let her feel easier.
"Why running? I"m a very nice evil man!" Gracefully, I unbound one of my b.u.t.tons and licked my fingers that just touched her face, "En, after I"m done with you, it"s my brothers" turn…"
"No, go away!" The girl crouched in a corner, her both hands protected her chest while shaking her head, "Please…"
"Please? Please be gentle? Or should I sell you to the orcs!" I laughed and approached then loosened another of my b.u.t.tons.