Chapter 710 There is no war on the front line today
The eastern suburbs of the City of Thousand Pillars.
The winding trenches were carved into the position like twisted centipedes, cutting the land in half.
The soldier wearing the steel helmet stood nervously in the trench, holding the rifle tightly with both hands, leaning forward, staring at the wilderness ahead with his eyes tightened.
Although it was a rare sunny day in the rainy season, an invisible black cloud was weighing on everyone's head. Whether it was the soldiers in the trenches or the fish in the ever-flowing river, they were all suffocated.
Inside the forward observation post.
General Alaya stared at the distant slope with a frown.
There were deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the black eye bags were slightly swollen, his pores were as turbid as the water of an eternal river, and there were a few strands of silver hidden in his temples. His haggard face looked like he had aged more than ten years overnight.
, completely different from the high-spirited look a week ago.
The same goes for Gopal, who was standing next to him. He looked like he hadn't slept well. He was always the most thoughtful person, but now he seemed taciturn.
An entire team of 10,000 people was taken prisoner by the establishment...
This kind of thing has never happened since the birth of the dynasty in Borneo!
This is not only a shame for a few of their officers, but also a shame for the entire Gray Wolf Army—and even all the wolf tribe members!
What is even more worrying is the more than 10,000 captured wolf warriors.
Their captors were the most ferocious thugs in Golden Gallen Harbor, a group of slaves who were tortured until they were distorted both physically and mentally.
God knows what kind of cruel humiliation those proud wolves will suffer if they fall into their hands.
However, even though they were worried about what happened to those young men, they were temporarily unable to care about those poor guys.
At the same time that the news of the defeat on the front line reached the royal capital, His Majesty in Tiandu quickly sent a telegram, asking them to retreat a hundred kilometers to defend the City of Thousand Pillars and stop all attacks on the alliance.
action.
The City of Thousand Pillars is the holy city of the Xilan Empire, and it is also the holy place in the hearts of all survivors of the Borneo Province. The iron ropes wrapped around the totem poles symbolize blessings to this land. Every year, a large number of
Believers go to this place to pray for inner peace and tranquility.
Once the alliance is allowed to capture this place, not only will the royal family of the Xilan Empire be ruined, but the stability of the entire province will be seriously affected.
The mobs, burning, killing and looting in the name of the apocalypse will sweep across the entire province of Borneo.
No matter what, this settlement must not fall into the hands of the Alliance!
General Alaya is ready for a decisive battle to the death.
At this time, his adjutant trotted in from the trench at the rear, panting heavily and performing a military salute.
"Report! The buildings in the fighting area have been cleared. There is no bunker or field in the entire front! I assure you, except for our people, not to mention the survivors, not even a mouse can be seen!"
Alaya nodded and did not ask where the obstructive survivors were sent. He just continued to raise the telescope in his hand and stare at the east.
It was quiet there, except for a few abandoned shabby houses, and there was no trace of human life.
Staff officer Gopal, who was standing next to him, finally spoke.
"The alliance has abided by the ceasefire agreement... It seems that they still don't want to make things too big."
There was a hint of joy in his voice.
However, almost as soon as he finished speaking, a looming dust shadow appeared in the distant wilderness.
The moment they saw the dust shadow, all the officers in the observation post were stunned. Alaiyan, who was the first to recover, shouted loudly.
"Ready to fight!"
At the same time as the roar fell, a piercing alarm sounded in the trenches more than ten kilometers wide.
The machine gunner squatting on the machine gun bunker hurriedly loaded the ammunition chain into the gun, and the gunner hurriedly turned the winch, making a clanging sound and almost grinding out sparks from the winch.
Soldiers carrying rifles filed out of the explosion-proof bunker, their chests pressed against the edge of the trench, and their panicked eyes looked outside along with the rifles in their hands.
The bright bayonets dazzled in the scorching sun.
Everyone was nervously staring at the dust shadow that was getting closer and closer, waiting for the order to fire, and silently praying in their hearts that the order would never come.
Most people here have experienced the great escape by the Everliu River, where tens of thousands of people were chased by two hundred people, and some even jumped into the river.
The memory of fear is deeply ingrained in the hearts of every wolf soldier.
No one wants to experience the horror of that day again…
Alaya's face was as dark as water, he said nothing, and seemed to be thinking about something. Gopal, who was standing aside, was sweating profusely, and his hand holding the telescope was shaking.
This is the front line——
He swallowed and said nervously.
"General, if the alliance blatantly tears up the ceasefire agreement, this is the front line, and we should at least move back a little bit-"
In fact, they've torn it apart.
Before the formal ceasefire agreement is signed, Alliance soldiers are not allowed to step out of Golden Gallen Port. The only thing that needs to be determined now is whether the person is from the Alliance or a group of puppet troops composed of rebels and thugs.
"hold on."
Alaya interrupted him and stared straight ahead.
The dust shadow was finally close.
An armored off-road vehicle painted in desert color caught the eyes of all the officers and stopped about one kilometer away from the trench.
Some of the soldiers with sharp eyes who were positioned forward could even see it with their naked eyes, and their palms holding the rifles couldn't help but sweat.
Just as everyone was waiting with bated breath, the car door opened and a soldier wearing an exoskeleton jumped out of the car.
He carried a flagpole on his shoulders. When unfolded, it was three people tall. The blue flag had a bunch of golden and distinct strips painted on it, and in the upper left corner was the emblem of the alliance.
All the officers were stunned when they saw this, not knowing what he was going to do. But the soldiers in the trenches felt their hearts sink, and despair was about to come out.
No doubt——
That exoskeleton is from the Alliance!
They didn't even change into casual clothes...
The wind blowing along the Yongliu River blew the flag loudly. [Zero Chong] took off his helmet's visor and eyepiece to get some air, but he almost lost his breath from the smoke.
Smiling awkwardly at the silent and solemn trench in the distance, he closed the mask again, and then firmly inserted the three-person-high flagpole into the soil beneath his feet.
Driven by the exoskeleton, the flagpole pierced the soil as deep as a person, not only by the Yongliu River, but also in the hearts of all the wolf soldiers.
The soldiers and officers in the trenches in the distance watched helplessly, but no one fired, and they swallowed their humiliation silently.
An imperial soldier gritted his teeth and wanted to take aim, but the captain on the side reached out to hold the barrel of the gun and shook his head to stop him.
Gopal in the observation post swallowed again, smiled to hide his embarrassment, and said calmly.
"They showed some restraint..."
Alaya didn't speak, nor did the adjutant behind him. He laughed dryly again, feeling bored, and returned his attention to the telescope in his hand.
The soldier who finished planting the flag returned to the car, and then an iron chain seemed to be dropped from behind the car, with something like a rake tied to the chain.
The off-road vehicle restarted, turned on the spot, and sped away in a direction parallel to the trench, with its back to the Yongliu River.
The huge tires threw up billows of dust, and the taut iron chains made a clanking sound, plowing a moderately deep ravine in the ground.
At this moment, the officers standing in the observation post finally understood what they meant, and anger appeared on every face.
The flagpole is stuck at the ceasefire line!
Facing the empire's 300,000 troops, they only sent a flagpole!
This is Chi Guoguo’s provocation!
It is a provocation to the Gray Wolf Army and even the entire empire!
"These bastards!" the adjutant standing behind Alaiyan yelled, wanting to rush up and shoot the car in the butt. Then he looked at General Alaiyan and said sincerely, "General! Give the order! They broke the agreement first.
!”
Alaya did not speak, but Staff Officer Gopal, who was standing aside, was shocked when he heard this and quickly spoke to dissuade him.
"The ceasefire agreement has not been signed yet, and ordering the bandits to stay in the settlement is only a unilateral request by His Majesty... They are indeed not obliged to abide by the agreement that has not yet been signed. It is inaccurate to say that they have broken the contract."
"Are we just going to watch helplessly as these guys sneak back under our noses?!" The adjutant clenched his fists angrily, "If we don't tell the soldiers what they think, how can we explain to His Majesty?!"
"This is exactly what Your Majesty meant..." Gopal coughed slightly and said hastily in a low voice, "Do you still remember the ceasefire edict? The important content is written in the title. As for the content, it is actually the subtitle.
need……"
Alaya nodded silently and still did not speak. He just silently put down the telescope, passed the astonished adjutant, and left the frontline observation post.
Gopal is right.
What a loyal minister should sympathize with most is His Majesty's hard work, and ability is not the most important quality.
If he really insists on giving the order to open fire, even if 300,000 troops come out and crush the Golden Gallon Port into pieces, even if he wins a proud victory in the end, he will not end well, at most three or five.
The weeds on the graves can grow up to several feet every year.
And if you listen carefully to every word of His Majesty, even if you fight the stupidest battle, you will at most be scolded for a few words, and then be spit by the people of Tiandu, and in the end, you will probably be held high again.
Let it go gently and you won't really be punished.
Isn't it what a minister should do to share some of the infamy for the royal family?
Looking at the lonely figure who turned around and walked back to the trench, Gopal felt a little uncomfortable on his face, although he was relieved in his heart.
Sighing softly, he reached out and patted the wide-eyed adjutant on the shoulder, passed by the latter, and followed the general who was returning to the frontline headquarters.
Today it is calm along the Yongliu River and there is no fighting on the Eastern Front.
Later, an edict was issued, saying that there was a gentle breeze on the outskirts of the City of Thousand Pillars, and occasionally alliance armor broke in brazenly, intending to cross the ceasefire line for a sneak attack. However, seeing that General Alaya's defense line was impregnable and there was no chance of taking advantage, he dropped the military flag.
Flee in despair.
The picture of the man who fled was printed on the poster.
The billowing dust raised by the wheels looked really rushed, and it could be regarded as a vindication of the disgraced General Alaya, and restored a little prestige.
Late at night, the escaped off-road vehicle finally belatedly escaped along the coastline back to Golden Gallen Harbor.
Looking at the dim lights in the distance, Erliang Yueguang, who was sitting in the driver's seat, let out a long yawn, moved his slightly sore arms and muttered.
"MMP! Why is it that every time we do this kind of thing, it pays more than we deserve?"
Sitting in the passenger seat and hanging up the phone, [Shanhe Meng Meng] did not speak, but subconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror, hoping that a "true freshman" would reflect on it.
However, perhaps because the [version of the first born] was sitting next to him, Liang Chong obviously did not realize that the "true first born" was himself.
Obviously misunderstanding the meaning of the captain's look, he straightened up from his seat and said with excitement.
"I've been running around for a day, can I find someone to click with when I get back?"
Shanhe coughed.
"Don't go into my hometown again."
Ling Chong smiled and raised his eyebrows.
"Who is so boring as to enter a fellow villager's house? I mean there is a laundromat in the north of the city."
The [version first-born] who had just woken up was stunned for a moment, and happened to hear the second half of the sentence, so he subconsciously blurted it out.
"Damn it, who can do that?"
Ling Chong chuckled.
"It doesn't matter who he is, he is probably a professional gamer... Don't worry, Blue Gopher won't cheat Blue Gopher, it must be legitimate! The one opened by the locals is not legitimate!"
Since the last battle report was posted on the forum, a lot of players have come to Golden Gallen Port recently to join in the fun, mainly those who are active in the Silver Moon Bay area. They not only brought money and goods, but also brought the industry there.
Some came in.
Currently, Golden Gallen Port is in dire need of development, and there are business opportunities everywhere.
Even if it allows the residents of Dawn City to have one more coat in their wardrobe and one more pair of shoes in their shoe cabinet, in reality, it would be a huge amount of money that can buy a house.
Therefore, professional players from all walks of life have also shown their talents. Whether it is to make money from local people or to make money from garrison troops, they have thought of almost every method they can think of.
Of course, the industry run by players is still relatively formal. After all, the circle of closed beta players is too small, and if anything goes wrong, someone will post it on the forum. After all, it is not good for the dog planner to see it.
"Forget it."
The new version yawned with a bored look on his face, changed his position, and closed his eyes again as if his kidneys were weak, "I'd better go back and continue with the irregular work."
moonlight:"??"
Zero Chong: "???"
Shanhe: "..."
MMP!
How on earth did he get these top guys!
…
Although a formal ceasefire agreement has not yet been signed, due to the restraint shown by both warring parties, the temporary ceasefire agreement has come into effect with the tacit understanding of both parties.
Players stationed at Golden Gallen Port drew a territory with a total area of about 10,000 square kilometers based on drone mapping data, with the port as the fulcrum.
Compared to the buffer zone proposed by the Xilan Empire, the announcement drafted by the players is much more straightforward.
They first announced the establishment of the Z government in the Jingallang Port area, and then claimed actual control over the area in the name of Jingallang Port.
Currently, Chief Bihari serves as the Chief of Police of Golden Gallen Port, and the Chief of the Security Bureau of the Port District and Tulip Street is replaced by the previous Chief on Duty, Mandal.
Except for the president of the original settlement court who was dismissed because he refused to serve the new authorities and was replaced by a citizen who had served as a court recorder in the port district court, the rest include customs, taxation, education, transportation, fire protection, etc.
There are currently no changes to the positions in various administrative departments.
In addition, a special civil defense office has been set up in Golden Gallen Port.
The original Avengers First Corps was officially renamed the Militia Regiment and was under the command of the Office of Civil Defense, but wartime command was held by the Alliance troops stationed at the port.
Former Corps Commander Lacy was promoted to director of the Civil Defense Office, in charge of strategic dispatch and logistics, and no longer directly commanded frontline combat troops and participated in frontline battles.
Although this guy is a talented person, his fan power and execution ability far exceed those of other liberated slaves, but being too impulsive is also a problem that cannot be ignored.
Therefore, after discussing on the forum, a group of players finally decided to move him further away from the front line and move him to the back to sit in the office.
In this way, he can cultivate his military literacy, which may be useful in the future, and secondly, it can prevent this guy from engaging in small tricks, such as shooting randomly on the front line.
At this point, with a series of personnel appointments and arrangements, the framework of a temporary district Z government was hastily set up.
Players who are good at making troubles even designed a new currency for this new regional government - gallons, and the exchange rate with silver coins is tentatively set at 10:1.
That is, 1 silver coin is worth 10 gallons.
The reason for doing this is mainly because the Xilan Empire has closed its market to Golden Gallon Port, and the purchasing power of Xilan coins in the local area continues to depreciate. However, unlike French Fries Port, it is not part of the alliance's territory, so it is still inconvenient for players to use it.
It has direct access to the alliance's market.
After all, if this is really done, it will be equivalent to forcing a settlement with a population of one million to enter the "customs union". In the end, it is hard to say who will benefit whom.
In contrast, getting an intermediate currency is a good choice.
In this way, Golden Gallen Port can formulate loose or tight monetary policies based on its own economic needs. The inflation caused by excessive currency issuance will not impact the alliance's market, and it can also reduce the impact of the depreciation of the Xilan currency on the settlement's finances.
As for the original Xilan coins, they can still circulate freely in the settlements, or the survivors use their own skills to smuggle the supplies needed for the port from other areas of Borneo Province.
However, some imported goods including food and production tools shipped from the alliance and "priced in silver coins" need to be purchased with gallon coins issued by the Golden Gallon Port authority.
At the same time, all financial expenditures in the settlement at Golden Gallon Port, whether it is personnel salary expenses or goods procurement, will gradually be settled from "foreign currency (Xilan currency)" to independently issued Gallon coins.
As long as the tax rate remains unchanged, the regional tax will also be replaced with the new legal currency according to the change in the settlement currency.
As for the right to issue currency, it is of course held by the Golden Gallen Port authority, and the issuer is the Port Bank of Golden Gallen Port.
Apart from the vacant position of City Lord, the entire settlement has basically returned to the track of order from defense to public security.
The settlement currently implements the laws of the Alliance temporarily.
When the time is right, the "shareholders of Baiyue Company" will consider convening representatives from various local industries and classes to establish a representative meeting similar to Dawn City, and use the alliance's "fundamental law" as the criterion to formulate a "law" that is suitable for the actual local conditions.
common law".
But to be honest, although the order of Golden Gallen Port has returned to the normal track, the efficiency of the operation of this huge machine is still appallingly slow.
Although the previous Governor Nihak was a "bargaining expert", he was definitely a layman in terms of regional governance.
This can be seen from the slums that stretch to the edge of the Governor's Palace. The entire settlement of millions of people does not even have a plan.
That guy would rather endure the stench so close to Chi Chi than take some money from the treasury to build a drainage ditch in the slum.
Not only that, except for the organizational structure of the customs and taxation departments in the entire Golden Gallon Port, there is something remarkable about it. The other departments are like decorations. They don’t even know how many people they have under them and whether there are any.
clear……
…
Port area, former governor's office.
Looking at the chief of the fire department standing in front of his desk with a submissive look on his face, Fang Chang couldn't help but tap the ledger on the table with his knuckles and asked.
"Where's the money? I wonder where it went?"
The man was startled, fearing that the guy would pull out a gun and put it to his head, so he quickly spoke cautiously.
"Sir...money, don't you have all the money?"
He had heard about it a long time ago.
The first thing the Iron Men did after landing was to take control of the Security Bureau, and then the big bank on Tulip Street.
All the 500 million dinars that His Majesty kept there went into the pockets of these people, and the more than 100 billion dinars were all used as war compensation.
Fang Chang rolled his eyes, controlled his temper and continued.
"I asked you before! It is written clearly in the account book that the Governor's Office allocates you 30 million Xilan coins every year for the fire protection of Golden Gallen Port. You spend this budget completely every year, but I
How many fire stations are there in the whole settlement? How many people are there to put out the fires?"
"Sir, that money is mainly managed by Governor Nihak. I have never seen it!" The man was so anxious that he almost cried. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead. "As for putting out the fire,
… Mainly the survivor groups in each city are responsible for it. We don’t have money, so we can’t just turn into a fire brigade.”
Of course, he also took a little, but it was far less than Governor Nihak. The two were not even in the same order of magnitude.
Fang Chang glared. Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help but ask.
"What the hell is taking responsibility for yourself?!"
Not daring to meet the adult's eyes, the man looked away and stammered in a low voice.
"Each community has its own organization... In remote suburbs, the elders of the same clan usually arrange for a few young guys to go to disaster prevention. If it is a neighborhood where multiple races live together, it is usually a few strong guys.
They work together to collect fire money, and they go wherever a fire breaks out."
Fang Chang looked at him blankly.
"...What about Tulip Street?"
The man said with a sad face: "The owners of those houses have their own servants, and there are people watching the yard every day. How can they let the fire start?"
Good guy!
This autonomy rate is so high?!
Fang Chang was shocked.
Under normal circumstances, property fees and services in a community should be directly proportional. However, during the time of Governor Nihak, it was completely the opposite.
There are many tax items in the ledger, and firefighting expenses are also recorded in detail in the ledger. However, the specific responsible units cannot operate because they have no money, so they can only delegate power and responsibilities to more grassroots places, so that local survivors need to
Form civil society groups to keep basic public facilities running and spend money on the same thing again.
In a sense, Governor Nihak, who can collect this tax, is a talent, and the survivors of this settlement are also talents. The excellent regional matching mechanism in the wasteland perfectly matches them.
together.
If Mr. Sid is allowed to lead these guys, he will just get out all the ABCDEF coins, and the manager will just fill the drawer of President Malvern with IOUs. I am afraid that Boulder City will not go bankrupt, and maybe it can still compete with the same period.
The alliance fights back and forth.
This is not impossible. The locals who place their hope in the afterlife are like docile lambs. No wonder the Wilant people regard them as friends.
Instead of ruthlessly killing these guys, Fang Chang felt that his moral standards had improved a bit because of Miss Dolly.
In the past, he would definitely make full use of the rules of the game to squeeze them dry. As for what the people here will do in the future, it is none of his business.
Seeing the adult's eyes twinkling, the man felt a faint fear in his heart. He swallowed unconsciously and spoke cautiously.
"Actually... slums rarely burn down, so you don't have to worry too much about those guys."
After a pause, he continued tentatively.
"I have lived here for so many years and I have never seen a few fires, and I have never heard of anyone being burned to death. And they generally don't use fires to eat, and they don't use hot water much. As for the citizens, they
Life is quite comfortable without us, and it’s actually not bad to keep everything as usual——"
"Then why should I keep you? Anyway, everything is the same as before with or without you." Fang Chang choked back the guy's words in mid-sentence. Fang Chang threw the account book on the ground in disgust.
his chest.
Looking at the man who hurriedly took the account book, he stood up and left his seat, stretched out his hand to grab the guy's collar, and spoke word by word while staring into those evasive eyes.
"I want to see a complete list within three days!"
"There needs to be actual people in charge of fire protection issues in each street. I need you to put them in charge of each street, including the area they are actually responsible for. Even if the area has been demolished, find them for me! Remember
, don’t expect to just find a few people to make up the numbers, we have our own informants at the grassroots level, we are not blind!”
The man was so anxious that he was sweating all over his body and looked like he was about to cry.
"But, sir... I don't have the manpower. The money is in the hands of Governor Nihak. There are only ten people in our entire department."
He even included his younger son, who is not yet an adult, otherwise the entire department would not be able to make up even ten people.
"Then go and recruit people! Recruit twenty more for me! Remember, these twenty people are not allowed to recruit people from the same clan as you! Not even one of them is allowed!"
"Yes Yes--!"
Seeing the guy crawling out of the office, Fang Chang exhaled the turbid air in his chest, picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of tea.
These guys.
If it weren't for the fact that the others were worse, he really couldn't choose a tall one among a group of dwarfs, so he could only choose the ones who were skilled in business and use them first. He even wanted to lay off all of them directly!
Picking up the roster on the table, Fang Chang took a deep breath and roared outside the office.
"Next! The man in charge of the sewers... Plasde! Do you really want to keep the shit in the pit to generate electricity? If you don't clean it up, I will let you go swimming! Come in!"
That hoarse voice was like a judge urging death.
When everyone in the long queue outside the office heard this, they all trembled in unison, fearing that they were being called.
But what is supposed to come will eventually come.
"Yes, yes! Sir! I, I, I swim!"
The man whose name was called turned pale. Under the gaze of two militiamen carrying rifles, he walked out of the team tremblingly and entered the office door as if rushing to the execution ground.
The hoarse roar soon came again, and all the officials standing at the door shrank their necks and closed their eyes, as if the spittle had pricked them.
Because the questions are almost the same——
It was as if they had already met what would happen next.
The two militiamen standing in the corridor with LD-47 on their shoulders couldn't help but yawned, and their eyes wandered aimlessly at the crowd.
The chief didn't say what he was asked to do, so he called the two men carrying the work to come over. Then the two men came over, but nothing happened. They only saw a group of officials appointed by the former governor shivering and shrinking their necks.
It's almost time to eat.
I heard that I won’t eat beans or soil for dinner today, but something called corn, which was said to be transported from Silver Moon Bay on a large cargo ship.
It was an imported product that could not be bought with Xilan coins, and only the gentlemen could afford it. The two of them were already hungry, their stomachs were growling, and their hearts couldn't help but growl.