"Well, young man, let's tell you some information about the empire. Since you came from a small village, you may not know the relevant knowledge and the purpose of our 'night attack'." Najexitan said solemnly.
Said matter-of-factly.
Should we talk about such a serious matter at the dinner table?
Also, put down the meat on your hands when you are talking!
Tazmi was speechless for a moment as she looked at the huge round dining table and the feast featuring roasted dragon meat placed on it, as well as the assassins eating around the table.
Well,
By the way, is that really the dragon meat of the super dangerous species "East China Sea Cloud Dragon"?
Do you want to try some yourself?
The stronghold of the night attack is called "Lawless Hall". Although it sounds a bit strange, it feels inexplicably suitable. It is lawless to carry out assassinations in the imperial capital. It is lawless to build the stronghold in the north of the city. Even the ability to casually kill special dangerous species is quite lawless.
.
A self-taught swordsman like me who comes from a small village can only cut down first-level dangerous species.
Do you have the ability to kill your enemy "minister" directly?
Tazmi took a hard bite of the dragon meat.
So fragrant.
"Perhaps you are thinking, if you can chop up the East China Sea Yunlong and cook it, why do you still have to do it secretly?" Najiexitan said while looking at Tazmi.
"...Yes." Tazmi nodded.
"Because we are just assassins and have no ability to govern the country," Najexitan said. "We can only cut off the ministers' party members to build an advantage for the rebels who oppose the empire, and finally they will replace the empire."
"I seem to have heard of their existence, but wouldn't it be easier for the rebels to win if they killed the minister directly?" Tazmi replied.
"Now the empire can maintain its rule entirely by relying on the high pressure of the 'ministers' and 'generals'. If they die suddenly, the 'prefects' of the empire's thirteen provinces will not surrender to the rebels, but will support their troops.
Self-respect and all the ambition to become the next 'minister', in that case..." Najexitan paused and motioned for Tazmi to continue.
"Well... although the taxation of villages is heavy now, it only happens once. If the provinces fight each other, they may tax the same village repeatedly, or even directly rob villages that do not belong to their own territory?" Tazmi felt that she
Got it: "You are good people who want to prevent people from suffering!"
"Pfft!" "Ahem!" "Ahahaha——"
"Too naive, Tazmi," Leonai shook his head, looked at him and said in a deep voice: "No matter how legitimate the reason is, killing is killing. The relatives and friends of the deceased will not care about your reasons, they will only think about it.
Do everything possible to carry out revenge. If this kind of revenge is not completed, it may even be inherited and continued in the next generation or the next generation. The descendants, disciples or others of the murderer and the murdered will be treated as if they are not the same as themselves.
Fight for understanding reasons and create a new cycle of hatred until one of the parties is no longer able to take revenge."
"Hmm..." Tazmi could only nod. Sister Yuanqi suddenly became serious, and the pressure was still very strong.
"So, it is basically impossible for us people to die well," Leonai scratched his hair: "As long as we don't die before the empire is overthrown."
"..." Tazmi didn't know how to answer the question for a moment. Did she forget that he was also one of them at this time?
"Don't worry," at this time, he heard Chitong's voice: "[I won't let you die]."
——
"Ahem, where did we just talk?" As the atmosphere became solemn, everyone in Night Raid ate quietly for a while before Najiexitan spoke again: "The reason why you can't kill the minister directly?"
"Yes, you said that after the minister's death, the thirteen provincial capitals will defend themselves and separate themselves from each other." Tazmi nodded.
"If there are no other factors, it is not impossible to let those careerists consume each other, but the problem lies in this 'if'," Najiexitan knocked on the table: "Hill?"
"Yeah." Hill, who was elegant and quiet even when he was eating meat, stood up and pressed the button on the wall behind him, and then a giant map depicting the entire empire hung down from the wall.
...Are you used to having meetings in restaurants?
"What did you see? Tazmi?" Najexitan pointed to the map.
"Uh, a map of the empire divided into thirteen provinces?" Tazmi didn't quite understand the meaning of this question.
"Sil." Najexitan snapped her fingers.
Hill silently adjusted the buttons next to the map. The part that was originally outside the empire's border and that Tazmi thought was meaningless filling became highlighted.
"These are the barbarians around the empire," Najexitan drew a circle on the map with her finger in the distance: "They are composed of multiple tribes and do not have fixed forces and territories. We just divide them roughly according to their location.
For the 'Eastern Yi', 'Xirong', 'Southern Barbarians' and 'Beidi', they are always thinking about rushing into the hinterland of the empire to plunder. If it is difficult for you to understand their threats... For example,
The imperial general Esdese once killed 400,000 of them after defeating Beidi in order to intimidate them, but the next year, they were still able to invade northern Xinjiang with the same number of troops."
"Because we are not from the same tribe? But even though 400,000 people have been killed, you don't care?" Tazmi's eyes widened, as if she saw the continuous flames of war and corpses all over the mountains and plains in the north of the map.
"Because the living conditions are so bad, the territory where the barbarians live cannot support such a large population. Every year, many tribesmen will [die] due to [famine] or [plague]. If that is the case, it is better to launch a [war] against the empire.
At least I can grab enough things to survive the winter." Ma Yin put down the tableware in her hand and said with emotion.
"Huh? Do you have barbarian blood?" Tazmi looked at her hair color: "Well, it certainly doesn't look like an Imperial person."
"When I was a kid...uhhhh!?"
Ma Yin seemed to be about to say something, but Chitong who was passing by took a large piece of meat and stuffed it directly into her mouth. She couldn't swallow it or spit it out, so she could only moan.
"Don't disturb BOSS's class." Chitong ignored Ma Yin's glare, hugged her shoulders and took her away forcefully.
Tazmi watched them leave, thoughtfully.
She didn't want others to know Ma Yin's past? But Ma Yin herself said it without any care, which proves that it doesn't matter, right?
"Well, cough, in short," Najiexitan cleared her throat: "If the empire falls apart, then there will be no possibility of fighting against these barbarians. Although the empire today is corrupt under the control of ministers, it can still maintain a city like the imperial capital.
In such a prosperous capital, ordinary people can at least survive even though they live in hardship. However, once invaded by barbarians from all directions, not only will the entire empire be reduced to ruins, it is questionable whether people can still be called human beings. Therefore, the rebel army will
Occupy and control all other provinces and ensure that the barbarians can be isolated from the national borders before attacking the imperial capital."
"...Understood." Tazmi nodded slowly.
"In addition, although we call ourselves a killer group, our functions are similar to those of the Adventurer's Guild, except that we can accept commissions that they cannot and dare not accept," Najiesitan said, looking at the symbol hanging around Tazmi's neck.
The identity card of "Black Iron Adventurer": "When the empire is overthrown and the Adventurer's Guild resumes its functions, your adventurer level will increase accordingly based on the number of commissions completed with us. When the time comes, you will return to your hometown.
I can proudly say, 'I am the founder of a new country.'"
"I understand." Tazmi touched the sign.
If you stay in the imperial capital, it will be difficult for the "Adventurer's Guild" whose functions have been reduced to realize your ambitions. But here at Night Raid, except that the work is a little more dangerous, you can still achieve the goals you set when you left the village.
"Then, it's time to accept your first commission," Najexitan stood up, walked to the window and looked out: "Protect a village that is about to be attacked by bandits and is unable to protect itself."
"Really? How long will it take for you to be attacked?" Tazmi quickly finished her portion of food and asked while wiping her mouth.
Najesitan held out three fingers.
"Three days? Three hours?"
She put away one, and then another.
"Enemy attack! Intruder found!" came the voice of a handyman or support staff outside the window.
