The road to Xin'an is not far, but for some people, it is extremely long.
Imperial calendar year 555, the 21st day of the summer month. Boyan's term of office has just passed halfway, and the fall of Da Qi was already thirty-four years ago.
This is neither a famous festival nor an important event in history. But in Shuiyun's view, this day is her history——
Located at the easternmost border of the empire - where her former hometown was located, she met up with the Yanwu people who had traveled through the harsh wilderness and finally arrived here.
That journey was extremely difficult, but no one backed down halfway. For these survivors of "Daqi", it was the only hope gained after decades of waiting and persistence.
According to historical records - although I have never seen it in person, the number of Yanwu people who refused to join the empire was far more than 100,000. However, time passed by quickly, and only the Yanwu compatriots who still survived in the wasteland and believed in her were left.
Thousands of people were killed.
Shuiyun dispersed the mist that enveloped itself and stared at their faces, trying to memorize each person's appearance.
The tribesmen were wrapped in shabby cloaks, and their rough clothes were stained with dust and sweat. Some wore cloth shoes, and many were barefoot. The harsh living environment made them weak and thin, with sunken eye sockets, thin heads, and thin skin.
They were close to the bones, dry and rough as tree bark. The violent magic of the wasteland had seriously damaged their health - the Yanwu people usually lived to be one hundred and fifty years old, but the people in front of her were only thirty or forty years old, but they were already showing signs of age.
She almost didn't recognize anyone, but the eyes that met her were all filled with unreserved trust. They didn't know what kind of difficulties and obstacles lay ahead, and they only believed in Shuiyun, the former princess and now the "Mist".
King" who can bring them the promised home.
Except Shuiyun itself.
How could Shuiyun regain the old Qi with thousands of tribesmen, even including the Yanwu people in the empire? Shuiyun did not think about the answer, which would destroy her remaining faith.
There will always be a way before the car reaches the mountain... Since you have worked hard so far, you are no longer qualified to give up, she thought.
A tall shadow appeared beside her, and Shuiyun knew who was coming without turning her face. The "King of Earth" was completely different from her goal, but at this time, it was her only source of courage.
"It's right in front of you. My wish, father and mother... and everyone's." She lowered her head and stared at the sand under her feet to avoid being seen with the weakness in her eyes, "We will win, right."
"That's right." Wei Feng's voice was low and firm, "We are not fighting alone. Do your job well and leave the rest to me."
There are also leaders and other 'allies', Shuiyun added in her mind. Of the entire plan, she only needs to complete a small part, and even failure is not a big deal. However, what makes her uneasy is not just the success or failure of the plan.
"You must take up your responsibilities and be a qualified leader——"
She sighed, feeling a little guilty in her heart. If Kong hadn't brought her to the "Pale Hand", she would have turned into a withered skeleton in the wasteland thirty years ago. To be fair, the current Inis Empire, including
Zecheng, governed by her, can still allow the vast majority of humans to live and work in peace and contentment - an almost unimaginable dream before the establishment of the empire.
She never believed that she could destroy the empire, she only hoped to weaken its power and allow the people of Yanwu to regain their homeland. But in this way, did she betray the previous "King of Mist", Kong, and her own people?
Or even more people’s expectations...?
Shuiyun shook her head and hid her weak thoughts. If she was destined to disappoint some people, it should never be her tribe, relatives and friends who had been waiting for her for decades in the dangerous wasteland.
She looked at the crowd in front of her again, and spoke the initial instructions in a voice amplified by magic.
"Let's go. Let's get back...the life that should belong to us."
…
The tribesmen followed her to Shizhu City on the eastern border and rested for half a day and one night at the Tubu stronghold. The next morning, they set off again along the spacious official road and started their journey to the imperial capital.
As time goes by, this team continues to grow.
As of the evening of the 24th, she had successively welcomed more than 2,000 'allies', most of whom were border guards from the empire. They had the most frequent contact with monsters, including both radical war factions and staunch peace fighters.
Party - naturally it was the former who joined her. She asked those people why they joined, and a soldier gave this answer -
"The monsters have bullied us, and the cowardly emperor doesn't dare to fight back. I can't bear this!" He gritted his teeth and waved his fists, his face turning red. "I would rather fight them to the death than shrink back.
Head, pray that the next person killed is not me!"
The several attacks that occurred within the empire a few days ago have not been completely forgotten. People do not care about the true identity of the murderer. In their view, the monsters and attackers are the same no matter where they live. And if
If you want to retaliate in kind, the Alliance is obviously a more suitable target for revenge than the elusive wild monsters.
Shuiyun doesn't think war is a good thing, neither for the empire nor the Yanwu clan. But there is no better option at the moment. If peace and the survival of the clan cannot be achieved at the same time, there is no need to ask which one to give up.
She looked at the clear sky and comforted herself silently. She was just a pawn and had nothing to do with the overall situation. Even if she did nothing, what was coming would still happen. If she wanted to fulfill the expectations of her tribe and the responsibilities left by her parents, she must go with the flow.
for.
In the following days, members of the Cloud Group and the Lu Group returned to her. They started taking action more than 20 days ago, spreading a sensational rumor to every corner of the empire.
——The emperor of Inis has long been bewitched by monsters. He sold his soul. Today, the people of the empire are being ruled by monsters without knowing it.
This news came from Gipnis’s ‘allies’. They called an important minister around the emperor a ‘traitor’, meaning that he was actually a monster.
If this is true, it is quite ironic, Shuiyun thought. The 'king' of the alliance is an out-and-out human being, while the ministers of the empire... are demons. What's even more regrettable is that this failed to become a human being.
The opportunity for the two races to understand each other was instead exploited by people with ulterior motives - including her.
The return of each member is accompanied by a varying number of people who are willing to go with Shuiyun. They are either dissatisfied with the current situation, or have a natural contempt for monsters. Kiribu is good at guiding people's hearts, and they will
The monsters are described as cowards who are unable to confront the empire head-on and can only use secret means. The emperor becomes the source of evil, making those people believe that they can obtain their ideal future as long as they change their rulers.
Truth is never important. A rumor from an unknown source, coupled with a few hints of magic, is enough to inspire a group of dissident people. When the number of people who believe the rumor increases, they will recruit more companions on their own, even without the help of magic.