In the forest shrouded in darkness at night, this man with short burgundy hair led his horse through the forest in the mountains. There were no roads here. He simply determined the general direction based on the stars in the night sky, and then moved forward based on his feelings from the past.
Although it is easy to get lost, this method also avoids the checkpoints on the main roads and allows you to enter the southern province in the central part of the empire.
After traveling for more than ten miles on the rugged mountain road, the man gradually found a familiar feeling, and the surrounding scenery gradually matched his memory.
It should be arriving soon.
A thought flashed through his mind, and then he suddenly jumped away to avoid the hidden arrows shot in the dusk.
Yes, there was actually a secret whistle. He was not angry in the face of the attack, but instead felt a little relieved. Then he jumped up and quickly shuttled among the tree canopies, instantly finding the figure hidden in the distance.
The secret sentry on duty was about to draw his dagger when he was restrained by this man.
"Shh, don't be nervous, it's me." He pulled down the black cloth on his face.
"Uh, Teacher Luo Ke." The secret whistler beneath him said in a young voice.
After that, the two stood up slowly and started talking.
"Why is the teacher back?" The young man in his early twenties moved his sore arms and looked at the figure in the night with a little surprise.
"I received a letter from an old friend, so I came back to take a look." Rock walked in front, scanning the hidden layout in the mountains, nodding from time to time.
“Very good, great progress.”
"Thank you for the compliment, teacher, hehe." The young man followed in small steps, leading the way for Rock.
"You come with me."
The two walked deep into the forest. After passing through the dense bushes, a door covered by trees opened, and then the two entered the passage leading to the interior of the mountain.
The passage was well excavated, and reinforced structures were erected around it. After the two people passed through the winding stairs, they gradually saw a warm orange light in front of their eyes, and the noise of some voices was also heard.
The guard in the passage nodded when he saw the two people, then opened the door and let the two people in. Suddenly a wide underground hall appeared in the field of vision. Many people gathered here, and everyone was listening to the man standing on the high platform.
Preach.
"Why should we fight!" He looked at the hundreds of people below, holding a thick book in his hand, and his voice was deafening.
"In order to survive, to eat clean bread, drink clean water, have a warm house in winter, and have enough food piled up in the cellar for a year. You can play with your children on weekdays without worrying about those things.
Vicious guards suddenly broke into our home."
"Isn't this kind of life worth looking forward to? Isn't it impossible to achieve it?"
"Look at your own hands, how many calluses, scars, and strangulation marks are there! Over the years, you have been busy for so many days and nights, and you have paid so much. Why can they take away what you created without saying a word?
wealth!"
"Those comfortable woods, beautiful furniture, and sophisticated bows and arrows can be exchanged for endless amounts of bread, warm cotton, and sweet honey outside. And they won't leave you a penny!"
"I tell you, don't be afraid of those noble lords. Yes, they are very strong and have many extraordinary beings, but! We can also accumulate strength. We have more brothers and friends, and we have anger as big as the ocean!
"
"They are also human beings. They need to eat, drink and relieve themselves all day long. How can they have unlimited energy? Burn their food, destroy their houses, harass them when they sleep, make them exhausted, make them regret their mistakes, and make them cry bitterly.
Runny nose."
"How did the Clansians come here? Don't they also have one pair of hands, two eyes, and one extra arm? Why can they do it but we can't?"
"It doesn't matter if we can't win for the time being. We will develop quietly and let more brothers and sisters join us. When this country is full of our comrades, what else can't be done?"
"We are small, inconspicuous, and weak, but! We are also glorious, worthy of pride, and great."
"A few years later, when your descendants look back on the present, they will definitely not feel inferior because of their status. Instead, they will proudly and loudly say, Look, these are my ancestors, so brave and wise. It is because of them that we are
With the life we have now.”
The inspiring speech echoed in the hall in the mountain, and a pair of bright eyes appeared on the face illuminated by the firelight, reflecting hope and excitement, like a ignited flame.
It's amazing. Rock looked at the scene before him. Even he was moved by this speech, let alone the local mountain people below.
Looking back at the Crancia uprising, it seems that it also started in the mines in the mountains, where a large number of miners gathered.
When the speech ended and everyone gradually dispersed, the man on the high platform took a few sips of water, nodded at the instructions from others, and then walked slowly over.
"Long time no see, Rock."
"Long time no see, Tokolin." The two walked side by side to the small room on the side.
Rather than saying it is a room, it is actually a small cavity dug out of the body, and the surrounding walls are made of yellowed, compacted loess.
There was an oil lamp burning on the table, and the two of them were sitting at the table. Rock looked at the man with gray-black hair and saw that his face was covered with traces of weathering, and he felt a bit of vicissitudes of life.
Both of them came from Ek County in the western mountains of the empire. Tokolin's father was once a viscount of the empire. However, when he was young, his father was seized and executed for fighting, and he also spent a difficult time in his youth.
.
In order to obtain the qualification to go to Emenas, Roque competed with Tokolin in the general election of Ike County. In the end, Roko won because he was familiar with Tokolin's tricks. From then on, the two of them left a deep impression on each other.
image.
Compared to Roque, who entered Emenas to study, Tokolin's experience was much more bumpy. In the following year's competition, he still did not receive a letter of recommendation from Emenas because new talents emerged in the local area.
Hopeless, he set off to the southern part of the empire and directly joined the army. However, after losing his noble status, he did not receive preferential treatment. In the army, he was neither liked by noble officers nor close to the lower-level soldiers.
Isolated and ostracized, he spent a long time like this. It was not until the emperor launched an expedition that things turned around. With his extraordinary strength, he became a logistics officer and was slowly promoted.
Years of blows and ups and downs have smoothed the edges of his former pride, and he has become silent and low-key, while his heart has gradually become numb.
All this happened until entering Crancia, where new changes ushered in.
"War is really a cruel mirror, exposing the ugliest and true parts of people's hearts." Recalling those years, he later said to Rock with emotion.
"In an enemy country with no legal or moral constraints, you will not be blamed for anything bad you do, and any attack or abuse will be covered with a sacred cloak. Because we are on a 'great' expedition," he said mockingly.
According to the situation at that time.
Unlike ordinary soldiers, he was born into a noble family, received a good education, and saw what life was like for the upper class. But during his growing up years, he was thrown into the dust and had to survive in the dirt and mud.
"I hate this disgusting country."
Many years later, when the two met by chance on the street, they went to a bar to drink together, and Tokolin drunkenly talked to Rock.
"Actually, I used to dream a lot. If I had won that day and went to Emenas, what a great future it would be. I have hated you for this for a long time."
"This situation slowly changed until I went to the south to join the army."
"Do you know who were the people who joined the army before the Great Crusade?" Tokolin said that day, putting his arm around Roark's shoulders.
"There are all kinds of people, haha. Some are thieves, thieves, those who have committed crimes, those who can't survive, those who are about to starve to death, and those who were tricked into coming in. Anyway, the officers don't care what your background is. Once you come in, you will be trained according to the rules.
, disobedient? Just beat him to death, anyway, people often die in the military camp, no one will care."
"I looked down on those people at first. I felt it was an insult to be comrades with such people."
"But later, I didn't think so anymore." Tokolin put down his wine glass and said slowly.
"As long as those people have a good future and a warm home, why would they embark on this unknown road of life and death?"
"There is no other way. Apart from farming, running errands, and working for those nobles, you can hardly find a decent job."
"The fields are theirs, the mountains are theirs, the rivers are theirs, and there are big bosses behind the shops and workshops. How could you want to get involved? But they are extremely stingy with the money they give, and they often withhold and delay."
"They don't care, because there are many people, and there are too many people in the empire...If you don't do it, some people will, and that's all."
"The world seems to be born sad, and the bottom layer of all beautiful paints is gray and dark." Tokolin sighed, drinking glass after glass of wine.
"Thinking about it this way, I'm pretty lucky. Although my family is in a poor situation, I still have some savings, and I can also find help from a few uncles and relatives I know. I won't end up on the same path as them."
"But there is a pressure in my heart. Why is the world like this? I can't figure it out."
"In this way, I ignorantly joined the expeditionary army and kept heading west. Finally I saw the new country in the west..."
"Cranthia is an unfamiliar word. Many people in the empire didn't know this country existed before. If we talk about West Wind, they may still have some memories of it."
"But when those soldiers lined up straight in front of the formation, their blades like a forest, I felt a sense of shock and momentum for the first time."
"It turns out that there are really people in the world living in the country I idealized and dreamed of."
"They are so fearless and have a will as strong as steel. Although their numbers are far smaller than ours, they can often gain the upper hand in battles."
"It was also from that time that I became interested in everything about this country. Why can they face death so calmly? Is it because of fanatical beliefs? Is it because of ignorance? Or is it because of some noble ideals?"
"Finally, I found the answer I wanted."
"During World War I, I captured an officer in the mountains. Of course, I didn't kill him, but I helped treat his wounds and asked him many questions."
"Finally, before leaving, he gave me a pamphlet and told me that there are many things and things that cannot be conveyed in words. If I want to know and understand more, I will visit Crancia after the war.
Bar."
"Why are you so sure that Crancia will still exist after the war is over? I asked him then."
"He smiled, pointed to his heart, then turned around and left."
"So, since then, have you started to promote these ideas in the empire?" Rock asked him at that time.
"Yes, I hope more people know about it, and I hope more people join in."
"However, such behavior is very dangerous. And I am worried about whether it can succeed." Rock drank his wine and expressed his opinion.
He is no longer the young boy who dreamed of being a hero in the past. The world is not that simple, and fairness and justice are also a rather vague concept. There is no universally recognized standard. Moreover, he also has a trace of doubt and doubt about human nature.
cautious.
After graduation, he saw that many of his classmates had changed from being complacent back then to being secular and self-interested. Even Prince Edron, who had too ambitious goals, now cares more and more about power and is gradually deviating from his original ideas.
"There's always someone to do it, right? Then why can't it be me."
The scene from a few years ago reappeared in Rock's mind. He compared Tokolin in the past with today. Although his appearance was a bit vicissitudes, his eyes were brighter. He seemed to be very practical and determined to walk on the path he wanted.
on the road.
Feeling guilty about seizing opportunities from Tokolin in the past, Rock agreed to help him, and later helped Tokolin train a group of people. These people were proficient in scouting and investigation, and were perfect for intelligence work.
.
At first, he did not expect that his childhood rival would go so far on this road. In just two years, he would develop well in this purple shirt province. Maybe he was wrong this time.
Alright.
The memories of the past briefly passed through his mind, and Rock and Tokolin sat at the table and talked about recent events.
"Since the death of His Majesty the Emperor, the empire has become increasingly unstable. There has been a rebellion in the south. The powerful nobles in various places have gradually begun to think of independence. However, several other grand dukes have also had ambiguous attitudes and have not expressed their opinions." Roque told Tokolin.
some situations.
"If that's the case, I feel like the opportunity is about to come." Tokolin's eyes seemed to be burning with excitement.
"Don't be so impatient now. The great nobles still have great strength, and you cannot defeat them." Roque shook his head.
"I know, I will wait until both of them are hurt before coming out."
"But it's not enough. Tokolin, the Purple Shirt Province is still too small to make big waves. Any one of the three Dukes, if fully mobilized, can summon an army of nearly a million, and there are many elites among them.
.”
"You don't understand the background of those great nobles. They have been operating in their respective fiefdoms for hundreds of years, and their blood lines and interests are so broad."
"The West Wind that Clancia faced back then did not have such a large territory. Besides, the witch of the stars has long since disappeared in the battle between the sun and the moon."
"Without that destiny-changing starlight fall, the direction of everything is still unknown."
"It's easy to start a war, but do you know how to end it? After all, the empire is different from the West Wind. People live in different places, with different cultures and customs. There are great differences between the north, south, and east. People in other regions may not agree with your ideas.
and ideas.”
"Or maybe in their hearts, you are the devil and evil that brings disaster."
"Faced with such a country, what you are now is not enough." The young man analyzed calmly.
"I know, but everything is moving in a favorable direction now, isn't it? Also, when can you join us? I know you, Roark, just like I know my enemy. I know you in the past
ambitions and ideas."
"Although it is a childish thought, it still shows that you have similar wishes in your heart." Tokolin looked into Roque's eyes and issued his invitation.
"Me? Huh." Rock wanted to say that he was not that great, and he didn't have much hope for this plan.
But when it came to his lips, he fell silent again. Perhaps there was still a little bit of the arrogant words he had spoken in his youth, buried in a hidden corner of his heart, which prevented him from completely denying it.
What to do...
Rock looked at the flickering oil lamp and candlelight on the table, and in a trance, he slowly remembered the time on campus.
It seems that there was one such night when he was sitting in the study room of the library, feeling deeply confused about the future and not knowing where he should go.
""I don't know what kind of hero you want to be, but if there is something you want to do that can make everyone happy and better, then do it."
"If you feel tired in the middle, you can also take a rest. Praise from heroes is certainly attractive, but your own life is also important. I hope this kind of praise can become an embellishment in your life, rather than a heavy burden."
Slowly savoring the words of the girl in his memory, Rock found that he had not gotten rid of the traces left by his youth, or perhaps that romantic ideal had been flowing in his dream.
"It's such a boring thing." Rock shook his head and then held the outstretched hand.
"Just think of me as repaying you for taking away your letter of recommendation in the past. But as I agreed, I will only give you limited help, so don't expect me to fight tooth and nail for you."
"Besides, I have quite a lot of identities. Sometimes I even run errands for the Prince Regent. Please don't let me know about some secret things."
"Hahaha, what's the harm?" Tokolin and Rock stood up, hugged briefly, and then patted Rock's shoulder hard.
"I won't bother you anymore, good brother."
In the underground room with flickering candlelight, these two childhood rivals now stood together, looking at the map hanging on the wall, telling a beautiful and grand dream.
Time has worn away many edges and corners, but it has also slowly revealed the crystals and gold in the sand. There are always some things that are not noticed on weekdays, but still appear in dreams, making people yearn for them and fantasize about their realization.