This is a province about 800 kilometers away from the imperial capital of Titiania. Although it seems far away, compared to the vast empire, it is already very close, and therefore this area is particularly valued by the empire.
Kuwen County, a remote area in the purple shank province, is surrounded by dense mountains, so it is very barren. Only two barons have their fiefdoms here.
The territory that used to be quiet and sparsely populated is now filled with the sounds of boiling people and the sound of weapons clashing.
The dark red meteorite streaked across the sky obliquely, bringing with it a billowing trail of smoke, churning flames, smashing into the earth, and splashing out a spreading glow of blazing fire.
The air was filled with hot air currents, mixed with sparks and crackling sounds from burning vegetation, spreading in all directions.
"Continue! Let the flames burn the entire mountains clean." On a hill, a commander in military uniform roared with a sword.
Behind him stood a team of about 200 magicians. These red-robed magicians jointly cast spells to make burning meteorites fall down, shaking and shattering the world in front of them.
At the foot of the mountain, new-style legions armed with muskets and bayonets formed a network, walking on the burned-out black ground, searching and checking for possible survivors, and striking from time to time.
Although this is within the empire, war is still inevitable, and the two sides are the army loyal to the emperor and the rebels who started the rebellion.
Years ago, due to the inability of the local nobles to suppress the rebels, the rebels in Zishan Province spread to several surrounding provinces, gradually triggering a chain reaction, which finally attracted the attention of the big shots in the imperial capital.
Under the strict orders of the regent and many great nobles, armies from all parties mobilized and began to suppress the rebellion led by the Purple Shan Province.
These local rebels were very familiar with the terrain and had sufficient intelligence. They relied on various tactics and ingenuity to fight against the conquering armies in the mountains, causing considerable casualties to the enemy.
In view of the fact that the general under command could not complete the task in a short time, the new commander was replaced by the regent's confidant. This was a decisive and cold-blooded general. Under his cold-blooded methods, the Purple Shirt Province was reduced to a sea of fire. He relied on the mage team to
With such a sweeping strike, the geographical advantages previously enjoyed by the rebels no longer existed, and the local residents they originally relied on also died in large numbers.
Their advantages are gradually disappearing, their numbers are gradually decreasing, and now it is the last moment.
In a huge cave hidden among the mountains in the boundless sea of fire, about 1,000 people gathered here.
Their faces were covered with ashes, and their bodies were covered with wounds and dust. Some were seriously injured and had to make hoarse sounds of pain.
In a corner of the cave, a dozen rebel leaders gathered here, almost all of them injured, with blood and dust staining their bodies and clothes.
"Tocolin, we can't hold on much longer." A strong man who was blind in one eye leaned on the loess mountain wall, covering his wound, and said slowly. His thick wrist was like a giant, but now he looked tired.
And gray.
"The empire's legions are determined to kill us cleanly this time."
"Haha, this battle is even bigger than the one against the Paskar family. They really think highly of us." Several voices sounded in this small and stuffy environment.
"There were more than 30,000 people at the time of the uprising, and more than 200,000 people at the peak. Now there are only less than a thousand left...I feel sorry for those who entrusted their lives to me." A scarred man
The man murmured in a low voice. He also had a rusty machete in his hand, and the mottled copper handle was badly worn.
"There is no escape. There is fire all around, and there are patrolling sharp-eyed monsters in the sky. They are hunting everyone who comes out of the sea of fire alive."
"Fight them." The remaining people looked at the man in the middle who was breathing with his eyes closed.
His name is Tokolin, and he is the core leader of this rebel army. However, compared to another figure similar to him on the mainland, this one is not so lucky.
The empire is not the west wind. It has a stronger foundation. Those who want to shake it are destined to suffer a bloody blow and suffer a lot.
After a brief moment of silence, Tokolin slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the people present one by one. The familiar faces were still as hot as fire. Even when faced with a desperate situation, he did not sigh or regret.
Suddenly, he smiled, for no reason and unexpectedly.
"Hahaha...hahaha..." This laughter puzzled the people present, but they looked at Tokolin quietly. They believed that this man could always give a satisfactory explanation.
.
"Yes, that's right. We are all going to die. We are all going to be burned to death by the fire. We will be picked up by the soldiers with their spear points and become the trophies they show off."
His voice was extremely slow.
"However, I am not desperate or sad. I have expected such a day to come very early on, and sometimes I am even surprised that I have survived another day."
"Compared to those stubborn and insensitive people, our existence is so puzzling and not accepted by the civilians."
"Isn't it good to be alive?"
"Of course life is good, but some things always attract me and make me want to try it. It is an obsession that if I don't do it, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"I originally thought that this was just my personal fantasy. But fortunately, I met you and so many companions."
"Those who demonstrate and provoke the elephant will eventually be trampled by the giant elephant. Our actions have a slim chance of winning. I myself have doubted its meaning countless times, but today, I finally have the answer to all this."
"Your expressions and beliefs let me know that this road is not a lonely one."
"Don't worry, we will all die, but I also believe that more people will slowly wake up and embark on the same path as us, because it is correct and what people yearn for."
The man spoke slowly in the dim light, and a pair of eyes beside him looked at him with piercing eyes, listening to the familiar voice.
Is Tokolin great? Maybe not. He is just a frustrated nobleman. He was a young man who failed to pass the entrance examination to Emenas. He was a retired soldier after joining the army in the Western Expedition.
Before that, he had never had any impressive achievements or accomplishments that could be admired, and his voice was also slightly hoarse and not touching or tactful.
If you listen to him speak for the first time, you can still notice that his lame accent is not as good as the standard and elegant tone of the imperial capital.
Such a person, wearing a shabby military uniform, stands in front of you, in the fields, on the way to hunt in the mountains, chats with you, tells vulgar and funny jokes, makes you laugh, and then the two chat about the recent past.
Weather and life.
Gradually, you learn that he has built a small house on the mountain. He goes to the river every Thursday to fish and eat, and occasionally picks some shrub fruits as seasoning to increase the flavor of the fish soup.
With the ordinary ingredients in his hands, he can always come up with some new tricks, and then he invites you to his house to drink some fish soup, eat some plump fish, and then drink some wine mixed with water, talking about his own things while tipsy.
Glorious past events.
You lament this man's rich and rough experiences, and you can't help but start talking about the stupid things you did in his early years.
As time went by, you gradually became familiar with each other, and he finally began to talk about some of his experiences during the Western Expedition. You could feel that he yearned for that strange country.
"Why don't you go over there? With your skills, you can easily pass through the border blockade. There won't be people guarding every place in that long mountainous field."
"Of course, it won't be difficult for me to get over."
"But, after all, I grew up in the empire, and here are my friends, childhood, memories, and past."
"I don't want to lose these, nor do I want to cowardly escape."
"Oh, so, what are you going to do?"
"I want to do something big." The man leaned back in his chair, supported his chin with one hand, and looked at the flames with condensed eyes, which seemed to have a strange look.
"Haha, really, you're not joking? You will be hanged for this, but for the sake of my friends, I won't expose you."
"Of course, you know, I won't joke around on certain key things."
Listening to these steady words and breathing, you suddenly realize that this man is serious and he is really thinking about these things.
"Hey, old man, tell me about your plan, maybe I can give you some advice." You asked maliciously, wanting to expose this wishful thinking.
"Well, then I have to introduce it to you..."
Then, a plan that is so detailed that it scares you and chills your back is slowly poured out of his mouth. These steps are not clever, but every step is very possible. You know, he has done a detailed investigation.
You may even have tried it yourself a few times.
Slowly, you close your mouth and listen to his story quietly, until the firewood in the fireplace slowly burns out, leaving a little dark red charcoal and wood ash.
The room has cooled down, and it's time for you to make a decision.
Should he report this man to the noble lord of the fiefdom, or should he pretend to be nonchalant and joke about today's joke, which is really unique.
The passage of time is tense to an unsettling level. Sitting on this familiar wooden chair, you have never been so uneasy and hesitant as you are today.
You even thought that the other person would suddenly change his tone and say that he was just joking, or that you would stand up suddenly and leave the room quickly.
However, you did not leave. The smell of wood smoke lingered slowly in the gradually cooling house, and the cool light shone in the room through the thick glass.
You rubbed your knees several times with your fingers, and you pulled out various wrinkles in the rough and thick fabric.
My heart is still full of surprise, like the ocean in a storm, shaking and shaking, as if it is shaking the sky down.
"Can I take what I just heard as your truth?" You slowly raised your head and looked at this man.
"Of course." He nodded, "This is what I really mean."
"Heh." You turned your head away, grabbed the beer glass on the table, and poured the light yellow ale down your throat.
Amidst the roaring sound, a cool and stimulating liquid enters the chest and abdomen, shaking your spirit.
"It's really interesting that something like this happened to me."
"You are so brave, you dare to say this to me."
...
You muttered vulgar words and complained that this man should not say such things that make people worry and fear.
"But now that you're here, you have to let me see the real thing. Don't tell me that this is the first time you have said these things to outsiders. If you let me know that I am the first to hear it, then I will turn away.
Walk."
"Of course it's not the first time. I will only open my heart to people I can trust." After saying that, he stood up, picked up his coat and put it on himself.
"Follow me."
Amidst that exciting and heart-pounding voice, you put on your coat carelessly, kicked up the ashes, drowned the remaining sparks in the fireplace, and then followed the man out of the room and disappeared into the vast snow.
The road in the forest is bumpy and bumpy. You groped for the cold rocks and branches and followed him, slowly walking into the depths of the mountain forest. A place you have never been to before.
I slowly walked sideways through the narrow stone walls, and a lot of snowflakes fell on my neck, which was extremely cold.
When you feel gradually losing strength, he finally opens a wooden door in the dry bushes and leads you into a cave passage.
As you groped through the frozen soil and walked in the dark cave, you could hear your own breathing and the white breath coming out of your mouth.
After walking through a hundred meters of tunnel, after opening a door at the corner, we were finally greeted by a white light.
The hidden canyon with swaying snowflakes was bustling with activity, figures walking around could be seen everywhere, and the sound of hammers could even be heard.
The red soldering iron stretched into the cold liquid, bringing up a large white mist and flooding the sky with falling snow. Sharp sword blades gradually came out of the furnace, and gradually took shape under the constant impact of the hammer.
You don't know most of the people here, but there are a few you are very familiar with.
Yes, they are like the frustrated man at the head of the village, the coward who was bullied by the nobles and took away his wife after returning home, the old man who was all alone and no one cared about him, and the child begging for food on the street.
These crippled and useless dregs of the empire are now being tempered here again. Their expressions are so serious, as if their lives have found their direction again.
There is no need for others to urge you or to use money to lure you. These people seem to naturally know what they should do and then use their own hands to achieve it.
Strip away all the lies and concepts imposed on people by the world, and everything returns to its most essential origin.
The reason why I work tirelessly is not because of some unavoidable reasons, but simply because I like it.
I like the satisfaction of creating something, and I am happy to use it to exchange things that I recognize with others.
Not because they told me how I must become a master and be envied by others.
I only work for my ideals, I love the career I am engaged in, and I don’t need to pay attention to the various opinions given to me by the outside world, just because I am different from them.
The spark of life blooms here, in my hands.
Standing in this snowy valley, you are speechless for a long time, as if you have seen another world, another life trajectory.
It turns out that there are really people living their ideal lives——