Chapter 293 - 284: Fire Cloud National Defense, They Won’t Even Mention My Name

Chapter 293: Chapter 284: Fire Cloud National Defense, They Won’t Even Mention My Name

"Yangping Xianzhi... Seven Provinces Alliance Army Formed, Lu Jinian Assumes Command of the "Seven Provinces National Defense Army""...

Fu Juemin’s gaze slowly swept over the bold, enlarged headline, a flicker in his eyes.

’A declaration of legitimacy from the Southwest Fire Cloud Army?’

The Fire Cloud Army had been renamed the National Defense Army, and the rebel leader Lu Jinian had transformed himself into the leader of this new force.

Fu Juemin finished reading all the articles on the Fire Cloud Army in the Rejuvenation Daily, then picked up another newspaper from the stack beside him.

It was the latest issue of the Da Xin Daily. The front-page headline blared: "Flames of War Leave Homes in Ruins: Yangxi Refugees Displaced, Roads Lined with the Starving".

’Interesting...’

Fu Juemin gave a sardonic smile and shook his head, casually tossing the newspapers aside.

He pushed open the half-closed wooden window at his side and looked out. The river stretched before him, its surface as smooth as a mirror, disturbed only by gentle ripples. He was on a boat, moving slowly down the waterway.

With time on his hands, he had spent half the day reading newspapers, and had now gained a rough understanding of the current situation in the south.

First, there was the matter of the Southwest Rebel Army’s "legitimization." The Fire Cloud Army, now in control of the Seven Provinces of the Southwest, felt it finally had the strength to contend with the Xin Republic’s Government. No longer content to bear the title of a rebel army, they had directly announced their new name: the National Defense Army.

Their slogans were deafening: "Protecting our land and people," "Resisting tyranny," "Preparing for autonomy"...

The previous year, the Southwest Fire Cloud Army’s momentum had been too fierce, too swift; they had taken seven provinces from the Xin Republic in just over six months. It was indeed time to find a pretext to pause and consolidate their gains.

In response, the Xin Republic’s Government offered an equally "enthusiastic response." A host of official and semi-official newspapers, led by the Da Xin Daily, dedicated massive layouts and lengthy articles to "exposing" the suffering of the people in the seven provinces under Fire Cloud Army rule. They fiercely "denounced" the Fire Cloud Army’s leader, Lu Jinian, for starting a war for his own selfish ambitions, for disregarding the lives of the people, and for implementing harsh, tyrannical policies that plunged the populace into misery...

The two factions were engaged in a fierce war of words in the papers. Of course, when it came to public opinion, the newly established Fire Cloud Army was no match for the Xin Republic.

On the battlefield, they had utterly routed the Xin Republic’s Government Army; in the papers, the tables were turned, and the Xin Republic viciously slandered them at every turn.

According to the Xin Republic’s Government, the Fire Cloud Army had been thoroughly "demonized," and the seven provinces under its control had long since become a "living hell"....

But public opinion was not entirely one-sided. The Xin Republic wasn’t the only one with a voice in this world.

The Northern Morning News published a series of articles "mocking" the Xin Republic’s incompetence, even calling for a certain official to step down by name. Local papers like the Linghai Xinbao strongly urged an "immediate crusade" against the "Southwest rebel faction" and the "nation-ruining Fire Cloud Army"! Meanwhile, independent papers like Liberty Bell and Voice of the Common People furiously denounced the Xin Republic’s Government for its exorbitant taxes, reporting that in some areas of the Southeast, people were fleeing the heavy burden, a phenomenon described as "nine out of ten homes standing empty."

Of course, they also turned their criticism on the Fire Cloud Army, accusing them of operating under the banner of "National Defense" while in fact practicing the same old "autocratic rule" as the former warlords—"Warlords are the nation’s scourge!"...

It was truly a spectacle.

On the surface, the Xin Republic’s Government had the upper hand in this war of words, but in reality, the Northern Army Group was sitting on the sidelines enjoying the show, chiming in from time to time with a jeer or a taunt.

And what of the regional powers? Those far from the Seven Provinces of the Southwest clamored for an "immediate campaign against the rebels," but when asked to contribute men and resources, they were quick to shy away.

Those closer to the conflict simply didn’t want to fight at all, with some ultimate fence-sitters even tactfully proposing "joint provincial autonomy for the sake of the people."

Add to that the chaotic tirades from various civilian factions.

The Xin Republic’s Government was truly in a sorry state.

Fu Juemin had originally thought the commotion he’d caused back in Shenghai was a big deal.

But after leaving Shenghai, he realized that in the grand scheme of this chaotic mess, the things he’d done there had barely made a ripple.

He scoured every page of several newspapers published by the Xin Republic’s Government, but only found a report on the fire and explosion at the foreign consulates in the Shenghai Concession tucked away in an inconspicuous corner. The wording was vague, and it did not state the specific cause...

’They aren’t even willing to mention my name...’

Fu Juemin sighed to himself, unsure whether he should be pleased or displeased.

But it made sense, he mused. If the news that the ambassadors and consuls of the Six Nations had been wiped out in one fell swoop got out, it would be a massive "political scandal." The Xin Republic’s Government would be forever branded as "incompetent" in the eyes of the public, so naturally, they would cover it up for as long as they could.

It was just like the defection of Song Zhenyuan, the Governor of Yangping Province, to the North, and the Southwest Fire Cloud Army’s conquest of the seven provinces—both had been kept under wraps for over half a year, only coming to light when they could no longer be concealed.

The warrant for his arrest was surely still active, but with the Fire Cloud Army as the primary threat and the various internal factions growing restless with their own ambitions, the Xin Republic probably couldn’t spare the resources to "deal" with him.

’The fall of the Xin Republic is only a matter of time.’

’And that damn Fire Cloud National Defense Army isn’t any better...’

The mention of the Fire Cloud Army reminded Fu Juemin of the powerful, scorching, and terrifying Demon Fiend aura he had sensed when escaping the Luan River.

The water monkey, now on the path of the Zhu Yan, had likely been scared off by that same aura.

"Marshal Huo! Marshal Ming!"

Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered.

’I wonder if that "Marshal Ming" and Lu Jinian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Fire Cloud National Defense Army mentioned in the papers, are one and the same,’ he thought.

Fu Juemin casually picked up another paper. This time, it was an issue of Liberty Bell.

Why this particular paper? It was mainly because of a few articles he had seen that criticized both the Xin Republic’s heavy taxes and the Fire Cloud Army’s misrule. The author of one of those pieces was listed as "Zhaonan."

Fu Juemin suspected this might be the young man from the Ming Society he had once saved, the one who had been impersonating Li Mingyi—Lin Zhaonan.

He even suspected that Liberty Bell was a front for the Ming Society.

He had seen a notice in its pages that the Ming Society had officially rebranded itself as the "Ming Faction" and was extending a broad invitation for people of insight and ambition to join.

’Don’t tell me the fate of the south is to be unified by that Ming Faction?’

In this festering mess of a south, Fu Juemin couldn’t find a single faction that seemed remotely competent.

By comparison, the Ming Faction truly stood out from the crowd.

Tossing the paper aside, Fu Juemin leaned against the window frame of the boat, gazing at the river scenery, where aquatic plants grew in increasing abundance.

The scene reminded him of the waterway he had taken when leaving the Luan River.

Winter had given way to spring, and the bleak desolation along the riverbanks was slowly beginning to fade. But for the people who lived there, life only seemed to have grown harder.

Fu Juemin watched the scenery for a time, then casually flicked a finger toward the surface of the river.

PFFT—!

A near-tangible stream of Vitality shot through the air, causing a modest splash on the water’s surface. A moment later, a fat fish floated up, its white belly showing.

SPLASH—

Standing by the boat’s edge, the quick-eyed and swift-handed Cao Tian scooped the fish up with a bamboo pole. It landed on the deck with a THUD.

After doing so, he turned to Fu Juemin, as if expecting him to strike again.

"Your turn."

But Fu Juemin couldn’t be bothered. He just smiled, clapped his hands, and called out to Cao Tian, "Whether we have fish soup tonight is all up to you now."

Cao Tian was obedient. He actually nodded, his gaze fixed intently on the water beside the boat, occasionally jabbing the pole into the water to spear a fish.

Just then, Xu Xinyi came up from behind and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

Inhaling Xu Xinyi’s delicate fragrance, Fu Juemin felt his heart gradually grow calm.

The two of them watched Cao Tian fish, chatting and laughing as the afternoon slipped away.

As dusk fell, the boat pulled ashore.

The group disembarked, found a vehicle, and were on their way again.

After some hassle, night had fallen. Fu Juemin was in no rush to continue, so he had his companions find a nearby inn for the night. They would set out again tomorrow.