Chapter 782.2: Blood Flowing Like A River

They had suffered enough from farming in the mountain valleys of Tiger State. If they wanted to live well, carrying a rifle was still the better option.

The freckled youth frowned slightly and looked at Akman to ask, “Why would those villagers believe us?”

“Go pick up some things from there and take them with you. Whether they believe you is up to them. We only save the people we can save.” Akman pointed toward the nearby village ruins, telling them to gather some physical evidence before lowering his voice again. “These should be the last villages they hit today. The Gray Wolves don’t dare march at night, but once the sun comes up, who knows what they’ll do. Move fast. Get everything done before dawn. Remember, notify every village within half a day’s journey!”

The six young men nodded solemnly, slipped into the bushes, and carefully moved toward the ruined village. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.

As for Akman, he took the remaining three men and followed the withdrawing company, hoping to locate their headquarters. If they got lucky, perhaps they could find an opportunity to put a few shells into them!

...

Meanwhile, at the Gray Wolf Army’s command post, Alyang stood expressionlessly before a sand table, his thoughts unconsciously drifting along with the pieces arranged across it.

He still remembered the beginning of the year. Back then, he had been a God of War admired by tens of thousands. Yet in barely half a year, those same people who once worshiped him had come to regard him as a disgrace to the Xilande Empire and kicked him straight into the gutter.

However high they had raised him then was how hard they had dropped him afterward.

However, it was precisely because of that experience that he had finally awakened to a truth.

These unruly peasants were not worthy of his sympathy. I never should have treated them as human beings in the first place!

Not that he had ever cared very much about them before. Even today, he could not forget the humiliation he had suffered at Port Gallon.

Those treacherous paupers had killed his scouts for a few Silver, sold his intelligence, and deliberately dug trenches as though they were graves, so deep that even when his soldiers raised both hands above their heads, they still couldn’t reach the top.

And then there had been the reed marshes along the Everflowing River. Those people would rather take bullets, drown in the river, and become dogs of the New Alliance than remain in the Xilande Empire and live as proper human beings.

Alyang knew better than anyone that once he issued the scorched-earth order, the men beneath him would inevitably use their own methods and run wild.

So what?

Rather than leaving those pigs behind to sabotage the front line, deliberately cause trouble, and become a burden, it was better to use their blood to frighten anyone who dared oppose the Xilande Empire!

At that moment, the officer responsible for carrying out the scorched-earth operations entered the tent. Looking toward Alyang standing before the map, he saluted respectfully and reported, “Sir, there’s an 80% chance the Moon Clan Resistance Army has been through this area.”

“They were bound to come. There’s nothing surprising about that. Later, conduct an investigation. Anyone with relatives in the Resistance Army, whether close or distant, pull them out and form them into a separate unit. I have a use for them.” Staring at Mammoth City on the map, Alyang continued expressionlessly, “Laxi is an officer trained by the New Alliance. The people who left Port Gallon with him were trained by the New Alliance as well. Those people are best at penetration attacks, infiltration, splitting into smaller units, and defeating larger forces with fewer men... In the Sunset Province and River Valley Province, those tricks caused the Wislanders plenty of suffering.”

The officer’s expression tightened. “If that’s really the case, this war may be difficult.”

“You think so?” Alyang gave a cold laugh and curled his lips. “Don’t expect a quick victory. Completely wiping them out will take at least three or four months. If they want to fight a guerrilla war, let them. We’ll form our battle lines and...”

Before he could finish, a distant explosion thundered through the air.

Both men inside the tent froze.

Alyang’s expression changed first. He rushed out of the tent and looked toward the direction of the sound and the officer followed right behind him.

A moment later, a second distant explosion rang out.

The officer’s face changed slightly, and his voice trembled as he gasped, “155mm!”

The New Alliance’s 155mm cannon!

That weapon had left such a deep impression on him that he would never forget the sensation of having his skull rattled until his head buzzed.

“No shit, I don’t need you telling me that...” Alyang cursed, yanked the radio from his shoulder, and began roaring into it.

Those first few shells had only been ranging shots! There had to be guerrilla scouts and a communications radio near the unit under bombardment, reporting the shell impacts!

Alyang’s guess was exactly right.

Soon, the thundering blasts of artillery erupted over the positions of the 7th battalion of the 1st division, striking a heavy blow against the previously high-spirited Gray Wolf Army.

Because their anti-artillery fortifications had been dug poorly, the entire battalion suffered severe casualties. Only around 60% managed to flee the position and were rescued by the 6th battalion that rushed over as reinforcements.

The first clash between the Gray Wolf Army and the Moon Clan Resistance Army ended in a minor victory for the latter, but the outcome of a single battle was nowhere near enough to reverse their overall disadvantage. The disparity in troop strength remained enormous.

Alyang had a full 50,000 soldiers under his command, and they were elite troops equipped with gear from the Army. Their chief instructor was none other than McClennan, a renowned general of the Eastern Army.

As for Laxi, although he had used the geographical advantage to wipe out Mammoth State’s local forces and thus allowed the Resistance Army to face the Gray Wolf Army’s offensive in nearly perfect condition, he still had only a little over 20,000 usable troops in total. Moreover, more than half of them were recruits.

Although residents of Port Gallon and even French Fry Harbor had donated tens of millions of Silver in military funding to the Moon Clan Resistance Army, if the latter could not win on the battlefield, all their ideals would ultimately amount to nothing more than empty talk.

...

Port Gallon, passenger terminal waiting hall.

Qian Duo, who had come from Dawn City, was flipping through a copy of Survivors’ Daily with great interest.

The version of Survivors’ Daily here was completely different from the one in Dawn City. It mainly reported news that local residents cared about, while the fighting in the Ocean Edge Province and events in River Valley Province were only mentioned briefly.

Now, nearly every newspaper in Port Gallon was focused on the frontline in Mammoth State.

[The witnesses and evidence are all there! Shameless butcher Alyang!]

[Port Gallon League’s Secretary-General, Roger, strongly condemns the barbaric acts of the Gray Wolf Army! 100,000 survivors hold signs protesting the authorities’ repatriation of prisoners of war!]

[Secretary of the Governor's Office, Yadoo, who has always refused to comment on matters concerning the Xilande Empire, makes a rare statement condemning its crimes: “Stone Village is not the only place where atrocities occurred. Who knows how many more have happened beyond our sight!”]

[A language teacher from the South Sea who requested anonymity expressed shock in an interview: “Disgraceful! I will write to my relatives and friends on Ring Island. I will petition the Council! The survivors of the South Sea will never cooperate with man-eating monsters!”]

“More than 100 villages burned, over 100,000 survivors expelled, countless dead during the migration... Tsk, tsk. These Xilande people really are ruthless toward their own.” Looking at the shocking photographs, Qian Duo clicked his tongue involuntarily. But that was all he did before turning to the next page.

Mammoth State was where he would soon be going. He was waiting for a flight departing there in an hour. Still, to be honest, seeing how brutal the fighting had become made him feel somewhat uneasy.

100,000 people... How many people did Dawn City have now?

300,000? 500,000?

If the transient population were included, it might actually be difficult to calculate.

Han Long, seated beside him, lifted his eyelids and casually said, “Were the Bonechewer Clan any less ruthless? Or the Mutant Humans in the Brocade River Province? You’re making a fuss over nothing.”

“Haha, fair point... Still, 50,000 regular troops against 20,000 irregulars. If the New Alliance doesn’t plan to intervene, I would say Laxi is probably finished.” Looking at the next page, which compared the strength of the two armies, Qian Duo casually laughed.

“If the New Alliance intervenes, the Army will probably be forced to enter the field too. Hmm... That really would make things difficult.” Han Long replied thoughtfully.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from beside them. “He won’t be finished.”