NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 405 Revolutionary Army
Wei Kingdom.
Capital.
"Sir, how is the battle going up front?"
"How many states has Dawei invaded in Xia Country?"
"Ten... Dawei is mighty!"
...
Ever since Dawei officially went to war with Xia Country, many citizens of Wei Kingdom gathered at the entrance of the Ministry of War, inquiring the officials coming out of the Ministry about the front line battle conditions.
Upon hearing that the army has taken several states in Xia Country, people couldn't help but cheer joyfully.
Even the beggars leaning on the corners of the walls listened with pride, revealing a proud smile on their dirty faces.
They wondered if the court would divide the conquered lands of Xia Country and give them some, so that he could have land to grow crops and wouldn't have to beg and wander around.
Leaning against the wall, he reached out to the passers-by for alms, silently hoping this day would come soon...
At that moment, a light cavalry came from afar, stopping at the entrance of the Ministry of War.
The knight on horseback swiftly dismounted and hurried into the Ministry of War, moments later, angry voices were heard from a certain government office inside.
"What, Yun State has fallen?"
"Yue Country has invaded Yun State?"
"They must have eaten bear hearts and leopard guts!"
...
The officials of the Ministry of War initially refused to believe the news, considering Yue Country's national power versus Dawei's. If Dawei didn't annex them, it was merely to save their face, yet they dared to attack Dawei?
This is simply a distortion of facts!
They couldn't have thought the army is occupied with Xia Country at the front line and couldn't spare any hand to deal with them?
To deal with Yue Country, there's no need to mobilize the frontline army, just need to draw some forces from neighboring states.
However, before proceeding, it's crucial to figure out how Yun State was lost.
Though the court did not stockpile heavy troops in Yun State, there was a Military Fifth Realm commanding ten thousand garrison troops.
These ten thousand garrison troops are not considered elite for Wei Kingdom, but definitely elite among Yue Country's ragtag soldiers.
Soon, the startled exclamations within the government office were heard again.
"What is it?"
"An army of ten thousand collapsed in an instant?"
"You saw a hundred-foot sword light that took out ten thousand soldiers instantly?"
Initially thought Yue Country took Yun State by sheer numbers, unexpectedly, the opponent used just one person and one sword.
Never mind ten thousand soldiers with cultivation, even ten thousand pigs couldn't be slaughtered all at once; the battle of Yun State must have involved a Semi-Saint.
This is troublesome.
Only a Semi-Saint can kill or defeat a Semi-Saint, this matter needs to be handed over to the higher-ups to decide.
Before long.
Inside the Imperial Palace.
Emperor Wei looked at the report from the Ministry of War, furrowing his brow, saying softly, "Yue Country, Semi-Saint..."
Their surprise attack on Wei Kingdom must be a strategy to encircle Wei and save Xia.
But Yue Country's strength is still insufficient.
However, since they've involved a Semi-Saint, they must deploy their own Semi-Saint to hold the line.
If the opponent has one Semi-Saint, they would send three.
Wei Kingdom may lack many things, but not Semi-Saints.
Soon after, he looked at the three figures inside the hall, and said: "Please go to Yun State, you are free to mobilize the garrison troops around Yun State's neighboring states. After reclaiming Yun State, continue to attack Yue Country, then go for Yu Country; anyway, these things must be done sooner or later..."
The existence of Yue Country, Liang Country, and Yu Country is merely to prevent direct border contact between Wei Kingdom and Xia Country.
Now that the two countries have formally declared war, these three small countries naturally need not exist.
After arranging all of this, he leaned back on the Dragon Chair, fingers softly tapping on the armrest of the Dragon Chair.
Ultimately, how to acquire Half-Saint, or even Five Great Dynasties' emperor's Essence Blood, these Half-Saints are extremely cautious, but whenever they face a threat to their lives, they resort to escaping first; furthermore, the emperors of the Five Great Dynasties would not easily leave the capital...
...
Yun State.
The people of Yun State never thought that one day Dawei's land could be breached by a tiny country like Yue.
The war came too suddenly; an army of ten thousand fell instantly, not giving anyone time to react, the enemy swiftly entered the city, and the wealthy didn't even have enough time to pack their gold and silver treasures to escape.
The army of Yue Country has been in the city for a day, and the entire Yun State is in a deathly silence.
The common people all stayed indoors, even when they had run out of food at home, choosing to endure hunger rather than risk venturing out.
In the city, there was a particular run-down house.
Ever since the army of Yue Country entered the city, Old Man Zhang's family had never ventured out again.
His five-year-old grandson clutched his leg, tearfully saying, "Grandpa, I'm hungry…"
The family had finished all the food, or rather, they never had any surplus food. His son and daughter-in-law passed away early, and the little grandson solely relied on him farming a few acres of barren land to survive.
A couple of years ago, the grandson fell severely ill, and Old Man Zhang sold off the barren land that was their lifeline to save the grandson's life.
Without land, he survived by doing odd jobs. Although he only earned 300 cents a month, it was enough to buy some rice and scrounge unwanted vegetable leaves from the market to keep the two of them from starving…
With the enemy troops in the city, he dared not go out. His grandson hadn't eaten for a day, and Old Man Zhang was anxiously pacing around, wishing he could slice off his own flesh to feed his grandson. But having long been malnourished, he was nothing but skin and bones, unable to cut off any flesh even if he wanted to…
Knock knock knock!
Just as Old Man Zhang was in frantic despair, there was suddenly a sound of knocking at the door.
The knocking was not loud, yet it seemed to strike his heart directly.
Old Man Zhang peeked through the crack of the door to see a few soldiers, instantly his heart cold with fear. They must be here for conscription!
His grandson was only five, he was over fifty, where would there be any strong men for them to take from his home?
If they couldn't find any recruits, they were sure to ransack the house for its valuables.
However, considering he only had several coins, Old Man Zhang wasn't afraid. If he didn't go out, the two of them would starve anyway. Whatever those outside intended to do, it was better than starving to death…
Old Man Zhang, trembling, opened the door. The leading young man looked at him, smiling, and asked, "Excuse me, is this Zhang Gengtian?"
Old Man Zhang nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, I am the old man…"
His parents named him Zhang Gengtian with hopes that he would always have land to farm, but alas, he lived to fifty without any land left to farm, truly ashamed of his name…
The young man glanced at a booklet in his hand and recited, "Zhang Gengtian, fifty years old, without son or daughter, no land or shop, one grandson at home, five years old, is that right?"
Old Man Zhang mechanically nodded, "Yes, yes…"
The young man asked, "May we come in to take a look?"
Old Man Zhang dared not refuse, immediately stepping aside to let them in.
The young man and his two companions entered the house and took a look around. This room had bare walls, home to a skinny boy who looked four or five, huddled in the corner, fearfully watching them.
The young man looked at his companion and asked, "Can low-income support be set for them?"
His companion nodded, saying, "I think we can set Level 5."
The last person likewise nodded, "I have no objections."
He took out a booklet from his robe, tore off a small piece of paper, and handed it to Old Man Zhang.
Old Man Zhang, illiterate, instinctively took it, staring blankly at the words on the paper, "Sir, sir, what is this…"
The young man said, "Sir, keep this paper safe. With this paper, after registering at the government office, you can receive twenty kilograms of rice and five kilograms of meat every month…"
Old Man Zhang's eyes widened instantly, blurting out, "What?"
The young man continued, "In addition to this, the government office will also give your family one tael of silver every month. By the way, don't forget to go to the government office to divide up the land in the next couple of days. If you go late, only what others have left will be yours…"
Old Man Zhang, not yet recovering from the shock of twenty kilograms of rice, five kilograms of meat, and one tael of silver, was stunned anew at the words and asked, "What, divide the land, divide what land?"
The young man explained, "We have confiscated the landlords' lands and are distributing them to the people of Yun State. Your family has no land, so one person can receive ten acres of fertile land. Whatever you grow on it belongs to you, no taxes to the court, nor shared with anyone…"
"What!"
"Also, the Medical Hall in town is offering free consultations. If you have any ailments, you can see a doctor. Your household is Level 5 low-income, so visits and medicine are free…"
"What!!"
"One more thing: If anyone bullies you or you know of someone being bullied, you can boldly report to the government office. Whether you accuse an official or a rich person, if they have committed a crime, justice will be served…"
...
Old Man Zhang stood still, holding that piece of paper, not recovering for a long time.
Not until those three had walked far away did he snap back to reality, trembling a bit, and hurriedly took a few steps, loudly asking, "Sir, sir, who are you?"
All that Old Man Zhang experienced today, he never dared dream of.
He even doubted whether he had starved to death and this was the Immortal Realm from the operas…
The young man turned his head, smiling at him, and said, "You can call us the Revolutionary Army…"
"Revolutionary Army?"
Old Man Zhang stood in the street, watching as many people dressed exactly like those three frequently passed by, knocking on various gates.
Old Man Zhang couldn't help but scratch his head, muttering, "Revolution..., whose life are they overturning?"
A passing soldier halted, smiling, saying, "Anyone who takes our land, bullies us, or prevents us from living well, we will overthrow them…"
Old Man Zhang stood dumbfounded for a while before coming to his senses, clenching the paper in his hand, foolishly grinning, "The Revolutionary Army is good, the Revolutionary Army is really good…"